Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 174 Preparations for Entering the Palace to Attend the Funeral

Caught a glimpse of his mother's disdainful look, Zhu Zhanhe was speechless. Was this the "three-minute rule of returning home"?
It was a treasure before entering the door, but turned into weeds afterward? That fast?
"Mother, I'll go wash up." At this moment, Zhu Zhanhe also noticed that his body had developed a slight odor due to the journey, and he felt a little uncomfortable, so he suggested leaving.

"Go on, go on, wash up and get some rest. Don't forget that when your father comes back, the whole family will have dinner together." Although Princess Wei disliked the slight odor on her son, she still felt sorry for him and knew that he needed to rest well after his journey.

"Mother, I understand."

"Aunt Xiu'er, He'er will take his leave now." Zhu Zhanhe also remembered to say goodbye to Aunt Xiu'er, which made Xiu'er very happy.

"Go ahead, go ahead." Aunt Xiu'er watched Zhu Zhanhe leave with a smile on her face.

"Your Highness, shall I go and take another look?" Xiu'er asked the seated Princess Wei as she watched Zhu Zhanhe's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

"Go and sneak over there first. If it's convenient, take a look." Princess Wei knew what Xiu'er was talking about, of course. But she hesitated. After all, her son was growing up, and he was young and impetuous. What if something happened between him and a young girl while he was bathing? Wouldn't that be embarrassing? So, Princess Wei hesitated.

"Your Highness, I'll go over first. If it's convenient, I'll go in and take a look. If not, I'll ask the two maids afterwards." Xiu'er was well aware of Princess Wei's concerns, so she made a very considerate compromise.

"Alright, go ahead." In the end, Princess Wei decided to let Xiu'er go first.

On the other side, Zhu Zhanhe, having left the main hall, went straight back to his palace.

From afar, he saw two beautiful figures, craning their necks and looking in his direction, like two waiting-for-husband stones.

"Young Master~" When Zhu Zhanhe arrived at the door, the two little maids, Yun'er and Jian'er, respectfully squatted down and greeted him in sweet voices, which made Zhu Zhanhe's heart flutter!
"Get up." Looking at the two bright-eyed girls, Zhu Zhanhe casually told them to get up and even extended his hand to them.

"Yes~" The two sweet voices made Zhu Zhanhe's heart itch. Then, two slender figures darted to Zhu Zhanhe's side, one on the left and one on the right, each hugging one of his arms. Instantly, Zhu Zhanhe felt his arms filled with warm fragrance.

Especially Jian'er, who simply slumped her body onto her arm, hugging it tightly with both hands, as if she wanted to melt into it.

Yun'er buried her head in her arms, breathing deeply the scent of longing.
Zhu Zhanhe spent more than a year on the battlefield and was happy with it, so he did not refuse.

"You two go and arrange for someone to prepare a bath. I just got back and need to wash up properly." Zhu Zhanhe, who was being pestered by the two little maids, entered the room with two little ornaments hanging on him.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhu Zhanhe began to give instructions to the two maids.

"Yes, Your Highness~" Although Yun'er was still immersed in the familiar atmosphere, she did not forget the important matter and quickly responded.

As for Jian'er, her eyes were already brimming with tears, and she was completely overwhelmed with emotion. If it weren't for Zhu Zhanhe's arm, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.

Yun'er glanced disdainfully at her spineless friend, glared at her fiercely, secretly adjusted her breathing, touched her slightly flushed face, and swayed her slender waist as she went out.

Looking at Jian'er in his arms, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to touch her delicate little face. Jian'er immediately nestled her head in his large hand like a kitten, gently rubbing against him.

"Hiss~" Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but gasp at Jian'er's appearance. He couldn't resist any longer, and scooped the little girl up to his chest, biting her fiercely...

"Young Master, it's time to take a bath~." Just as Zhu Zhanhe was about to get down to business, Yun'er sneaked in and interrupted her friend who was secretly eating.

Zhu Zhanhe looked at Yun'er's resentful eyes and, without any hesitation, carried her into the bathroom, one in each hand...

It has to be said that this time, Zhu Zhanhe had the most comfortable bath he had in over a year!

However, the only downside was that a large area of ​​Zhu Zhanhe's bed was soaked by the bathwater, which Zhu Zhanhe was slightly disappointed about.

Although there are some taboos during the mourning period, this was in the Prince's residence, and no one would say anything to him. As evening approached, Zhu Zhanhe emerged from his palace, looking refreshed. Of course, he had already arranged for his maids to change him into a full set of mourning clothes.

Because Xiao Xizi was not there, Zhu Zhanhe felt that something was missing, so he had someone summon his uncle Wei Jizhong.

"Uncle, how's the glasses I asked you to make coming along?" Zhu Zhanhe asked about the glasses as soon as they met.

Yes, eyeglasses existed in the Ming Dynasty, but they were exclusive to the nobility or the wealthy.

"Your Highness, the glasses are finished. As per your request, they have brass frames, glass lenses, and gold and silver inlay. Here are the finished products. As you can see, I also had ten pairs made!"

"Your Highness can wear them interchangeably from now on!" Wei Jizhong took Zhu Zhanhe's arrangements very seriously. The work was assigned before the expedition, and because they wouldn't be in Beijing for the campaign, only one pair was made. Otherwise, ten pairs would have been finished in a year!
"Oh? Okay, let me see!" Zhu Zhanhe really liked the glasses his uncle handed him. After all, wearing an eye patch all the time wasn't a good idea. Now that he had glasses, with gold and silver threads inlaid on the lenses as decoration, others would only think it was a toy and wouldn't associate it with his unusual eyes!
"Your Highness, the Prince has returned. Would you like to go over there first?" Wei Jizhong cautiously reminded him, explaining that the Prince of Han had returned from seeing Emperor Hongxi in the palace and was somewhat unhappy.

"Let's go see." Zhu Zhanhe understood the Prince of Han's unhappiness. So, he decided to go and see what his father's next plan was.

Zhu Zhanhe followed his uncle to the main hall where the Prince of Han lived, but his father and mother were nowhere to be seen.

"Your Highness." Zhu Zhanhe casually grabbed a eunuch, who immediately bowed and saluted.

"Where are the Prince and Princess?" Zhu Zhanhe asked casually.

"Inside the inner hall, the prince is changing into mourning clothes," the young eunuch quickly reported.

"Hmm, go." After obtaining useful information, Zhu Zhanhe dismissed the servant. The young eunuch breathed a long sigh of relief and left with a look of panic on his face.

"Father, Mother, I've come to pay my respects." Zhu Zhanhe called out from outside the door without entering the inner hall.

"What are you yelling for? Come in!" Zhu Zhanhe's voice had barely faded when the Prince of Han's voice came in.

"Alright." Upon hearing his father, the Prince of Han's voice, Zhu Zhanhe didn't stand on ceremony and strode into the room.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhu Zhanhe saw his father, the Prince of Han, sitting upright in front of the mirror, wearing a thick chainmail over a white undershirt.

"Father, you've even put on soft armor?" Zhu Zhanhe asked the Prince of Han with a slight surprise.

"What do you think?" The Prince of Han retorted irritably at his son's surprised look. He still harbored resentment towards his son for not helping him before.

"Is Father worried about the danger in the palace?"

My uncle won't do anything at my grandfather's funeral!

"Then, His Highness the Crown Prince is the most likely to take action." Zhu Zhanhe didn't care about his father's complaints; on the contrary, he agreed with the Prince of Han's approach.

"You also think that brat will make a move?" Upon hearing his son's words, the Prince of Han was taken aback. He stopped looking in the mirror and turned to ask his son, who was also dressed in mourning clothes.

“Father, there is no one else but him, and my eldest uncle is even less likely to be one.”

Furthermore, even if the Crown Prince is foolish, he wouldn't directly resort to violence within the palace; the most likely method is poisoning or something similar. While Zhu Zhanhe agreed with the Prince of Han's caution, he didn't believe Zhu Zhanji would be so foolish as to kill someone directly at a funeral!

(End of this chapter)