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◎ "When I grow up, I will choose you to be my consort."◎

The wedding ceremony at the Duke's Mansion was not as grand as the one prepared in the palace for the eldest princess's wedding, but it was much more lively than the one in the palace.

Qingyang followed Zhang Su and walked behind the bride and groom into the main hall of the wedding hall.

Zhang Jie and Xu sat side by side on the north side. Xu was smiling widely, and the usually dignified Zhang Jie also raised the corners of his lips slightly, looking more and more like a scholar full of poetry and books.

This was Qingyang's first time watching a newlywed couple worship heaven and earth. The adults were just watching the festive atmosphere, but Qingyang was watching very seriously. When it was the couple's turn to worship each other, Qingyang even bent down to see if he could see the bride's face under the red veil.

Zhang Su held the little princess's hand tightly, fearing that she would lose her balance and fall.

After the ceremony, Qingyang continued to lead Zhang Su's hand behind the newlyweds. Zhang Su silently cooperated, finally stopping outside the main hall of the bridal chamber. He said to the little princess, "Only women are attending the ceremony inside. It's not appropriate for me to go in. I'll wait here for His Highness."

Qingyang was a reasonable little princess. She took the hand of a playmate she had met before and went in together.

More than a quarter of an hour later, Prince Zhang Jian came out first. His handsome face was flushed by the teasing of the female guests. Seeing his third brother standing outside like a little guard, Zhang Jian patted his shoulder in a comforting manner and then strode away.

Qingyang soon emerged. Zhang Su glanced at Jie Yu and advised, "It's getting late. The palace gates should be closed. Would you like me to escort Your Highness back to the palace?"

Qingyang was unhappy: "I haven't had dinner yet."

Xie Yu smiled and said, "The evening banquet is similar to the lunch banquet. Your Highness, please return to the palace early. The Empress has better food waiting for you. If you don't return soon, the Emperor, the Empress, and the Third Prince will be waiting for you. Do you want them to go hungry?"

Of course, Qingyang couldn't bear to see his father, mother, and third brother go hungry. After thinking for a moment, he took Zhang Su's hand and said, "Okay, take me back."

Jie Yu sent someone to greet Zhang Jie and his wife in advance, asking them to entertain the guests without having to make a big fuss about sending the little princess off.

However, the couple still came to the door alone, and Zhang Jie even carried the little princess into the carriage.

Qingyang extended his hand to Zhang Su: "Come up too, you promised to take me back to the palace."

Zhang Su looked at his father.

Zhang Jie said, "Go ahead. I'll send a carriage to follow. Come back after you've sent the princess off."

Only then did Zhang Su get into the car.

There were main and side seats in the carriage, with a brocade cushion underneath. Jie Yu knelt beside them, first helping the little princess take off her shoes, and then went to take care of the nine-year-old third son of the Zhang family.

Zhang Su avoided his hand and whispered, "I'll do it myself."

Sitting on the edge of the brocade cushion facing outside the car, he took off his boots and placed them aside. After secretly confirming that the white silk socks were very clean and had no peculiar smell, Zhang Su turned around and knelt beside the little princess.

Qingyang patted the seat next to him and said, "Sit here."

Zhang Su lowered his head and said, "Your Highness is the most respected. I cannot break the rules."

Seeing that he didn't move, Qingyang simply walked down and sat on the mat. He pulled Zhang Su's hand and said, "That's fine. I like talking to you from a close distance."

Jie Yu had already lowered the curtains and told the driver to set off. He continued to stand guard in the corner near the door, watching the situation with his eyes and nose.

The car was silent for a while. Unable to hold back his words, Qingyang took the initiative to chat with Zhang Su: "Have you seen the bride? She is so beautiful."

Zhang Su shook his head. His eldest sister-in-law was the daughter of a commander who served under his father. The commander died in the battlefield. Although his family received rewards, there were no male members of the right age to serve as officials. When his mother went to visit the family on his father's behalf, she fell in love with his eldest sister-in-law, who was said to be beautiful and intelligent. The two families had always kept in touch. As soon as his eldest sister-in-law came out of mourning, his mother asked a matchmaker to propose marriage.

Qingyang liked the bride's makeup and phoenix crown more, and said to Zhang Su with longing: "When I grow up, I want to be a bride too."

Zhang Su lowered his eyes even lower.

The lights in the car were on. In the soft light, Zhang Jia Sanlang, who was sitting quietly with his eyes lowered, looked even more handsome with his fair skin and red lips.

The little princess stared at the man for a while, then suddenly smiled and tilted her head to look Zhang Su in the eye: "When I grow up, I will choose you to be my consort."

Zhang Su: “…”

Jie Yu: “…”

Seeing Zhang Su looked frightened, Qingyang asked doubtfully, "You don't want to?"

Zhang Su: "...I am not worthy of Your Highness. Besides, Your Highness is still young. It is too early to consider marriage now."

Qingyang: "I don't care. Anyway, I want you to be my consort. Don't worry, I like you and won't find a male lover to hurt your heart."

The nine-year-old Zhang Jialang, who strictly abided by the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, was both frightened and confused. He knew what a son-in-law was, but what was a male favorite?

Xie Yu coughed lightly and said gently, "Third Young Master, you've been busy all day with the Crown Prince to pick up the bride. You must be hungry, right? There are some cakes in the carriage. I'll take them out. Third Young Master and His Highness, please fill your stomachs first."

He opened a drawer of the low cupboard next to him and took out a flat box of pastries.

Distracted by food, the little princess finally forgot about choosing a prince consort.

.

After sending the little princess off, Zhang Su got on his own carriage and returned home.

Banquets were for the adults, so it didn't matter whether the nine-year-old Third Young Master was present or not. Zhang Su quietly sat down at his seat, eating something casually while watching his brother being forced to drink by a group of noble young men or young military officers in their twenties. His brother, who had always been steady in his memory, could only drink bowl after bowl of wine, and the wine spilled onto his clothes.

Zhang Su lowered his eyes. He didn't like this kind of scene, nor did he like the sight of his brother being forced to drink. When his brother was so drunk that he had to be helped away by two servants, Zhang Su's worry about his brother reached its peak.

After the banquet, Zhang Su and his second brother followed their parents to see the guests out one by one. When the gate was closed and the front yard was left alone, Zhang Su finally had a chance to speak. He asked, "Mother, my eldest brother is so drunk. Will anything happen to him tonight?"

Xu looked at her husband and saw that he was staring straight ahead as if he hadn't heard anything. She hugged her little son, who still had some childishness, to her arms, patted his head, and explained with a smile, "Don't worry, your eldest brother can drink quite well. He was just pretending to be drunk tonight, otherwise he would have had to drink a dozen more bowls. Drinking too much is harmful to the body. At such social events, we should drink as little as possible. It's not rude to pretend."

Zhang Su was stunned. His elder brother was actually pretending?

Zhang Jie stroked his short beard and taught his two sons, "Honesty is certainly valuable, but there are things you can and can't do. For example, when socializing with others, a few drinks are enough to show courtesy. But if you drink excessively because you don't want to deceive others, causing harm to your health and delaying your work, then you are being foolishly honest. Foolish people will never achieve great things."

Xu: "Your father meant that you can't be too honest. If you are too honest, you will be taken advantage of and hurt yourself, and you won't be able to accomplish anything."

Zhang Heng: "I know. All is fair in war. Using deception to the right place is not a mean act."

Zhang Jie: "But it should not be abused. A man without trust cannot stand."

Both brothers said "yes".

Xu yawned and said, "Alright, alright, let's all go to bed. We still have to serve tea tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Zhang Su finally met his new sister-in-law, a person with fair skin, pretty eyes and a gentle smile.

Zhang Su recognized his sister-in-law's appearance and didn't look at her any further. He just glanced at her red skirt. Suddenly, the envious words of the little princess who wanted to be a bride and the silly words of wanting him to be a prince consort popped up in his head.

Zhang Su really thought that the three-year-old princess was silly, she didn't understand anything and liked to talk nonsense, but the silly child was a princess, so Zhang Su was also afraid that the little princess would remember those silly words and let them slip in the palace. If the second prince heard them, he might laugh at him, and if the emperor and his wife heard them, they might vent their anger on him.

Zhang Su wasn't afraid of the Second Prince's teasing, but when it came to the Emperor and His Majesty...

Before entering the palace, Zhang Su found an opportunity to tell his father about his concerns.

Zhang Jie: "...Children's words are innocent. As long as you treat the princess with the utmost respect and observe the proper conduct of a minister, the Emperor and the Empress will not take the princess's childish words to heart."

Zhang Su: "Yes, father, I still have one question, what does male favorite mean?"

Zhang Jie: "...some men are attracted to women and keep many concubines and singing girls. Some women are attracted to men and keep male favorites. Neither is the right path. You should know this, but don't follow it."

Zhang Su was very angry: "I don't know who is talking nonsense in front of the princess. I will report it to the emperor..."

Zhang Jie: "You don't need to intervene in this matter. Xie Yu is always by the princess's side. If anyone dared to speak obscenely in front of the princess, Xie Yu would have punished them severely. Just wait and see. The princess won't say such things again in the future."

Zhang Su nodded.

After returning to the palace, Zhang Su went directly to Chongwen Pavilion. Walking towards the lecture hall of the third prince, Zhang Su glanced at the lecture hall opposite.

Qingyang was listening to Mr. Guo talking about calligraphy, sitting upright and not noticing that there was another person in the yard.

After class, Qingyang saw Zhang Su following his third brother, and realized that Zhang Su was back, and ran to him happily.

Qin Hong and his study partner Qin Liang, Qin Bing and his study partner Yuan Chongli all came over as usual.

Several older children liked to talk to the little princess, one after another. Zhang Su, who had never spoken actively, was always tense. It was not until they were about to go to class and the little princess did not mention anything about a prince consort, male favorites, or even becoming a bride that Zhang Su relaxed.

Qingyang naturally listened to Jie Yu's lecture and knew that if she asked Zhang Su to be her consort again, it might bring trouble to Zhang Su, and that talking about her male favorites all the time would bring trouble to herself. She had seriously agreed to Jie Yu's request last night. After a long sleep, the little princess had completely forgotten about these two things when she woke up.

.

Winter is approaching, and it's getting colder day by day. Qingyang, who can sleep in every day, once again arouses the envy and provocation of his second brother Qin Bing: "You only know how to compete with us in studying. If you have the guts, will you also get up at 1:00 AM tomorrow?"

Qin Hong scolded him: "When you were three years old, you could sleep in. Now you are grown up, what are you comparing with your sister?"

Qin Ren: "That's right, sister, don't listen to him."

Qingyang felt that his eldest and third brothers were right. Just as he was about to nod, his second brother spoke again: "You little lazy bum, can't you even get up?"

Qingyang was angry: "You are the lazy one!"

In order to avoid being laughed at by her second brother for being lazy, Qingyang specifically instructed Jie Yu before going to bed tonight to wake her up at the hour of Mao tomorrow morning.

Xie Yu smiled and asked, "It's fine to get up early, but Mr. Guo doesn't arrive at the lecture hall until noon. What are you doing there so early?"

Qingyang: "I also read in the morning and recite the Thousand Character Classic."

Jie Yu: "Okay, then Your Highness, go to bed early and don't tell stories tonight, otherwise you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."

The little princess closed her eyes obediently.

Jie Yu calculated that the princess could sleep for five hours, which was enough.

It was still pitch black at the hour of Mao in deep winter. Jie Yu and the wet nurse came as promised to help the little princess get up. When Qingyang heard Jie Yu mention his second brother, he immediately became energetic. After washing up, he did not go to look for his third brother and Zhang Su, but took the lead and ran to Jinghe Palace where his second brother lived.

The little princess even went to the front court, so how could the palace servants of Jinghe Palace dare to stop her? Qingyang rushed all the way into his second brother's room. Seeing that his second brother was still wrapped in the quilt and refused to get up, Qingyang lay on the edge of the bed and laughed: "Such a lazy bastard, such a lazy bastard!"

Qin Bing could yell at the palace maids to shut up, but yelling at his sister was no use. He was annoyed by the continuous laughter and had to lift the quilt and jump up, asking his sister to help him put on his socks.

Qingyang, who could tell the difference between the fragrance and the stench, turned around and ran back to Chengming Palace with a laugh, to have breakfast with his sleepy third brother and Zhang Su, who had dark eyes.

After finishing the meal, Qin Ren coaxed his sister: "Second brother already knows that you are not a lazy bug. You should go back to your room and sleep for a while. The lecture hall for morning reading is too cold because there is no heating in the room."

My father was so cruel. He was afraid that they would fall asleep, so the room was cold during morning reading. He had to tuck his sleeves in and stamp his feet while reciting.

The spirited little princess said: "No, I'm going."

Qin Ren had no choice but to take his sister with him.

Qin Hong was waiting for his younger brothers on the palace road outside Chongyuan Palace. When he saw a little tail beside his third brother, he smiled.

The cold wind at dawn rushed along the narrow palace road, making the faces of the group stiff. Qingyang wanted to be held by his third brother, but the eight-year-old Qin Ren was powerless and persuaded his sister to go back again.

Qin Bing shouted, "If you can't even handle this little hardship, how are you going to get up early every day to study?"

Qin Hong scolded in a low voice: "Keep your voice down. The emperor is holding a morning court session. Do you want him to hear?"

The palace road next to it was the eastern wall of Qianyuan Hall. The front hall where court meetings were held was only about two hundred steps away from them. It was so quiet that even the slightest sound of human voice was obvious.

Qin Bing immediately shut his mouth.

Qingyang was indeed not very interested in stomping his feet in the cold room and reading in the morning. Now that he heard that his father was attending the morning court, Qingyang immediately let go of his third brother and ran to let Jie Yu hold him. He hid his head in the hood of his cloak and said to his brothers, "I'm going back. You guys go ahead."

Qin Bing whispered, "Little lazy bastard!"

Qingyang ignored him.

After his brothers walked away, their figures could not be seen clearly in the swaying dim light. Qingyang nimbly twisted himself out of Jie Yu's arms, no longer feeling cold, and ran against the wind back to the side door leading to Qianyuan Hall that he had just passed.

The two guards guarding the gate subconsciously wanted to stop the little princess.

Qingyang lifted half of her cloak, revealing the Qilin waist badge she wore around her waist: "My father gave it to me. Have you forgotten it?"

The guards didn't dare to stop him, but still advised: "Your Highness, the Emperor and the ministers are..."

Qingyang: "I'm not causing trouble."

Jie Yu couldn't persuade him, so Qingyang walked straight in. The open space in front of Qianyuan Hall was pitch black, with only a row of palace lanterns lit in front of the hall door. The hall door was wide open, letting in a burst of light.

Qingyang identified the direction and ran all the way to the tall white marble steps.

Xie Yu knelt in front of the little princess, holding a lantern, and panted, "Your Highness, if you barge in, the Emperor will punish you, and I may never be able to serve Your Highness again."

Qingyang couldn't bear to let him go, so he comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I won't go in."

Jie Yu: "Really?"

Qingyang stretched out his little finger towards him.

After making the promise, Xie Yu let the little princess go up. However, he didn't dare hide outside the palace to eavesdrop on state affairs. He waited anxiously below, his eyes never leaving the small figure high up.

In front of the palace stood a row of imperial guards armed with swords. These guards were all under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guard. Because the little princess often went to the Imperial Guard to play, almost all of the 3,000 guards knew her.

No noise was allowed. Several imperial guards who were nearby winked at each other and humbly coaxed the little princess to leave. In the end, they could only watch helplessly, like Jie Yu, as the little princess walked past them and approached the open main door of the hall step by step.

Inside the hall, all the ministers stood facing north, except Emperor Xingwu, who sat high on the dragon throne, facing south.

At this time, the Ministry of Revenue was reporting on the distribution of land to poor farmers in the northern part of the Great Qi. As early as the beginning of Emperor Xingwu's reign, he ordered officials to re-measure and summarize the abandoned land, ownerless land, and land seized by the princes, nobles, corrupt officials and bullies of the previous dynasty in various states in the north. After obtaining the total account, part of it would be designated as official land and military land, and the rest would be distributed to poor farmers and tenants.

Over three years have passed, and the land distribution in various counties and cities in the north has been completed one after another. However, the land registers submitted are not necessarily clean.

As soon as the Minister of Revenue finished his report, the Censorate immediately impeached more than a dozen officials for concealing the report and embezzling land for their own use. The leader was Yuan Zhaoxiong, the Marquis of Pingliang, who was sent by Emperor Xingwu to guard the northwest. The Censorate accused him of accepting bribes from local officials and occupying at least 3,000 hectares, or 300,000 mu, of land.

Prince Yong frowned and asked, "Do you have any evidence? Perhaps someone is deliberately framing the meritorious official."

Imperial Censor Nie Ao was a loyal minister of the previous dynasty, personally promoted by Emperor Xingwu. He had once been nearly beheaded by the tyrant for his outspokenness. Now, his impeachment of a founding hero had drawn Prince Yong's suspicion. Nie Ao remained calm, pulling a scroll of paper from his sleeve and raising it toward the throne. "Here is a secret letter accusing the Marquis of Pingliang of the number and distribution of land. Whether it's a false accusation or the truth, Your Majesty will know once he sends someone to investigate."

Emperor Xingwu winked at He Yuanjing.

He Yuanjing walked down the stairs, took the book and paper presented by Nie Ao, and then presented it to Emperor Xingwu with both hands.

He unfolded the letter and read it quickly. Just as Emperor Xingwu was about to speak, he looked up and saw a little head suddenly popping out from the south left side of the palace door. It was his daughter, who had two small buns with most of her face exposed.

He was both shocked and in love, but in the public eye, in order to prevent the ministers from discovering the little princess who had dared to play here, Emperor Xingwu forced himself to suppress the urge to take a second look. He looked at the letter again and said solemnly, "The Marquis of Pingliang once fought hard to protect me from the siege. I trust him as I trust my brothers. How can I doubt him based on a piece of empty words? Therefore, I will send this secret letter to him, and he will explain the right and wrong to me in person. If he has been falsely accused, I will clear his name. If he was indeed tempted by greed, as long as he surrenders the coveted land and sincerely repents, I will not pursue the matter further out of consideration for our old friendship."

The ministers discussed it in low voices and agreed with Emperor Xingwu's decision. As for other officials, they would be investigated and would not be tolerated.

Emperor Xingwu saw that the little head outside the palace door had not been retracted, so he motioned He Yuanjing to come closer and whispered a few words to him.

He Yuanjing quietly withdrew and let his apprentice Zhao Cai take his place temporarily. He walked around from the back of the hall to the front, knelt on his knees behind the little princess, gently pulled back the little princess's shoulders, and then tried to coax the little princess to leave.

Qingyang refused to leave. She liked to hear these stories and also liked to hear how her father dealt with and arranged things. The emperors in the Records of the Grand Historian that Jie Yu talked about were all dead, and her father was the only living emperor she had ever seen. How powerful he was.

He Yuanjing felt helpless. He touched the little princess's hand, which had been chilled by the wind from holding onto the door, and advised, "Then Your Highness, please follow me. Let's go sit and listen in the imperial corridor behind the main hall. It's warm there. But Your Highness, please obey me and don't peek around. The Emperor has said that if the ministers see you, he will take back the medallion he gave you."

Qingyang: "Okay."

He Yuanjing specially asked someone to bring a warm tiger skin mat and spread it at one end of the imperial road on the west side behind the hall, to ensure that the little princess could see the emperor on the dragon throne while not being seen by the ministers below. Only then did He Yuanjing return to guard the emperor.

The court meeting lasted for a total of one hour. When the time was up, Emperor Xingwu anxiously left the dragon throne with a calm face. When he moved a little closer to the imperial road, he saw that his daughter had fallen asleep, lying on a furry tiger skin cushion.

Emperor Xingwu was cruel to his sons, and also to himself and his ministers. He never allowed the fire to burn on the ground during the morning court session.

Emperor Xingwu picked up his daughter with heartache and touched the little girl's forehead first to make sure she did not have a fever before leaving in a hurry.

【Author’s words】

[Three-color cat head][Three-color cat head][Three-color cat head] is here, and there will be two more chapters in the evening. Adding them up, it will definitely be the usual 10,000 words per chapter!

100 little red envelopes, thank you sisters for supporting the genuine version, see you around 6pm for the second update, [kiss]