Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 138 People-pleasing Personality

After all, Qin Ji, who had been in the palace for a long time, was an old fox, and his heart suddenly tightened again.

What does the Queen Mother mean by these words?
Are you testing the prince?

Big test!

Prince, you must hold on, and it is best if your answer does not have any deviation.

Zhu Youtang replied without hesitation: "There is a poem attached to the letter written to my grandson."

Queen Mother Zhou asked again: "Have you replied to the letter?"

"I replied to two."

Zhu Youtang said bluntly, "My grandson felt that since that person wrote to me to discuss poetry, it would be impolite not to reply. Besides, she didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so my grandson..."

Empress Dowager Zhou smiled and comforted him: "You are the crown prince, the heir to the throne of the Ming Dynasty. You may seem to be of noble status, but you are actually a normal person with flesh and blood. Who says that the crown prince cannot communicate with others?
"If you are communicating with some court officials to discuss how to manage court affairs, then you do need to consult your father. But if you are just writing letters to talk about romance, poetry, and songs, will your father blame you if he finds out?"

Zhu Youtang lowered his head and replied timidly: "But... my grandson always feels that I shouldn't act on my own."

Qin Ji hurriedly explained: "Empress Dowager, if you want to blame someone for this, blame this servant. The letter was sent by someone from the Imperial Observatory. At that time..."

"All right."

Queen Mother Zhou interrupted Tan Ji at the right time and shouted coldly, "I don't want to listen to other people's nonsense when I am talking to the prince. Can you shut up immediately and stand aside?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ji immediately retreated to the corner of the hall in dejection, and looked at Zhu Youtang as if to say, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you have to handle this situation alone.

Queen Mother Zhou smiled at Zhu Youtang again and asked, "Prince, do you regard the person who wrote to you as your lifelong confidante?"

"what?"

Zhu Youtang said in surprise, "My grandson has not thought so much about it for now. As for the confidante..."

He really wanted to ask, what is a confidante?
I just wanted to write letters to that person, discuss poetry with her, tell her about the scenery outside the palace, go with her to see the crabapple blossoms, sit down with her to drink tea and chat, and even read and write with her... As for a confidante, I have never learned about it and no one has told me about it.

Are there any notes about confidantes in the books of sages?
I do not know how?
Queen Mother Zhou seemed very satisfied with her grandson's frank attitude and nodded: "That's good, don't be distracted by those trivial matters. When choosing a crown princess, you should rely on your intuition to make the decision, so don't worry too much!

"Oh, by the way, among the three girls just now, from left to right, which one do you like?"

According to Empress Dowager Zhou, my grandson's choice of a concubine cannot be manipulated by Li Zisheng.

So I will not rashly tell my grandson who is the person you are communicating with. Don't be easily influenced by outsiders. Just follow your inner choice.

"they……"

Zhu Youtang was in great torment.

He really wanted to ask, Grandmother, who was the one who wrote the note?

Tell me, can't I just choose her?
Why make it so complicated?
But he also understood the old lady's hint. It was obvious that she was deliberately trying to keep him in suspense and didn't want to tell him directly.

Queen Mother Zhou waited for a while, but when she didn't get the answer she wanted, she slowly frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Does that mean you don't like any of the three girls?"

"No."

Zhu Youtang shook his head and said, "They all look good, but... I just don't know how to choose... How about you, the Royal Grandmother, make the decision for me?"

Zhu Youtang lived a very depressing life in the first half of his life. No one in the palace could help him. As a nominal crown prince, he often had no choice but to participate in court activities. He only used the title of crown prince as a cover. Normally, he had no right to make decisions on his own. So when Empress Dowager Zhou forced him a little, he wanted to quit.

"this is not good."

Queen Mother Zhou thought that by forcing her grandson, she could make him stronger and more decisive in making decisions. Now she knows that it is really difficult to change a person.

"Well, let's not question them one by one. Let's just call them all out, line them up, and question them all at once... My dear grandson, what do you think?"

Queen Mother Zhou seemed very impatient, but at the same time she seemed to respect the prince's opinion.

Zhu Youtang was relieved and nodded, saying, "Let's do everything according to the Empress Dowager's wishes."

……

...The three daughters, Zhang Yu, Wang and Song, came out from the back hall and stood in front of Empress Dowager Zhou and Zhu Youtang.

Wei Tai and Chen Gui, who were standing at the palace gate, heard the noise and couldn't help but look inside. It was obvious that they also wanted to know who would become the Crown Princess...

After all, this lucky woman has a great chance of becoming the empress of the Ming Dynasty and the mistress of this majestic imperial palace in the future.

Who working in the palace doesn't want to witness the birth of a potential mistress?
The three women stood still.

Zhang Yu felt a little disappointed at this moment, because the figures of Sun Bojian and Qin Yun appeared in her mind. The slightly timid young man in front of her obviously could not satisfy her fantasy and expectation of the Prince Charming.

As for being a crown princess and enjoying wealth and glory...

That's good, but when a young girl first begins to fall in love, she is often the most determined in matters of the heart. Asking her to think about the future... this question is a bit beyond the scope.

Of course, in addition to the two good marriage candidates she had met, there was also a vague potential option.

That was the person she had corresponded with several times. At first, she just followed her brother's request to "prank" him. But later, she was unconsciously moved by the content of the letter. Knowing that the other party was a famous family member who was currently frustrated, she felt sympathy for him. In addition, she felt guilty for teasing him, and she was eager to show off the poems and songs she learned from her brother in front of him...

Zhang Yu felt a great sense of vanity and satisfaction from this pen pal.

Because the pen pal admired her talent very much, he developed a sense of dependence on her between the lines and even said that they wanted to meet in the future.

At this time, she couldn't help but think that it would be nice even if the gentleman who wrote the letter could save her from danger.

"Prince, everyone is standing in front of you. What questions do you want to ask them? Would you like to let them introduce themselves first?" asked Queen Mother Zhou.

"No... no need."

Zhu Youtang's voice was trembling a little.

Queen Mother Zhou frowned. She saw that Zhu Youtang seemed too shy in front of the three women and didn't even dare to look them in the eye. She suddenly became a little anxious.

Is it you, the prince, who chooses the concubine, or is it the concubine who chooses you?
Why are you shy again?

Moreover, Empress Dowager Zhou also noticed that her grandson would occasionally glance at Zhang Yu on the far right. From the perspective of someone who had experienced this, her grandson had some interest in the little girl from the Zhang family.

That fully explains...

The grandson didn't like her because of her poetry, but because he had a good impression of her at first sight, which ruled out any interference from external factors.

Queen Mother Zhou finally felt a little better.

But the little girl of the Zhang family...she had dared to look up at me and my grandson before, but now she has lowered her head deliberately, and it's even a little tilted...

That is clearly an attitude of indifference!

Could it be that my grandson likes her, but she doesn't like my grandson?
"You kid, when I ask you to choose a concubine, it's just a matter of choosing one from the three of them."

Queen Mother Zhou sighed, as if she was defeated by her grandson. She had to change her mind and said softly, "Then let me tell you... I know that the prince likes poetry, especially women who are good at reciting poems and composing fu. Do you have any knowledge of poetry?"

Zhu Youtang looked at Empress Dowager Zhou with gratitude, and his pitiful eyes seemed to be saying... Thank you, Royal Grandmother. It is you who understands me and sympathizes with me.

Grateful!

This is exactly the question I want to ask, but can’t.

The three women present, Zhang Yu, Wang and Song, all had a look of confusion in their eyes after hearing what Empress Dowager Zhou said.

Wang and Song really didn't understand. They had read a few simple books and could recite the "Book of Filial Piety for Women", but that was just a last-minute effort. Let alone composing poems, they couldn't even recite a poem.

Zhang Yu’s confusion lies in…why does the prince like this?
"Move a table and get some paper and pen!"

Empress Dowager Zhou gave an order, and Qin Ji went over to help move the table, spread the paper, grind the ink, etc.

Empress Dowager Zhou glanced at Zhang Yu intentionally or unintentionally and said, "Who says that being alone is not pitiful? The flowers were beautiful during the old days of traveling. This poem "Huanxisha" is well written. But it is just one poem, which is a bit too deliberate and whining.

"Today, if anyone among you can write a new poem that is presentable, please write it down. Perhaps the Crown Prince will look at her differently, and the position of Crown Princess... may be created for her."

(End of this chapter)