Concubine Xu was deposed and even her name was removed from the royal family tree. On the day of her burial, only a few low-level officials from the Ministry of Rites were in charge of her funeral.
In fact, if the emperor had not shown any dislike for Prince Huai, she might not even have been qualified to be buried in the concubine's tomb.
Prince Huai understood that, rationally speaking, he should not go to his mother's funeral.
But on the eve of his mother's burial, he recalled again and again the scene when his mother, while imprisoned in the hidden mansion, complained that he ate too much and was stupid, and gave him the food in the bowl.
The next morning, he changed into plain linen clothes, took off his golden crown, and replaced it with coarse linen. Princess Huai saw all this and did not stop him.
Jiuzhu stood on the palace floor and saw Prince Huai supporting Concubine Xu's coffin and walking out of the back door of the palace.
The master told her that after arriving in the capital, if there are things she doesn’t understand, she should see who the final outcome of the matter benefits.
She thought Concubine Xu was ruthless and cruel to Prince Huai, but after her death, everyone blamed her and sympathized with the poor Prince Huai. No one would make a fuss about Prince Huai's life experience, and no one would put the crime committed by Concubine Xu on Prince Huai.
Her evil proved King Huai's innocence.
Jiuzhu glanced at Prince Huai in the funeral procession again. At this moment, she really hoped that Concubine Xu would be kind and loving to Prince Huai before her death.
Perhaps only Concubine Xu herself knows the truth.
And she was just a spectator.
"Little pig." Prince Chen climbed the stairs and walked to Jiuzhu's side: "Are you watching Xu's funeral procession?"
Jiuzhu nodded: "Big brother is carrying his mother's coffin."
Prince Chen did not say anything, but reached out and pinched the bun on Jiuzhu's head.
"Your Highness, you pinched my hair again." Jiuzhu looked at him suspiciously: "The ceremony of enthroning the crown prince is approaching, Your Highness, you are not... nervous, are you?"
"You must be joking. Why would I be nervous?" Prince Chen flatly denied, "Your Highness grew up in the capital and has seen everything. How could he be nervous about the ceremony of enthroning the Crown Prince?"
"Okay." Jiuzhu reached out and took off the hairpin from her bun, and put her head against the prince's chest: "I'll give it to you to pinch, as you like."
"I am luckier than my father." Prince Chen pressed her into his arms: "I met you when I was young."
"Your Highness is wrong." Jiuzhu stretched out her white and tender fingers and waved them in front of the King Chen, objecting to his statement: "I am the lucky one."
Prince Chen chuckled. He was young and frivolous, and did things based on his own pleasure without considering the consequences.
But now, he wants to be the best person in Jiuzhu's heart.
Because he didn't want this girl who was running towards him with full of expectations to think that the prince who shone in her heart would become bleak, and he didn't want to destroy the beauty in her heart completely.
Some people always say that love is showing the worst side of yourself to the other person.
But he didn't understand. After tearing it open, he felt happy and satisfied, but would the person who was full of expectations feel disappointed and sad?
Why can't love be about striving to be the best person in the other person's heart?
His little pig is so silly and innocent, his eyes are full of light.
How beastly must he be to let the light in her eyes dim?
Under the shadow of the trees in the palace, Concubine Wei looked up at Yun Duqing and Ming Jiuzhu who were snuggling together, and stopped.
"I heard that Xu was defeated by the Empress and Princess Chen?" Concubine Wei turned her head and looked at Princess Jing who lowered her brows and said, "You can go back to your parents' home in the next few days and talk to your family about this."
Princess Jing was silent for a moment: "Mother, the past between my uncle and Xu was just an impulse when I was young. We have not had any contact in these years."
"When did I say they were still in contact?" Concubine Wei put her hand on her daughter-in-law's wrist and said, "You have a dull personality and tend to think too much. As a prince's consort, this is not good."
"My mother is right in teaching me." Princess Jing lowered her head even more.
Concubine Wei was very pleased with her obedience and said, "Among the five princes, only you and Princess Huai are virtuous and decent. The other princes' wives are not good enough."
Princess An is frivolous, the Fourth Prince's wife fled alone when faced with a disaster, and Princess Chen seems too naive. With such a character, she will regret being a Crown Princess sooner or later.
"The daughter-in-law is ashamed."
"Don't be ashamed." Concubine Wei had a faint smile on her serious face: "I am very satisfied with you."
"The weather is good today, you can go back to your parents' home this afternoon."
"yes."
Princess Jing returned to her parents' home and stayed there for nearly an hour before Du Qingke came back.
He was wearing a plain suit and a crown with a silver hairpin. When he saw her, he simply gave her a few instructions and then sat beside her without saying anything.
"Master, there are stains on your outer robe. Take it off and change." Mrs. Du saw the stains on the hem of his clothes and took the initiative to speak: "I'll ask the servants to change you into bright clothes..."
"No need." Du Qingke raised her eyelids and said lightly: "I don't like bright-colored clothes these days."
"Okay." Mrs. Du smiled awkwardly and didn't mention changing clothes anymore.
The second master and second wife of the Du family sat beside their daughter, Princess Jing, pretending not to have seen what was happening. They asked about their daughter's life in the palace to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Don't worry, father and mother. Everything is fine with my daughter in the palace." Princess Jing took a sip of tea. "I just didn't expect that my fifth brother's wife, who seemed innocent and kind, would be so ruthless in eliminating her opponents."
"Where do you come from?" Father Du frowned and said, "Then stay away from her."
"When Concubine Xu died, her funeral was kept simple. Not only was she not posthumously honored with a title, but her name was even removed from the royal family tree." Princess Jing sighed, "To outsiders, it may have been because Concubine Xu did something to anger His Majesty. In fact, she was forced to death by Ming Jiuzhu and Empress Su."
Du Qingke raised her head and looked at Princess Jing.
Realizing that her uncle had noticed what she said, Princess Jing struck while the iron was hot: "I don't know what means Queen Su and Ming Jiuzhu used to lure Concubine Xu into a trap. They took the opportunity to force Concubine Xu to admit all the guilt, and in the end she had no choice but to commit suicide."
"Empress Su... still has such a trick?" Du Qingke touched the mutton-fat jade pendant on her waist, smiled in an ambiguous way, and said, "It's getting late. As a princess, I'm afraid my niece can't stay outside the palace?"
"I didn't expect it to be so late." Princess Jing stood up and said, "Thank you for reminding me, uncle. I should go back to the palace now."
"Please." Du Qingke escorted Princess Jing to the carriage, turned around, took off the silver hairpin that tied her hair, and threw it under the roots of the tree with an expressionless face.
"Master." Mrs. Du bent down and picked up the silver hairpin: "You have worked hard all day, go back to your room and rest."
Du Qingke looked at her palm, frowned, said nothing, and turned back to the yard.
"The Fifth Prince's wife has such strategic means, her master must have an extraordinary background."
He called the counselor: "Go and check the backgrounds of the two masters of the Fifth Prince's wife."
As long as a person appears in the world, he will leave clues, unless he falls from the sky.
"Your Highness, it's time for you to get up and change your clothes."
Before dawn, Prince Chen was awakened by the palace maids. He glanced at Jiuzhu who was sleeping soundly with her arms around a quilt, and reached out to pinch her nose.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu sat up in a daze and glanced out the window: "It's not dawn yet, let me sleep a little longer." After saying that, she fell headfirst onto the bed, hugging the quilt.
"Hey!" Prince Chen stretched out his hands and put his arms around her waist: "Today is the ceremony of conferring the title of Crown Prince, you have to accompany me."
"You lied to me." Jiuzhu tried to open her sleepy eyes: "I have seen the procedures of the canonization ceremony arranged by the Ministry of Rites. The canonization of the prince does not require the presence of the princess."
"That was the prince before. I am different." Prince Chen bent down and kissed her cheek: "Becoming a prince is a heavy responsibility and a great significance. Without you by my side, I always feel like something is missing in my heart."
I have become a better me because of you.
So I also hope that you will be with me at the important moment.
"Okay." Jiuzhu threw the quilt aside, jumped off the bed, and grabbed the King Chen's hand: "I'll go with you."
Yang Yidu, who was serving nearby, wanted to say that this was against the rules.
But when he saw His Highness and the Princess leaning against each other and putting on their shoes together, he swallowed his words.
The dragon and phoenix carriage to welcome the prince was just outside the Qilin Palace. Under the somewhat surprised gaze of the ceremonial officer, Prince Chen took Jiuzhu and got into the carriage together.
Facing the mixed looks from the ceremonial officials, the Prince was very confident and justified.
There are dragons and phoenixes on it, what's wrong with the prince and princess sitting together?
The ceremonial officials were only surprised for a moment, then accepted the prince's behavior.
When His Royal Highness Prince Chen came to pick up the bride, he had already surprised them greatly. So what was the big deal if he was just taking the future Crown Princess along on a dragon and phoenix chariot?
The bottom line is meant to be lowered and broken.
The dragon and phoenix chariot stopped at the Zhengyang Palace, where Prince Chen would change out of his royal robes and put on the prince's robe with dragon patterns.
"Little pig." He put on the prince's robe, waved away the ceremonial officer who was tying the four-clawed dragon jade pendant for him, and stretched out his hand to Jiuzhu: "You tie it for me, okay?"
"Okay." Jiuzhu walked up to him, ready to imitate the etiquette officer and half-kneel down to tie the jade pendant for him, but he reached out and held her arm.
"Don't squat, tie it like this." He bent down, so that Jiuzhu, who was a head shorter than him, was the same height as him: "You and I are husband and wife."
"Hurry up." He took the opportunity to pinch Jiuzhu's face: "The golden crown on your head is heavy, and I am very tired of bending over."
Jiuzhu smiled softly and tied the jade pendant for him solemnly.
The two looked at each other, and Prince Chen stood up straight, turned around, took out a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin from the box, and personally inserted it into Jiuzhu's bun.
"Is it sinking?" he asked.
"Chen." Jiuzhu nodded, and the phoenix wings fluttered gently.
"It's right that it's heavy." Prince Chen held her hand and whispered in her ear, "The Crown Princess's Phoenix Crown is heavier than this. For the sake of your brain, I specially replaced the Phoenix Crown with a Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin."
Jiuzhu narrowed her eyes in a smile. She stood on tiptoe and reached out to help Prince Chen to hold up the golden crown: "Your Highness, you look very beautiful today as well."
"Walk."
"Where are you going?"
"Go to the main hall of Zhengyang Palace."
The ceremonial officer opened the door for the two of them and watched them walk hand in hand towards the main hall.
"Sir, this is against the rules. Do you want to..."
"Tsk." Another ceremonial officer whispered, "The Crown Prince even brought the Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin that only the Crown Princess can wear. This shows that Your Majesty and the Empress are also aware of this."
Your Majesty and the Queen have no opinions. How could they have opinions?
They are from the Ministry of Rites, and the Crown Princess is the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. They are one family and will never make things difficult for one another, not to mention that the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince are all happy about it.
The main gate of the Zhengyang Hall was opened, and civil and military officials were lined up neatly on both sides, with the emperor and empress sitting high at the top.
The imperial edict enthroning the prince was read out by an old prince from the royal family and the Minister of Personnel Ming Jinghai.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are welcome to enter the palace."
Civil and military officials all stood aside and bowed towards the door.
Yun Duqing, wearing the prince's robe with a four-clawed dragon pattern, and Ming Jiuzhu, wearing the prince's phoenix robe, walked into the palace hand in hand.
It wasn't that there was something wrong with their ears just now. It turned out that the prince really brought the crown princess with him to the enthronement ceremony.
This is the first case in the Dacheng Dynasty!
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