Chapter 28: Our eldest grandson is so pitiful, woo woo woo...
When Old Zhu heard his eldest grandson crying, he panicked and quickly got up from his seat and went to his eldest grandson.
"Don't cry, grandson!"
"Tell grandpa who made you angry, and we will help you vent your anger!"
Zhu Yunhuan sobbed and complained aggrievedly.
"Grandpa Emperor, did you know that Mrs. Lu refused to give me food? Woohoo!"
When Old Zhu heard this, his face turned dark. If the Jinyiwei had not interrogated the people in the Prince's Mansion yesterday, he would have really believed what his grandson said.
"Grandson, don't say that. We know that Lu is a man who may have some ulterior motives, but he would never dare to treat you harshly."
Zhu Yunhuan exploded upon hearing this.
"Why is it impossible?"
"Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunwen have meals every night, but I have to go hungry. Isn't this harsh treatment?"
When Old Zhu heard his eldest grandson say this, he immediately felt angry. This Lu family was too unreasonable. They actually treated our eldest grandson differently.
But he changed his mind and suddenly felt something was wrong.
He clearly remembered that there were rules in the palace, that people were not allowed to eat after noon or at night. Even he, the emperor, only ate two pieces of cake and drank some tea at night, so where did Lu get the food?
"Grandson, it's not good for children to lie. How can you slander the Lu family out of thin air... "
"Grandpa Emperor!"
"What my grandson said is true. Mrs. Lu made a stewed chicken for Zhu Yunwen last night. Zhu Yunwen also had a share, but I and my other illegitimate sisters didn't!"
At this time Xu Xingzu stood up to testify for Zhu Yunhuan.
"Your Majesty, what His Royal Highness the Second Grandson said is true. Yesterday, the Crown Princess did order the Imperial Kitchen to prepare two servings of stewed chicken, plus two bowls of fragrant rice."
"this……"
After a brief moment of shock, Lao Zhu immediately became furious.
"Xu Xingzu, how did you manage it? We handed the imperial kitchen over to you, and this is how you manage it?"
"explain!"
"What is your relationship with the Lu family? What backdoor did you use to make you flatter them like this?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xingzu immediately cried out for justice.
"Your Majesty, I have no connection with the Lu family, and they didn't use any backdoors, they bought it with money openly."
Old Zhu felt terrible when he heard this and asked in surprise.
"bought?"
"And you bought it openly?"
Xu Xingzu had a matter-of-fact expression on his face.
"yes!"
"I bought it openly!"
"Ten taels of silver for a chicken, a fair price, no cheating."
"And it wasn't just Mrs. Lu who bought it. Even Concubine Hui, Concubine Han, and Concubine Gao in the harem all used money to buy it."
"Originally, I didn't want to break the emperor's rules, but I couldn't resist the ladies' pleading, saying that the princes and grandchildren were crying at night because of hunger, so I softened my heart and agreed."
"But I have to defend myself. I didn't take a single cent of the reward from the ladies. I gave it all to the people in the imperial kitchen to send back home to supplement the family income."
Xu Xingzu's words were reasonable and righteous. Even a picky person like Zhu Yuanzhang had no way to refute them after hearing them.
Just like what Xu Xingzu said, the food was eaten by your son and grandson, and he didn't touch the money, what can you do to him?
Old Zhu couldn't even say "this won't happen again" because if this road was blocked, wouldn't his own sons and grandsons starve?
Just when Old Zhu hadn't figured out what to do, Zhu Yunhuan on the other side burst into tears.
"Father, you are so cruel, why don't you take the child with you, wuwuwu..."
"Don't you know? After you left, no one would take care of the child. No one would ask about him. He wouldn't even have a bite of dinner to eat!"
"The palace rules set by Grandpa Emperor are specifically designed to bully poor children like me who have no father to love them and no mother to care for them, wuwuwu..."
"Other children have their mothers buy them dinner, but I can only stand outside someone else's window, drooling as I watch them eat. I am so pitiful ..."
"If I could have eaten a few more full meals, I wouldn't be so weak and unable to take care of myself. My legs cramp after walking a few steps, wuwuwu..."
How can a man of Lao Zhu's age bear this?
Hearing my eldest grandson crying so sadly and saying such aggrieved and sad words, I felt like my heart was broken.
His eyeballs turned red on the spot, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
When Lao Zhu heard him say that he had no father or mother, he felt as if ten thousand needles were piercing his heart, and his heart was filled with self-blame and guilt.
This child is resentful of us, blaming us for not taking good care of him!
"Grandson, stop talking. We know you've been wronged..."
"Although your father is gone, you still have your grandfather. He will take good care of you and will never let anyone bully you!"
"Xing Zu!"
"From now on, I will prepare a special meal for my grandson in the imperial kitchen, and all his needs will be charged to my account!"
"Whatever our eldest grandson wants to eat, you should prepare it for him. Don't be rude to him!"
"Why!"
"I obey your command!"
Xu Xingzu looked at the grandfather and grandson hugging each other and crying, and wiped away his tears sadly.
What this child said was truly pathetic. Every word was heart-wrenching and anyone would not be able to bear it.
Even if the emperor didn't give any orders, he planned to take extra care of the child and send someone to bring him food every day.
I can’t say how much more, but no matter what other princes and grandchildren of the emperor eat, he will definitely have his share.
As for the ingredients, it’s even simpler. Just steal a few pieces from a few chickens, right?
He just didn't believe that anyone had so much free time to put the chicken bones back together!
Old Zhu hugged his eldest grandson and cried for a long time. Seeing that he was about to go to the morning court, he comforted him with red eyes.
"It's getting late. Just go to the main hall and study. Someone will bring you food in the evening!"
"If you have any food you want to eat, send someone to the imperial kitchen to us know."
When Xu Xingzu heard this, he quickly agreed.
"I will do as you say and will never let His Royal Highness the Second Grandson suffer any injustice again..."
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Zhu Yunhuan nodded obediently, then picked up two big buns from the table and put them in his sleeves, then skipped towards the main hall.
When Old Zhu saw this scene, he burst into tears again.
If the child wasn't extremely hungry, would he have taken two buns with him after eating so much?
He was afraid that he wouldn't have enough to eat at noon, so he brought two with him just in case!
"My eldest grandson is so pitiful, woo woo woo..."
"The second grandson is indeed pitiful..."
Xu Xingzu echoed and shed a few tears like Lao Zhu. Then, as if he remembered something, he suddenly asked.
"By the way, Your Majesty, what level of diet should the Second Grandson follow? Please give me your instructions."
Old Zhu was crying sadly, and when he heard this he said it without thinking.
"Is there any need to ask? Of course it's based on our level!"
When Xu Xingzu heard this, he was stunned.
Considering the emperor's status, each dish has to be prepared in triplicate.
One portion was tasted on the spot by the chef who cooked the dish, one portion was kept for later use, and the last portion was served to the emperor.
In this way, security is greatly guaranteed, but the cost also rises sharply.
"Your Majesty, are you sure?"
Old Zhu snorted coldly when he heard this.
"certainly!"
"As you deliver the food, send someone to keep an eye on it. Don't delegate it to others. Make sure to send someone you trust to deliver it!"
"If anything goes wrong and our grandson eats something he shouldn't, you will be held responsible!"
When Xu Xingzu heard this, he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and his expression became serious.
This is no longer just an ordinary instruction, but a golden rule that must be followed by the law.
Xu Xingzu solemnly bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang to show his seriousness in this matter.
"I obey your command!"
"From now on, the Second Grandson's diet will be monitored by this old servant. Please rest assured, Your Majesty!"
