If not abolished

Chapter 109 Returning to Beijing

On the way back in the carriage, neither of them spoke. Hu Shanxiang had just woken up from being drunk and was still dazed. Her head was dizzy, so she leaned against the window to rest.

As for Zhu Zhanji, he didn't know what to say. He had already concluded that Hu Shanxiang had lived a second life just like him and had experienced everything from his previous life. His previous actions were like a joke.

Hu Shanxiang didn't care about the sudden quiet atmosphere between them.

It was getting dark when the carriage finally stopped at the Hu Mansion. Hu Shanxiang and Zhu Zhanji said goodbye and got off the carriage.

Zhu Zhanji came back to his senses, "Well, I'm tired today, let's go back and rest early."

"Okay, Your Highness, go back and rest early."

After returning home, Hu Shanxiang first went to her grandmother's yard to faint.

"Third Miss, you're back." The nanny who was guarding outside saw her coming and hurried over to greet her.

"It's so late, grandma isn't angry, right?" Hu Shanxiang was afraid that the old lady would be angry if she came back so late, so she decided to find out what was going on first.

"The old lady muttered a few words, but she also knew that the young lady knew her limits. The old lady went to bed early these days and is now asleep. Do you want to go in, young lady?"

"You went to bed so early, grandma, how was your dinner?" Hu Shanxiang was surprised. She went to bed just after dark. Normally, her grandma didn't go to bed so early.

"It's summer now, so the old lady uses less."

"I understand. Since grandma has gone to bed, I won't go in to disturb her. I'll come back tomorrow." Hu Shanxiang was afraid of waking up her grandmother, so she prepared to leave.

Early the next morning, Hu Shanxiang came to pay her respects to her grandmother without even having breakfast, and the old lady was having breakfast at that moment.

"grandmother."

"Why are you here so early today? I guess you haven't eaten yet?" the old lady said when she saw her coming so early.

"I haven't eaten yet." Hu Shanxiang said truthfully.

"Then sit down and eat something."

"Ah."

The grandparents and grandchildren started eating like this, and after a while the old lady put down her chopsticks.

“That’s all my grandmother uses.”

"It's hot, I can't eat."

"Grandma, when I came back yesterday, people around you said that you didn't eat much yesterday. How can that be? Don't follow us young people and lose weight. We should pursue plump beauty." Hu Shanxiang said as she served the old lady a bowl of porridge. "If you can't eat anything else, drink some porridge."

"Who is talking too much in front of you? I always use less in summer than usual."

"That's too little. I see. Is it because I haven't been home often recently and it's boring for you to eat alone? From now on, your granddaughter will eat with you every day." As she said that, Hu Shanxiang picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks for the old lady.

"Okay, okay, I can't argue with you, so I'll just eat something. You said you would eat with me." The old lady really didn't feel like eating alone, and it would be better if someone was there to keep her company.

"Okay, then grandma has to promise me to eat more."

After dinner, taking advantage of the cool morning weather, Hu Shanxiang took the old lady for a walk in the garden for half an hour.

"You've stayed in the house for too long. Come out and take a walk to help digest the food. Naturally, you'll eat more at noon." Hu Shanxiang said while holding the old lady's hand.

"I've just finished breakfast and I'm already thinking about lunch." The old lady joked.

"Of course not. In this world, eating is the most important thing."

"How have things been going between you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince recently?" asked the old lady.

"It's pretty good. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince taught me how to ride a horse yesterday." Hu Shanxiang said with a smile.

"If you have really thought it through, come back to the palace." The old lady still hoped that her granddaughter would think it through, because once she entered, she would never be able to get out.

"Well, maybe this is fate. Don't worry, grandma, I will be fine this time."

"As long as you think it's good, it's your own path. It's up to you to feel and choose. Since you have made the choice, grandma won't say anything." The old lady has also seen that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really good to her granddaughter during this period. Thinking of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's previous promise, she feels relieved.

The situation in Jining was peaceful, but something big happened in the capital. The Ming Dynasty and the Oirat Mongols were in constant conflict, and the border was plundered repeatedly. Zhu Di wanted to go on an expedition again to keep the border quiet for a few years.

In the East Palace, the Crown Prince was worried about His Majesty's idea of ​​going to war.

"We have finally managed to make some money in the past few years, but now my father wants to go to war again. A series of military supplies will cost a lot of money. It's really a headache. The main thing is that this war won't last long." The prince was complaining to the princess about the idea of ​​going to war that Zhu Di had just proposed.

"What's the point of you saying all this? If His Majesty insists on fighting, can you stop him?" The Crown Princess thought to herself, His Majesty might listen to advice on other matters, but when it comes to war, no one's words will be of any use.

The prince only complained about not having money, and naturally knew that he couldn't stop him. As soon as he mentioned that the finances were tight today, Zhu Di immediately scolded him in the hall: "Why do I fight wars? Isn't it to make the country more stable and for you to have a peaceful and prosperous world in the future? I have fought all the wars that should be fought, so you don't have to work so hard. Really, you don't know my good intentions at all."

When the King of Han heard Zhu Di scolding the prince, he was extremely happy. Like his father, he loved fighting. He immediately agreed: "Yes, brother. Father is also doing this for the Ming Dynasty. How can you stop him?" Humph, his elder brother usually needed someone to support him when he walked. Riding a horse to fight was simply impossible for him. His father would have to rely on him to charge into battle. When the battle was won, his father would see that he was much better than his elder brother.

Zhu Di knew what his second son was thinking at a glance. The King of Han had always been popular in the army, and this boy was indeed like him in this respect. "Gao Xu will go with me this time."

"Your son obeys your command." Zhu Gaoxu was still thinking about how to convince Zhu Di to let him go, but he didn't expect Zhu Di to specifically ask him to go. This was really great. He immediately looked at his elder brother with a proud face.

Zhu Gaochi said nothing.

In addition to Zhu Gaoxu, Zhu Di also wanted Zhu Zhanji to go out and gain some experience. The last time he went there, he saw that Zhu Zhanji was too young. The swords on the battlefield were brutal and it would be bad if something went wrong. Now his grandson is fifteen years old, so there is nothing wrong with going to the battlefield to gain some experience.

Zhu Zhanji was holding a letter from the capital at this time. The emperor asked him to go back and accompany him in the expedition against Wala.

Zhu Di launched five expeditions against Mongolia. Zhu Zhanji missed only the first and the last. He participated in the other three times, especially the second one. Because he was too excited in chasing the enemy on the battlefield because it was his first time, he fell into the enemy's encirclement. Fortunately, the emperor rescued him in time, otherwise he would have been in trouble.

I didn't expect that the expedition would not start until February next year, but the Emperor called him back so early.

Then he must say goodbye to Shanxiang properly.

"Your Highness, has something happened?" Wu Cheng saw that Zhu Zhanji didn't say a word after reading the letter and was in a daze for a long time. He thought something had happened in the palace?

"No, it was the Emperor who asked me to return to the palace for something." Zhu Zhanji put the letter away.

"Then Your Highness..." Wu Cheng guessed that Zhu Zhanji might not be willing to go back for the time being.

"Get ready to return to Beijing in ten days." Zhu Zhanji naturally couldn't let go of Hu Shanxiang. It was not easy for their relationship to take a step forward. Who knows what will happen if he leaves, but the emperor's grandfather also has important matters that cannot be delayed.

Zhu Zhanji decided that after returning from the war, he would talk to the emperor about the marriage. Shanxiang should agree this time.

"Yes."

"Miss, the letter has just been delivered." Lingzhi trotted in and handed the letter to Hu Shanxiang.

Hu Shanxiang rarely went out during this period, so Zhu Zhanji communicated with her through letters, and he would get Ganoderma lucidum every one or two days.

Hu Shanxiang took it, opened it and read it, and did not speak for a while. Although she knew that Zhu Zhanji could not stay in Jining forever and would have to go back sooner or later, she did not expect that this day would come so soon and she was not prepared at all.

"Miss, what did the letter say?" Hu Shanxiang didn't respond for a long time, and Lingzhi couldn't help feeling strange. Usually, the letters between the two of them were about daily fun things, or sharing fun and delicious things they encountered with each other. It had never happened before that they read the letter without saying a word like today.

"It's nothing, he just wants to go back to Beijing and asked me if I have time to see him off." Hu Shanxiang gave a brief account.

"I'm about to go back."

"Well, there must be something going on. I'm going to my grandmother's place." Hu Shanxiang thought that she would see him off when the time came, so she prepared to go find her grandmother and tell her.

Mrs. Hu was also surprised when she heard this, "You're going back so suddenly?"

"Well, he didn't say it clearly in the letter, but he said that His Majesty summoned him back to Beijing. Maybe there is something going on." Hu Shanshan guessed.

"In that case, you can go and see them off when the time comes." The old lady nodded in agreement.

"My granddaughter was just about to tell you about this. After all, we have known each other for so long, I should go and see you off."

"Well, let's go."

Hu Shanxiang wrote back to Zhu Zhanji as soon as she returned.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day when Zhu Zhanji returned to Beijing. Hu Shanxiang prepared to go out early, but as soon as she reached the gate, she was stopped...

"Your Highness, it's this hour now. I'm afraid the third young lady won't come." Wu Cheng hadn't seen Hu Shanxiang.

"She said she would come, so wait a little longer." Zhu Zhanji and others were still waiting at the city gate.

Wu Cheng was waiting anxiously. Why hadn't the third girl come yet? If she didn't come soon, he would not be able to reach the nearest post station before dark.

After waiting for another half an hour, Wu Cheng urged again: "Your Highness, we really can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, we won't be able to make it to the post station."

Zhu Zhanji looked at the direction of the city gate. He hoped that Hu Shanxiang would appear there, but no...

Just when everyone thought Zhu Zhanji was going to give the order to leave, he suddenly got off the carriage, rode a horse next to him and galloped into the city.

Wu Cheng was stunned, and chased after him, shouting, "Your Highness, Your Highness..." But there was no way he could catch up.

When Zhu Zhanji was riding halfway, he saw the Hu family's carriage and stopped.

Hu Shanxiang in the carriage also lifted the curtain when she heard the voice, "Your Highness, it's a good thing you haven't yet, something happened suddenly and delayed you for a while."

"It's okay, I'm glad you can come." Zhu Zhanji almost thought that this period of time was just a dream, fortunately.

"Then I wish Your Highness a safe journey." Hu Shanxiang handed something to Zhu Zhanji.

"What is this?" Zhu Zhanji asked.

"This is the amulet I asked for you two days ago."

"Thank you."