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

Chapter 449 The Harem Is Not Allowed to Interfere in Government Affairs
"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen is currently in Kunning Palace talking with the Empress."

"His Highness the Seventeenth Prince paid his respects to the Empress this morning and then left." At this moment, Xiao Xizi hasn't explained what happened at Kunning Palace that prompted the Empress to summon him.

However, Xiao Xizi said that Consort Zhen, of the Lahe clan, was by the Empress's side, and that the Seventeenth Prince was not with Consort Zhen by the Empress's side.

Zhu Zhanhe immediately realized that Empress Xia had summoned him because of Consort Zhen, Lahe.

"Prepare the carriage for Kunning Palace!" Zhu Zhanhe immediately decided to go see the Empress without hesitation. After all, Zhu Zhanhe hadn't seen Empress Xia for several days, and he truly missed her dearly.

Seated on the imperial palanquin carried by a group of burly eunuchs, Zhu Zhanhe stroked the fine stubble that had grown on his chin and sighed. Time had flown by! In the blink of an eye, the Xuande Emperor had been dead for four or five years, and he was the same age as the Xuande Emperor. Now, he was nearing forty!
"Xiao Xizi, tell the Empress that I'm having my meal at her place today. Ask her to prepare something delicious for me!" After a moment of wild thoughts, Zhu Zhanhe turned to Xiao Xizi beside him and gave him this instruction.

"Yes, this servant will arrange it right away!" Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's words on the imperial palanquin, Xiao Xizi immediately knew that her emperor was going to take a nap in Kunning Palace at noon.

Xiao Xizi immediately responded respectfully. Then, with a wave of his hand, a young eunuch scurried over, listening attentively to Xiao Xizi's instructions. After Xiao Xizi whispered a few words in his ear, the young eunuch quickly turned and left.

Soon, Zhu Zhanhe's palanquin was carried into the Kunning Palace. Fortunately, before even entering the palace gates, Zhu Zhanhe dismounted and strode into the palace with his long legs.

"His Majesty has arrived!" Before entering Kunning Palace, Xiao Xizi shouted loudly from outside the gate. Following him, the palace maids and eunuchs along the way knelt respectfully on the ground to welcome the Longwu Emperor.

As Zhu Zhanhe stepped into the gates of Kunning Palace, he saw Empress Xia, sitting gracefully on a magnificent phoenix throne. Below Empress Xia's throne sat a stunning woman with exotic beauty, none other than Lahe, the birth mother of the seventeenth prince, Zhu Qizhen.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Empress Xia and Consort Zhen were chatting when they heard Xiao Xizi's voice and saw Emperor Longwu enter. Immediately, the two women quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to Emperor Longwu.

Of course, Empress Xia only slightly squatted down to pay her respects, while the stunningly beautiful Lady Lahe knelt directly on the ground. This clearly demonstrates the difference in their social status.

"Rise." Immediately, facing the bows of his two wives, Zhu Zhanhe stepped forward without stopping, went directly to Empress Xia's side, raised his hand to help her up, and unceremoniously took her hand, and together they sat on the wide phoenix chair.

After struggling slightly but failing to break free from her husband's large hand, Empress Xia rolled her beautiful eyes at him and then sat gracefully beside him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lady Lahe waited until Zhu Zhanhe and Empress Xia were seated before respectfully expressing her gratitude and silently rising, then remaining standing there respectfully.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

"I told you that since I'm here, I'll have lunch here." Seeing that Lady Lahe had gotten up, Zhu Zhanhe simply waved for her to sit down, then took Empress Xia's hand and spoke softly to her beside him.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Xizi has already sent someone to tell you."

"I've already instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare lunch." Empress Xia replied gently after hearing her husband's words. Although Empress Xia, mindful of her status, had always tried to avoid the negative impact of her husband's exclusive favor, she was still quite pleased with his tenderness!

"The reason I invited Your Majesty here is because my sister, Consort Zhen, has something to say to you. She is shy and doesn't dare to bother Your Majesty, so she came to me for help." Empress Xia, who had been holding her husband's hand the whole time, was overjoyed but still calmly shifted the topic to Consort Zhen, who looked rather reserved.

"Oh~?

"Does Consort Zhen have something to say to me?" Zhu Zhanhe immediately turned his gaze to Consort Zhen's pretty face with curiosity.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed as the Empress said. This time, I am requesting an audience with Your Majesty." Upon hearing Emperor Longwu's question, the beautiful Lady Lahe immediately rose and knelt on the ground, replying to Zhu Zhanhe with a sorrowful expression.

Seeing his beloved concubine's sorrowful and hesitant expression, Zhu Zhanhe immediately understood. He waved his hand, and the palace maids and eunuchs in the room obediently withdrew.

"Speak." After everyone else had left the room, only Emperor Longwu, the Empress, and Consort Zhen remained. Zhu Zhanhe then gently rubbed the Empress's hand while asking Consort Zhen, Lady Lahe.

"Your Majesty, some time ago, a caravan from the grasslands came to Longdu. They sent me a letter from the grasslands through the Office of Transmission," Consort Zhen, of the Lahe clan, first briefly explained the cause of the incident.

"Hmm~! Continue." After listening to Lahe's words, Zhu Zhanhe simply nodded slightly, indicating that he was aware of the matter of the grasslands sending messages to the palace. Then, he let Lahe continue speaking.

"After receiving the letter, I learned that after His Majesty enfeoffed the various tribes of the Han Kingdom on the grasslands, the tribes of the U-Tsang have recently been frequently harassing the grasslands. Although it is not a large-scale harassment, the Mughal tribes are finding it very troublesome."

Because the emperor had designated vassal territories for the various tribes of the grasslands, they dared not leave their fiefdoms or form alliances, allowing the Tibetan tribes to repeatedly succeed.

"This time, my father and several uncles have written to me, asking me to plead with His Majesty to provide some support to the tribes of the grasslands." Lady Lahe knelt on the ground, looking at the high and mighty Emperor Longwu with pleading eyes, and told him what she was asking for.

Upon hearing Consort Zhen's words, Empress Xia's face revealed a hint of displeasure. After all, the rule that the women of the inner palace must not interfere in political affairs was an ironclad rule that all the women in the inner palace had to abide by. This time, Consort Zhen's sudden speaking up for her maternal clan, while understandable, was still a violation of the rules!

Therefore, Empress Xia frowned immediately.

In reality, Consort Zhen, of the Lahe clan, was not stupid. She was very clear about the requirement that the inner palace should not interfere in politics!

However, the Lach clan was forced into this situation and had its own difficulties. Recently, the news of the second and third princes being enfeoffed has been widely circulated. Even Minister Mu of the Grand Secretariat personally went to expand the fiefdoms for his two grandsons.

Lah's mother also had a son, though he was still young. However, Lah was well aware that her son would eventually need to be granted fiefdoms. Without the support of her maternal clan, the future of his fiefdom was uncertain.

Therefore, after much deliberation, although her son was young, Lah decided to take a chance for him and do her best to help her clan in order to gain their support when her son was crowned king in the future!

"Lahe, do you know that the harem must not interfere in politics?!" Looking at Lahe kneeling on the ground with a panicked expression, Zhu Zhanhe gently patted his wife Xia's hand, then got up and came to Lahe's side. He squatted down, pinched Lahe's chin, and made her pretty face face him. He asked in a soft but unquestionable tone.

(End of this chapter)