King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 692 Husband and Wife Gossip
Holding Zhu Muzhen, he walked towards the mansion, passed the Yimen Gate and arrived at the Chengyun Gate. Zhu Jinghong saw Baochai and others through the door.

"Mom...Dad...are back!" Zhu Muzhen's clear voice echoed.

Seeing her husband returning home with their son in his arms, Baochai was overwhelmed with emotions. Thinking of the hardships she had endured alone over the past year, she wanted to throw herself into Zhu Jinghong's arms and feel his support.

But she is a princess, and with so many people watching her, she has to be well behaved.

So Baochai did not move rashly, but walked forward with a faint smile and light steps.

There were so many women present, and each of them missed Zhu Jinghong very much, but their emotions were very stable, only because Baochai had set a good example.

"Your Highness has been gone for a whole year. If he doesn't come back... I would have thought you didn't want this family anymore!"

Although there are many women around him now, Baochai still has a transcendent position in Zhu Jinghong's heart.

When he saw her, Zhu Jinghong felt at ease, and then the intimacy between them became stronger and stronger.

There are many things to do in the palace. Coming and seeing off guests throughout the year, as well as managing the entire family, are all very tedious and laborious tasks.

The result of this year was that Baochai managed everything in an orderly manner and did not cause Zhu Jinghong to worry at all.

Therefore, Zhu Jinghong was grateful to Baochai, and did not regret his impulsive behavior.

"Princess, I came all the way here, and you're already scolding me right after I arrived. You're being too harsh on me!"

"Oh my... Your Majesty, I cannot bear your words. You must know that we are weak women, alone and helpless in the capital, and you just walked away without caring about us, and you don't even allow us to complain!"

"Hahaha... Princess, what you said makes sense. How about I apologize to you?"

"I am even less worthy of this!" Baochai said with a smile.

Zhu Jinghong glanced at the other women present and said with a smile: "Princess, you said that life was hard. What do you have to say?"

The first person to speak was Keqing. She said, "Your Highness Princess, you have suffered so much. Thanks to you, I am living a happy life!"

"Yes, yes, Sister Bao has worked really hard!" Zhen Qin spoke immediately afterwards.

While chatting and laughing with everyone, Zhu Jinghong looked at the little girl behind Yinglian.

Yinglian noticed her gaze, so she pulled her daughter to her side, leaned over and encouraged her, "Rou'er, go kowtow to your father!"

Normally, a one and a half year old child is still troublesome, but after all, he was born in the royal palace, and the adults teach him more on weekdays, so he is relatively precocious.

Hearing her mother's reminder, Zhu Xianrou timidly took two steps forward, then knelt down and kowtowed to Zhu Jinghong.

"Knock...to see...father!"

Zhu Jinghong loved this scene so much that he put Zhu Muzhen on the ground and picked up Zhu Xianrou.

While teasing the child, Zhu Jinghong looked at Yinglian and said, "This girl is really sensible, Yinglian... you taught her very well!"

"Thanks to the princess for always taking care of me and teaching me in many ways... I dare not take all the credit for myself!"

This is not really a compliment. Baochai took on the responsibility of being Yinglian's biological mother and treated Yinglian's children as her own.

At this time, Zhen Qin and a few others also gathered around. They missed Zhu Jinghong very much and had wanted to talk to him for a long time.

At this time, Baochai had no idea of ​​monopolizing Zhu Jinghong, after all, there was plenty of time in the evening.

While everyone was talking, Zhu Jinghong, holding his two children, walked towards the inner hall with a smile on his face.

Zhu Jinghong was extremely happy with his life, as he had both a son and a daughter, was victorious in battles, had a harmonious relationship with his wife and concubines, and was valued by his parents.

Everyone entered the Yin'an Hall, which was Zhu Jinghong's bedroom. The furnishings and decorations inside were exactly the same as when he left.

After sitting down, Baochai looked at the two children who were very obedient in Zhu Jinghong's arms and said with a smile: "Your two children are looking forward to your return every day. Could it be that Your Majesty is coming back empty-handed again this time?"

"Of course not. I collected more than a dozen large boxes of all kinds of toys, especially those that can be found on the sea island!"

"That's pretty much it!"

Just then, the cry of a baby girl was heard in the hall, and then he looked at the cradle not far away.

"This girl's crying was full of energy. I'm afraid she is not a quiet woman!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

At this time, Baochai interrupted and said, "Like father, like daughter!"

In this palace, the only person who dares to make fun of Zhu Jinghong is Baochai.

Walking to the cradle, Zhu Jinghong picked up his little daughter, looked at her chubby little face, and said with a smile: "It's not good for a girl to imitate me!"

"You can't say that. Sheng'er has only learned about 70% from you, and he's doing fine now!"

Baochai only said half of this sentence, the second half was "The Emperor's daughter will never have trouble finding a husband."

It’s not time for MVP calculation yet, so of course I can’t say these things.

"Haha... it's best not to learn it anyway!"

Unfortunately, after Zhu Jinghong picked her up, Zhu Xianjing cried even louder and finally had to be handed over to Keqing.

In the Yin'an Palace, everyone chatted for a full hour, and only dispersed after easing their longing for each other.

Then, Zhu Jinghong and his wife were the only ones left in the hall.

"From now on...you won't go to the sea again, right?" Baochai asked.

"Why do you ask that?"

"If we fight on land, we can escape even if we lose. How can we escape on the sea?"

"I know all the battle reports and military reports from the Royal Guards... I know the dangers of naval warfare, and I also know how you took the risk. Do you know how worried I am?"

Zhu Jinghong sent many letters to the capital, most of which reported good news but not bad news, but he still couldn't hide it from Baochai.

There is no way, because of his own influence, the power of Princess Baochai is unimaginably great.

"Alas... I guess I won't go there again!"

In fact, Zhu Jinghong didn't want to go to not only naval battles, but also land battles, or he was not very willing to go.

First, he didn’t want to take risks again, second, he didn’t want to make his family worry... The third and most important reason was that he couldn’t afford to lose.

By commanding several large-scale battles and winning successive victories, he established a glorious image and gathered a large number of supporters around him. He was no longer in urgent need of winning military exploits.

War is risky. Every battle he had fought before made his scalp tingle when he thought about it. He didn't know how he had managed to survive.

If he fails in leading the troops again, it would be a huge loss to him. Of course, he would not go if he can avoid it and avoid fighting if he can.

When you become an experienced driver, you will become more cautious...the principle is the same.

"That's good. Anyway, you are not short of military merits. It would be best if you can live a stable life!" Baochai said.

"I think the old man..."

"Eh!"

Zhu Jinghong was about to speak when Baochai interrupted him and glanced outside, reminding him to be careful of eavesdroppers.

Although Baochai had searched the palace many times, she still could not guarantee that there were no spies in her house.

"Let's go to the back garden!"

Baochai nodded and said, "Okay... the furnishings and arrangements inside have been greatly changed, so it's a good opportunity for you to go and take a look!"

Afterwards, the two of them went to the back garden of the palace without letting the eunuchs or maids follow them.

"When he returned to the capital this time, the old man's reaction was normal. He didn't summon the court officials, nor did he hold a celebration banquet. I really don't understand it!"

Baochai replied, "Some time ago, the court was in turmoil over your report on the expansion of the navy and your memorial for merit, but it was finally suppressed with great difficulty!" Zhu Jinghong knew about this and only heard him reply, "Perhaps this is the reason!"

"I met with the old man today. He told me to go back home and study hard, but his words were a little different from before, and his attitude was much better..."

"What else can I say... At least I can understand what others mean when they scold me!"

Hearing this, Baochai also smiled and replied, "When Sun Quan encouraged people to study, it was just like this!"

Zhu Jinghong was in no mood to joke, but stopped, turned around and said seriously: "You said... the old man doesn't really want to pass the throne to me!"

"This……"

After thinking for a while, Baochai replied: "It's hard to explain... Your heart is like the sea, who can fathom it?"

This is indeed the truth. Human hearts are the most difficult to guess, let alone the emperor's mind, not to mention that his mind can change.

Zhu Jinghong just had a feeling, but this feeling was not certain, or even had no basis at all.

Hearing Baochai say this, Zhu Jinghong dispelled his optimistic ideas and warned himself to act more prudently in the future.

This is the sadness of the royal family. Crown Prince Rui Wang has no sense of security, and neither does Zhu Jinghong.

"Yes... We must not take it lightly until the last moment!" Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice.

Looking up at Zhu Jinghong, Baochai asked solemnly, "There is something I want to ask you, but I don't know if I should ask you this!"

"you say!"

Baochai said, "If the emperor dies one day, and someone forges an imperial edict to seize the throne... are you sure you can restore order?"

Who forged the imperial edict in an attempt to seize the throne is not important in itself; what is important is whether one can sit on the throne.

As long as Zhu Jinghong takes the throne, even if he is the crown prince in line to the throne, he can be accused of forging an imperial edict and usurping the throne!
Faced with this question, Zhu Jinghong asked himself, thinking about all kinds of people.

"Yes!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

But the prerequisite is that the emperor is dead.

His confidence comes from the fact that the 20,000-strong Northern Four Guards of the Imperial Guards are now stationed in the capital.

This was one of the most elite combat forces in the Ming Dynasty, and almost all the officers in it were his men. He was confident that he could make these people follow him to "serve the king."

As for other imperial guards and the various Beijing camps stationed farther away, many of their generals were his old subordinates and playmates. Although he was not absolutely sure that he could make these people follow him, he was very confident that he could keep them from making any rash moves.

The most crucial thing is that there are many of his supporters among the four imperial guards, namely the Imperial City Left and Right Guards and the Dragon Forbidden Left and Right Guards, allowing him to quickly control the imperial palace and the imperial city.

The only obstacle to him was the Wucheng Bingmasi stationed in the capital, which had 10,000 soldiers under its command, and Zhu Jinghong rarely interfered in it.

But the obstacle here is not very big, because the overall situation is that among the princes, the powerful nobles generally support Zhu Jinghong, and more than half of the middle and upper-level officers of the Wucheng Bingmasi are from the nobles.

"That's good!" Baochai nodded, feeling more at ease.

Continuing to walk forward, Zhu Jinghong said: "Since I will definitely succeed to the throne, the old man should pass it to me instead of having other ideas!"

Baochai analyzed: "You are too threatening. The emperor must be more cautious about you!"

"He asked me to study, but I'm afraid he just wants to restrict me!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

No matter how close the father and son were before, they inevitably became alienated when power was involved, and trust was completely gone.

After walking a few steps forward, Baochai reminded him, "Don't be careless. The East Palace and the Sixth Old Man's family have had many dealings with officials over the years. They may be able to do something bad at a critical moment!"

Zhu Jinghong could also think of these. Although he didn't think he would fail, he also admitted that this possibility always existed.

It's like having a sore on your body. It's not fatal but it's annoying. The best way is to squeeze it out as soon as possible.

Zhu Jinghong had such an idea, and he happened to have such an opportunity.

Miaoyu and her group were what he considered to be his opportunities.

So at this moment, he thought of Ni Er and decided to ask him to report the situation.

Zhu Jinghong secretly noted this and replied casually: "I know that!"

The couple walked forward for a while. The scenery along the way was indeed unique, which feasted Zhu Jinghong's eyes.

"What did the prince and the others say when you went to the East Palace today?"

"He was quite polite, said some polite words, sat for a while and then left!"

"I'm afraid they hate you to death!" Baochai said with a smile.

"I didn't even dare to drink a sip of his tea!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

Hearing this, Baochai could only sigh. At this moment, she thought of many things in the future.

"By the way, why don't you see Baoqin?"

"This girl is sick and has a fever... It's not surprising that she has been sick after such a long journey. I have already taken care of her!"

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong nodded.

"It seems...you also have some bad thoughts about Baoqin?" Baochai asked with a smile.

"I'm just expressing my concern. Look at what you said!" Zhu Jinghong flatly denied it.

Baochai asked again, "When do you plan to bring Lin girl into the mansion?"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "She can enter the palace anytime, but it has been less than a year since the Emperor passed away, so it is not easy to give her a position. She can only enter the palace as a guest!"

If she was just given the status of a concubine, she would just have to go through the procedures with Baochai, and it would not be affected by the death of the emperor at all.

What Zhu Jinghong said meant that if Daiyu entered the palace, she would at first be a selected concubine and would be canonized by the Empress's imperial decree.

"What position do you plan to give Miss Lin when she enters the mansion?" Baochai asked again.

Although she had a guess about the answer, she still wanted to confirm it.

"There is still one vacant position for a concubine, what do you think?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

Baochai smiled and replied, "As long as the prince likes me, let alone being a concubine, even if I make room for her... it's not impossible!"

"Look at what you said..." Zhu Jinghong looked dissatisfied.

"It's just a joke, Your Majesty, please don't be angry!" Baochai hurriedly comforted him.

Then she asked, "Give it to the concubines when it comes. Aren't you afraid that they will be angry? The Queen Mother may not agree!"

"It would be better to confer the title of concubine first, and then wait a year or two before giving her another title. This way no one can say anything!" Baochai proposed an idea.

She had no intention of suppressing Daiyu, but was truly concerned about Zhu Jinghong, and this approach was indeed much more prudent.

Zhu Jinghong explained: "Lin Ruhai is a top scholar and a clean official. I chose Lin Yatou as my concubine to tell all the scholars in the world that I have the intention to accept them!"

Such an answer left Baochai speechless, and it was indeed a very sufficient reason.

The more unconventional it is, the more it shows your attitude.

At this time, Baochai replied: "It all depends on how you handle it. I don't understand these important matters!"

Pulling Baochai into his arms and patting her butt, Zhu Jinghong said, "You are so smart, how could you not understand?"

Looking up at her husband, Baochai said, "How can anyone be as clever as the prince, who has brought so many beautiful women into his own house!"

Looking at Baochai in his arms, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "Isn't it that I have a good princess to help me? As the saying goes, a husband and wife working together can break metal!"

(End of this chapter)