"My Lords, please take a look at the memorial issued today." The officer on duty flipped through the memorial issued by the palace, his expression becoming a little subtle: "It seems... the prince wrote it again?"
His Majesty did not specify which prince reviewed the memorial, and even if they now suspected it was the Prince of Chen, they could not say it out loud.
After a moment's silence, a minister spoke.
"The essay is clear and well-written. This prince... did a good job of reviewing it."
"Well, handwriting conveys character. Judging a person by his handwriting, this prince should be... someone who can accomplish something."
Several ministers looked at each other. Everyone knew who each other was praising, but no one said it.
After all, he was the one I criticized before, so it would be embarrassing if I praised him too directly.
But if I don't praise him a few times, I will feel guilty.
Most scholars still attach great importance to propriety, righteousness and morality.
"The proposal to increase silkworm breeding in the southwestern counties is also very good. The southwestern counties are mostly mountainous, and silk fabrics are expensive and not easily damaged, making them easier to transport to other places for sale than ceramics, fruits and vegetables."
"Adapt to local conditions and care about people's livelihood. If he can change his idleness, it will be a great blessing for me."
The ministers looked at the official who was speaking, their expressions... hard to describe.
Everyone has been speaking very cryptically. Although you didn't directly mention the account being banned, your suggestion is too obvious.
For a moment, the Sixth Department's duty room fell silent again.
After a long while, Official A spoke in a low voice: "I think that the princes and princesses have been living in the palace for many days. Should we report to His Majesty and ask the princes to return to the court?"
Even if the fourth prince is crippled, there are still other princes to rely on.
For example... this prince who helps His Majesty review memorials.
"Your Majesty will make the final decision on this matter. We must not rashly report it to you." Official B shook his head: "This may seem like a national affair, but it is actually your Majesty's family affair."
The five princes are all adults. If they let their ambitions cause chaos in the court, it would harm the people of the world.
"That's all." Official A sighed, "Brother Wang is right. The older a person is, the bigger his heart is."
Although these ministers all had their own selfish motives, no one wanted the events of the last years of Xian De to happen again, with countless deaths and injuries, and making the people of the world uneasy.
Just one day after the imperial edict for the special examination was issued, poems praising the emperor, empress, and prince began to appear in the streets of the capital.
After all, he was a scholar living in the capital, and his political awareness was very high. Even when he was writing poems to praise the merits of others, he would not leave out any key figures.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu was sitting in the carriage and heard the children on the street singing a jingle. The content seemed to be praising his father, the emperor, the queen, and His Highness: "Listen to what they are singing?"
"You clap one, I clap one, His Majesty Longfeng Shou Tianqi."
"You clap twice, I clap twice, the Queen is as beautiful as a painting."
"You clap three times, I clap three times, His Royal Highness Prince Chen is as strong as a mountain."
“Tsk.” Prince Chen was looking at those little brats who were playing the clapping song. When they were praising their father, the emperor and their mother, it was the sky and a painting, but why did it become a mountain when it came to him?
"You clap eight, I clap eight, brother number four is the bad boy."
"Your Highness, do you feel that there is something wrong with this clapping song?"
"Yeah." Prince Chen lowered the curtain: "Someone is deliberately stirring up trouble."
The first half of the clapping song was all about praising his father, the emperor, his mother, and him, but in the second half, it started to scold Yun Yanze. As for the other princes, they were not even mentioned.
What could these kids know? Maybe they don’t even know the royal family’s surnames or how many princes there are. How could they know the princes’ order of seniority?
"These people are so mean, using children as weapons." Jiuzhu frowned, "Fortunately, my father is a wise ruler who loves his people like his own children, otherwise spreading rumors like this would harm these children."
When it comes to the royal family, many things are not trivial.
"Hmm." Jiuzhu touched his chin and said, "How about we write nursery rhymes as well?"
"What are you making up?"
"Something more interesting, such as the most popular one in the capital, the overbearing prince..."
"Hmm?" Prince Chen looked at her.
"Your Highness, as we all know, the stories are all fake." Jiuzhu quickly comforted him: "We don't have to take it seriously."
Prince Chen stroked his forehead silently. Ever since he heard a few outrageous stories about overbearing princes, he would feel uncomfortable whenever he heard the words "overbearing prince".
If those storytellers continue to make up stories, he in the stories will soon grow several pairs of wings on his back.
Elsewhere on the street, there was an inconspicuous carriage parked.
"Your Highness, these are just children's nonsense, don't take it to heart." Sun Caiyao listened to the songs outside and called the eunuchs: "Take some food to coax those children and ask them to stop singing."
“No need.” Yun Yanze sat quietly in the carriage: “There are countless children in the capital. Even if we stop them today, there are still others.”
"Your Highness..." Sun Caiyao looked at him worriedly.
"It's okay. I won't take the children's jokes to heart." Yun Yanze smiled at her gently and said, "In a few days, when these children have new songs, I will forget about this."
The gentler his smile was, the more uncomfortable Sun Caiyao felt. She knew in her heart that these things were not so easy. As the nursery rhymes spread more and more widely, the image of His Highness in the hearts of these children would never be changed.
"Prince Chen's actions... are too much." She couldn't help but say, "He has already won the favor of scholars all over the world, why is he still slandering Your Highness like this?"
Yun Yanze smiled and shook his head.
Yun Duqing, who was born with everything, is arrogant by nature and would not resort to such means.
As for the other three brothers, anyone could be the one.
He did not explain to Sun Caiyao that he needed the support of the Sun family now. The more Sun Caiyao stood up for him, the more she would persuade the Sun family to help him.
"Your Highness, the Crown Princess." The eunuch sent by Sun Caiyao came back soon.
"Have those children left?" Sun Caiyao lifted the curtain and saw that the children were holding a few candied haws in their hands and indeed they were not singing the nursery rhyme anymore.
"Replying to the princess, when I went there just now, I met Yang Yiduo."
"Yang Yiduo?" Sun Caiyao felt that the name sounded familiar. "The eunuch in charge of Qilin Palace?"
"That's him."
"Why is he here?"
The young eunuch secretly looked up at her and said, "Yang Yiduo said that he was following the orders of Prince Chen and Princess Chen to tell those children not to sing the nursery rhyme just now."
Sun Caiyao was a little surprised. The carriage they were riding today was very ordinary, without any special markings. Yun Duqing and Ming Jiuzhu probably didn't know they were nearby, so there was no possibility that they were deliberately putting on a show for them.
"Could it be that this matter has nothing to do with Prince Chen?" Sun Caiyao calmed down and thought for a long time: "Your Highness, could it be that someone is deliberately trying to sow discord between you and Prince Chen?"
Yun Duqing is very powerful now. If Your Highness has a falling out with Yun Duqing, Your Highness will be the only one who suffers.
"Fifth brother really doesn't look like someone who would resort to such tactics." Yun Yanze looked through the car window at the children who were chewing candied haws with their heads down, their faces covered with sugar residue. "Now that I have lost my power, I have neither my mother to rely on nor my father's love. Anyone could come and step on me."
"Your Highness, you still have me." Sun Caiyao held his hand. "That day, I was on a tall building and saw you from afar, dressed in white, on horseback, reaching out to catch a child that fell from the window. I knew that I would never marry anyone but you."
Yun Yanze looked at her quietly for a moment with his gentle and affectionate eyes, then pulled his hand out of her palm: "That was so long ago, I actually forgot."
"It doesn't matter if Your Highness forgets, as long as I remember it."
Yun Yanze smiled.
"Your Highness, I just went to comfort a child and met the eunuch from Zhangliu Palace." Yang Yiduo came back from his work and said to Prince Chen, "He didn't say which prince he came out with."
"Let him go." Prince Chen said nonchalantly, "Let the driver continue on his way and get to the princess's home as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness."
No matter who he is, he cannot delay his princess from enjoying the flower cake.
Half an hour later, Jiuzhu was sitting at the Ming family's table eating sweet and delicious flower cakes, while His Royal Highness Prince Chen... was reciting under the caring gaze of his father-in-law and Ming family's uncle.
He didn't want to carry it at first, but when he thought of Ming Xiaozhu who was less than five steps away from him, he carried it anyway.
Listening to Ming Xiaozhu's clapping and admiring cheers, Prince Chen straightened his back silently.
Men always have to pay a price for the bragging they have done.
But whenever he saw her sparkling eyes, Prince Chen felt that he could still keep up the boasting he had made.
Fortunately, the two elders of the Ming family knew what it meant to relax and work in moderation. After letting him recite a few paragraphs, they changed their proposal.
"It's no fun just to memorize books. Let's play card games."
Prince Chen: “…”
In fact, endorsement is also quite interesting.
After all, memorizing only requires the use of the brain, but playing mahjong with the Ming family requires not only the brain but also the facial features, and even the eyes must be sincere.
"Your Highness." Jiuzhu sat next to him holding a plate of flower cakes: "Play well, you have to win the game."
"Okay." Prince Chen looked up at the men of the Ming family and began to exert three-tenths of his strength.
Half an hour later, Ming Cunfu was the first to throw away his cards because he had no money to lose.
"My Lord, why are you so lucky today?" He couldn't help but ask, "My luck is much better than last time."
"Maybe it's because Jiuzhu sat next to me?" Seeing that this cousin had emptied his wallet, Prince Chen divided the winnings into several equal parts: "When playing cards among family members, we don't care about winning or losing. Let's divide the money together."
"Your Highness, how come there is also a share for me?" Jiuzhu saw His Highness grab two handfuls of copper coins and put them in front of him.
"If you hadn't been sitting next to me, I wouldn't have been able to win at all." Prince Chen said seriously, "So our little Fuzhu must have a share."
"Really?" Jiuzhu asked curiously as she put the money into her pocket, "Is it really my contribution?"
"Of course." Prince Chen smiled and helped her tie up her purse bag: "If you don't believe me, ask my cousin. I was always losing last time."
Ming Cunfu, who had lost all his money, was happy to get another share of the money. He nodded and said, "Your Highness is right. He was the one who lost the game last time."
"See, I didn't lie to you." Prince Chen whispered in her ear, "Ming Xiaozhu, you must never stay too far away from me in the future."
He chuckled, making Jiuzhu's ears tingle.
"I'm afraid if you stay away from me, my luck will be bad."
"Don't be afraid, Your Highness." Jiuzhu held his hand: "I will always be with you."
The men in the Ming family threw away their cards with stern faces, stood up silently and walked away.
Oh, we are all men, and everyone understands men’s thoughts.
But their daughter and son-in-law have a good relationship, which is a good thing. What can they do?
Of course I can only pretend not to see it.
"Yes." Prince Chen took advantage of the Ming family's inattention and secretly pecked Jiuzhu on the back of her hand: "I believe you."
"Father, what is the Prince doing..."
Ming Jingzhou covered his mouth.
Ming Cunfu shook his head: "Third brother, there really is a reason why you can't get a wife."
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