When Prince Chen met Ming Jingzhou and took several yellowed books from him, he understood one thing: he could escape his biological father but not his father-in-law, and there would always be someone who could make him write quickly.
"Father, what kind of book is this?" Jiuzhu curiously took a book and opened it. After a moment, he returned the book to the Prince of Chen and said with a bitter face, "I know all the words on it, but I can't understand a single word. Your Highness, don't you have a headache reading this kind of book all day?"
"How difficult is that?" Seeing Jiuzhu's admiring eyes, Prince Chen instantly felt refreshed and energetic: "I'll tell you tonight?"
"Okay, okay." Jiuzhu's big eyes flashed with brilliant light: "Your Highness is so amazing!"
"That's nothing." Prince Chen raised his chin slightly: "Not worth mentioning."
A man who is admired by his wife is a good man.
Ming Jingzhou watched this scene with a smile on his face.
It turns out that no matter how unruly a man is, he may compromise because of a look.
At this moment, as a father, he finally felt relieved.
When a man changes his habits and strives to do better just to get her admiring look, it means that this woman already has the most unique position in his heart.
That thing is often called love.
"Your Highness, the letter has been delivered. I'm taking my leave." He stood up and prepared to say goodbye.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Jiuzhu wanted to keep him for dinner, but Ming Jingzhou refused: "Your brother is handling a case at the Dali Temple today and will be back home very late. I want to go back and have dinner with your mother."
Jiuzhu heard this and stopped trying to persuade her to stay. She smiled and nodded, "Dad is right. We can't let Mom eat alone."
"I'll go see my father-in-law off." Prince Chen stood up and whispered in Jiuzhu's ear, "Tonight... I'll give you a lecture."
After saying that, he walked away with a smile.
Jiuzhu was stunned for a moment, then slowly covered her face.
Her little fairy prince was so naughty just now!
"Father-in-law." After walking out of Qilin Palace, Prince Chen spoke: "My father asked me to perform the worship ceremony on his behalf, and I agreed."
Ming Jingzhou stopped walking. He and the Prince of Chen had always maintained the proper distance between a minister and a prince. No matter how you looked at it, he could not be called a "confidant" in front of the Prince of Chen. He did not expect that the Prince of Chen would tell him something that the emperor had not yet made public.
"Your Highness is already an adult. As His Majesty's child, there is nothing wrong with you performing the worship ceremony on His Majesty's behalf." Ming Jingzhou bowed and said, "I believe Your Highness can do the best."
The wind blew up the corners of their robes. Prince Chen was silent for a moment: "I just want to be my father's child."
"Your Highness has always been a good child of His Majesty." Ming Jingzhou understood what Prince Chen meant, "I think His Majesty thinks so too."
Prince Chen looked at him without saying anything.
As he spoke, he bowed to the Prince of Chen and said, "Your Highness, I will take my leave."
"I thought my father-in-law would have different ideas from my father."
"It might have been different originally, but when Your Highness stepped into the Ministry of Rites and carefully recited what I gave you, my thoughts changed a lot." Ming Jingzhou was silent for a moment: "I saw some of His Majesty's good qualities in Your Highness."
"It was my fault in the past." Ming Jingzhou bowed deeply: "People's words are scary, and I just follow what others say. I also made such a mistake."
Prince Chen returned the greeting: "Father-in-law is right, I am indeed ignorant and incompetent."
"No, Your Highness has a sincere and kind heart." During this period of time, he carefully checked the rumors related to Prince Chen, such as oppressing scholars, bullying sons of noble families, and humiliating military generals, and found that everything had its reasons.
The literati he oppressed were heartless men who deceived women's feelings.
The young man from a noble family whom he punished hit a child with his horse.
The generals who were humiliated by him spoke ill of Empress Su in private and even tried to force girls from decent families to be his concubines.
Every one of these things became evidence of the King's arrogance. Every force was eager to suppress his reputation.
The one who is wrong is not the simple and straightforward King Chen, but the one who hides filth and tries to cover up the truth.
Although he took into account the relationship between the monarch and his subjects and never said anything bad about Prince Chen in the court, he also never tried to understand Prince Chen.
The arrogance in the scholar's bones made him prejudiced against the Prince of Chen. When he was prejudiced against the Prince of Chen, he didn't know that he was his daughter's savior.
If it weren't for Jiuzhu, he might not have known the merits of the King of Chen until now.
"Father-in-law, you today..." Why praise him like this?
Are there more books waiting for him to copy?
Prince Chen was worried.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Officials from the Ministry of Rites are here for the worship ceremony." Ming Jingzhou smiled cheerfully, "With officials from the Ministry of Rites here, no one can do anything."
After sending Ming Jingzhou to the palace gate, on the way back, Prince Chen met Prince Huai and Princess Huai who had just come out of the harem.
Prince Huai's face did not look good, and there were some medicine stains on his cuffs.
"Fifth brother." Seeing Prince Chen, Prince Huai forced a smile.
"Brother, sister-in-law." Prince Chen bowed perfunctorily.
Prince Huai didn't care. To him, Yun Duqing's perfunctory greeting was enough to satisfy him. "Where did you get this from, Fifth Brother?"
"I just sent my father-in-law out of the Suzaku Gate." Prince Chen glanced at the tired look on Prince Huai's face and said, "Brother, you should take good rest."
"Thank you, Fifth Brother." Princess Huai spoke first: "Mother has been seriously ill in recent days. The prince is worried about her health and has been serving her every day. He looks much more haggard."
"Is Concubine Xu sick again?"
The word "又" is full of multiple meanings.
He remembered that Concubine Xu had always been in poor health and was always sick, but she had managed to survive all these years.
Now that Prince Chen heard Princess Huai say that she was ill, he was not surprised at all.
"Fifth brother." Prince Huai said, "I heard that there is an old doctor in the Imperial Hospital. In recent years, he has not diagnosed anyone else except my father and mother. Big brother, please help me invite this old doctor to Zhaoxiang Palace to see my mother."
The old doctor that King Huai was talking about was already over ninety years old. He had children and grandchildren around him at home and was in good spirits.
The Emperor and Empress could not bear to see him walking around in the palace at such an old age, so they told outsiders that he was only checking on the Emperor and Empress, but in reality, they had never let him do anything in the past few years.
Prince Chen had never expected Prince Huai to make such a request to him, and the relationship between the brothers was not very good.
Could it be the brotherhood they had built up while eating hot pot together in Yun Yanze's house some time ago?
"I can't make the decision on this matter. Doctor Zu is old. If you really want to invite him to the palace, send someone to invite him in a sedan chair." Prince Chen did not make things difficult for him: "I will go to the emperor and the queen mother to ask for you. But whether Doctor Zu is willing to enter the palace or not, you must not make things difficult for him."
"Thank you, fifth brother." Prince Huai bowed to Prince Chen sincerely, with his back bent deeply.
"It is more important for Concubine Xu to be cured." Prince Chen waved his hands and did not take the matter to heart.
Prince Huai looked at his departing figure, thinking about something. After a long while, he said to the equally exhausted Princess Huai, "Go back to Zhangliu Palace and rest. I'll send someone to fetch Doctor Lao Yu."
Princess Huai looked at the bruises under his eyes and sighed, "My Lord, my mother is not well yet. You can't exhaust yourself."
"I know everything." Prince Huai has never been careful enough, and he did not notice the tenderness in his princess' eyes. He simply sent her back to sleep.
He, as a man, can handle it, but women cannot compare to men in terms of physical strength, so let her take a rest.
After arranging for someone to pick up Doctor Lao Yu, Prince Huai returned to Zhaoxiang Palace.
Concubine Xu had already woken up and was sitting on the head of the bed. The room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.
"Mother, are you feeling better now?" Prince Huai put down what he was holding and strode over to Concubine Xu.
"It's okay. This is an old problem that I've had for many years." Concubine Xu coughed a few times and said, "Just let the princess take care of you here. You can go back and have a good rest."
"How can she understand your preferences like my son?" Prince Huai did not understand what Concubine Xu meant and rejected her proposal directly: "Bring the medicine, and your son will help you take it."
The palace maid looked at Concubine Xu, and she nodded.
"My son just met my fifth brother in the palace." After feeding him the medicine, Prince Huai put down the bowl and said, "It seems that he has a good relationship with the Ming family."
Concubine Xu smiled weakly: "It seems that the Ming family values their daughter Ming Jiuzhu very much."
"I originally thought that the Ming family would give up Ming Jiuzhu for the sake of their reputation. I guessed wrong." His face was struggling, but finally calmed down: "Now that the fifth brother is the only legitimate son among us brothers, and he is also favored by the emperor, I have no choice but to let go of my worries."
Perhaps he should have given up as early as the day his father ascended the throne, when he saw his father wearing a dragon robe and carrying his fifth brother on his back.
Concubine Xu coughed a few times and said nothing.
"Mother is seriously ill, and I shouldn't have told you this." Prince Huai saw that his mother looked particularly unhappy, and thought it was because the medicine was too bitter, so he gave her some preserved honey to eat: "Just now I asked my fifth brother to ask father to plead for you, and invited the old doctor who is over 90 years old to diagnose you..."
Concubine Xu grabbed his hand and said, "I have only minor problems. I can't trouble this old man."
"You are so seriously ill, how can you say it is just a minor problem?" Prince Huai said, "Mother, I know you are considerate, but for your health, I must be willful for once."
"Don't worry, my son has already sent someone to pick her up in a sedan chair. It won't tire Dr. Yu out."
"What?" Concubine Xu grabbed Prince Huai's hand and increased her strength, causing the back of Prince Huai's hand to hurt. "You said he's on the way?"
"Calculating the time, it's almost time." Prince Huai looked down at his painful hand, not daring to cry out in pain. He was actually somewhat happy in his heart, because his mother's hand was so strong, indicating that his condition had not worsened.
"No." Concubine Xu held Prince Huai's hand and said, "Liu'an, send someone to send Doctor Lao Yu back. I don't need him to diagnose my pulse here."
She knew that this old doctor was a master who could be called a medical genius. No matter what the disease was, he could diagnose it clearly by taking the patient's pulse.
"Why?" Prince Huai was puzzled. "Are you worried about being punished by the Emperor and the Empress? You don't have to worry about that. Fifth brother is the type who will never nod unless he agrees, and once he agrees, he won't fool anyone..."
"I said no, it's just no!" Concubine Xu raised her voice: "Liu'an, listen to mother and send old doctor back."
When Concubine Xu raised her voice, it sounded a little sharp and harsh. Prince Huai seemed to have thought of something, and his expression gradually changed: "Okay."
The room fell silent. Concubine Xu raised her hand and asked the other palace maids to leave. "It seems that you have already guessed it?"
Prince Huai moved his lips but said nothing.
At this moment, the eunuch's voice sounded outside the house: "My Lord, Dr. Liu is not feeling well and cannot go out."
Concubine Xu's expression relaxed.
"But he said that his granddaughter inherited his legacy. Would you like to summon her?"
"What kind of illness can a woman treat?" Prince Huai said through the door: "Since Elder Liu is not feeling well, wait until he recovers before inviting him into the palace."
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