Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 23 Unwilling to be Jealous
Zhu Xiongying, the eldest grandson of the old Zhu, died on the first day of the fifth lunar month in the fifteenth year of Hongwu, at the age of eight. After his death, he was treated as the eldest grandson of the emperor and was posthumously named Prince of Yu, with the posthumous title of "Huai", and buried in Zhongshan.

Zhu Biao, Zhu's beloved eldest son, died on April 25th of the lunar calendar in the 25th year of Hongwu, which was very close to the mourning period of Zhu Xiongying.

In fact, it has already passed the anniversary of Zhu Xiongying's death, but there was a panic a few days ago because of the death of the prince. Everyone was busy with Zhu Biao's funeral and did not pay much attention to Zhu Xiongying's death anniversary.

Zhu Yunhuan walked towards the Eastern Palace. No matter whether he had fallen out with Zhu Yunwen or not, he still had to maintain his appearance.

Many people were very surprised to see Zhu Yunhuan appear in the Eastern Palace. Everyone in the Eastern Palace knew about what happened a few days ago.

After receiving the notification, Crown Princess Lu immediately walked out of the bedroom. This dignified and beautiful woman seemed not to be affected at all by the series of events in the past few days, and still looked gentle and kind.

Mrs. Lu looked at Zhu Yunhuan distressedly and said, "My son has moved out. I haven't been able to eat well or sleep well these past few days. I'm afraid that no one will take care of him outside."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Crown Princess. I have people waiting on me. Besides, my sisters are all here, so no one will mistreat me."

The smile on Lu's face paused slightly. Zhu Yunhuan lost his mother when he was one month old. He was only one year older than Zhu Yunwen. At that time, he was raised by Lu. Zhu Yunhuan always called Lu "mother concubine".

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care what Lu thought, he just asked, "Where's Lao Wu? I heard that Lao Wu had a convulsion last night, I came to see him."

Mrs. Lu smiled and said to Zhu Yunhuan, "You don't have to worry, my son. It's common for children to have convulsions. You also had convulsions when you were a child, and I was scared. I stayed by your side all night to feel at ease."

As she said this, Lu looked nostalgic and sad, "Your mother was very kind to me back then, and you grew up in front of me, studying and playing with Yun Wen since we were young, so you are my own son!"

If it were in the past, Zhu Yunhuan might have been grateful, but now thinking about it, he just smiled when he heard this.

Even when smiling, there is always some irony in the smile.

As they were talking, Zhu Yunwen came hurriedly and asked directly, "What are you doing here?"

Mrs. Lu's face turned cold, and she said to Zhu Yunwen, "The Eastern Palace is Yunxun's home, why can't he come? How can you, as his brother, do this?"

Zhu Yunwen quickly apologized and said, "My son said something wrong, I hope mother will forgive me."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Yunwen and said meaningfully, "How can I not come? The whole world knows that the fifth brother had a convulsion. Gao Chi and the others all know about it, but I, as the elder brother, don't know. Didn't I come here just because I got scolded by the Emperor's grandfather?"

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Zhu Yunwen and Lu's faces lit up with joy. Their little tricks worked!
The most important thing is naturally to make Zhu Yunwen more favored by the emperor.

But at the same time, it is also extremely important to make the emperor dislike Zhu Yunhuan.

The naughty kid Zhu Yunxun suddenly rushed over and yelled at him, "How dare you come to the East Palace?"

Zhu Yunxun narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhu Yunxun, "Old Four, remember this. I am your third brother. If you dare to talk like this again, I will slap you in the face!"

Zhu Yunwen was startled, and then his momentum became even fiercer, "You dare?! If you dare to hit me, my mother and my brother will not forgive you!"

Zhu Yunwen immediately lowered his head and scolded Zhu Yunwen, "Old Four, how can you talk to your brother? Who taught you to be so rude?"

Zhu Yunhuan felt that Zhu Yunwen's words were full of sarcasm and were intended to refute something else.

But Zhu Yunhuan didn't care. He looked at the naughty kid and said, "If you were smart, you would know that your second brother and I are fighting, and it won't be your turn anyway. You've angered me now, and it's not good for you."

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Now we are not helping each other, but for the sake of my father, I will find you a good place to be a vassal and live a rich and prosperous life. If you anger me, there is no way that a vassal king in Yunnan and Guizhou can go there!"

Zhu Yunwen was instantly furious and said to Zhu Yunxun, "Zhu Yunxun, how dare you speak to your brother like that!"

Zhu Yunheng glanced at Zhu Yunwen, and then continued to say to the naughty child, "It doesn't matter if you don't help your second brother. After all, you are his brother, and he will not ignore you. I am too lazy to care about your little tricks." After saying that, Zhu Yunheng didn't care about the naughty child anymore. Zhu Yunheng looked at Zhu Yunwen and said, "If we are fighting, don't let the fourth and fifth brothers get involved. Remember, we brothers are of the same origin, and we will prosper and suffer together. If you cause trouble, you have the ability to bear it yourself, don't let them get involved and suffer!"

Zhu Yunwen's face turned red with anger. Zhu Yunxun had been his follower since he was a child. "Zhu Yunxun!"

Mrs. Lu's expression was not good either, but she still managed to say, "My prince, you grew up together, there is no need to be like this."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said to Lu, "Crown Princess, Yunwen can fight for it. It would be best if he wins the position, and the fourth and fifth sons may even become rich. There is no need to involve all three of your sons. This is Yunwen's business, and has nothing to do with the fourth and fifth sons."

Mrs. Lu's expression turned cold, "I don't need you to teach me how to do things!"

"That's the best." Zhu Yunxun smiled and then said, "I didn't want to say it at first. I will leave the palace tomorrow. Yunwen and the fourth brother will follow me. You all follow me to Zhongshan. Their eldest brother is there. You have been unruly over the years and you don't even take the eldest brother's death anniversary seriously."

Zhu Yunwen was stunned, and then his expression became even uglier.

He didn't remember much about his childhood, but when he was about six or seven years old, his mother suddenly told him to study hard and make progress, and asked him to learn from his father in every move.

Zhu Yunwen didn’t understand it before, but he gradually became sensible.

What Zhu Yunwen hated most was people calling him the second grandson of the emperor, because this only emphasized again and again that he was not the eldest legitimate son!
Letting him go to Zhongshan now is to emphasize once again that he is not the eldest son!

Zhu Yunwen said coldly, "I still have to stand guard for my father tomorrow. Without the permission of my grandfather, I will not leave the palace. It's not that I'm disrespectful to my brother, but it's my duty to mourn for my father."

Zhu Yunhuan did not force him, but just said, "Alright, if you don't want to go, then don't go. Fourth brother, you go with me. If Fifth brother hadn't had a seizure last night, I would have taken him with me too!"

After saying this, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lu and Zhu Yunwen and said, "Remember, don't let the fourth and fifth sons get involved, otherwise the suffering they suffer will be caused by you!"

After saying this, Zhu Yunhuan turned and left.

Lu was so angry that she was shaking. Suddenly she screamed, "How dare you bully me like this, you little brat!"

Mrs. Lu knew very well what the playboy who had been raised by her since childhood was like.

That is a playboy, a waste, not worth mentioning at all. But now, he actually dares to threaten her and ignore her like this!

Thinking about Zhu Yunhuan's defiant face just now, Lu felt very strange, yet extremely familiar!

When she was carried into the East Palace, she came from a scholarly family and looked like a lady from a noble family, but the prince would not even look at her.

The woman who claimed to be the daughter of a general often acted generous and magnanimous, and often looked vulgar. But even so, the prince still favored that person!
Think about that boy who died early. The emperor and empress held him in the palm of their hands, and he seemed to be the apple of everyone's eye.

When Xu Da, Li Wenzhong and others saw Yunwen, they greeted him politely and then avoided him, but when they saw the short-lived boy, they were very attentive.

Before they were enfeoffed, the likes of the King of Qin and the King of Jin were very friendly to that boy when they saw him. But when they saw Yun Wen, they didn't even say hello, as if they didn't even see this nephew.

When the kid took a shit, someone would praise the eldest grandson of the emperor for his ability. When the eldest grandson of the emperor caught fish from the imperial garden, someone would help grill it, and the emperor and empress would praise the kid for knowing how to live.

How am I inferior to that unvirtuous and vulgar woman?

How is it that my son is inferior to that short-lived boy?
My son is the eldest son, and my son should be the emperor. No one can compete with him!
Zhu Yunwen suddenly spoke up and asked, "Mother, Brother, should I follow him out of the palace tomorrow?"

Mrs. Lu looked at Zhu Yunwen with a cold face and cursed, "You useless thing, you were deceived by him like this?! Remember, he is just a playboy, what can he use to compete with your brother! Remember, that playboy is not even as good as you!"

(End of this chapter)