BSI Chapter 99 Meeting a Soulmate
Chapter 99 Meeting a Soulmate
Zhu Youdun and Miaojin went to the outskirts of the city to welcome Lady Xia. Xu Zengshou's wife, Muxue, went with them and took Lady Xia directly to the Wuding Marquis's residence.
Taking advantage of the old emperor's midday rest, Zhu Gaoxi slipped out of the palace and returned to the Prince of Wu's residence.
Bathed in the warm spring sunshine, Xu Jingyan played wildly in the yard, directing the bean sprouts to run around in circles, peeling oranges, fetching water, getting sweet potato fries, and grabbing handkerchiefs...
After several months of recuperation, Douya's body became noticeably stronger, her complexion rosy, and she kicked more than twenty shuttlecocks in one go.
Upon seeing Zhu Gaoxi approach, Douya obediently stood behind Xu Jingyan with her hands at her sides.
Xu Jingyan generously picked up a segment of orange and stuffed it into Zhu Gaoxi's mouth, saying, "Eat."
Zhu Gaoxi gently bit into the orange segment, letting the juice overflow in his mouth; it was very sweet.
To store fruits, vegetables, and ice for Xu Jingyan in the summer, the Wu Prince's Palace dug three cellars in succession.
As soon as the young girl moved in, she enjoyed the treatment of a mistress of the house, with all the furnishings in the mansion being slightly adjusted according to her needs.
She treated this place as her own territory and naturally regarded Zhu Gaoxi as one of her own.
When Zhu Gaoxi was momentarily stunned upon seeing Xia Yunying, Xu Jingyan instinctively felt that his territory had been invaded.
No one else can compete with her for Zhu Gaoxi's attention.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Xu Jingyan used all his strength to crash into the frail Xia Yunying.
Zhu Gaoxi reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and saying softly, "Jingyan, how about you play with this young lady from now on?"
Dongmei pulled Xia Yunying forward and guided her through the proper etiquette.
"Child, there's no need for this," Zhu Gaoxi said, trying to stop him.
Xia Yunying was timid, but her large eyes were exceptionally beautiful, watery and seemingly filled with endless affection, much like Zhu Gaoxi's first love in his previous life.
Her beautiful eyes gazed ahead, her charming smile shone forth.
That relationship ended without a trace, and he felt a pang of pain whenever he thought about it.
Zhu Gaoxi peeled an orange and handed it to Xia Yunying, saying, "Eat it."
Xu Jingyan immediately burst into tears, crying, "Mine!"
Miao Jin hugged her and coaxed her gently, "You still have a lot, give one to the young lady."
"Don't let him give it to us!"
Xu Jingyan pointed at Zhu Gaoxi and shouted loudly.
Zhu Youdun couldn't help but laugh out loud; despite his young age, he was quite jealous.
Dongmei, being sensible, took Xia Yunying downstairs.
Zhu Gaoxi used all his charm, bringing out two large bags of snacks, before he could finally make the aggrieved Miss Xu stop crying and start smiling.
Back at the Qianqing Palace, the old emperor was embracing Zhu Yuexuan and discussing the affairs of Shu with Zhu Chun.
Seeing that they were having a good talk, Zhu Gaoxi said that he planned to give them two mimeograph machines and a bag of sweet potatoes, and handed two bags of sweet potato strips to Zhu Yuexi.
Zhu Yueyan took it, popped one into his mouth, and his eyes lit up with excitement. "Brother Gao Xi, Father wants to promote mimeograph machines and grow sweet potatoes. Can you teach me?"
The meeting of kindred spirits, like the encounter between a high mountain and flowing water, is the most beautiful kind of meeting.
Zhu Gaoxi was deeply moved and was naturally willing to share all his knowledge with him.
The old emperor was overjoyed to see that his two younger brothers had so much in common and granted Zhu Gaoxi a half-day off.
Zhu Yuexuan followed them to the vegetable garden and entered the sweet potato seedling room. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "These can all be grown? That's amazing! Brother Gao Xi, you're truly remarkable!"
Zhu Gaoxi nodded with a sense of accomplishment and had Li Hui lead the eunuchs to demonstrate the steps of planting sweet potatoes in the vegetable garden.
"First dig a trench, then water it, press the potato seedlings into the water, and after the water has seeped in, cover them with soil to prevent the soil from being too dry, which would make it difficult for the seedlings to take root and cause them to wither and die."
"There shouldn't be too few burial sites underground, otherwise, it will easily lead to fewer roots and a low survival rate."
"For direct planting, bury 1-2 nodes; for flat planting, bury 3-5 nodes. Do not leave too many seedlings on the ground, otherwise the water will evaporate quickly and affect the yield."
Zhu Gaoxi patiently explained from the side.
Zhu Yuexuan was filled with admiration. He picked up the sweet potato seedlings and planted them with the eunuch.
Afterwards, Zhu Yuexuan inquired in detail about the precautions for seedling cultivation and recorded them all on paper.
The two were in high spirits and chatted more and more congenially. Before they knew it, the time for the palace gates to be opened was approaching. Zhu Yuexuan followed his father out of the palace with great enthusiasm and made an appointment to come back early the next day to learn how to operate the mimeograph machine.
That evening, Yishiha reported to Zhu Gaoxi on the progress of the investigation around the Eastern Palace.
Although the Eastern Palace was heavily guarded, it was still located within the imperial palace, and its daily life inevitably involved dealing with the Twenty-Four Offices.
Yishiha's eunuchs were spread across the Twelve Directorates, Four Offices, and Eight Bureaus. By gathering all the information together, it was not difficult to analyze some useful information.
The Twelve Directorates refer to the Directorate of Ceremonial, the Directorate of Imperial Horses, the Directorate of Palace Attendants, the Directorate of Imperial Furnishings, the Directorate of Imperial Supplies, the Directorate of Divine Palace, the Directorate of Imperial Cuisine, the Directorate of Imperial Seals, the Directorate of Imperial Seals and Ribbons, the Directorate of Palace Guards, the Directorate of Imperial Clothing, and the Directorate of the Imperial Household Department.
The four offices refer to the Office of Saving Firewood, the Office of Bells and Drums, the Office of Precious Paper Money, and the Office of Bathhouse.
The Eight Bureaus refer to the Bureau of Weapons, Bureau of Silverwork, Bureau of Laundry, Bureau of Hats and Caps, Bureau of Needlework, Bureau of Inner Textiles and Dyeing, Bureau of Wine, Vinegar and Noodles, and Bureau of Imperial Gardens.
The Crown Prince's Palace was in dire need of a female physician, and several had been sought after, but none were quite satisfactory.
The Crown Prince's wife, Lady Ma, suffered from severe pregnancy symptoms, vomiting everything she ate. Besides her growing belly, she had lost a lot of weight, causing the Crown Prince great anxiety. He then announced: "Anyone in the Eastern Palace who can find a reliable female physician will be richly rewarded!"
No wonder he wasn't with Zhu Yuexi; he was looking for a female doctor. Zhu Gaoxi immediately realized.
It seems that Lady Xia's entry into the Eastern Palace is just around the corner.
Who should we ask to act as a go-between?
Li Jinglong is definitely not credible.
Zhu Gaoxi hesitated, wanting to find someone Zhu Yunwen could trust, preferably someone from the imperial family.
In reality, Zhu Jingyi and her husband were not trusted by Zhu Yunwen and could not be considered.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Zhu Gaoxi's mind, and he remembered someone. Just as he was about to speak, Youdun beat him to it.
"I heard that my second aunt's family is going to have a grandson," Zhu Youdun said with a meaningful smile.
Princess Ningguo, the second daughter of the old emperor, was the eldest daughter of Empress Ma. Her husband was the handsome Imperial Son-in-Law, Mei Yin.
Their eldest son, Mei Shunchang, got married last year, and now there is good news: his daughter-in-law is six months pregnant, and the couple is looking forward to holding their grandson day and night.
Mei Yin was well-versed in classics and history, possessed extensive knowledge, and once served as the educational commissioner of Shandong, where he was highly regarded by Zhu Yunwen.
Having identified their target, they now needed to find a middleman to discuss the matter with the Mei couple.
"Why don't you let Muxue go instead?" Zhu Youdun suggested with a grin.
Mu Xue is the daughter of Mu Ying, the Prince of Qianning. Mu Ying, as the adopted son of the old emperor, had a deep bond with Princess Ningguo and her brother.
Zhu Gaoxi really hit the jackpot in this marriage with Xu Jingyan.
"Let Miaojin speak."
Zhu Gaoxi, unable to refuse, directly asked for help.
The main reason was that he had been too rash with his father-in-law last time, and he lacked confidence every time he faced Xu Zengshou and his wife.
I heard that Xu Zengshou and Mu Xue are a perfect match and have an excellent relationship.
Even if Xu Zengshou intentionally concealed the matter of being kidnapped last time from Miaojin, it was unlikely that he would keep it a secret from his wife.
One wrong step, and you'll regret it forever.
If we had foreseen the endless troubles that would follow, we should have come up with a way to have the best of both worlds.
Alas, it's too late to regret!
Seeing Zhu Gaoxi's pitiful eyes, the helpful Zhu Youdun readily agreed.