Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The Zhongshan Palace is very lively, and it has always been like this.

This was the case when Xu Da was alive. As the most distinguished nobleman of the time, Xu Da's status was naturally high. Even after Xu Da's death, the great legacy he left behind was enough to make the Zhongshan Palace prosperous.

It was just that after Xu Da passed away, even though Xu Huizu tried hard to keep up appearances, it was still somewhat difficult. Many people also understood that even if he had some ability, most people still looked at Xu Da's face, or were in awe of the title of Duke of Wei.

But things are different now. Ever since the Crown Prince was enthroned, Duke of Wei Xu Huizu has been increasingly regarded by more and more people, whether actively or passively, as a member of the Crown Prince's party and one of the Crown Prince's right-hand men.

And with Xu Miaojin being appointed as the Crown Prince's Consort, there was no need to worry about the reputation of Prince Zhongshan's Palace anymore.

I won’t say much about other things, except that regarding some of the Xu family’s guests, when Xu Huizu was the housekeeper, he often asked his younger brothers and sisters to be careful with their words and actions and not to have too much contact with the nobles.

In fact, it is still the same now, but when some guests come, Xu Huizu and others not only have to entertain them, but also have to open the door to welcome them. For example, Princess Ningguo, Princess Anqing, or other princesses. Or the big Buddha in Kaiping Palace, or the wife of the Duke of Kaiguo, the wife of the Duke of Liang, and so on.

In the past, Xu Huizu would definitely not want his wife or sister to get too close to the women of the Kaiping King's lineage. But now, it was not a reason for him to refuse, and he had no reason to stop it.

And now, although Xu Huizu went to the court, he had already reminded Xu Yingxu to entertain the guests well, and also reminded Xu Li.

Seeing the carriage approaching, Xu Li immediately stepped forward and said, "I pay my respects to Your Highness, Princess. May Your Highness live a hundred years."

Zhu Yourong said in a serious tone, "An, stand up."

The next moment, a female official came forward. The Xu family had already prepared the incense table. They knew yesterday that the two princesses would come to read the imperial edict and reward Xu Miaojin. Moreover, with the status of the Xu family, they received imperial edicts every now and then, and they all had experience.

After the imperial edict was read, Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling held Xu Miaojin's hands affectionately. They were not familiar with each other at first, but in the past year, they quickly became good friends and quasi-sister-in-law.

After entering the palace, Zhu Yourong said to Xu Lishi, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about us. We will just talk to Miao Jin."

Xu Li smiled and said, "The princess is an honored guest, how can I neglect her?"

"Then let the fourth brother stay here. I like this girl." Zhu Youling took the initiative to speak, saying, "I have to keep a close eye on this girl. Now many noble families and royal family members are watching her. Yun Hun also said a few days ago that Uncle Qin Wang has started to have ideas about her."

Xu Li immediately became worried and said, "Isn't this a bit bad?"

Xu Da had four daughters. The eldest was the Princess of Yan, the second was the Princess of Dai, and now the third was the Princess of the Crown Prince. If the fourth was betrothed to the Crown Prince of Qin, that would be too scary.

Zhu Yourong said, "Yun Hun said that the girl can do whatever she wants, but Xu Qin can't marry anyone randomly in the future."

Mrs. Xu Li said helplessly, "My son is a little frivolous. When I went to visit him a few days ago, he stared at the beautiful maids of other families."

Zhu Yourong immediately became interested and asked, "Really? A child this young knows about this?"

Xu Miaojin said with a mixture of anger and amusement, "That's what happened. He refused to accept the snacks given to him by others, but wanted the pretty maid to feed him. If that were all, it would be fine, but he stared at the maid and couldn't move his eyes away, which really pissed us off."

When a child of only four or five years old does this, no one will think it is frivolous, but only cute and interesting.

Zhu Yourong said with a little pride, "That's the same as Yunxun. He was the same when he was a child. I remember when he was five or six years old, he always wanted a maid to carry him wherever he went. It was only the young ones. When he was seven or eight years old, he started to be naughty. He didn't like having maids around him. He just wanted to wield swords and guns and run eagles and dogs all day long."

Xu Li and Xu Miaojin were not sure what to say, because they had heard that Zhu Yunhuan was a playboy when he was young. Even if the current argument is that he is protecting himself and hiding his shortcomings, some things cannot be erased, it's just that everyone has changed some views now.

Zhu Youling looked at Xu Qin and asked, "Nephew, do you have a favorite pet?"

Xu Qin immediately said happily, "Aunt Princess, I like fierce dogs the most. I even trained a hound two days ago."

"Then go to the palace to find your uncle. I remember he had several dogs, all of which were top-notch hunting dogs." Zhu Youling said with some distress, "When he was in the East Palace, he always brought them to play with and they would scare people. I don't know where those dogs have been put in the past two years, and they are rarely seen."

Zhu Yourong said unhappily, "Where else can he go? Someone is taking care of them. It means that he doesn't play with dogs now, but no one else dares to be careless. Even the emperor grandfather turned a blind eye to Yunhuan's pets." Looking at Xu Yingxu who was following behind, Zhu Yourong said generously, "Third brother, Yunhuan used to raise several horses. He had a horse race with Uncle Qin Wang a few days ago. Uncle Qin Wang said that Yunhuan's horses were only for show and could not be used in battle. He asked third brother to bring them back. If they can't be used in battle, they can be used as ordinary vehicles. They are also majestic to ride."

Xu Yingxu quickly declined, saying, "Your Highness is so kind, I dare not."

"Why not?" Zhu Yourong said with a smile, "Yun Hun is very angry now. He thinks he is a good martial artist, but he was beaten badly in a sparring match with Brother Mu Chun before. Uncle Qin and the others also teased Yun Hun a few days ago, saying that he was only good at talking about war on paper, which made him very angry."

Zhu Youling also said, "That's true. He was conceited about his martial arts skills, but people said he was just a show-off. He was also said to be proficient in military books and strategies, but Qin Wangshu and his uncles looked down on him. He was just good at eating, drinking and having fun. I remember Zhou Wangshu said something a few days ago, and Yun Hun knew nothing about it."

Although Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling seemed to be complaining about Zhu Yunhuan's "knowing nothing", this could be considered as helping Zhu Yunhuan to clear his name. After all, the reputation of a playboy had been attached to Zhu Yunhuan for more than ten years, so it still had some staying power.

Zhu Yourong also said, "Third brother will go and bring the horses back soon. They are all fine horses, but Yunxun has spoiled them. He is angry now and is going to give all the horses away to his close relatives. If you don't bring them back, I'm afraid my second and third uncles will come to the palace in a few days and bring them all back at once."

Xu Yingxu was not polite, "Then I will go to the palace and ask for a horse."

Xu Miaojin said with some concern, "If all the rewards are given away, what will happen if His Highness regrets it?"

"He said he was most afraid that the horses were not worthy of the heroes. Those good horses were useless in his hands." Zhu Youling said with a smile, "He is now eyeing the royal horses of the emperor's grandfather. The Imperial Horse Administration has been transferred to him. Zhang Fusheng, who followed him before, recommended a person, the one who was in charge of the imperial fields in the imperial city, and now he is in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration."

The two princesses seemed to be carelessly leaking some of the goings-on in the palace, but many people were also delighted to hear them. The reason was very simple, and a lot of things could be inferred from these few words.

For example, the status of this crown prince is more stable than imagined, and the succession of imperial power seems to be ongoing.

Looking at Xu Yingxu who was still following, Zhu Youling asked, "Third brother, didn't I tell you to go back to Fengyang, or to train the troops?"

Xu Yingxu replied, "I will go to Fengyang in a few days, together with the Third Master."

The Third Master is naturally the Third Master Chang from the Chang family. He is a real playboy and his trust is also real.

Zhu Youling asked, "Third brother, how much do you know about naval warfare? We are all family members, so let's not talk about our differences. Yun Hu also said that if you want to be a marquis, there are some opportunities. There are wars in the north and the south. The court is just lacking a naval commander now, so we need one or two veterans."

How could Xu Yingxu not understand? He quickly said, "Although I am not good at naval warfare, I have always liked studying firearms."

In fact, this is to cater to his interests. In the past, the Xu brothers liked to study large-scale troop operations, which was also a family tradition. These were also one of Xu Da's specialties. Not only large-scale troop operations, but also mixed arms, there was nothing that Xu Da was not good at.

But it is different now. Now many nobles know that Zhu Yunhuan wants to study firearms troops. Not to mention some of the nobles' children, even some nobles who are not ranked high are now studying the matter of organizing and training firearms troops. This is truly catering to his wishes.

The focus now is on firearms and navy units, which are what the Crown Prince attaches the most importance to.

Xu Yingxu must be a smart man who knows what to do. It is not a bad thing to cater to his preferences. This is also an opportunity that he can seize by judging the situation.

Arriving at Xu Miaojin's boudoir, Zhu Yourong said, "I will get married after the mourning period is over, and Youling will get married after the Mid-Autumn Festival. You will get married after Yunhuan's birthday."

Xu Miaojin blushed, but still asked, "Is this what your majesty meant?"

"That's what my grandfather said. He's a little anxious now." Zhu Yourong said with some distress, "Now he lets Yun Hun handle all the big and small matters. Yun Hun is so busy that he has no time to rest. Even the matter of Uncle Qin was handled by Yun Hun. You probably know that the people were investigated and arrested by Yun Hun's men. Not to mention offending people, it's really a thankless task."

Xu Li and Xu Miaojin had mixed feelings. It was of course a good thing that the Crown Prince's position was consolidated, but at the current trend, Xu Miaojin would face a lot of pressure once she got married.

The position of the Crown Prince was stable, and all officials were in awe of him. But it was hard to say whether the Crown Prince's Consort could win the support of the people and gain a firm foothold.

Perhaps only by giving birth to a son early can one truly secure one's position. (End of this chapter)