King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 413 The emperor and the empress both drink cold water and drink it in vain
On November [-]th, the wind and snow gradually subsided and the sun shone brightly. It was a good day for traveling.

The travel of emperors and empresses has always been a huge event, with at least tens of thousands of ceremonial guards and retinues in front and behind.

But today, when Zhu Xianming and his wife left the palace, they appeared to be extremely low-key and restrained. In addition to hundreds of guards accompanying them to escort them, the Imperial City Yi Guards only sent additional people to escort them along the way.

In fact, both Xiyuan and Shanglin Garden are royal forbidden areas and are under full security. It is basically impossible for security problems to arise.

When the emperor and his wife approached, Zhu Jinghong, who had not received the message, was squatting on the field ridge to check the wheat seedlings.

Behind him were Zhu Jingchun and his two men, who had much less work to do today. They finally had a relaxing few days.

"Brother Thirteen, I think there will be a good harvest next year!" Zhu Jingchun looked full of hope.

Although the work was tiring, after all, he planted it himself, so Zhu Jingchun naturally hoped for a good harvest.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghao suddenly said: "Why are there so many people over there?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong turned around and looked, and sure enough he saw a large number of people coming from a distance.

There was no way, even if the emperor wanted to travel lightly and simply, the pomp and pomp should not be reduced too much. There were dozens or hundreds of people surrounding him.

"Could it be that the fourth and sixth brothers are here again?" Zhu Jinghong muttered.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jingchun and his wife immediately became happy and thought of the good food they had eaten when the other party came last time.

"Brother Thirteen, why don't we go back first!" Zhu Jinghao suggested.

"What the hell are you going back to? Clean this place up quickly!"

"The trench needs to be dug straighter..."

As a qualified supervisor (prison bully), Zhu Jinghong attaches great importance to the progress of the project, especially since he is a "free person".

Speaking of the hut, when the emperor and empress suddenly visited, Baochai suddenly became at a loss and seemed a little clumsy while saluting.

There was no way, the emperor and the empress were here, and these two people had objections to her. How could it not make Baochai feel uneasy and uneasy.

Fortunately, the queen was extraordinarily friendly and allowed Baochai to talk without any courtesy. The two formed a picture of a close mother-in-law and a filial daughter-in-law.

"How do you feel about cooking for yourself during this time?" Yang Qingyin asked with a smile.

Baochai replied: "Reporting to my mother, my daughter-in-law and the prince have done everything by themselves these days. Only then do I realize how difficult it is for ordinary people to live together, and how valuable it is for husband and wife to be of the same mind!"

If you just know that life is not easy, then this answer is really ordinary. From it, you can understand the importance of mutual support between husband and wife, which makes the answer seem profound and appropriate.

And this also shows from the side that she, Xue Baochai, is a qualified wife.

Just listen to Baochai continue to say: "I won't hide it from my mother, if it weren't for the prince to take care of me and support my daughter-in-law... my daughter-in-law really doesn't know how she can survive!"

Obviously she understands the truth that no matter how well a daughter-in-law does, she cannot compare to her biological son in the hearts of her parents-in-law.

So at this time, if you praise Zhu Jinghong more, it will be easier to score.

The fact was as Baochai expected. The queen smiled after hearing her words. As for the emperor, although he didn't speak from beginning to end, at least his face looked better now.

"Why don't you see Lao Shisan?" Zhu Xianming asked.

"Reporting to my father, Your Majesty, he went to the fields and took his two brothers with him!"

"Where?" Zhu Xianming asked.

"It's right over there!" Baochai pointed to the distance.

Looking at the queen, Zhu Xianming said: "I'll go over and take a look!"

"Your Majesty, you can do what you want!" Yang Qingyin replied with a smile.

The emperor led the guards away, while Yang Qingyin continued talking to Baochai.

Perhaps Baochai was really smart, or maybe it was because of Zhu Jinghong, but at this moment Yang Qingyin actually felt that Baochai was the most pleasing daughter-in-law to her.

The two of them were talking here, while Zhu Yunsheng, who was accompanying them, was looking around and inside the hut. This was their first time entering and leaving a "civilian's home".

Such a wild environment, such a dilapidated residence, such crude furnishings...

"Can people really live here?" Zhu Yunsheng stopped and asked the people accompanying him.

No matter Daiyu, Xiangyun, or Zhen Qin who was closest to Zhu Yunsheng, they had never lived in such an environment. At this moment, they and Zhu Yunsheng had the same idea.

"Sister Bao, I really don't know how she got here these days!" Daiyu couldn't help but sigh.

Thinking of Baochai's grievances during this period, she seemed to feel the same, so much so that tears filled her eyes.

"In the past, I thought embroidery was difficult enough, and it was just needlework!"

Xiangyun said with emotion: "Compared to pots and pans, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, now that I think about it... embroidery couldn't be easier!"

"Princess... let's go into the room and have a look!"

"Ok!"

Compared with the palace, the first thing that happened was that the hut was small. The four of them felt oppressive when they entered.

Fortunately, Baochai kept things clean and tidy, which made Zhu Yunsheng and the others feel much better, but they still found it difficult to set foot here.

Here Zhu Yunsheng is visiting, and the queen has already sat down in the courtyard and is talking with Baochai.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!"

The maid brought hot tea, but the queen waved her hand to leave.

Then Yang Qingyin looked at Baochai and said: "It is said that the bride takes care of her parents-in-law. Since you have done everything yourself, today... just come and make me a bowl of tea!"

Hearing this, Baochai looked a little embarrassed and said: "Queen Qi... my daughter-in-law... there is no good tea here!"

“It’s okay to drink plain water!”

"How dare your daughter-in-law neglect your mother like this!"

But Yang Qingyin smiled and said, "If you don't go, wouldn't you be neglecting me?"

"Daughter-in-law dare not!"

At this time, the female officer on the side answered: "Princess, don't worry, the servant has brought tea!"

Everyone present was not stupid, and they would not really let the queen drink plain water.

So Baochai could only say goodbye and went to the hut. At this moment, Zhu Yunsheng and others were inside.

"Sister-in-law Thirteen, how can we all live here?" Zhu Yunsheng couldn't help but ask.

Taking the tea leaves from the female officer's hand, Baochai mixed the tea and poured the water, and said with a smile: "This is already much better than ordinary people's homes. As Sanmei said... Could it be that so many people in the world can't survive? "

"Having said that..." Zhu Yunsheng muttered, but did not continue.

"Sister Bao, you and Master Thirteen live here, doing laundry and cooking every day... I guess it's very hard!" Daiyu interjected and asked.

Baochai replied: "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing Nanshan... This poem is often mentioned by the prince. He works every day and doesn't feel bitter. How can I say it's bitter!"

At this time, Xiangyun came forward, lay on Daiyu's shoulder, looked at Baochai, and asked: "Sister Bao, you are here for your wedding. How is Master Thirteen treating you?"

Although Xiangyun is two years younger, she is still an extremely smart woman.

She knew that Zhu Jinghong and Zhu Jinghong were "driven" here because Baochai was disliked by the emperor and the empress, so she was worried that Zhu Jinghong would anger Baochai because of this.

Although this is extremely unlikely, it is not impossible.

However, before Baochai could answer, Zhen Qin immediately said: "Girl Yun, don't talk nonsense... How could the Thirteenth Master be such a person!"

Baochai knew exactly what Zhen Qin was thinking about Zhu Jinghong. She was the first to defend herself at this moment, but it didn't surprise her.

I saw Zhen Qin looking around at everyone, her expression showing a bit of pride. She was the first to defend Zhu Jinghong today.

To be honest, in front of Princess Baochai, it was not Zhen Qin's turn to say these words. She was actually doing something stupid by doing so.

Fortunately, Baochai is open-minded and is not an outsider here, otherwise she would have to punish Zhen Qin to maintain the dignity of her princess.

When the situation at the scene was embarrassing, Zhu Yunsheng immediately changed the subject: "Sister-in-law... the tea has been brewed, hurry up and present it to the queen!"

"Look at me...I forgot something important when I said this!"

While he was blaming himself, Baochai went out with tea, and Zhu Yunsheng followed him.

"Sister Qin, do you care about the princess's face when you protect the Thirteenth Master like this?"

Xiangyun and Zhen Qin have a good relationship, so they took the initiative to remind him at this moment.

"If I defend the Thirteenth Master, will I lose the princess's face?" Zhen Qin asked.

Daiyu then said: "Sister Qin, the husband and wife are of the same mind, and you rush to defend it. Doesn't it mean that the princess is inferior to you?"

Isn’t this exactly what I want? I just want Master Thirteen to know that I am the person he protects the most in the world and that I am his ideal candidate for princess...

Although she thought so in her heart, Zhen Qin was also a "scheming" person, so she heard her say: "I didn't mean that, don't accuse me unjustly!"

The daughters were bickering inside, while the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking outside.

The emperor, who was rushing to the wheat field, had already arrived in the direction of the grove and looked at the three people who were busy in the field.

Two people were busy hoeing and digging ditches, and one person was busy walking.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong was not only taking a walk at this moment, but also seriously thinking about the current situation and how to get out of trouble as soon as possible.The northwest was in chaos, but the old man showed no sign of mobilizing the four northern guards, which made him slightly panicked.

But when he thought about it carefully, he felt that this was a very normal thing.

After all, the North Four Guards have only been training for a year. Although they are barely capable of coordinated operations, to be honest, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

The Northern Four Guards are the face of military reform. Zhu Xianming will definitely not use them if he is not [-]% sure.

"You two idiots, is this the ditch you dug? Where are your eyes looking?"

"Straight, straight...you pigs are so stupid that you can't even dig a straight trench?" Zhu Jinghong yelled loudly.

"uh-huh……"

Zhu Xianming coughed. At this time, he had asked the guards to stay where they were, so he could approach quietly.

When Zhu Jinghong heard a familiar cough, his roaring voice suddenly stopped, and his body stiffened and he turned around.

On the contrary, Zhu Jingchun and the others reacted faster. They turned around, put down the hoes in their hands, knelt down, and then directly kowtowed in worship.

"My son, I bow to my father. Long live, long live, long live!"

"Kowtow to my father!" Zhu Jinghong slowed down for a moment and then knelt on the ground.

Rolling up his sleeves, Zhu Xianming went down to the ground, reached out and picked up one of the hoes, and then dug a few times in the ground.

Finally, he clapped his hands, then straightened up and came to Zhu Jinghong, saying: "Old Thirteen, you are so majestic..."

"I asked you to farm the land, so you'd better... become a hands-off shopkeeper and let your brother work. Is this what you do to a brother?"

"Father... listen to my explanation!"

"Excuse me, why do I have a bastard son like you!" Zhu Xianming scolded.

When meeting with courtiers, foreign officials and envoys, he always showed his emotions and anger. Only when he met Zhu Jinghong did he "break his guard" many times.

"Dad, my son also wants to train them. These two have lived in fine clothes since they were young, and they don't know the sufferings of the people..."

"They should be working, shouldn't you be resting?" Zhu Xianming immediately asked.

"You didn't see me while I was working, but my son just took a break, and you happened to be here!"

"If you don't believe it...if you don't believe it, just ask them two!"

"Hmph... Really? There are three of you and you only have two hoes. What do you think?"

"This……"

Looking back, Zhu Jinghong scolded: "Fourteenth brother, what's going on?"

This sudden change made Zhu Jingchun confused.

"Old Thirteen, you were lazy when I asked you to farm, and now you dare to quibble..."

Next, Zhu Jinghong was scolded, but Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingchun had nothing to do, they just had to kneel down honestly.

After a while, Zhu Xianming felt his anger subside a little, and then he asked Zhu Jinghong and the others to get up.

"You are usually arrogant and stubborn, and you have worked and lived here for a long time. What do you think?" Zhu Xianming asked calmly.

"Ok?"

Since Zhu Jinghong didn't speak, Zhu Jingchun had no choice but to speak and explained clearly how to "change his mind". He emphasized that he was sensible and could go back to the palace to study.

After Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingchun finished speaking, Zhu Xianming finally stopped and turned around to look at Zhu Jinghong.

"Old Thirteen, you have nothing to say?"

"My son has only one feeling, which is that he feels uncomfortable!" Zhu Jinghong expressed his feelings very straightforwardly.

Zhu Xianming asked calmly: "Do you feel uncomfortable? All the people in the world don't live like this... Why do you feel uncomfortable alone!"

"People farm for a living, I farm..."

"What's wrong with your farming?" Zhu Xianming's face turned cold.

"You forced me to come here. It's clear that my son is destined to be a general, but you insist on letting me come to Shanglin Garden to farm. Isn't this...burning harps and boiling cranes?"

When he said this, Zhu Jinghong behaved very naturally, no different from his previous rashness, and the focus of his expression was the three words "general".

He had told Zhu Jingyuan tactfully before, but this time he would tell the emperor in person again, in order to get enough "vaccination shots" in advance.

"Burn the harp and cook the crane... With your knowledge, you want to be a general?" Zhu Xianming sneered.

"If you can't be a great general, you can always be a little general. Although my son is stupid... he still has some ambition to serve the country!"

"Farming here is a waste of my youth, it's killing me...Dad!"

Seeing that this boy was about to stage a drama of bitterness, Zhu Xianming was about to interrupt, but heard Zhu Jinghong continue: "Parents love their children, and they have far-reaching plans. Dad..."

"That's enough... I feel like my ears are ringing after hearing this. I will be my beloved son according to your wishes. If I go against your wishes, I will kill you?" Zhu Xianming asked with a cold face.

Hearing these words from the emperor himself, Zhu Jinghong himself felt fine, but it frightened Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingchun, who were standing behind with their heads bowed.

Even the prince and sixth brother would not dare to talk to their father like this... Zhu Jingchun thought to himself.

"Father...,...son is just a metaphor!" Zhu Jinghong gave in appropriately.

"Metaphor? You have been complaining a lot here. Do you think I don't know?"

"Slander, someone is definitely slandering me. Dad, who do you think told the secret? My son will go and reason with him in person!"

Stepping into the field, Zhu Xianming squatted down and peeled off the snow. He saw the crisp wheat seedlings below and waved behind him.

Seeing this situation, Zhu Jinghong could only come to the old man's side, squat down and wait for the old man's instructions.

Zhu Jinghong originally thought that the old man was going to tell him how good his wheat was, but as the other party looked at him with great solemnity, he lowered his voice and said: "Boy, I will give you one last chance. As long as you give up the Xue family girl... I will let you leave here immediately. , you can do whatever you want from now on!"

Is this a test from the old man?Or does he really think so?Zhu Jinghong was unsure for a moment.

However, his answer is unquestionable. If he gives up Baochai at this time, all his previous efforts will be in vain, and the character he has worked so hard to build will collapse.

Dad, my old Shi Sanli’s character cannot be destroyed until the end...

"Father...who do you think your son is?" Zhu Jinghong asked righteously.

"Could it be that for some benefit, you can abandon your mother?"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming's face changed with anger, and he immediately stood up and yelled: "Asshole!"

Although it was Zhu Jinghong who was scolded, Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingchun, who did not understand the situation, were so frightened that they bent over.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghong raised his waist and replied: "Dad, they say that tiger fathers have no sons. You don't want... your son to be an eggless pustule, right?"

"Then you should be a farming hero!"

After saying this, Zhu Xianming turned around and left, leaving Zhu Jinghong stunned. The situation was a bit unexpected for him.

The emperor left with his guards, but Zhu Jingchun and his two men did not follow because they were also frightened. Naturally, they had to stay away if they could.

Zhu Jinghong did not know the emperor's thoughts accurately. For example, on Zhu Xianming's face at this moment, the anger just now had disappeared, and there was even a faint smile on his face.

Zhu Xianming generally understood everything that happened in the past two months.

From beginning to end, Zhu Xianming was aware of Baochai's words and deeds, and his excellent performance also changed his opinion.

So much so that Zhu Xianming had to admit that this child was not only sensible, but also upright, filial, and knowledgeable...

There are so many advantages, no wonder the Queen and Old Thirteen like it... Zhu Xianming thought.

It was obvious that Baochai had passed his test. What he asked Zhu Jinghong just now was actually a test for his own son.

If this boy really abandons such a good girl in order to live a good life, Zhu Xianming will not agree to anything.

Baochai's shortcoming of "losing her father at a young age" has now been completely covered up by her advantages. At least Zhu Xianming no longer has much grudge in his heart.

The younger son of the left and right liked it. Although it was not in line with the rules, it was just an example. Zhu Xianming felt that he could be lenient.

After all...he is his biological son!

But he led the guards there. At this moment, the queen was still sitting in the courtyard, but there were windproof curtains around it, and a charcoal stove was placed around the queen's seat.

In this way, even outside the house, Yang Qingyin could not catch the wind.

However, just as Zhu Xianming was about to enter the courtyard, he saw Zhu Yunsheng and others walking out.

"Dad, let's take a walk around here!" Zhu Yunsheng spoke first.

"Well...be careful!"

"Dad, don't worry!" Zhu Yunsheng was happy. It was rare for her to let herself go.

The girls left happily, and Zhu Xianming also entered the courtyard. Everyone except the queen kowtowed and saluted.

"Please sit down, Your Majesty!"

After looking around and seeing that the place was tidied up, Zhu Xianming sat on a chair nearby.

(End of this chapter)