novelAbuy Chapter 121 Xia Niangzi discovers that Lady Lü has some medical knowledge
Chapter 121 Xia Niangzi discovers that Lady Lü has some medical knowledge
Zhu Yunwen actually came to see his adoptive father off; could he really be that kind?!
Zhu Gaoxi dared not be blindly optimistic, and cautiously went outside to express his gratitude to the grandson of the crown prince.
Zhu Youxun, the second brother of Zhu Yunwen, accompanied him on the visit. At this moment, he asked the Prince of Yan with a smile that concealed a dagger: "Where is His Highness the Prince of Wu? Our father is leaving, and no one has come to see him off. Could it be that after being adopted, he has forgotten who his father was?"
This statement was loaded with barbs and veiled barbs, carrying multiple implications and proving quite damaging. Fortunately, the Prince of Yan's family was already very familiar with this tired trope and didn't fall for it at all.
"What important matter do you wish to discuss with me?" Zhu Gaoxi asked softly with a smile.
He launched the attack intentionally and shamelessly first, so there's no need for us to call him "brother" anymore or give him any face.
In terms of rank, I am a prince, while Zhu Youxun is only a prince of the second rank who has not yet been officially appointed. It is not inappropriate to address him by his name.
"you……"
Zhu Youxun was so angry that he couldn't speak.
The Crown Prince wanted to stand up for his follower and rebuked Zhu Gaoxi twice, but he couldn't find a reasonable excuse and was furious.
Seeing that his son was not to be outdone and wouldn't suffer any loss, the Prince of Yan quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile, pretending to be angry and asking, "Xi'er, why did you forget to call me Brother Youxiong in your excitement?"
Zhu Gaoxi smiled mischievously, quickly changing the subject and asking the Crown Prince, "I heard that my elder brother wrote a letter to my elder brother. May I have a sneak peek?"
"How can I let outsiders see the letter I wrote to Gao Chi?" the Crown Prince refused without hesitation.
"My brother can't see it, but Father can definitely see it," Zhu Gaoxu deliberately argued. He didn't want to argue with Zhu Yunwen about right and wrong, but he just didn't want him to cause trouble for the Prince of Yan's residence.
Zhu Gaoxi was confident in his ability to infuriate people to the point of death and was not about to be easily defeated.
Historically, during the Jingnan Campaign, in order to reverse the disadvantage, Emperor Jianwen adopted Fang Xiaoru's suggestion and implemented a counter-espionage plan. He wrote a letter and sent it to Zhu Gaochi in Beiping, promising that Zhu Gaochi would inherit the title of Prince of Yan.
However, Zhu Gaochi was smarter than Emperor Jianwen had imagined. He didn't even open the package and sent it to Zhu Di at the front line intact.
As a result, the counter-espionage plan failed.
Now that the Crown Prince is writing a letter to Zhu Gaochi, he probably has the same intention: to stir up discord within the Prince of Yan's family. It's nothing new.
Zhu Youxun paused for a moment, but the mischievous thoughts in his stomach churned again. Just as he was about to start a fight, Zhu Gaoxu pulled him over with fiery enthusiasm. "Brother, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for so many days! Muxin, come quick, Brother Youxun is here! Where's Dahuang?"
Big Yellow, with its tongue lolling out, walked slowly and imposingly, its mouth watering. Youxun was so frightened that his legs went weak, his tongue got tied, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence.
It's best to stop while you're ahead. If you keep making a scene, things could escalate to a point of no return, and then you'll be in big trouble.
Zhu Di summoned his beloved wife and immediately set off back to the capital. They skipped the farewell banquet, since their luggage was already packed and they could depart at any time.
However, the Crown Prince was not about to let it go so easily. After looking around, he said coldly, "Why isn't there any stew? He's usually inseparable from his brother Gao Xi, so why is he nowhere to be seen? Could it be that he has important business to attend to? The three thousand guards of the Wu Prince's Mansion assigned by Grandfather are all under his command. Fourth Uncle probably doesn't know about this yet?"
Zhu Di was startled upon hearing this, but he remained outwardly calm and continued to smile. "I am relieved to have the guards of the Prince's residence in your care. Gao Xi is still young, so please take good care of him, Grandson."
The explosive news did not achieve the desired effect, and the Crown Prince was furious and resentful, but he could not think of any other way to cause trouble. Meanwhile, his follower Zhu Youxun was being chased by a big yellow dog and was fleeing in panic.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhu Di and the Princess of Yan led their entourage out of the mansion, mounted their horses, spurred them on, and headed straight for the city gate.
After watching his adoptive father and stepmother leave, Zhu Gaoxi turned and went to Ji Gang's duty room. He gave Ji Gang a wink, signaling him to deal with the Crown Prince who was still lingering at the door and refusing to leave.
Ji Gang immediately understood and, with his guards, stayed close to the Crown Prince at all times.
Zhu Yunwen was shocked, thinking they were going to resort to violence, and angrily stormed off.
Zhu Gaoxi sat leisurely inside the house, drinking milk and eating pine nuts, taking in the whole scene with a wicked smile.
When it comes to being mischievous, he is confident that he will not lose to the Crown Prince.
Not long after the Crown Prince left, Zhu Gaoxi did not linger and went straight back to the palace, where he met Youdun on the road.
"Why is my younger brother back? Has Fourth Uncle already left?" Youdun asked in surprise.
"Someone came to the Prince's residence to cause trouble, so Father set off ahead of schedule," Zhu Gaoxi said with a calm smile.
Perhaps, the next time my adoptive father goes to the capital, he will have accomplished his great task and will never be forced into such a sorry state again.
Zhu Gaoxi first went to the Qianqing Palace to report to the old emperor that the Prince of Yan had left the capital.
The old emperor was extremely saddened, his eyes red-rimmed, and he looked at Zhu Gaoxi with pleading eyes, asking in a trembling voice, "Xi'er, do you also think we're biased?"
Isn't this a universally acknowledged fact? Zhu Gaoxi chuckled to himself.
Historically, in the twenty-third year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched Prince Jin, Zhu Gang, and Prince Yan to lead two separate expeditions to the north, targeting the Northern Yuan chancellor Yao Zhu and Grand Commandant Nai'er Buhua.
Before the expedition, in order to boost the morale of the Prince of Jin, Zhu Yuanzhang sent someone to deliver a million ingots of paper money to the Prince of Jin, but did not give a single penny to the Prince of Yan.
Only after the Prince of Yan successfully persuaded Nairbuhua to surrender did Zhu Yuanzhang reward the Prince of Yan with the same amount of Ming Dynasty banknotes.
Meanwhile, Prince Zhu Gang of Jin searched the vast grasslands and deserts in vain, but returned empty-handed without finding the enemy, achieving nothing.
The truth is often cruel, but a white lie can be more heartwarming.
Zhu Gaoxi spoke slowly and forcefully: "Grandson does not believe that Grandfather is biased. Grandson feels that Grandfather loves all the princes and grandsons dearly."
Upon hearing this, the old emperor was instantly moved to tears. "That's what we thought too. We felt that your father was capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities, which is why we intentionally gave him more opportunities to train."
"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will and strengthens their body," Zhu Gaoxi recited aloud. "Grandson understands Grandfather's good intentions. A doting mother often spoils her son. Grandfather hopes that Father will achieve great things, leave a lasting mark on history, and accomplish something great."
"Yes, yes, that's right," the old emperor said, wiping away tears of emotion. "That's exactly what we were thinking."
Under Zhu Gaoxi's various forms of coaxing and comforting, the old emperor's sorrowful emotions gradually subsided.
After having a bowl of eight-treasure porridge with his grandfather, Zhu Gaoxi strolled back to the vegetable garden to discuss the future security and defense of the Wu Prince's Mansion with Youdun.
As soon as he stepped inside, Yishiha excitedly greeted him, "Your Highness, there's news!"
"What?" Zhu Gaoxi asked, puzzled.
Yishiha took Zhu Gaoxi's hand and gently traced two characters with his fingers: "Xuezhu".
Zhu Gaoxi was suddenly intrigued, looked up and pointed to the secret room, "Let's talk inside."
After observing for several days, Madam Xia discovered that Lady Lü had a rudimentary understanding of medicine and knew more about herbs than Xue Zhu. However, she lacked clinical experience and dared not rashly prescribe medicine to the Crown Prince's wife.
The message was successfully transmitted, which meant that Xuezhu had successfully gained Xia Niangzi's trust. After a long period of planning, this secret information channel had officially come into play, bringing them one step closer to success. Zhu Gaoxi was overjoyed.