If not abolished

Chapter 134 Undercurrent (1)

"Your Highness, there is a letter from the palace." Wu Cheng took the letter and hurriedly handed it to Zhu Zhanji.

When Zhu Zhanji saw that it was Hu Shanxiang's handwriting, he was still thinking that he had just arrived in Shanxiang and wrote to her. He felt very happy and was about to open it. Just as he opened the lacquer seal, he heard Zhu Zhanhe coming over.

Zhu Zhanji quickly put the letter on the table.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Zhu Zhanhe walked over and bowed.

"No need to be polite." Zhu Zhanji said, "Why are you coming here in such a hurry?"

"This... I don't know how to tell His Highness." Zhu Zhanhe found it difficult to speak for a moment.

"If there is anything that cannot be said between you and me as brothers, just say it directly." Zhu Zhanji thought that he probably had something to ask for.

"Then I'll tell you, it's like this. For some reason, it rained two days ago in the courtyard they arranged for me, and the bed and quilt in the main hall got wet. It's getting late now, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to arrange another courtyard... I just wonder if we can stay here, Your Highness..." Zhu Zhanhe slowly stated his request.

"It's just a small matter. No problem. You stay here for the next two days. I'll ask someone to help you check the situation over there." Zhu Zhanji agreed without waiting for him to finish.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhu Zhanhe was very grateful.

"You're being polite."

Zhu Zhanhe saw the envelope on Zhu Zhanji's desk and said with a smile, "Your Highness received the letter from the palace so soon?"

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, brother. This is a letter from the Crown Princess. We just got married and she might not be used to it yet. What do you mean by the Crown Princess being shy? Please don't tell anyone about it." Zhu Zhanji immediately put the letter into his sleeve.

"I understand." Zhu Zhanhe thought Zhu Zhanji had communicated with the palace so quickly, but it turned out to be a letter from home. "Then I'll go get some clothes first."

"Okay, go ahead."

After Zhu Zhanhe left, Zhu Zhanji took out the letter, opened it and found that there was another envelope inside.

After reading it, Zhu Zhanji immediately went to his desk to write a reply.

"Wu Cheng, send this to the palace quickly and ask Hu An to come over."

"Yes." Wu Cheng walked out quickly.

"Wait, don't call Hu An over yet. I almost forgot that Zhan He will come over later." Zhu Zhanji stopped the person before he could leave.

"clear."

Zhu Zhanji didn't expect that his second uncle would be so bold this time and was actually ready to take action. In his previous life, before his grandfather was alive, he was at most doing small tricks behind the scenes and building up power, but he didn't take any action. It seems that he asked someone to fan the flames in front of his second uncle, and this fire was a bit too big.

"Your Highness, the letter has been sent." Wu Cheng came back to report.

"Go and check why Zhanhe's palace is leaking for no reason. See if it's a coincidence or..." Zhu Zhanji didn't want to start a conspiracy theory, but the situation was complicated now. This was also his third uncle's territory. It was possible that his third uncle and second uncle had colluded and deliberately arranged Zhu Zhanhe to monitor him.

"clear."

After Zhu Zhanhe moved the things over, he came over to greet Zhu Zhanji and said, "I'm sorry to bother you these past two days."

"I told you not to be so polite. Have you brought the things?" Zhu Zhanji asked with concern.

"I'll just stay for two days. I won't move everyone here."

"I'm tired today, go to bed early."

"Yes, Your Highness too." Zhu Zhanhe said and went out.

"How's the investigation going?" Zhu Zhanji asked.

"It did rain in Beijing a few days ago. Not only was the palace of the Prince of Han leaking, but there were also several other palaces with the same problem. However, they were all palaces of the previous dynasty and had not been repaired yet, so it is hard to tell whether it was an accident or not." Wu Cheng repeated what he had found out.

"Uncle San did things in a way that no one could find fault with this time. Has he become smarter?" Zhu Zhanji said.

"Then Your Highness..."

"Let's talk about it tomorrow." Zhu Zhanji said and went to rest.

The next day, Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe came to pay their respects to Zhu Di.

"What a coincidence, you two came together." Zhu Di said, looking at them.

"Greetings to Grandpa Emperor." They said in unison.

"Get up." Neither of them had answered Zhu Di's question, and Zhu Di didn't care.

"Since we are here together, let's go."

The last time Zhu Zhanji accompanied Zhu Di here, Beijing was still building a moat. Now the imperial city is almost completed. Zhu Di came here to see when he could prepare to move the capital.

"Zhanhe hasn't come to Beijing to visit yet, right?" Zhu Di asked.

"My Lord Emperor, I have indeed never been here. I remember that this area used to be the Prince of Yan's Palace." Zhu Zhanhe said, looking at the current West Palace.

"How old were you then? Do you remember?"

"I remember a little, but not very deeply." Zhu Zhanqi replied.

"Then let Agui take you around these days." Zhu Di looked at the magnificent palace, and naturally everyone could see this magnificent palace as well.

"Yes."

"Alas, no matter how familiar Agui is, he is not as familiar as me. I can take Zhanhe for a walk in the afternoon." Zhao Wang Zhu Gaosui said on the side.

"Okay, then you can come with me." Zhu Di looked at his youngest son meaningfully.

In the afternoon, Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Di came back and talked alone. "By the way, did you and Zhanhe really come here together by chance this morning?" Zhu Di suddenly recalled what happened in the morning and asked.

"This..." Zhu Zhanji pretended not to know what to say.

"What? Is there really something I don't know?" Zhu Di became even more confused when he saw his grandson's expression.

Zhu Zhanji stammered, "It's not a big deal. When I came here yesterday, Zhanhe's house was a little damp because it rained a few days ago. It was not comfortable to live in, so I stayed at my grandson's house for two days. So we came together in the morning. I thought it was not a big deal, so I didn't tell Grandpa Huang."

"Why is this house..."

"My grandson has checked it out. It is a palace that has been in disrepair for a long time since the previous dynasty. This is also an accident." Zhu Di was a master of thick black art. He never believed in such coincidental accidents. It was basically man-made. Zhu Zhanji immediately dispelled his idea. "My grandson has checked it out. Many palaces have this situation. Because they were built before, they have not been inspected in time. It happened that this problem was discovered this time. Take this opportunity to repair all the problematic ones." Zhu Zhanji suggested.

"You are right, but it is not convenient for Zhanhe to live with you. Since there is a problem with the house, you should arrange a new place for him to live." Zhu Di concluded after listening to his words.

"Grandpa Huang is right."

After Zhu Zhanji left, Zhu Di said to Wang Jinghong: "Do you think this was premeditated?"

"Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. We cannot control the rain," said Wang Jinghong.

"You know what? The third and second brothers have always had a good relationship. Why would the third brother arrange for Zhanhe to live in a house with problems? It seems as if I am mistreating my own grandson," Zhu Di said, "But there is another possibility. They did it on purpose to keep an eye on Zhanji. They used to target the crown prince, but with Zhanji behind the crown prince in the past two years, they are beginning to be wary of their nephew again."

"This...can't be right?"

“What’s so impossible? There’s no such thing as family affection in the royal family. They smile on the surface, but who knows how many times they’ve stabbed each other in the back. That’s how the prince has been living all these years…” Zhu Di didn’t know everything about the things between his sons, but he knew almost everything. The court needed checks and balances, and the prince needed to be tempered. As long as it didn’t threaten the imperial power, he could tolerate all of this.

Wang Jing didn't dare to respond.

On the other side, Zhu Gaosui and Zhu Zhanhe were in the carriage.

"Uncle San is going to take me somewhere."

"Do you really think I'm bringing you out for fun?" Zhu Gaosui looked at his nephew and continued, "You've been living with Zhanji for the past few days. Keep an eye on him and see if you know what he's doing."

"What is Third Uncle going to do? Why is he keeping an eye on His Royal Highness? Wait, where should I live with His Royal Highness? Wasn't it arranged by Third Uncle?" Zhu Zhanhe recalled that when he was ready to live there, someone around him suggested that he go to His Royal Highness to take him in. Now it seems that someone deliberately led him there.

"Don't worry about this. Just keep a close eye on Zhu Zhanji these days. If he makes any contact with the capital, tell your uncle immediately." Zhu Gaosui didn't say much to him.

"If Third Uncle doesn't explain the reason, I'm sorry I can't obey your order." Zhu Zhanhe said seriously.

"Why are you so stubborn, kid? You must know what your father wants, right?" Zhu Gaosui really couldn't do anything about him.

"Father wants to..." Zhu Zhanhe reacted instantly, "You are not planning to do something in the capital and don't want His Royal Highness and His Majesty to know, so..."

"Your understanding is almost correct. At the same time, we also have to see what Zhu Zhanji does. Do you think he can't do anything? He has been giving advice to the crown prince in the past few years. How can you be like him who knows nothing?" Zhu Gaosui complained.

Zhu Zhanhe said seriously: "My father's ideas are already outrageous, and he still wants me to help. Besides, if it wasn't for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince pleading for you when father and third uncle made a mistake, you wouldn't be grateful." Zhu Zhanhe has always disdained to do such things with his father.

"That's because my eldest brother is hypocritical. He always pretends to beg us for mercy so that our father and the court officials will look up to him." Zhu Gaosui said nonchalantly.

Zhu Zhanhe knew that his persuasion was useless, so he had to say, "I can't monitor His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so Uncle San, please ask for help from someone else." Zhu Zhanhe was about to get off the carriage.

But he was stopped by Zhu Gaosui: "Why don't you understand? If your father succeeds, you will be the Crown Prince in the future, or even..." Zhu Gaosui did not say the rest of the words, and continued: "This is a good thing for you in the end, what can't be done?"

"Not everyone yearns for power. I'll move it out from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince later, so please don't waste any more words, Third Uncle." Zhu Zhanhe took his hand away and got off the carriage.

"Stop." Zhu Gaosui shouted from behind.

Zhu Zhanhe left without looking back. Upon seeing this, Zhu Gaosui immediately ordered his men to turn back.

"My Lord, what about Prince He?"

"Send someone to follow him." Although Zhu Gaosui was angry, he could not leave Zhu Zhanhe alone as he was unfamiliar with the place.