20demayo Chapter 111 Zhu Di and his wife arrive in Beijing
Chapter 111 Zhu Di and his wife arrive in Beijing
Back in the vegetable garden, Zhu Youdun told Zhu Gaoxi what Princess Hanshan had said.
"I've written it down."
Zhu Gaoxi answered earnestly.
This shows that Zhu Mingyu was not merely doing a small favor, but rather taking sides.
Smart people know when to place their bets, and Zhu Mingyu is undoubtedly one of them.
Zhu Gaoxi was deeply impressed.
A few days later, Prince Yan, Zhu Di, arrived in the capital with his principal wife, Xu Miaoyun. Zhu Gaoxi's adoptive mother, Wang Zihe, whom he had been eagerly awaiting, did not come along, which was somewhat disappointing.
However, Zhu Gaoxi concealed it well, affectionately calling out "Father, Mother".
"My son," Xu Miaoyun said, picking Zhu Gaoxi up and kissing his chubby face repeatedly.
It's unbelievable that the seemingly gentle and beautiful Princess Yan is so strong.
Zhu Gaoxi wrapped his arms around Xu Miaoyun's neck affectionately.
The cheap father always doted on his wife. After walking a few steps, he took Zhu Gaoxi into his arms and rubbed his beard all over the little girl's tender face.
The couple expressed their intimacy in exactly the same way, both greeting us by looking directly at our faces.
Zhu Gaoxi subtly avoided him, showing his disdain.
"Where's your second brother?"
Zhu Di looked around and, not seeing his second son coming to greet him, asked in bewilderment.
"Reading."
Zhu Gaoxi answered truthfully.
He wasn't lying; Zhu Gaoxu was indeed with Xie Jin, engrossed in his studies day and night.
Even last-minute preparation can be effective.
In order to pass his parents' test, the second child really gave it his all this time.
"Can he read?"
Xu Miaoyun pursed her lips, indicating disbelief.
How could she not know what her own son was like?
You can't read unless you have a knife to your throat.
Thinking of this, Xu Miaoyun suddenly had a flash of inspiration and turned to look at her husband, "Is he just trying to fool us?"
What do you think?
If it weren't for your surprise inspection, Second Brother would have begged and pleaded with Xie Jin for guidance.
Zhu Gaoxi thought to himself.
"Xi'er, tell your mother the truth, has your second brother not read a single book in the past few months?"
Zhu Gaoxi stammered, then pretended to sneeze accidentally, spitting saliva all over his cheap father's face.
"I don't want to be a traitor," Zhu Gaoxi huddled in his adoptive father's arms, refusing to utter a sound.
Anyone with eyes can understand what this situation means.
The Prince of Yan and his wife were both very intelligent, and they had already guessed the deeper meaning behind it.
"This kid deserves a beating," Zhu Di suddenly changed his expression and cursed viciously.
"Just wait and see how I deal with him," Xu Miaoyun said through gritted teeth.
Zhu Gaoxi began to regret making this trip. With his second brother's fiery temper, if he were to be beaten by a mixed team of men and women, he would immediately know that he had given himself away, and who knows how angry he would get at him.
We always try to avoid things that might offend people.
This time, I really made a mistake; I didn't think things through carefully.
Zhu Gaoxi was filled with remorse.
Zhu Youdun and Miaojin deliberately arrived a little later, allowing the Prince of Yan's family to have a private chat first.
After exchanging greetings, Miaojin pulled her elder sister into a carriage.
When there was stew, elite armored soldiers guarded Zhu Di and his son.
"Xi'er is in the capital, so I'm sorry to trouble you so much."
Zhu Di exchanged pleasantries with You Dun, his feelings a mixture of emotions.
In the past, he always compared his eldest and second eldest sons with this nephew, and the more they compared, the angrier he became, resenting his son's lack of ability.
Now that the fourth brother is far more successful than Youdun, he has regained some psychological balance.
However, for some reason, I had a vague feeling that the fourth brother was getting very close to You Dun, while the second brother was being excluded.
Although the second son was indeed far inferior to Youdun, it still made him feel uncomfortable, like a thorn stuck in his hand, deep in his flesh, impossible to pull out, yet causing pain from time to time.
How could the fourth brother get so close to outsiders?
Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, the old emperor was discussing state affairs with his grandson, the crown prince.
According to the rules set by the old emperor, when a prince returned to the capital, he first paid homage to the grandson of the emperor as a subject to the emperor, and then retreated to the rear hall, where the grandson paid homage to his uncle as a family member.
After exchanging greetings, everyone sat together and chatted casually.
The Crown Prince remained cold and aloof throughout, his heart filled with extreme displeasure, and he didn't even bother to offer the most basic words of concern.
Zhu Gaoxi was overjoyed, ecstatic, and excited, clinging to his adoptive father and talking incessantly.
They thought the Crown Prince would leave soon, but to their surprise, he sat firmly beside the old emperor until Zhu Di got up to take his leave.
The palace gates were about to be locked, and if Zhu Di didn't leave the palace soon, it would be too late.
He was an adult prince who had been enfeoffed for many years, and it was impossible for him to stay in the vegetable garden like You Dun.
Zhu Gaoxi wanted to go live with his adoptive father at the Prince of Yan's residence, but the old emperor stopped him with a stern look.
For the old emperor, the palace was the safest place, and his beloved grandson should rightfully live with him there.
Zhu Di had to rush back to the palace to discipline his second son, so he pinched his fourth son's chubby cheek, bid farewell to the old emperor, and left the palace.
Watching his adoptive father leave, Zhu Gaoxi felt a deep sense of reluctance and was puzzled. They hadn't lived together much, so why was he so attached?
Could it be because of the bond of blood ties?
It was hard to explain, and Zhu Gaoxi was too lazy to spend time thinking about these overly abstract questions.
Back in the vegetable garden, Youdun told Zhu Gaoxi the latest news he had received.
Princess Hanshan is reliable; she has already relayed the message to Xuezhu.
Since recommending Lady Xia to the old emperor, Princess Hanshan's level of trust in the Eastern Palace has skyrocketed. She would visit every few days to see if there was anything she could help with.
"Will Lady Xia trust Xuezhu?" Zhu Gaoxi asked with some concern.
"Yes, I added her daughter's name to the code. No one but us knows that her daughter followed us to the capital."
Zhu Youdun had already considered this aspect.
There are many things that no one can do better than You Dun.
Zhu Gaoxi didn't know how to express his feelings of gratitude, so he could only silently promise himself: he would never betray him.
You Dun and he were both grandsons of the old emperor. In terms of royal status, talent, intelligence, and military strategy, they were in no way inferior to him. There was no need for him to be superior to You Dun.
"Don't think too much, get some rest."
Seeing Zhu Gaoxi's heart pounding with emotion and deep feeling, Zhu Youdun patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.
The next morning, Zhu Gaoxi left the palace and returned to his residence. At the gate, he met Zhu Gaoxu and Mu Xin running out in a panic. "Fourth brother, we're going into the palace first. You should tell our father and mother first."
Before the words were even finished, the two of them had already ridden off on horseback in a flash.
It seems that his adoptive father and his wife stayed here last night, and Zhu Gaoxi obviously didn't suffer much physical pain, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to run so fast.
Upon entering, they found the Princess of Yan searching for someone with a long stick, muttering to herself, "Where did she hide?"
Zhu Gaoxi and Youdun stepped forward to pay their respects.
"Fourth brother, there's stew. You came in from outside. Did you see Zhu Gaoxu?" Xu Miaoyun asked loudly, standing the stick upright on the ground with an imposing air.
As expected, like father, like daughter. Her imposing presence is no less than that of any military general. No wonder Zhu Gaoxu was so frightened that he ran away in a panic.
"Mother, Second Brother has entered the palace to study," Zhu Gaoxi said, gesturing for Youdun to take the stick from her hand and put it aside.