Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 124: Smart People Gathering

Princess Ningguo entered the palace early, and when she saw her sister and nieces, she asked, "Did Yunhuan go to court?"

"He hasn't gotten up yet. I guess we have to wait a little longer." Princess Anqing complained, "He gets up late without attending court, and he will have to wield swords and guns soon. It must be because father spoils him, otherwise he will definitely be scolded."

Zhu Yourong also said, "That's right, there is no one like him. The weather is not warm now, and he has to take a shower after sweating from practicing swords and guns. There is no one more hypocritical and clean than him, and he was not like this when he was a child!"

Princess Ningguo stopped complaining and asked with concern, "How are the preparations going?"

"It's almost done. It's nothing more than keeping the palace people busy." Princess Anqing said with a smile, "We just need to keep an eye on it. As long as there are no mistakes, it's fine. Besides, we are all family members, so no one will say anything even if there are some mistakes."

Princess Ningguo just smiled and said nothing. If other princes and grandchildren had made mistakes during the banquet, they would be unhappy even if they didn't make a scene. But this is Chunhe Palace, the Eastern Palace, so no one would care about some things.

Zhu Yunhuan got up, walked out of the bedroom with disheveled hair, "My aunt is here."

"You practice your martial arts." Princess Ningguo said with a smile, "My sister-in-law also practiced martial arts before, and her spear skills were good."

Zhu Yunhuan said self-deprecatingly, "I'm definitely not as good as my mother. My spear skills are just a bunch of embroidered pillows. I was beaten badly in the previous duel with Brother Mu, and Uncle Twelve also looked down on my martial arts."

Princess Anqing joked, "You insist on competing with them. Can you do it? Brother Mu is a brave warrior who fights on the battlefield, and your uncle, the Prince of Xiang, is also praised by the emperor for his bravery and skill in archery and horsemanship. If you really can't do it, go find your brothers."

Zhu Yunxun suddenly became confident, "That's true, none of my brothers can fight. If Jihui, Gao Chi and the others hadn't gone back, I would show you how to beat my brother until he cries!"

This nephew of mine is very interesting. He may be a deep-minded person in the court, especially when he managed to subdue the civil officials some time ago. Princess Anqing and the others also think that this nephew is very capable. No wonder he can become the crown prince. He is worthy of being taught by his elder brother.

But in private, this nephew is not at all arrogant and always likes to say nonsense. Obviously, he is a junior, but he always likes to joke and laugh. He doesn't look like a serious person. It turns out that his reputation as a playboy in his childhood was not in vain.

The spear in Zhu Yunhuan's hand danced like dancing pear blossoms, and his whole body was covered with snow, like falling auspicious snow. Those who didn't know would think that this was Zhao Yun's direct descendant.

Zhu Yourong and the others were also cheering, which made Zhu Yunhuan even more excited and show off his martial arts skills.

It was good to look bluffing, but Zhu Yunhuan was just strengthening his body, not charging into battle. He had no intention of leading an army in person, nor did he plan to learn from "Zhu Shou, the Duke of Zhenguo" and kill a few enemies himself.

After practicing dancing and taking a bath, the heroic and mighty Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan appeared in front of everyone again.

"My uncle is going to the Imperial College, and Shunchang has to be sent to the palace." Zhu Yunhuan said to Princess Ningguo while drinking porridge, "I plan to take care of my cousin myself, what do you think, aunt?"

Princess Ningguo was delighted and said quickly, "That's his blessing, of course it's good!"

Although she also understood that Zhu Yunhuan might not have much time and energy to teach Mei Shunchang personally, but no matter what, being able to "accompany the crown prince to study" was Mei Shunchang's blessing and opportunity.

After all, Mei Yin had no title, and Mei Shunchang's greatest reliance was the emperor's grandson.

Princess Anqing thought for a moment and said, "If I have children in the future, I will send them to the palace."

The same is true for her future husband, Wang Ji, who has no title, so naturally there is no possibility of passing on titles to his descendants. It's fine when these princesses are around, but if they are gone, it's hard to say.

They are certainly many times stronger than ordinary people, but who can be willing to leave the center of power? Who doesn't want their descendants to enjoy long-term blessings and high positions of power?

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's the best. My aunt should hurry up. Don't let my cousin have to accompany my son to study. Otherwise, it won't be good."

Princess Anqing said with a smile, "That's even better. It's still fate. People who grew up together have better friendships. Besides, I've seen you brothers study with your uncles many times."

That may not be the case. Zhu Yunwen does not have any affection for the uncles he grew up with.

There are some rules when coming to the East Palace.

For example, Princess Anqing has been living in the Eastern Palace for the past two years. Even though they are all princesses, the other princesses all understand that there is a difference between them and the crown prince's biological aunt.

Even the princes who had studied and played together in the Great Hall in the past few years understood the difference between them and Zhu Yunhuan now, and they could no longer fight and quarrel like before. They would not even mention some things about Zhu Yunhuan's childhood, and they would help to beautify even some ugly things.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Tan, who was presenting his family in history, and said, "Uncle Nineteen, Uncle Twenty and Uncle Twenty-one will go to visit Uncle Two, Uncle Three, Uncle Four, and Uncle Five in a few days. You can take Uncle Twenty-three, Uncle Twenty-four, and Uncle Twenty-fifth back to our hometown."

Twenty-fifth Uncle Zhu is just seven years old and is the youngest son of Old Zhu. However, at the beginning of the year, Old Zhu originally had twenty-six sons, but unfortunately they died prematurely. Old Zhu also brought a surprise to Zhu Yunhuan, because there was news that Old Zhu's concubine Zhang Meiren was pregnant. If nothing unexpected happens, around the Chinese New Year, Zhu Yunhuan will have either one more uncle or one more aunt.

I’m sixty-seven years old, and I’ve given birth to two children in the past two years!

Zhu Chen said with some embarrassment, "Take them back? Aren't they too young?"

It was reasonable to take the twenty-three-year-old Zhu Gao back with him, as he was almost ten years old and could be granted the title of king according to the rules. However, he was only twenty-four or twenty-five, so it was still a little too early.

Princess Ningguo scolded directly, "Just go back home when I told you to. Why do you need to be so talkative?"

Zhu Tan immediately stopped his accusations. Although he was a prince, he was just an ordinary prince. This second sister was the legitimate daughter of his father. Moreover, Zhu Tan was only fifteen, still a teenager, and felt guilty.

Zhu Yu also said, "When I ask you to do something, you always refuse to do it. In two years, we will be enfeoffed. Who will take Xiao Ershisan and the others back? Didn't we take you back in the early years? Now I ask you to take your brother back, but you refuse to do it. What's the reason?"

He just said one wrong thing and didn't even express his refusal to take his younger brothers back home, but he was scolded by his elder brother and sister. Zhu Tan is feeling depressed now.

But he was not a thoughtless person. After all, this was the Eastern Palace, so he should not show any hesitation. After all, his nephew was the crown prince, and his position was very stable, and his power and reputation were growing.

So even if he grew up with Zhu Yunhuan, the difference between the monarch and his subject began to become obvious at this time.

Although Zhu Yunhuan and Old Zhu got along very well, or Zhu Yunhuan had close relations with his sisters and his younger sisters-in-law, it is not a casual statement that the royal family has no family affection, especially when it comes to some matters concerning the crown prince, everyone would tacitly and soberly keep their distance.

Zhu Yunhuan spoke, looking at Zhu Song and Zhu Mo, and said, "I originally planned to let you go together, but grandfather wanted to visit separately. You set off on the same day, go to Suzhou, and go to pay homage to King Xu first."

This Prince Xu naturally refers to Ma Taigong, the biological father of Empress Ma.

Empress Ma's adoptive father, Guo Zixing, was posthumously named King of Chuyang by Zhu Yuanzhang. The difference in their identities was quite large.

Although Ma Gong was exiled after committing a crime, he still has a cenotaph in his hometown of Suzhou, and a temple is built to worship him.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Mo and said, "Uncle Twenty-one will visit Uncle Seven first, then Uncle Four, Uncle Three, and finally Uncle Two. On the way back, he will visit Uncle Five."

Looking at Zhu Song, Zhu Yunhuan also made arrangements, "Uncle Twenty will visit Uncle Five first and bring him some medical books I found, then Uncle Two, Uncle Three, and finally Uncle Four and Uncle Seven."

Zhu Song asked in confusion, "Are you going to Seventh Brother's place too? Father said before that we don't need to go to Seventh Brother's place."

Zhu Yunhuan explained, "Since we are heading north, we should stop by to see Uncle Seventh so that he won't complain again."

Zhu Song and Zhu Mo didn't have much affection for the seventh brother. They were different in age, didn't grow up together, and didn't share the same mother. It was normal for them to visit the second brother, because he was the legitimate son of the emperor, and the seventh brother was not a legitimate son.

But even if I don't care in my heart, I won't express it.

No matter what, the King of Qi is still my elder brother, not to mention that this was arranged by the Crown Prince.

Zhu Song and Zhu Mo knew very well that their wealth and status came from Zhu Yunhuan, but whether they could live well in the future depended on Zhu Yunhuan.

Therefore, they cannot afford to offend the emperor, and they cannot provoke the crown prince in front of them, otherwise they will get into trouble.

Think about Zhu Yunwen, who grew up together, but he was the only prince who was given a fiefdom without a clear purpose. He seemed to be living a carefree life in Hangzhou, but everyone knew how miserable the Wulin King was.

Not only are the people around him arranged by the Crown Prince, but some local officials are also trying to keep an eye on him all the time, just to find some grounds for impeachment to please the Crown Prince.

What's more, the royal family was openly cursing Zhu Yunwen, but everyone guessed that the reduction in the royal family's benefits was either the emperor's idea or the crown prince's idea.

With Zhu Yunhuan's deliberate goodwill and kindness, and the intentional flattery and ingratiation of other clan members, both the host and the guests are now enjoying themselves.

Everyone has a sense of propriety in their hearts. There are some things that should be done and some things that should not be said. If you can grasp this sense of propriety, you can be more free and at ease in the palace.

If you want to become a free and wealthy prince, it is not enough to just rely on your birth, but also depends on your performance.

(End of this chapter)