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

Chapter 178 Princess Wei helps Prince Han secretly meet with the Crown Princess

Zhu Zhanhe knelt in the corner behind his father, the Prince of Han, and looked intently at his eldest uncle, Emperor Hongxi, who was kneeling between his father and third uncle.

Zhu Zhanhe had to admit that his uncle was indeed worthy of being called Emperor Renzong; he was truly benevolent.

Today is the funeral of the late Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. In the eyes of the court officials, and even in the eyes of his grandson Zhu Zhanji, this is a matter of state! But in the eyes of his uncle, Emperor Hongxi, this is a family matter!

From the perspective of the court officials, what Zhu Gaochi did today might be somewhat against the rules. But from the perspective of the extended family, it is absolutely without fault!

Emperor Hongxi was the eldest son of the late Emperor Yongle. Kneeling beside him were the late emperor's other two sons, the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao. Behind him were the late emperor's nephews and grandsons, as well as the women and relatives of each family.

Kneeling in this mourning hall, he was not only the successor to the Yongle Emperor, but also the leader of the Zhu family in this generation, the eldest son of his father, the elder brother of his brothers, and the uncle of his nephews! The head of the Zhu family! Therefore, he had to shoulder the responsibility!
Emperor Hongxi secretly turned around and glanced behind him. There, his son, Zhu Zhanji, was bowing to the various princes. Looking at his son not far away, he felt a strange sense of loss.

His son, the former grandson of the emperor, is now the crown prince, the eldest grandson of the late emperor, and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

The reason he wanted Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji to pay respects to the various vassal kings as a junior was so that he could gain their support when Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne!
The current Crown Prince, Zhu Zhanji, clearly failed to understand his father's good intentions! He only saw the emperor as a high and mighty being, untouched by worldly affairs. Little did he know that the emperor needed and longed for familial affection even more!

Furthermore, ever since he became Emperor Hongxi, his son has never called him "father" again!

Even in private, his sons often addressed each other as emperor and subject! This saddened Zhu Gaochi greatly.

He was the Hongxi Emperor, but more importantly, he was a father!
"Is becoming emperor truly destined to leave me all alone?!" Emperor Hongxi knelt on the cushion before his father's coffin, silently pondering this question. Overwhelmed by emotion, he coughed violently once more…

Looking at his former elder brother Zhu Zhanji, whose eyes occasionally flashed with ruthlessness and cunning, Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but wonder if Zhu Zhanji had also been possessed by a crocodile dragon. How could he be so tyrannical!
Soon, it was time to read the eulogy. The eulogy was read by Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji, his voice loud and resonant, full of infectious energy. The eulogy fully affirmed the various achievements of the Yongle Emperor.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhu Zhanhe kowtowed repeatedly as the eulogy was read. He then turned his head to look around the mourning hall and discovered that there were quite a few guards with knives! Even the men that Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji had brought earlier had joined the guards!

Is Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji truly planning to take action right here in the mourning hall? Or is he planning to detain or even kill the Prince of Han, the Prince of Zhao, and his own cousin in front of all the other princes?

Has Zhu Zhanji lost his mind after becoming the crown prince? Zhu Zhanhe was filled with doubt about Zhu Zhanji's behavior at this moment.

Soon, the eulogy was finished, and night fell.

The crowd remained kneeling to keep vigil, though some went down to rest and eat. Because Emperor Hongxi was unwell, he had moved to a small room prepared in a side hall.

Originally, Zhu Zhanhe planned to go down to rest with the Prince of Han, but he found that his mother, Lady Wei, had not left. At the same time, his mother would occasionally glance at the Crown Princess, Lady Hu, who was not far away. Out of curiosity, Zhu Zhanhe decided to stay and take a look.

Then, Zhu Zhanhe saw his mother slowly get up, kneel down on a cushion next to the Crown Princess Hu, and whisper a few words to her. But the Crown Princess clearly did not want to pay attention to her, so his mother, Wei, had no choice but to get up and leave in a huff.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe frowned slightly. He couldn't say he liked or disliked this woman, Hu, with whom he had a brief affair. He could only say it was very soft, had a great feel, and offered a good driving experience.

However, Zhu Zhanhe was somewhat dissatisfied with Hu's attitude towards his mother at this moment.

Shaking his head and suppressing his thoughts, Zhu Zhanhe got up and went out, wanting to ask his mother what important matter it was that required her to tell him now.

Unexpectedly, before Zhu Zhanhe could make a move, the Crown Princess Hu actually got up and headed in the opposite direction from the Han Princess Wei.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe's heart stirred, and he silently rose and headed towards his mother, Lady Wei. Seeing an opportunity for some excitement, Zhu Zhanhe swaggered behind his mother and Crown Princess Hu. Strangely, despite walking in the shadows, no one noticed Zhu Zhanhe's presence!
At the narrow gate of the palace, Zhu Zhanhe saw his mother and Madam Hu stop in their tracks.

"Speak!" Dressed in mourning clothes, Madam Hu stood gracefully at the entrance of the palace gate, speaking from a distance far from her mother, Madam Wei, as if a mountain separated them.

"The Prince wants to see you!" Mother Wei said to Hu, then glanced at the doorway not far away, indicating that the Prince of Han was over there.

Then, the mother, Ms. Wei, turned around and walked back the way she came.

From the entrance, Zhu Zhanhe could clearly see that his mother, Lady Wei, was walking towards him, while the Crown Princess, Lady Hu, continued walking forward.

The palace roads were wide and well-lit. After exiting the low gate, the wide roads were completely visible. Zhu Zhanhe guessed that his mother would definitely find him, so he subconsciously turned around to try to hide.

Strangely, when his mother passed by him, she acted as if she didn't see him at all, and simply walked past him and continued on her way back!

Upon seeing this, Zhu Zhanhe was stunned, his face blank. "Didn't my mother see me?" Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but wonder.

"Mother!" Zhu Zhanhe called softly as he watched his mother leave, his voice clear and distinct in the empty passageway.

"Who!? Who is it?!" Under Zhu Zhanhe's puzzled gaze, his mother, Madam Wei, seemed to have just noticed someone standing near the corner of the wall. She immediately turned her head in a panic and looked towards where Zhu Zhanhe was standing.

“Mother, it’s me.” Zhu Zhanhe raised his head and slowly walked to the moonlight so that his mother, Madam Wei, could see him more clearly.

"He'er? It's you? What brings you here?!" Upon seeing that the voice came from her own son, Princess Wei was astonished and exclaimed in surprise.

“Mother, I’ve been following you all this way.” Zhu Zhanhe replied, looking at his mother’s astonished face.

"What? You followed me all the way here? Were there any other people who followed?!" Upon hearing her son say that he had followed her all the way here, Princess Wei looked nervous and couldn't help but look behind her, as if worried that others had followed.

"Mother, don't worry, I checked when I came, no one followed me!" Zhu Zhanhe quickly reassured his anxious mother.

"That's good, let's go back quickly!" After hearing from her son that no one had followed them, Princess Wei's tense expression eased, and she immediately prepared to leave this troublesome place with her son.

"Mother, what does Father want with the Crown Princess?" Zhu Zhanhe was eager to know what his father, the Prince of Han, wanted with the Crown Princess, Madam Hu.

"This..." Princess Wei felt a little guilty and didn't know how to answer her son's question.

In fact, Princess Wei did not know why her Prince Han had sought out Crown Princess Hu.

"Mother, you should go back first. I'll go see Father." Zhu Zhanhe, still puzzled, decided to go and see for himself what his father, the Prince of Han, wanted to see the Crown Princess for.

"Mother, it's alright, I'll handle it." Looking at his mother, who still looked anxious, Zhu Zhanhe comforted her with a smile, then turned to comfort her.

(End of this chapter)