In full view of the crowd, Prince Jing was escorted in by several Jinwu Guards. The leading Jinwu Guard even grinned at the prince.
"Your Majesty." Empress Su whispered in Emperor Longfeng's ear, "If there is anything, wait until the sacrificial ceremony is over and the Dali Temple and the Imperial Clan Court will investigate. What do you think about detaining them today?"
No matter how useless Prince Jing is, he is still of royal blood. It is the royal family that is embarrassed by his making such a scene in front of all the civil and military officials.
Emperor Longfeng was furious. He didn't even dare to think about what the consequences would be if Jiuzhu had not stood beside the Queen today.
He looked coldly at the three people kneeling in front of him. After a long time, he closed his eyes and sighed tiredly.
"Father." Yun Duqing held his arm and said, "This is the first time I have brought your daughter-in-law to participate in the Grain in Ear Sacrifice Ceremony. You can't give up halfway."
"Take these people away first." Emperor Longfeng opened his eyes again, and his eyes were clear: "The sacrificial ceremony will continue as normal."
"Jiuzhu." Queen Su handed the peach wood gourd in her palm to Jiuzhu: "Help mother tie this up."
"Is this... the peach wood gourd that my daughter-in-law carved for my mother?"
The peach wood gourd carried the warmth of Queen Su's palm. Jiuzhu bent her knees and carefully tied it for Queen Su. She smiled and looked up and asked her, "Does Queen Su like this gourd very much?"
Queen Su bent down, grasped her wrist, and helped her up: "This is something you made yourself. It's a good thing to ward off evil for me. I like it very much."
"As long as the Queen Mother likes it."
Yun Duqing stood by and silently stretched out his hand, using the wide sleeves to cover his other hand.
Noticing her son's actions, Queen Su laughed out loud. She let go of Jiuzhu's hand, turned around and walked to Emperor Longfeng.
The two of them looked back at the Crown Prince and Crown Princess who were following behind them. Emperor Longfeng stretched out his hand, and Empress Su placed her hand in his palm.
The emperor and the empress stepped onto the altar again.
On the altar, the Crown Princess's long black hair fluttered in the wind, but no one said her posture was indecent.
The ceremonial officer wrote down a few words on the pages of the book.
The Ming family had a beautiful daughter, who was as pretty as a pearl. The emperor and empress loved her and she was close to the prince. In the Grain in Ear season of the 16th year of Longfeng, he pulled out his hairpin and bravely rescued the emperor and empress, protecting them with his own body, showing both loyalty and filial piety.
Despite the absurd royal assassination, after the sacrificial ceremony, everyone present acted as if nothing had happened and tried to create a lively atmosphere of a good harvest.
Under the warm sun, Yun Duqing changed into a pair of short tights, rolled up his trouser legs, held the seedlings in his hands, and started planting them in a serious manner.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu changed into a narrow-sleeved aqua dress with a corset. Her long black hair was braided into a simple braid, like a new pointed leaf growing out of a lotus pond. Anyone who saw her would be attracted to her.
She stood at the edge of the field and waved to him, as if she was particularly fond of her sunshine, which cast an extra layer of golden light on her.
Yun Duqing straightened up and looked at her in a daze.
Smelling the fragrance of the earth, basking in the warm sunshine, and looking at her lively smile, an indescribable feeling of satisfaction suddenly surged into my heart without warning.
She always said that he was the best prince, a fairy man who fell from the sky.
In fact, she didn't know that she was the little fairy who fell in his heart.
When we first met that day, the hairpin in her hair was sparkling.
She was also shining in his eyes.
Later on, he always became so shining in her eyes.
"Come." He walked to the edge of the field and opened his arms to her.
She threw herself into his arms without hesitation and stepped into the mud that could produce countless food.
"Legend has it that if newlyweds touch each other with mud from fertile fields on the Grain in Ear Festival, they will be blessed by God." He stretched out his muddy index finger and tapped Jiuzhu's forehead lightly: "May God bless our little pig Ming to always be illuminated by the sun, safe and happy, and not troubled by worries and tears."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was tapped on the forehead.
"I also wish that your Highness will be free from illness and disaster, live a long and healthy life, and be blessed with happiness and success."
The two hands, which were stained with mud, held together: "I wish the world will be peaceful and full of singing and dancing."
Under the shade of the tree, Emperor Longfeng looked at the scene in the field and said to Ming Jingzhou who was standing behind him: "I made Jiuzhu the princess of Duqing out of selfish motives. After Jiuzhu was with Duqing, she helped him a lot."
"Your Majesty, my daughter grew up in the countryside and has a naive personality. Fortunately, Your Majesty and the Queen understand her." Ming Jingzhou bowed and said, "I have neglected to teach her, and Your Majesty is sorry for that. I am a humble servant with little talent and power, and I am not worthy of the position of the Duke of Fuguo. Please withdraw your grace, Your Majesty."
"Why do you say that, my dear minister?" Emperor Longfeng turned and looked at him: "The Ming family is full of loyal people, I understand."
Ming Jingzhou fell silent.
"Over the years, I have felt so bad for your Ming family." Emperor Longfeng patted Ming Jingzhou's arm: "I owe you."
"Your Majesty is a benevolent monarch that is rare in a thousand years. It is our honor to meet Your Majesty." Ming Jingzhou bowed to the bottom: "There are many good horses, but there are few good horse trainers. A man will die for his friend. Your Majesty has given the Ming family the greatest trust. The Ming family is willing to sacrifice their lives for Your Majesty and protect the peace of the world."
Neither the king nor his minister mentioned the matter of Master Jiuzhu.
The emperor never harbored any suspicion towards the Ming family, and the Ming family also knew how to cherish the emperor's trust.
Because Master Jiuzhu’s identity and background are not important.
"Look at these youngsters." Emperor Longfeng pointed to the fields. At some point, Prince Huai and Prince An and his wife also entered the fields, throwing mud at each other, showing no royal manners at all.
Ming Jingzhou turned his head to look at the smile on the emperor's face and started laughing too.
When he saw the prince holding his daughter in his arms with his back covered in mud, the smile in his eyes became even bigger.
After the Grain in Ear Festival, those aristocratic families in the capital that were already struggling to survive finally collapsed. All the evil things they had done were exposed.
The more corrupt and long-standing a family is, the more evil and sins it has committed.
Du Qingke, who was imprisoned in prison, laughed happily when he heard about the final fate of these noble families.
Those who wander around the aristocratic families all day long are no longer human beings, but corrupt monsters in the skin of aristocratic families.
He looked at Yun Duqing outside the prison door and stopped laughing: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is here to thank me for helping you get rid of a brother with ulterior motives?"
"Tsk." Yun Duqing sat down on the chair and asked, "Do you think I need it?"
"I was wrong. The prince really doesn't need it." Du Qingke looked at Yun Duqing through the prison door. "Perhaps some people are born with the love of God and can escape danger every time. Your Highness the Prince is such a lucky person."
Yun Duqing played with the peach wood carving around his waist without commenting.
He shamelessly asked Ming Xiaozhu for this peach wood carving. How could he, as a husband, not have what his mother had?
“Your Highness, would you like to hear about my plan to overthrow the aristocratic families over the years?” Thinking of those aristocratic families falling one by one, Du Qingke showed a satisfied smile on his face.
"I don't really want to hear it."
The smile on Du Qingke's face froze.
Yun Duqing was not born to be a kind person who would make others happy. He stood up lazily and said, "I will come to listen to your story next time I think of you."
"Don't be anxious. You will be locked up in the Dali Temple's prison for the rest of your life anyway. You can always wait until the day when I feel better." After saying that, Yun Duqing turned and left.
He had no interest in listening to the trivial stories of a man who intended to send someone to assassinate his mother.
He can't hold it to death!
At the innermost part of the Dali Temple, there are several secret and safe cells, where people of extraordinary status are often imprisoned.
Prince Jing is imprisoned here.
When Yun Duqing saw Prince Jing, he was still wearing the prince's robe he wore on the Grain in Ear Festival. The hem of his robe was a little dirty, but his hair was combed neatly.
He took off the disguise of mediocrity and silence, his expression was very gloomy, and there was undisguised hatred in his eyes when he looked at Yun Duqing.
Yun Duqing rarely had any private contact with his brother, and their relationship had always been neither warm nor cold, and they could not be said to be very close.
Looking back now, that day in Zhangliu Palace when the five brothers sat together eating hot pot was actually the last time they had time to spend together in friendship.
"Third brother, do you regret it?"
"The winner is the king, the loser is the bandit. I planned for so long, but in the end I was defeated by a woman and the Jinwu Guards. I can only blame God for my bad luck." Prince Jing laughed at himself, "You didn't die in the Royal Horse Farm. I sent people to poison the spices you used, but I didn't expect you didn't even use spices. I planned to kill Yun Yanze, but not only did he not die, but he made my father lock all of us up in Zhangliu Palace."
Is this fate?
How unfair is God?
"You did all these things?"
"The Royal Horse Farm incident was not my own achievement. The Xu family, the Lu family, and Yun Yanze all wanted you to leave the farm alive. Look, how many people wanted you dead?" Prince Jing was very unwilling to accept the fact when he mentioned this incident. "You like riding and training horses so much, but you clearly said that you wanted to train horses that day. Why didn't you even touch those horses in the end?!"
Looking at his third brother's eyes filled with anger, Yun Duqing remained silent.
It was because that day, he was working as a groom, leading a pony and taking his piglet for a walk in the stable.
"Why?" Prince Jing asked angrily, "Why are you not only favored by the emperor, but also loved by God?"
“Maybe I’m luckier.”
After these words were spoken, Prince Jing's eyes became even angrier.
Yun Duqing touched the peach wood carving on his waist: "And I have the help of fairies, but you don't."
It’s really boring. Maybe he shouldn’t come here today. He should stay in Qilin Palace and paint with Ming Xiaozhu.
"Where did the Jinwu Guards who captured me that day go?" Seeing Yun Duqing preparing to leave, Prince Jing asked the last question.
"I saw that he was smart and agile, so I appointed him as the leader of the Qilin Palace's Golden Armor Guard." Seeing that Prince Jing was about to get angry again, Yun Duqing raised his hand and said, "You don't need to say more. I won't listen even if you say it. Your opinion is not important to me."
Watching Yun Duqing's back as he walked away, Prince Jing fell to the ground in anger.
Yun Duqing paused slightly, without looking back, and then strode out of the Dali Temple Prison.
When the sun shone on him again, he jumped on his horse and rushed to the palace.
He missed his piggy.
Outside the city gate, two masters were riding on donkeys and walking slowly.
"The feng shui of the capital is really bad. I won't come next time."
"Senior sister, you really won't come?"
"If you take over the ritual, you can come and see it on the way."
"I'm a little reluctant to leave Jiuzhu."
"You and I are outsiders, so we shouldn't take the separation from this world so seriously."
"Senior Sister, since leaving the Ming family, you have looked back nineteen times..."
"Shut up."
"oh."
Qilin Palace.
Jiuzhu took the letter left for her by the two masters from Chunfen's hands.
In the letter, the two masters praised the prosperity of the capital and also praised her prince.
[When the world is at peace and the people are prosperous, it is a sign of prosperity.] But the two of us have long been accustomed to a life of leisure and ease, and the capital city is not suitable for us after all. 】
[This is not a farewell, remember to add more clothes in winter and add more food when you are hungry.] 】
[The fifth son of the Yun family has a clear mind and a kind nature, and is worthy of you. 】
Although he knew that both masters would leave the capital sooner or later, Jiuzhu still felt a little lost. I carefully folded the letter and put it away, then leaned on the window frame, waiting for His Highness to return.
She is a little sad now and wants to see His Highness.
"piggy."
As if knowing that she was thinking of him, the next moment, Yun Duqing appeared in the yard.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu lifted her skirt, climbed out of the window amid the exclamations of the palace maids and eunuchs, and ran into his arms.
Yun Duqing took Jiuzhu in his arms and kissed her on the top of her head, laughing tenderly: "Miss me?"
"Yeah." Jiuzhu hugged him: "I miss your highness."
Missing someone cannot be measured by the length of time.
If you keep someone in your heart, you will miss him/her all the time.
"We really have a tacit understanding." Yun Duqing whispered in her ear, "I miss you, too."
Jiuzhu buried her head in his chest and laughed softly.
"On the way back to the palace, I passed by the Shangshi Bureau and took out the mint candies that I loved to eat when I was young." Yun Duqing took out two mint candies from his purse: "Do you want to taste them?"
"want."
Two pieces of candy, one for each of you.
Legend has it that mint has a beautiful meaning.
I hope to meet you again and never be separated from you.
“It still tastes like it did back then.”
“Is it sweet?”
"Sweet." Jiuzhu looked up at Yun Duqing and smiled, "Very sweet."
That mint candy ten years ago was sweet.
This mint candy is even sweeter ten years later.
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