lady, please calm down

It was the year 1369 in the Tongli calendar, four years after the founding of the Great Chu.

At the grand court meeting on the first day of the first lunar month, the eunuch Huang Doudou read out the first imperial edict of the new year, "Prince Ji is gifted, virtuous and learned, filial and kind, and deeply loved by me. I hereby appoint Prince Ji as the crown prince to carry on my will.

All civil and military officials should assist the Crown Prince to ensure the prosperity of the country and the happiness of the people."

Such a big thing will naturally not be decided in haste.

Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the position of crown prince had been settled as early as the first year of the founding of the country when Your Majesty asked Chen Jingyan to be the prince's mentor.

First of all, Prince Ji is the empress's legitimate son, which makes him far ahead of other princes. Moreover, the empress and the emperor are young couples. They were poor in their early years and supported each other, and they have lived in harmony for many years.

With the position of the queen as stable as a rock, it would be natural for the eldest legitimate son to be named the crown prince if he did not commit any serious mistakes.

Among other concubines, Concubine Yi Chen had the most children. With the baby girl born last year, she already had two daughters and one son; Concubine Hui Shen gave birth to a son the year before last.

These two concubines who had sons never had any intention of coveting the throne.

However, Concubine Cai and Concubine Liu had no children.
However, Jieyi Zhuanyun, who was a maid in the same room with Concubine Defei Chen, gave birth to a son. But after Chen Jingyan became the teacher of Prince Ji in the first year of the founding of the country, the Chen family had been silent for several years. The decision to make Prince Ji the crown prince this time was the result of a joint letter from the Chen brothers and Prime Minister Cai.

The Chen family no longer supported the prince born to Concubine De, let alone taking risks for Zhuan Yun's child.

From this point on, there is no other possibility for the position of crown prince.

On that day, Cai Yuan, Chen Jingyan and Liaodong General Yang Zhen were appointed as the Prince's Junior Tutor, the Prince's Junior Teacher and the Prince's Junior Protector respectively.

Although they were all honorary titles, such a lineup would protect the crown prince and completely eliminate the thoughts of other officials to stir up trouble.

After the New Year's morning meeting, there will be a holiday until the fifth day of the first lunar month.

On the second and third days of the New Year, the palace was bustling with people. Cai Huan and A Yu's family members, including various noble families, took the excuse of New Year greetings to bring their daughters, who were talented and beautiful and about the same age as Chen Ji, to Mao'er.

The cat could naturally see through the other party's intentions. Chen Ji, who was born in the eleventh year of Fuchang, was ten years old in actual age and eleven in lunar age.

In previous dynasties such as Zhou and Qi, it was common for royal heirs to get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

Although Chen Chu insisted on adding a clause in the laws of the Great Chu that required marriage at the age of 18, this law was poorly enforced among the people.

Although Mao'er would not take the lead in breaking this law, she, who is traditional in her thinking, does not object to her son getting in touch with daughters of various families. If there is a suitable one, they can arrange the marriage early and get married when the girl is eighteen.

So, during these two days, Ji'er was often called to Mao'er's Baoci Palace to meet the sisters from various families.

On the fourth day of the first lunar month, just after the hour of Chen, Chen Ji ran to the Wende Hall in the front court.

This is where Chen Chu usually handles official business. Except for Cai Huan, the harem family rarely comes here. Chen Chu couldn't help but wonder, "Why is Ji'er here?"

"I have finished the winter vacation homework assigned by Duke Ying, and I have come to ask your Majesty to check it."

Chen Ji bowed and replied in a serious tone like an adult, but Chen Chu just laughed, "Your mother is not here, there is no need to talk to your father like this."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji first raised his young face and looked at his father, then grinned and changed his address, "Dad, what are you doing?"

“Looking at the map.”

Chen Chu pointed to the map of the five continents on the huge desk and waved to his son, "Come here, let me test you. Do you still remember what I taught you when you were a child?"

Chen Ji stepped forward and took a look at the map on the table, and said confidently: "Father, please feel free to test me."

"Hehe, where is this?"

Chen Chu casually pointed to the lower right corner of the map, which was separated from Da Chu by a vast ocean. Chen Ji said without hesitation: "This is South America."

"Well, what is abundant?"

"Rich in gold and silver!"

"anything else?"

"And the rubber tree that Daddy loves so much"

"What good are these things for?"

"Gold and silver can solve the problem of the increasingly scarce precious metal reserves in our dynasty. Rubber trees have a wider range of uses. They can replace the expensive eucommia gum on the wheels of carriages, and can also replace the low-yield rubber grass extracts used as steam engine seals."

"hehe, not bad."

"Dad, last year Uncle Zhang Bao organized a fleet in Quanzhou to sail to this continent. Is there still no news?"

This is no secret. The fleet organized by Zhang Bao last year and jointly funded by the Maritime Customs and several maritime merchants has been on the road for a year and has not returned yet.

Without the leadership of the imperial court, maritime merchants would not dare to easily engage in such costly and risky ocean-going adventures.

At that time, newspapers in Da Chu publicized the event with great fanfare.

When talking about this, Chen Chu couldn't help but be distracted for a moment.

Chen Ji set his gaze on the map again. As he grew up freely, his father had little time to accompany him.

But unlike the common kind fathers and strict mothers in other families, Mao'er is relatively strict in educating and disciplining his children.

However, every time daddy comes home, the brothers and sisters are like monkeys out of a cage. When their mother wants to spank them for not finishing their homework, they cry a little. Daddy must feel distressed and always can't help but come forward to speak up for them.

When I was young, my mother strictly forbade us to go into the river to play in the water for safety reasons, but whenever my father came home, he would openly take us to play in the water.

Even Chen Ji's initial understanding of the world was pieced together bit by bit while he sat on his father's lap and listened to him talk about the customs and cultures of the four oceans and five continents.

Therefore, in the minds of brothers and sisters, they all agree that their father is the second best parent in the family.
Why not first?

Of course, it was because Yunong doted on her children infinitely, and her position in the hearts of many princes and princesses was unshakable.

Even my dad is just a little bit short of that.

When the father and son were thinking about their own things, they suddenly saw Bai Lu hurriedly walking outside the hall. He looked inside and saw that the prince was indeed there. He asked Huang Doudou to report and then walked in.

"Your Majesty, Madam Hanguo and Madam You have brought their two daughters to Baoci Palace. Your Majesty invites you to go to Baoci Palace to chat."

Chen Ji suddenly looked miserable and raised his head to look at Chen Chu.

"Hahaha"

Chen Chu couldn't help but laugh. Madam You was Cai Huan's second sister-in-law You. She had one son and two daughters. One of the daughters was one year older than Chen Ji, and the other was one year younger than Chen Ji.

No wonder this kid came to Wende Hall so early in the morning. He must have heard the news and hid here. "Go report to the Queen and tell her that the Crown Prince has left the palace with me."

Chen Chu didn't really support his son getting married too early. Wouldn't it be good to be a child for a few more years?
Seeing his unhappy expression, she took the initiative to stop him for her son.

Bai Lu also knew that His Majesty's words were meant for the Cai family to hear. After all, the wife of the Duke of Korea was His Majesty's mother-in-law. It would be rude if Ji'er did not meet her for no reason.

He replied "yes", left Wende Hall and went to Baoci Palace to report.

Here, Chen Chu immediately said to Huang Doudou: "Doudou, go get two sets of casual clothes for me and the prince."

Chen Ji was smart and guessed his father's intention immediately. He couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Dad, are you really taking me out of the palace?"

"Is that true? Let's go!"

"Hey hey hey, okay!"

The father and son left as soon as they said they would.

On the way out of the palace, Chen Chu teased his son, "What's wrong? Don't you like your aunt's daughter?"

Ever since Chen Ji was born, Cai Huan has treated him as her own son. Over the years, she has invested far more effort in Ji'er than she would in her own daughter. Even the joint petition signed by many old ministers at the end of last year requesting the title of crown prince was instigated by her.

She was willing to make such plans for Chen Ji, and Mao'er loved the Cai family so much that she regarded the Cai family as her own family. Therefore, Ji'er always followed Cai Huan and called Cai Kun and Cai Yun uncles.

Even Ji'er had been deliberately led by Cai Huan to call her "mother" since childhood, but Mao'er did not correct it.

This is not only an expression of family affection, but also a political alliance that both sides welcome.

Seeing that his father was also gossiping, Chen Ji's face turned slightly red, but then he replied seriously: "I don't like it, but I don't hate it either. The sisters of my second uncle's family are too fierce."

Yes, although Cai Yuan had reached a high position in the government, his family suddenly became rich and lacked some foundation. Yu Shi was known for her dominance and snobbery, so it was reasonable for the daughter she raised to be a little fierce.

Chen Chu chuckled and asked, "Duke Ying's granddaughter also came to the palace yesterday, right? How is she?"

"She's too timid. Yesterday Ningguo gave her a cat to play with, and it frightened her to tears."

Ningguo is the first child born to the Chen family by Yunong, and is Raoer's princess title.

Perhaps because she was Chen Chu's firstborn, Chen Chu loved Ning Guo especially, and subconsciously asked, "Your mother didn't punish Ning Guo for this, did she?"

"No. This matter is not Ningguo's fault. Mother is sensible and will not punish without reason."

"That's good." Chen Chu felt relieved and suddenly laughed, "You think I'm fierce and timid, and you're quite picky. Tell daddy, when you grow up, what kind of woman do you want to find?"

The father and son talked in a harmonious atmosphere. Chen Ji gradually lost his shyness. After thinking seriously for a few breaths, he said, "When my son gets married in the future, he should find a woman with a temperament like mother."

"Oh?"

Chen Chu was very surprised that the 'mother' Chen Ji was referring to was Cai Huan. He couldn't help but smile and said, "I thought you would say you wanted to find someone with a temperament like your mother."

Chen Ji said, "My mother is good in every way, but she is too concerned about other people's feelings. She will only keep her grievances in her heart. She is not as free as my mother. She will not bear any grievances that she does not deserve."

Chen Chu looked at his son and was surprised that a ten-year-old could say such things. He sighed and said, "You really understand."

After hearing this, which he didn't know whether it was a compliment or not, Chen Ji chuckled, then looked in the direction of Baoci Palace and whispered, "Dad, you can't tell this to mother. If mother hears this, she might think that I am not as important to you as the concubine, and it will be troublesome if I make mother sad."

"Well, but a person's temperament is determined by the environment. Your mother was poor when she was young. If she hadn't been careful and tolerant, she might not have survived to grow up. The imperial concubine has been backed by the Duke of Korea since she was young, so naturally she developed a fearless and aggressor character."

"Dad, I know."

Just after the New Year, there happened to be an expo in Tokyo, and all the exhibition sites were crowded with people.

For safety reasons, the accompanying Da Baojian reminded Chen Chu several times not to go too deep into the crowd.

Chen Chu had no choice but to watch from a distance with his son.

Among the more than ten exhibition sites in the city, there are more advanced looms and steam engines on display; there are also houses made entirely of glass that display both machines and industrial products.

But the place with the most onlookers was the intersection of Yujie and Zhuque Street. Here was a one-to-one replica of the Chu Navy's iron cannon warship. As if they were worried that the audience couldn't see it clearly, several large-caliber iron cannons were placed under the three-meter-high hull.
The thick gun body and the black muzzle are intimidating.

Among the audiences gathered in three layers, there were many diplomatic envoys from various countries with solemn expressions.

Chen Chu, who was sitting on the second floor of a teahouse on the corner of the street, saw several familiar faces in the crowd below.

It was a rare day for father and son to be alone together, and Chen Chu couldn't help but test him again: "Ji'er, what do you think is the significance of holding this expo?"

"Marketing our products." Chen Ji paused, glanced at Chen Chu, and then said uncertainly: "Another thing is... Let Dali, Goryeo and other countries that have territorial disputes with our dynasty recognize the reality, see the gap in national strength, follow the trend of history, and stop trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm."

This is true. Jiang Huaixiong's troops have been stationed in Guangnan West Road and Zizhou Road for two years, and have almost surrounded Dali.

In Liaodong, there were also constant frictions with Goryeo, but Goryeo could not defeat them, so it sent envoys to Chen Chu to cry and complain all day long, repeating over and over again: There is nothing wrong with our country, why does the heavenly army invade and attack us again and again?

Chen Chu listened to his son's diplomatic remarks and smiled knowingly. At the same time, he saw Chen Ji staring at a certain place below and followed his line of sight.

But I saw a peddler carrying a straw target with straw tied on the top. The target was full of red and shiny candied haws. From a distance, it looked like a small tree growing candied haws.

Several boys about the same age as Chen Ji surrounded the peddler. After some fruitless bargaining, they paid for one each.

Seeing his son staring at the candied haws, Chen Chu almost asked someone to buy one for his son to taste, but he finally held back. Since the field reform, Chen Chu has experienced the assassination attempt at Daxiangguo Temple, the haunted Funing Palace in Lin'an Palace and so on.

It was nothing more than a desperate counterattack by the gentry group whose interests had suffered huge losses. With such cases in mind, Chen Chu had to be careful and would not easily let his son eat food of unknown origin.

Chen Ji was not lucky enough to enjoy the popular snacks that the children downstairs loved.

Thinking about this, and combining it with the conversation between father and son today, other children of this age are at the age of climbing trees and swimming in the river, and are carefree.

But as the eldest son in the family, Chen Ji's little head was filled with the geography of the five continents, the national situation, and he also had to take care of his mother's feelings.

He said that he would find a woman who is quick to repay and avenge others as his wife, but he is clearly imprinted with the mark of a cat in his bones: a gentle character who cares about other people's feelings.

Chen Chu sighed silently, and suddenly said gently: "Ji'er, is Daddy too anxious?"

"Ah?" Chen Ji, who was looking at the peddler below, heard the words and uttered a puzzled "ah" at first. Then, he immediately understood something from his father's expression. He immediately retracted his gaze and no longer looked at the candied haws. He said seriously and firmly: "Daddy, don't say that. Mother often teaches me that you and I are not only the king and the minister, but also the father and the son."
As a minister, I should share the state affairs with my king and do my best for the country; as a son, I should not let Daddy do all the hard work. When Daddy supported my mother in Tongshan, he was only a few years older than me. I have been raised and taught by Daddy, my mother, the Imperial Concubine, the Concubine Yi, the Concubine De and other empresses since I was young. I should become a man like Daddy and protect my family from wind and rain.

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Complete book. (End of chapter)