"Your Highness." Jiuzhu looked at the King of Chen seriously: "If you say that again in the future, I will really be angry with you."
The master said that she was born smart and he would not lie to her.
"Well, I was wrong." Prince Chen smiled and said, "We Jiuzhu are the white clouds in the clear sky, the light boat on the blue river, and the red plum blossom in the snow."
Jiuzhu looked at him blankly. He chuckled but did not explain.
"Let's go." Prince Chen gently held her hand. Her palm was very hot. The scalding heat rushed all the way along her palm, spreading to his fingertips and every part of his body.
"Where are we going?" Jiuzhu obediently let Prince Chen lead her.
"Go sit inside and rest for a while." Prince Chen sighed, "You are sweating all over after running. If you go out and get blown by the cold wind, you will get sick easily."
"That's impossible." Jiuzhu said confidently, "I'm in good health."
"Listen and stop making trouble." Prince Chen did not let go and pulled the person inside.
"Your Highness, I am not an official appointed by the court. Entering the Ministry of Rites will cause you trouble." Jiuzhu still had concerns.
"You are my future princess, a county lord appointed by the court, so you will naturally be able to work in the Ministry of Rites." Prince Chen pulled Jiuzhu to a leeward place and said, "With me here, who dares to say anything?"
Pulling Jiuzhu into his office study, Prince Chen handed Jiuzhu the dry cotton towel he had brought: "Your back is sweating, use this sweat towel to block it, I'll be watching outside."
After saying that, he closed the door for Jiuzhu, took a few steps back, and stood with his back to the door.
"Did you see that? The prince brought a girl into his office study just now."
"This happened right under Minister Ming's nose, and he actually did this?"
"Hush, keep your voices down, Minister Ming is coming in."
"Why do my colleagues look so strange?" Ming Jingzhou walked into the room and saw his colleagues looking at him from time to time. When he raised his head, they couldn't wait to look away and asked with a smile, "What's going on?"
"Nothing, nothing." An adult laughed dryly and changed the subject: "Where are you going, Brother Ming?"
"Oh, I found a few interesting articles and took them to His Royal Highness Prince Chen to copy." Ming Jingzhou shook the book in his hand and said, "My Lords, please take your time to chat."
"Hey, hey, hey." Several adults hurriedly stopped Ming Jingzhou and said, "Brother Ming, don't you still need to prepare return gifts for various countries? Why don't we help you deliver this book?"
When the King of Qi got married, all the friendly countries around him sent gifts to congratulate him, and Dacheng had to return the gifts.
"It's just a small matter, why do we need you all?" Ming Jingzhou put the book into his sleeve and said, "Everyone, please help yourself. I'll be back soon."
"It's over, it's over." The officials of the Ministry of Rites watched Ming Jingzhou leave and began to get anxious.
"Brother Ming's temper should be pretty good, right?"
"No matter how good your temper is, you can't tolerate your future son-in-law bringing a woman into the government office under your nose."
"So what do we do?"
"What else can we do?" Shangshu Li En came out, "Come with me, two people, and go over there to take a look. If a fight breaks out, we can stop them."
"Your Excellency is right!" The officials came to their senses and said, "Quick, quick, go and stop Brother Ming!"
"Ming Xiaozhu." Prince Chen knocked on the door twice gently: "Are you ready?"
"Okay." Jiuzhu opened the door and twisted her neck: "It's just that the back of my neck is a little uncomfortable."
Prince Chen glanced at Jiuzhu's white neck, then quickly looked away: "It's okay, maybe you're not used to it yet, it will be fine in a while."
"Hmm." Jiuzhu touched his back uncomfortably.
"Come in, I'll have my servants make you a pot of fresh tea. I'll arrange a carriage to take you back later. Be sure to bring your servants with you when you go out in the future. As a county lord, you should be more respectful."
After saying that, he reached out and pulled Jiuzhu's wrist.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Ming Jingzhou just walked into the corridor and saw the corner of a woman's skirt sticking out from the door of Prince Chen's office study. His eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Father." Jiuzhu heard Ming Jingzhou's voice and leaned forward, "You came at the right time. I was planning to ask His Highness to send someone to look for you."
"Why is Jiuzhu here?" Ming Jingzhou raised the corners of his lips, his brows were kind and his eyes were gentle.
"Something happened just now, I..."
"Brother Ming!"
"Master Ming!"
Two officials rushed up and held Ming Jingzhou's arms, one on the left and one on the right: "I just got a rare copy. Some of the contents are hard to understand. Can you help me look it up in detail?"
"Yes, there seems to be some problem with the gift list records of another country. How about you go and take a look?"
"My Lords." Fugui was carrying the new tea and snacks prepared for Miss Ming. Seeing several officials from the Ministry of Rites blocking the corridor, he smiled politely and said, "Can you please let me pass through?"
The officials looked back at the things on Fugui's tray. Wow, there was the flower tea that women liked, and some snacks that only women liked!
Fugui was frightened by the looks of these adults and took a step back. Although Miss Ming was not from the Ministry of Rites, she was His Highness's fiancée, the county lord awarded by His Majesty, and the daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites. It shouldn't be a problem to let her sit in the Ministry of Rites, right?
"You have arrived just in time." The Prince of Chen looked at the officials of the Ministry of Rites crowded in the corridor and said, "I have some new snacks and refreshments here. Please come and taste them."
Officials from the Ministry of Rites: What? It’s bad enough that you bring a girl here under Minister Ming’s nose, but you also want them to watch while you drink tea?
Your Highness Prince Chen, the Ministry of Rites has finally been repaired thanks to you. If Brother Ming gets so angry that he hits you with a teacup, it will be very difficult for us colleagues to deal with it.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Ming Jingzhou spoke first: "Then I will come and try it."
After that, he turned to look at the other officials: "Colleagues, please."
"Please, please, please." The group of people crowded Prince Chen's study. As soon as they sat down, they saw the little girl beside Prince Chen walking straight towards Ming Jingzhou.
Seeing this scene, the officials of the Ministry of Rites were all nervous.
Little girl, you look very well-behaved and pretty, why are you so careless in doing things?
"Father, these were all bought by your daughter. Come and try them." Jiuzhu put Ming Jingzhou's favorite flavor in front of him.
Father?
The officials turned their heads to look at the Shangshu, and found that he had already been sipping tea with peace of mind and a very comfortable look, and it was obvious that he knew the identity of the girl.
Oh, they remembered that the Shangshu had gone to the Ming family to convey the imperial edict and must have met the little girl from the Ming family.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was great that they didn't have to struggle and get entangled between their colleagues and the King.
Ming Jingzhou noticed that his daughter's hair was tangled and her cheeks were red. "Where did you come from today? Why didn't you bring anyone with you?"
"I was in a hurry when I left, so I forgot." Jiuzhu smiled at Ming Jingzhou ingratiatingly: "Father, don't be angry. I will remember it next time."
There are many carriages and people in the capital. When a rich family meets a carriage, they ask you to show your courtesy and I give you three points. It takes a long time to push and shove each other. So riding a carriage is not as fast as her legs. She was afraid that Sister Zhou would wait for her sixth brother in the teahouse for a long time and cause misunderstandings with her sixth brother, so she simply went there by herself.
It is also a merit to help lovers finally get married.
"If you do it again next time, your mother will confine you." Ming Jingzhou pretended to be serious: "Hurry up and greet the uncles."
"I have met all the uncles."
"I dare not, I dare not, the county lord is too polite." The officials of the Ministry of Rites stood up one after another to return the greetings and were very polite to Jiuzhu.
Ming Jingzhou lifted the lid of the teacup and swept his eyes over the officials, memorizing their expressions. He slowly said, "My colleagues, she is a junior, so it is only natural for you to accept her gift."
Everyone laughed and agreed, but no one dared to accept the gift from Miss Ming.
In terms of rank, Miss Ming is a second-rank county lord, which is higher than most people present.
In terms of status, she is the future princess. After marriage, she will be a member of the royal family. The royal family has the monarch, and the difference between her and them is that of monarch and subject.
Apart from the royal family, who would have the courage to accept her gift?
Prince Chen looked at the officials of the Ministry of Rites and found that they were much smarter than the Zheng family.
He admired these knowledgeable and intelligent officials.
"Your Majesty, Lord Shangshu, Lord Shilang, His Majesty urgently summons you!"
A slightly anxious voice of a clerk came from outside.
His Majesty suddenly summoned so many officials from the Ministry of Rites. Something important must have happened. Li En looked at Prince Chen and found that he was still putting some food into his mouth leisurely.
"Your Highness?" Li En, whose impression of Prince Chen had greatly changed, bowed to him and said, "I will follow you into the palace."
"Hmm." Prince Chen looked at the snacks Jiuzhu brought for him and stuffed a handful into his purse. "My lords, don't panic too much. Father summoned you all probably because of the assassination of Prince Qi."
"What?"
"King Qi was assassinated?!"
"Your Highness, don't be too sad." Ming Jingzhou stood up and sighed, "No wonder your Highness looked so pale when I saw you just now. It turns out that you were worried about the safety of His Highness Prince Qi."
"Yes, Your Highness." Li En said, "Your Highness Prince Qi is a lucky man. If you hurt yourself for His Highness Prince Qi, wouldn't that make His Majesty worried and sad?"
Prince Chen took the handkerchief handed to him by Fugui and wiped his hands clean: "He is my fourth brother, how can I not worry? The pain in his body hurts me too."
"Your Highness is so kind that you value brotherhood so much."
"Yes." An official from the Ministry of Rites wiped his dry eyes with his sleeves: "What a touching friendship!"
An official from the Ministry of Rites wiped the snack residue from the corner of his mouth, opened the door, and shouted, "Colleagues, please help His Highness. He is so sad that he almost fainted!"
Jiuzhu, who was sitting next to him, silently stuffed a piece of snack into her mouth, holding the teacup and not daring to say a word.
The adult world is too complicated.
She looked up out the window. On the eaves of the Ministry of Rites, the newly replaced glazed tiles reflected the bright sunlight, like shining gold.
"Your Highness is a man of both civil and military talents, how could he be attacked by an assassin?" Sun Caiyao looked at the pale Prince of Qi lying on the bed and summoned the Prince of Qi's personal attendant: "What happened at that time?"
"Princess, with your skills, you could have avoided the assassin's attack." The attendant hesitated, "But when your Highness walked up to the assassin, he suddenly froze for a moment, and the assassin took advantage of this opportunity to injure him."
Sun Caiyao looked at her sleeping husband with a frown on her face. "Your Highness has always been careful and thoughtful in what he does, so how could he suddenly become distracted when approaching a stranger?"
"What people were around that made His Highness concerned?"
The attendant lowered his eyelids: "My princess, no."
"Really not?" Sun Caiyao looked at the attendant who had his head lowered and his expression could not be seen clearly.
"No." The attendant bowed and said, "Princess, the only people accompanying us this time are the palace guards and attendants, the Minister of Revenue and the Imperial Guards, no one else."
"Okay, I understand." Sun Caiyao sighed and wiped Prince Qi's forehead with her hand silk. Then someone from Lanxu Palace came to say that Concubine Ning summoned her into the palace.
The prince was injured and needed someone to take care of him. Why did the mother summon her to the palace at this time? What else could be more important than the prince's safety?
"With so many people, how could the King of Qi get hurt? What on earth were you doing?" Emperor Longfeng looked at the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards and said, "I sent you to protect the safety of the King of Qi and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue. What did you do?"
The commander of the imperial guards was so scolded by His Majesty that he dared not even utter a word.
"Your Majesty, the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the princes have arrived."
"Let them in." Emperor Longfeng threw the memorial in his hand heavily on the table and snorted at the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard: "Get up first."
The deputy commander looked at Emperor Longfeng with gratitude. His Majesty still gave him some face and did not let him kneel in front of the prince and officials from the six ministries.
"What's wrong with you, fifth brother?" Prince Huai was standing outside the gate of Taiyang Palace. He saw Yun Duqing being supported by an official from the Ministry of Rites, looking weak.
"Your Highness Prince Huai, Prince Chen was very worried when he heard that Prince Qi was assassinated. He was very angry and in a bad mood." Li En bowed to Prince Huai and said, "Please don't worry, the Ministry of Rites will take good care of you."
Worried?
Anger and anger?
Does Yun Duqing believe such nonsense?
He glanced at Li En and raised his eyebrows slightly. Li En was a staunch royalist and would not speak for Yun Duqing. It seemed that Lao Wu's acting skills had improved a lot during his time in the Ministry of Rites.
Thinking of this, he slowly spoke: "Fifth brother has always been kind and gentle, thank you all for taking care of him."
Tsk!
"Please rest assured, Your Highness." Li En pretended not to notice Prince Huai's insincerity, walked to Prince Chen's side, and held his other arm: "Your Highness, you are feeling better."
"Thank you, Minister Li. I am much better now." Prince Chen raised his eyelids and smiled weakly at Prince Huai and the other two princes. "Seeing my three brothers here, I feel much more at ease."
The three princes: "..."
Tsk tsk, when did Yun Duqing become so disgusting?
What the hell did he learn in the Ministry of Rites?
When everyone entered the palace, Emperor Longfeng looked at his son who was supported by Li Enyi, and his expression changed slightly: "Minister Li, what happened to Du Qing?"
"Your Majesty, upon hearing that Prince Qi was injured, His Highness was furious and felt a little weak." Li En sighed, looking worried: "Your Majesty, please punish the murderer severely to comfort Prince Qi and Prince Chen."
The officials from the other five ministries glanced at Li En out of the corner of their eyes, as if they had heard some shocking lies.
Would Prince Chen be so heartbroken over Prince Qi's injury that he couldn't even walk steadily?
What kind of joke is this?
"Liu Zhongbao, quickly bring a chair for Prince Chen to sit on." Emperor Longfeng sighed, "My son is just too soft-hearted and sentimental."
Other princes: "..."
Okay, as long as father is happy.
The Prince sat on the cushioned chair and even "coincidentally" adjusted himself into a very comfortable sitting position.
Emperor Longfeng seemed not to see it, and was even worried that Prince Chen would be cold sitting on the chair, so he asked the eunuch to cover him with a cloak, and almost had someone feed him fruits and snacks.
Prince Huai turned away, not wanting to watch this glaring scene. He cupped his hands and said, "Father, I think this matter must be investigated strictly and this kind of thing must not be allowed to happen again."
"Yes." Emperor Longfeng nodded. "In order to ensure the safety of the princes and princesses, I have arranged for the Palace Department to thoroughly check the identities of all servants in the prince's mansion and the princess's mansion. All the servants of the princes and princesses will have their identities and relatives re-checked. Anyone who is suspicious will not be allowed to stay. The chief secretary and clerks in the mansion will all be re-selected by me."
The officials of the six ministries felt something was wrong after hearing this. Is His Majesty trying to protect the princes and princesses, or does he want to keep all of them under his nose?
"Thank you, father, for your concern for my safety." Prince Chen stretched out his arms from his thick cloak and bowed to Emperor Longfeng: "I am incompetent and have caused you, father, to worry."
The smiles on the faces of the three princes were about to fall.
How much effort and energy did they put in to plant spies in their brothers' houses?
With the emperor's order, not only have all their efforts over the years been wasted, but they are also under the emperor's watchful eyes all the time. What else can they do? What else dare they do?
From now on, they will be blind with open eyes and deaf with long ears.
Who else could be happy except the idiot Yun Duqing?
"You are my blood. I only hope that you are safe and sound, and free from illness and disaster." Looking at these sons with different expressions, Emperor Longfeng sighed: "Before the identities of the servants in the palace are fully investigated, all the princes and princesses will move back to the palace to live."
"You don't have to leave the palace today, and please put your affairs in the various departments on hold for now." Emperor Longfeng looked at his sons and said, "I have asked the palace maids to prepare a residence for you, so just stay there and feel at ease."
The princes did not dare to meet the gaze of Emperor Longfeng, as if everything they were thinking would be seen through by his eyes if they met his.
None of the officials from the six ministries who could stand here were fools, and no one dared to speak out at this moment.
Summon all the princes and princesses back to the palace, and don't let them out once they come in, and then send people to thoroughly search their residences. This move is too cruel to cut off the source of the problem.
Your Majesty has always been kind and benevolent, yet he made such a choice. It seems that what these princes and princesses did crossed your Majesty's bottom line. No wonder these princes couldn't even maintain a basic expression at this moment.
Li En tilted his head slightly to look at Prince Chen who was sitting on the chair. No, there is still a fish that has slipped through the net.
Unexpectedly, among the princes, Prince Chen was the most normal one and the one who cared the least about this matter.
Logically speaking, the Prince of Chen is arrogant and extravagant by nature, so he should be the one who is most afraid of a thorough investigation by Your Majesty. Why is the reality the other way around?
"Father, my princess is still in the palace. I..."
"Don't worry." Emperor Longfeng interrupted Prince Huai and said, "I have sent someone to bring your princess in."
The six officials' brows twitched.
Oh no, now no one can escape.
The last glimmer of hope in the eyes of the three princes was completely extinguished.
Prince Chen glanced at his three brothers with mixed feelings. It was a pity that he and Ming Xiaozhu had not yet married, otherwise he could ask his father to bring Ming Xiaozhu into the palace, so that he could take her to his mother's palace for meals every day.
There are not only a lot of food at my mother's place, but also a lot of jewelry, fabrics and jade. It would be great if I could pick out some that are suitable for Ming Xiaozhu and take them away.
Prince Huai, Prince An, and Prince Jing saw Yun Duqing staring at them with envy, and they resisted the urge to roll their eyes.
Neurosis!
"Du Qing, why are you looking at your brothers?" Emperor Long Feng looked at Yun Du Qing with a smile.
"Father, I am just grateful that you are such a good father who loves his children. You even brought the princess in because you feared that my brothers would be lonely living alone."
Six Ministry officials: "..."
Otherwise, why do people say that Prince Chen is hated?
What a heart-wrenching and sinister statement.
Without even a mistress left in the palace, it was equivalent to losing all control over the palace. With the royal family's ability to investigate people seriously, I'm afraid they could find out how many ant nests there were in the palace.
Two officials who are biased in private are already feeling extremely depressed. Your Majesty is starting to become suspicious of the princes.
Recalling the tragic incident when the princes fought for the throne during the reign of the previous emperor, the officials of the six ministries became even more silent.
This is good too. With His Majesty firmly controlling these princes and princesses, at least what happened in the 30 years of Xian De will not happen again.
When the Prince of Qi woke up, he found that the surrounding environment was a little strange. He looked around vigilantly, and a young eunuch who was unfamiliar to him came over and said, "Prince, are you awake?"
"Where is this?" King Qi glanced at the clothes on the young eunuch and lay back down.
"Your Highness, this is Zhangliu Palace. His Majesty is worried about your safety, so he sent someone to take you to the palace to rest."
Isn't this where the prince lived before he came of age?
He was injured, but his father actually took him into the palace while he was unconscious?
Is this out of concern for him, or a desire to control him?
"Thank you for your care, father." King Qi smiled and said, "What is your name? Where are all the attendants around me?"
"My name is Ercheng. All the servants who usually serve you, Your Highness, will stay in the palace. If you and the princess need anything, just tell me."
He and the princess were placed under house arrest by their father?
The King of Qi looked pale. At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the 30th year of Xian De.
There were sounds of quarreling outside the yard, and he seemed to hear Prince Huai's voice vaguely.
"Why is there so much noise outside?"
"Your Highness, the palace servants outside are tidying up the bedrooms for several princes." Er Cheng said with a smile, "Because you were assassinated, His Majesty is worried about the princes. So His Majesty ordered that all the princes move to the various halls of Zhangliu Palace before the beginning of next spring."
"You mean, all the princes have been brought in?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. All the princes, princesses and consorts have moved into the palace." Er Cheng said, "The princesses all live in Xiyu Palace. After you recover from your injury, you can go there and walk around."
King Qi: “…”
He only used Ma Fei San to treat his injuries and fell asleep for a few hours. Why did the weather change when he woke up?
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