gnovel Chapter 109 Let Zhu Di be the Zhangjing
Chapter 109 Let Zhu Di be the Zhangjing
When news of Princess Yongjia giving birth reached the palace, Zhu Gaoxi was leading several eunuchs in repeated experiments with the charcoal pencil production process.
"I heard it was a breech birth, with the feet coming out first," Miao Jin said with a look of fear. "It was so scary, thank goodness Xia Niangzi was there."
"She bled a lot. After giving birth, the princess fainted and is still unconscious," Miao Jin said, her expression sorrowful and helpless.
Youdun pulled her into his arms and whispered a few words in her ear.
Miao Jin's expression suddenly turned shy, her face flushed, and she raised her fist and lightly punched him a few times.
Zhu Gaoxi turned his face away, refusing to watch the two flirting.
In ancient times, medical technology was limited, and male doctors were deeply influenced by the traditional concept of gender segregation. The saying was, "I would rather treat ten men than one woman." Female doctors were extremely scarce, and childbirth for women was like a brush with death, with life and death uncertain.
Female doctors with rich clinical experience like Xia Niangzi are rare finds.
After this incident, it was only a matter of time before Lady Xia became famous in the capital. To ensure the safety of the unborn child in the Crown Prince's womb, Zhu Yunwen would most likely invite her out of admiration.
Although Zhu Gaoxi never met Xia Niangzi in person, according to You Dun's description, she should be an extremely kind-looking woman.
The only condition Xia Niangzi agreed to enter the palace was that she must not harm anyone.
Zhu Gaoxi never intended to harm anyone; he merely investigated the truth, putting pressure on Lady Lü and Zhu Yunwen to throw them into disarray.
"Brother, let's go to the Qianqing Palace to tell Grandpa the good news."
Zhu Gaoxi couldn't bear to watch the couple's oblivious and intimate behavior, so he looked out the window and shouted.
Zhu Youdun then seemed to wake up from a dream, released Miaojin, and said, "Little brother, let's go, let's go over there now."
Unexpectedly, someone beat them to it and reported the good news to the old emperor.
Some time ago, in order to find a reliable female doctor for the Crown Prince's wife, the old emperor issued a wide call for help, using almost all his connections in the capital, and declared that there would be a great reward.
The old emperor's fourteenth daughter, Princess Hanshan, Zhu Mingyu, was four years younger than Princess Yongjia, Zhu Shanqing. The two sisters had a good relationship since childhood and could definitely be called best friends.
Just as her sister was giving birth, Zhu Mingyu witnessed Xia Niangzi's miraculous medical skills and immediately conceived the idea of introducing Xia Niangzi to the Crown Prince.
In order to claim the credit first, Zhu Mingyu went to her father, the Emperor, before the Guo family could even enter the palace to report the good news.
Zhu Mingyu is a year younger than Youdun. She loved to cling to her father and act spoiled since she was a child. Although she is now married, her personality has not changed much.
When Zhu Gaoxi arrived, Zhu Mingyu was openly demanding benefits from the old emperor.
Upon hearing that his twelfth daughter had given birth to a boy weighing six pounds and eight ounces, the old emperor was overjoyed. However, when asked about his youngest daughter's request, he evaded the question, making it seem as if he intended to renege on the promise.
"Gao Xi, You Dun, come quick! Plead for your aunt. Someone is going to break their promise about the reward she promised," Zhu Mingyu teased playfully.
"Grandpa is a man of his word, he will certainly not go back on his promise," Zhu Gaoxi chimed in.
The old emperor gave him a fond look, casting a "who's on your side, brat?" glance at him.
Zhu Youdun's flattery skills were in no way inferior to Zhu Gaoxi's. "Grandpa has always been a man of his word, and he always keeps his promises."
"You've been so kind to yourselves, turning your backs on us like this," the old emperor said with great remorse, and ordered Huang Liang to fetch two hundred taels of silver.
Zhu Mingyu accepted the silver with great delight. His greedy expression made the old emperor shake his head and sigh repeatedly, and he kept reminding him, "Remember to bring that Lady Xia into the palace."
"Father, rest assured, I've got this under control," Zhu Mingyu said with a smile.
They're highly motivated to get things done as long as they're paid.
Zhu Gaoxi liked his aunt's straightforward personality very much, and he admitted that he could not match her in terms of optimism and open-mindedness.
Historically, Princess Hanshan was Zhu Yuanzhang's longest-lived child, passing away in the sixth year of the Tianshun reign of Emperor Yingzong of Ming at the age of eighty-three.
Zhu Gaoxi speculated that his longevity might be related to his personality.
If you were like Lin Daiyu, keeping everything bottled up inside, constantly feeling melancholic and distressed, you wouldn't have lived that long.
Life is full of possibilities, and we should take things easy and not dwell on them too much.
Others' prejudices and disapproval are not important at all. The key is to know how to live and to live the life you want.
Although Princess Hanshan's husband, Commandant Yin Qing, also came from a family of meritorious officials, his family was far more powerful than Princess Yongjia's husband's family, the Marquis of Wuding.
However, I heard that Zhu Mingyu and Yin Qing are a perfect match, deeply in love, and the envy of others.
Complaining and blaming others is useless; one should learn to enjoy one's own life. Zhu Gaoxi had many thoughts on this.
The next day, Zhu Mingyu entered the palace as promised and brought Lady Xia before the old emperor and the crown prince.
Zhu Gaoxi claimed to be unwell and hid in the vegetable garden to continue figuring out the manufacturing process of charcoal pencils.
Seeing how much his grandfather cared for his child, the Crown Prince was deeply moved, and his sense of crisis greatly diminished.
As a result, Fang Xiaoru's offensive towards Xie Jin in the Hanlin Academy was significantly weakened, and he began to have a headache over his two newly admitted students.
With Zhu Gaoxi's engagement ceremony approaching, Minister of Rites Men Kexin went to the Qianqing Palace to ask the old emperor to decide on some details regarding the engagement day.
In short, it boils down to whether Zhu Gaoxi's adoptive father could return to the capital that day.
The old emperor did not want Zhu Di to return, because Zhu Gaoxi was to be married a few days after his engagement.
To demonstrate his high regard for the Duke of Wei's mansion, Prince Zhu Su of Zhou would certainly return to the capital ahead of time to arrange related matters.
If Zhu Di were to return to the capital, it would be difficult for the two brothers to avoid each other.
It is against regulations for two vassal kings to be in the capital at the same time.
However, ever since the waterwheel incident, the old emperor's sense of peace had been severely skewed.
If Gao Xi were just an ordinary feudal lord, the betrothal ceremony would have been unnecessary.
However, if Gao Xi is to be groomed as the crown prince, then his marriage becomes extremely important and must be handled with utmost care.
Moreover, the old emperor also wanted to take this opportunity to test the reactions of his ministers so that he could make preparations in advance.
If only Huang Zicheng, Fang Xiaoru, and Qi Tai from the Eastern Palace oppose it, and if no officials from the Six Ministries openly support the Crown Prince, then the resistance is not significant.
Zhuo Jing's attitude was ambiguous; he only insisted on reducing the power of the princes and distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate heirs, unlike Fang Xiaoru, who was determined that Yunwen was the only one who could succeed him.
After racking his brains and thinking it over, the old emperor finally decided to make an exception for his beloved grandson and issued an edict ordering Prince Yan, Zhu Di, to return to the capital immediately.
When Zhu Gaoxi heard that his adoptive father was coming, he gratefully hugged the old emperor's neck and cuddled for a long time, showering him with flattery.
Having grown up by our side since childhood, yet missing his father so much, the old emperor felt a deep pang of sorrow.
Upon receiving the news, Zhu Gaoxu was terrified and begged Xie Jin to tutor him. He worked tirelessly for twelve hours a day, without eating, drinking, or sleeping, determined to find a way to get through the ordeal.
His father was ruthless when he got physical.
Unlike the fourth brother, who was eloquent and persuasive, he had no other options but to take a beating and suffer a painful backside bruise.