Chapter 74: Paying Respects

Hongwu Year Four, February 9th.

At dawn, in the new room of the rear courtyard of Wu Wang Fu, there was movement.

Guanyin Nu woke early, opened her eyes and saw Zhu Yong still sleeping beside her, and her face flushed red.

She rose quietly on tiptoe, just about to get out of bed, when Zhu Yong opened his eyes.

"Awake?" he asked naively.

"Hmm… Brother Zhu Yong, it's time to get up; today we must go to pay respects to Imperial Father and Imperial Mother," Guanyin Nu whispered.

Zhu Yong sat up, scratched his head and replied, "Right, we should go pay our respects."

The two had just dressed neatly and stepped outside when they heard sounds coming from ahead.

Hu Bo was already up, directing the servants to sweep the Tingyuan.

"Prince, getting up so early?" Hu Bo asked with a smile.

"I'm used to it. Hu Bo, is the carriage ready? We still have to go into the palace to pay respects," Zhu Yong said as he headed with Guanyin Nu toward Qian Ting.

"Prince, this old servant is already prepared," Hu Bo replied cheerfully.

"Alright…"

Zhu Yong nodded and said.

At that moment, a clamor erupted from outside.

"Second Prince! Second Prince, are you up yet!"

"We have come to pay respects to Second Prince and Second Sister-in-law!"

It was Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang's voices, sounding ill‑intentioned.

Zhu Di also shouted from outside, "Second Prince, open the door!"

Zhu Yong frowned, walked over and opened the door.

At the doorway were three heads: Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Su hiding behind them.

"What are you doing?" Zhu Yong asked.

Zhu Shuang chuckled, "Second Prince, we came to see you… and Second Sister-in-law."

Zhu Gang leaned in, "Second Prince, did you sleep well last night?"

The two boys wore smug faces.

Zhu Yong raised his hand and gave Zhu Shuang a head‑slap, saying, "At such a young age you don't learn well, looking for a beating, huh?"

"Ouch! Second Prince, I was just asking…" Zhu Shuang cried, clutching his forehead.

"Ask what you want, go to the training ground; later I'll inspect your skills," Zhu Yong said with a stern face.

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang instantly wore miserable faces.

Zhu Di, however, excitedly said, "Second Prince, can I now learn the Hammer Technique from you?"

"You can lift the hammer before we talk, Minmin, have you finished tidying up? Let's first go to the training ground to drill these kids," Zhu Yong said, then turned and shouted toward the room.

Guanyin Nu emerged from the room, already groomed, wearing a light purple palace outfit, dignified and beautiful.

Seeing so many princes at the doorway, she felt shy, but still courteously bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highnesses."

Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang quickly returned the salute, "Greetings, Second Sister-in-law."

Zhu Di also properly bowed, "Second Sister-in-law, hello."

Zhu Su, hiding behind, whispered, "Second Sister-in-law…"

Zhu Yong waved his hand broadly, "Let's go, all to the training ground."

The training ground of Wu Wang Fu was huge, about half a Training Ground in size.

Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Su lined up, with Zhu Yong standing before them.

Guanyin Nu sat on a stone bench beside them, watching.

"Fifth Prince, you go first, practice Set Fist for me to see," Zhu Yong said to Zhu Di.

Zhu Di is eleven this year; besides having studied with the palace martial instructors for over a year, and recently training with Zhu Yong for some time, he has made some progress.

He stepped into the center, assumed a stance, performed a set of Founding Ancestor Long Fist; his technique was already proper, and his power was quite good.

Zhu Yong, after watching, nodded and said, "Not bad, but your lower stance is unstable; you need to practice Horse Stance more."

Next were Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang.

The two, older than Zhu Di and with longer training, delivered punches with fierce vigor.

Zhu Yong, however, frowned and said, "All flash, no substance; Lao San, if your punch hits me, it's like scratching an itch."

Zhu Shuang, feeling indignant, said, "Second Prince, my punch is heavy, and recently I've been learning the Ten‑Thousand Enemies Skill from General Xu Da Xu…"

"No matter which Ten‑Thousand Enemies Skill you learned, I'm the one teaching you now; again, throw a punch at me and try," Zhu Yong gestured.

Zhu Shuang hesitated briefly, then stepped forward, gathered his strength, and punched Zhu Yong in the chest.

"Bang" a muffled thud.

Zhu Yong remained perfectly still.

"Second Prince, is your chest made of iron?"

"It's not iron; your strength is too weak," Zhu Yong shook his head.

Finally...

After half an hour of training, the four boys were panting heavily.

Zhu Yong finally released them, saying, "That's enough for today; we'll continue tomorrow."

Zhu Shuang, with a sorrowful face, said, "Second Prince, I still have school tomorrow…"

"Practice before school, be here at the hour of the rooster, just like before..." Zhu Yong said, not allowing discussion.

The four boys trudged away dejectedly; they had hoped that, since Second Prince had just married, they could slack off a few days, but in the end they couldn't.

Zhu Yong turned around and gave Guanyin Nu a goofy smile, saying, "These kids, without training they won't become anything."

Guanyin Nu pursed her lips and laughed, "Brother Yong is indeed strict with them."

"Strict teachers produce outstanding disciples, as my elder brother said," Zhu Yong said.

The two had a simple breakfast and then entered the palace to pay their respects.

In Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma were having their morning meal.

Seeing Zhu Yong and Guanyin Nu come in, Empress Ma smiled, "You're here, sit and eat together."

Zhu Yuanzhang, unusually gentle, said, "Yong Er, now that you're married you're an adult; from now on you must act more steadily."

"Yes, Father," Zhu Yong replied naively.

Guanyin Nu performed a proper bow, "Your Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, I, your son, pay my respects."

"Good child, get up quickly; have you gotten used to living in Wu Wang Fu? Yong Er, has he bullied you…" Empress Ma pulled her to sit and said.

Guanyin Nu blushed, "Brother Yong treats me very well."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded approvingly, "That's good; Yong Er may be simple, but his heart is sincere. Please be more tolerant of him."

After talking for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang had to attend court, so he left first.

Empress Ma stayed behind with Zhu Yong and Guanyin Nu, carefully instructing them on many ways for Husband and Wife to get along.

"Minmin, you are a Mongol who married into Great Ming; it's natural to feel uneasy about some things. If anything, just tell Mother, and Mother will decide for you," Empress Ma said, holding Guanyin Nu's hand.

"Thank you, Mother, for your concern; I, your son, will adapt as soon as possible," Guanyin Nu said movedly.

"Yong Er as well, don't spend all day only training in martial arts; spend more time with your wife. Mother is already looking forward to holding a grandson!" Empress Ma reminded Zhu Yong again.

"I know," Zhu Yong nodded.

Zhu Yong didn't mind hearing that, but Guanyin Nu grew a little shy, involuntarily flushing and lowering her head.

Leaving Qianqing Palace, the two headed toward the Eastern Palace, preparing to find Zhu Biao for a chat.