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◎Xiyuan Palace◎

After the Crown Prince's wedding, Qin Bing, Qin Ren and Qingyang all looked forward to one thing: to go to the Western Garden with their father to escape the summer heat!

Xiyuan was the royal palace of the previous dynasty. Because it was located a hundred miles west of the capital, it was widely called Xiyuan by officials and people in the capital. When Emperor Xingwu captured the capital, the soldiers also fought a battle in Xiyuan, which caused many palace walls and courtyards in Xiyuan to be severely damaged.

After Emperor Xingwu ascended the throne, he was first busy unifying the country, then busy distributing land and pacifying the people. While recuperating, he also fought several defensive battles with neighboring countries from time to time. Until the autumn of the sixth year of Xingwu, the palace servants who stayed behind in the Western Garden reported that a black bear had escaped from the zoo due to disrepair. The palace servants could not find it anywhere and hoped that the court would send troops to capture the bear to prevent it from hurting people. The diligent and frugal Emperor Xingwu then remembered the Western Garden.

Some ministers had always wanted to rebuild the Western Garden so that the emperor would have a place to rest and enjoy himself. However, rebuilding the Western Garden would cost a large sum of money, and the emperor was frugal. He would often scold the extravagant and tyrannical rulers of the previous dynasty to warn the civil and military officials. Therefore, the ministers did not dare to rashly request the reconstruction of the Western Garden for fear of flattering the emperor and hitting the horse's leg.

The black bear that had escaped became the trigger. After the officers and soldiers caught the black bear, Emperor Xingwu took several military generals to go to the Western Garden in person. Seeing that there were mountains, forests and grasslands here, which were quite suitable for horse racing and hunting, Emperor Xingwu took the initiative to propose the reconstruction of the Western Garden. The Ministry of Works had craftsmen, the Ministry of Revenue had money, and most parts of the Western Garden were in good condition, so it was repaired in a year.

The Western Garden of the previous dynasty was purely a place for royal enjoyment. During this renovation, Emperor Xingwu ordered the Ministry of Works to demolish a section of the garden inside the southern palace wall of the Western Garden and built a Xuanzheng Hall, the Secretariat, the Council of State, the Six Ministries, and official residences for accompanying officials. In this way, he and his ministers could avoid the two-month-long scorching heat without delaying state affairs.

Emperor Xingwu had already gone to the Western Garden to escape the summer heat last year and was quite satisfied with the experience, so he would definitely go there this year as well.

At the court meeting on the morning of May 23, Emperor Xingwu announced his decision to escape the summer heat this year and asked all departments to make good preparations. The imperial carriage would set off on the 28th.

Even after the Dragon Boat Festival, the Imperial Guard and the four major imperial camps had each dispatched 3,000 elite soldiers to the Western Garden. They were responsible for inspecting and guarding the garden's interior and exterior to prevent assassination attempts. When the imperial family and accompanying officials departed, another 1,000 Imperial Guards and 7,000 Imperial Guards escorted the emperor. After the emperor left the capital, the deputy commanders of the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Guard garrisoned the capital. Memorials from various regions were sent directly to the Western Garden for processing.

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They set out on May 28th and arrived at the Western Garden on the afternoon of the 29th. After resting, the royal family sat together for dinner in the evening. Emperor Xingwu looked at the children and said, "Tomorrow morning, I have summoned several ministers to climb Feiying Peak. Anyone who wants to go can come with us."

Needless to say, Prince Yong was among the "several ministers".

Qin Hong, Qin Liang, Qin Bing, and the son-in-law Fu Kui all expressed their willingness to go.

Qingyang winked at his third brother.

Qin Ren stole a glance at his father and saw that he was also staring at him. Knowing that he couldn't hide by pretending to be dumb, Qin Ren had no choice but to smile ingratiatingly at his father: "Father, my martial arts are not as good as my elder brothers, and climbing mountains is..."

Emperor Xingwu said: "The worse you are, the more diligent you must practice. Tomorrow morning, even if no one else wants to go, you must go."

Qin Ren: “…”

Except for Concubine Li who was embarrassed, the Imperial Concubine and the others all smiled as if they were used to it. Qin Ren looked at them one by one, shrank his neck and smiled, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Emperor Xingwu silently swallowed his anger. The eldest son was capable of both civil and military skills, but he lacked courage and boldness. The third son was mediocre in both, not fighting or competing, and looked like a coward. But how could a coward dare to refuse his father's invitation to climb the mountain, and dare to continue to be lazy and laugh after being scolded by his father? Courage used in the wrong place will only make people angry!

"Father, I'm going too."

Qingyang followed behind his third brother and said.

Emperor Xingwu looked at his little daughter, who was doing well in every way, and immediately felt relieved. He smiled and said, "Feiying Peak is over two hundred feet high. Your third brother has a hard time climbing it. Isn't Lin'er afraid of getting tired?"

Qingyang: "When I feel tired, I will take a break. When I have rested enough, I will continue climbing. I will eventually reach the top of the mountain."

Emperor Xingwu loved listening to his youngest daughter talk, and after agreeing, he looked at his eldest daughter.

Yongkang: "...I will go if it's just our own family members, but if there are foreign officials, I'll let it go."

Emperor Xingwu did not force his eldest daughter.

Qin Ren looked at his elder sister with envy.

It was still daylight after dinner when Emperor Xingwu took his two concubines for a walk. The people from Qingyang also went to find a place to enjoy the scenery. The three unmarried women walked in front, while the Qin Hong and Yongkang couples followed slowly behind. As for Yongkang's two children, because they were too young, they were simply taken out to play by their wet nurse.

Yongkang was concerned about his younger brother and sister-in-law: "Are you used to living in the palace?"

Lu Wenrong smiled and said, "I felt a little awkward at first, but luckily Lin'er often came to accompany me. Mother and Concubine Li are also kind people. Now I'm completely used to it."

Yongkang looked back at his brother who was walking beside the prince consort and said jokingly, "After all the praise, is it possible that the prince isn't being kind enough to you?"

Lu Wenrong blushed with shame.

Qin Hong's ears also turned red when he heard the sound. How could he possibly treat Wen Rong badly? Compared to his elder sister's strict urging and eager expectations of him, Wen Rong never discussed complicated matters with him. She was gentle and simple. In fact, the half month after the wedding became the most peaceful half month for him to sleep since entering the palace.

What Yongkang was worried about was Lu Wenrong's simplicity and innocence. His brother was already honest enough, and the Crown Princess was not smart enough...

Keeping some distance, Yongkang whispered to his younger brother and sister-in-law about his experience in dealing with concubines and palace maids.

After a long conversation, Lu Wenrong's smile froze.

After nightfall, Qin Hong asked his wife, who had become worried, "What did my elder sister tell you?"

Lu Wenrong said in a low voice, with worry in his eyes.

Qin Hong held her hand and said with a smile, "Big sister is just like that. She acts as if everyone in the world wants to harm me. Just listen to her words and don't take them to heart. Our palace doesn't have as many intrigues as the previous palace."

Lu Wenrong nodded. "My grandfather also told me this before I got married. He told me to be careful with my words and actions, do my job well, and not worry too much about anything else."

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Qingyang had a good sleep. After having breakfast at the beginning of the morning, he went next door to wake up his third brother.

Qin Ren still hadn't slept enough, but thinking that he only needed to attend classes three days every ten days while living in the palace, Qin Ren immediately became energetic. He took two quarters of an hour to wash and eat, and then he and his sister hurried to the Xijing Gate of the inner palace leading to the vast garden outside.

Outside Xijing Gate, a dozen ministers who accompanied the emperor on the mountain climb were already waiting. The civil officials included two prime ministers, the chief censor, and six secretaries of state. The military generals included the commander of the Imperial Guard Fan Zhong, the commander of the Imperial Army Xue Ye, the commander of the East Camp Lü Guangzu and his son Lü Zan, the commander of the South Camp Meng Ji, the commander of the West Camp Deng Chong, the commander of the North Camp Prince Yong, as well as seven or eight young men from meritorious families, including Fu Kui, Zhang Heng, Zhang Su, and Yuan Chongli.

Qin Hong, Qin Liang, and Qin Bing had also arrived, leaving only Emperor Xingwu as the last one to show up.

Although the forests around Feiying Peak are also within the West Garden, they are three miles away from here, so everyone is holding a horse and will ride over there later.

The palace maids also brought the mounts of the third prince and the little princess.

Twenty-year-old Qin Liang had already taken up a job in the North Camp and was no longer the prince's companion, but he still stood beside Qin Hong out of habit.

Yuan Chongli was also Qin Bing's study partner, so he naturally ranked behind Qin Bing.

Therefore, as soon as the Qingyang brother and sister stopped, Zhang Su also led his horse and lined up behind Qin Ren.

Qingyang smiled at him, and Zhang Su lowered his eyes to avoid her.

The ministers had actually been talking the entire time. Duke Dingguo Deng Chong glanced around and said wistfully, "It's a pity that Yuan Zhaoxiong, Zhang Jie, Li Yu, and the others are all out. Otherwise, we could all be together again, and later, we could all follow the emperor up to the heights to enjoy the view and drink a few large bowls of wine. That would be so much fun."

Minister of Personnel Yang Zhimin stroked his beard, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "When I was young, I could still run around with you martial artists. Now that I'm older, I can't keep up. Whether I can even make it to the top of Feiying Peak is another matter of fact."

Deng Chong laughed: "Prime Minister Yan is almost sixty and he still hasn't accepted his age. You are only forty-five, why are you worrying about your legs and feet?"

Yan Xizheng smiled without saying anything. Lu Guangzu, who was already 66 years old, looked at him and there was a sense of mutual understanding.

Zhang Su ignored her, and her three royal brothers were also quiet. Qingyang just watched these founding heroes chatting. Speaking of age, Fan Zhong was the youngest among the commanders, just 34 years old this year. Prince Yong's uncle, Xue Ye, Meng Ji, and Lu Zan were all 41 or 42 years old. Deng Chong was the same age as his father, and was 49 this year.

Regardless of whether they were in their thirties or sixties, these heroes all grew long or short beards.

Qingyang's gaze shifted to the faces of Fu Kui, Zhang Heng and others, and he wondered if these young military officers would be able to possess the abilities of their fathers when the heroes and famous generals grew old.

Finally, Emperor Xingwu brought He Yuanjing out. The nearly fifty-year-old Emperor Xingwu wore a black round-necked robe with gold edges, black hair, black eyebrows, and a short black beard. He had a handsome face with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. After sitting firmly on the throne for nine years, what attracted people more attention was the imperial majesty of Emperor Xingwu.

"Your Highness, I pay you my respects!"

All the ministers saluted in unison, and several from Qingyang called him "Father".

Emperor Xingwu said with a smile, "No need for formalities. Today we are climbing the mountain. Let's just talk about friendship, not monarch and subject. Let's all mount our horses."

After saying this, Emperor Xingwu was the first to climb onto his black steed. He glanced down from above and saw his little daughter holding onto the saddle and about to push. Emperor Xingwu immediately said, "Lin'er, come here. I'll take you with me."

The little princess pretended not to hear and mounted her horse. After her father repeated it a second time, Qingyang said, "Father, I've been practicing horsemanship for six months. Please let your daughter run on her own. There are so many people here, all of whom are your most trusted generals. Even if I accidentally fall, are you still worried that no one will be able to save me in time?"

Fan Zhong was the first to respond, "I will stay with the princess and ensure she remains unharmed!"

There are too many princes present at this time, so it is easier to distinguish them by calling them princesses.

Qingyang immediately smiled at Fan Zhong.

Before his smile could reach its fullest, Emperor Xingwu snorted, "The grass here looks flat, but it's actually full of holes. I'll take you for a run first, so you can experience it. Zhang Su, help the princess dismount."

Zhang Su, who had been guarding the little princess's horse, took two steps forward and looked at the little princess on horseback.

Qingyang bit his lip, loosened the reins, then took his feet out of the stirrups and leaned towards Zhang Su.

Zhang Su firmly grasped the little princess's armpits and lifted her down.

Qingyang had to walk gloomily to his father's mount under the gazes of many ministers.

Emperor Xingwu stretched out his left hand, grasped his daughter's waist and lifted her up, then easily placed her on the saddle in front of him.

Hearing his daughter muttering "stinky father", Emperor Xingwu smiled, squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and was the first to rush out towards the grassland and mountains in the distance.

【Author’s words】

Here I come [poor thing], 100 little red envelopes, see you in the evening~