Chapter Thirteen: The Lü Family's Arrangement and the Wedding Gift!
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After bidding farewell to Old Zhu and leaving the palace, Zhu Yuntong returned to the residence, only to find many people bustling about as though they were preparing for a move.
“What is going on?” Zhu Yuntong asked.
“Congratulations, Third Imperial Grandson... No, congratulations, Your Highness the Prince of Wu!” The palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly bowed and offered their congratulations.
“His Highness has been made a prince and granted a residence. Naturally, he is to move out and live on his own at once. We are helping the two princes sort out their clothing, personal belongings, and other necessities.”
“Oh,” Zhu Yuntong replied.
Inwardly, he thought that moving out would be a good thing.
Although the Eastern Palace was spacious, it was still home to elders such as Consort Lu.
Only after moving outside could he truly be master of his own household.
Whatever he wished to do would become much easier.
Just then, Zhu Yunwen and Consort Lu approached.
Zhu Yuntong hurriedly saluted Consort Lu.
Her eyes brimming with tears, Consort Lu glared fiercely at him.
Deep within her gaze lurked a murderous hatred, as though she wished nothing more than to tear him apart and devour him alive.
Beside her, Zhu Yunwen quickly tugged at her sleeve, and only then did the ferocity in her eyes recede.
She helped Zhu Yuntong to his feet, weeping and lamenting as she said, “You had only been born a few days when you lost your mother. I was the one who raised you with my own hands.”
“And in the blink of an eye, you have grown so tall.”
“Though I am not your birth mother, I have treated you no differently from a son of my own.”
“You and Yunwen are both the apples of my eye.”
“Now that the two of you are to move out and live on your own, how could I possibly bear to part with you?”
As she spoke, she seemed to touch upon some deep sorrow, and her tears began to fall like rain.
“Mother, although I am moving out of the residence, I will still come back to visit you often,” Zhu Yunwen comforted her.
“So will I,” Zhu Yuntong added.
“It is enough so long as you remember your mother.” Consort Lu wiped away her tears with her sleeve, then took Zhu Yuntong’s hand. “I heard that yesterday, in the Golden Hall, you recommended yourself to your imperial grandfather and asked him to appoint you Crown Prince. Is that true?”
“It is,” Zhu Yuntong replied.
The murderous resentment deep in Consort Lu’s eyes flared up again, only to be forcibly suppressed a moment later.
She forced a smile and said, “How ambitious of you! The child I raised with my own hands truly is extraordinary.”
“You flatter me,” Zhu Yuntong said. “As descendants of the Zhu family and His Majesty’s own bloodline, protecting the Great Ming realm is simply our bounden duty.”
“Well said!” Consort Lu turned to Zhu Yunwen. “Yunwen, did you hear what your third brother said? Protecting the Great Ming realm is the responsibility of every descendant of the Zhu family.”
“You are a descendant of the Zhu family as well, and his elder brother besides. Your responsibility is even greater, so you must never forget it.”
“I shall always bear it in mind,” Zhu Yunwen said hurriedly.
Consort Lu waved her hand and summoned a palace maid and a eunuch.
Then she said to Zhu Yuntong, “Yunwen is a year older than you, and therefore somewhat more mature.”
“Besides, your imperial grandfather has arranged for several learned tutors to teach him at his residence.”
“If you ask me, your imperial grandfather is being rather partial. Why has he arranged eminent scholars for Yunwen, yet made no such arrangements for you?”
That remark went rather too far.
Yet the boastfulness concealed within it was impossible to miss.
“Your mother cannot fail to look after you.”
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She pointed to the eunuch and palace maid beside her. “His name is Zhao Rui, and hers is Ling’er. Both have served at my side for many years. They are conscientious, meticulous, and entirely trustworthy.”
“You will need people to attend you once you arrive at your new princely residence.”
“So I am giving these two to you.”
“They can help you manage the affairs of your household, and you will not have to trouble yourself with everything.”
Zhao Rui and Ling’er bowed together. “This servant pays respects to Your Highness the Prince of Wu!”
Zhu Yuntong’s brows drew together slightly.
Was this not plainly an attempt to plant her own people at his side?
Yet though Consort Lu was not his birth mother, she was still the Crown Princess Consort whom Zhu Yuanzhang himself had ordered to be elevated.
As her junior, filial obedience came first. Zhu Yuntong could not reject her arrangement.
It was an overt move, and a very clever one. He wondered whether someone had advised her from behind the scenes.
The servants she had given him might appear to be entirely at his mercy—he could have them beaten to death at a word.
But in an age that placed such extraordinary emphasis on filial piety, he could not truly treat them so carelessly.
The slightest abuse could earn him the charge of being unfilial.
In the eyes of people in later generations, that might amount to little.
But in this era, it was no trivial matter.
Consort Lu would probably be delighted if Zhu Yuntong beat both servants to death, giving her an excuse to brand him with a criminal charge.
The censors at court could use that one matter to impeach him repeatedly.
At this critical moment in the struggle for the position of Crown Prince, it would be devastating.
His thoughts raced, and Zhu Yuntong knew he could not refuse. Smiling, he said, “Then I thank you.”
...
...
...
The imperial decree had already been issued, so Zhu Yuntong did not bother selecting an auspicious day. He moved into the Prince of Wu’s residence that very day.
The residence was not far from the Eastern Palace. The residence of Zhu Yunwen, the Prince of Xian, stood just across the wall, and the imperial palace was also within convenient reach.
Consort Lu did not move out of the Eastern Palace.
That was likely a signal.
By doing so, Old Zhu was informing the realm that the next Crown Prince would be chosen only from among the sons of the late Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
As the princes’ mother, Consort Lu would not need to leave the Eastern Palace regardless of which of them became Imperial Grandson.
Zhu Yuntong had only just entered the Prince of Wu’s residence and had not yet finished settling in when another commotion erupted outside.
“Careful, all of you! Do not damage it. This coral tree was gathered from the depths of the Southern Sea. It is a priceless treasure.”
“You—yes, you! Be careful, all of you. Do not bump or break anything. Today is the joyous occasion of our nephew being made a prince. These are all congratulatory gifts for him.”
“Anyone who damages a treasure had better watch his head.”
...
Zhu Yuntong stepped out of the study and saw a large crowd streaming in and out, carrying things into the residence.
“What is going on?”
He had not brought much when moving from the Eastern Palace to the Prince of Wu’s residence, and his belongings had already been moved long ago.
“Hahaha!”
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As soon as he asked, a familiar figure appeared before him.
The man grew excited the moment he saw Zhu Yuntong and burst into hearty laughter.
He ran over, looking him up and down. “Not bad, not bad. You have the bearing of a prince.”
“If one day you put on the dragon robes and rule the realm, you will surely look even more awe-inspiring! Hahahaha!”
“Uncle, what nonsense are you talking about?” Zhu Yuntong reprimanded him. “Can such reckless words be spoken so casually?”
The visitor was none other than Chang Sheng, younger brother of Zhu Yuntong’s birth mother and son of the Duke of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun.
In other words, he was Zhu Yuntong’s maternal uncle.
As the saying went, a mother’s brother was second only to one’s father.
An uncle was half a father.
In this era, a maternal uncle was an exceptionally close relation.
Chang Sheng was roughly ten years older than Zhu Yuntong, making him about twenty-four or twenty-five.
As Chang Yuchun’s son, and with his elder brother Chang Mao having been stripped of his title for committing an offense, Chang Sheng had inherited his father’s rank and become the Duke of Founding the State.
Chang Yuchun had died young, leaving Chang Sheng without proper discipline from childhood. As the son of a meritorious official and a duke besides, he had inevitably grown arrogant and overbearing in his daily conduct.
Hearing Zhu Yuntong rebuke him, Chang Sheng was not offended in the least. He dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and said, “Your subordinate Chang Sheng pays respects to Your Highness the Prince of Wu!”
“Get up. You are my uncle—why put on such formal airs?” Zhu Yuntong waved a hand.
Chang Sheng rose with a broad grin. “My good nephew, you were truly magnificent in the hall yesterday!”
“I did not attend court yesterday, but I heard all about it.”
“You openly demanded the position of Crown Prince from His Majesty and shattered that brat Zhu Yunwen’s hopes of becoming Imperial Grandson. Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating!”
At his utterly unrestrained words, Zhu Yuntong’s expression darkened.
Before he could say anything, however, Chang Sheng continued.
“What happened in the hall yesterday has already spread throughout Jinling today.”
“All the sons of noble families and descendants of meritorious officials in the capital admire you beyond words. They praise you for your courage, ambition, and willingness to stand behind your actions. They say you are a true man!”
“His Majesty did not punish you either, which proves that he is still very pleased with you.”
“And now that you have been made Prince of Wu, everyone has rushed to bring you congratulatory gifts.”
“These are all splendid things.”
“Just look at this coral tree. It stands three feet tall and was crafted from coral gathered in the depths of the Southern Sea. It is crystal clear, shimmering with light, and worth more than ten thousand pieces of gold!”
“And look at this folding screen. The painting on it was done by Emperor Huizong of Song himself...”
...
“I took a look around just now. The furniture and tables in your residence are all rather old, and the wood they used is not of particularly good quality either.”
“I think we should replace everything.”
“And this residence could use some renovation as well.”
“Only then will it be worthy of your lofty status as the Prince of Wu.”
“As for the silver needed for the repairs, you need not worry.”
“All of us—the sons of the meritorious nobles, our friends, brothers, and fellow officers—will cover the entire cost for you.”
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