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◎ "Zhang Su!"◎

There is also the custom of returning to the parents' home when a princess gets married, so early in the morning on the tenth day, Qingyang followed her mother and the imperial concubine to her father's Qianyuan Hall.

Not long after, the prince also came from the East Palace with his two younger brothers.

While the children were all there, Emperor Xingwu began to check their homework one by one. Originally, he planned to spend the mornings of every day off with his children. He had no time or opportunity to conquer the country before, but now he had time. If he didn't pay attention to them, what would become of his three sons?

At least so far, Emperor Xingwu has found a lot of problems in his three sons, and none of them can make him completely at ease.

Strangely enough, he lost his father at a young age, his mother too busy making ends meet to care for him. He went off to a private school to secretly listen to lessons. Upon learning that his playmate Deng Chong had been sent to the Lü family to learn martial arts, Emperor Xingwu shamelessly followed him there. Luckily, the Lü family's father appreciated him enough to waive his tuition, allowing him to become a complete scholar. His father was so successful, his sons were cared for by their mothers and concubines, and were taught by dedicated teachers. They had no worries about food and clothing, yet how could none of them compare to him as a child?

"Look up at me. Am I a monster? Why do you fear me so much?"

The crown prince arrived first, and Emperor Xingwu started by finding fault with him.

The emperor spoke in an unfriendly tone. The timid Concubine Li, who was sitting on the other side, became nervous as if she had been scolded, and secretly looked at the imperial concubine.

The imperial concubine shook her head slightly, but did not dare to interfere in the emperor's education of his son.

Qin Hong had to look into his father's eyes, but he was so focused on maintaining his composure that he couldn't continue with the next sentence. Every time he stuttered, his father's eyes became more majestic, and the tension in Qin Hong's head became tighter. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and the hand hanging by his side trembled slightly.

Qingyang was sitting in her father's arms. Seeing that her elder brother seemed very scared, she turned her head and looked back.

His daughter was moving around, and Emperor Xingwu subconsciously looked down at her.

Qin Hong got a chance to catch his breath and successfully recited the rest of the article.

Qingyang said happily, "Brother, you recited it very well."

Emperor Xingwu said: "What's the point of just being able to recite? When interacting with others, you must be calm and open. If you look evasively, you will lose your momentum from the very beginning."

Concubine Li's behavior would arouse his desire to tease her, while the eldest son's behavior would only arouse Emperor Xingwu's anger.

Qin Hong said humbly, "Father, your Majesty has taught me this, and I will remember it."

The Imperial Concubine felt very sorry for the Crown Prince and said softly, "The Emperor's authority has grown stronger over the years. Even those well-read and accomplished civil and military officials dare not look him in the eye. The Crown Prince is young, and he and the Emperor are rarely together. It is precisely because he is well-educated and understands the dignity and majesty of the Emperor that he always adheres to the etiquette between father and son, and between monarch and subject. Your Majesty, please do not be too harsh on him."

Concubine Li nodded silently, she understood the prince very well.

Emperor Xingwu gave face to the imperial concubine and signaled the second son to step forward.

Qin Bing learned the lesson from his elder brother, the Crown Prince. After standing still, he stared straight at his father, the Emperor opposite him. Even though he couldn't answer, he didn't avoid his gaze.

Emperor Xingwu: "Why are you just looking at me? Why don't you answer me?"

Qin Bing: "...I didn't mean to do that. I just haven't seen my elder sister for a day. I miss her so much. My mind is full of whether the prince consort has bullied her."

Emperor Xingwu: “…”

Qingyang raised his head again and said pitifully, "Father, I miss my elder sister too. Will the prince consort bully her?"

Emperor Xingwu rubbed his daughter's head and said, "Don't listen to your second brother's nonsense. With father here, even if the prince consort had a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare bully your eldest sister."

The imperial concubine took the opportunity to praise the appearance of her husband, and the beautiful concubine followed suit. The little princess then added a few innocent words. Emperor Xingwu simply let go of the second son who was smart but didn't like to study and the third son who studied hard but wasn't smart enough.

While chatting and waiting, the newly married princess and her husband entered the palace.

Yongkang was returning to his own home. Apart from being shy, he was not restrained. The one who was nervous and uneasy was his husband Fu Kui. Although he had also joined the army last year, he had a low official rank and seldom had the opportunity to discuss matters with Emperor Xingwu. It was only because of his father's high position that he showed his face in front of the emperor a few times. After arriving in Beijing, the marriage was granted, and Fu Kui was surprised and happy. He was also afraid that Princess Yongkang would not like him, which would lead to Emperor Xingwu disliking him.

For this reason, last night Fu Kui used all his skills to serve the princess several times, just like his concubines had served him in the past. Of course, he had dismissed all his concubines as early as when he received the decree of marriage. After three months of celibacy, he finally married the princess home. Fu Kui was very happy and treated the princess well from the bottom of his heart.

The young couple have been very much in love these past two days. A simple glance can bring out the thread of affection between them, and the elders can tell at a glance.

Emperor Xingwu and his eldest daughter were not able to get along very closely, and he did not know how to nor need to bother to be polite to the prince consort. As usual, he gave instructions to each of them, asking his daughter to treat the prince consort well and to let the prince consort do his job well and not to let him down.

After Emperor Xingwu, it was the Imperial Concubine and the Concubine Li. The elders had all offered tea. Fu Kui was just relaxing a bit after completing this set of etiquette when the little princess standing next to Concubine Li suddenly glared at him and asked, "Did you bully me?"

Fu Kui's heart trembled. He noticed that Emperor Xingwu, who was leisurely sipping his tea, looked up at him. Fu Kui quickly bowed and said, "Your humble servant dare not."

Qingyang: "Then what did you and elder sister do in the mansion?" Why do you have to do it in the princess's mansion and not in the palace?

The clear and crisp child's voice made Yongkang and Fu Kui blush.

Concubine Li wanted to cover her daughter's mouth in embarrassment, but it was too late. In a hurry, she pushed her daughter to the third child and said, "Okay, we have already recognized each other. You can take your sister to play outside and don't disturb us adults."

Qin Ren held out his hand, but Qingyang quickly ran to the elder sister, hugged her legs and said, "I want to play with you."

Yongkang lowered his head to comfort his sister and hide his blush.

Emperor Xingwu decided to let Yongkang take the prince consort to visit the imperial garden, and the four little ones also went, taking the opportunity to get acquainted with the prince consort. After all, they were now a family.

All the way to the Imperial Garden, Fu Kui gradually revealed his cheerful and cheerful nature. Qin Hong was quiet, while Qin Bing was talkative, so he answered whatever Qin Bing asked. The little princess came over to interrupt him because of his curiosity, and Fu Kui also answered patiently.

Qingyang: "You haven't told me yet, what did you and Big Sister do in the mansion?"

Fu Kui turned around and looked at Yongkang, who was walking side by side with the Crown Prince. After receiving a glare, Fu Kui touched his nose and explained seriously, "Since I am the princess's consort, I naturally have to obey the princess's orders and satisfy her preferences. So if the princess wants to visit the garden, I will accompany her. If the princess likes to appreciate flowers, I will accompany her to appreciate flowers."

Qingyang was puzzled and pointed at Jie Yu who was farthest away: "Jie Yu also accompanied me like this, is he also my consort?"

Fu Kui smiled and said, "It's different. The palace maids are only responsible for taking care of the princess's food and daily life. There can be multiple palace maids serving the same princess at the same time, and if one of them makes a mistake, they can be replaced at any time. The prince consort is the husband carefully selected by the emperor for the princess, and there can only be one. The prince consort does not need to take care of trivial matters such as food and daily life. Instead, he takes care of the princess as if she were his wife, and they will have children and live together until old age. At the same time, the prince consort also has to serve the emperor and fulfill his duties as a minister."

Qingyang finally understood what the term "consort" meant, but a new puzzlement arose: "My father has an empress, a noble concubine, and a mother, so why can the princess only have one consort?"

Fu Kui: “…”

Yongkang: “…”

Qin Bing laughed: "Because a woman can only have one husband. She can only get a new one after her first husband dies. Otherwise, if she has a husband and still has affairs with other men, she is not a faithful wife. At the very least, she will be scolded. At the worst, she will be thrown into jail."

Yongkang knew that what her second brother said was true, but she just didn't like it. However, she couldn't refute it, so she pulled her sister to her side and said to the prince, "You two can walk with the prince consort. I will take my sister to the pavilion to sit for a while."

Qin Hong nodded and took away three men, one big and two small.

In the pavilion, Qingyang sat next to the elder sister and asked, "What is the virtue of a woman?"

Yongkang scoffed, "These are rubbish made up by men to discipline women. Ordinary women have to follow them, or they'll get into big trouble. We're princesses, we don't need to learn those."

Qingyang: "Big sister, are you going to choose several princes-in-law?"

Yongkang: "...the prince consort is the husband. Whether it's the wife or the husband, there can only be one principal wife. Only when she dies can she be replaced."

Qingyang had heard his mother talk about the difference between "empress mother" and "consort mother," that is, the difference between wives and concubines, and he understood clearly: "A princess only has one consort, and then she has several concubines."

Yongkang had a headache. How could the little girl have such wild imaginations? She didn't want to explain at all, but she was afraid that her sister would believe in this fallacy from then on. When the emperor asked about it in the future, her sister would say, "My elder sister said so!"

Helplessly, Yongkang continued to teach: "A princess cannot have concubines. If she does, her reputation will be ruined. You don't need to worry about why it is ruined. Anyway, a princess cannot have concubines. At most, she can keep a few male favorites in private. Male favorites are concubines without official status. But having male favorites will make the prince consort sad. Therefore, only princesses who have a bad relationship with their prince consorts will keep male favorites."

The little princess stared straight ahead without blinking. After a while, she probably understood what her elder sister had said and asked, "Will you keep a male lover, elder sister?"

Yongkang looked at the looming figure of Fu Kui in the distance and smiled meaningfully: "Not yet, but whether it will happen in the future, we'll see."

The Queen Mother is a flawless and good woman, a model of female virtue, but what else did the Queen Mother get besides a good reputation?

.

Because of the age difference, Qingyang did not have much time to play with her elder sister. When she saw her elder sister leaving the palace, Qingyang would cry. When she slept without seeing her elder sister, the three-year-old princess could hardly remember it. She went to Chongwen Pavilion to study as usual, or wandered around the former court with the Qilin waist badge given by her father, and stopped wherever she came across something interesting.

In November, Qingyang heard another marriage news.

The reason was that after a half-hour literacy class, Qingyang ran out to look for his brothers, but he didn't see Zhang Su, so of course he had to ask.

Qin Ren: "His elder brother is getting married today. He has asked for a day off and will return to the palace tomorrow morning."

Qingyang's eyes widened: "Why didn't he tell me that his elder brother was getting married?"

Qin Bing started to tease: "Why should I tell you? You are not his mistress..."

Qin Hong pushed over with one hand, interrupting Qin Bing's nonsense.

Qingyang didn't care and didn't want to attend the arithmetic class for the next three quarters of an hour, and ran out.

The three imperial brothers did not dare to leave Chongwen Pavilion without permission. They watched Jie Yu catch up with either worry or envy.

Qingyang took Jie Yu and ran all the way to Qianyuan Palace. The little princess was so favored that she ignored He Yuanjing and rushed in directly. He Yuanjing didn't dare to stop her.

"Father!" The little princess threw herself tearfully into the arms of her father, who was reviewing memorials, and complained aggrievedly, "Brother Zhang Su got married, and he didn't even tell me!"

Emperor Xingwu: “…” Why should I tell you?

But since his daughter was crying so sincerely, Emperor Xingwu had to comfort her. He picked her up and wiped her tears while asking, "Tell me, what are you going to do?"

Qingyang: "I want to go to the Duke's Mansion for a banquet, watch them set off firecrackers, and see the bride!"

Emperor Xingwu understood that his daughter simply wanted to watch the fun.

While Emperor Xingwu was hesitating, the little princess spoke up herself: "Father, I want to leave the palace. Please send a carriage to take me there. My eldest sister got married this afternoon, and Brother Zhang Su must have not brought his bride back yet."

Now, Emperor Xingwu had no room to lie to his daughter, so he asked He Yuanjing to make arrangements and, by the way, prepared a gift for the Zhang family in the name of Concubine Li. Zhang Su was the third son's study companion, and his eldest brother was getting married, so it was completely acceptable for Concubine Li not to return the favor, and giving a gift was not worth making a fuss about for the guests.

The carriage was ready, and Jie Yu carried the little princess, who had washed her face, into the carriage.

Duke Wei's Mansion.

Zhang Jie was a high-ranking but taciturn minister. Today was the day his eldest son got married, and he only invited a few founding heroes whom he had met after surrendering to Emperor Xingwu. He did so out of courtesy and favors. Normally, Zhang Jie seldom entertained even these people. He was a well-known loner in the new dynasty. Including Crown Prince Zhang Jian, he only invited a few low-ranking military officers with whom he had made friends in the Imperial Army.

When the palace carriage stopped, the guests of the Duke's Mansion had already arrived and lunch was about to begin.

Upon learning that Princess Qingyang had arrived, Zhang Jie and his wife hurriedly led a group of guests out to greet her.

Qingyang stood in the carriage, looked at Zhang Jie, said nothing, and opened his hands.

Zhang Jie cooperated and carried the little princess down.

Qingyang: "Where's Zhang Su?"

Zhang Jie: "My son went with his brother to the in-laws' house to pick up the bride, and he returned at dusk."

Qingyang: "Which family are your in-laws?"

Zhang Jie: “…”

Lady Xu, the wife of the Duke, took over the conversation with a smile and after some pleasantries, she led the little princess to the female guests' side for the banquet.

Xu was over forty, yet still beautiful. Qingyang was very fond of her and, despite being a stranger at the banquet, listened with gusto to the women's conversation. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xu personally escorted the little princess to the best guest room, coaxed her to sleep, and then left her in the care of Jie Yu while she went to socialize with the other female guests.

At the auspicious time of dusk, the Zhang family's wedding procession returned.

The little princess had been awake for a while, and had come to the front yard early, accompanied by Jie Yu, to watch the fun. She had even made some playmates while watching. As the firecrackers blared, Qingyang, led by two older children, ran toward the door. At first glance, she looked indistinguishable from the children of ordinary noble families.

The firecrackers stirred up clouds of white smoke and mist. Jie Yu had to lower his body to ensure that he stayed close to the little princess.

The wedding procession was still waiting in front of the neighbor's house. After the firecrackers had burned out and the smoke had dissipated, they arrived at the door of the Duke's Mansion with music and drums.

Zhang Su dismounted along with his second brother. Before he could stand firm, a small figure suddenly came running towards him from the front door through the smoke. "Zhang Su!"

Before he finished speaking, the little princess had already thrown herself on him, tilted her head back, and looked at him with her familiar black eyes shining brightly.

Zhang Su was stunned, but the surroundings that shouldn't be quiet but were too quiet quickly brought him back to his senses. He saw that the ceremonial guards, male and female guests from far and near were all looking at him and the little princess, and even the groom was looking at him. Although he was only nine years old, Zhang Sanlang, who had already strictly observed the etiquette, blushed again. He subconsciously wanted to push the little princess away in his arms, but he couldn't bear to do it when he met the little princess's happy eyes.

"Let's watch the ceremony together."

He couldn't push her away, so for the first time, Zhang Su took the initiative to hold the little princess's hand.

Qingyang nodded obediently and looked at the bride with the veil curiously, and the wedding ceremony continued.

【Author’s words】

Can't escape, [dog head]

I will be joining the V tomorrow, at the usual time of 1 o'clock. 100 red envelopes are waiting for you [three-color cat head]