Zhu Junyang

**Prince Jing Estate**
Zhu Xiaoli (Father)
Jiang Meijuan (Mother)
Zhu Junli (1st Brother)
Zhu Congsheng (Nephew)
Zhu Junxi (2nd Brother)
Han Xiaomu (SiL)

**Yu Family**
Yu Hai (FiL)
Liu Muyun (MiL)
Yu Hang (BiL)
Yu Xiaolian (SiL)
Zhuang Xiaomo (BiL)
Yu Fan (BiL)

**Royal Family**
Zhu Huaiyong (Great-Grandfather)
Zhu Junfan (Cousin)
Meng Feijia (Cousin-in-Law)
Zhu Hanwen (2nd Cousin)
Zhu Danyi (2nd Cousin)

He is first introduced when the Yu Family (Hai, Xiaocao, Xiaolian and Fan) went to the beach to catch some seafood. Yu Xiaocao noticed his body floating in the water and Yu Hai swam out to save him.

Soon after being saved he was sent to the Western Hemisphere at the request of Zhu Junfan to bring back potatoes and corn in hopes that the Ming Dynasty would one day be able to use those crops to ensure that no citizen of the Dynasty would go hungry. After one and half years he returned successfully.

At the Tangu Docks he noticed Xiaocao's head bobbing looking through the sand on the beach. Curiosity got the best of him and he went to see what she was doing, once he got closer he noticed she was picking through the sand and gathering corn kernels. As she was trying to pick up a kernel he stepped on it, after bantering back and forth together he told her he would let her grow the corn if she could name the plant it came from.

Once he returned to the Capital City he was ordered by Zhu Junfan to grow the corn and potatoes but he then left the Capital to visit Jiang Meijuan who was living in Tangu Town. When he reached her villa he hid behind some trees and heard her lamenting to Yu Xiaocao that he didn't come visit her and went straight to the Capital. Before he could step out from the trees Xiaocao tell his mother “Your Highness, all men strive for self-improvement and all mothers hope that their sons will be successful, right? However, since the past, it is hard to be both successful and filial at the same time. If the young royal prince first came to see you, in other people’s eyes, wouldn’t that be something to criticize him for? Your Highness, you also don’t want him to be accused of being inattentive to his duties right after he got home from such a long journey, right? I believe that the young royal prince has been thinking about you this entire time! Once he organizes all of his affairs in the capital, he absolutely will rush over here to see you!”

After spending a few days with Jiang Meijuan he went to Yu Xiaocao and asked her how the corn was fairing. He went with her to Dongshan Village and took a seedling back to the Capital City to show the Ministers and Zhu Junfan. His Elder Cousin (Junfan) noticed that he had taken interest in Xiaocao and gave him the orders to look after the corn's growth and harvest back in Dongshan Village so that he could get closer to the girl.

Returning to Dongshan Village he would use the excuse of official business to bum meals off of Yu Xiaocao but the real reason was that he liked how close the family was to each other. The meals were are bright spot in his normally cold daily life.

During a hunting trip Yu Hai was attacked by a bear (that the Divine Stone and Yu Xiaocao) lured towards the hunting party. The bear ignored the constant arrows from him and tried everything it could to get to Yu Hai, while he was never been a kind-hearted person a voice in his heart shouted 'Save him, You must save him!!" When he pulled the bow as he could the force started to injure his arms but he endured because of the image of seeing Yu Xiaocao crying at the death of Yu Hai. He didn't want her normal clear bright eyes that gave him warmth to be tainted with tears and sorrow.

When he learned about the locust swarm that had devastated Dongshan Village his first thoughts were of how Yu Xiaocao be heartbroken from losing the corn she worked so hard to grow. He ordered Liu Fusheng to send two carts of grain to the Yu Family and for them not to worry about the corn or potatoes. He then ordered Fang Xun to take a fleet of ships to the south and bring more rice and grain back.

The spring after the locust swarm he came back to Dongshan Village to oversee the corn and potatoes being planted, after that was done he purchased 700 mu of land that surrounded the Yu Family's plantation. Once they were finished there he took Yu Hai and Yu Xiaocao to the Capital City to oversee the plantations there. Many people of the Capital City were shocked to see how well he treated Yu Xiaocao and even moreso when she would yell at him and he would just laugh it off.

Once the corn and potatoes were harvested Zhu Junfan awarded him Tangu Town to be under his command.

When he was told that Dongshan Village was invaded by Wokou (Japanese pirates) he rushed there from the Capital City non stop. Once he reached there he went to find Yu Xiaocao and Jiang Meijuan. After finding them he rushed and hugged Yu Xiaocao (to the annoyance of his Mother). While waiting for soldiers to arrive their supplies began to dwindle so he along with Yu Hai, Yu Xiaocao and the leader of Jiang Meijuan did a night raid of the Yu Family house. When he saw that the Wokou were sleaping in Xiaocao's and Xiaolin's shared bedroom he was enraged. After the Wokou were defeated he destroyed the Yu Family's home (with the help of Fang Zizhen) because he refused to let her sleep where those men did.

Yu Xiaocao was invited to a flower party where a minister's daughter tried to shame her because she thought Xiaocao (they have the same surname). Afterwards when he found out he beat her elder brother up and warned him to keep his sister away from Xiaocao or he would become his daily punching bag. He also blacklisted the family from the Winter Fruit & Veggie shops saying "Since they look down on farmers, then they don't need to eat the fruits and vegetables grown by them!"

His Mother's younger sister returned to the Capital City with his younger cousin Wu Junling. With the intentions of helping her husbands career or marrying off Wu Junling to him. After many visits to the Prince Jing Estate Jiang Meijuan left the Capital City to follow Zhu Xiaoli and get a break from them.

When he returned to the Capital City Yu Xiaocao told him if he had no romantic feelings towards Wu Junling he should make things clear early so the next day he went to their home. Once he told her that he had no feelings for her, her mother interjected telling him how could he be a man for rejecting her daughters feelings.

He replied that Official Wu's (her husbands) abilities could be good but it was her who didn't know how to act humble, is greedy,, and believes that she is smarter than everyone else that is holding back his career. She reacted by yelling at him and critizing Jiang Meijuan for not helping out her husband. His heart devil soon began to act out and he started destroying to Wu Family's home. Liu Fusheng who was in an outer courtyard noticed something was off and rushed to him. When Steward Liu saw what was happening he told another bodyguard to bring Yu Xiaocao as fast as possible.

When Yu Xiaocao arrived Liu Fusheng was barely able to hold on any longer so she started to call his name which slowly brought him back to reason. When he was back under control of his mind and body he noticed that Yu Xiaocao was bleeding. Thoughts of one day hurting her or someone she cared about crossed his mind so he tried to run away, before he could Yu Xiaocao feigned being hurt. Once he reached her she told him, “Don’t go. You told me that you were going to protect me as I got older. Don’t leave me…”

He felt his eyes grow hot and said, "I'm afraid that I'll do something I will regret and can't fix. I'm an ominous and unlucky person that will only bring unhappiness to you. Perhaps staying far away from you is the best decision."

Yu Xiaocao then told him that he was her God of Protection and listed off all the ways that he had helped protect her and her family telling him that if they had not met she would still most likely be living in that tiny fishing village living a downtrodden and difficult life.

Even with all of her pleading he still felt that it would be best for her safety if he left, until Liu Fusheng replied that ever since Yu Xiaocao had came into his life the Heart Devil rarely acts up and when it does it is suppressed with a few words from her.

While at a horse breeding farm the Divine Stone shown himself and transformed in front of him exposing Xiaocao's secret. The first thought was to tell her that she needed to hide it and never let it transform in front of other people. The second thought was if the Divine Stone would harm her (steal her life force, ect.)

## **Appearance**

He has a red birthmark on his ear that looks like an earring.

> "He had a cold and haughty gaze and a pair of beautiful and slender eyes. Under his tall, sculpture-like nose, his thin lips were pursed into a line. The sharp gaze and cold expression of the youth showed an unruly incisiveness and sharpness."
>
> Chapter 241

## **Ability**

When he was five years old he fell (was pushed) into a pond after being in a coma for ten days he awoke with the ability to feel other peoples thoughts and intentions, when he was young it was hard to control this which is why he is outwardly cold. If too many negative emotions effect him he can lose control and become very violent (Heart Devil/Inner Demon). Before meeting Yu Xiaocao the only person that could pull him out of that darkness was his mother.

## **Ventures**

* **Treasure Pavilion** Ch247, A shop that sells the items he brought back from the Western Hemisphere that sell for astounding prices.
* **Greenhouse Winter Vegetables and Fruits** Ch430, Once Yu Xiaocao was about to grow vegetables during the winter with the help of plastic panels (Made by Zhu Junfan he took them to his Jiang Meijuan's Fruit and Veggie stores within the Capital City. After being bothered by people in the Capital she gave the stores to him.
* **Celestial World** Ch549, An entertainment house that is a man's equivalent to Xiaocao's 'Blossoming Beauty'.
* **Wisdom Jade Pavilion** Ch607 Carves and sells Jade.

## **Code of Conduct for the Pursuit of a Wife**

* **1st Rule** - The wife is right no matter what she says. You have to agree with her even if she's wrong!
* **2nd Rule** - Follow every order of the wife.
* **3rd Rule** - Everything should be done to the wife's liking, and the husband should unwaveringly side with her!
* **4th Rule** - Recklessly throw compliments - men who are sweet talkers get the prize!

## **Trivia**

* Due to having anemia as a child he cannot stand to go hungry. Ch225
* New very early that Yu Xiaocao held a world shaking secret but never pressured her to tell him and would often hide/mask it to others.
* His horse, named Fierce Wind (狂风) is often tortured by Yu Xiaocao's horse (Little Red).
* He often wears deformed/badly sewn pouches made by Yu Xiaocao.

1. ↑ An informal nickname that he told Yu Xiaocao to call him.
2. ↑ Jealous of the attention he receives from Yu Xiaocao.