Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 9 We are all brothers
Zhu Yunhuan had to keep vigil for Crown Prince Zhu Biao, which was his duty as a son.

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling had already prepared mourning clothes for Zhu Yunhuan, which was the "zhansui" among the "five mourning clothes".

It is made of the coarsest raw linen, with the broken parts exposed and no edges. The first part of the mourning dress is the upper and lower garment; the second part is the inner and outer belts; the third part is the crown with rope tassels, which is the mourning hat; the fourth part is the mourning shoes; the fifth part is the staff, which is the mourning stick.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan appear in the mourning hall, Zhu Yunwen took a look and then looked even more heartbroken.

The chubby Zhu Gaochi asked in a low voice, "Yunxun, why didn't you come over a few days ago?"

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Yunhu were born in the same year, but Zhu Gaochi was three months older.

Zhu Shangbing, the crown prince of the Qin Dynasty, also whispered, "My brother, your uncle has passed away. You should be more filial to him."

Zhu Jihui, the sixteen-year-old prince of Jin, said, "Don't talk about it. Yunhu was too worried the past two days and didn't come."

These princes were either born in Fengyang or Yingtianfu. When their fathers were enfeoffed, these imperial grandchildren stayed in Yingtianfu.

These imperial grandchildren were also classmates, studying together in the Great Hall. Since there was no direct conflict of interest, they got along well with each other.

These imperial grandchildren were all dressed the same because Zhu Biao was the eldest son and the head of the clan, so it was only natural that he should be dressed that way.

In addition to these imperial grandchildren, there were also some princes who had not yet been enfeoffed to their own fiefdoms who were keeping vigil for their imperial brother.

But Zhu Yunhuan also understood that not everyone was very sad, some people were just going through the motions, just showing up. But these people didn't dare to play around, even if they didn't care in their hearts, they had to pretend to be sad on the surface.

In addition to these royal family members, some civil and military officials also need to keep vigil.

After the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, many people recognized Zhu Yunwen more simply for his performance. He came to the casket every day regardless of the weather, with a sad and dejected expression. The emperor, who was previously as gentle as jade, had lost a lot of weight.

Zhu Yunhuan was different. Not to mention that he had disappeared for two days before, even before that, he seemed to only show up every day and would soon return to the East Palace. And during this process, he had almost no expression. Some people thought he was too sad, while others thought he was unfilial.

Near noon, Zhu Yunhuan felt hungry and his stomach began to growl.

The eight-year-old Zhu Yunwen immediately said, "Third brother, eat something to fill your stomach."

After saying this, Zhu Yunwen took out some snacks from his sleeve and handed them to Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at his half brother with a look of neither sadness nor joy. It was really Yunwen and Lu who taught him how to do this, trying every way to make Zhu Yunhuan look bad in such an occasion, wanting him to bear the reputation of being unfilial.

Zhu Gaochi immediately said to Zhu Yunwen, "Yunwen, if you are hungry, go to the side hall to rest. How can you do this in front of the spirit?"

Zhu Yunwen immediately stared at Zhu Gaochi unhappily. He was not afraid of this cousin. As long as his brother became the crown prince and became the emperor, he would not care about his cousin Zhu Gaochi, or even his fourth uncle. By then, the fourth uncle would kneel before his eldest brother!
Children born in an imperial family are not stupid. Seven or eight years old can be a naughty and ignorant age. But if they are taught carefully, they will know what to do and what not to do.

Zhu Yunhuan did not speak or move, but knelt quietly. When the time was almost up, he got up with difficulty and walked towards the side hall, drank some porridge, and ate something simple.

When Zhu Yunhuan walked out of the side hall again, he saw Old Zhu standing at the door of the hall with a gloomy face.

Zhu Yunwen felt proud. Not only did he keep vigil after his father's death, he also showed filial piety to his father during his father's serious illness.

Compared to the playboy who couldn't endure hardship, the performance of Zhu Yunwen, the filial son, could be said to be perfect.

Zhu Yunhuan did not think of making any excuses, because there was really no need. If Old Zhu wanted to know what happened in the mourning hall, he would definitely know, so there was no need for him to explain.

Old Zhu glared at Zhu Yunhuan fiercely, not hiding his dissatisfaction. This also made Zhu Gaochi and others tremble, thinking that Yunhuan was too unlucky. Zhu Yunwen was naturally secretly happy in his heart. The worse Zhu Yunhuan's performance was, the more it showed his filial piety.

Zhu Yunhuan knelt down again without saying a word, and Old Zhu stared at Zhu Biao's tablet for a long time, felt sad, and then turned and left.

Although his eldest son had been gone for two months, Zhu Yuanzhang still felt heartbroken every time he thought of him. Not only had he lost his most beloved eldest son, but the Ming Dynasty had also lost its most outstanding successor.

Sometimes Zhu was worried about whether he could train a qualified successor for the Ming Dynasty. Judging from the performance of Yunhuan and Yunwen, even if they were more motivated, they would not be able to do better than the eldest brother.

What's more, God won't give him more time. He is already over 60 years old, how can he have so much time!
Old Zhu did not speak to the prince or his grandson. He just stayed for a moment and then left.

Naturally, he also asked about it, and naturally he also knew about Zhu Yunhuan's performance in the mourning hall.

Old Zhu could only say that his grandson seemed to be really unlucky, and every time he was seen by him, it was not a good time. But thinking about it carefully, although Yun Hun did not do anything rude, he was still much worse than Yun Wen.

As for Zhu Yunwen's little cleverness, Old Zhu just sneered. It seemed that the eldest brother's second wife was really cunning, with some little tricks that were not worthy of being shown on the public.

After guarding the spirit for a day, Zhu Yunhuan returned to Rouyi Palace.

Zhu Yourong immediately asked with concern, "Yunhuan, no one is taking you back to the East Palace today, right?"

"I have already moved here, who can take me back?" Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Big sister, don't worry. Since I have already planned to fight for the throne, I will naturally not be controlled by that woman."

Zhu Youling reminded him, "Don't underestimate that woman. She is kind and gentle in front of your father, and everyone in the East Palace praises her. I used to think she was good, but now I see that she might have been planning to harm you!"

Zhu Yourong also gnashed her teeth and said, "That's it! Children born in a family must study hard, but Yun Hun can't study. She has to arrange for someone to take Yun Hun out to play. Once Yun Hun plays, she will let people spread the news."

"It's just a woman's trick, it's laughable." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and comforted his two sisters, "Don't worry, if I can be easily controlled, I won't dare to talk about fighting for the throne."

Zhu Yourong suddenly asked, "Yunhuan, you were hiding your incompetence before, right? After your father passed away, you changed."

Zhu Yunhuan did not answer, because he had indeed become a different person, his inner soul had changed.

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling were very touched by this. No one knew what kind of person their brother was better than them. He used to be a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, and did whatever he wanted. Everyone in the East Palace "spoiled him" and gave in to him.

In the past, this seemed to be a good idea, but when the king passed away, Yunhu's reputation was ruined. Everyone was thinking that if the emperor's grandfather appointed a grandson as the crown prince, he would definitely choose Zhu Yunwen instead of the dissolute Zhu Yunhu.

Even now, some people are testing the waters. Now that the crown prince is gone, it would be possible to let the King of Qin become the crown prince.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at his two sisters and said confidently, "Big sister, second sister, don't worry. I am the legitimate son of my father and mother. If I don't fight, their little tricks may work. If I fight, they will definitely lose!"

After hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling also became confident.

But Zhu Yourong suddenly became worried and said anxiously, "Yunhuan, you should go and please the Emperor's grandfather. Whether you can become the crown prince or not, these matters still have to be decided by the Emperor's grandfather."

Zhu Yunhuan suddenly felt that not only his knees hurt, but his buttocks also hurt. He met Lao Zhu several times and was only spanked.

"No!" Zhu Yunhuan said decisively, "He and my father have promoted Lu to be the Crown Princess. This matter has not been made clear yet. I will not speak to him in a nice tone!"

Zhu Yourong and Zhu Youling immediately became worried when they heard Zhu Yunhuan say this. Why did Yunhuan seem to have a bad relationship with his grandfather?
A young eunuch lowered his head, as he would go to meet His Majesty soon.

(End of this chapter)