Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 148: The Wealthy Family
Chang Lan is not young anymore, she is already sixty-two years old.

But now the Kaiping Palace is full of guests and decorated with lanterns, because her birthday has a different meaning. Even if it is not a full birthday, it is not excessive to celebrate it in a grand manner, after all, this is not the same as the mourning period of the crown prince two years ago.

Chang Sheng stood in front of the mansion gate with great joy, and Chang Sen also ran over happily.

"Second brother, Marquis Zhuozhu is here."

Chang Sheng immediately became excited when he heard this, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness values ​​this person, make good arrangements!"

These are the Chang brothers. On the surface, they are well-mannered, but they still know how to treat people differently.

Zhu Shou originally had a good relationship with Lan Yu, barely considered a half-permanent one. In addition, now that he was a naval commander valued by the Crown Prince, he needed to be taken even more seriously.

Zhu Shou stepped forward with a smile and said, "It's the old lady's birthday, so I'll shamelessly ask for a glass of wine!"

Chang Sheng quickly said politely, "Your Majesty, you are joking. We are relatives, and my brother and I have a good relationship. We usually say that we should visit each other more often, but it is because Your Majesty is strict that I dare not come to bother you."

Zhu Shou looked back at his eldest son Zhu Ping'an and said, "He is a useless person. It's just that the Duke is willing to take him with him!"

"If the Marquis really says so, I will speak up for my brother!" Chang Sheng said unhappily, "My brother Ping An is such a capable person, he is a talent! How many people know more about the shipyard than him? His Highness was still praising him a few days ago!"

Zhu Shou actually knew that his eldest son was average in ability, but he was careful and attentive. So now he was supervising the construction of large ships at Longjiang Shipyard, and he arranged things in an orderly manner and never made mistakes, which was also a skill.

They say peace, but this time it is real peace.

Ping An was one of Zhu Yuanzhang's adopted sons. His father, Ping Ding, the deputy commander of Jining Guard, died in battle while following Chang Yuchun to conquer Yuan Dadu. Ping An inherited his father's position and later served as the commander of Miyun many times. Now he is the deputy commander of the Right Army.

This general was also a general who defeated Zhu Di many times in history, and even almost killed Zhu Di. Of course, the final result was not good, and he was sentenced to death by Zhu Di.

"Brother Shi." Ping An bowed and looked at Chang Sheng happily and said, "It's Mother's birthday, this time we can finally celebrate it!"

Chang Sheng was not polite and pointed at the gate and said, "Go in quickly, your uncle is also inside to chat with you. Go and kowtow to mother, and we brothers will find time to get together again."

Ping An is Zhu's adopted son, but Zhu has so many adopted sons, and not every one of them is as valued as Mu Ying and Li Wenzhong. Because of his father's generation, Ping An grew up with Chang Sheng and others, and they have a good relationship.

Ping'an was not polite and did not think that this was a poor hospitality. It was because the Kaiping Palace was full of distinguished guests.

The princes and marquises who could come would come in person, and those who could not come would send their legitimate sons or grandsons to celebrate the birthday.

The reason is not just because Chang Lan is the widow of the former Kaiping King Chang Yuchun, nor is it necessarily because of Chang Sheng or Lan Yu's face. After all, no matter how powerful Chang Sheng and Lan Yu are, they may not be able to control all the nobles.

These noble families had no hesitation in sending people to celebrate the birthday, and even some civil service groups that had some conflicts with the nobles had to find ways to get an invitation to celebrate the birthday. There was a reason for that.

Everyone knows that the Crown Prince has great respect for Princess Kaiping, and everyone knows that the Crown Prince's two sisters visit the Kaiping Palace every two or three days. With this old lady here, she is the undisputed leader of the noble women.

Whether it was because of her own status or because of Zhu Yunhuan, she was worthy of being treated like this by a noble family.

"Brother!" Li Jinglong was wearing luxurious clothes, and the elegant Duke Cao was very happy. "Today is my day off, so is it okay for you to come over and have a drink?"

Although he and Li Jinglong were not on good terms, Chang Sheng still knew how to say some polite words, "Brother, you are joking. But since you are coming today, what should His Highness do?"

"My second son is over there, and so is the prince of the Duke of Ying." Li Jinglong said with a smile, "Brother, please welcome the guests here. I, the bad guest, will go to pay my respects to the old lady. You don't need to worry about it, brother."

Chang Sheng wanted to be polite at first, but the next moment he quickly stepped forward.

It was nothing to have a carriage coming, but it was the carriage of the Duke of Wei's mansion, driven by the fourth son of the Xu family. The one who got off was the Duke of Wei's wife, Xu Li, holding her son Xu Qin.

Also getting off the car with her were the future Crown Princess Xu Miaojin and Xu Da's fourth daughter.

Xu Li bowed slightly and said, "Please forgive me, my husband has to attend the court today and cannot personally celebrate the old lady's birthday."

"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about!" Chang Sheng said with a smile, "Brother Zengshou, don't bother, let's have a drink. Wang De and the others are in the mansion, and my wife will naturally take care of the wife of the Duke of Wei."

Not only Chang Sheng's wife, Chang Mao's widow is also in the mansion now, as is Chang Sen's wife. Including Lan Yu's wife, she is also busy in Chang's mansion, trying to take good care of the female relatives.

Xu Zengshou smiled and said, "Brother, I can't sit still. It was His Highness's special permission that allowed me to send my sister-in-law and the others here. I still have work to do. Please tell the old lady that I really can't go to pay my respects."

Chang Sheng didn't force it and said directly, "Then go ahead and do your work, brother. We won't be polite."

As they were talking, Chang Feng and others led Xu Li into the mansion. In fact, the focus of everyone's attention was Xu Miaojin, who was holding her nephew and sister. The Chang family was used to this, because whenever Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling came to the Chang Mansion, they would often bring Xu Miaojin with them.

But it was not necessarily the case for other noble families. Even the wives of some former noble families might not have had much chance to meet Xu Miaojin. The reason was simple. Xu Da had a strict family tradition and a high status. He did not form a clique, which naturally meant that it was difficult for some people to meet him even if they wanted to.

Now that Xu Miaojin's status has been further improved, it is naturally more difficult to get close to him.

Lan Yu strolled out of the house and asked anxiously, "Why hasn't His Highness come yet?"

Chang Sen lowered his voice and said anxiously, "Uncle! If this gets out, how will you let mother deal with it?"

Lan Yu was a little surprised, "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness is the king, and we are the subjects!" Chang Sen was speechless, and explained, "Your Highness has always been very close to us, and he will definitely come to our mother's birthday. But how could we urge him to come?"

Lan Yu thought it made sense and felt that his third nephew had made progress. Then he looked around and saw that no one should have heard what he said.

A group of people appeared. It was Li Fangying, the younger brother of Cao Guogong Li Jinglong, who led a large group of people to directly block and control the street in front of Kaiping Palace. Not to mention ordinary people, even the nobles who did not come had to wait outside.

Teams of Jinyiwei also began to guard along the streets, and only then did they see Zhu Yunhuan appear riding a tall horse and guarding a carriage.

Chang Lan had already arrived at the gate of the mansion accompanied by her daughter-in-law, sister-in-law and others.

"Your humble servant Chang Lan pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live long and prosper."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Princess, please stand up. There is no need to be polite on your birthday today."

Zhu Yunhuan then said, "Send the birthday gift up."

In fact, the birthday gifts sent by nobles are usually just a list, which can be sent directly back to the mansion when the time comes. However, Zhu Yunhuan is different, and the birthday gifts he sent have different meanings.

Zhang Fusheng immediately read out loud, "Give each of them twelve pieces of silk, thirty ingots of banknotes, and two hundred taels of gold and silver."

These were common things, that is, some physical rewards. However, they looked like some gold, silver, silk, etc., but considering the old Zhu family's usual stinginess, Zhu Yunhuan's gift this time was considered generous.

In the past, when some dukes and marquises were granted titles, these were the rewards they received.

Zhang Fusheng continued to read aloud, "One pair of command flags, two pairs of road sweepers, one red embroidered umbrella, two curved umbrellas, one incense burner, one incense box, two whisks, and six pairs of fans."

Lan Yu, who was kneeling, was all beaming with joy when he heard this. The Kaiping Palace was not short of gold and silver, but these ceremonial items had a different meaning. This was the facade, and the gifts from the Crown Prince could be used directly. If they were made privately, it would be an act of usurpation if one was not careful.

Zhang Fusheng continued to read aloud, "Princess Jiangdu has an embroidered quilt, and Princess Yilun has an embroidered cape."

This "cape" is actually a kind of outer garment, most of which have a straight collar, a tie at the neck, two long sleeves, and slits under the arms.

Chang Lan naturally knew how good her two granddaughters were at sewing, but she didn't need to worry about the details now, filial piety was the most important thing.

Zhang Fusheng continued to read, "The Crown Prince has bestowed upon me a painting of a hundred years of longevity."

This can also be considered a small way of showing off. Some gifts are not only about how expensive they are, but also about whether they are made with care.

Everyone in the Chang family was proud of it. It was extremely rare for the Crown Prince and the two princesses to come in person to celebrate the birthday, not to mention that they specially sent a lot of gifts, which were not comparable to gold, silver and jewelry.

After the reading was over, Zhu Yunheng stepped forward, glanced at Xu Miaojin who was standing among the female relatives, and waved slightly.

Then, these good-looking men and beautiful women, like faithful men and women, supported Chang Lan on both sides and returned home. Chang Lan, with a smile on her face, looked like the most noble woman in the world.

Zhu Yunhuan sat down and looked carefully. He might not remember which people came. But if they didn't come, he also needed to know why they didn't come and whether they sent their immediate family members to celebrate the birthday.

Zhu Yunxun, who was sitting in the main seat, smiled and said to Chang Lan, "Grandma, it has probably been many years since it has been so lively."

Chang Lan smiled and nodded, "It has been many years, and the mansion has never declined over the years. It's just that it wasn't as prosperous as it is now, all thanks to Your Highness."

"Confucius said: In the past, wise kings ruled the world with filial piety. They did not dare to neglect the ministers of small countries, let alone dukes, marquises, earls, viziers, and barons?" Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "My parents are gone, and it is my turn to be filial to my mother. My grandmother must live a long life, so that I can rest assured."

Looking at the smiling young man in front of her, Chang Lan felt sad, thinking of her daughter. She also thought of how her grandson had never celebrated his birthday in all these years.

The reason was out of filial piety and he blamed himself for causing Princess Chang's death during childbirth due to his birth.

(End of this chapter)