King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 508 Parents and Brothers

At this time, the emperor had already changed into his civilian robes and walked slowly to the chair aside.

Taking the tea cup from the eunuch on one side, Zhu Jinghong carefully handed it to his father and said at the same time: "I heard the princess read a poem before, saying that the bones by the Wuding River are pitiful, just like the people in the spring boudoir's dream..."

"At that time, the princess was talking very colorfully, but to my son, it was only fourteen words, which meant nothing..."

"But at the foot of Hami City, looking at the soldiers of our army who died in the battle, my son remembered this sentence at that time. Thinking that the families of the soldiers who died in the battle were still looking forward to their return home, the joy of the victory disappeared in an instant..."

"At that time, my son couldn't help but think about how sad his mother and Baochai would be if something happened to his son that day. Thinking about this makes me really frightened!"

Zhu Jinghong said a lot this time, all of which were inspired by his feelings, which made Zhu Xianming think highly of him.

However, Zhu Jinghong's last words made the emperor feel uncomfortable.

Don't I worry about you?

"So, you don't plan to go to the northwest?" Zhu Xianming said slowly.

Although he was satisfied with his youngest son's growth, as the emperor Zhu Xianming still asked this question, which was also intended to test Zhu Jinghong's mind.

Zhu Jinghong replied categorically: "I won't go even if I kill my son!"

He had done so much, so naturally he wanted to cool down the heat. He had been thinking about this for a long time on the way back to Beijing, and now he agreed.

Without commenting on Zhu Jinghong's words, Zhu Xianming asked with a smile: "What are your plans next?"

"The first thing to do is to give birth to your son, so that no one will talk nonsense and think that your son can't do that!"

Zhu Xianming just took the tea, and after only one sip, he choked on the words of tiger and wolf, and coughed three times in a row before stopping.

cough cough...

After clearing his throat, Zhu Xianming asked: "I heard that when you returned to Beijing this time, you brought two women with you!"

"Wrong... my son brought three of them!"

Of course Zhu Xianming knew that he had brought three of them, and what he wanted to talk about was Qiqige.

Ignoring Zhu Jinghong's joke, Zhu Xianming asked directly: "Not to mention the girl from Mube, you also brought the girl from Junggar with you. Didn't you know that she is Alabutan's daughter?"

"Of course my son knows!"

"Knowing that you still take her with you?" Zhu Xianming asked with a frown.

"My son is horny!"

"you……"

Zhu Jinghong's response was really concise and to the point, and seemed irrefutable.

"Dad, my son has always said that things must be done in a orderly manner, why don't you listen?"

These words indeed sound familiar... Zhu Xianming thought to himself.

"As long as you stabilize the world, no matter whose daughter she is, she can be whoever your son wants..."

"Not to mention a mere Alabutan, she is the daughter of the King of Heaven. If you want a son, you must give it to me!"

The King of Heaven? It’s me who’s not talking about this... Zhu Xianming felt weird.

"You bastard, what nonsense are you talking about!" Zhu Xianming scolded.

"My son is lying!"

"Forget it, considering that you have made some achievements, this matter will be left to you!" Zhu Xianming said with an attitude of not wanting to care about it.

Keeping the daughter of a traitorous official from Junggar privately with you is of course a capital crime for an ordinary person, but in Zhu Jinghong's case, it could be big or small, and the outcome would all depend on the emperor's mood.

"Go to Kunning Palace and say hello to your mother!" Zhu Xianming waved his hand.

He had to read the memorial for a while, so he didn't have time to talk nonsense with Zhu Jinghong, so he waved his hand to his younger son to get out of here.

"Yes!"

After leaving the main hall and walking out of the Qianqing Gate, Zhu Jinghong really breathed a sigh of relief.

He seemed relaxed and humorous just now, but in fact he had carefully considered every word he said on the road, and even practiced his demeanor and tone.

"Master Thirteen..."

Hearing the familiar greeting, Zhu Jinghong raised his head and looked forward, and saw Lu Yuxin and others coming towards him.

Behind Lu Yuxin and others, although most of them were acquaintances, Zhu Jinghong also saw some new faces.

Every year, the Dragon Guard selects guards. It is normal for new people to appear. They have to move around more and the new people become the old ones.

"Yuxin, promoted to a hundred households?"

When Zhu Jinghong left Beijing, Lu Yuxin had just been promoted to team leader. Within a year, he was promoted to another level. It must be said that he was very powerful.

The Dragon Guard is the place where generals are reserved. The 100-year-old guard here is the Qianhu or the general, which is already a very high position.

"Lucky, lucky..."

After greeting some other people, Zhu Jinghong said: "I have to go to Kunning Palace and talk to you later!"

"Thirteenth Master, please go away slowly. I'll come back to bother you another day!"

Zhu Jinghong left, but he did not leave, just because he was still being discussed by everyone.

"I got to meet Master Thirteen today. He is truly a hero..."

"This is what a man should do..."

"Lu Baihu, you said you would invite Master Thirteen to play polo in a few days. Will he come?"

When someone asked, Lu Yuxin replied: "That's natural!"

Although Lu Yuxin answered with certainty, he actually had no idea whether he could invite Zhu Jinghong.

Besides, in Kunning Palace, the queen is talking to Baochai.

In the past, the queen would have called all her three sons and one daughter together and held a family banquet in Kunning Palace, but today she did not do that.

There are two reasons for this. One is that the Queen is not in good spirits and does not have the thought to make arrangements; the other is that she is so angry with the Fourth and the Sixth that she does not want to see these two guys at the moment.

"So when you repair the Duke's Mansion, you don't try to save face?"

Facing the queen's curiosity, Baochai smiled and replied: "Their old lady told her daughter-in-law that they were at fault in this matter, and now they should treat it as a lesson and don't need to make things difficult for others..."

There is no doubt that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are gossiping. This is something that has been inevitable since ancient times.

Just listen to the queen say: "She still knows how to behave at her age, much better than the one from the Jia family!"

In the same category as the old lady of the Duke of Tui State, Jia Mu is the only one in the Jia family.

Baochai didn't answer this. After all, Princess Yuanchun came from the Jia family, and it was not good to speak ill of others.

"Why hasn't this kid come over yet?"

Unexpectedly, as soon as the Queen finished speaking, she heard Zhu Yunsheng's voice from outside: "Mother... Brother Thirteen is here!"

Before the queen could answer, she heard another voice coming from outside: "Third sister, what are you doing? You don't understand the rules for such a big person?"

"Rules? Brother Thirteen, do you still know the word rules? You are the most unruly person in this palace!"

"How dare you talk to your brother like this?"

Listening to the noise coming from outside, Yang Qingyin burst into laughter and said, "Look... I just came back and it disturbed the peace!"

Although she was complaining, Baochai could still clearly feel the joy in the Queen's heart at this moment.

"Mother, daughter-in-law, go out and take a look!"

From Baochai's face, Yang Qingyin also saw the look of longing, so she said, "Go ahead!"

"Yes!"

Lifting up her skirt, Baochai bowed and walked out of the hall. Her movements were so fast that the hairpin rings shook, making a "ding-ding" sound when they touched each other.

"This girl... is so frizzy!" The queen showed a mother's standard smile.

Besides, outside the main hall, Zhu Jinghong stood at the foot of the steps and was arguing with Zhu Yunsheng on the steps. "The day I came back, you were looking for your brother, weren't you? You are such a good sister!"

"Who asked you to talk to me first?"

"I still can't tell you?"

Seeing the two brothers and sisters bickering, Daiyu and Xiangyun who were following Zhu Yunsheng laughed.

Especially Daiyu, who was staring directly at Zhu Jinghong at the moment, wanted to step forward to answer the question but did not have the courage, which made her feel happy and deeply annoyed at the same time, scolding herself in her heart for being useless.

Xiangyun, on the other hand, was more upright. He stepped forward and said: "Thirteenth Master, you are a great hero who is upright and upright, but you are arguing with a weak woman like the princess. If you spread the word, you are not afraid of being laughed at!"

Looking at Xiangyun, Zhu Jinghong looked up and down a few times before saying, "Girl Yun, you have grown up..."

After a pause, Zhu Jinghong continued: "You even came to teach me a lesson!"

Xiangyun hid behind Zhu Yunsheng and said softly: "Thirteenth Master, you don't know a good heart, I am thinking about your reputation!"

Seeing Zhu Jinghong's eyes moving with the movement of Xiangyun, Zhu Yunsheng suddenly became alert, thinking that his brother had another intention.

However, Zhu Jinghong's eyes only stayed on Xiangyun briefly, and then glanced at Daiyu beside him, and found that the latter was also looking at him.

Although Daiyu quickly looked away, her "crazy" eyes were still keenly captured by Zhu Jinghong.

This girl obviously misses me too...

Just when Zhu Jinghong was about to step forward and chat with Daiyu, Baochai walked out of the hall and attracted his attention.

Standing at the door, looking at her husband who had been away for a long time, Baochai thought she would be particularly excited, but in the end she didn't say a word.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak, but that she was choked up and couldn't speak.

The couple looked at each other, and time seemed to stand still at this moment.

When the two of them looked at each other affectionately, Zhu Yunsheng and the other three observed them and started talking among themselves.

"Brother Thirteen, what's going on?"

Just after Zhu Yunsheng finished speaking, Xiang Yun replied: "Is it possible that he has been out for too long and no longer recognizes Sister Bao?"

At this time Daiyu interjected: "Girl Yun, if you dare to talk nonsense again, be careful that Sister Bao will punish you!"

However, the next moment, Baochai smiled slightly and said, "Maybe Girl Yun is right. There are so many new people and things in the northwest, so it's normal for him to forget about me!"

Zhu Jinghong walked up the steps, came to his wife and said, "Baochai... I miss you day and night, how can I forget you!"

"You just lied to Yinglian and the others, but I don't believe a word of it!"

Reaching out to grab Baochai, Zhu Jinghong pressed her hand to her chest and said, "What I say is all sincerity. If you don't believe me, come and touch it..."

Although they were a couple, there were so many people around, and such intimacy was too much, so Baochai hurriedly broke away.

"What are you doing!" Baochai scolded in a low voice.

Looking at Baochai, whose face was covered with red clouds, Zhu Jinghong instantly felt hot, but he finally suppressed it.

"It's only you who can quarrel with Sheng'er when you come back. Go into the palace quickly... the queen mother is still waiting for you!"

After saying this, Baochai turned around and entered the palace. After greeting Zhu Yunsheng and others, Zhu Jinghong followed him into the palace.

"When a son comes to see his mother, he wishes his mother good health and a long life!"

Looking at her son who had changed greatly in front of her, Yang Qingyin looked calm and said with concern: "Get up, get up quickly!"

When Zhu Jinghong stood up, Yang Qingyin came to him and looked him up and down.

"Are you not injured?" Yang Qingyin asked.

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Mother, my son listens to your words and has never been on the battlefield since then, how can he be injured!"

"You have the nerve to say, who asked you to go to the battlefield in person? There are so many officers and soldiers in the court, why do you need to show off?"

"Do you know how worried my mother was when she learned that you were going to the battlefield in person?"

"If you were good or bad, wouldn't Mom..."

The queen's accusation was full of mother's love, which moved Zhu Jinghong deeply. He did not dare to be glib for a while, and could only listen to the instructions honestly and comfort his old mother.

Of course, Baochai was not idle either. He was trying to help the queen, passing silk handkerchiefs, and serving tea. The three of them were very busy for a while.

After a lot of scolding, the queen sat back down and asked about her son's experiences in the northwest.

Regarding this, Zhu Jinghong said how interesting it was.

Zhu Yunsheng also slipped in at this time. She came specially to listen to the story, as did Daiyu Xiangyun who came in with her.

Zhu Jinghong has heard many things about the northwest from others, but this does not prevent him from telling others.

Just like that, half an hour passed quickly, and it was time to have lunch.

At this moment, the emperor also rushed over, and everyone except the queen went out to greet him.

Because the emperor was here, the atmosphere at the scene became much more reserved, and Zhu Jinghong, who was chatting very well, became less talkative.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Prince Rui has arrived!"

Although they were not invited, it was only natural for a son to come to greet his mother, so the two princes rushed over.

In addition to them, Yuan Chun and Chen Zhi also came, making the atmosphere in Kunning Palace even weirder.

Zhu Xianming was not bad at first, but when the prince and Prince Rui arrived, his expression did not look good.

Although Prince Rui and his wife tried their best to liven up the atmosphere, in the end they had no effect and instead turned themselves into a joke.

After a dull lunch, the emperor asked Zhu Jinghong to go to Ningshou Palace. After all, he came back specially to pay his birthday, so he had to show his face in front of the old man.

Zhu Jinghong wanted to leave a long time ago, so when he heard this, he took Baochai and left.

The couple left, and the prince and Prince Rui didn't stay long, so they said goodbye and left together in a sensible manner.

After the children left, the emperor and his wife went to the Nuan Pavilion and drove away all the maids and eunuchs.

"These two bastards have the nerve to come here!" Zhu Xianming said angrily.

"That's pretty much it. You are also responsible for them becoming like this!"

"I……"

Zhu Xianming wanted to defend himself, but in the end he didn't say much because he knew that he was indeed responsible.

The two were silent for a while, and Zhu Xianming suddenly asked: "Have you asked about the thirteenth daughter-in-law? What did she say?"

"I asked, and she admitted that she was the one who instigated it!" Yang Qingyin replied casually.

"Oh? What does she mean by doing this?" Zhu Xianming asked with a frown.

Instructing Jin Yiwei to do private matters was strictly a taboo matter, but Zhu Xianming had no intention of pursuing it.

It was already clear what the situation was, he just didn't understand Baochai's intention of doing this.

So Yang Qingyin replied: "She was afraid that the matter would get serious and damage the royal family's face, so she instructed the Jin Yiwei to take action!"

When he heard this, thinking of the fourth and sixth children who were fighting in public, Zhu Xianming couldn't help but sigh: "Although she is young, she has such a big heart, which is really commendable!"

"It's just that I have to suffer more injustice!" Yang Qingyin replied.

Although we have figured out what happened, in order to protect the royal family's face, this matter can only be dealt with coldly, so no one will be punished for the rumor.

Zhu Xianming sighed: "Although this boy, Lao Shisan, doesn't like to study, he has a very good eye for choosing a wife. He chose the girl of the Xue family that day. I said he was obsessed with it. But now it seems... this boy is the right one." He is truly discerning!"

Yang Qingyin didn't like hearing this, and immediately retorted, "What's wrong with not liking to study? There's no need for him to work as an official, and besides, even if he doesn't know how to write, wouldn't he have become the pillar of the country?"

Realizing that he had said the wrong thing, Zhu Xianming immediately changed the subject and asked, "What are you going to do with your niece?"

(End of this chapter)