Chapter 12 Dark Clouds Flow

In the harem, the young prince entered the Changshou Palace with a warm smile on his face.

When the palace maids and eunuchs saw him coming, they all bowed respectfully.

He waved his hand gently, without any airs.

In the small outer hall, a boy and girl were playing chess. When they saw the prince, they stood up.

"Brother Prince!" The boy looked to be eight or nine years old, with fair skin and fair face, more beautiful than any girl.

The little girl next to him was younger than the boy, wearing a pink soft cotton dress, with delicate features. She bowed politely, "Your Highness!" She spoke in a soft and tender voice.

The two of them standing together look as good as a golden boy and a jade girl.

The prince smiled deeply at them for a while. Then, he coughed and said, "Fifteenth brother, you didn't go to class?" His face darkened, but there was still a smile in his eyes.

The boy's name was Li Chen, his fifteenth brother, the emperor's youngest son, and the son of Concubine Dong.

Li Chen smiled and said, "Today, the Royal Grandmother is making fish skin and shrimp dumplings, which are filled with whole shrimps! Master Liu's eyes lit up when he heard this. My brother is here to entertain the Royal Grandmother. I'll bring another basket back to Master Liu later."

"Oh? What did the Empress Dowager cook in the palace? How did Master Liu know?"

Li Chen's dark eyes rolled around, not knowing how to answer. The little girl beside him covered her mouth and laughed.

The prince also smiled, looked at them again, and turned into the inner hall.

The palace maids who were serving beside him felt their hearts beating fast when they saw this elegant, handsome and gentle prince.

The inner hall was warm like spring, with a large pot of Clivia in full bloom with red and yellow flowers. A crane copper stove was smoking... There were luxurious decorations everywhere. In front of the giant screen, there was a large chaise longue, where a lady in gorgeous clothes was sitting, leaning on the armrest and dozing off.

"Royal grandmother?" the prince called softly.

The woman opened her eyes. It seemed that she was really asleep. Her eyes were hazy for a moment before she cleared up. She looked at the person in front of her and was stunned for a moment before she called out, "Prince?"

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager! It's my grandson's fault for waking you up!" The prince's smile was so warm and refreshing.

The Queen Mother quickly sat up straight: "Why are you here at this time? Come and sit down!"

"Thank you, Grandmother!" The prince sat on the chair next to the Queen Mother, looking respectful and intimate.

"Your Highness, you've come just in time! I've made..." She paused for a moment, apparently forgetting. Someone beside her quickly reminded her, "Empress Dowager, today we're making fish skin and shrimp siu mai!"

The Queen Mother smiled a little embarrassedly: "Go and steam a basket of steamed buns! Pour tea for the prince!"

"Every time I come to my grandmother's place, there are always delicious foods! I've been so busy today that I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

The Queen Mother scolded, "You can't be so busy, can you? Your father is so cruel when he orders people around! He doesn't feel bad, but Grandmother does. I'll talk to the Emperor about it later! Also, don't be polite if you have food and drink in front of you. Otherwise, bring some snacks with you and eat them secretly when you have time. If you keep going hungry, your appetite will be ruined."

"Okay! Grandson listens to grandma!"

"Have you been to see your mother?"

"I'm here at the harem, so of course I have to see you first!"

"That's good. Go home today and tell your wife to bring Li'er with her. I miss them!"

"Yes! Li'er said yesterday that your spring rolls are the best!"

"She's here. I asked someone to do it! Oh, did you see Little Fifteen?"

"Playing chess with sister Qing'er in the outer hall!"

The Empress Dowager sighed, "Xiang Qing had no children of her age to play with at home. When she entered the palace, the princesses were all married. So she asks me Li'er what she wants every day!"

"If you are willing, let Sister Li'er stay there for a few days!"

After chatting for a while and drinking tea, the prince said, "I have good news to tell Grandmother. Your seventh grandson is coming back!"

"Ah?" The Queen Mother blinked in confusion.

A few years ago, she had a very bad memory after a serious illness. But she was afraid that others would know, so sometimes she would pretend, "Oh, it's good to be back, it's good to be back!"

The prince felt that she hadn't even remembered it, so he laughed even more, "It's my grandson's seventh brother, Prince of Qi Li Jing!"

I don’t know if the Queen Mother remembered it, she continued: “Come back for the New Year! The family will be reunited, good!”

"You may not know this, but he is quite capable. He won a great victory over there and made great contributions. When the emperor received the news, he was extremely happy!"

The Empress Dowager comforted him: "Such a capable prince is a blessing to the Emperor and also to you."

"It is a blessing for the court, the world, and you, the Imperial Grandmother! Imperial Grandmother, I am here to remind you that my seventh brother's princess has been gone for several years, but he still doesn't have a wife!"

"His princess... is gone?"

The prince's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he smiled and said, "Do you still remember? Zhou Li, the fairy Li who was famous in the capital!"

The Queen Mother's eyes lit up: "She? Oh, I remember it. It took many years to produce a beautiful person!" She sighed.

"really!"

The prince's thoughts wandered for a moment before he concentrated again and said, "Seventh brother's position as princess has been vacant for a few years. Father will definitely take care of this matter when he returns. But who in this world has better vision than you? I don't know, I still need you to make the final decision!"

"I deserve this. I like girls who are good-looking and generous. I have all the good ones in my mind! Leave this matter to me and your mother!"

When the steamed dumplings were served, the prince ate a basket of them without hesitation.

Then he walked away leisurely.

Watching his back disappearing at the door, the Queen Mother put aside her warm smile and looked down at the emerald green bracelet on her wrist.

...Are you coming back?

…

Empress Jiang had just sent away the maids from Concubine Dong's place in Zixiao Palace and was frowning.

"Mother, what's wrong with you?" The prince came in silently and asked with concern.

The queen was surprised: "Why are you here at this time?"

"I just finished talking to you. I haven't seen you for a while, so I miss you. What are you doing?"

The Queen snorted, "Dong Zhaolin is becoming more and more troublesome. There is never a day when he can stop causing trouble!"

"My son was just in Changshou Palace and saw Little Fifteen playing chess with the Queen Mother's niece's granddaughter."

Xiao Shiwu often went to the Empress Dowager's palace, and the Empress knew about it.

The cook in the Queen Mother's kitchen was not bad, and Xiao Shiwu was the best. She didn't care too much about it, but now she was stunned, "Does she mean that?"

"The Qian family has been out of power for many years, so it's not surprising that she wants to help them. That pair is like a golden boy and a jade girl..." The prince's eyes flashed and he chuckled.

"Isn't this bad?" Jiang Yi is the queen and her son is the crown prince. They seem fearless, but she doesn't dare to relax.

The prince sneered, "The Qian family, there is no point in trying to get him to do anything. Little Fifteen is so young, Master Liu said he has an average brain and is not interested in schoolwork. So what if he is favored by his father? How can he compare with his son? Let him be!"

Seeing that the queen was still hesitating, he added: "Mother, too much is as bad as too little! You should not focus on this. Li Jing is coming back, and your son has read the briefing... The credit is secure. Moreover, your son has found out that his methods are as cruel as before. When he slaughtered the Supreme God King, he didn't even leave a dog behind. When he came back this time..." The prince's eyes were deep.

"He is so lucky!" Queen Jiang said hatefully.

(End of this chapter)