My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 21 The Marriage of the Imperial Grandson

Zhu Gaoxi was so engrossed in running that he didn't see where he was going and accidentally bumped into a small, fleshy creature. When he stopped and looked closely, he realized it was Fu Rong, Fu Zhong's son.

"What's wrong with you?" Fu Rong fell flat on his back, extremely angry.

Following behind Fu Rong, Duke Ying, Fu Youde, quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and carefully checked Zhu Gaoxi for injuries. "Are you alright? Did the young prince get hurt? Does it hurt?"

"It's nothing," Zhu Gaoxi shook his head.

Seeing that his grandfather cared more about outsiders than about himself, Fu Rong angrily drew his knife and was about to attack him.

The short knife that Zhu Youdun gave him might have been fitted with a trap; Fu Rong tried his best but couldn't pull it out.

Zhu Gaoxi looked back and saw the painted-face man standing not far away. He said to Fu Youde, "I'm fine."

"You can't run away alone. Come back to Qianqing Palace with me," Fu Youde said, taking Zhu Gaoxi's hand and leading Fu Rong with his other hand.

Fu Rong stuck out his tongue at him and made a face as a form of protest.

Zhu Gaoxi bared his teeth and gave him an even more ferocious grimac.

I'm tired from running, so I'll go back and rest for a while.

Xu Miaojin's matter needs to be considered carefully.

Before long, Zhu Youdun came running over.

"Duke Ying," Zhu Youdun greeted Fu Youde.

"I just ran into the young prince on the road. Let's hand him over to the heir apparent," Fu Youde said, releasing his grip and gently pushing Zhu Gaoxi forward.

Zhu Gaoxi reluctantly walked to Zhu Youdun's side.

After Fu Youde walked away, Zhu Youdun picked up Zhu Gaoxi and asked, "Want to go horseback riding?"

"I'm not going!" Zhu Gaoxi replied stubbornly; he wasn't so easily coaxed.

"I didn't know Miaojin's thoughts before," Zhu Youdun explained embarrassedly.

"And now?" Zhu Gaoxi asked expectantly.

"She won't listen to me now," Zhu Youdun said with difficulty.

"You're not allowed to...like it," Zhu Gaoxi said domineeringly.

"I didn't dare to like it," Zhu Youdun said with a grin.

"I don't believe you," Zhu Gaoxi wanted him to swear an oath.

Zhu Youdun feigned ignorance, avoiding the main point, and said, "How about I get you something good to eat?"

"Swear an oath," Zhu Gaoxi demanded directly.

"No need to swear, I'll definitely buy it for you," Zhu Youdun deliberately changed the subject.

Zhu Youdun bullied the child!

Zhu Gaoxi broke free from him and tried to run away again.

But no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.

Zhu Youdun held him firmly and said very seriously, "You have to learn to respect Miaojin's choice. Since you like her, you have to think about her and not just your own feelings. If you keep making a fuss, you will only make a mess of the relationship. You are too young and don't understand that marriage and starting a family require mutual consent."

Zhu Gaoxi felt ashamed for not considering Miaojin's feelings and stopped moving around.

According to Miao Jin's wishes, he will lose Miao Jin forever, and the thought of it is heartbreaking.

"You'll marry him?" Zhu Gaoxi asked.

"My marriage will be arranged by my grandfather," Zhu Youdun said, ending the conversation and taking Zhu Gaoxi to the horse farm.

As dusk fell, Zhu Yunwen returned to the Qianqing Palace and saw that the two had reconciled as before, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Xu Miaojin made a harsh statement to Zhu Gaoxi, saying that if he dared to say he would marry her again, they would never see each other again in this life.

The turmoil has temporarily subsided, and Xu Miaojin has returned to the Duke of Wei's mansion. She never leaves the main gate or the inner gate, and Zhu Gaoxi cannot see her even if he wants to.

Zhu Gaoxi felt a deep emptiness at her unexpected and intense reaction.

"A woman values ​​her reputation most. Your foolish behavior will damage her reputation," Zhu Youdun gently comforted her.

After the turmoil subsided, Zhu Yuanzhang began to seriously consider the marriage of his grandson.

During the Spring Festival, he cast a wide net for the four imperial grandsons, Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Shangbing, and Zhu Youdun, making frequent visits and keeping a close eye on which families had daughters of marriageable age.

Zhu Gaoxi's heart was in his throat. He felt that as long as Zhu Youdun came to ask for it, Xu Miaojin would definitely agree without hesitation.

However, Zhu Youdun seemed to have forgotten about this, as he was busy preparing for the sea patrol.

Duke Tang He of Xinguo entered the palace in early February, and Zhu Youdun could leave the capital no later than March.

Zhu Gaoxi was extremely grateful to Zhu Youdun. If Zhu Youdun hadn't deliberately avoided him, he might have missed out on meeting Xu Miaojin forever.

Undeterred, Zhu Gaoxi's budding love for Xu Miaojin only grew stronger.

Although Zhu Gaoxi never saw Xu Miaojin again, his longing for her never ceased.

Regarding the marriage of princes and grandsons, Zhu Yuanzhang had long established rules, requiring the selection of daughters from respectable families for marriage.

To prevent interference in politics by relatives of the emperor, the wives of princes and grandsons should be selected from ordinary families, preferably from low- to mid-level officials.

They possess a certain level of education and refinement, yet have no access to those in power.

Of course, Zhu Yuanzhang did not strictly adhere to this rule. Many of his princes' principal wives came from noble families, and he also married several of his daughters to the sons of meritorious officials.

If Xu Miaojin, the third daughter of Duke Xu Da of Wei, were to marry Zhu Youdun, it would further strengthen the power of Zhu Youdun and even the Prince of Zhou's mansion, and might even endanger the position of the Crown Prince. Clearly, she was not a good match.

Unless Xu Miaojin is willing to marry the Crown Prince, Zhu Yuanzhang will not allow her to marry into the royal family in the short term.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang secretly sent people to the Duke of Wei's mansion to ask repeatedly, and Xu Miaojin insisted that she would never marry Zhu Yunwen.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang did a very good job of keeping it a secret, Zhu Yunwen still noticed something was amiss.

His emotions began to stir restlessly once again.

Zhu Gaoxi heard his innermost thoughts again.

"What's so great about that Zhu Youdun? Why would she give up being the rightful Crown Prince's consort and insist on waiting to marry Zhu Youdun in the future?"

"Zhu Youdun, he's everywhere, he's like a persistent ghost."

"Zhu Youdun, Zhu Youdun, since you want to take everything, don't blame me for being impolite."

"Zhu Youdun, you'll regret this until you cry for your parents! You tried to steal the Emperor's favor, and you even tried to steal Xu Miaojin's true love! When will you ever stop? You take whatever I want! This is outrageous! You're despicable!"

"Zhu Youdun, just you wait, I'm not finished with you."

……

Zhu Gaoxi was terrified, wondering how Zhu Yunwen intended to deal with Zhu Youdun.

It turns out that Zhu Yunwen liked and cared about Xu Miaojin so much.

Zhu Gaoxi felt that Zhu Yunwen was always wearing a mask.

His icy expression concealed all his emotional fluctuations, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Zhu Gaoxi grew increasingly resentful of Zhu Yunwen.

He preferred to stay by Zhu Youdun's side, watching Zhu Youdun busy himself, rather than get close to Zhu Yunwen's insincere affection.

"Swimming?" Zhu Gaoxi exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the swimsuit that Zhu Youdun had made himself.

"Yes, swimming. Do you want to learn? I'll teach you when you come back in a while," Zhu Youdun asked softly.

Zhu Gaoxi shook his head in fear. He was afraid of water; he had been drowned as a child in his previous life.

"Don't be afraid, I will protect you," Zhu Youdun comforted her.

"No!" Zhu Gaoxi was still terrified.

"Then we won't study. We can go out on a boat and have some fun," Zhu Youdun said, rubbing his hair to ease his panic.