sovbooks Chapter 101 The distinction between the legitimate and the illegitimate sons in terms of rites and o
Chapter 101 The distinction between the legitimate and the illegitimate sons in terms of rites and o
Princess Huaiqing's birth mother, Consort Sun, was the old emperor's favorite concubine, so much so that he broke the rules for her sake.
After Consort Sun passed away, the old emperor ordered Zhu Biao to wear the mourning clothes of the full-length cane for a period of time. Zhu Biao believed that this was against etiquette and initially refused to comply. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and drew his sword to chase after Zhu Biao.
After much persuasion from Gui Yanliang, Zhu Biao finally agreed to observe mourning.
Prince Zhu Su of Wu wore mourning clothes for his mother for three years. This was in the seventh year of the Hongwu reign, before Zhu Su was enfeoffed as Prince of Zhou.
By chance, Zhu Su was raised by Consort Sun for a period of time when he was young.
Consort Sun had no sons, so the old emperor appointed Zhu Su as his adopted son to preside over the funeral.
From then on, the old emperor established a rule that sons born out of wedlock should mourn for three years for their birth mothers, while sons of other sons should mourn for their stepmothers for one year.
Perhaps it was for these reasons that Princess Huaiqing was always very close to the three brothers Zhu Su, Zhu Di, and Zhu Ying. Influenced by this, Wang Ning also became close to Zhu Gaoxi without any hesitation.
Historically, before Zhu Di raised his army, the three Zhu brothers, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Gaochi, were in the capital and had not returned to Beiping for a long time.
Qi Tai suggested they detain him, and Xu Huizu shared the same view. Emperor Jianwen was undecided and consulted Xu Zengshou and Wang Ning, who pleaded with him and tried their best to protect him.
During the Jingnan Campaign, Wang Ning was suspected of leaking court secrets to Zhu Di and was imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison.
After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he conferred upon Wang Ning the title of Marquis of Yongchun.
The old emperor, loving the house because of the princess, also doted on Princess Huaiqing.
Consort Sun had a good relationship with Consort Guo before her death. When Prince Zhu Chun of Shu returned to the capital, Zhu Funing specially went to the palace with her husband to meet with Zhu Chun and visit the Crown Prince's wife who was suffering from severe morning sickness.
Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Yuexi went to the Qianqing Palace for dinner with Zhu Funing and Wang Ning. Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Chun, Zhu Ying, and Zhu Youdun were also there.
During the meal, Zhu Funing casually mentioned that his grandson's wife was vomiting during her pregnancy, saying, "She needs to find a female doctor to treat her as soon as possible. If she keeps vomiting like this, it won't be good for the baby."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor was so frightened that he dropped his chopsticks. He turned to his grandson and said earnestly, "This matter is extremely serious; you must take it very seriously!"
Zhu Gaoxi immediately seized the opportunity and suggested again that Yunfei go to the Eastern Palace to serve the Crown Prince's wife.
"Why don't we let Yunfei go there for two days first, and then let him go back to the vegetable garden once we find someone better?" Zhu Youdun took the opportunity to sincerely chime in.
A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken has ulterior motives.
Zhu Yunwen snorted coldly in his heart.
However, in front of everyone, even if he was angry, Zhu Yunwen could not show it. He suppressed his displeasure, forced a smile, and politely declined Zhu Gaoxi's offer. "Grandpa, there's no need for Yunfei to go for now. A palace maid named Xuezhu knows some medicine. Jia Hui loves the food she cooks, and she's been vomiting much better these past two days."
Zhu Funing shook his head dismissively, his face full of worry.
She had just visited the East Palace that morning. The Crown Princess looked extremely unwell and didn't dare to get out of bed. She lay in bed all day, vomiting after eating, and there was a faint sour smell in the room.
The palace servants dared not open the windows, fearing that the Crown Prince's wife would catch a cold.
Without permission, one dares not burn incense.
The old emperor saw through it all and knew that his grandson was lying. Not wanting to embarrass him in front of everyone, he could only lash out at his daughter, "What's the use of just worrying as an aunt? Find a female doctor!"
"Father, don't worry, I'll go back and ask them one by one," Zhu Funing assured him confidently.
The old emperor sighed heavily, his face displeased, and continued eating. Everyone present dared not utter a sound. After the old emperor put down his chopsticks, they all stood up and took their leave, leaving only Zhu Gaoxi, Zhu Youdun, and Zhu Yunwen in the hall.
The grandson was filled with anxiety. He knew why his grandfather was unhappy, but he couldn't risk his own child.
He couldn't trust Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun, who harbored ulterior motives.
"Yunwen, go about your business," the old emperor said, reclining on the kang (heated brick bed) and closing his eyes to rest, clearly intending to leave his grandson undisturbed.
But why were Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun allowed to stay, while he was to be driven away?
Zhu Yunwen suppressed his indignation and hesitated before asking, "Grandfather, I heard from the Imperial Son-in-Law Geng Xuan that the Marquis of Changxing has submitted a memorial requesting the relocation of the Tea and Horse Bureau in Qin Prefecture. Should we summon the officials of the Ministry of Revenue to discuss this matter?"
"Yu Xin has already consulted with others," the old emperor said with his eyes closed, then turned to face the window.
Seeing that his grandfather had his back to him, Zhu Yunwen dared not ask any more questions. He retreated with a sheepish expression, glaring at the two of them with resentment before leaving.
Zhu Gaoxi felt a chill run down his spine; it seemed the Crown Prince hated them to the core.
Zhu Youdun smiled gently but firmly, silently comforting Zhu Gaoxi, and covered the old emperor with a thin blanket.
The two began to bury themselves in processing the memorials, and the hall fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, the old emperor suddenly stood up and said, "Xi'er, starting tomorrow, all memorials will be handled by Youdun. We have some questions for you."
Zhu Gaoxi did not hesitate for a moment and immediately accepted the order.
Seeing his eldest grandson so intelligent and obedient, the old emperor's frustration dissipated considerably; at least Xi'er wasn't as stubborn as the crown prince.
The following morning, Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and Fang Xiaoru arrived at the Qianqing Palace one after another and requested an audience with the emperor.
The old emperor summoned them one by one, and the three spoke at length, citing numerous sources and repeating themselves endlessly. The core point was that the King of Wu's rank and status exceeded that of the legitimate heir, thus inciting conflict.
They suggested prohibiting the King of Wu from reading memorials and having the Crown Prince assist the Emperor in handling state affairs.
No matter what they said or how heated their words were, the old emperor simply left a single sentence with utter indifference: "Understood."
The three men seemed to want to force the old emperor to make a promise on the spot, so they stood guard at the entrance of Qianqing Palace and refused to leave.
The old emperor let Lin De into the hall, frowned, and whispered, "Have Mu Ang bring his men over and disperse them."
Mu Ang is the third son of Mu Ying, the Prince of Qianning. He is the same age as Zhu Youdun and currently serves as a sword-wielding attendant in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, attending the emperor.
The old emperor took Zhu Gaoxi's hand, left the Qianqing Palace, and walked towards the inner palace.
The emperor stopped in front of the Chang Le Palace and ordered Huang Liang to open the gate.
This was the palace where his grandmother, Consort Gong, once lived, and Zhu Gaoxi was filled with curiosity about it.
Contrary to Zhu Gaoxi's expectations, Chang Le Palace was not desolate and overgrown with weeds. Instead, it seemed as if a beautiful woman had always lived there, as there was a faint fragrance of flowers in the air, indicating that someone cleaned and tidied it up every day.
The old emperor casually sat down on the stone bench under the wisteria trellis and pulled Zhu Gaoxi to his side. "There's no need to argue with Huang Zicheng and the others. They're too stubborn and can't be persuaded."
Zhu Gaoxi nodded thoughtfully, then asked worriedly, "What if they don't leave?"
"They will leave before the palace gates are locked," the old emperor said with a calm smile.
The palace maids brought out a plate of snacks, a pot of hot tea, a cup of hot milk, and a packet of walnuts.
These pastries, unlike the monotonous designs of the Imperial Kitchen, are more exquisite and imbued with a unique charm, presumably the creation of Consort Gong.
The old emperor picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, unable to help but let out a soft hum, his face beaming with boundless delight.
I have never seen the old emperor with such an expression.
Perhaps, this is the magical power of love.
"Eat up," the old emperor said with a gentle smile.