8 008

"I'm going to punish you by making you hold my hand all the time."

Although the little princess was young, she had already developed enough arrogance and never thought that the Junguo Guild across the street would reject her request.

What Duke Zhang Jie felt in the little princess's eyes was only the innocent love of a child, without any arrogance.

At this moment, Zhang Jie recalled the conversation he had with his father when he was a child. He asked his father why he was always depressed.

Father: "I'm not gloomy, I just don't smile much."

Zhang Jie: "Then why doesn't father like to laugh?"

Father: "...The men of our Zhang family are all born with good looks, but we are also a family of military commanders. We must maintain dignity and dignity to intimidate the soldiers below us, so that they will not judge us by appearance and look down on us."

Zhang Jie kept his father's words in mind and did as he was told. However, from childhood to adulthood, he was more likely to attract the attention of women than his classmates and colleagues. The elderly, the weak, women and children on the street might be afraid of other generals, but when they saw him, they dared to stare at him, look at him, and talk about him with a smile.

Zhang Jie had encountered many similar things before. When the little princess asked him to hug her, he immediately realized that it was this face that was causing the trouble again.

Zhang Jie could avoid other young women, but he could not refuse a little princess who was looking at him with expectation.

Stepping forward, Zhang Jie said respectfully, "I am a mere warrior, and I'm afraid my clumsy hands might injure the princess."

Qingyang: "Will you throw me?"

Zhang Jie: "I dare not."

Qingyang looked at Fu'an's narrow shoulders, thin waist and thin arms, and then looked at the slender but upright and strong body of Duke Weiguo, and did not believe that he would fall.

She opened her arms directly towards the Duke of Wei: "I want you to hold me."

Zhang Jie nodded, then pinched the little princess's equally small armpits with both hands, and placed the little princess quickly and steadily next to the third prince with his shoulders and chest kept half an arm's length away from the little princess.

Qingyang, who was "carried" out of the car like this for the first time, said: "..."

Zhang Jie had returned to his original position and formally saluted the two princes with his family.

Qingyang pouted and glared at Zhang Jie. Qin Ren, who was already eight years older and knew more etiquette, smiled and said, "Duke, Madam, please excuse your formalities. My sister and I are sorry to have disturbed your rest today. Thank you for your patience."

Zhang Jie thanked them and stood up to introduce his wife and two older sons to the two princes one by one.

Qingyang's gaze lingered on Zhang Jian and Zhang Heng's faces for a moment, and finally fell on Zhang Su's face, who needed no introduction.

The little princess looked at him slowly and carefully. Qin Ren, Zhang Jie and the others could only wait and cooperate. Then they saw the little princess smile and pointed at Zhang Su and said, "You are still the best looking."

The third son of the Zhang family, who stood as straight as his brothers with the same serious expression, was stunned for a moment, and then his face flushed red, unable to hide his childishness.

Qingyang was even more surprised. He ran to Zhang Su and looked up at him: "Why is your face so red?"

Zhang Su pursed his lips, feeling the gazes of his father, brother, the Third Prince, Fu'an, and the others. He tried hard to suppress the urge to leave so that no one would see his blushing face. Zhang Su said to the top of the little princess's head, "Princess, you are too kind."

Qingyang: "What do you mean by false praise?"

Zhang Su: “…”

Qin Ren came over to help him out, took his sister's hand and said, "Okay, our father has asked us to return to the palace early. Let Zhang Su take us inside for a walk."

He then said to Zhang Jie and his wife, "My sister and I will take a walk. The Duke, Madam, and the two young masters can go and rest."

Zhang Jie: "Then we will excuse ourselves. If Your Highness has any instructions, please feel free to send Su Ge'er."

Only after watching the youngest son lead the two princes and the accompanying palace maids to the back garden of the Duke's Mansion did Zhang Jie and the other three completely relax.

Xu praised: "The Third Prince and the Princess are so beautiful that it's no exaggeration to say they are fairy children and fairies."

Her own sons were handsome enough, but Concubine Li's two children were even more handsome, especially Princess Qingyang, with her petal-like cheeks and big watery eyes. If they were the children of relatives or friends, Xu would have to hold them in her arms and give them a few kisses.

Zhang Jie didn't comment and said, "Go to the main hall and wait."

When the princes leave, they will see them off respectfully.

On the way to the back garden, without the unfamiliar Duke's family, Qingyang was even more outspoken. He asked Zhang Su, who was leading the way, "What exactly is a false compliment?"

Zhang Su just lowered his eyes. Qin Ren smiled and said, "To praise someone wrongly is to praise them wrongly. When others praise us, no matter if we are really that good or not, we should be humble. Otherwise, we will appear arrogant."

Qingyang was unhappy: "I'm not wrong to praise him. Zhang Su is just better looking than his brothers. His eldest brother has thick eyebrows and his second brother has a pimple on his face, but Zhang Su is better looking in every way."

Qin Ren: "But if you praise Zhang Su, you are actually disparaging his two brothers. To them, you are being disrespectful. It's just like when the Duke just praised me for being prettier than you. Do you like that?"

Qingyang: "... Is Third Brother really better looking than me?"

Qin Ren: "Of course not, my sister is the prettiest."

Qingyang was afraid that his third brother was just trying to coax him, so he asked Zhang Su, "Do you also think I'm the prettiest?"

Zhang Su didn't want to answer this kind of question.

Qingyang ran over and stood in front of him, pouting and insisting that he speak.

Zhang Su: "...The princess is the most beautiful three-year-old girl I have ever seen."

When Qingyang heard the words "the best", he became happy again and took Zhang Su's hand and said, "Let's go together."

Zhang Su, who was successfully attacked because he was looking elsewhere, subconsciously broke free from the little princess's hand.

When Qingyang was about to lift his foot, he lost his balance and sat down on the ground.

It didn't hurt, but Qingyang was unhappy that Zhang Su pushed him away. He pouted and tears as big as beans fell: "Third brother, Zhang Su pushed me!"

Qin Ren, who saw the brief process clearly, said: "..."

He quickly helped his sister up, brushing the loose dirt off her skirt while coaxing her: "Zhang Su didn't mean to do that. Are you hurt?"

Qingyang stared at Zhang Su with tears in his eyes: "It hurts, he did it on purpose."

Zhang Su knelt down and said, "I am guilty. Please punish me, Princess."

Just as Qing Yang was about to speak, her third brother's handkerchief covered her eyes. Qing Yang had to wait until her third brother took the handkerchief away before blinking out new tears and continued crying to Zhang Su: "I'm going to punish you by making you hold my hand all the time. You can only let go when I tell you to."

Zhang Su: "...The princess is a treasured treasure, your humble servant..."

Qin Ren interrupted him angrily: "How old are you? If I tell you to hold my hand, hold it now. Otherwise, if you cry too loudly and alert the Duke, you might get beaten as soon as we leave."

Military generals are all fierce, and the handsome Zhang Jie should be no exception. Qin Ren doesn't want his study partner to be beaten.

Fu'an and the wet nurse followed suit.

After all, Zhang Su was only nine years old. Looking at the two tears on the little princess's cheeks, he stood up with his head hung down and stretched out his right hand.

Qingyang burst into laughter, grabbed it, threw himself into Zhang Su's arms, and wiped away his tears with his clothes.

Zhang Su's whole body was stiff. Is this considered a hug?

But the little princess had just cried, so Zhang Su didn't dare to move.

There was a garden in front of them. Although the garden of the Duke's Mansion was not as big as the imperial garden in the palace, it had fresh scenery. Qingyang took Zhang Su to look at the flowers and fish. Zhang Su tried to persuade the little princess to let go several times, but the more he persuaded, the tighter the little princess held his hand.

After touring the garden, Zhang Su reluctantly took the little princess and the third prince to the hall of the main courtyard.

Zhang Jie and the other three all looked at the two people holding hands for a moment, and then pretended not to see them and just respectfully saw the guests off.

When it was time to get on the carriage, Qingyang finally let go of Zhang Su's hand and let Zhang Jie carry her up.

Zhang Jie still lifted the little princess onto the carriage. Qingyang glanced at Zhang Su, who was not far away, and complained to Zhang Jie: "Zhang Su pushed me. The Duke told him not to push me again."

She has to listen to her father, and Zhang Su must also listen to his father.

Qin Ren explained what happened before the incident became a big deal and signaled Zhang Jie with his eyes not to take it to heart.

Zhang Jie solemnly assured the little princess that it would never happen again.

After the two princes' carriages drove away, Zhang Jie walked behind alone with his young son.

Zhang Su looked at his father's face, which was unrecognizable, and felt a little uneasy: "Father, am I wrong?"

Zhang Jie shook his head. "You're right, and you're even better at observing etiquette than your father was when he was little. I forgot that Princess Qingyang is still young. You need to be proactive and avoid suspicion. But if the princess asks you to hold her hand while walking or do other small things like that, just do it. When the princess is older and understands the difference between men and women, she'll naturally stop being so close to you."

Zhang Su nodded.

Zhang Jie looked at his overly cautious son and added, "You must observe etiquette and be flexible where necessary. The princess is respected. As long as it does not seriously violate etiquette and morality, you should try your best to meet her requests, otherwise you will suffer in vain."

Zhang Su: “…Yes.”

.

As soon as he returned to the palace, Qingyang forgot about what happened in the Duke's Mansion. He followed his third brother back to his mother's Xianfu Palace, and in the evening, he followed his third brother to Qianyuan Palace for dinner.

Emperor Xingwu called all five children over and asked, "Have you tried on the cloth clothes that were sent to you?"

Crown Prince Qin Hong: "I tried it on, and the size is just right."

The Second Prince, Qin Bing, said: "Father, why do we have to wear cloth? There are also wealthy families in the capital who can afford to wear silk."

Emperor Xingwu: "I was born a commoner. I have worn common clothes for nearly thirty years without complaining. How can you not stand wearing them once? If you can't stand it, stay in the palace and don't go anywhere else."

Qin Bing: “…”

Qingyang was still about to complain that the cloth clothes were ugly, but seeing that his second brother was being scolded by his father, he wisely kept his mouth shut. After all, leaving the palace was more important than a set of cloth clothes.

Emperor Xingwu continued to remind him, "After leaving the palace, you can only call me dad, otherwise you will be exposed. Let's start practicing from this meal. Whoever calls me father will be deducted one point. When he deducts three points, he will stay in the palace tomorrow. Come, try calling me dad first."

Qin Bingzhong called out "Dad" with full energy, and Qingyang was the second to call out. His voice was the sweet and clear voice unique to children. Hearing this, Emperor Xingwu immediately hugged his little daughter in his arms, rubbed his head and looked at the other three.

Yongkang, Qin Hong and Qin Ren all shouted in a very proper manner.

After a brief practice, the children gathered in Qianyuan Hall at 2:15 am the next day to have breakfast with Emperor Xingwu. After the meal, the six fathers and sons, all dressed in cloth, set off immediately.

Over three years had passed since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty. The capital, the emperor's capital, was the first to regain its former prosperity. Emperor Xingwu brought his children to the South Market, the chief of the four major market towns. It was nearly 9:00 PM, and while the morning food stalls hadn't yet cleared, several restaurants and teahouses were already open for business. The cries of vendors mingled with the laughter and chatter of passersby, filling the market with a lively atmosphere absent from the imperial palace.

Qingyang leaned on his father's shoulder and looked around very conveniently. Qin Bing ran around, and Yongkang and Qin Hong walked behind with eight-year-old Qin Ren. Because the three pairs of eyes were looking at their own things, they would occasionally separate for a while. There were secret guards protecting them nearby, so Emperor Xingwu did not need to worry too much.

After buying some small items here and there, Emperor Xingwu decided to go to the jewelry store first.

Qingyang is too small, so everyone is just there to watch the excitement. Yongkang is seventeen years old, which is the most beautiful age, so she is very careful in her selection.

After his daughter had a look around, Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "The stuff downstairs is just ordinary stuff. Let's go to the second floor and take a look."

Yongkang happily took his father's empty left arm and said shyly, "Thank you, Dad."

Emperor Xingwu held his younger daughter in one hand and his older daughter in the other, and went up to the second-floor pavilion with a happy smile.

Qin Hong and the other two had no interest in jewelry and were just followers.

Two quarters of an hour later, Emperor Xingwu had chosen a complete set of jewelry for his eldest daughter. His youngest daughter had only chosen a gold bracelet inlaid with gemstones. The shopkeeper excitedly quoted a price of "two thousand six hundred and eighty taels."

Yongkang was so nervous that her palms were sweating. After becoming a princess, her monthly allowance was only fifty taels of silver. How could her father be willing to spend so much on her today?

Qingyang had some understanding of silver, because his mother's monthly allowance was eighty taels, and his mother would be particularly happy every time the allowance was paid.

Qingyang leaned close to his father's ear and whispered, "Father, how many months of monthly allowance can I give Mother with 2,680 taels?"

Emperor Xingwu: "...More than 30, what's the matter?"

When Yongkang heard what his sister asked, he secretly clenched his fingers.

Qingyang's eyes widened, realizing how expensive these jewels were. He leaned over to his father's ear and said, "Mother said the whole world belongs to Dad, so these jewels also belong to Dad. Why is Dad still spending money on them?"

Yongkang: “…”

Emperor Xingwu laughed heartily, glancing at the bewildered shopkeeper. He held his youngest daughter in his arms and motioned for the four older children to follow him to the corner window. He whispered, "The world is indeed Dad's, but the people, merchants, and officials of this world are also Dad's subjects. I have the right to order them to act according to my will, the right to punish them when they break the law, and the responsibility to ensure they have enough food and clothing, and live a prosperous and stable life."

The four older ones all nodded.

Emperor Xingwu turned the gold bracelet on his youngest daughter's wrist and pointed at the carvings on it. "This is gold. In the beginning, there was no such pure and beautiful gold. Miners had to dig out pieces of gold ore from the mountains and underground. Once they had gold ore, craftsmen had to smelt and purify the gold inside the ore. Once they had pure gold, another group of craftsmen had to make the gold into exquisite and intricate jewelry. The shopkeeper had to open a shop and hire employees to sell it. Each link requires a huge amount of manpower and material resources. If Dad doesn't give them money, they won't make any money and will stop refining gold and making jewelry. The same goes for the farmers who work in the fields and the embroiderers who make clothes. If everyone quits, how will we eat, wear, and use things?"

Qingyang nodded along with his brothers and sisters.

Emperor Xingwu continued, "Even if you have money, you can't spend it carelessly. Daddy is giving you fifty taels a month now because you don't have much to spend in the palace. Fifty taels is enough. I'll give you more when you get married. This time, Daddy spent two thousand taels on jewelry for your eldest sister because I spend the least time with her. Daddy can't make up for her time, so I can only give her more money to make her happy. But Daddy won't be so lavish every time to please you. Remember that?"

The five children continued to nod, only Yongkang's eyes were red.

After explaining the situation, Emperor Xingwu took the children back to the counter, pulled out an envelope from his pocket, took out two 1,000-tael silver notes and six 100-tael silver notes, and said to the shopkeeper, "I didn't bargain with you. The change of 80 taels..."

The shopkeeper Lian Dao said that it was not necessary, as he had already made a lot of money from this business.

The jewelry box was handed to the guard who followed, and the father and son moved to a bookstore in front.

Qingyang twisted herself off her father and went to look through the books within her reach.

The bookshop clerk said worriedly, "Don't rummage around, kid. If you break something, you'll have to pay for it. Please have the adults at home keep an eye on it."

Qin Bing looked at his father with a gloating look. Emperor Xingwu, who had just opened a storybook, said: "..."

Qin Ren stood beside his sister in time. When Qin Hong and Yong Kang saw him, they went to look for books that interested them. It was a rare opportunity to leave the palace, and no one wanted to waste it.

There were not many people in the bookstore and it was quiet. Emperor Xingwu saw that the children were choosing books very seriously, so he took his youngest daughter for a walk and asked the third daughter to choose books as well.

At this time, a scholar in plain clothes came in from the door. He looked middle-aged and had a dejected look. The very idle Emperor Xingwu naturally observed the newcomer.

The middle-aged scholar took out a stack of manuscripts from his book bag and handed them to his employer.

The host frowned after reading the first page. "Wang Xiucai, this is really obvious. The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue is Liu Wenzhi, but you changed it to Liu Wenzhi. And this is about the young master of the Liu family. If I really publish your book and the news gets to the Liu family, will I be killed? Go, go, go quickly and don't cause me any trouble."

Wang Xiucai's eyes were red as he said, "Since you know how hard I've been working, please help me. The Liu family is threatening me with my parents' lives. I dare not report them to the authorities, so I can only record their evil deeds in a book..."

The landlord sighed, "You have elderly parents, don't I? Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. I beg you!"

As he spoke, the host began to push the middle-aged scholar out.

The middle-aged scholar's helpless gaze fell on the man in plain clothes who was holding his daughter's hand. Seeing that the man turned sideways and had no intention of causing trouble, the middle-aged scholar smiled bitterly and left sadly.

Emperor Xingwu then winked at a guard who was also in the bookstore.

【Author’s words】

Here I come, 100 red envelopes, see you tomorrow [kiss]