12dz Chapter 721 The Princess of the Ming Dynasty (4)
Chapter 721 The Princess of the Ming Dynasty (4)
"Your Majesty's presence is an honor. I am sorry for failing to greet you properly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me," Wangyou said, coughing as she leaned against her maid Qinglan.
"It's alright, it's alright, hurry inside, don't catch a cold." Zhu Yuanzhang didn't have time to think about Wangyou not bowing. It seemed that Wangyou had never bowed since childhood, but he had gotten used to it over time.
"Thank you, Father Emperor." The group entered the princess's residence.
Wangyou also arranged a welcoming banquet, but Zhu Yuanzhang was more curious about how Qingzhou had become like this than about the banquet.
"Father, Fourth Brother, eat first. After you finish eating, let Qingyun introduce you to the food. Cough cough..." Wangyou said after a few light coughs.
"Alright, why isn't your health getting better? Are the imperial physicians slacking off? If they're not doing their job properly, just tell me, and I'll kill them."
"No need for that. My health has always been like this, and it's fine to take care of myself regularly."
Seeing that Wangyou's expression revealed nothing, Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and began to eat.
Zhu Di and several officials ate while observing their surroundings, and a thought arose in their minds: their Princess Chang'an was no ordinary person!
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally noticed that both the guards and maids in Wangyou Mansion acted very meticulously, which showed that the master of the mansion was by no means incompetent. But how could a sick and weak princess control these people?
Zhu Yuanzhang did not believe that relying on the status of a royal child was sufficient; throughout history, there have been many instances of slaves being stronger than masters.
Wangyou was naturally aware of this, but she did it on purpose, hoping that her father would be sensible and that she could continue to be a loving father and daughter.
"By the way, where are your eldest sister and your second sister?"
"They went to inspect the shops for me, and they should be back in the evening. If Father misses Eldest Sister, I'll send someone to call them back right away," Wangyou said seriously, wiping her mouth.
"That's not necessary." As expected, Zhu Yuanzhang refused.
Although Zhu Yuanzhang respected Empress Ma very much, this did not prevent him from being extremely patriarchal at heart; otherwise, he would not have married off his eight-year-old daughter.
After the meal, at Wangyou's prompting, Qingyun introduced Zhu Yuanzhang to the affairs of Qingzhou, telling him everything he could except how much money they were making.
"Why didn't you send me a bicycle?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with some dissatisfaction.
"Oh, I thought Father wouldn't like that, so I didn't send it." Wangyou pretended not to hear his dissatisfaction.
"However, if Father Emperor likes it, I will have someone send one over later."
"Alright, then I'll be waiting."
"Father, you can have someone take you around Qingzhou City. I am not feeling well, so I will not accompany you for now."
"Alright, you should get some rest." Although Zhu Yuanzhang was dissatisfied, he was also concerned about his reputation.
However, Zhu Yuanzhang was thinking about why he had directly assigned a prefecture to the princess instead of a county. He was envious of Qingzhou's wealth and wondered how to get it back.
Through this brief interaction, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that although his youngest daughter was physically weak, she was by no means someone who could be easily manipulated.
That evening, Zhu Ying and Zhu Ran returned and first went to see Zhu Yuanzhang.
Looking at the complexion of his two daughters, Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated to utter any words of advice, as they were clearly already enjoying themselves to the fullest.
Over the next few days, Qingyun acted as a guide for Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage, showing them around Qingzhou and letting them witness its diversity and unique policies. They also observed the lives of the local people, which revealed how comfortable they were.
Qingyun also specially showed them the training scene of the princess's mansion soldiers, as well as the daily training of the soldiers stationed in Qingzhou.
In particular, the guards of the princess's residence, although numbering only five hundred, were an absolutely formidable force.
Zhu Yuanzhang had also led troops into battle, and he was thinking that if he had encountered such an army when he was vying for control of the Central Plains, he would have been completely powerless to fight back.
Although the soldiers stationed in Qingzhou were slightly weaker than the soldiers of the Princess's residence, they were far more powerful than the soldiers in other parts of the Ming Dynasty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire Qingzhou was an impregnable fortress.
Zhu Yuanzhang naturally couldn't just look at things openly; he also secretly sent many people to inquire. Little did he know that those he sent out to inquire were all under the noses of the Princess's residence, and they only knew what Wangyou wanted them to know.
However, they did know one thing: in Qingzhou, from officials to commoners, everyone was completely obedient to Wangyou. If there was a conflict between the emperor's and the princess's orders, they would give priority to the princess's orders.
In other words, if Zhu Yuanzhang had any ill intentions, he probably wouldn't have been able to leave Qingzhou City.
"Let's bring everyone back!"
"Your Majesty, there are still many things that we servants have not yet found out."
"No need to ask anymore. You've underestimated my daughter. Everything you've heard these past few days is what my good daughter wants you to know."
No matter how unwilling Zhu Yuanzhang was, he understood that his youngest daughter had the potential to become an empress, and that her frail health might be something she could demonstrate.
If you accidentally let a tiger return to the mountains back then, it won't be so easy to catch it now.
"Wangyou, will Father Emperor be angry?" Zhu Ying asked with some concern.
"No, he'll definitely be angry, but our father rose to the throne from the very beginning. He's got plenty of cunning and strategy. And he has a weakness: even though he thinks I have the potential to be an empress, he still subconsciously looks down on me because I'm a woman."
"Will Father summon my little sister back to the capital?"
“Then I can only let my father stay in Qingzhou for a while longer. Even if he changes his mind after returning, I’m not afraid. Qingzhou is my base.” Wangyou’s tone was exceptionally confident.
"Now that you mention it, I'm not worried anymore. However, it might not be easy for my older sister and me to get a divorce," Zhu Ran said with some melancholy.
"Second sister, I believe you want a divorce, but eldest sister doesn't. Eldest sister and brother-in-law have a good relationship," Wangyou said with a smile.
"That's true. Unlike the one I married, who looks like a person at first glance but is a dog upon closer inspection. Luckily, I haven't developed any feelings for him over the years, or I would be disgusted to death." Zhu Ran felt like getting angry when she thought about the things her husband had done.
“My relationship with Mei Yin is more of a partnership based on mutual benefit. The difference is that Mei Yin seems to be a decent person now, so we can get along. By the way, what kind of person does my little sister want to marry in the future?” Zhu Ying asked curiously.
"He has to be good-looking, not worse than me, and have good character. We can see about the rest later; I'm not in a hurry." Wangyou didn't have many thoughts about this.
"It's strange, really. If I hadn't seen my little sister born with my own eyes, I would have doubted whether she was even our real sister. Our Zhu family has never had anyone as beautiful as her." Zhu Ran pinched Wangyou's cheek enviously.