Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 220: Six Palaces

The inner garden of the palace.

Zhu Youtang brought his young wife and began to pay respects to each palace gate one by one, which was equivalent to a son bringing his daughter-in-law to pay respects to his concubines.

"…The next morning, the crown prince wore a crown and the consort wore a phoenix robe. The female officials and the assistants each asked to leave the palace and waited outside the gate of a certain palace. The palace lady wore her wedding clothes and took her seat. The assistants led the crown prince and the consort in through the left gate. The crown prince entered first, followed by the consort…"

He had to visit every palace, even the Qixiang Palace where Concubine Shao currently lived.

Since the death of Concubine Wan, the concubine who actually received the largest share of imperial favor in the palace was Concubine Shao.

It was difficult for others to see the emperor, but Concubine Shao often had the opportunity to sleep with him. Although the emperor was weak and could not do anything, the emotional exchange was even more precious.

Even though Zhang Yu had just entered the palace, because she came from a scholarly family, the mere fact that she had been educated made her more knowledgeable and polite than most women in the world. She was graceful and displayed the dignity and composure that a princess should have in every palace.

In front of Concubine Shao, who was "full of knowledge and elegance", Zhang Yu also performed with ease.

Although Concubine Shao, who was a strong mother, coveted Zhu Youtang's position as the crown prince for her son, she did not slack off on the surface. During the conversation, she gave people a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze, always thinking about the newlyweds, and even praised in front of Zhu Youtang: "The Crown Princess has a graceful manner, so dignified and generous, she will surely assist the crown prince in the future."

Zhu Youtang didn't feel anything after hearing this.

From childhood to adulthood, Zhu Youtang was educated in orthodox Confucian ideas of benevolence and filial piety. Respecting the elderly and loving the young was almost his instinct. He had no hostility towards Concubine Shao. In other words, he even respected Concubine Wan, who had been instigating Emperor Chenghua to change the crown prince, not to mention Concubine Shao, with whom he had little contact.

The young couple visited each palace one by one, received many rewards, and unknowingly arrived at Kunning Palace.

This was also the last stop of the audience that day. Zhu Youtang felt as if he was at home and happily took Zhang Yu in.

In the past, Zhu Youtang often came here to pay his respects to Queen Wang, and he was very familiar with every tree and blade of grass in the Kunning Palace. In addition, during the Chenghua period, the emperor never regarded the Kunning Palace as his own backyard, so that Queen Wang did not even have an heir until now, and basically did not receive the emperor's favor. It can be said that she was a queen in name only.

As a result, the Kunning Palace, which was originally the head of the inner court harem, was no longer the most core area of ​​the six palaces. It was usually quite deserted and gradually became a refuge for Crown Prince Zhu Youtang to relax and escape the punishment of his strict father, the emperor.

Because here, he didn't see the people and things he had always been afraid of, and everyone was very kind to him.

"My son, I send my regards to my mother."

When Zhu Youtang and his young wife met Queen Wang, they hurried forward to pay their respects.

Queen Wang was originally sitting on the phoenix chair. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly stood up, stepped forward with a smile on her face, and said in surprise, "Prince, I finally waited for you to come... Is this the Crown Princess?"

"Yes."

Zhu Youtang stood up and quickly introduced his newlywed wife to his nominal mother, "She is the Crown Princess. She just entered the palace yesterday. She was selected by my...Grandmother personally. I am very happy about this."

Queen Wang immediately looked at Zhang Yu with a kind look and nodded with satisfaction: "Very good, very good. The Crown Prince fell in love with the Crown Princess at first sight. I believe that they will live in harmony and grow old together in the future... Please give them a seat."

Then a eunuch brought a chair.

Queen Wang then returned to her seat, but her eyes remained on Zhang Yu, wanting to see what ability this little girl had to make the Crown Prince so infatuated. Zhang Yu's face turned red and she lowered her head delicately.

"I wonder what the Crown Princess's origin is?"

Queen Wang asked with a smile.

Before Zhang Yu could speak, Zhu Youtang rushed to introduce her: "Didn't your mother ask in detail before? Let me tell you... My beloved concubine is from a family of students in Hejian Prefecture. Her father is now the Minister of the Honglu Temple. She is a lady from a famous family."

Queen Wang smiled and glanced at her son, saying, "Look, he has just entered the house, but the address is so different. It seems that you, the prince, really take care of the people around you. This girl is so lucky... Come on, come in and give me some food."

The so-called "腵脩" is a kind of dried meat, which is used in important events in the palace.

"Thank you, mother."

Zhu Youtang smiled and thanked him.

Queen Wang teased, "My prince, you look so high-spirited, and your face is smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum. Is it because you are in love with your spouse and are happy physically and mentally after marriage? That's great. We must treat each other with respect in the future, and the East Palace will be more prosperous in the future."

Having said this, Queen Wang looked at the young couple in front of her and felt indescribable envy in her heart.

At first glance, they are the model of a loving couple. Even though they have only been married for one day, they are already so in love with each other that they are almost glued to each other.

Thinking about how she had been neglected since she married into the palace, and now she was almost like a nun, she couldn't help feeling lost.

After all, she was only thirty-eight years old, but she was not as good as an old woman who was nearly twenty years older than her and not as pretty as her. She was not favored by the old woman until she passed away...

It’s so heartbreaking!

Where can I reason from this?
"Stay and dine."

Queen Wang greeted her warmly.

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang nodded and smiled, "It's been a long time since I've had dinner with my mother... My beloved, do you mind?"

Queen Wang glanced at him again and said, "You really have forgotten your mother after marrying a wife. Now you have to ask your wife for permission before doing anything, right?"

"what!?"

Zhu Youtang looked embarrassed and his face turned red. It was obvious that he was the kind of person who couldn't stand being joked.

Queen Wang quickly added: "You are kind to the Crown Princess and fully respect her opinions. This is a good thing. I won't take it personally. If you two can live a loving life, it's okay if you come to my place less often."

"No, no."

Zhu Youtang quickly expressed his opinion, "Whenever I have free time in the future, I will bring my beloved concubine here to share the joy of family with my mother."

Queen Wang called to the attendants beside her, "Prepare lunch, but don't prepare wine. Keep everything else simple. Today is a family dinner, and happiness is the most important thing. There is no need for others to come in and serve."

……

……

Zhu Youtang and his wife had lunch in Kunning Palace that day.

After enjoying a simple lunch, the couple is about to leave.

Although Queen Wang was reluctant to let him go, she knew she couldn't force him to stay, so she said, "Prince, the Zhang family in Hejian Prefecture is a big clan, and I think they will be able to gain a foothold in the capital in the future. The Crown Princess's father and brother have just arrived and may have some inconveniences. I will arrange for my family outside the palace to help take care of them."

"Thank you, mother, for your concern."

Zhu Youtang didn't think anything of it.

Queen Wang had three younger brothers. Her eldest brother, Wang Yuan, was first conferred the title of Earl of Ruian in November of the 20th year of Chenghua, and later promoted to Marquis of Ruian in the 6th year of Hongzhi. Queen Wang's late father, Wang Zhen, was also posthumously conferred the title of Duke of Fuguo in the same year.

The second younger brother, Wang Qing, was conferred the title of Earl of Chongshan in the tenth year of Hongzhi.

The third brother, Wang Jun, was granted the title of Anren Earl in the second year of Zhengde, but died that year and was posthumously granted the title of Anren Marquis.

Although Queen Wang was not favored in the palace, Emperor Chenghua still showed some kindness to his nominal wife. No matter how prominent the Wan family was because of Concubine Wan, they only had status in name only. None of the three brothers of the Wan family had been granted a title.

Since the name is not right, the words will not flow, so Emperor Chenghua simply did not confer any titles on them, and just left the power and tangible benefits to them.

Although Wang Yuan is now the Earl of Rui'an and has been given the title of Vice Governor of the Central Military Governor's Office, he has always wanted to fill a vacancy in the Beijing camp. Unfortunately, the emperor will not give such a good job with both name and substance to an unfavored relative like him. It is only a superficial honor.

To the extent that even now, Wang Yuan still only holds an idle job and holds some land donated by the royal family to relatives by marriage. In the 16th year of Chenghua, he was impeached, and not only was all the land he had occupied reclaimed, but the imperial farm instead occupied a lot of land from Wang Yuan's family.

This means that the Wang family can only live on the imperial salary in the capital...

However, the salaries of meritorious officials often consisted of too little in cash, and they could not get the money back in exchange for the deductions. They were so poor that they could hardly make ends meet and could only grit their teeth and persevere.

"It would be great if the two families could visit each other more often and benefit each other."

Queen Wang really hopes that she can "help" the Zhang family.

She attached great importance to the future prospects of the Zhang family, but she never thought that the Zhang family had just become a reserve relative of the emperor and had only been given a temporary official position, but they were already doing well in the capital.

Even though the Zhang family does not have as many fields as the Wang family, with Zhang Yanling, a money-making treasure, and Li Zisheng's secret help, their strength is far stronger than the Wang family and should not be underestimated.

……

……

Zhu Youtang and Zhang Yu then returned to Duanjing Hall.

"Yu'er, I think mother has good intentions. The Wang family has lived in the capital for many years and I think they already have a strong foundation. If your father needs any help, it would be good to let the Wang family come forward to solve the problem."

Zhu Youtang thought that Queen Wang’s proposal was good, and he also wanted to help his wife’s family, so he couldn’t help but speak out in support.

After walking around, Zhang Yu seemed a little tired. She sat at the table, propped up her head with her hands, thought for a while, and asked, "Is it necessary?"

She thought about it carefully.

The court official that my old father likes to see the most now is Li Zisheng.

Li Zisheng was in a high position and had great power, and he would send gifts to his family from time to time. Even the house where his family lived now was given by Li Zisheng, so they did not need to rely on the power of the Queen's family.

And the one who coordinates the overall situation and makes suggestions for the Zhang family is his second brother, which means that the Zhang family is not lacking in intelligence.

Now that the Zhang family has the crown prince as their backer, why should they still use the Queen's family, the Wang family, which is only famous in name only?

After all, her younger brother told her very clearly that among the relatives by marriage in the capital, except for the powerful Wan family, even the Zhou family on the Empress Dowager's side is weak, not to mention the Wang family to which the Queen belongs.

Zhu Youtang said: "No matter if it's useful or not, it's always good to have more strong helpers. In fact, I want to meet someone today..."

"Why not go?"

Zhang Yu asked first, and then seemed to understand something, and asked in a low voice, "Is it... Concubine Wu?"

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang nodded slightly.

The person mentioned here is the deposed Queen Wu. At that time, she lived in the West Garden of the Imperial Palace, which was equivalent to the cold palace. Usually, only eunuchs and palace maids went in and out.

"I want to go and see her, but if my father knew about it, he would definitely blame me. I seldom go to see her..."

Zhu Youtang said this with a bit of sadness.

Zhang Yu stood up and walked over, holding Zhu Youtang's hand, and comforted him, "The prince is a caring person, and he is grateful to anyone who has helped him. This is a good thing. If the prince is happy, he must be eager to share it with those who care about you."

Zhu Youtang was very moved and said, "Yu'er still understands me."

Zhang Yu thought, isn’t it? Fortunately, my second brother wrote notes for me, which made me understand the right and wrong in the palace. But my husband is indeed a kind man who knows how to repay kindness. Where can I find such a kind-hearted person?

"But... Prince, now is an extraordinary period. If you go to see Concubine Wu directly, my father will find out and he will definitely be displeased. A rift will also arise between father and son, which is not good for the overall situation." Zhang Yu said.

"Ah."

Zhu Youtang nodded. This was exactly what he was worried about.

Zhang Yu said, "How about this... let someone send a gift to Concubine Wu to let her know your feelings and make her happy. We will repay her in the future. What do you think?"

Zhu Youtang looked at his young wife with a loving gaze and nodded, saying, "Yu'er knows my feelings and is truly my good wife. This is how it should be.

"I asked my wife to send some things over... When I was young, I lived in An Le Tang for a long time. Aunt Wu often saw me and always brought me food and clothing. At that time, my mother was still alive..."

When Zhu Youtang talked about his childhood, his eyes were bright at first, but then turned sad.

For Zhu Youtang, losing his mother at a young age was a huge blow to him.

After all, after his mother's death, although he became the crown prince, he was surrounded by enemies in the palace. The more this happened, the more isolated and helpless he felt.

Zhang Yu consoled her, "Aren't there many people who care about you? I am no exception... Walking around the six palaces today, I found that everyone was very kind to the Crown Prince, which is enough to show... that they also think that the Crown Prince is a benevolent and filial person. My husband is very popular."

Zhu Youtang was overjoyed when he heard his wife calling him husband. He said, "It's not that I have good relationships with people, but I never like to compete with others. This is what my husband told me before. He said that as long as I treat others well, others will treat me well. I should put myself in their shoes and understand their difficulties. Only in this way can I establish myself in the world."

After hearing what Zhu Youtang said, Zhang Yu suddenly felt very aggrieved.

What is the point of understanding other people's difficulties? It is basically burning yourself to light up others.

As the eldest daughter of the Zhang family, she usually refuses to suffer any loss at home. It is only in the past two years that her younger brothers have grown up. In the past few years, she would have ordered her two younger brothers around at will.

Let me worry about other people's urgent needs?
Is there such an unfair thing in the world?
However, directly proposing to Zhu Youtang that he should stand up bravely and fight for his own interests, and that it would be endless fun to fight against the sky, the earth, and people, was obviously ineffective and would cause resentment.

Zhang Yu was relieved immediately, thinking to herself, fortunately, my second brother is helping me outside the palace, so that not only will I not be wronged, but my husband will also not be bullied by others.

If you have to rely on others for everything, it would be better to just die.

(End of this chapter)