"What puppy?" The Prince looked confused, as if he didn't understand what Jiuzhu said: "When did I ever say you were a puppy?"
"I heard everything just now." Jiuzhu looked at him aggrievedly: "When a dog sneezes, the sky clears up."
"This is pure nonsense. Why haven't I heard of this?" Prince Chen said righteously, "This is just a rumor from the countryside. It has no basis at all. You are so smart. You wouldn't believe this without any basis, right?"
Zhou Xiao and Sun Caiyao looked at Prince Chen at the same time. What a coincidence! They had both heard this kind of "countryside language".
"Really?"
"Of course." Prince Chen jumped off his horse and helped Jiuzhu adjust her cape. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who would make fun of a little girl?"
Sun Caiyao and Zhou Xiao: That seems quite like that kind of person.
Jiuzhu thought seriously for a moment and nodded slowly: "Your Highness is indeed not that kind of person."
Sun Caiyao looked at Ming Jiuzhu in surprise. It shouldn't be like this. Is Ming Jiuzhu such an easy person to please?
Prince Chen heaved a sigh of relief. Next time when he amused Ming Xiaozhu, there must be no other people around. If he made the little girl unhappy, he would not know how to appease her.
"Then why did His Highness say that tomorrow would be sunny when he saw me sneezing?" Jiuzhu looked at the King curiously: "Did he say anything?"
"This... is related to a legend." The Prince of Chen made up a story on the spot with his eyes closed: "It is said that there lives a lake fairy in the Fairy Tears Lake in the capital. If this fairy cries, it will rain in the capital. If she sneezes, the sky will be clear the next day."
Zhou Xiao, who was standing behind Jiuzhu, wondered in confusion, is there such a legend about the Fairy Tear Lake?
Why had she never heard of it?
When Sun Caiyao heard the name "Immortal Tears Lake", she was stunned. It was at the Immortal Tears Lake that she and His Royal Highness Prince Qi fell in love. On that day, Prince Qi stood on the lake in white clothes as white as snow, like a banished immortal descended to the human world.
"Now do you know what I mean?" The Prince of Chen put his hands behind his back and snorted, "I praised you as a fairy, but you thought I was scolding you. Ming Xiaozhu, tell me, are you worthy of me?"
Jiuzhu thought for a moment, then reached out and pulled the sleeve of the Prince of Chen: "Your Highness, I was wrong." She secretly looked at the Prince of Chen's face, "I will never misunderstand you again in the future."
"Really?" Prince Chen turned his head: "I don't believe it."
"Really, really." Jiuzhu nodded: "From now on, I will believe whatever your highness says. Master Sanqing can testify for me..."
"Hey!" Hearing the little girl want to swear by the gods, the Prince of Chen quickly interrupted her and said, "I am not a petty man, how could I be angry with you over such a small matter. You just need to remember that I am praising you for being like a fairy today."
"Oh." Jiuzhu nodded: "I'll remember that."
The Prince looked at her lively eyes and couldn't help thinking that the little girl was a little silly, but she was cute. She had round eyes, a small mouth, curved eyebrows, and even the bun on her head was cuter than other little girls.
"You come to pick out the spices?" Prince Chen noticed the spice shop behind her. "In my mother's palace, there is a female official who is good at mixing perfumes. I'll ask her to mix the spices you like. The spices sold outside are not made of fine materials, so the taste is still a little off."
Jiuzhu was afraid that His Highness would really give her some spices, so she quickly shook her head and refused: "Sister Zhou and I were just passing by here. I am not used to the smell of spices, and I tend to sneeze when I smell them."
No wonder she kept sneezing while standing at the door just now, Prince Chen thought, before Ming Xiaozhu marries into the palace, he must quickly throw all the spices out of the palace, so that he doesn't have to listen to her sneezes all day long.
"Okay, I'll take care of this." The Prince seemed to have finally noticed Zhou Xiao standing behind Jiuzhu, and nodded slightly to her. Without waiting for Zhou Xiao to return the greeting, he turned his gaze back to Jiuzhu and took out two banknotes: "Buy anything you like, don't put yourself in a difficult position."
Your future husband is rich.
Prince Chen did not say this out loud, but he kept it in his heart.
"Your Highness, I'm going out with some money today." Jiuzhu patted his purse and said, "The Palace Department just delivered this month's salary two days ago."
Prince Chen put the banknote back with some regret. He had forgotten that Ming Xiaozhu was now the county lord and had a salary.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu had not yet forgotten the snow scene painting she was going to give to Prince Chen. She tiptoed and whispered to him, "I'm almost done with the snow scene painting. I'll send it to you when the Ministry of Rites is closed."
Prince Chen was silent for a moment: "Okay."
Jiuzhu was delighted: "Then your highness, please get down to business and don't delay any longer."
Prince Chen mounted his horse and began to think about what method he should use to ensure Ming Jiuju always maintain confidence in her painting skills.
Is it too much to call a horse a deer?
After Prince Chen left, Zhou Xiao took Jiuzhu's arm and asked, "Sister, can you paint?"
"A little bit." Jiuzhu smiled modestly, "It's just that His Highness likes my paintings more."
"You are of Ming family blood, so it's normal that you are good at painting. My father once said that Minister Ming was also a good painter, but unfortunately he only painted for your mother, and none of his paintings were circulated. Occasionally, there were paintings claiming to be painted by your father, but they were all denied by your father." Zhou Xiao thought about it and was not surprised that Jiuzhu was good at painting: "Even His Royal Highness Prince Chen likes your paintings so much. It seems that you have inherited your father's talent in painting skills, and even surpassed him."
"Sister, you are too kind. How can my paintings compare to my father's?" Jiuzhu sighed, "Unfortunately, my mother said that the paintings of the Ming family can only be given to family members and lovers. If the descendants violate the ancestral teachings, it will bring bad luck. Otherwise, I will draw a painting for my sister as well."
After hearing this, Zhou Xiao also felt deeply regretful: "What a pity, but the ancestral teachings cannot be violated."
"It's not like there's no chance. Wait for my sister and Brother Fuliu..." Jiuzhu covered her mouth and laughed secretly: "My sister will soon be my family."
"So you were waiting for me here!" Zhou Xiao blushed and said with a smile: "Who did you learn this mean temper from?"
After saying that, he was about to poke Jiuzhu's cheek.
Jiuzhu covered her face and ran away. Finally, the two of them ran to the carriage, sat down together, and started laughing and playing.
Listening to the laughter coming from the carriage, Sun Caiyao couldn't help but doubt that she was dreaming again.
Is Ming Jiuzhu really as smart and ruthless as she dreamed of?
"Miss, do you still want this box of orchid spices?" The waiter came out with a box of spices.
Sun Caiyao came to her senses, took the embossed wooden box containing the spices, and asked the maid to give the money to the waiter.
"Thank you, young lady. You are welcome to come back next time." The waiter returned to the shop with a smile on his face.
"Miss." The maid asked carefully, "Madam Ning, do you really like the scent of orchids?"
Sun Caiyao nodded slowly and handed the spices to the maid: "When you go back, light the spices and fumigate the new clothes you will take to Prince Qi's mansion." She remembered clearly that Concubine Ning in her dream liked orchid fragrance the most.
"Mrs. Ning is gentle and kind. Why would Miss change the spices she is used to for such a small matter?" The maid whispered, "This is too unfair to you."
"What's wrong with that? Husband and wife are one." Sun Caiyao looked at the spice box in the maid's hand and said, "When I marry into the Qi Palace, I will be the legitimate Qi Princess. If I can win the favor of my mother-in-law, I will be even more powerful in managing the palace."
It is difficult to be a royal wife. As a grandson's daughter, she will definitely be the best princess.
Prince Chen went to the Ministry of Works not to get any important files, but to urge the work. As the end of the year approached, the gate of the Ministry of Rites had not been repainted, and some dead flowers and plants needed to be replaced. He carried the hopes of all the officials of the Ministry of Rites and stepped into the gate of the Ministry of Works.
When the Minister of Works heard that Prince Chen was coming, his head began to ache: "I am not feeling well today, so I will ask Minister Wu to receive His Royal Highness Prince Chen."
"Sir," an official reminded quietly, "Minister Wu left the capital to provide disaster relief the day before yesterday."
The Minister of Industry rubbed his temples and stood up: "Tell them to give us a good reception and not to neglect us. I will be there right away."
Wu Mian was Prince Huai's father-in-law and had a close relationship with the royal family, so it was most appropriate for him to receive Prince Chen. Unfortunately, the most suitable candidate had gone out of the capital to provide disaster relief.
Could it be that the Prince recommended Wu Mian to go to disaster relief just for today?
Thinking of this, the Minister of Works suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Prince Chen would take the initiative to help Prince Huai's father-in-law to win credit. It turned out that it was to gain better benefits for their Ministry of Works!
He should have known long ago that even the most honest people in the royal family are evil, so there is no such thing as kindness without reason.
"Hello, my Lords." The Prince of Chen could not recognize who the officials of the Ministry of Works were. He asked them to waive their formalities and directly took out the renovation drawings of the Ministry of Rites and placed them in front of the officials of the Ministry of Works: "I am here today to discuss the renovation plan of the Ministry of Rites with you, my Lords, please come and take a look at the drawings."
discuss?
The officials from the Ministry of Industry looked at the blueprint, which clearly marked what flowers to plant, how many pots to plant, and the sizes of the pots, and they were speechless.
You still have the nerve to call this a negotiation?
The Minister of Works took the blueprint and looked at it for a few seconds, then said with a smile, "Your Highness, didn't you just replace a batch of tables, chairs and windows for the Ministry of Rites a few days ago?"
"I know, that's why there's no mention of tables, chairs, or windows on this drawing." Prince Chen leaned back in his chair and said righteously, "Take a close look, are they there?"
Minister of Industry: “…”
Should he also thank this prince for his simplicity and frugality?
"Your Highness, there are many places on the drawings that need to be changed. I'm afraid they can't be completed before the end of the year." The Minister of Works put down the drawings and said with a smile: "Why don't we repair the gate and the main building first? We can plan for the flowers, plants, trees and so on after the end of the year."
Some things can be left unresolved if they are delayed for a long time. In this regard, the officials of the Ministry of Industry have rich practical experience.
"You are joking, my Lord." The Prince of Chen didn't care. He drank a sip of tea brewed by the officials of the Ministry of Works and said slowly, "I often hear my father mention the achievements of the officials of the Ministry of Works, such as building dams, renovating official roads, building commercial markets, creating agricultural tools that are convenient for the people, etc. These officials did a good job in these matters quickly and well, and the people all praised them."
Hearing this, the officials of the Ministry of Works raised their chins with some pride. What the Prince said was true. Their Ministry of Works had made a lot of contributions to the establishment of Dacheng.
"These important national affairs can be handled so perfectly by the Ministry of Works. I believe that repairing the small Ministry of Rites will be a piece of cake for the officials in the Ministry of Works." After drinking the tea of the Ministry of Works, the Prince stood up slowly and smiled encouragingly at the officials of the Ministry of Works: "I am waiting for good news from you in the Ministry of Rites."
Having said that, he left with satisfaction.
"It seems that... we haven't agreed to repair the Ministry of Rites according to the blueprints, right?" After a moment, an official from the Ministry of Works finally came to his senses: "Is it too late to bring Prince Chen back now?"
"What do you think?" The Minister of Works looked at the official who was speaking expressionlessly.
The official who spoke: “…”
The officials looked at the drawings on the table in silence for a long time. One official whispered, "If we had known this would happen, we should have asked His Majesty to let the Prince come to our Ministry of Industry."
As loudly as they laughed when they heard that Prince Chen was assigned to the Ministry of Rites, they regret it now.
Who could have expected that the Prince of Chen was not only arrogant and domineering, but also had a problem of protecting his own people.
"Aren't there still a few other princes who haven't received their assignments? Maybe after a while, our Ministry of Industry will also have a prince to support it."
"But... is there any other prince who is more valued by His Majesty than Prince Chen?"
Everyone was silent again. That really wasn't the case.
"That's enough." The Minister of Works sighed and handed the blueprint to the Right Vice Minister: "Since this is something arranged by the prince, and Vice Minister Wu is not here, I'll leave it to you."
Right Assistant Minister: “…”
But what did he do wrong?
The next morning, the craftsmen sent by the Ministry of Works began to jingle on the roof, walls, and corners of the Ministry of Rites. Li En, the Minister of Rites, stroked his beard and looked at the craftsmen with a satisfied and kind smile.
Who said anything bad about His Royal Highness Prince Chen?
It is purely malicious and fabricated.
He not only brought warmth and hope to their Ministry of Rites, but also brought them a new roof and a new wall. The Ministry of Rites became more beautiful with him.
What a nice young man.
Seeing Ming Jingzhou passing by the corridor, Li En called him: "Brother Ming, please stay."
"Sir." When Ming Jingzhou saw Li En calling him, he stopped and bowed to Li En, accidentally revealing the list of successful candidates in the Mingjing exam in his sleeve.
"This is..." Li En looked at the list of successful candidates in the Mingjing exam that had fallen to the ground.
"Ah." Ming Jingzhou bent down and picked up the list, saying casually, "This is the list of successful candidates in the Mingjing exam."
Li En knew that this was the list of candidates who passed the Mingjing exam. What he wanted to know was what Ming Jingzhou did with it? The Mingjing exam was not taken seriously before. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, he vigorously carried out national infrastructure construction, and the status of candidates who passed the Mingjing exam was improved.
"What are you doing with this?"
"I arranged for His Royal Highness Prince Chen to copy the books a few days ago, and His Royal Highness has finished copying them." Ming Jingzhou put the list into his sleeves and said, "Your Majesty has arranged for His Royal Highness to work in our Ministry of Rites. I can't let him do nothing."
But Your Majesty did not assign Prince Chen to the Ministry of Rites to copy or memorize books.
Li En looked up at the roof that was being renovated and said, "Brother Ming, isn't this a little inappropriate?"
"What's wrong with that?" Ming Jingzhou asked calmly, "A towering building is built from the ground up. Asking His Highness to copy and memorize more is also for his own good."
Li En took a deep breath. From Ming Jingzhou's tone, it seemed that he was planning to let His Highness copy the entire book?
"Brother Ming." Li En felt that as the Minister of Rites, he should show the sincerity of the Ministry of Rites to His Royal Highness Prince Chen. "I was busy with official duties some time ago and had no time to communicate with Prince Chen. I have some free time recently. Why don't I go with Brother Ming and help Prince Chen familiarize himself with the affairs?"
After saying this, he quickly gave Ming Jingzhou a friendly smile. He had known Ming Jingzhou for many years, and after they became colleagues in the Ministry of Rites, Ming Jingzhou was even more loyal and dedicated to his duties, and there was nothing inappropriate about him. He really didn't want to make Ming Jingzhou unhappy because of the Prince's affairs.
Ming Jingzhou looked up at him and was silent for a moment: "My Lord, do you think that the way I teach the prince is not good enough?"
"Brother Ming, you worry too much. I definitely don't mean that." Li Enxin said, "You have always been weak and frail. I am worried that you will not be able to handle the affairs of the Ministry of Rites while teaching Prince Chen to handle affairs. If I take care of Prince Chen, you will feel more relaxed."
"So that's how it is." Ming Jingzhou bowed and apologized: "I misunderstood your love and care, please forgive me."
"We have known each other for many years, why do we need to say these polite words?" Li En looked at Ming Jingzhou, and after making sure that he was not angry, he mentioned the previous words again: "Then Your Highness, leave it to me?"
"Thank you for your help, sir." Ming Jingzhou bowed deeply.
"As it should be, as it should be." Li En was completely relieved. The friendship between colleagues was preserved, and His Highness was not let down. It was a win-win situation.
"Then I will give this list to His Highness first and let him copy it first." Ming Jingzhou smiled and said, "I believe that His Highness will be able to copy the book while learning how to handle affairs from you."
Li En: “…”
I understand. You really hate His Royal Highness Prince Chen deeply.
"Sir, what do you think of this arrangement?"
"Very good." After Li En finished speaking, he saw Prince Chen walked in with two large food boxes with a smile on his face, and Ming Jingzhou's expression turned a little ugly at this moment.
From this we can see that Brother Ming has a deep prejudice against Prince Chen.
Prince Chen carried the lunch box that Jiuzhu brought from home and found his future father-in-law who was talking to Li En: "Lord Ming, I got the lunch box. Why don't we have dinner together?"
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ming Jingzhou bowed and thanked him.
"You're welcome, Lord Ming." In recent days, he has gotten used to eating the Ming family's meals every day at noon.
Li En looked at Prince Chen with sympathy. He was afraid that the prince still didn't know that Ming Jingzhou was deliberately tormenting him.
"Your Highness, I will be inspecting the newly built school in two hours. If Your Highness has no other plans, please go with me."
“But was the Hongwen Academy built by order of our father himself?” Prince Chen had a vague idea of this.
"That's right." Li En smiled and said, "Your Majesty cultivates good people and values talents. The money for building this academy was paid from your private treasury."
Prince Chen muttered quietly: "The money in my father's private treasury is quite a lot."
Ming Jingzhou, who was standing next to him, turned his head and looked at him silently.
"Your Highness?" Li En didn't hear what Prince Qingchen said: "Are you willing to accompany me on this journey?"
"Okay." Prince Chen smiled, "I am also very curious about what the school that my father values so much looks like now."
Before Li En and Prince Chen left the house, the news had already reached the ears of the other princes.
"Li En is going to take Prince Chen to inspect Hongwen Academy?" Upon hearing the news, Prince Qi sneered, "I heard that the Ministry of Rites has been making great efforts to improve it recently. Li En has tasted the sweetness. No wonder he is fawning on Yun Duqing."
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Li En is not someone who would do such a thing for fame and fortune." The counselor said, "At a banquet not long ago, he was full of praise for you. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding?" King Qi smiled indifferently: "In the face of interests, everyone may become hateful. This king never trusts people's hearts easily."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have heard that Minister Ming is still very dissatisfied with Prince Chen." The counselor comforted Prince Qi: "I guess Li En only took Prince Chen to inspect the academy out of courtesy. The Ministry of Rites has gained so many benefits. If it still lets Prince Chen copy books, it can't be without any expression."
Li En was born in a poor family and entered the officialdom through the formal imperial examination system. It was impossible for him to appreciate a dandy prince like Prince Chen.
"I remember that Concubine Su had a female official who was very good at making incense. Yun Duqing grew up with Concubine Su and also had the habit of using incense. After he moved into the palace, he seemed to have hired a few perfumers?" The King of Qi walked to the incense burner and looked at the incense that had long been burned. "I heard that there is a kind of incense that can make people sleep well every night and have sweet dreams."
"Your Highness, since the incident at the horse farm, all the guards and servants in Prince Chen's mansion have been assigned as royal secret guards by His Majesty. I am worried that our people will not have the opportunity to come into contact with the items Prince Chen uses on a daily basis."
"Why do we have to do it ourselves?" Prince Qi smiled faintly and said, "My good brothers are very curious about the servants of Prince Chen's Mansion."
"I understand!" The counselor immediately understood what the King of Qi meant: "I will do it right away."
"Is this Hongwen Academy?" Prince Chen was riding on horseback and saw a number of students in thin clothes standing next to Hongwen Academy. "Are these all students from Hongwen Academy?"
"No." Li En looked at these poor students and explained to the Prince, "The academy has not officially opened its doors to recruit students, but your Majesty has already issued a decree that students at Hongwen Academy will be divided into different levels of education, regardless of their social status."
Having said that, he knew in his heart that studying cost a lot of money, and even if children from poor families were lucky enough to be admitted to Hongwen Academy, few could compare with those children from wealthy families.
"Then why are they all outside the academy?"
"Although the academy does not recruit students from outside, the books inside can be lent to students for free copying." Li En looked at these students who were shivering from the cold but reluctant to leave, with a little pity and unspeakable sadness in his tone: "The price of precious books is very high. If you can copy them for free, you can save a lot of money."
"I see." Seeing how these scholars were treating his son cruelly in order to copy books, Prince Chen took out a few banknotes from his pocket and handed them to Li En: "Use this money to buy some pens, ink, paper and inkstones for them to copy books."
"Your Highness?" Li En looked at Prince Chen in surprise.
"Take it. I don't need this little money." The Prince shook his shoulders, and his tone was filled with a bit of awe for copyists: "As copyists in the world, I understand their hardships."
Li En took the banknotes and was silent for a while before bowing to the Prince of Chen: "On behalf of these students, I would like to thank Your Highness."
"You don't need to thank me. In fact, all this money was given by my father." Prince Chen waved his hand nonchalantly: "If you want to thank someone, thank my father."
Anyway, this was all the money that my father secretly took from his private treasury to subsidize him.
"Your Highness has a pure heart, and I admire you very much."
Um……
Prince Chen turned to look at Li En. How could he be so innocent just about a few silver bills?
The civil servants' praise of people is as beautiful as their writing.
Just don't take it seriously.
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