Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 4 People truly never tire when they're doing bad things.

The Eastern Palace.

Zhu Gaochi ate his breakfast slowly and happily, looking content and satisfied.

Zhang Yan ate on the side, but her eyes were always on Zhu Gaochi. She watched Zhu Gaochi eat with a smile on her face.

When you cook something yourself, you really hope that the person you care about most will give you a good review.

Zhu Gaochi is now eating to his heart's content; isn't that the meaning of cooking?

When Zhu Gaochi finished his bowl and was about to have another, Zhang Yan stood up, took the bowl, and served him a bowl.

"Eat more if you like it, I'll make it for you again later."

"Okay, then I'm in for a treat!"

Seeing Zhang Yan so happy, Zhu Gaochi also smiled and said.

He was quite aware of these things.

Although he never had a girlfriend in his previous life, he did have girls cook for him and had experienced that.

Unfortunately, at the time I only regretted that I was penniless and dared not let the beauty down.

Nowadays, even if Zhang Yan's cooking is really good, it still has to look delicious.

We should not let down the kindness of those around us.

Zhang Yan laughed even more heartily after hearing this.

After finishing her own meal, she watched Zhu Gaochi eat, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Just then, Zhu Zhanji, who seemed to have gone back to sleep for a while, walked over yawning and stretching.

"Father, Mother, you're eating."

"Two eggs, a bowl of millet porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables—Father, Mother, has our Crown Prince's residence gone bankrupt?"

Zhu Zhanji bowed, sat down in the chair, and stared blankly at the breakfast in front of him.

When did the Crown Prince's residence fall into such a state?

Zhu Gaochi looked over, but didn't say anything; he just smiled.

The current Zhu Zhanji shows no trace of the future Xuande Emperor.

However, Zhang Yan, who was standing to the side, looked at Zhu Zhanji and her expression changed immediately.

"If you don't want to eat, you don't have to. If you go hungry for two meals, you'll know how hard it is to come by. You're so young, yet you're already being picky."

When I was a kid, I'd be perfectly content if I could eat this for breakfast every day.

Zhang Yan was very dissatisfied with her son, whom she usually liked. Didn't she see how good the atmosphere was just now?

Now it's all gone, they have no sense of smell at all.

Zhang Yan was especially furious at his unkempt appearance.

She had just said that earlier.

"What time is it? You're only just getting up and haven't even washed up yet. How can you be a proper heir to the Crown Prince's residence?"

Was I too gentle with you before? Are you going through a rebellious phase now?

Have you already forgotten what I told you a while ago?

Zhu Zhanji stared blankly at Zhang Yan, then looked down at the breakfast in front of him, wondering if he was hallucinating.

He just made a comment, right? He didn't do anything else, did he? What did he do to deserve this?

Also, he remembered that Zhang Yan wasn't like this before, so what did she do wrong today?

The Crown Prince's residence had never had breakfast like this before. It's normal for him to ask about it when it suddenly comes here.

Then Zhang Yan asked someone to call him over for dinner. He was hungry at the time, so he came over without having time to wash up. Was that his fault?

Zhu Gaochi, who was standing to the side, laughed even harder at the sight.

He actually knew the reason, but Zhu Zhanji was too young and didn't understand these things, suffering from the disadvantage of his age.

"Alright, the child is still young, let's not say anything more to him."

He's still growing, so we can prepare more meat for him.

"Son, this was made by your mother. Eat it all, don't leave any."

Zhu Gaochi finished the last bite, while urging Zhang Yan to eat, and also talking about Zhu Zhanji.

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement after hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, and then began to clear the table with a smile.

This scene shocked Zhu Zhanji even more, leaving him completely stunned.

Zhu Zhanji was quite puzzled. Was this his mother? When did she become so obedient to Zhu Gaochi? And even cook for them herself?

The more Zhu Zhanji looked at these two, the more suspicious he became.

"Hey kid, what are you looking at? Don't meddle in adult matters, kids. Hurry up and eat."

"Huh? Oh, I'm eating..."

Seeing that Zhu Zhanji immediately became obedient, Zhu Gaochi shook his head and smiled.

He is quite satisfied with his life now; it's not bad at all.

At this moment, Zhang Yan walked over, glanced at Zhu Zhanji, and then looked at Zhu Gaochi.

"Now that the child is older, it's time to find him a teacher to properly discipline him."

The old man doesn't care about this anymore, so you need to think of a solution quickly. We can't let him have his way with everything.

The old man Zhang Yan mentioned was Zhu Di, which Zhu Gaochi was well aware of.

Normally, Zhang Yan would definitely have spoken to him in a complaining tone.

Now, things have calmed down considerably.

Zhu Gaochi didn't speak, but looked at Zhu Zhanji, who seemed flustered and kept eating the rice in his bowl.

Zhu Gaochi could easily see that Zhu Zhanji wasn't really eating; all his energy was clearly focused on them.

Pulling Zhang Yan down to sit, Zhu Gaochi laughed and said, "The child is still young. Let this kid cause trouble for another year or two, just to give him a perfect childhood."

However, you have to make sure he finishes the homework the teacher teaches. If he doesn't finish his homework, he can run off to play and you'll have to punish him severely.

Wait a moment, I'll go get you a handy tool.

Zhu Gaochi saw that Zhu Zhanji visibly trembled, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He went to the bamboo forest outside and soon came back in with a bamboo stick.

"If this kid misbehaves in the future, you can use this to spank him."

This won't break any bones or scratch the skin. If he dares to complain to the old man, or if he still doesn't listen, I'll give him a good beating.

Zhu Gaochi raised an eyebrow at Zhu Zhanji. If a perfect childhood is to be achieved, how can it be complete without bamboo strips stir-fried with meat?

Thinking back to his childhood, he certainly ate a lot.

Zhang Yan took the bamboo strip and was momentarily dumbfounded.

"This...is it for real?"

After all, he was her own son, the heir to the Crown Prince's residence, and favored by Zhu Di. Zhang Yan even hoped that Zhu Zhanji could turn around and help Zhu Gaochi. What if he got hurt?

Zhang Yan glanced at Zhu Zhanji eating, then at the bamboo strip in her hand, and was momentarily at a loss.

Actually, he was inclined to fight sometimes, but Zhu Zhanji was a bit of a special case.

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji, who had quickly finished his meal, stood up and said nonchalantly, "Mother, Father is doing this for my own good. Just keep hitting him, it's alright."

Zhu Zhanji genuinely believed that Zhu Gaochi was helping him. His words, "Let him have another year or two of trouble so that he can have a perfect childhood," deeply moved him.

Now that Zhu Gaochi is helping him so much, how could he sit idly by? He's a very loyal person.

Moreover, Zhu Zhanji genuinely looked down on that small bamboo stick, after all, he was still learning horsemanship and archery.

In Zhu Zhanji's view, such a small bamboo stick would not cause him any harm at all.

In his heart, Zhu Zhanji felt increasingly grateful and moved by Zhu Gaochi. After speaking, he winked at Zhu Gaochi to indicate that there was no problem.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gaochi was even more delighted, his smile growing even brighter.

This person has never tried stir-fried pork with bamboo strips before, and has no idea how potent it is.

If he wanted to be beaten so badly, he would be letting Zhu Zhanji down if he didn't help Zhu Zhanji fulfill his wish.

"Your child has already agreed, so don't be afraid. You won't hurt him. Just keep hitting him as hard as you want."

He is the heir apparent; how can we sit idly by and watch him go astray? As his parents, we must correct him in time.

Hitting him is for his own good.

Zhu Gaochi couldn't suppress the urge to smile.

After all these years, it's finally his turn to say these things.

Kids should have fun while they're young, otherwise they won't have the chance when they grow up.

Only when the dragon slayer becomes the dragon does he know how exhilarating it is.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan glanced at Zhu Zhanji, then at Zhu Gaochi, and nodded firmly.

"Alright, since you all say so, it's settled then."

"Son, if you don't behave, don't blame your mother for being heartless."

Zhang Yan is a reasonable person; she made this decision simply for Zhu Zhanji's own good.

Zhu Gaochi's words resonated deeply with her.

How can a child become a great man if he is not strictly disciplined? Especially since Zhu Zhanji is the heir apparent and will become the crown prince, the emperor, and the emperor in the future, he must be disciplined more strictly than others.

Zhu Di may not care, but she and Zhu Gaochi cannot be ignored.

This is not only a family matter, but also a national matter, concerning the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji smiled when they saw Zhang Yan agree.

Zhu Gaochi was laughing because he saw a familiar scene from his childhood, but now the roles were reversed.

Zhu Zhanji was happy because he could still have two more years of unbridled activity.

Zhang Yan smiled too, relieved that Zhu Gaochi was truly different and had begun to care about Zhu Zhanji.

And that's how a set was formed.

Zhu Zhanji had no idea that his nightmare was about to begin.