As soon as Xia Qingchen arrived at the court, he heard that Jiang Muyu had been invited by the empress. He did not even have time to change out of his court clothes and hurried to Fengyi Palace.
In the chamber, the queen ordered the maid to bring some snacks to Jiang Muyu, saying, "The cakes I made here are not available at Chen'er's place. He usually doesn't like sweets and finds them too greasy. You can take this opportunity to eat more here."
"Thank you, Queen."
Jiang Muyu didn't hesitate to thank him and immediately picked up the pastry and put it into his mouth.
When Xia Qingchen arrived, he saw Jiang Muyu sitting at the table munching on pastries, while the empress was sitting at the top, fanning herself with a round fan and looking at him with a smile.
He was originally worried that his mother would know about this and would drive Jiang Muyu out of the palace for fear that she would interfere with his studies. But now it seems that he was worrying too much.
He smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes that had formed from his hasty walk, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your son pays respects to your mother."
When Jiang Muyu saw him, her eyes lit up and she immediately put down the cake.
"Chen'er is here." The Queen stood up and personally came down to help him up. "Chen'er, please get up quickly. I haven't seen you for a while. Your mother must have missed you."
"Didn't I just have lunch with mother two days ago?" Xia Qingchen stood up and exposed mercilessly.
"Ah? Oh, I forgot... Look at my poor memory." The Queen covered her face with her round fan in embarrassment and immediately changed the subject. "You came here right after the court session? You didn't even change your court dress."
"Uh... yes."
The queen glanced at Jiang Muyu who was walking over, her smile turned meaningful, and she said, "It's true that a grown-up son is no longer under the control of his mother. I've never seen you so anxious for your mother in all these years."
Xia Qingchen held his forehead helplessly and said, "I am not..."
"Alright, stop trying to make excuses." The Queen covered her lips with her round fan and said, "If you really like this little girl, I will ask the Emperor to issue an imperial decree to choose her as your Crown Princess, how about that?"
"Mother, I am only eight years old now."
"What's the big deal? I was only eight years old when your father fell in love with me."
Xia Qingchen was speechless for a moment. Over the years, his father had always had only his mother, the queen mother, by his side. The huge harem had been vacant for several years, so there were few offspring.
However, my father and mother did not take it seriously and only cared about their love. As a result, my mother's temperament has remained the same for decades without any improvement.
Jiang Muyu was not deaf. Not only did the two of them not avoid her when they chatted, they didn't even lower their voices.
Xia Qingchen looked at her little head sticking out, pursed her lips, and said, "Mother, we will discuss this matter later."
The Queen knew her son's personality. He was a bit old-fashioned by nature and had to do everything according to a plan. If he disagreed now, it was probably because he was not ready yet.
So she had to give up the plan and said with a smile: "Chen'er must be tired after attending court, go back and rest early."
"Thank you for your understanding, mother. I will take my leave now." He bowed to the empress.
"Well, go ahead."
Xia Qingchen then pulled Jiang Muyu away from Fengyi Palace.
On the way back to the East Palace, Xia Qingchen said, "My mother has been spoiled by my father over the years. She has a simple mind and sometimes says things that are irresponsible. Don't take it too seriously."
Jiang Muyu didn't think so. She remembered what the Queen said in Fengyi Palace just now:
"Chen'er was born a prince. He holds a high position and has few friends to talk to. This is why he has developed a silent and precocious personality. With you by his side in the future, I hope you can spend more time talking to him and have a heart-to-heart talk with him."
"The Emperor and I originally hoped that Chen'er could have a happy childhood, but things did not go as we wished. The Emperor was ill in his early years and his body was not in good condition. We had no choice but to force Chen'er to become a talent as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be difficult to preserve the glory of our Xia family and the century-old foundation of Xuan Cang."
Originally, Jiang Muyu felt deep sympathy for Xia Qingchen for not having a complete childhood, but now he understands that some people are born with a sacred mission, and they really have no choice in many things. He only hopes that he can understand the good intentions of the emperor and the queen.
After thinking for a while, Jiang Muyu held Xia Qingchen's hand tightly and said firmly: "Don't worry, I will always be by your side in the future."
Xia Qingchen was confused by her serious look, but when he heard her say that, he felt warm in his heart and couldn't say no.
"Um."
…
In the afternoon, Xia Qingchen took her out of the palace.
"Where are we going next?" Jiang Muyu opened the curtain of the carriage and looked at the scenery outside the window.
After leaving the palace, the carriage gradually entered the bustling market. The streets were still as lively and prosperous as when she first arrived.
Xia Qingchen said: "Go to Wanqi Mansion."
"Wanqi Mansion? What does it do?"
"The Wanqi clan rose to power during the reign of Emperor Xuanwu. Wanqi Haojie followed Emperor Xuanwu to fight on the battlefield and made great military achievements. He was the only king of a different surname in Xuancang at that time. He was given the title of King Zhenbei, which was passed down from generation to generation. Today, Wanqi Song is the third generation King Zhenbei."
"Oh." Jiang Muyu nodded, not quite understanding. After thinking for a while, he asked again, "When you said you were going to Lasha Wanqi's house the day before yesterday, did you mean the Zhenbei King?"
"Yes, Wanqi Song has 50,000 elite soldiers. If I can use them, it will play a big role in turning the situation in the court. However, Wanqi Song is now guarding the border. I am going to Wanqi Mansion to persuade Wanqi Song's legitimate son, Wanqi Youhui."
"Okay, that sounds complicated."
Jiang Muyu held the little boy's face with both hands and looked at him. He was just a half-grown child, so how could he become so mature?
Xia Qingchen knew that she wouldn't understand if he told her too much, but he was willing to explain as long as she asked.
The carriage quickly arrived at Wanqi Mansion in the north of the city.
As soon as the two of them got off the carriage, the steward of Wanqi Mansion came to greet them, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Thank you." He nodded slightly.
"The young master is already waiting in the main hall. Your Highness, please follow me."
This time, Xia Qingchen only brought Jiang Muyu and Mao Xian into the mansion.
The housekeeper led them into the mansion, and after passing through an archway, they came to a winding corridor. After passing through another archway, they saw a moon gate, and then entered a garden decorated with a pond and rockery. After crossing the bridge and passing through two more gates, they finally arrived at the main room that the housekeeper mentioned.
Jiang Muyu was dazzled by the strange structure of the house and couldn't help muttering in his heart: It must be very difficult to escape from a fire if you live in a house like this.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has finally arrived."
A man came over. His age was hard to tell. He was tall and strong, with tan skin, a long face, sword-like brows, a pair of narrow red eyes, a high nose, and thin, dark lips.
Xia Qingchen nodded at him and said, "Sorry to have kept Master Wanqi waiting for a long time."
"Waiting for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I dare not complain about it being too long."
Xia Qingchen sat down at the head of the table, and a maid came to serve him tea.
Wanqi Youhui noticed the little girl beside him at this time, raised his eyebrows and said, "When did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have such a little maid by his side?"
"It was transferred to me by the queen some time ago." He said calmly.
"Oh? Didn't I hear that His Highness never has women around to serve him personally?"
"People always change." Xia Qingchen took a sip from the teacup and put it back, smiling at the corners of her lips, and said, "I remember this is the principle that Master Wanqi taught me."
Wanqi Youhui's expression froze for a moment, but soon recovered and said, "That's all in the past. Didn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince say that he doesn't care about it?"
"It is indeed the past. I am not here today to bring up the past."
"Yes, I understand the purpose of your visit, Your Highness. You want to win over our Wanqi family, but you should also know that Prince Jing and Prince Qi have both come here before, and my father rejected them one by one. How can you think we will agree to cooperate with you?" Wanqi Youhui supported his chin with one hand and looked at Xia Qingchen with a bit of teasing interest in his eyes.
Xia Qingchen pursed her lips and said, "I know that the Wanqi family has always been loyal to the royal family, so I naturally believe that the King of Zhenbei will understand what is the right choice."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince is indeed a better student than his teacher. Even at such a young age, his words can convince people from the bottom of their hearts." He paused deliberately and smiled. "My father did intend to make you the Crown Prince, but we have a condition."
Xia Qingchen's hand resting on the table unconsciously rubbed the edge of the teacup and asked, "What conditions?"
Wanqi Youhui said: "If you ascend the throne in the future, we hope that the future empress can be named Wanqi."