Ming Dynasty: Zhu Biao's younger brother, the most rebellious son in history

After hearing this, Zhu Gang smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Oh my, you're so old, and you're still using your sleeves to wipe it dry?"

"Second sister-in-law, when I was in the borderland, I relied on the care of my second brother and second sister-in-law. You treated me like your own brother. It was because you took such good care of me that I couldn't support myself."

"Fourth brother, is it your second brother and I who are at fault? Shouldn't we have taken such good care of you?"

After Xu Miaoyun finished speaking, she also noticed that Zhu Chong seemed to have an uneasy look on his face. How smart is Xu Miaoyun?
He knew that Zhu Chong's change must be related to yesterday's imperial edict. Zhu Chong was a suspicious and sensitive person. Whenever there was something, he would imagine a lot in his mind.

"Third brother? What's wrong with you? I see you don't seem very happy."

Zhu Chong's face was as black as charcoal, but he did not have any grudge against Xu Miaoyun. The key point was that he did not understand why his second brother, to whom he had always been loyal, would do such a thing.

There is no way to stop the emperor's decree, but he could at least tell me in advance. It shouldn't be like this, right?

Zhu Chong was also young and had followed Zhu Kai since childhood. He had not seen too many bloody incidents in the court and was too well protected. He seemed unable to withstand the slightest incident.

Afterwards, Zhu Chong quickly walked to the side and forced a slight smile.

"Second sister-in-law, you are here?"

"Third brother, Second Sister-in-law knows that you are unhappy, and your second brother may have a lot of things to explain to you, so don't be anxious, take your time.

These things cannot be explained clearly at once. I am afraid there may be some mistakes. My second sister-in-law has lived in seclusion for a long time and doesn't understand the ways of the world.

Just wait for your second brother to explain it to you personally, and then you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Even after listening to Xu Miaoyun's explanation, Zhu Chong couldn't feel relieved.

Xu Miaoyun wanted to say that Guanyinnu was also a beauty, and the two of them were relatively familiar with each other, so there was no need to be so disgusted. But after thinking about it, she decided to let it go and wait until Zhu Kai came. At least now was not the time to get entangled with him.

"By the way, what were you two doing so early in the morning?"

Zhu Gang said with a smile on his face.

"We haven't been back for such a long time. I don't know if there are any changes in the Forbidden City. I fell asleep when I woke up in the morning. We might as well go for a stroll and visit the Imperial Garden."

"There are so many flowers and plants in the borderland. You two haven't seen enough! Besides, it's winter now. There can't be any flowers and plants."

Zhu Chong said in a cold tone.

"Didn't my second brother often tell us that we should develop in an all-round way, morally, intellectually, physically and aesthetically, and become all-round talents? We both get up in the morning to do morning exercises."

"Oh, I see. Then you two should wear more clothes. The temperature in the Mongolian tribe is higher than that in the capital. The sudden change in temperature can easily make you sick."

"My second brother always talks about others but never about himself. He sleeps until noon every day and wants the two of us to exercise every day. Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Third brother, don't say that. Second brother is doing this for our own good. We can't misunderstand him."

After Zhu Gang said these words, Zhu Chong said nothing and chose to remain silent.

Although he is a sensitive and stingy person, he is not a heartless guy. After hearing what the other party said, he can of course remember all the good things Zhu Kai has done for him.

Xu Miaoyun walked forward and came to the door.

"I wonder if the Queen has gotten up yet."

"Mother, you have always been a hard-working person. He gets up very early every day and has been waiting for you in the palace. I heard that my second sister-in-law will come over today."

"Mother also knows that I'm coming here today?"

"I mentioned this to my second brother last night. Everything has been prepared. Mother prepared some of my second sister-in-law's favorite food and fruits early in the morning, waiting for her to come."

After all, Ma Xiuying was a virtuous queen who was recorded in history. He was extremely kind to his daughter-in-law, even though she was the queen of the Ming Dynasty and the mother of a country.

Even if she was just an ordinary woman, he would not make things difficult for his daughter-in-law.

"My mother got up early in the morning to prepare these for me. I feel really bad about that."

"Second sister-in-law, mother had already guessed that you would say this, and specifically reminded you not to have any psychological pressure, and just treat the palace as your own home.

Not to mention the friendship between my father and General Xu Da in their youth, even if it were any ordinary family, the woman who married my second brother would be considered the queen mother's daughter-in-law and his child. How could he be partial?

These are the words spoken by the Queen Mother herself, so we will convey them to you verbatim."

Xu Miaoyun was very moved when she heard this. After all, the status of the Queen was very noble, and they discussed the relationship between the monarch and his subjects first, and then family affection.

"Am I the only one coming here today, Princess?"

"Sister-in-law has already come here."

"The Crown Princess is here so early. It seems that I am indeed a little rude. The Crown Princess is of such a noble status, and she came to the palace so early in the morning. If the prince knew that I was dawdling for such a long time, he would definitely be unhappy."

Seeing Xu Miaoyun so nervous, Zhu Chong immediately tried to persuade her.

However, his expression was still very cold. He had not listened to Zhu Kai's explanation of the ins and outs and the causes and consequences of the matter. He could not relax and kept a straight face.

"I'm still here talking to you two. If I had known the Crown Princess was already here, I wouldn't have waited here. It's really not polite."

When Xu Miaoyun thought of this, she saw that Zhu Kai had not arrived yet.

He didn't know whether he should wait for Zhu Kai at the door for a while or go to the Queen first. He was a little confused for a moment.

"Second sister-in-law, my eldest brother and father are all in the front court. Only mother and eldest sister-in-law are inside. You don't have to wait for my second brother. You should go in first. When my second brother comes later, he can go in by himself. Don't be so polite."

After hearing this, Xu Miaoyun nodded.

"My two younger brothers are more thoughtful. In that case, I'll go in first and talk about it later."

Zhu Gang led Xu Miaoyun to Empress Ma's bedroom.

"Let the eunuch go in and report first. It's not appropriate for me to rush in like this. I don't know what the Queen Mother and the Crown Princess are talking about. What if they are talking about something private?"

When Zhu Chong heard what Xu Miaoyun said, he felt that it made sense. No matter what, he couldn't just barge in. It was indeed very rude. There was no need to bother the eunuchs. He could just go in and say something first. "Second sister-in-law, you don't have to be so nervous. Although you have been in the palace for a short time, in the eyes of the queen mother, you are all treated equally. It doesn't matter whether you are the crown princess or anyone else."

"Third brother, I'll trouble you to go in first and inform them for me."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Chong came to Ma Xiuying's palace.

"Your son greets the Queen Mother, the Crown Princess!"

"There are no outsiders here, so you two don't have to be so restrained."

When Crown Princess Chang heard this, she quickly spoke up.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince often says that he misses you brothers. Now that he has finally returned to the capital, please don’t be so polite.

It's just like what mother said, there are no outsiders here, you don't have to be so restrained, just call me sister-in-law, it seems closer. "

"Yes, sister-in-law."

Crown Princess Chang stood up and walked up to the two little kids.

"More than a year ago, when you just left the capital, you were still ignorant, but in such a short period of time you have grown into grown men.

Especially my third brother, I heard that you have been named His Royal Highness the King of Qin and will soon attract the attention of the most beautiful Guanyin slave in the grassland tribe. I, the eldest sister-in-law, would like to congratulate you here."

Zhu Chong was worried about this matter. After hearing this, he didn't dare to show his disapproval in front of the Crown Princess.

I could only force out a little expression and said with a slight smile.

"Thank you for your blessing, sister-in-law. These are all arranged by my father and mother. I am just sitting back and enjoying the fruits of their labor. To be more precise, this is also due to my second brother's encouragement. I will do whatever they arrange. It has always been like this. I don't even have the right to say no."

"This……"

Crown Princess Chang was also a gentle and easy-going person. When she heard this, she understood that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was probably not very happy, especially because of the marriage granted by the Emperor.

Just when they were about to start talking, Zhu Gang immediately spoke to Ma Xiuying.

"Oh, mother, we were so busy chatting with our eldest sister-in-law that we almost forgot that our second sister-in-law is here and waiting outside."

"Xu Miaoyun is here?"

“Yeah, it seems that my second sister-in-law has prepared something for my mother, but I don’t know what it is.

But let him come in and take a look first. It’s not good to let him wait outside all the time. The weather is still a bit cold.

Second sister-in-law's health has not been good recently. It may be that the long journey from the border to the capital has made her health worse. "

"I see. Since you have already seen him outside, why don't you invite him over quickly? Do I need to go and invite him in person?"

"Second sister-in-law hasn't come to the palace for a long time. He has always been the most disciplined person. When he heard us two ask him to come in directly, he refused. He was afraid that there would be some secret topics between mother and eldest sister-in-law, and he was even more worried that he would disturb you."

"What's the bother? If Zhu Kai saw Xu Miaoyun freezing outside, he would definitely blame me for being biased as a mother."

"That's right, my second brother will be here soon. If he sees my second sister-in-law standing outside, he will definitely feel uncomfortable. I will go and call her in now."

Thinking of this, Zhu Gang dared not hesitate any more and rushed out immediately. Fortunately, Zhu Kai did not come over. He only saw Xu Miaoyun standing outside, being respectful and unable to find any fault with her.

"Second sister-in-law, mother told you to go in quickly. I heard you were standing outside and she blamed us two."

"That's not necessary. I'll go in and talk to my mother about this matter later. You two can't be blamed. I was the only one who insisted on waiting outside."

"I ran out very quickly, without even waiting for the servants to report, because I know what kind of temper Second Brother has. The person he cares about the most is Second Sister-in-law. If he saw Second Sister-in-law waiting outside and freezing alone, he would definitely lose his temper with the two of us.

The relationship between the second and third brothers has been quite tense and sensitive recently. I don’t want any conflicts to arise between them. As the old saying goes, a harmonious family is the root of everything.”

Zhu Gang was considered to be relatively sensible. After he said these words, Xu Miaoyun smiled slightly and nodded. The two of them quickly walked into the queen's palace.

Xu Miaoyun observed the situation around him and found that even though the Queen was of such a noble status, there were not many people serving her. Perhaps she had long been accustomed to being independent in everything and was unwilling to control those servants.

"Second sister-in-law, please~"

Xu Miaoyun took small square steps, put her hands on her waist, and straightened her back to prevent the hairpin on her head from shaking.

Although she is the daughter of the military general Xu Da, she has been taught the rules and regulations of the capital since she was a child. A lady from a noble family is definitely different. This kind of temperament cannot be cultivated in a short period of time. Perhaps this is what is called "a man of culture is naturally elegant."

Empress Ma and the Crown Princess were also sitting in the upper section.

Xu Miaoyun was very calm. She walked forward calmly, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed.

"Your son Xu Miaoyun pays respects to the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother live a thousand years, be in good health, and have everything go well! I greet the Crown Princess!"

Naturally, Ma Xiuying liked both of her daughters-in-law very much. One was the Crown Prince Zhu Biao's wife, Crown Princess Chang, and the other was Zhu Kai's wife, Princess Sai Xu Miaoyun.

These are the wives of the two sons that Ma Xiuying and Zhu Yuanzhang care about the most, and of course they have to be chosen by them personally.

This was also the reason why Zhu Chong had always been unhappy, because his two brothers' wives were of noble status, extremely beautiful and extremely virtuous, while he had to marry a woman from a foreign tribe, from the Mongol Yuan Dynasty that had just surrendered.

Once Zhu Yuanzhang made this decision, it was actually equivalent to announcing to the entire Ming Dynasty that Zhu Chong had been kicked out of the ranks of heirs and that he would never be a candidate for the crown prince under any circumstances.

Even if something happened to the prince, it would not be his turn, after all, no prince's wife was a foreign woman.

Ma Xiuying was so pleased when she saw Xu Miaoyun that she wanted to rush forward and help him up herself.

"Miaoyun, my mother is old now, and it is not convenient for her to walk up and down. Please stand up by yourself. Someone, please come and give her a seat!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother!"

"We are all family, why should we be polite?"

Princess Chang saw Xu Miaoyun looking him up and down. When he left more than a year ago, he was not like this now. It has only been a year since they last met, and Xu Miaoyun seems to be more beautiful than before. (End of this chapter)