The sound of horse hooves was accompanied by a long shout: "Let—"
The palace servants carrying the sedan chair quickly moved away upon hearing the sound.
A group of three people rode their horses and galloped past Chang Suining and his companions without stopping for a moment.
Chang Suining subconsciously looked at the three people and three horses going away.
If someone is riding a horse in the Dasheng Palace, unless he is a noble person with special permission from the saint, then there are only two possibilities. One is that there is extremely important news that needs to be presented to the emperor, which is usually an urgent war report that cannot be delayed.
And now looking at the attire of the three men and the boxes carried on the horses, it is obviously the second possibility.
Chang Suining withdrew his gaze.
It's good that it's not an urgent report from the military.
"That's the messenger who came from Lingnan to deliver lychees to the palace." Prince Rong said to her with a smile.
Chang Suining nodded.
It is a bit ironic that the lychees from Lingnan were as precious as urgent reports from the army, and Dasheng even had a royal road dedicated to transporting lychees.
"I heard that the rainfall in Lingnan this year is just right, so the lychees sent to the capital must be of the best quality." Prince Rong said with a smile, "Madam Chang will be able to enjoy a feast."
The Emperor of Dasheng always had the habit of rewarding officials of the second rank and above with litchi, and the General's Mansion was naturally one of them.
Chang Suining smiled slightly at the Prince of Rong who had been smiling all the time, but said nothing more. He just bowed and said, "I'll take my leave first."
"Madam Chang, please take care."
Looking at the girl's departing back, Prince Rong withdrew his gaze, smiled and sighed to himself: "It seems that Madam Chang doesn't like to eat lychees..."
It is said that there is no one who doesn’t like eating lychees.
It's not just about the taste of lychees themselves.
As the saying goes, "scarcity makes things valuable", it is always a proud thing to be able to eat an imperial lychee in the capital that has been sent thousands of miles from Lingnan and is still fresh and delicious. This is true for officials, and even more so for young ladies.
But when the young lady heard the word "litchi", she felt neither novel nor had any expectation.
Chang Suining walked along the palace road. The vermilion palace gate in front of him was the color of the lychee's coat.
The transportation of lychees in summer is always extremely difficult. From Lingnan to the capital, there is a post station every ten miles and a checkpoint every five miles. People ride at full speed along the way without stopping for a moment. Although the bad fruits will be carefully picked out before being sent to the palace, the lychees will still be sorted again by the palace servants after entering the palace.
The best and largest ones are naturally offered to the emperor in the highest position.
Leaving aside the officials of the previous dynasty, the distribution of lychees in the harem has always been divided into different levels.
In the hot summer of that year, when the harem distributed lychees, the mother and her two children who lived in a remote place near the elephant garden were not left out.
The three lychees that were delivered were not good-looking in appearance or size, but they were enough to make the little children look curious.
That was the first time she and Axiao saw lychees.
The mother peeled one with her clean and slender fingers, and the crystal white flesh made people salivate.
The mother removed the core of the lychee and passed it to Ah Xiao's mouth. Ah Xiao was both curious and happy. He nodded and said, "It's so sweet."
He was born weak and had a harder time eating than other children. His sweet words would surprise and comfort others.
So the mother said, "If Ah Xiao likes it, then have another one."
There are three in total, and they are delivered per person.
She hesitated for a moment, then handed the lychee in her hand to him - "Give this one to Ah Xiao, too!"
Although they were both about five or six years old, her hands were different from Ah Xiao's thin and pitiful hands that looked like chicken claws. Her hands were thick and fleshy. When she handed over the lychee with such a hand, in the eyes of her mother, it should not require any consideration at all.
The mother nodded and told the palace servants around her to get some snacks for her.
So she stuffed the litchi into Ah Xiao's hand.
She stood there, watching her mother peel another litchi and give it to Ah Xiao.
At this time, the palace maid who came to get the snacks came back, so she walked away and went to the side to eat the snacks.
She has had a good appetite since she was a child, and everything she eats tastes delicious.
And because he wanted to protect his weaker brother, he always ate a few more bites after eating.
She finished the whole plate of snacks and when she took the handkerchief handed to her by the palace maid to wipe her mouth, she saw her mother looking at her and shaking her head helplessly.
There was helplessness, as if he was worried that she would feel uncomfortable from eating too much, or as if there was something that she didn't understand as a child.
Axiao felt a little sleepy, so his mother held him on her lap and patted him gently to sleep.
She just sat there and watched quietly. Her feet didn't even touch the ground as she sat on the high chair, but she didn't dare move around for fear of disturbing Ah Xiao.
As she watched, she felt a little sleepy, and suddenly she envied Axiao who was being held by her mother.
Ever since she could remember, her mother had never held her like this before, putting her on her lap and holding her in her arms.
But after thinking about it carefully for a while, she thought of one.
It was a spring afternoon when they were basking in the sun. Ah Xiao was feeling sleepy and wanted to throw a tantrum. He cried and refused to let his mother coax him to sleep.
So the mother opened her arms to her, held her in her arms, and said to Ah Xiao - if Ah Xiao doesn't come, then the mother will hold Ah Shang.
This method always works for children because they don’t think so much. After hearing this, Ah Xiao hurried over.
So the mother pushed her away gently and went to hug Ah Xiao.
Thinking of that incident, she looked at the red lychee shell again and suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
But Ah Xiao’s health was so poor, she shouldn’t feel wronged.
She wants to be a good child and a good sister.
And Ah Xiao is also a good brother——
That night, Axiao found her and secretly gave her something.
She looked at it with the help of a lantern in the corridor and saw that it was a lychee.
——"This is for my sister. I hid it secretly. Come and eat it, sister!"
He may have hidden it in his sleeve or stuffed it in his arms, and the lychees were no longer fresh.
But under the gaze of a pair of eyes and eyebrows that looked exactly like hers, she still peeled it and ate it.
That was the first lychee she ate.
——"Sister, is it delicious?"
——"It's not as delicious as chestnuts."
——"Ah, but I think it tastes good."
——"From now on, I will dig up all the lychees in the world for you!"
One winter day, she saw a palace maid digging a carrot out of the soil, so she thought that lychees also grew in the soil - she started bragging before she even figured this out.
But Ah Xiao believed it and nodded to her like a chick pecking at rice.
Chang Suining withdrew his thoughts as he stepped out of the palace.
…
Prince Rong's son Li Lu came to Ganlu Palace and paid his respects to the Emperor of Shengce and the Crown Prince respectively.
The Holy Book Emperor gave him a seat.
He had always been in poor health, so Emperor Shengce took great care of him. For example, when he entered the palace, he rode in a chariot in summer and a sedan chair in winter, which was something that other royal family members did not have.
"I was just discussing the selection of a crown princess with the crown prince."
Li Lu was slightly surprised when he heard this, looked at the prince sitting there, and smiled slightly, "It seems that there will be a happy event in the palace soon."
The prince sat upright, but there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes: "...But I am still young, so I am not in a hurry."
I am still young - this is what he has said most often in the past two years.
This sentence seems to maintain a certain balance.
But he knew in his heart that he would grow up. He could say this until he was fifteen, twenty...but what about thirty?
“Although you are not in a hurry, there are people who are worried about you.” The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonial ...
He heard the voice again: "But that's fine. The matter of selecting a crown princess is no small matter. It will take some time to find one. It's time to prepare early."
The prince said: "Everything is up to the sage... I will obey you without hesitation."
The Holy Ce Emperor looked at him and said: "You will be the ruler of a prosperous country in the future. You don't have to obey me in everything."
The prince's face turned pale: "Your son..."
The Emperor of the Holy Ce seemed not to have noticed his panic, and continued: "As the crown prince, everything you do is closely related to the country. In the court, everyone has their own interests to calculate, and no one's words can be trusted. You should carefully consider the selection of the crown princess, and don't listen to one person's words and act blindly."
"Yes...I will remember this."
The Emperor of the Holy Ce then looked at the Crown Prince of Rong who was sitting beside him and said, "The Crown Prince is already preparing to choose a Crown Princess at his age. What plans does Lu'er have for his own marriage?"
Prince Rong has been recuperating in Beijing for many years, and his marriage has not yet been decided.
Li Lu looked a little surprised: "My nephew has no plans yet."
"But you are old enough to get married." The Holy Ce Emperor looked at him and sighed, "Your father is far away in Yizhou. If I let you waste time like this in front of me, how can I explain to your father?"
Li Lu calmed himself down and said, "Your Majesty will make the decision."
"You are different from the Crown Prince." The Emperor of the Holy Ce said gently, "If you have a girl in mind, you may as well tell me. If your father agrees, I will arrange the marriage for you."
Li Lu was stunned.
The girl of your choice?
He looked embarrassed: "My nephew has no idea..."
"Then let's try to find one or two." The Holy Ceremonial Emperor looked at the Crown Prince and said, "I plan to hold a flower party for the selection of the Crown Princess. You can go with me and take a look at the party to see if there is anyone you like."
"Yes." The ice basin beside him was a little cold. Li Lu coughed twice before saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking care of this matter for my nephew."
Seeing that he looked weak, the Holy Cemeter Emperor asked a few questions about his recent physical condition.
"I've been a bit too cool in the summer, so I've been coughing a bit lately... but it's nothing serious."
The Emperor of Holy Ce then showed a look of relief and gave a few more instructions before letting the palace servants escort the person out of Ganlu Palace.
Crown Prince Li Zhi also took his leave.
Looking at the bead curtain that was still swaying gently after the two had left, the Emperor of the Holy Ce narrowed his eyes slightly, his emotions unclear.
After a moment, Ming Luo walked in.
"Your Majesty, the lychees sent from Lingnan have arrived and are now in the outer hall."
The Holy Ceremonial Emperor regained his composure and stood up from the dragon chair, saying, "I'll go take a look."
Ming Luo was not surprised that she wanted to go and see it in person, so he just stepped forward to help her.
The sage is not a person who cares about food, but every year he will personally select some lychees that come from Lingnan.
The Emperor of the Holy Ceme came to the outer hall, bent down slightly, and slowly picked out dozens of the most beautiful lychees in color and size from the fresh lychees, filling two boxes.
"The rest will be distributed as in previous years."
Ming Luo responded: "Yes, Luo'er understands."
"As in previous years, these two boxes will be sent to Dayun Temple and the Princess's Mansion respectively." The Emperor of the Holy Ce instructed Ming Luo: "You go to the Princess's Mansion in person. As for Dayun Temple, let Cui Qing go on my behalf."
Ming Luo agreed again and left the palace with the two boxes of lychees preserved in ice.
"The saint is thinking of Her Royal Highness Princess Chongyue all the time." Sitting in the carriage leaving the palace, the maid beside Ming Luo looked at the two boxes and couldn't help but sigh.
These are the best lychees. One box was sent to Dayun Temple to be offered to the goddess of heaven, and the other box was sent to Princess Chongyue’s residence during her lifetime. The saint himself has never tasted a single one.
And it's like this every year.
Ming Luo knew what the maid was thinking, and his eyes fell quietly on the two boxes.
But it's not just one box sent to Her Royal Highness the Princess.
"I heard that when the envoys from Lingnan passed by Gongling, they would leave some lychees to offer sacrifices to the late Crown Prince who was buried in Gongling..." The maid sighed softly.
Both of his children passed away early. What difference does it make if he becomes a saint? He is still alone and can only worry about his closest relatives in his heart.
"Fortunately, you, the princess, are here to accompany His Majesty." The maid said with emotion.
Ming Luo raised the corner of his mouth slightly, without commenting.
Do saints need company?
Or in the eyes of many people it is unnecessary.
With the most supreme power in the world, would you still care about that insignificant little bit of companionship?
Sometimes she wasn't sure if her aunt really needed it.
However, whether it is remembrance or guilt, no matter how true or false it is, it is only for the deceased.
Sometimes she wondered what her aunt would do if her two outstanding children were still alive.
The carriage went to Xuan Ce's mansion first.
Ming Luo explained his purpose and just handed the box of lychees to Yuan Xiang. Before he could say a few more words to Cui Jing, he heard the other party immediately go to Dayun Temple on the grounds that "lychees are easy to spoil".
Dayun Temple was built outside the city, and the journey was a bit far, so Cui Jing specially asked someone to prepare a carriage and ice to prevent the lychees from going bad.
When about to leave the city, Cui Jing suddenly reined in his horse.
Yuan Xiang also hurriedly reined in his horse, subconsciously reaching for the sword at his waist, and looked around vigilantly: "Grand Commander, is there anything unusual?"
Cui Jing looked at the roadside stall and said, "Go buy some chestnuts to take with you."
Yuan Xiang, who was holding the knife, asked: "?"
…
At the same moment, Yuxie, who had fallen asleep in the afternoon, faintly heard the voice of a maidservant outside.
"Everyone go to the front yard, Ms. Ming is here."
"Ms. Ming?"
"Ms. Ming is here again on the orders of the Saint to deliver this year's lychees to Your Highness..."
Your Highness?
When Yuxie heard these two words, she suddenly sat up.
I just dreamed of His Highness again...
In the dream, His Highness kept asking why he didn't go to see her, why, why...
"I should explain this to His Highness..."
"Someone deceived me..."
She didn't mean to harm Your Highness!
Yes, as long as she explains it clearly to His Highness, His Highness will forgive her, right? His Highness will forgive her! This thought, which was enough to completely redeem her from the torment, made Yu Xie unable to care about anything else for a moment. She suddenly got out of bed, put on her shoes in a hurry, and walked out of the room quickly.
Because of Mingluo's arrival, the two maids who were supposed to be guarding outside went to the front yard.
She walked all the way through the garden, came to the backyard of the Princess's Mansion, and came to the door that she had opened many times in recent days.
After a moment's hesitation, she unbolted the bolt with trembling movements and opened the door.
The golden crow heading west outside the door emitted a blazing light, causing her to subconsciously raise her hand to block her view.
At the same time, she raised her foot and stepped over the threshold.
On the first day of March, I wave my handkerchief and ask for monthly tickets (*^▽^*) Good night!
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