Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 53 Zhang Yan's Tears, Zhu Zhanji's Dissatisfaction and Resentment towards Zhu Gaoc

The Prince of Han's Palace.

Zhu Gaoxu, unusually, did not engage in fistfights with his subordinates to hone his skills. Instead, he quietly stayed in the room, munching on roast chicken with one hand and drinking from a small wine pot with the other.

If one's eyes are vacant, it's clear they're thinking about something, looking quite carefree.

At this moment, the current Princess Consort Wei of the Han Dynasty entered with a pot of wine, her face full of worry.

"Your Highness, please drink less; it's bad for your health."

Zhu Gaoxu slowly came to his senses, looked at the beautiful Lady Wei who was walking over, smiled slightly, patted the person next to him, and gestured for Lady Wei to sit down as well.

"I'll just drink this one pot, and then I won't drink anymore."

I just haven't figured out why the boss did that.

I know that although he doesn't show it on his face, he has always regarded me as a rival. Although he often pleads for me, I can tell that he is not that sincere.

Every time they plead for me, they dig a pit for me, waiting for me to jump in, and I have no choice but to jump in.

But this time, it's so strange. I just can't figure out what kind of trap he could set for me.

Help me think of something. Logically speaking, if I go to his fiefdom, his position will be secure. If I make a symbolic plea for leniency, he will gain both fame and fortune.

What is he trying to achieve by doing this now?

After Zhu Gaoxu returned, he kept thinking about this matter. He couldn't figure it out, yet he wanted to figure it out. It seemed like he was stuck in a rut. But if he didn't understand these things, Zhu Gaoxu would feel uneasy.

As for whether Zhu Gaochi was simply helping him without expecting anything in return, Zhu Gaoxu was very unwilling to believe it.

They're all adults, yet they're still fighting over that position. Who would believe they do things without a purpose?

Lady Wei looked at Zhu Gaoxu, who seemed somewhat bewildered, and was momentarily surprised.

It was extremely rare for Zhu Gaoxu to seek her advice.

Lady Wei was not from a prominent family, but she had been married to Zhu Gaochi for many years and had a lot of experience and knowledge.

"Your Highness, if we insist on having a specific purpose, won't the Crown Prince think that Your Highness will be even more difficult to control once you go to the fiefdom?"

After all, the prince will have three guards by his side and his own personal guard, and he is highly respected in the army.

If the prince secretly cultivates some more people, as long as the emperor doesn't investigate, the crown prince won't be able to cause trouble again.

After all, the prince had already given up vying for that position and chosen to take up his fief.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu's eyes lit up. He felt that the possibility mentioned by Lady Wei was highly probable.

Then Wei's voice came again.

"But Your Highness, even so, the Crown Prince is not without ways to prevent this."

The officials in the vassal states were people of the imperial court. Once a prince raised assassins or a large army, clues could be found in the income and expenditure of the prince's vassal states.

Moreover, once the prince goes to his fief, the emperor will definitely insist on the position of the crown prince. At that time, it is not impossible to arrange people from the court in the Three Guards.

Although the Crown Prince would not do it himself, the court officials would likely bring it up on his behalf.

Even if the Emperor does not agree, Your Highness should know that public opinion can be a powerful force, given the remonstrances of the entire court.

"So you mean the boss didn't have any ulterior motives this time, he just wanted to plead for me?"

Zhu Gaoxu was stunned for a moment, initially thinking that what Lady Wei said made sense.

But now that he's heard it, he realizes, isn't that exactly what happened?

Why was he unwilling to go to his fiefdom?

This is because once he takes up his fief, he cannot interfere with the central government's decisions, while Zhu Gaochi can interfere with his fief.

Taking up a fiefdom meant the end of everything.

Unless he follows Zhu Di's example and launches another Fengtian Campaign.

After taking up their fiefdom, this was the only path they could choose; there were no other options.

Zhu Gaoxu's heart was filled with even more complicated feelings. Did Zhu Gaochi really help him without expecting anything in return or any benefit from it?

Even now, Zhu Gaoxu still finds this event fantastical.

Just then, a person hurriedly walked in.

"Greetings, Your Highness and Your Highness."

"What is it?"

Zhu Gaoxu's expression turned serious; the person who came was his guard commander.

The guard commander came over, his expression serious, clearly indicating that something was amiss.

Seeing this, Lady Wei prepared to leave, but Zhu Gaoxu stopped her and she had no choice but to sit.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has summoned Jiang Yongwen, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and Dai Sigong, the deputy head, and they have been discussing matters in the Eastern Palace for nearly three hours."

Now, all eyes in the capital are on the Eastern Palace, it seems the Crown Prince has probably found a way to save the Empress and is making final decisions.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu's pupils contracted, and he stood up abruptly.

The wine jug in his hand was nowhere to be found; his mind was filled with the thought that Zhu Gaochi might have found a way to save Xu Miaoyun.

However, in just a moment, Zhu Gaoxu's expression darkened.

Will Zhu Gaochi be able to find a way to save Xu Miaoyun?

If he believes that, then he's out of his mind!

But since Zhu Gaochi has no way to cure him, will this treatment have the opposite effect?

If Zhu Gaochi's actions backfire, Xu Miaoyun will inevitably be in danger!

Moreover, it seems to be an opportunity for him!

However, after a moment's thought, Zhu Gaoxu looked at the guard commander with a ferocious expression.

"Get down there, and don't make any noise!"

After speaking, Zhu Gaoxu looked at Lady Wei.

"Keep a close watch on the manor. If anyone goesssips, drag them away and beat them to death! I'm going to the East Palace now."

After Zhu Gaoxu finished speaking, he went straight to the East Palace without even changing his clothes.

He absolutely would not allow Zhu Gaochi to act recklessly in this matter.

On the other side, at the Prince Zhao's residence, when Zhu Gaosui learned of this news, he also put everything down and went to the Eastern Palace.

Inside the Eastern Palace, Zhu Zhanji had been reading for a while and was now lying on the bed, resting comfortably, while playing with his favorite little trinkets.

The teacher that Zhu Gaochi arranged for him has not yet arrived, so Zhu Zhanji can only study on his own.

Suddenly, the door opened, and when Zhu Zhanji saw Zhang Yan walk in with a solemn expression, he immediately jumped up.

"Mom, I was tired from looking at it and just lay down to rest for a bit. I'll throw this little thing away now and I won't play with it anymore, okay?"

The young Zhu Zhanji trembled at the sight of Zhang Yan's posture.

He hadn't been reading much to begin with, and then he was caught red-handed while resting. Panicked, and with Zhang Yan's frosty expression, Zhu Zhanji became afraid.

Stir-fried pork with bamboo strips left a deep impression on him, and he never wanted to eat it again.

Zhang Yan felt a surge of anger upon seeing Zhu Zhanji's expression, but she forced herself to calm down.

Take a deep breath, and a smile slowly appears on your face.

"Son, all you want to do is play, right? You can play. You don't have to study these next few days, how about that?"

"Mother...please don't be like this. I'm scared. I know I was wrong. I'll change, I'll change, okay?"

Zhu Zhanji looked at Zhang Yan, whose expression and speech were abnormal, and his legs trembled for a moment.

Zhu Zhanji was very upset. He had only rested for a while and hadn't been reading very carefully. Zhang Yan didn't have to treat him like this.

Zhu Zhanji now truly knows he was wrong, but this beating seems to be getting closer and closer to him.

Zhang Yan looked at Zhu Zhanji without responding, then stroked his face, tears welling up in her eyes.

The moment Zhang Yan's tears welled up, Zhu Zhanji's legs stopped trembling, his expression gradually became serious, and his eyes were full of worry.

"Mom, what's wrong? Please don't cry. I promise you, I will never make you angry again. I will study hard and work hard at my studies."

Zhu Zhanji frantically wiped away Zhang Yan's tears, at a loss for what to do.

Zhang Yan held Zhu Zhanji's hand and wiped away her tears.

"Zhanji, if it's for your father's sake, for your mother's sake, and we were to give up our future and let our family become ordinary citizens, would you be willing?"

Zhu Zhanji's mind went blank for a moment, and he looked at Zhang Yan in disbelief.

Has the situation suddenly deteriorated to this point?

He understood what Zhang Yan meant by those words.

Zhu Zhan basically wanted to tell Zhang Yan to stop joking, but he knew that Zhang Yan's appearance didn't seem like she was joking at all.

After a moment, Zhu Zhanji's expression hardened.

"Mom, actually, it's not so bad to be an ordinary son. I can play as much as I want."

Zhang Yan hugged Zhu Zhanji for a long time before slowly speaking.

"No matter what happens these next few days, don't panic. If your royal grandfather wants to punish your father, you must plead for him and beg your royal grandfather to forgive him, okay?"

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji was well aware of what had happened.

The only possibility that this situation could have arisen is that the matter of Zhu Gaochi treating Xu Miaoyun is about to come to a conclusion.

No one believed Zhu Gaochi.

Even Zhu Zhanji had some thoughts about Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaochi wanted to express his filial piety, but why did he have to involve his entire family?

The Imperial Medical Academy and renowned folk doctors were all helpless. What made Zhu Gaochi think he could cure him?

Thinking about all this, Zhu Zhanji felt wronged for a moment.

What could he do about feeling wronged? What could he do about having feelings for Zhu Gaochi? He and Zhu Gaochi were father and son, and there were things he couldn't get away from.

Even so, Zhu Zhanji's thoughts about Zhu Gaochi deepened.

"Mother, I want to go when Father treats Grandmother! I want to see it with my own eyes!"

Zhu Zhanji was still unwilling to say goodbye to everything in this way.

My heart cannot be at peace unless I see it with my own eyes.