BSI Chapter 49 Lu
Chapter 49 Lu
After spending two hours with Zhu Biao at the clubhouse and then escorting him to the vicinity of Donghua Gate, Li Jinglong finally returned home.
Zhu Biao entered the inner hall, where Crown Princess Lü was already waiting, her hand lightly resting on her forehead, seemingly dozing off.
Hearing the commotion, he stood up and bowed to Zhu Biao.
"Your Highness, I greet you!"
Zhu Biao waved his hand casually: "No need for formalities!"
Lady Lü immediately stepped forward and helped Zhu Biao take off his outer garment.
Such service was originally the job of palace maids, but Lady Lü was very strict about it and rarely allowed palace maids to get close to Zhu Biao.
Holding Zhu Biao's coat, the familiar fragrance wafted into her nose again. With her back to Zhu Biao, Madam Lü frowned.
How many times has this happened since Zhu Biao was relieved of his heavy political duties?
Lady Lü harbored resentment in her heart, but dared not show it on her face.
Li Jinglong, you are not a human being! As a result, Li Jinglong has also become the target of Lu's resentment!
After putting away the clothes, Lady Lü smiled at Zhu Biao and asked softly, "Has Your Highness had dinner? If not, I'll have the kitchen heat up some food for you!"
Zhu Biao sat in his chair and said with a smile, "I've already eaten! I went to Jiujiang's place to eat today after leaving the palace!"
"Oh? So His Highness went out with Duke Cao!" Lady Lü knew perfectly well, but feigned surprise on her face.
"Jiujiang has set up a clubhouse outside the palace, with a wide variety of local delicacies. Today, I'm going there to have a treat!" Zhu Biao said with a satisfied smile.
"Could it be that club of Duke Cao?" Lady Lü asked cautiously, glancing at Zhu Biao's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
Zhu Biao paused for a moment, then nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"I've heard Lü Ping mention it before. The Duke of Cao opened a club in the capital, and I heard it's become very popular in Jiangnan, but it doesn't have a good reputation!" Lü said meaningfully.
"My dear consort, you are overthinking it. It's just some foreign women playing music!" Zhu Biao glanced at Lady Lü and said casually.
"It seems I only heard it secondhand!" Lady Lü smiled, quickly took the teapot, and poured tea for Zhu Biao.
"How are Yunwen and Yunhu's studies today?" Zhu Biao changed the subject.
"Everything's fine!" After saying that, Madam Lü hesitated for a moment, "It's just...it's just..."
"What's wrong?" Zhu Biao asked, looking at Madam Lü.
Lady Lü waved her hand, feigning reluctance: "Your Highness, I don't know whether I should speak or not."
"Speak!" Zhu Biao's expression changed.
"Your Highness, Yunwen was scolded by the teacher again today for not paying attention in class!" Madam Lü sighed, glancing at Zhu Biao out of the corner of her eye.
"This Yun-teng!" Zhu Biao's tone became more serious, and he began to plan to test the two of them on their studies tomorrow.
Zhu Biao's feelings toward Zhu Yunwen were complicated. On the one hand, Yunwen was the son of Crown Princess Chang, and Zhu Biao valued him highly.
But it was precisely because of Zhu Yunwen that Lady Chang died of frailty not long after giving birth to him. Zhu Biao harbored some resentment, believing that Zhu Yunwen's birth had harmed Lady Chang.
It's not surprising that Zhu Biao was caught in such a dilemma; moreover, Zhu Biao was considering giving up on Zhu Yunwen, simply because the power of Zhu Yunwen's maternal relatives was too great.
This is why, after Lady Chang passed away, Zhu Biao did not remarry, but instead chose to make Lady Lü his official wife.
If he were to remarry, the Crown Princess would inevitably have to be chosen from among the noble families. If she gave birth to a prince, it would certainly cause factionalism within the noble families, thus triggering fierce struggles in the future.
In order to maintain stability and balance the power in the court, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao went with the flow and officially recognized Lady Lü as the legitimate wife.
After all, the Ming Dynasty had conquered the country and moved from chaos to order. The importance of civil officials gradually increased, and the Lü family behind the Lü clan was one of the gentry families in Jiangnan.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Although Yuntong is a bit mischievous, he may very well become a pillar of the nation when he grows up!" Lady Lü said casually, but she was actually testing Zhu Biao's opinion.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao casually replied, "If he's mischievous since childhood, what will he be like when he grows up?"
But in his heart, Zhu Biao was somewhat disappointed in Lady Lü. What does "pillar of the state" mean? Are you implying something?
Unaware of what was happening, Lady Lü smiled and said, "Your Highness, in my opinion, Yunwen and Yunhu are both grown up now. Why not arrange some military lessons for them in addition to their studies? Boys always like to play with weapons!"
"You're right, we should emphasize both literary and military skills!" Zhu Biao nodded. He had also considered Lu's idea.
"So Your Highness agrees?" Lady Lü feigned surprise.
"Well, then tell me, from among the meritorious officials, who should we choose?" Zhu Biao countered.
"Your Highness, how about letting the Duke of Ying take over?" Lady Lü replied cautiously.
"Absolutely not!" Zhu Biao immediately rejected Lady Lü's suggestion. "The Duke of Ying is mature and prudent. Although he is more than capable of teaching Yunwen and the other two, the border war has not yet ended, and the Duke of Ying also needs to oversee military affairs!"
Lady Lü originally intended to use this matter to win over some nobles in Huaixi and increase Zhu Yunwen's power, but unexpectedly, the candidate she had painstakingly thought of was rejected by Zhu Biao.
As for why the Duke of Ying was chosen, it's because Fu Youde is not considered a core member of the Huaixi nobility, and currently, he is one of the only candidates among the nobility who can rival the Chang family's power.
The Chang family goes without saying; they are the maternal family of the Chang clan. Chang Mao was Zhu Yunwen's maternal uncle, and the Chang family also includes Yongchang Marquis Lan Yu, who was Zhu Yunwen's maternal great-uncle and one of the pillars of the army.
Of the seven dukes, apart from Li Shanchang, the Dukes of Wei, Cao, and Shen were all juniors and had little influence in the army.
Among the older generation, Tang He was semi-retired and never got involved in disputes; Duke Feng Sheng of Song was also Chang Mao's father-in-law; thus, only Duke Fu Youde of Ying remained!
"This..." Lady Lü hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "Your Highness, I really don't know who to choose. You should decide!"
Zhu Biao smiled inwardly, "I'll ask Duke Cao about it later!"
Lady Lü looked at Zhu Biao, instinctively wanting to refuse: "Your Highness, isn't the Duke of Cao a bit too young!"
He was very dissatisfied: It was Duke Cao again. What ability did Li Jinglong have? Was it just because he was His Majesty's great-grandson?
Zhu Biao glanced at Lady Lü: "Among the dukes, the Duke of Xin, the Duke of Song, and the Duke of Ying all need to govern their respective regions. How can they have time to teach two young boys?"
Therefore, I can only look among the younger generation of nobles. Duke Cao has been well-versed in military strategy since childhood, and among the second generation of nobles, no one can surpass him. Perhaps Duke Yun Gong of Wei could be chosen, but Yun Gong is still in mourning. After much consideration, I think Jiujiang is the most suitable!
Although Lady Lü was dissatisfied, she knew in her heart that she had no right to make the decision and could only obey Zhu Biao's orders.
"Your Highness is so thoughtful!" Lady Lü complimented with a smile, but in her mind, she began to think about how to win over Li Jinglong.
She had taken Zhu Biao to brothels and even beat up her cousin, yet now she was being asked to win him over. Thinking about all this, Madam Lü felt a tightness in her chest.