Digging the jade beads in her hand faster and faster, the Queen Mother once again cast her gaze on the young emperor's face, trying to find a trace in his calm expression that could help her judge.
but none!
This feeling is very uncomfortable.
Originally, when Empress Dowager Sun heard the news about the early morning meeting, she felt a big stone fall in her heart, and she was really happy for most of the morning.
It wasn't until Jiao Jing entered the palace and reminded her that she should make arrangements for the Emperor's return to Beijing that she sent someone over and called Zhu Qiyu over.
In fact, her purpose was very simple at the beginning. She just wanted to arrange the people who would serve the Supreme Emperor herself. It would be better if she could also get the commander of the escort team.
The former went very smoothly, and the latter... also went very smoothly!
At least, before Jiao Jing spoke to stop her, Zhu Qiyu seemed ready to agree to her choice.
On this point, Queen Mother Sun had no doubts.
If Zhu Qiyu didn't intend to agree, then she wouldn't be allowed to choose someone.
As Jiao Jing said, the situation in Beijing and Wei was special, and it was not suitable for outsiders to interfere too much, let alone her, the Queen Mother.
This reason is completely legitimate and sufficient, but it needs to be mentioned in advance.
If Zhu Qiyu first asked her to choose someone and then recommended him without any reason, then it would be equivalent to embarrassing her.
Once this matter spreads to the outer court, he will be labeled as disrespectful to his aunt and ungrateful.
Zhu Qiyu would definitely not do this kind of thing that is true to the facts and does no good.
But, why?
Ever since Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Sun has always been careful about propriety and would not raise any demands directly with him, because she knew that it would be in vain if she did.
This concubine seemed to be respectful and courteous, but in fact, the so-called etiquette and status could not hold him down at all.
As long as he doesn't want to agree, there are countless excuses that can be made, and they are all justified.
This was a valuable conclusion she came to during her short time in power after the Civil War, so her efforts were never in vain.
As for this time, the reason why she spoke about the people serving around the Supreme Emperor was.
First, because matters related to the Supreme Emperor belong to the inner palace, and she, the Holy Mother Queen Mother, can still speak.
The second reason is because she is determined to win.
In the deep palace, there are many dirty tricks, so you should always be careful in everything. The people who serve you personally must be your own people. This is not negotiable.
She had already planned that if Zhu Qiyu didn't agree, she would make the matter bigger. Even if she went to the court, she would not give in on this matter.
However, unexpectedly, the other party accepted them all.
The personal attendant can make arrangements for himself, no problem!
If you want to be the commander of the Habayashi Guards, no problem!
As for the draft that was brought up inexplicably, since I don’t want to, I won’t force it!
Everything went according to her will without any objection, which made Queen Mother Sun feel inexplicably uneasy.
Because she couldn't figure out whether Zhu Qiyu wanted her to agree or not.
When the Supreme Emperor returned to the capital and settled in the Nangong Palace, the concubines would naturally move there with him. This was a matter of course and there was nothing to argue with.
The princes and princesses are not a big deal either.
Although the Ming Dynasty was divided into concubines and concubines, it also emphasized filial piety. Before leaving the palace and opening a mansion, the princes and princesses were raised by their own mothers.
When the concubines moved to Nangong, the princes and princesses would naturally follow them, including the prince.
Logically speaking, the prince should live in the East Palace, but that happened after he left the palace to study.
You should know that the reason why the prince's residence was set up in a different place is because after leaving the cabinet to study, the prince will start to contact government affairs, and there will be supporting officials from the Zhanshi Mansion to assist him.
But now, it's still far too early.
During this period, the prince was raised by his mother, Concubine Zhou.
Therefore, before Zhu Qiyu brought this matter up alone, Empress Dowager Sun had not considered at all how to arrange these princes and princesses.
But now, she must carefully consider whether there is any trap hidden behind this.
In terms of etiquette, the prince is the eldest son of the emperor. Now that the emperor returns to the court, he must be served by his knees. This is filial piety and there is no dispute.
Thinking from this perspective, if Zhu Qiyu hopes that the prince goes to Nangong, then there is no need to say anything and just let nature take its course.
He mentioned it, indicating that he actually didn't want the prince to go to Nangong, so...
The beads in her hand suddenly stopped, and Queen Mother Sun said with a smile.
"Logically speaking, all the princes should be at the knees of the Crown Prince. However, Emperor, you also know that the Crown Prince will be over three years old soon."
"Ordinary people should learn to read and read at this time. The East Palace is a storehouse of books, so it should not be ignored. Originally, these days, the Ai family was planning to find a few people to teach him."
"Although it is possible to gain enlightenment in Nangong, it is still inconvenient."
"What's more, the Emperor has gone to Nangong, and the princes have followed him. The Ai family will be lonely in Cining Palace alone. We might as well keep the prince with the Ai family for a while longer. What does the emperor think?"
In the end, Queen Mother Sun chose what she thought was the most appropriate method and kept the prince by her side.
It is true that Zhu Qiyu brought this matter up alone, maybe because he did not want the prince to go to Nangong.
However, Empress Dowager Sun thought over and over again and could not imagine what benefit it would have to Zhu Qiyu if the prince did not go to Nangong.
But if that wasn't the case, she didn't understand why Zhu Qiyu mentioned such a sentence for no reason.
It doesn’t matter if I go, it doesn’t matter if I don’t go.
She simply put him in Cining Palace first. Anyway, it is natural for the prince to be filial to his father, and it is also natural for him to be filial to his grandmother.
Let's use the excuse to keep the prince first, and then decide based on the situation. If it's not appropriate, then send him to Nangong.
At this time, Zhu Qiyu's face clearly changed, but instead of asking where the prince was, he frowned and asked.
"Enlightenment? Holy Mother, is it a little early?"
The Ming Dynasty was relatively free in the education of princes, and there was no particular fixed time point.
However, generally speaking, between the ages of six and eight, the prince will officially give lectures and invite Confucian masters to teach the prince.
However, giving lectures and readings can be regarded as a formal apprenticeship ceremony.
In fact, the prince's literacy needs to be enlightened much earlier than this point in time. Generally speaking, it is between the ages of three and five. There is also no particular fixed point in time.
Seeing Zhu Qiyu's expression, Empress Dowager Sun looked fine and still had a smile on her face, saying.
"Actually, it's not too early. If the Ai family remembers correctly, the emperor was enlightened when he was more than three years old in the palace, so it's just the right time!"
This time, Zhu Qiyu had no objection.
Empress Dowager Sun was right. He himself was indeed literate when he was more than three years old.
However, the situation at that time was that the late emperor selected someone to initiate Zhu Qizhen, who had just turned five years old. However, there were only two princes in the palace at that time. The late emperor was too lazy to bother, so he simply asked Zhu Qiyu to attend and accompany him.
If there are small things like pens, inks, paper and inkstones, just keep a copy handy for him.
Under normal circumstances, enlightenment at the age of four is considered early.
But it's all old news, Zhu Qiyu smiled and nodded, saying.
"The arrangement of the Holy Mother is of course good. Since the Holy Mother wants the prince to accompany him in the Cining Palace, as a junior, the prince should fulfill his filial piety at the knees of the Holy Mother."
This chapter has been completed!