Chapter 2 It's better to ask yourself than to ask others
How did he fall into the water that day?
Zhu Zhen remembers that day in the small garden behind the main hall.
During lunch break, I thought of my mother and concubine, so I went to the lotus pond to cry alone.
As I cried, it seemed as if someone pushed me and I fell into the water.
I just didn't see who pushed me down.
Zhu Zhen had thought about this matter several times. But when he blurted it out, he held back.
It's not that he can't trust his elder brother, but his extensive experience in watching palace dramas tells him that in this deep palace, the consequences of speaking nonsense are very serious. Especially in this situation, he has to control his mouth.
"Haven't you remembered yet?" the prince asked with a frown.
"Yeah." Zhu Zhen nodded, showing a timid expression.
"Fourth, you rescued Sixth. I didn't see anyone else present at that time?" Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Di again.
"Brother, I've said it several times. I heard the sound and came over. At that time, Lao Liu was splashing in the water alone and no one else was seen." Zhu Di curled his lips, bowed his waist and bounced his legs, jumping up to Lao Gao.
, picked a fiery red persimmon from the tree and threw it to Zhu Biao.
"This is a serious matter, so don't be impatient." Zhu Biao took the persimmon and said in a deep voice: "The sixth man fell into the water, and my father was very angry. If he was not careful, it would be fine. But if he was pushed into the water, it would be very serious.
It’s serious!”
"Are you and your father worrying too much? Who dares to attack the prince of the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Di said nonchalantly, while repeating his old trick, he picked three more persimmons and distributed them to his two younger brothers.
"Bite a little bit of the edge, sip and drink the soup." He was worried that Zhu Zhen wouldn't eat it, so he gave thoughtful instructions.
"It's not that I'm overly worried. At the beginning of the world, the palace is as mixed as the outside. Although it has been screened several times, there are still Beiyuan spies or Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang's remnants lurking." The prince said, taking a sip of the persimmon and praising:
"Not bad, refreshing."
"Hey, I've been eyeing this persimmon tree for a long time." Zhu Di was very proud.
Zhu Zhen sucked in the sweet and cold persimmon, but couldn't suppress the dryness of his mouth. He thought to himself: Damn it, the palace drama didn't lie. This palace is indeed very dangerous. The idea of eating heartlessly and waiting for death is too bad.
.
Seeing Lao Liu's face turning pale, the prince comforted him and said, "Don't worry, even if there is a murderer, he probably didn't come for you. You probably just happened to meet him."
"It means you are unlucky." Zhu Di translated.
"Yes, you are the safest now." The prince smiled and said: "It might be an accident once, but it won't be an accident twice. If something happens to you again, you will definitely attract the thunderous wrath of my father."
"Father..." Zhu Zhen's heart tightened, that was the terrifying Zhu Yuanzhang.
He remembered that after he fell into the water, his father came to see him once. But at that time, he was so groggy and afraid of being exposed that he simply pretended not to wake up. He didn't dare to open his eyes and see whether Boss Zhu's face was round or not.
flat.
"My father is not entirely to blame for the matter of becoming a concubine." But the prince thought that he had a problem with his father, so he took out a handkerchief and wiped the juice from the corner of his mouth, and comforted him in a warm voice: "And my father's feelings towards you are not the same."
Caring will remain the same as in the past."
Zhu Zhen couldn't help but secretly complained, it seemed that the care he received in the past was not good...but there was nothing to complain about. It was like this when there were more brothers and sisters. There was fatherly love, but not much.
Let’s keep the mother’s love first.
"What did my mother and concubine do?" He looked at Zhu Biao and then at Zhu Di, thinking it would be better to ask the latter. "Fourth brother, just tell me, I'm almost suffocated.
"
"What can't be said?" Sure enough, he asked the right person, and he saw Zhu Di's eyebrows dancing with joy: "Isn't it just that at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, your mother rewarded the concubine Ding with two big competition bags!"
"Think about it, how embarrassing it is to have a big competition, and there are two of them?" Zhu Di said while gesticulating, and said with great admiration: "Forehand and backhand, all in one go! Empress Chongfei is truly a hero among women!"
"Stop messing around." Zhu Biao glared at the arrogant fourth child, sighed and said to Zhu Zhen: "That's what happened, but the reason and the specific process, we juniors have no way of knowing.
You shouldn’t ask, either.”
"..." Zhu Zhen's head was buzzing. If this is the case, I am really not unjust.
"Oh, it would be great if my mother was here." At this time, Wu King Zhu Xi sighed quietly.
"I'll go, Lao Wu, when did you come?" Zhu Di was startled when he heard the sound, and almost threw the leftover persimmon in his brother's face.
"I came with you two..." Zhu Ru raised the persimmon in his hand resentfully. "You gave this to me."
"Oh, really? I didn't notice. Hahaha, who told you to always keep silent..." Zhu Di said awkwardly, and quickly changed the topic: "You are right, if the queen mother is in the palace
There won’t be so many bad things happening here.”
The queen they both mentioned was the famous Empress Ma. The love story between this Ming Dynasty proprietress and Boss Zhu naturally does not need to be described in detail.
After Zhu Yuanzhang gained power, he wanted to grant titles to Queen Ma's clan, but Queen Ma refused by saying, "It is illegal to have titles and honors from a foreign family."
But when it came to the early death of her parents, Empress Ma was still in tears. So Zhu Yuanzhang posthumously named the empress Ma Gong Xian as King of Xu, and his late concubine Zheng Yu as the queen's wife. He also built a tomb and temple in his hometown to pay tribute to her forever.
This year, the tomb temple of Empress Ma's parents was completed. Accompanied by her second and third sons, she returned to Suzhou to hold a ceremony to move the tomb and erect a temple.
Therefore, he has been away from the palace for these few months.
~~
"When will the queen mother come back?" Zhu Zhen asked eagerly. He felt that the aunt's aunt was worth looking forward to.
"The third child sent me a letter the day before yesterday saying that he will be able to come back in time for the New Year," Zhu Biao replied.
"It's so late..." Zhu Zhen said with red eyes, "I don't know if my mother and concubine can survive until then."
"Don't worry, I have already told the stewards of Nei'an Le Hall to treat Concubine Chong well." Zhu Biao comforted Zhu Zhen softly and said:
"Besides, while you were in the water, I tried to persuade my father again. This time he was obviously relieved, and his tone became much more relaxed... However, I had to let Concubine Ding relax before I could forgive Concubine Ding.
.”
"How is that possible? That woman is very stubborn, not to mention that she also ate two big bites!" Zhu Di said in frustration.
"Oh, it's really not easy." Zhu Biao nodded in agreement. The concubine Ding was also a wonderful flower. He touched the chubby cheeks of the sixth brother and said: "Don't worry, the elder brother will find a way."
"Thank you, brother." Zhu Zhen thanked him sincerely. He could still feel whoever was sincere to him.
~~
After the brothers finished talking, the three princes went back.
Zhu Zhen sent them to the gate of Wan'an. Brother Wu, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly stopped.
After the two brothers walked some distance away, the fifth brother mysteriously took out a piece of paper and said to him:
"This is an ancient prescription I found through searching through medical books. It is specially designed to treat cold shock. I have also improved it a bit. You can try it and see how it works."
"Uh, thank you, Fifth Brother." Zhu Zhen twitched the corner of his mouth, "Good guy, here is a self-taught doctor. All my brothers are really talented."
You can't talk nonsense, and you can't take medicine randomly, Fifth Brother!
~~
Until dark, Zhu Zhen was digesting the news he heard from his brother.
Before you know it, it's bedtime.
When he was young, he naturally slept in the warm pavilion in the east room with his mother and concubine. After he was eight years old, he moved to the warm pavilion in the west room.
There was no need to do anything about washing and changing clothes before going to bed. The palace maids did it for him. People always change from frugal to extravagant, so he quickly got used to it.
The only thing I'm not used to yet is that there is always a palace maid standing two feet away from his bed.
When he thought about someone watching him while he was sleeping, he felt very uncomfortable and asked the maid to go out.
But the palace maid named Mu Xiang knelt down and begged, saying that this was the palace rule, and she had to stay by the side at all times to see if he was sleeping peacefully, and wait for him to drink water when he got up at night. If he left his post without permission, he would be sent to prison.
punishable.
Zhu Zhen is just pretending right now, and it is impossible for him to really be indifferent to the life and death of others.
In addition, Mu Xiang was older, experienced, steady, and shrewd in her work. It was hard not to like her, so Zhu Zhen followed her.
As the night went on, the two gradually became familiar with each other and began to talk quietly.
"Mu Xiang, where is the Nei'an Le Hall?" Zhu Zhen asked while lying on the bed, looking at the tent ceiling decorated with gold and embroidered phoenixes.
"Mr. Wang, please don't talk nonsense." Mu Xiang, who was kneeling beside the bed, shook her head and whispered.
"Do you listen to him or to me?" Zhu Zhen became hard-headed again.
"Of course I listen to Your Highness." Mu Xiang hesitated for a moment, but still obeyed: "I heard that the place is on the road to the sheep house. All concubines, palace maidens, sick, old, or guilty are sent here first, and then they are sent to wash clothes when they are older.
Bureau. As for what's going on inside, I really don't know."
"Because no one is allowed to enter that place, and I have never seen anyone come out of it." Lest His Highness might not believe it, she explained.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't explain. This explanation made Zhu Zhen burst into tears involuntarily.
Mu Xiang quickly wiped his tears, patted his back gently and said comforting words.
Zhu Zhen was also a little helpless and said to the little boy in his heart, "Don't worry, I will take action."
You really have to find a way to save people without waiting for help.
Otherwise, it is going to be freezing cold, and the cold palace is full of old and sick people. When the queen comes back at the end of the year, maybe the mother and concubine will be completely cold...