Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 128 Part
Duanjing Hall.

When Qin Ji returned from the Imperial Household Department's warehouse before nightfall, he saw someone carrying several wooden trays with brand new clothes on them.

"Eunuch Tan."

A steward named Wang Yu came over and said, "This is what His Majesty ordered. It is for the Crown Prince to wear when he chooses a concubine tomorrow. But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been reading, so we dare not disturb him."

"Put it down. I'll go talk to the prince about this matter."

Qin Ji asked people to put things in order.

Perhaps Qin Ji liked the material of the clothes sent by the emperor very much. He reached out his hand and touched it a few times as if inspecting it, with a smile on his face.

Then he hurried to the hall to see Zhu Youtang, but saw Zhu Youtang continuing to read and write under the candlelight, looking very serious.

Tan Ji stepped forward and asked with concern, "Has the prince had his meal yet?"

Zhu Youtang didn't look up and simply answered, "I have used it. I'll read more books before going to bed while I still have some energy."

Tan Ji smiled and said, "Your Majesty has sent someone to deliver the dress. You will wear it when you choose a concubine tomorrow... We will go to Qingning Palace to complete the final stage of 'selecting three'.

"Eunuch Wei from the Imperial Household Department asked me to tell you that the time for selecting a concubine is set for the afternoon, which is said to be an auspicious time. The Crown Prince can choose the one he likes."

"Are you really going tomorrow?"

Zhu Youtang looked up at Tan Ji with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Obviously, he couldn't accept the fact that there was suddenly a stranger in the place where he had lived for many years, and he even had to live with this person day and night.

Qin Ji nodded firmly and said, "You must go. The prince is getting old, and it is time for him to take this step... After the crown princess is selected, it will be of great benefit to the prince in his future life. Logically, His Majesty will let you marry at this time, and you will have more opportunities to get involved in court affairs."

When the prince reaches a certain age, the emperor will provide him with special training so that he can complete his schoolwork while also practicing handling state affairs and current affairs in a timely manner.

However, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty generally ascended the throne early, and for various reasons, there were very few princes who had the opportunity to get involved in state affairs before ascending the throne.

"Oh."

Zhu Youtang just responded casually.

"Prince, do you still have any concerns? If so, just raise them. Perhaps I can help you think about it and help you solve your problems."

Tan Ji's face was full of concern.

Zhu Youtang shook his head: "Nothing... nothing, it's just that there is something in my heart that I really can't let go of."

Tan Ji asked, "Is she the woman who wrote to the prince and wrote lyrics before?"

"what!?"

Zhu Youtang's eyes lit up and he asked anxiously, "Did Otomo have any news about her?"

"No."

Qin Ji shook his head. "No one mentioned this matter anymore. If the prince wants to find the person, he must first ensure that his position as the crown prince is stable. Then he will have the opportunity to find out when he inherits the throne in the future, right?"

"But by that time...won't everything be too late?"

Zhu Youtang had a look of disappointment on his face, but he still forced himself to read for a while. Finally, he closed the book with a snap and put it aside. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Suddenly, I feel uneasy... Getting married is not a good thing. I can't even read such a good book. How can I make progress in my studies and help my father?"

Qin Jixin said, how could getting married disturb your studies?

It's obviously because you thought about the woman you were communicating with. After you get married, you might be separated from each other and never see each other again... After all, she is the source of your unrest, right?

"Tomorrow we will choose a concubine... How should I choose? Will the Empress Dowager give me some advice on who to choose? Whom I choose, when will I marry her? How should I face it in the future?"

Zhu Youtang did not hide anything in front of Tan Ji and expressed his inner fear with a series of questions.

Qin Ji sighed, "Prince, you are the most noble person in the world since His Majesty. You must be confident. When you get married, you will be an adult. In front of the Queen Mother, you must be brave and don't let others underestimate you."

"understood."

Zhu Youtang nodded, and suddenly his mind began to wander again.

…………

After nightfall, inside Qingning Palace.

Empress Dowager Zhou was sitting cross-legged on the kang by the window, holding Buddhist beads in her hand and fiddling with them with her fingers. It was Chen Gui who was telling her about the mannerisms of the three candidates for the Crown Princess when eating, washing, bathing and changing clothes, for reference.

However, Queen Mother Zhou obviously didn't care which of the three potential granddaughters-in-law was better. She just waved her hand and ordered, "Bring the calligraphy written by the Zhang girl here. I want to take a closer look."

Chen Gui hurried to the side and handed the words "I wish to have the heart of one person and never be separated from him until we are old" written by Zhang Yu on the table to Queen Mother Zhou.

Queen Mother Zhou opened it, looked over the writing, and exclaimed in admiration, "At this age, he has such strong opinions. It's not easy."

Chen Gui smiled and flattered: "It seems that the ancestor is very satisfied with the young nobleman. How about... hinting to the prince tomorrow?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Queen Mother Zhou looked at him coldly, "That's my grandson. If he wants to choose a concubine, how should he choose and who should he choose? Is it my turn as a grandmother to decide for him?
"Or do you think that as the crown prince of Ming Dynasty, you don't even have the right to choose your partner? Hmm?"

Chen Gui quickly lowered his head and made a gesture of admitting his mistake.

But then Queen Mother Zhou explained: "If I appoint him today, he might complain tomorrow. If he continues to harbor resentment, won't I become a sinner?"

Chen Guixin said, this is why you don’t want to interfere in other people’s affairs, right?
It’s not that you don’t want to control your grandson’s marriage, but you are afraid that it will be like your son. The result of control is to breed rebellious emotions and eventually cause discord between grandparents and grandchildren.

"very nice."

Queen Mother Zhou continued to look at the calligraphy, "She is indeed a lady from a noble family that even Li Zisheng would look at her with a different eye. She is both beautiful and courageous, and she is also so talented. It's rare, really rare!"

Chen Gui said: "I think that his handwriting is good, but his talent...I'm afraid it's hard to talk about it."

He really wanted to say that this Yuefu poem was not created by her, she just copied it, so how could it be considered talent?
Queen Mother Zhou smiled meaningfully and asked, "Didn't the man who wrote to the East Palace earlier write poetry?"

"what!?"

Chen Gui was extremely shocked when he heard this, and he was dumbfounded and said, "Old... Ancestor is saying that this is the same person?"

"hehe."

Queen Mother Zhou laughed happily, "It seems that you still don't understand what those people in the court do... How can it be so coincidental? Just now, someone was able to bypass the palace ban and successfully deliver the letter to the East Palace and hand it to the prince. The poem written in it even impressed me. Today, a woman who is also proficient in poetry appeared in the prince's selection of concubines. Don't you think these two things are too coincidental?"

Chen Gui suddenly realized: "I understand, now the truth is finally out... The person who ordered the letter to be sent to the East Palace was none other than Lord Li from the Silver Palace, and the person Lord Li asked to take care of was this eccentric woman... Everything matches up..."

Queen Mother Zhou smiled slightly and said, "If my grandson secretly falls in love with the woman who writes poetry, and is not even proactive in coming to Qingning Palace, and shows no interest in the selection of concubines, then giving this calligraphy to him will probably help ease his lovesickness..."

"The Queen Mother smiled."

Chen Gui said, "It's just a few letters, not that serious..."

"If he had no intention, why would he risk being talked about by others and go outside the palace to deliver a message? And he did it more than once? People outside the palace don't know the rules. Even if he is a prince and doesn't know the seriousness of the matter, won't those old guys in the East Palace remind him that doing so contains huge risks?"

A sly smile appeared on Queen Mother Zhou's face, like an old fox who knew everything. Her eyes were full of wisdom and looked sparkling.

"Or, do you think Li Zisheng would do such useless work? He wrote letters and poems... What was the previous poem? Who says being alone is not pitiful? The flowers are beautiful in the old days of traveling... Even I, who don't know much about poetry, can remember a line or two. Li Zisheng is not a scholar, so where did he get the talent to write such poems? It's really costly!"

Chen Gui's three views were greatly shocked, and he asked, "Grandfather, do you think that the poem was not written by this young noble, but was written by someone hired by Lord Li?"

Queen Mother Zhou nodded and said, "It's a good poem, but the traces of artificiality are too obvious... How can a girl who lives in seclusion in the boudoir have so much knowledge and be able to write poetry?
"Even if you write, it should be clichéd, not so gentle and refined, so unforgettable. Oh, you are treating my grandson as a rare commodity."

Chen Gui said: "Then tomorrow..."

According to Chen Gui, since Li Zisheng has put so much effort into this, how can he be allowed to get what he wants?

Queen Mother Zhou stretched her arms and stretched herself. She didn't care about her image in front of Chen Gui at all. She yawned again and said quietly:

"Let the prince choose for himself tomorrow. The one he likes will be the one. As for the remaining two, either send them out of the palace or to the East Palace. It's all up to him.

"Humph, his father doesn't care about him, so as his grandmother, I have to plan everything for him. I hope he doesn't follow his father's old path in the future."

(End of this chapter)