Rebirth of the Ming Dynasty: Sixth Generation of Glory, I don't want it

Chapter 240 Too Reasonable

The female officials in the inner palace wore talismans to ward off disease, wore moxa leaves on their bodies, and stood with swords in their hands, which meant to drive away the five poisons. The concubines played in the water by the river.

At the banquet, behind my father-in-law hung a picture of the Heavenly Master, which is a must-have during the Dragon Boat Festival.

In the morning, the father-in-law accompanied the court officials. They drank cinnabar, realgar and calamus wine, ate rice dumplings made of fresh reed leaves, and admired the bright pink pomegranate flowers. They watched the princes, grandsons and children brought by the court officials compete in horse riding, archery, ball shooting and willow shooting. The father-in-law would reward the winner with money and silk.

In the afternoon, the father-in-law would take his concubines to the West Garden to watch the dragon boat race by the vast and glittering Taiye Lake. When they were still not satisfied, they would go to Zhenshan to pick flowers and willows, race horses and shoot arrows.

Zhang Xin still clearly remembers that in the morning's match, the left team was led by the Royal Consort Guangping Marquis Yuan Rong, and the right team was led by Ningyang Marquis Chen Mao.

His son Zhu Zhanji always came first in every game.

He earned back the face his father-in-law had lost when Zhu Gaochi was too fat to survive.

Zhu Gaochi was scolded many times by his father-in-law at the banquet.

Zhu Zhanji seemed to be already in his teens at that time.

Zhu Zhanji felt that his father was humiliated when being scolded by his grandfather.

Zhu Gaochi felt it was humiliating to be scolded by his father in front of his son.

After the banquet, Zhu Zhanji went to Zhang Xin to complain, and Zhu Gaochi went to Guo to comfort him.

As for Zhang Xin, she has nowhere to confide her troubles.

She occasionally said a few words to her son, but was afraid that it would exacerbate the conflict between them.

Thinking about it now, I wonder how I survived in the Forbidden City in my previous life.

After the capital was officially moved, the Wenhua Hall had not yet been completed. She and Zhu Gaochi lived in the East Garden. Looking at the familiar names on the drawings, she felt really sad.

Located in the west of the East Garden, east of the Neichengyun Warehouse and north of the Yongtai Gate, Chonghua Palace is the Prince's Mansion, the son's residence.

The two words "Chonghua" come from "Book of Documents·Shun Canon" - this Shun was able to succeed Yao and value the glory of his literary virtues.

It was given by my father-in-law.

Naming the Crown Prince's mansion with the implication of succession from the ancient sage emperors Yao, Shun and Yu was the expectation of Zhu Zhanji's father-in-law.

But Zhanji was always taken to the army by his father-in-law and did not spend much time in Chonghua Palace.

In Dongyuanli, the Zhaiju Villa that Zhanji later had built was where he lived most of the time.

When Zhanji was alive, he told Zhang Xin that the name Zhaijubieguan was too formal, and he preferred to call it Caoshe, where he would retreat and live alone.

Even if he wasn't fasting, he still enjoyed staying in the hut.

He only opened it once to his courtiers.

Zhang Xin felt that her son had grown up, and since he hadn't invited her to see him, she had no intention of spying on him.

So I never went there.

After Zhang Xin helped Zhu Qizhen to the throne, she did not dare to touch anything belonging to her son for a long time, including his residence, toys, and bed.

I can't control my tears once I get touched.

In the fifth year of Zhengtong.

She felt she could handle it.

I went to see the thatched cottage mentioned by Zhu Zhanji.

The wooden door and the winding path are deep and secluded.

As soon as you enter, it feels like the courtyard of a hermit living in seclusion, unique and quiet.

What comes into view is a small stream, with a well wall with stone slabs beside the stream and a small bridge made of bluestone slabs built over the stream.

On the bluestone bridge, frogs croak, insects chirp, and a gentle breeze fills the ears.

Under the bluestone bridge, water flows gently and fish swim around.

Beside the bluestone bridge, reeds sway and dragonflies fly.

After walking across the bluestone bridge, on both sides are the origins of the thatched cottage mentioned by Zhanji - thatched pavilions. The two pavilions face each other from east to west, and only through the thatched pavilions is the proper courtyard.

The courtyard is plain and without any royal symbols. It is made of miscellaneous wood as rafters, covered with grass as tiles, and surrounded by wooden doors and wooden railings on both sides.

On the left is the study room, and on the right is the pavilion. There are books scattered all over the floor in the study room, and there is a guqin in the pavilion.

In front of the courtyard, there is a field divided by a fence, where vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers are planted.

The fence was made by Zhanji himself, who found bamboo and split it strips one by one, and he also turned the ground with a hoe.

Sometimes the wind was strong and blew the seedlings down, and Zhanji would come out in the middle of the night to tie them up with small wooden sticks.

When Zhanji entertained his ministers, he personally set out his nets and caught several fresh fish in the river. He ordered them to make fish soup and picked vegetables from the fields. He treated everyone to a meal of only three dishes and one soup.

After Zhanji passed away, Zhang Xin did not speak out and Empress Sun did not dare to move.

The young eunuch on duty said that it was the same now as it was then, except that they just swept the fields every day and harvested the vegetables and planted them again.

The young eunuch even asked her if he could replace the window screens as the original ones had faded due to being exposed to the sun.

She burst into tears.

She had no idea that her son, when he was fasting, actually liked the countryside.

After her mother-in-law passed away, she and Zhu Gaochi became estranged from each other.

But they are all on the same boat. If Zhu Gaochi is not good, she can't be good either.

So he could only put on a smile every day to appease the concubines in the harem, his father-in-law, and the ladies outside the imperial court.

Zhan Ji must have been sad seeing this.

But every time I see her, she just laughs and makes noises.

"Hey, what's wrong! You cried just looking at a blueprint? Were you bullied when you went out today? Or did you hear some gossip?"

Zhu Gaochi was still imagining the beautiful scenery of the imperial city, but when he turned around, he saw Zhang Xin's big tears falling on the drawing. In the blink of an eye, the drawing became blurred.

Without caring about the drawings, he quickly lifted up Zhang Xin's face and wiped her tears with his sleeves.

"I don't know, I just want to cry, no one bullies me."

Zhang Xin lowered her eyelids, not wanting to look at Zhu Gaochi, and only replied with a sob.

"Ah, and you feel like crying at times like this? Did your mother scold you?"

Zhu Gaochi felt that there was no reason for crying.

Since Zhang Xin doesn’t say anything, we can only guess blindly.

The mother-in-law and father-in-law now live in the capital. Zhang Xin will see them whenever she is free after leaving the palace. It must be that the mother-in-law is nagging Zhang Xin again.

"Nonsense, it's all because of you!"

Zhang Xin glared and said angrily.

"Ah, what happened to me!"

Zhu Gaochi was completely confused...

"You, you, you, you just ate the last piece of ribs I wanted to eat!!!"

Zhang Xin, you spent a long time but still couldn’t figure out how to write it.

"...Do you think I believe it?"

Zhu Gaochi looked up at the sky.

"Whether you believe it or not is none of my business. I don't care. I'm going to beat you up!"

Zhang Xin didn't want to make up stories anymore, so she rushed over and started beating him up.

The fairy from the Merit Department is right - put aside your personal qualities and enjoy a life without morals.

She is just too reasonable.