gnovel Chapter 12 Is being favored related to ability?
Chapter 12 Is being favored related to ability?
"When I first heard your grandfather talk about those things, I still couldn't quite believe it. It seems that opposing the Crown Prince is indeed true," Zhu Di said to himself.
"I was too harsh, I dare not punish you. If you continue to cause trouble for the Crown Prince, I will take you back to Beiping and let your mother decide how to punish you," Zhu Di said decisively, without any hesitation. "Your grandfather has so many grandsons, but only you can stay by his side. You don't know how to cherish it, and you only think about causing trouble. Your mother is still hoping to rise in status through her son, and you're just going to destroy all her hopes like this?"
Zhu Gaoxi thought of his pitiful birth mother and couldn't help but burst into tears.
"You overestimate yourself! What makes you think you can oppose the Crown Prince? With your meager cleverness, you can't even protect yourself, yet you want to harm others?" Zhu Di scolded mercilessly.
"For my father's sake," Zhu Gaoxi felt even more wronged than Dou E.
"For your father's sake, you must behave yourself and not cause trouble. Do you want everyone to know that your father disrespected the Crown Prince? Your father will be killed without a burial place because of you," Zhu Di said sternly.
"I'll give you one night. If you can change, go back to your grandfather's side. If you can't, go to Beiping to find your mother," Zhu Di said, then carried him to bed, covered him with a blanket, and said, "Go to sleep."
Although Zhu Gaoxi was saddened, he quickly recognized the situation.
Constantly picking fights with Zhu Yunwen could lead others to mistakenly believe that it was instigated by his adoptive father, and could even be categorized by those with ulterior motives as part of the Yan Prince's entire household's actions.
The Crown Prince is the future emperor, the only emperor in the land. To oppose him, in a serious sense, can be considered treason.
Once convicted of treason, the consequence would be the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their entire clan.
Zhu Gaoxi was frightened, and he dared not rashly cause trouble for the Crown Prince again.
"Whatever you want, it must be based on strength. Otherwise, it's just wishful thinking. How old are you? You need someone's protection right now, and you're so openly expressing your dislike for the Crown Prince. How can you do that?" His adoptive father said in his ear, his tone much gentler.
Zhu Gaoxi nestled in his adoptive father's arms, drawing a sense of security and warmth.
"I was wrong," he said, filled with remorse.
"You should admit your mistakes and correct them," the cheapskate father continued to lecture.
Zhu Gaoxi readily agreed to the "change".
The following morning, Zhu Gaoxi was sent back to his grandfather, the Emperor.
Zhu Yunwen led him to find Zhu Yunwen.
"Third brother, Tian Qing has been sent by grandfather to work outside the palace and won't be back for the time being. Shall I have Wu Liang find you another one?" Zhu Yunwen said bluntly.
"No need," Zhu Yunwen shook his head. Actually, he had always wanted to ask, but he was afraid of breaking a taboo and didn't dare to.
"If anything happens in the future, tell your second brother. Don't keep it to yourself," Zhu Yunwen patted his shoulder.
"I know, Second Brother," Zhu Yunwen said, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Fourth Uncle brought Gao Chi and Gao Xu over, let's go take a look," Zhu Yunwen said, pulling his hand to stand up.
Zhu Yunwen reached out to take Zhu Gaoxi's chubby little hand.
Zhu Gaoxi returned his smile with a bright smile.
Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to examine each of his grandsons individually.
Zhu Gaochi was at the very front, followed closely by Zhu Gaoxu.
Liu Sanwu and Huang Zicheng talked with Zhu Gaochi about classics and history, while Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen listened in.
Zhu Gaochi answered fluently, speaking slowly but clearly and logically.
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in satisfaction. He was a bit fat, but not stupid; he was teachable.
Faced with Liu Sanwu's question, Zhu Gaoxu's performance was rather pathetic; he stammered, hesitated, and gave irrelevant answers.
Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned extremely ugly.
Huang Zicheng's questions were much simpler, all belonging to Confucian enlightenment knowledge, which Zhu Gaoxu answered smoothly.
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, telling Zhu Gaoxu to step down.
The next imperial grandson was Zhu Youdun, the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhou.
Zhu Youdun responded easily and concisely, which drew frequent nods of approval from Liu Sanwu and Huang Zicheng.
A look of triumph appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.
He received unanimous praise, a treatment previously reserved for Zhu Yunwen.
This Zhu Youdun is really quite capable.
Zhu Shangbing, the eldest son of Prince Qin Zhu Shuang, barely passed the test.
Prince Qi, Zhu Fu, was still young. Although he passed the test smoothly, it might be a bit difficult for him to leave his parents and stay in the capital alone.
After all, it's rare to find a kid as mischievous and resilient as Zhu Gaoxi.
Zhu Jixi, the heir apparent of Prince Zhu Gang of Jin, performed exceptionally well, second only to Zhu Youdun.
Seeing Zhu Jixi's smug expression, Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed his anger and casually praised him a couple of times.
Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxi sighed inwardly, "This guy isn't here to keep the Crown Prince company while he studies; he's determined to outdo the Crown Prince."
After the test, Zhu Yuanzhang announced the list on the spot: Zhu Shangbing, the eldest son of the Prince of Qin, Zhu Gaochi, the eldest son of the Prince of Yan, and Zhu Youdun, the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhou, would stay behind, while the others would return to their fiefdoms as soon as possible.
"Why?" Zhu Jixi was extremely dissatisfied with his failure to be selected. He stepped forward and asked urgently, "Grandfather, why can't I stay?"
"Your father is in poor health, so you must stay in your fiefdom to handle the affairs of the royal palace," Zhu Yuanzhang explained.
Zhu Gang saw his father's wary intentions and coughed twice at just the right moment, saying, "Thank you for your consideration, Father."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in agreement and sincerely instructed Zhu Jixi, "Remember to cherish the people's strength."
Zhu Jixi had no choice but to agree.
But he didn't want to go back to his fiefdom.
He wanted to stay. He wanted his grandfather to know that he was no less capable than Zhu Yunwen. He not only understood the classics and history but also knew how to lead troops into battle. Given time, his grandfather would surely discover all his merits.
Zhu Jixi was pulled away by his father and left unwillingly.
This scene shocked Zhu Gaoxi.
This is the consequence of flaunting one's intelligence.
Zhu Di needed to investigate the rumors of "being born as an emperor" before he could leave the capital, so Zhu Gaoxu stayed behind to help.
Rumors are things that are very difficult to investigate thoroughly.
Prince He entered the Prince of Yan's mansion at the age of five, and it was not so easy for him to try to smear Zhu Di with the phrase "born to be the emperor".
Zhu Gaoxi guessed that Zhu Yuanzhang just wanted to intimidate Zhu Hui and his princes, so that they would not dare to gossip.
As for the rumor that Zhu Di's birth mother, Consort Gong, "would become the Holy Emperor," it had been circulating for many years, and Zhu Yuanzhang had even hoped that the rumor was true.
However, after ascending the throne, Zhu Yuanzhang no longer cared so much about the truth or falsehood of the rumors.
Zhu Yuanzhang blamed Consort Guo for not disciplining Zhu Hui, so he stopped summoning her to his bedchamber.
Zhu Gaoxu didn't care at all about losing the election.
He kept teasing Zhu Gaoxi, saying, "I'm not like you, I know how to make Grandpa happy. What tricks do you have up your sleeve? Teach your brother some so he can also taste what it's like to be pampered."
Zhu Gaoxu disliked studying and was constantly scolded and disapproved of from a young age, but he got used to it.
He felt quite bitter about being outdone by his younger brother.
"It seems that being favored has little to do with ability," Zhu Gaoxu concluded angrily.
The thought of this made him feel like he would never get ahead.