Zhulan met the Fourth Prince first. The Fourth Prince looked four times like the Crown Prince. The Fourth Prince was small, short, and chubby. Although he had a bit of a erratic temper, he was a prince after all, and he followed the proper rules.
Zhulan spoke a few words to the Fourth Prince, and then had him taken to her youngest son's courtyard.
When the Fourth Prince arrived at the courtyard, he no longer had a tense expression on his face. He spoke before he even entered the house, "Changzhong, this prince is here."
Changzhong quickly put on his shoes and waited for the Fourth Prince to come in. He greeted him and said, "Greetings, Fourth Prince."
The fourth prince waved his hand, "My mother said that we are relatives, so there is no need for you and me to be polite."
Changzhong smiled and did not answer. The Zhou family and the royal family were distant relatives, so he was really stupid to take it for granted.
The fourth prince scanned the room, his eyes full of curiosity. "You have a lot of new things here. I've never seen this ship ornament on the market. Where did you buy it?"
Chang Zhongxin said with a sharp eye, "My second brother was stationed in a foreign country for a few years. He bought this abroad. It is said that it was seized from a pirate ship."
It was carved from a whole piece of ivory, and he was very rare.
The Fourth Prince also liked it and forcibly shifted his gaze. This was not his maternal grandparents' home. He seldom went there. At his maternal grandparents' home, a single glance would be sent to him. This was the Zhou Marquis Mansion. His mother had repeatedly urged him to make friends with the Zhou family. It was all for the sake of his eldest brother, the Crown Prince, and for him to be a free and easy king in the future. So he held back.
Chang Zhong didn't notice the reluctant look in the Fourth Prince's eyes. He was his own treasure. "Fourth Prince, please take a seat."
The fourth prince looked at the table on the small kang and said, "You have so many kinds of fruits here."
Changzhong started showing off his brother mode, "My second brother is willing to spend money. Most of it was bought by my second brother from foreign merchants. Knowing that His Highness was coming, my mother specially prepared it."
It doesn't mean that you eat it often, but you only take it out when distinguished guests come.
The fourth prince was a very thoughtful prince, so he naturally understood what was said and said with envy, "Your second brother is so generous."
Unlike his elder brother who is the crown prince, he is also very stingy to his younger brother!
"Your Highness, please try it."
The Fourth Prince was not polite. After the eunuch beside him had tasted the fruit, he started to eat it himself. Although he was a legitimate son, his share was limited. Fruits were precious in winter, and the palace was frugal, so his share was reduced. It was not convenient for him to eat his mother's fruit, so he had not enjoyed eating fruit so happily for a long time.
Changzhong saw that the Fourth Prince liked the fruit, so he stopped eating the nuts and sighed that the Fourth Prince sometimes did not live as comfortably as he did. As the youngest son in the family, he was spoiled by his brothers and had no shortage of good food.
In the main courtyard, Zhulan was talking to Mrs. Tao, who said, "I have eaten a lot of food from the Marquis' Mansion this year. Wang Wei got a lot of venison. I personally sent one over yesterday when he just arrived in Beijing. Eat it well in the winter. Don't be reluctant to eat it. I will send more when it's gone."
Zhu Lan, "Don't worry, I won't be polite, but did Wang Wei say when he would be back?"
"They said they are ready to return. They said that all the tasks they were responsible for have been stopped. I don't know the details, but it's good that Wang Wei is back. Yu Lu is still pregnant, so it's a good opportunity to spend more time with Yu Lu."
Zhulan's heart moved. It seemed that there was some unusual movement on the northeastern border, so the construction project was stopped. It would be better to withdraw first to avoid any unsafe situation at that time.
Zhulan thought of her granddaughter, "I heard from my eldest daughter-in-law that Yu Lu has gained a lot of weight recently?"
"She has gained weight, and the child is no longer noisy. My old lady said that the bad thing is that she is an obedient daughter."
Zhulan raised her eyebrows, "You also think she's a girl?"
Tao hoped from the bottom of her heart that it was a boy, but she couldn't say it, so she smiled and said, "Both girls and boys are rare, and our Wang family is also in need of a legitimate daughter!"
Zhulan smiled. The old lady and Mrs. Tao were speaking in a sarcastic way. "You'll know after the baby is born."
Tao, "Our whole family treasures Yu Lu so much. My daughter-in-law has been sending good things back to the capital every month since Yu Lu got pregnant. If she wasn't so inseparable, she would have come back to accompany Yu Lu in person."
Bamboo orchid, "... "
But don’t, there will be a lot of conflicts if you really come back.
Tao sat for a while and then went back, taking away some fresh vegetables. Tao was reluctant to leave her great-grandson, as they were of different generations, and the Wang family had few descendants, so Yu Lu's eldest son was the favorite of everyone.
We got venison, and because the Fourth Prince was coming, we asked the kitchen to prepare some. Venison is very nutritious, so we didn't prepare too much, and instead prepared more vegetables.
When Zhou Shuren came back in the afternoon, Zhulan smiled and said, "If the palace hadn't sent someone to urge him, the Fourth Prince wouldn't have planned to leave."
Zhou Shuren, "The Fourth Prince stayed too long this time. I think it will be difficult to come next time."
Zhu Lan smiled, "I just realized that the Fourth Prince also loves to eat. Everything in our house is good."
"The Emperor is a person who sets an example by himself. He has been frugal in spending in the palace and has reduced the allowances for the princes. The Fourth Prince can eat as much as he wants in our house, so he won't be willing to leave."
Zhulan said, "In the future, when the Fourth Prince is able to leave the palace, he will definitely look for Changzhong."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "Our son knows what he is doing and won't suffer any loss."
"I'm just afraid that the emperor will try to get Changzhong to redeem himself."
Zhou Shuren hesitated for a moment, "It shouldn't be. Changzhong was given the name by the emperor, and that's enough."
Zhulan's face lightened up, "That's good."
The next day, at Pinggang, Changyi was the official who welcomed the envoys. Only when he arrived at Pinggang did he realize that there would be a wave of military deterrence. He looked at the navy in front of him and clicked his tongue twice, thinking that the navy's actions were quite big.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites brought envoys from various countries to the stand. When the order was given, the cannons were fired. The eliminated fishing boats that were prepared in the distance were within range and sank in a short while.
Chang Yi's eyes widened. He took the telescope from the guard and raised his eyebrows. Why did he feel that the range was longer
The puzzle was soon solved. The artillery was improved, with a longer range, greater power and greater accuracy.
Chang Yi and other officials from the Ministry of Rites were excited and proud, as this represented the power of the imperial court.
The envoys from various countries turned green in the face, and the envoys with ulterior motives had stiff faces. This was intentional. What made them even more annoyed was that the spies did not send back any news at all.
If Zhou Shuren was there, he would smile meaningfully, because the artillery was not the most advanced, and it was obvious that it also had some deterrent effect.
The journey back to Beijing was very quiet. The envoys from various countries were nervous, feeling that the journey would not be smooth.
Chang Yi felt relaxed, sitting in the carriage drinking tea, looking extremely relaxed. He had thought he would have to deal with the inquiries of envoys from various countries, but after being frightened, they all became quiet as a chicken.
At the Zhou Mansion in the capital, Zhu Lan looked at Jiang Ping worriedly, "Your injury has just healed, but it's not fully recovered yet. Can't you wait until you're fully recovered before leaving?"
Jiang Ping felt guilty but had to go, "Grandma, the court needs intelligence from both countries, and I'm worried about Jiang An too."
If he hadn't lost so much weight after escaping, he would not have gone home even if he was injured, for fear of being exposed. Now that he has recovered almost completely, it's time to set off.
Zhulan felt distressed. She couldn't accept that anything happened to her two grandchildren, but she had no choice but to say, "Bring more medicines with you, pay more attention to safety, and be careful in everything you do. The family is waiting for you to come back."
Jiang Ping's eyes were sore. In the end, between country and family, he chose country.