usatvline Chapter 68 Fermentation
Chapter 68 Fermentation
Having established the verification method, Zhu Gaoxi thought that the old emperor would then arrange for him to read memorials and teach him how to handle government affairs.
As a result, the old emperor once again allowed him and Youdun to move around freely.
Zhu Gaoxi felt extremely frustrated and harbored resentment in his heart.
Isn't this being overly cautious?
It seems that the old emperor is waiting to receive Zhu Quan's memorial before making a decision.
The old emperor was uneasy, and he wouldn't act until he saw a clear outcome. Zhu Gaoxi was helpless and could only wait and see.
The grandfather felt immense pain in his heart whenever he thought about which of his two grandsons would lose and be eliminated.
The old emperor couldn't come up with a perfect solution. He hesitated to make a decision, clinging to illusions and procrastinating, hoping for a miracle and that Yunwen would reconcile with Youdun and Gaoxi.
He needs to let the Embroidered Uniform Guard observe him secretly for a while longer.
If Dun and Gao Xi join forces, Yunwen will undoubtedly lose.
They are all his own grandsons, he can't bear to part with them!
However, Zhu Gaoxi had no way back.
Once the bet is placed, there's no going back.
In the struggle for power, the paths ahead are mutually exclusive; the victor is king and the loser is villain—this has been the case since ancient times.
Zhu Gaoxi had no choice but to obey, unable to express his grievances.
Haste makes waste; let things develop gradually.
This is a good opportunity to take advantage of my free time to go to the school outside the palace.
Since taking over the school, Zhu Gaoxi has never visited it.
Unexpectedly, I ran into Zhu Jingyi at the school gate. It had been a long time since I'd seen her. I heard that Old Madam Geng was seriously ill and that she was busy taking care of her.
"Sister, sister!" Zhu Gaoxi waved his hand and called out loudly, attracting the attention of a few passersby.
Zhu Jingyi stopped upon hearing the sound, but instead of the surprise Zhu Gaoxi had expected, she looked away and said, "You've come. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
As she spoke, Zhu Jingyi hurriedly walked in the opposite direction.
"That's a dead end," Xu Miaojin whispered.
Worried that Zhu Jingyi would overhear, Zhu Youdun quickly stopped Xu Miaojin with a look.
Xu Miaojin smiled, swallowing the rest of her sentence.
Upon entering the school's lounge, Xu Miaojin could no longer hold back and blurted out, "She's deliberately avoiding us."
Zhu Gaoxi could see it all too well, but what could he do?
Everyone has their own way of living, and you can't force them to.
Perhaps Zhu Yunwen said something to Zhu Jingyi—it could be a warning, a threat, or an attempt to entice or win her over. Of course, it could also be a combination of all three.
Zhu Gaoxi gave a thoughtful, wry smile and remained silent.
He has no right to demand that all his acquaintances support him unconditionally like Youdun and Miaojin.
let it go.
Life is full of disappointments, so one more won't hurt.
Zhu Gaoxi was feeling down and wanted to go for a walk. It was lunchtime, so he asked Wu Sheng to accompany him to the dining hall.
Seeing a group of children sitting around several tables, eating together in a lively atmosphere, Zhu Gaoxi became very interested and wanted to go over and eat with them.
Upon seeing this, Wu Sheng quickly stepped forward to stop them.
Perhaps he felt the school food wasn't refined enough and worried we wouldn't be able to eat it, so Zhu Gaoxi listened to his advice and stood aside to watch.
To prevent younger children from missing out on meat, Zhu Gaoxi stipulated that meals be taken in groups based on age.
At the dinner table for five-year-olds, a little girl, thin and frail like a shriveled kitten, slowly sipped a bowl of thin porridge.
The meat and vegetables were served and quickly devoured.
The little girl continued to quietly drink her porridge.
"Is she under five years old?" Zhu Gaoxi asked, pointing at the little girl.
"Your Highness, Douya is already six years old. Seeing that she is weak, let her eat with a five-year-old child," Wu Sheng said with a sigh. "She is a picky eater, she won't eat this or that, she won't fight for food, and she is always sick. She is the most troublesome."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi approached and took a closer look. He saw that the person was sallow-faced, thin, and skin and bones, clearly suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
The children in the school had never seen Zhu Gaoxi before and thought he was a new orphan. Only a few of them glanced up at him before continuing to eat, and most of them seemed not to notice anything amiss.
Wu Sheng wanted them to stand up and pay their respects, but Zhu Gaoxi stopped him with a look.
Zhu Gaoxi returned to the lounge, sat down, drank a couple of sips of hot water, and asked, "How many children are as sickly as bean sprouts?"
"Six, one boy and five girls," Wu Sheng answered fluently.
"Call them all out, I'll take them back to the palace."
These sick and weak children weren't strong enough to squeeze in even if they wanted to eat.
The cruel law of natural selection, which favors the fittest, cannot be applied to people. It would be easier to simply abandon them indifferently, but Zhu Gaoxi could not stand idly by and let them fend for themselves.
If they stay in the school, their health will only deteriorate, and they will either die of illness or starvation.
Raised in the Prince's Mansion, each person had their own set of meals, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, and milk, with a variety of dishes. The food supply was plentiful, and the nutrition was naturally adequate. After being raised like this for two or three years, their health would be almost fully recovered.
Wu Sheng wanted to offer some words of advice, but seeing that Zhu Gaoxi had already made up his mind, he hesitated for a moment and then gave up the idea.
"Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush."
Zhu Gaoxi knew that Wu Sheng genuinely cared about him.
"The school only takes in money and doesn't give it back, spending money like water. How can this continue?" Wu Sheng said with a worried look on his face.
"I'll figure out the money. Those old women aren't doing their jobs properly; we need to replace them with new ones."
Zhu Gaoxi would never employ a vicious person who disregards the life and death of others.
But where could he find a kind nanny who genuinely cared for the child? Zhu Gaoxi was at a loss.
The fact that Douya and the others were sickly was not Wu Sheng's fault.
The school has dedicated headmistresses who are responsible for taking care of the children's daily lives. These headmistresses were all hired by Zhu Jingyi.
Wu Sheng usually only handles purchasing.
It was only because Zhu Gaoxi had instructed him to pay close attention to the affairs of the school that he gained an understanding of various aspects of the situation.
"This is easy. I'll find a few reliable nannies to take care of the children's eating, drinking, and toileting."
Seeing Zhu Gaoxi's worried expression, Xu Miaojin volunteered to take on the matter herself.
Taking care of infants and young children is a skill, and Zhu Gaoxi himself was still a child, so he naturally had a headache when faced with this kind of thing.
"Yes, let's leave it to Miaojin," Zhu Youdun chimed in from the side.
"That would be perfect," Zhu Gaoxi said, happy to be a hands-off manager.
In the evening, in the vegetable garden.
Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Youdun were chatting under the moonlight.
"The six of them, including Bean Sprout, were actually abandoned by the head housekeeper. Some farm families hatch their own chicks and sell them at the market. The weaker ones are picked out and thrown away because they won't be able to get food and will starve to death soon. Throwing them away early saves some food."
Zhu Youdun didn't want to talk about these harsh realities, but if Zhu Gaoxi were to compete for the throne, he would have to face even more cruel things.
Once you're in the game, there's no other possibility than a winner and a loser.
"But Douya and the others are human beings," Zhu Gaoxi said angrily.
"For those head nannies, taking care of a weak child requires a lot of thought and energy. If something happens to the child, it will be difficult for the head nanny to clear herself, so she will try to avoid it if possible."
"Moreover, in the eyes of these nannies, sick children are unlucky, and they don't want to be tainted by bad luck."
"After all that effort and worry, if the sick child doesn't live long, they won't get any benefit at all."
"Bean Sprout is a girl, and she's not particularly good-looking."
"The prettier ones can marry a rich man, and the nanny might benefit from it. But if they're not pretty, the nanny won't get anything out of it."
"For a young woman, there is no better way out than to marry into a wealthy family."
Zhu Youdun spoke at length, wanting Zhu Gaoxi to understand the calculations in the hearts of ordinary people.
Zhu Gaoxi grew up in the palace, where he had no worries about food or clothing, and rarely had the opportunity to come into contact with such things.
"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for profit; it's all for their own benefit," Zhu Gaoxi thought to himself, his mind heavy with worries.
"That's roughly it," Zhu Youdun patted his shoulder lightly, "satisfy your own interests first, then we'll talk about other things."
"Even so, I want to do something to help more vulnerable people like Douya, so that they have the opportunity to survive, live healthily, and realize their own value," Zhu Gaoxi said earnestly. "If only we could have thousands of mansions, so that all the poor scholars in the world could be happy. Brother, shall we work together to make sure that everyone in the world can eat their fill, dress warmly, and have enough to eat and wear?"