Chapter 82: My mother’s family is still reliable at critical moments!
The next morning.
Zhu Yunhuan was awakened by Sandezi before he even woke up.
"Your Highness, get up quickly, today is the day of the Crown Prince's funeral!"
"oh……"
Zhu Yunxun got up dazedly, washed, changed into plain clothes, put on a filial piety hat, and went to the front hall to take a nap leaning against a pillar.
He had already inquired about it, and knew that the funeral ceremony for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very complicated, and it would be considered fast if they could set off at six in the morning.
Zhu Yunhuan could take a nap, but Zhu Yunwen could not.
Early in the morning, his mother gave him instructions on how to behave and how to cry. At the end, she gave him a handkerchief soaked in ginger juice and asked him to keep it in his sleeve for emergency use.
In fact, Lu Shi did underestimate Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Yunwen dared not say anything else, but it was easy for him to cry.
After all, he was not like some rebellious son who dozed off against a pillar; he had real feelings for his father.
While they were busy in the mourning hall, the court officials, nobles, and relatives outside also arranged their seats.
Last night the Ministry of Rites sent someone to inform of today's itinerary. After learning that the funeral would be on foot, every minister ate something delicious and secretly hid some cakes, cucumbers and the like in their sleeves to snack on on the road.
Lan Yu stood among the generals, ranking third.
He looked at Feng Sheng and Fu Youde who were standing in front of him and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
You two old bastards, I'll let you be proud for a few more days. Once our nephew and grandson are established as the heir , we will be able to rise to the top.
The conflict between Lan Yu and the two was purely because he had nothing better to do and was looking for trouble.
He always felt that he had made greater contributions and should be named the Prince's Grand Tutor. How could he be inferior to these two?
Because of this, he was scolded by Lao Zhu, but he still did not repent.
Relying on his status as the prince's uncle, he repeatedly disrespected Fu Youde and Feng Sheng.
Now the sudden death of the crown prince not only dealt him a heavy blow, but also disrupted his rhythm of pretending to be cool, causing him to unconsciously keep a low profile.
Lan Yu was a person who couldn't stay still, so when he saw the ceremonial officer making gestures, he quietly moved forward.
Just as the ceremonial officer was about to scold him, he saw Lan Yu enthusiastically reach out his hand and shake it. Then he felt his sleeve become heavy, as if something heavy was stuffed into it.
Lan Yu's generosity was well-known in the capital. Whenever he gave something away, he would give out gold beans, gold leaves and the like.
It is small in size, high in value, easy to hide and carry, and is simply the perfect choice for bringing people closer together.
When the ceremonial officer thought of this, his face turned as warm as spring breeze when he looked at Lan Yu.
"Why did the Duke of Liang step out of the line? This is against the rules!"
"Before His Majesty arrives, please go back immediately. I will pretend I didn't see anything!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Yu not only did not go back, but instead pulled the ceremonial officer to a corner.
"Young sir, I don't have anything to do. I just want to ask who was the one who smashed the fire pot and hit the banner today."
When the ceremonial officer heard this, he felt relieved.
This is not a secret, and the ceremony is about to be held, so naturally everyone will know about it by then.
"Do I even need to ask? Of course it's His Royal Highness the Grandson of the Emperor."
When Lan Yu heard this, he felt it was irritating.
"Where did the emperor's eldest grandson come from? Didn't the emperor's eldest grandson die ten years ago?"
The ceremonial officer was also suddenly awakened when he heard this. Some time ago, His Majesty had asked their Ministry of Rites to prepare a ceremony to commemorate the eldest grandson of the Emperor, Prince Yu. It was obvious that His Majesty was not very satisfied with the title of "eldest grandson of the Emperor".
It's just that I've gotten used to calling it that over the years, and for the moment I'm having a hard time getting used to it.
"Your humble servant has spoken out of turn!"
"Although the eldest grandson of the emperor has passed away, His Royal Highness Yunwen, the second grandson of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, is the oldest among all his sons, so he should be the one to preside over this matter."
"oh?"
Lan Yu looked dissatisfied when he heard this.
"Are you sure?"
The ceremonial officer immediately opened the ceremony, turned to the page about breaking the fire basin and carrying the banner, and pointed to a line of small words on it.
"Duke Liang, please look, this is the ceremonial process issued by our Ministry of Rites. It clearly states that the emperor's second grandson, Zhu Yunwen, will preside over the ceremony!"
Lan Yu actually stretched his neck to take a look, and saw that it was just as the ceremonial officer said, and his old face immediately fell.
What exactly does Zhu the Butcher mean? Didn’t we agree on this last time at the Prince’s Mansion? He intended to make Zhu Yunhuan the heir.
Since Zhu Yunhuan was to be enthroned, how could such an important task as smashing the fire pot and carrying the banner be entrusted to a bastard!
When Lan Yu was thinking this, he happened to see Zhu Yunhuan walking out of the hall. He saw his nephew's aggrieved look on his face, and his eyes turned red with heartache.
"Zhu Yunxun!"
Zhu Yunhuan was woken up by the urge to pee, and was looking for the toilet with a frown on his face. In Lan Yu's eyes, he looked very aggrieved.
"Huh?"
"Uncle Blue!"
Lan Yu took a few big strides to his nephew, pinched his chubby little face, and said with a firm look in his eyes.
"Don't worry, nephew. Even if your uncle sacrifices his life, he will never let you suffer any injustice!"
Zhu Yunhuan had been feeling wronged these days, and when he suddenly heard such thoughtful words, he immediately gave Lan Yu a hug.
"Granduncle, your grandson will be counting on you from now on, wuwuwu..."
When Lan Yu heard this, tears immediately fell from her already red eyes.
This child must have suffered a lot of grievances, otherwise why would he be so emotional.
"child!"
"As long as my uncle is here, no one can take away what is yours!"
At this moment, the sound of His Majesty arriving came from afar. Zhu Yunhuan felt the urge to urinate when he heard the noise, and quickly let go of Lan Yu.
"Uncle, you go ahead and do your work. I'm going to the backyard to relieve myself!"
Lan Yu waved his hand when he heard this.
"Go ahead!"
"I will go to see His Majesty right now and get your things back !"
Zhu Yunhuan was really touched when he heard this. At this moment, he suddenly felt how good it was to have the protection of his mother's family.
"Thank you, Uncle!"
"But you don't have to be too persistent. If the Emperor really doesn't like me, you should just give up. But don't piss off that old man. He hits people really hard..."
Seeing that his nephew and grandson were so wronged, Lan Yu did not forget to comfort himself, which made him feel so distressed that his heart was broken.
"It's okay...your great uncle knows what's going on, you don't need to worry, wuwuwu..."
When Zhu Yunhuan heard Lan Yu say this, he stopped trying to persuade him and hurried to the backyard to cry. While crying, he imagined that his great uncle must feel that he was wronged in the palace and was planning to ask the emperor to make him a king!
Humph!
At critical moments, your mother’s family is still reliable!
Lan Yu wiped her tears, looked at the emperor's carriage approaching, and hurried over to kneel on the side of the road.
Old Zhu was already somewhat dissatisfied when he saw Lan Yu wandering around like a street urchin. Now that he saw him blocking his way, he felt even more unhappy.
"Duke Liang, what do you mean?"
Lan Yuhu looked at Zhu Yuanzhang with tears in his eyes.
"Sir, I would like to ask you one question: Is Zhu Yunhuan still the legitimate son of the Crown Prince's Mansion?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned when he heard this, and thought to himself, you are a man who favors his concubine over his wife, when did you ever take a fancy to your legitimate son.
You have left your legitimate son in your hometown to look after the ancestral home, okay?
"Of course!"
"The late Crown Princess Chang was carried into the palace from Hongwu Gate in a sedan chair carried by eight men. The child she gave birth to must be a legitimate son. Who dares to question it?"
Lan Yu felt warmed at heart when he heard this. Although Zhu the Butcher was cruel, he was still very kind to his brother-in-law, King Kaiping. Even though his brother-in-law had passed away for so many years, he still took good care of the Chang family. Even when his eldest nephew Chang Mao got into trouble, he did not punish him according to military law, but only stripped him of his title and demoted him to a local commander.
Compared with other noble honors, it is no exaggeration to say that this honor is heavy.
"Then why does the ceremonial officer write that Zhu Yunwen smashed the fire basin and hit the banner?"
When Old Zhu heard this, he looked puzzled and turned to look at Erhu beside him.
"We asked you to go to the Ministry of Rites yesterday. Did you go?"
"Your Majesty, I have gone there and personally delivered your instructions to Minister Zhao!"
"That shouldn't be the case..."
