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◎ "What a good daughter of mine!"◎

In the past, Qin Bing would ask the imperial concubine directly for a birthday gift for his sister. Now that he had left the palace, he had money and more free time. He knew that his sister in the palace was used to receiving all kinds of jewelry and preferred the cheap but interesting things given by Zhang Su. This time, Qin Bing decided to give his sister something new. He started wandering around several markets last year and then fell in love with a four-month-old green-feathered parrot. He bought it back to the palace along with a bird-raising servant and carefully trained it for several months. Today, he can finally present it to his sister!

Seeing that his sister seemed to be disgusted by the bird's gruff voice, Qin Bing enthusiastically approached her with the birdcage in hand, introducing it as he walked. "This is a parrot. They all make the same sound, but what's special about them is that they can talk. They're also very beautiful. A normal parrot would sell for dozens of taels of silver, but this one only cost you two hundred taels!"

As Qin Bing spoke, the parrot in the cage tilted its head to look at him. Qin Bing paused, and the parrot flapped its wings and cried out again: "Beautiful! Two hundred taels!"

Qingyang was attracted by the bird's cleverness and looked at it carefully.

The parrot is indeed very beautiful, with a red curved beak, bright green back feathers and wings, and an orange-red area on its chest and abdomen.

Qin Bing: "It is said that if you take good care of this kind of parrot, it can live for more than 30 years. Just imagine how deep that affection is."

Qingyang could sense the sincerity of her second brother's gift, but she still said, "If it can't talk, I'll accept it. But if it can talk, I don't want it."

Qin Bing was stunned: "Why?"

The day he went to the bird shop, many children were circling around the parrots in the cages, wishing their parents would give them one.

Qingyang asked him to put down the cage and walked a few steps away before asking, "Do second and third brothers often complain about our father's strictness?"

Qin Bing: "...Father is always strict."

Qingyang: "Yes, but why do you only dare to complain to me in a low voice, at most letting the palace servants around you hear it?"

Qin Bing: "Of course I'm worried that it will get to Father... Oh, sister, are you afraid that the parrot will imitate your voice and the noise will spread out?"

This is what Qingyang thought. Although she had never complained about her father, she had to say a lot of words to the palace maids around her every day. She might say something that was not good for others to know. Jie Yu and others were loyal to her and knew the palace rules well and would not disclose their master's secrets casually. Did Yingge understand this?

"I won't raise one, and my second brother better not raise one either."

Qin Bing felt that his sister's words made sense, but if he just took the parrot he had carefully selected back home like that, wouldn't it be like he hadn't given his sister a gift?

Qingyang smiled and said, "But I know that my second brother spent two hundred taels of silver on me, which is more than my third brother. This thoughtful gesture from my second brother can be considered a gift."

When Qin Bing heard that he had surpassed the third brother, he immediately became happy again: "Okay, this is it for this year, and next year, the second brother will give you something better!"

Qingyang: "Big sister should be entering the palace soon, let's go to the Imperial Concubine."

Every time the eldest sister entered the palace, she would first pay her respects to the imperial concubine.

Qin Bing: "Let's go and open the eyes of Mother and Big Sister, as well as your little sisters."

Such a good parrot, it’s worth showing off to others!

In Changchun Palace, Concubine Li was talking to the Imperial Concubine. When she heard that the Second Prince and the Little Princess had arrived together, the Imperial Concubine sighed, "This morning we had literature lessons, and he's been using his sister to escape for half the day."

Concubine Li interceded for the Second Prince: "It's only half a day, it won't delay much. Sister, please stop nagging Bing'er. I'm happy for Qingyang. He is so loved by his second brother. He receives gifts on his birthday every year."

The imperial concubine smiled and said, "It's because Qingyang is smart and likable that the brothers and sisters above her love her so much."

The imperial concubine, who had already forgiven her son for skipping classes while chatting and laughing, saw her son come in carrying a parrot, but her smile disappeared for a moment.

Qingyang was used to being spoiled by all three of the palace elders. He quickly ran to the imperial concubine and snuggled up to her. He said happily, "Your Majesty, look, my second brother gave me such a beautiful bird. It's just that its cry is too unpleasant. I was afraid it would disturb me while I was studying, so I asked him to bring it back to the mansion and raise it for me. I'll go see it when I visit him."

Qin Bing agreed and said, "Yes, it's for my sister. I'll let the servant take care of it. I won't go to see it unless it has nothing to do, so that it won't mistake me for its master."

The imperial concubine gave the little princess face and only instructed her son: "You'd better do what you say, otherwise if the emperor finds out that you wasted too much time playing with birds and neglected your studies, you will see how he punishes you."

Qin Bing, who was already seventeen years old and nearly eight feet tall, winked at his sister secretly.

The imperial concubine chased him away: "I have given you a gift, so you should go back quickly. You just got a D in the literature exam last month. If you get a D again next time, not only will the emperor have to confine you, but I will too."

Qin Bing was just about to find an excuse when a palace maid came with a message that the eldest princess and her family had arrived.

Qin Bing took his younger sister outside to greet his elder sister.

Twenty-three-year-old Yongkang was dressed in gorgeous clothes. Having been the sole steward for so many years, she had long since shed the childishness of a newly married woman, and her features were now filled with the majesty of a princess. She held her four-year-old eldest son, Ming'er, by the hand, while her wet nurse held her nine-month-old daughter, Xi'er.

"Big sister!"

Qingyang smiled and hugged his elder sister's waist, looking at his little nephew beside him and smiling.

Yongkang patted his sister's head, while his attention fell on the birdcage in his second brother's hand: "Is this a gift for your sister?"

Qin Bing: "Yes, have you seen her outside the palace?"

Yongkang smiled. There were so many wives of officials trying to curry favor with her, and the gifts they gave her were all kinds of things. What was a mere parrot? She would get tired of it after raising it for a while.

Ming'er found it curious and ran to his second uncle to watch the birds.

Qingyang moved closer to the wet nurse and reached out to poke his little niece's tender face.

Yongkang saw it all, but what he was thinking about was when his sister was just born. He remembered it so clearly, but in the blink of an eye, nine years had passed. His sister was still a child, and he had become the mother of two children.

"Let's go inside and talk."

After paying his respects to the two concubines, Yongkang sat in the seat below the imperial concubine, smiled and called his sister who was clinging to his daughter, and gave her a pear blossom pearl flower with five petals carved from white jade and a cherry-sized pink pearl embedded in the middle with a gold base.

Qingyang: "It's really beautiful, thank you, big sister."

Yongkang put the pearl flower directly on his sister's head and said, "Our Lin'er looks like a fairy. She will look good in any jewelry."

Qingyang: "I am a little fairy, my sister is a big fairy, and Xier is a little fairy."

Qin Bing: "You keep saying I'm thick-skinned. I think you three are pretty thick-skinned too."

The two sisters glared at him together.

After the ladies of all ages who were attending the banquet in the palace had arrived, the two princesses took them to the imperial garden to appreciate the flowers. Qin Bing, who did not want to go back home to study, followed with a birdcage.

Yongkang didn't want to play with the little girls, so he dragged his future sister-in-law Lu Wenrong to appreciate the flowers alone. Twelve-year-old Yuan Jie and nine-year-old Yan Zhenzhen surrounded Qin Bing and teased the parrot. On the contrary, Meng Yao, who usually loved to play with Qin Bing the most, went to the side to appreciate the flowers, but she looked absent-minded and listless.

Meng Yao is the daughter of Weiyuan Hou, who has been garrisoning Liaozhou for the past few years and only returns to Beijing to report on his work once every three years.

Qingyang had heard his father praise Marquis Weiyuan, saying that he was a general as talented as Zhang Jie. The grassland tribes north of Liaozhou had invaded several times but had never been able to gain any advantage over Marquis Weiyuan.

Qingyang liked these powerful generals, and he also liked the generals' daughters. He walked over and asked Meng Yao, "Why do you look unhappy?"

Thirteen-year-old Meng Yao glanced at the little princess, who was a head shorter than her, and her eyes slowly turned red. "My mother is sick, very sick."

Before he finished speaking, tears as big as beans fell.

Qingyang quickly took out the handkerchief.

Qin Bing was in the pavilion, feeling very proud that all the little girls liked his parrot. He glanced outside inadvertently and saw Meng Yao crying. Qin Bing came over curiously and heard Meng Yao sobbing as she talked about her mother's illness.

Qingyang: "I'll go talk to my father and ask him to send the imperial physician to take a look."

Meng Yao shook her head. "The Emperor has already arranged for an imperial physician to visit my mother every day, but he said her illness is in her internal organs and can only alleviate the pain with medicine, not cure the root cause..."

She cried so hard that her shoulders were shaking. Qingyang reached out to hug her. Qin Bing glanced at his sister's small body, stretched out his arms and hugged Meng Yao into his arms. He sighed and said, "Since the imperial physician can't cure her, you should try to be nicer to your mother. Ask her if there is anything she wants to do and try to satisfy her."

Meng Yao was crying so hard that she couldn't speak.

Yongkang, Lu Wenrong and the other two came over. After learning the reason, they all comforted Meng Yao. Yongkang also pushed Qin Bing away and hugged Meng Yao in his arms with pity.

Because of Meng Yao's mother's matter, Qingyang was no longer in the mood to celebrate his birthday. He asked his elder sister to entertain his friends, and Qingyang went to Qianyuan Hall.

Over the years, the little princess no longer needed the emperor's permission to enter the Qianyuan Hall. If there were no ministers inside, He Yuanjing would directly invite the little princess in. If there were ministers present, the little princess would wait outside obediently.

"Father, when did you know that the wife of Marquis Weiyuan was seriously ill?" the little princess asked with a worried look on her face.

Emperor Xingwu: "She asked the Imperial Concubine for sick leave for the New Year's Eve banquet, and she didn't come to the Lantern Festival banquet either. Father asked the Imperial Concubine to send someone to check, and then we'll know."

Qingyang: "I heard from my mother that the Marquis of Weiyuan and his wife are deeply in love and have never taken a concubine. Now that the Marquis' wife is so ill, she must want the Marquis to come back and be with her."

Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter and said to the memorial in his hand, "The Liaozhou border has been unstable recently. I need Marquis Weiyuan to guard it there so that I can feel at ease."

Qingyang: "Didn't your Majesty say that the Duke of Weiguo is just as powerful as him? Your Majesty can send the Duke of Weiguo to temporarily take over Marquis Weiyuan's duties, allowing him to return to the capital to visit his wife. If this is the last time they see each other, the Marquis of Weiyuan will surely be grateful for your kindness and be even more loyal to you in the future. When your subjects hear about this, they will also praise your Majesty for his compassion and for being a benevolent ruler."

Emperor Xingwu finally took his eyes off the memorial.

He naturally knew about the feelings between Weiyuan Hou and his wife, but a man should focus on his career and career. How could he delay important border affairs for the sake of love?

But what my daughter said also made sense. The loyalty of a young and strong general like Weiyuan Hou Mengji is equally valuable.

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Xingwu teased his daughter, "Marquis Weiyuan is grateful to you, my father, but Duke Weiguo is doing well in the capital. You suddenly transferred him to the border, which would take at least a year. Aren't you afraid that Zhang Su, having been away from his father for so long, will blame you for meddling?"

Qingyang said unhappily, "A man learns martial arts to protect his country. The Duke of Wei's daughter recommended him because of his talent, and the emperor has placed great importance on him. If Zhang Suruo blames me for this, then he is ignorant, and he is not worthy of being my third brother's study companion."

Emperor Xingwu rubbed the little princess's head fiercely and said, "You are truly my good daughter!"

【Author’s words】

Here I come, it’s finally a little early today!

100 little red envelopes, see you in the evening~