Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 492 The Princes
Lobby of the Zichen Main Hall
"Your Majesty, your son, pays homage to you and wishes you great blessings, prosperity for your country, and may our Chu army be invincible. Your grace is so great that the whole world celebrates."

The eighteen-year-old Crown Prince Chu Zhengyuan was tall and slender. He led a group of princes in paying homage and kneeling on the ground to kowtow respectfully.

The second prince, Chu Zheng Yuan, was born at the end of January 1868. He is now eighteen years old, nearly 1 meters tall, with an extraordinarily handsome face and an indescribable elegance.

The rows of princes around him, twenty-one in total, including big and small, except for the eight young princes who were still breastfeeding and had unsteady walks, all knelt in the hall, respectfully wishing their father, the king, and their mother, the queen, good health.

above the hall
King Zheng Guohui of Chu and Queen Zheng Li sat side by side on the Nine-Dragon Golden Throne. The huge throne was made entirely of gold. Each coiled dragon was lifelike, and the dragon's eyes and claws were inlaid with gems, which made it look extraordinary and noble.

The concubines and maids on both sides were lined up according to their ranks, and there were 16 princesses of all ages who had not yet married. Each of them was dressed in luxurious clothes, showing the prosperity of the Chu royal family.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu smiled with relief. He did not rush to ask the princes to stand up. Instead, he turned around and said to Queen Zheng Li in a serious tone:
"Queen, you have been managing such a large family business, allowing me to focus on state affairs. Thank you for your hard work."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. This is my duty, so why should it be hard?" Zheng Li replied gently.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu glanced at the princes kneeling on the ground. Some of them were taller than him and had handsome looks. He felt inexplicably happy seeing this.

It's nothing, these royal children don't have any major bad habits, it's all because of the queen's good discipline.

Then King Zheng Guohui of Chu said, "Queen, the Chu royal family is able to prosper today because all of our sons and daughters are talented unripe gems. Your contribution is invaluable."

These heartfelt words touched the soft spot in Queen Zheng Li's heart. Her eyes turned red and she felt a warm current surging in her heart.

I just nodded slightly, feeling that all the efforts over the years were worth it.

The education of the Chu royal family encompassed the essence of the education of the children of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and also integrated some Western learning with some deletions and modifications.

All royal children start their education at the age of 5. They get up at 6 o'clock every morning, wash up, and go to the Queen Mother's bedroom to pay their respects.

Then they went to the Xianning Palace where the queen lived to pay their respects, and recited morning lessons here. Queen Zheng Li, Concubine Mei and Concubine Mo took turns supervising them, and they reviewed the lessons of the previous day.

At around 7:30, after having breakfast together, the princes returned to their respective residences to change clothes and take a short rest.

At 8:30, we go to the Imperial Academy to study, where well-educated people teach Chinese, Analects, classics, history, geography, English, chemistry and other courses. They also teach interesting courses such as classic Chinese and foreign war history, history of the rise and fall of dynasties, science and inventions, music, biology, etc.

每天上午8:30~11:30，下午1:30~4:30，共计进学6个小时，分别教授各门课程，且主课有留堂作业。

The Analects of Confucius, classics, history, and English are mainly based on recitation, while Chinese, geography, and chemistry are mainly based on comprehension. Other auxiliary courses are listened to as short stories to increase interest and experience. After class, students are required to write a 150-word essay on their listening experience.

From the age of 11, several elective subjects were added, including boxing, swordsmanship, horse riding, swimming, French, German, Latin, guqin, guzheng, painting, etc., and the princes could choose according to their interests.

Among them, boxing, horse riding and swimming are compulsory courses, French, German and Latin can be chosen at will, and other subjects are not compulsory.

All princes who were 14 years old or older left the palace and lived alone in a luxurious mansion not far from the palace, continuing their studies at a military academy or university.

These princely mansions were all meticulously built by the Royal Household Department. The larger ones cover over 30 acres, while the smaller ones cover over 20 acres. They are all filled with winding corridors, numerous halls and pavilions, and are exquisitely laid out without losing their grandeur.

Today
Nine princes who are fourteen years old or older have already left the palace and are now living separately. Crown Prince Chu Zheng Yuan is studying at the Royal Naval Academy in Manila, majoring in ship command. He has now graduated and has been awarded the rank of lieutenant in the Royal Navy. He is currently interning on a patrol ship.

As for the other princes, some went to study at the Royal Military Academy, some went to study at the Royal Institute of Technology, and so on.

When he turned 16, the king would choose a virtuous and sensible girl of appropriate age from an official family to marry him. This matter was usually led by Queen Zheng Li, and King Zheng Guohui of Chu would issue an order to grant the marriage after approving it.

In the capital of Manila, the families of noble officials would often be summoned to the palace to listen to operas, visit gardens, chat and recite poetry, play the zither and weave brocades, and they would often bring their unmarried daughters with them.

The main purpose was to show her face more in front of the Queen and Concubine Mei, leaving a good impression so that they could think of their own daughter when they were fortune-telling.

The noble ladies who were able to enter the palace were undoubtedly the daughters of the principal wife. Daughters born out of wedlock were absolutely not allowed in, as they would be considered to be "disrespecting the palace."

Once reported, the consequences will be very serious.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu asked all the princes to stand up. He couldn't help but give a few words of admonition, then asked a few questions of the older princes. Then he waved his hand and said, "Reward all my sons, generously!"

"Your Majesty, I bow to thank you for your reward and wish you good health."

All the princes kowtowed politely to express their gratitude for the reward, with involuntary joy on their faces.

My father has always been generous in his rewards, including all kinds of silks, Western treasures and Arabian horses. This time, he also gave each of us two white maids.

These white maids were brought back from Europe. Most of them came from church schools or charity schools. They were beautiful and well-built, between the ages of 10 and 12, could speak and write, and could help review foreign languages.

Raise her for a few years, and if you like her, you can take her in as a mistress. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
After the princes had kowtowed, the unmarried princesses came to the palace to kowtow.

The King of Chu smiled even more warmly. After bowing, he beckoned the princesses to come and talk to him in front of the throne. He even took a little pink girl to sit on his lap and play with her for a while.

These princesses were more relaxed than the princes. They called Zheng Guohui "Father" in a crisp voice, which made Zheng Guohui smile happily. The palace was filled with laughter.

Especially the little pink ball's biological mother, the concubine, was so happy to see His Majesty that she almost fainted.

I tried hard to suppress the huge waves of emotion rising in my heart and tried not to show it on my face.

But his raised eyebrows still revealed his inner ecstasy.

According to the palace rules

All the princes and princesses were raised by the queen and revered as "Queen Mother". Their daily education and supervision, as well as their daily greetings and greetings, took place in the Xianning Palace, and they had few opportunities to interact with their biological mother.

Only when the concubines went to the Xianning Palace to pay their respects every day could they see him occasionally, but they were not allowed to talk to him privately and could only look at him from afar.

Although such rules are inhumane, they can reduce a lot of disputes.

King Zheng Guohui of Chu knew

The palace prohibitions have been like this since ancient times, so there must be a certain reason for it and it cannot be easily changed. It is safest to follow Cao's rules and Xiao's rules.

Even a wise monarch cannot figure out the right and wrong in the harem. It is a tangled mess that cannot be cut off or sorted out. It is best for Queen Zheng Li to handle it alone.

The Queen Mother was an old country lady who didn't care about anything. She had no intention of getting involved in the palace struggles. All she wanted was someone to watch a play and talk with her every day.

Queen Zheng Li inherited the strict family education of the Li family in northern Anhui, and never tolerated her children who made mistakes.

The second prince and the seventh prince were rather lazy, so Queen Zheng Li ordered them to kneel down to attend school every day and sent a nanny to supervise them every day.

If they knelt improperly or tilted their bodies, or if they were distracted, they would step forward and hit their palms with a bamboo stick. This cycle continued for a week, and the two lazy princes were completely tamed. They knelt and begged for mercy, and never dared to slack off again when they entered school.

The eldest prince was lustful, so Queen Zheng Li replaced all the maids in his mansion with strong and rough men. She would beat to death any beautiful maid who tried to seduce her master.

Throughout the Duke's Mansion

There is only one woman in the house, the eldest prince's wife, and she is not allowed to go out and have affairs with other women. If she is caught once, her legs will be broken and she will not be let off easily.

The eldest prince Chu Zheng Dan was frightened to death. After graduating from the Royal Army College, he worked in a department under the General Staff with the rank of lieutenant. He returned home in an orderly manner after get off work every day and never dared to go out and mess around again.

There are so many trivial matters like this.

As long as King Zheng Guohui of Chu concentrates on state affairs, establishes a vast territory for the kingdom, and sits in the temple with his supreme majesty as the founding monarch, the country and the palace will not be in chaos.

All matters related to educating the prince and princess were handed over to Queen Zheng Li, and he played the role of a kind father and was happy to have some free time.

After the lively New Year, on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, King Zheng Guohui of Chu took a royal patent to Base 77 to participate in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth and the flag-raising ceremony for the expedition to Madagascar in East Africa, and delivered an inspiring speech.

After the flag-raising ceremony, the army set out.

Thirty-six trumpets that resounded through the heavens and earth suddenly sounded, salutes boomed, and fully armed soldiers lined up in neat rows and marched forward towards the port.

These officers and soldiers need to walk more than ten kilometers and prepare to board the ship after arriving at the port.

A total of more than 77 officers and soldiers from Base No. 1.1 are going on the expedition. The remaining more than people are the latter batch and are scheduled to set off in half a month.

The expeditionary officers and soldiers who had been training in Xi'an Prefecture on Shangri-La Island boarded the ship on the sixth day of the first lunar month. They were the first group of troops to set off, and a solemn and grand oath-taking ceremony was held at Xi'an Port.

At the departure ceremony, the decree of His Majesty the King of Chu was read out. The morale of all officers and soldiers was high. They waved their arms and shouted, "We must win, we must win! Long live our king, long live our king, long live our king!"

Today, the Chu expeditionary force no longer has dozens or hundreds of ships covering the sky as before, or even larger fleets.

Ships capable of independent transoceanic navigation, whether they are immigration ships, cargo ships or oil tankers, generally have a displacement of more than 10,000 tons and an amazing carrying capacity.

Those ships with smaller displacements sail shorter distances.

For example, the southern ports of the Chinese mainland go to Batangas, Manila goes to important ports in the South Pacific region, and goes to surrounding islands. The farthest is Donggang City on the easternmost side of Shangri-La Island.

There are more than 170 medium- and short-distance routes, and ships with a displacement of several hundred to several thousand tons can all be used. Many old-style sailing cargo ships can also be used and find places to make use of their remaining energy.

Ultra-large ships with a tonnage of over 10,000 tons are mainly used on the Eurasian and Pacific routes.

After seeing off the Madagascar expeditionary force, King Zheng Guohui of Chu felt much more relaxed. He then took the royal train back to the lakeside resort palace to continue his unfinished spring vacation.

On the "Hongze Lake" immigrant boat

The eldest prince Chu Zhengdan, wearing a neat lieutenant uniform of the Royal Army, leaned against the railing, staring at the thick black smoke rising from the fleet in front in a daze.

I was still thinking about what my father had told me before I went to war.

"It's not a problem for a man to be lustful, but it's a problem to indulge in it and become a fool driven by desire. You are the eldest in the royal family. You must set a good example for your brothers and sisters and never act ridiculously. Otherwise, you will stay there for the rest of your life."

When he thought of this, the eldest prince Chu Zhengdan couldn't help but shudder. His father was really cruel!
In front of his father, the extremely powerful aura almost made him breathless, and his cold glance seemed to contain countless swords and shadows.

My father himself once said:
"At the age of 14, I followed my elder brother into battle and fought dozens of battles, both large and small. At the age of 16, I crawled out of a pile of dead bodies in the Jiangnan camp that had been breached by the Taiping rebels, escaping with several wounds.

My eldest brother died here, and I vow to avenge this blood feud.

He returned to Tongzhou to recruit brave men and led them to fight in the south and the north, besieging Tianjing. When the city was broken, starving people and corpses were everywhere, and human lives were worthless.

After going through great hardships, they assembled a team and marched south to establish the foundation of the Chu State, which led to its current success.

If you can make progress, I will be very happy.

If it is mediocre, it is acceptable.

You must not bring shame to the Chu royal family and make them a laughing stock. If you do so..."

Speaking of here
The father glanced at him coldly and didn't say anything else.

Chu Zhengdan felt at that moment that his heart seemed to be tightly gripped by a powerful force, and his body was stiff with extreme fear. He knew that what his father said was not just a casual remark, but a most straightforward warning.

Even if he had two more courage, he would not dare to disobey his father.

Among the royal family of Chu, it is generally recognized that their father is like an insurmountable mountain, shrouded in a sacred aura that inspires natural reverence.

Even though he was the eldest prince, Chu Zhengdan only saw his father a few times a year, which made him keep his distance from him even more.

"Don't worry, father, I have noble blood flowing in my body and I will never let you down."

Chu Zhengdan secretly made up his mind that he must make a difference in this expedition to Madagascar so as to live up to his father's earnest hope.

"Hey, Brother Yuantai, why are you standing here alone in a daze?" A young lieutenant officer came over and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Yuantai" was his courtesy name, bestowed upon him by the King of Chu himself.

When Chu Zheng Dan was studying at the Royal Army Advanced Military Academy, he used the pseudonym "Zheng Yuantai" and did not reveal his true identity.

Hearing the call, Zheng Yuantai came back to his senses and responded casually, "Following the army on the expedition and seeing such a magnificent scene, how could I remain indifferent?"

"Don't be sentimental. You'll have plenty of time to sail the seas. One day, you'll have seen enough. Let's get together with some of our former comrades. You have some good wine, right? Give us a couple of bottles."

"So you're after my fine wine! Fine, I'll sponsor you."

"Brother Yuantai is indeed a straightforward person. Let's go, let's go, everyone is waiting for you. Let's drink some wine and discuss world affairs. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Hahaha... That's true, let's go together."

(End of this chapter)