"Miss Ming?" Xiang Si looked at Jiuzhu in surprise, and suddenly thought, the county lord had been fostered in Lingzhou, could he really know something?
"I..." Jiuzhu turned around and looked around, feeling a little embarrassed and afraid that others might hear her: "Aunt, let's go inside and talk."
"Okay." Xiangshen nodded and was about to lead Jiuzhu into the inner hall, but then she remembered that Concubine Ning was kneeling outside the hall door. She hesitated. How should she explain this to Miss Ming?
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed the Prince's sleeve and refused to let go, looking at him with blinking eyes: "Can you go in with me?"
"Okay." The Prince of Chen walked forward, holding Jiuzhu's hand through his sleeve. Xiangshen looked at their backs and couldn't help but smile. His Highness also knew how to care about others.
"Cold?" Even through the cloth, Prince Chen could feel the coolness of Jiuzhu's fingertips.
"Not cold." Jiuzhu shook her head and said with a smile, "Your Highness is just as gentle and considerate as when he was a child."
he?
Gentle and considerate?
Prince Chen was too embarrassed to admit it. He touched his nose and said, "You don't know what I was like when I was a child."
Jiuzhu looked at him with a smile: "I just know it."
As he was speaking, Jiuzhu saw someone kneeling at the door and paused: "Your Highness, it seems like someone is kneeling there?"
"Don't worry about it." Prince Chen glanced at Concubine Ning who was kneeling at the door, and pressed Jiuzhu's head with his hand: "Some people in the palace will use kneeling as a means to achieve certain goals."
"Oh." Jiuzhu nodded, and when she walked closer she found that the person kneeling was Concubine Ning.
When Concubine Ning heard the footsteps, she looked up and made eye contact with Jiuzhu. There was forbearance, pain, and helplessness in her eyes, as if she had suffered a great deal of grievances but dared not speak of them.
Jiuzhu whispered in Prince Chen's ear, "Did Concubine Ning learn to sing opera before entering the palace?"
Prince Chen: "Where did you get this from?"
"I think she acted this part very well, much like a female lead on the stage, the kind with a bad fate."
Prince Chen exerted a little force on his wrist and dragged the person into the house. He was afraid that Concubine Ning would hear what Ming Xiaozhu said and would faint from anger.
"Where is my mother?" Prince Chen waved his hand to exempt the palace maids and eunuchs from their formalities.
"Your Highness, the Queen is in the back hall."
"Let's go." Prince Chen walked around the front hall and headed for the back hall. As soon as he reached the door, he heard Concubine Su talking to the eunuch: "Whoever comes to beg for mercy will kneel with her. It's my fault that I was too gentle these years, allowing them to climb over my head. If there is any news from Lingzhou, notify me immediately, do you hear me?"
Prince Chen glanced at Jiuzhu and coughed twice: "Mother, my son is here."
Concubine Su flipped through the biography of the demon concubine in her hand, raised her head and looked at Prince Chen and Jiuzhu who walked in: "Jiuzhu, come, sit here with me."
Prince Chen handed the shawl lamp to the eunuch and asked him to hang the lamp in Jiuzhu's room. He turned around and sat down next to Jiuzhu: "Mother, have you had dinner yet?"
Concubine Su looked at the sky and asked, "You followed Jiuzhu here just to have a meal with me?"
"Mother, you misunderstood me. I was worried that you had a poor appetite and forgot to have dinner." Prince Chen turned to look at Jiuzhu and said, "If you don't believe me, ask Xiaozhu."
"Your Highness, you came here to see me off." Jiuzhu explained obediently, "Your Highness and I had already had dinner before you came."
Concubine Su Gui didn't expect Jiuzhu to take her joke seriously. She suppressed her smile and said, "Since Jiuzhu said it, I will believe him for now."
"Since the person has been sent, you should go back." Concubine Su ruthlessly drove her son away: "Although there are no young concubines in the harem, you are an adult prince. It's not right for you to hang around your mother's palace every now and then."
Prince Chen tutted and stood up lazily from his chair. He finally understood that with Ming Xiaozhu as his future daughter-in-law, his son was already redundant.
"Wait." Jiuzhu was anxious and reached out to grab the sleeve of Prince Chen, accidentally grabbing his fingers: "Your Highness, don't leave yet."
Prince Chen looked at his fingers that were being grabbed, his whole body stiffened, as if he had turned into a sculpture.
Concubine Su Gui watched this scene with a smile, then turned around and asked Jiuzhu softly, "Jiuzhu, do you have anything you want to say to me and Du Qing?"
She waved her hand and asked everyone in the room to leave: "No one can approach this room without my order."
The palace maids bowed and retreated, closing the door for Concubine Su.
Jiuzhu looked up at King Chen.
"You, you take your time talking, I didn't say I was leaving." Prince Chen sat back and touched his hot ears. Could it be that his ears were hurt by the cold wind? Otherwise, why would they be so hot?
Jiuzhu tightly grasped the finger of the King of Chen, as if she had infinite courage: "My Queen, I heard from Aunt Xiangxian that you are looking for a girl from Lingzhou?"
Concubine Su noticed that Jiuzhu's expression and tone were not right. The smile on her face gradually faded and she nodded to Jiuzhu.
"In the winter eight years ago, on the Huaxi River outside Lingzhou, right?" Jiuzhu looked at Concubine Su with burning eyes, then turned to look at Prince Chen: "Your Highness was wearing a light purple round-necked brocade robe and a fox fur cloak that day, like a fairy boy in front of the fairy throne."
Prince Chen stared at Jiuzhu in a daze. He had an absurd guess in his mind, but he was afraid that this guess would come true.
He couldn't imagine how painful it was for this silly little girl to soak in the icy river water.
"You..." Concubine Su opened her mouth but couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"The person your highness saved was me." Jiuzhu lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, I kept it a secret from your highness and the queen."
No one knew how happy she was when she walked into the Moon Palace and saw the Queen. She almost wanted to ask the Queen where the fairy boy who saved her was and whether he had become a gentle and benevolent gentleman.
But she never forgot what the Queen said, that the capital was a place without secrets.
She didn't dare to say it, for fear of putting Her Majesty and His Highness in danger.
For the past eight years, she has been burning incense and praying before the statue of the Three Pure Ones every day, hoping that the Three Pure Ones will bless her with peace and safety, a smooth life, and no illness or disaster.
Fortunately, Master Sanqing heard her prayer.
"Child." Concubine Su Gui walked up to Jiuzhu, suddenly pulled her into her arms, gently stroked her hair, tears streaming down her eyes: "What a silly girl."
Jiuzhu leaned against Concubine Su's soft chest, smelling the faint fragrance on her body, and carefully stretched out her arms and hugged Concubine Su.
Your Majesty's body smells so good and soft.
No wonder she was so happy when she saw me for the first time. No wonder she always happily called my queen and stayed around me and Du Qing. Even though others said she was trying to please the concubine and was worldly and greedy, she never backed down.
She was so foolish that she believed in her and Du Qing. She simply and unreservedly trusted them mother and son.
"My queen?" Feeling warm tears falling on her face, Jiuzhu wanted to raise her head to look at her: "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, I'm just happy." Concubine Su wiped her tears with one hand, and was reluctant to let go of Jiuzhu with the other hand: "I'm just happy."
"I am very happy to meet the Queen and His Highness again." Jiuzhu leaned against Concubine Su Gui, and the corners of her mouth turned up: "Lingzhou and the capital are thousands of miles apart, and people come and go all over the world. It must be a very special fate that allowed me to meet His Highness and the Queen."
Prince Chen looked at Jiuzhu who was leaning in his mother's arms. He slowly stretched out his hand, placed his fingers lightly on Jiuzhu's shoulder, but quickly took it back.
He clenched his five fingers into a fist, his emotions churning and roaring as he wanted to pour out, but in front of the well-behaved Jiuzhu, he forced everything down.
"Ming Xiaozhu," he asked, "did I give you some candies back then?"
Jiuzhu turned her head in Concubine Su's arms and looked at him: "Well, the mint candy that Your Highness gave me is so sweet."
She often put mints in her purse. Did she think he liked to eat this kind of candy?
Prince Chen looked into her bright eyes and chuckled after a long while: "Of course the candy I give you is sweeter than anyone else's."
"Yeah!" Jiuzhu nodded, earnestly agreeing with the King of Chen's words: "Since then, I have never eaten such delicious mint candy again."
Concubine Su let go of Jiuzhu, wiped away the tears from her eyes, and tried to smile at Jiuzhu: "Jiuzhu, what kind of candy do you like? I'll ask Chef Yu to make it for you."
"Mother." Prince Chen couldn't help but speak: "I know what Ming Xiaozhu likes to eat. Just leave this matter to your son."
Concubine Su touched Jiuzhu's cheek without even looking at Prince Chen: "You and Du Qing sit here for a while, I'm going to go out and take care of some things."
"Okay." Jiuzhu nodded.
Concubine Su walked to the door, turned around and said to Jiuzhu, "Jiuzhu."
"My queen?" Jiuzhu looked up at her, her watery eyes full of love and affection for her.
Concubine Su smiled and said, "I am also very happy to meet you again."
Then she saw an extremely brilliant smile on the girl's face, so brilliant that it made her heart melt into a pool of spring water.
Pushing open the palace door, she saw Xiang Xian waiting outside with her head bowed: "What's going on?"
"Your Majesty, the Princess of Qi County requests to see you." Xiang Shen glanced inside the door, hesitated for a moment, and closed the door for His Majesty and Miss Ming.
"What is she doing here?" Concubine Su shook her shawl, and the hem of her skirt flowed across the steps like flowing water.
"According to my guess, they are here to plead for Concubine Ning." Xiangshen held Concubine Su Gui's hand and said, "Your Majesty, the Princess of Qi County is the daughter of the Sun family. The Sun family has produced three prime ministers, four top scholars, and ten Jinshi. They are very prestigious among scholars and civil officials."
"So what? My Jiuzhu's father, uncle and brother are all very remarkable." Concubine Su Gui said, "Did Sun's ancestors have three brothers who all passed the exam with first place?"
Xiangshen was silent.
Family like the Ming family is extremely rare.
"Just because our ancestors were great doesn't mean the Sun family is powerful now." Concubine Su knew what Xiang Xian was worried about: "As a daughter of the Sun family, she didn't let Yun Yanze come forward for this matter, and she put down her face and begged me. She really loves Yun Yanze."
The Sun family never liked her as a favored concubine. Although they appeared respectful, she could clearly see the arrogance emanating from the old lady's bones in front of her.
The Sun family knew that she knew in her heart that they didn't like her, and she also knew how arrogant the Sun family was. However, because the Sun family had produced several capable officials, she was too lazy to argue with them.
Over the years, the Sun family and she have maintained a delicate balance without offending each other, but Sun Caiyao chose to bow to her for the sake of Prince Qi.
"She is just a little girl who acted foolishly for a man." Concubine Su said calmly, "I will not hold it against you."
Xiang Xian smiled: "I know that the queen is always tolerant towards little girls."
Concubine Su smiled. It wasn't about tolerance or not, but there was no need to do it.
"Mother." Sun Caiyao saw Concubine Ning still kneeling in front of the main hall of Mingyue Palace. She reached out to help her, but was stopped by a palace maid with a cold expression.
"Princess of Qi." The maid bowed to her and said, "Concubine Ning sincerely wants to see our queen. If you help her up, it won't be a big deal. But I am worried that Concubine Gui will not see Concubine Ning's sincerity."
Sun Caiyao knew that Concubine Su Gui was deliberately making things difficult for her mother, so she had no choice but to say, "Your mother is weak, I am willing to kneel down on your behalf to show my sincerity."
"The filial piety of the Princess of the County is so touching and admirable. However, I am just an insignificant maid in Mingyue Palace. How can I guess what the Royal Concubine is thinking?" The maid knelt down to Sun Caiyao and said, "Please don't embarrass me, Princess of the County."
"Please don't make things difficult for us, Princess." The other palace maids and eunuchs who were guarding outside the palace knelt down in unison.
Sun Caiyao looked at the servants of Mingyue Palace, and then at Concubine Ning who was obviously exhausted. She gritted her teeth and knelt down beside Concubine Ning: "Please see me, Your Majesty."
Concubine Ning turned her head to look at Sun Caiyao and shook her body: "Why are you here? Go back quickly."
"Mother, you are suffering here. How can your daughter-in-law just watch?" Sun Caiyao supported Concubine Ning: "Mother, if you feel uncomfortable, just lean on me."
Concubine Ning wished she could push Sun Caiyao back.
She has been kneeling here for several hours, wishing she would faint and die. Sun Caiyao's coming now would ruin her plan.
"You go back and take care of Yan Ze, I'm fine..."
The door to the main hall slowly opened. Concubine Ning raised her head and looked at Su Meidai, who was wearing an elaborate palace dress, looking down at her.
In the imperial concubine's canonization ceremony that year, she was kneeling below while Su Meidai was sitting high on the Qingluan Chair, looking at her with the same eyes.
"Meet the Imperial Concubine." Sun Caiyao bowed deeply to Imperial Concubine Su.
"What's wrong with you? How could you let Princess Qi kneel here?" Xiangshen pretended to rebuke the palace servants, "Hurry up and help Princess Qi up."
"The Princess of the County is here to look for Jiuzhu?" Concubine Su looked at Sun Caiyao who was "helped" up by the palace maids, nodded and smiled: "You go and inform the county lord and tell him that the Princess of the County is here to look for her."
"My Lady, I am not..."
"Princess of the County, I am your elder." Concubine Su raised her eyes slightly and said with a smile: "It's so late, you are not here to see the county lord, are you here to see me? I am old and weak, and I hate being disturbed at night. Yanze has always been polite and filial. You are Yanze's legal wife, I think you should be as filial as Yanze."
Sun Caiyao secretly groaned in her heart, but she was unable to refute Concubine Su's words.
There is no empress in the palace. The highest-ranking concubine, Concubine Su, has the same status as the vice-empress. In detail, all the princes and princesses in the harem can call her Concubine Su Mu.
"Take the Princess to the side hall and wait for the county lord to come." Concubine Su raised her hand and walked towards Concubine Ning who was kneeling on the ground: "I remember that you were sick when His Majesty went south eight years ago, right?"
Concubine Ning lowered her head and said, "I don't understand what you mean, Madam."
"It doesn't matter whether you understand or not." Concubine Su grabbed Concubine Ning's hair and forced her to look into her eyes: "Zheng Lanyin, look at me!"
Concubine Ning struggled for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth and suppressed all the anger in her heart: "My Lady, what do you want to do?"
"Tsk." Concubine Su sneered: "I tell you, starting from today, I will make you understand what an arrogant and domineering concubine is."
Concubine Ning's face changed drastically.
"Don't be afraid, and don't be anxious." Concubine Su let go of her hair, stood up, turned around and washed her hands in the copper basin. While wiping her hands, she walked slowly around Concubine Ning: "I think the title of Ning is not very good, and the position of concubine is not suitable for you."
"What do you think..." She paused, and looked down at Concubine Ning with a smile: "What do you think of the title of Lady Zheng?"
"No, you can't do this to me!" Concubine Ning finally panicked: "I gave birth to a prince for His Majesty, His Majesty will not treat me like this."
"Then you can give it a try." Concubine Su handed the handkerchief to the maid, and said in a cold tone: "Zheng Lanyin, you will reap what you sow. We can slowly settle the accounts between us."
Concubine Ning looked at Concubine Su in panic. What did she know?
Su Meidai knows, but what about Your Majesty? Does Your Majesty know too?
As if knowing what she was thinking, Concubine Su smiled and said, "You can guess what I know. Oh, and what about His Majesty? Do you think His Majesty knows what I know?"
"Su Meidai!" Concubine Ning grabbed her skirt frantically and said, "You are so arrogant today, aren't you afraid of being retaliated by others in the future?"
Concubine Su took two steps back, as if she had heard something funny: "In this harem, as long as you are favored by His Majesty, no matter how arrogant you are, you will be a thorn in the eyes of others."
"Do you think I care?" Concubine Su said lightly, "Women should not embarrass other women, but you should never plot against my child."
"Zheng Lanyin, you are the mother, and so am I."
"Su Meidai, you are so arrogant because you rely on His Majesty's favor. One day..."
"Tsk." Concubine Su smiled softly: "Zheng Lanyin, I have always had a principle, that is, I will not bring disaster to my children. Don't force me to break this principle, understand?"
Concubine Ning swallowed her words, retracted her stiff legs, knelt in front of Concubine Su again, and kowtowed to her: "What do you want in exchange for letting me go?"
Concubine Su looked at her expressionlessly.
"Your Highness Prince Qi?"
Hearing the voice of the palace maid, Concubine Su raised her head and saw Yun Yanze standing not far away with a pale face.
In the back hall, the Prince looked at Jiuzhu. Jiuzhu put her hands on her knees, like an obedient baby, blinking at him: "Your Highness, do you have anything to say?"
Prince Chen didn't know what to say. He always felt that he had a lot to say, but when he looked at her, he felt that no matter what he said, it would not be right.
An absurd idea even occurred to him that it would have been a good idea if he had brought Ming Jiuzhu back to Beijing and raised her by his side.
"Have you ever been wronged during these years when you were fostered in Lingzhou?" His mind was in a mess, and he only asked such a dry question in the end.
Jiuzhu shook her head: "Master is very good to me. They are cultivators and don't like to touch meat and fish, but they will buy chickens and fish for me. They say that cultivators cultivate their own hearts and do not restrict others. I have been accompanied by mountains and rivers since I was a child, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and rarely go down the mountain. The only time I was wronged was when I met His Highness. Master said that this is called blessing in my life, and there are noble people to help me."
Being raised far away from the secular world, it's no wonder that he has such a naive personality.
"Ming Xiaozhu." He reached out and gently pinched the tip of her nose: "You, you."
A good girl should not experience all kinds of conspiracy and darkness in the world and see the changes in people's hearts after marrying him.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu grabbed his wrist and said, "Girls should not pinch their noses often, or they will become ugly."
"It doesn't matter. Even if you turn into a pig's nose, I won't despise you." Prince Chen let go of her nose: "I am not a lustful person."
"That won't work either." Jiuzhu shook her head: "I can't let others see you and say that you married a princess with a pig nose. How embarrassing."
"I never take to heart what others say." The Prince wanted to pinch the girl's cheek, but thinking that the girl had not married him yet, he could only hold back: "Anyway, as long as I think you are good, you are good, understand?"
"So, in your Highness's eyes, I am very good, right?" Jiuzhu looked at him expectantly.
"Hmph." Prince Chen snorted and hooked his finger at her.
Jiuzhu leaned forward.
Prince Chen tapped her on the head: "Guess?"
Jiuzhu covered her forehead, widened her eyes, and looked at him in disbelief.
"Ahem." Feeling a little flustered by such a look, Prince Chen nodded twice quickly: "Yeah."
"Your Highness nodded. Does that mean I'm doing well?" Jiuzhu immediately became happy again.
"Tsk." Prince Chen looked at her and found that her forehead was slightly red from being flicked by him. He reached out and rubbed it with his fingertips: "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Jiuzhu shook her head and pulled his sleeve: "Your Highness, please tell me more."
"You are smart, capable, and beautiful." The Prince looked at the little hand pulling his sleeve and waving it in front of his eyes: "And you are also an excellent painter."
"Oh." Jiuzhu held her slightly red cheeks and said, "I am not as good as you say, Your Highness."
Prince Chen: “…”
Although he didn't say that well, he actually smiled happily.
Humph, dishonest woman.
"Your Highness did not lie to me, did you?"
"Will this king lie to you?"
"No." Jiuzhu shook her head.
Prince Chen gently rubbed her forehead and said, "It's getting late. I should go back to Zhangliu Palace."
If she doesn't go back, the concubines in the palace will start to talk about her.
"Then I'll take Your Highness to the gate." Jiuzhu jumped up, her whole body filled with joy.
"Be careful of the threshold." Prince Chen pulled her, and then, just like when he came, he held Jiuzhu's hand through his sleeve.
"Your Highness." With her hands wrapped in His Highness' sleeves, Jiuzhu felt particularly safe. She even felt that even if she walked with her eyes closed, His Highness would not let her fall: "Can I still go to Zhangliu Palace to see you tomorrow?"
Prince Chen wanted to say, your father gave me a thick box of books, waiting for me to copy them, but what he said was, "Okay."
The little girl had just arrived and was probably not used to the place yet, so he stayed with her for two days.
Only two days, no more.
"Meet the Concubine." Yun Yanze looked at his mother who was kneeling humbly in front of Concubine Su. He walked in front of Concubine Su, lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down.
"If mother has done anything inconsiderate, I am willing to be punished for you." He kowtowed to Concubine Su, "Please forgive mother, my lady."
The night wind blew the lantern in front of the palace gate, and the lantern swayed, casting a swaying shadow on Yun Yanze's face.
Boom, boom.
Yun Yanze kowtowed again and again.
At the gate of Mingyue Palace, there was silence and no one dared to go out.
At this moment, a girl's laughter was heard.
Jiuzhu walked to the door and saw Yun Yanze kneeling and kowtowing at the door. She was frightened and turned to ask Prince Chen: "Prince Qi was beaten with a stick. Will the wound open if he kneels like this?"
Everyone turned to look at Lord Ming, who was out of tune with the solemn atmosphere.
Prince Chen took a step forward and put her behind him.
Everyone quickly looked away.
Being beaten as a prince was an unspeakable pain for Prince Qi. Lord Ming's words were like a stab into Prince Qi's chest.
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