Chapter 118: Things Are Different and People Are Changed
On the day that Concubine Qing returned to the palace, there was a drizzle in the sky.
Prince An came down the stairs holding an umbrella over Concubine Qing's head. After walking down the last step, Concubine Qing stopped and looked back at the Buddhist temple shrouded in misty rain.
Qi Wuhan was waiting beside the carriage, and the black-armored guards he brought were waiting outside the temple.
"Let's go." Concubine Qing turned around and said to Prince An. After getting on the carriage, Qi Wuhan and Prince An both rode on horseback, holding the reins in one hand and an umbrella in the other. The slow sound of horse hooves moved in the misty rain and gradually disappeared in the direction of the gate.
When coming out of the gate, Qi Wuhan seemed to have noticed something and glanced to the side. Prince An noticed his action and also looked in that direction.
"How are the preparations for His Highness's wedding going?" Qi Wuhan asked casually after retracting his gaze.
Prince An replied, "Everything is almost ready."
After the carriage drove away, a figure turned around and left.
After arriving at the street, Concubine Qing pulled aside the curtain and looked out. She had never seen such a bustling market since she entered the palace. Many old shops on this street had changed their signs and were no longer selling the same things.
Things have changed, and it's no longer the same as before...
When the carriage passed by a shop, Qing Fei's eyes lit up slightly, as if she was a little surprised. She didn't expect that this old shop was still there, so she asked someone to stop the carriage.
Qi Wuhan raised his hand, and the black-armored guards also stopped.
Prince An turned his head and glanced at the shop next to him. It was a dim sum shop.
The plaque has three big characters "Xingfangzhai" written on it. This is an old shop that has been around for more than 20 years. It has always maintained a good reputation and has many repeat customers.
Concubine Qing opened the curtain of her carriage and looked at the customers coming in and out of the store for a while, then lowered the curtain and said, "Let's go."
The carriage slowly left the shop.
Prince An looked back at the shop again. Qi Wuhan told him that the candied fruits there were the best.
"I didn't expect that the Marquis also likes sweet food?" Prince An said with a faint smile.
Qi Wuhan replied confidently, "My wife loves to eat it."
As long as it was something Jiang Lan liked to eat, he would buy her one or three or four things every day. Sometimes it was dim sum, sometimes it was braised pork elbow. As long as he heard that there was something delicious somewhere, he would bring it back for her to try.
At the palace gate, Eunuch Liu was waiting with his men. When he saw the carriage approaching, he quickly took two steps forward to greet it. When he arrived, he said politely, "His Majesty specifically sent me to greet the Queen. Please go back and rest well first. There is no need to rush to see His Majesty and the Queen. It will not be too late to see them tomorrow."
After hearing what Eunuch Liu said, Prince An's expression was slightly strange. He probably didn't expect Eunuch Liu to be so flattering in front of his mother.
"Thank you, eunuch." Concubine Qing replied while sitting in the carriage, but did not show up.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind," Eunuch Liu replied attentively. He then said to Prince An, "His Majesty has asked Your Highness to stay with His Majesty for a while. There is no need to rush back." He then said to Qi Wuhan, "His Majesty still has something to tell Your Majesty. Please go quickly."
Then the carriage went to the bedroom where Concubine Qing originally lived. Prince An and Eunuch Liu accompanied them, while Qi Wuhan went to the direction of the imperial study.
Seeing the carriage enter the palace, a palace maid hurried back to report to Hong Gu, and then Hong Gu reported to Concubine Zhen.
"My Lady, she's really back." Hong Gu said, "Eunuch Liu went to the palace gate to pick her up personally."
Concubine Zhen sneered, "What good would it do if an old, faded woman came back?"
Hong Gu said, "His Majesty asked Eunuch Liu to pick him up. I guess he still remembers the old times."
Concubine Zhen raised her hand, admiring her smooth, white fingers and the dazzling red of Dan Kou. She said casually, "So what if she's nostalgic? It's all because her beauty has faded and her love has faded. If the Sixth Prince wasn't getting married, His Majesty probably wouldn't even remember she existed." She then taunted, "Even if an old woman who's out of favor returns, what right does she have to compete with me?"
Hong Gu looked at Concubine Zhen's expression and said cautiously, "In this harem, you still need to have children."
Before she could finish her words, Concubine Zhen's expression changed, and her eyes suddenly became extremely cold, as if her most taboo thing had been touched upon. Hong Gu quickly knelt down and apologized, "It is my fault for talking too much. I deserve to die." Concubine Zhen asked her to kneel for a while before letting her stand up. She asked her to prepare a gift for Concubine Qing as a greeting, and then Hong Gu went downstairs to prepare the gift.
After the carriage stopped outside the palace gate, Concubine Qing pulled aside the curtain and looked at the vermilion palace gate in front of her, her eyes falling on the plaque hanging on the gate.
"Your Majesty knew that the Empress was coming back and had already had everything cleaned in advance." Eunuch Liu said attentively.
After Concubine Qing got off the carriage, Eunuch Liu diligently led her and Prince An in.
Two neat rows of palace maids stood in the yard to pay their respects to Concubine Qing. The albizzia tree inside was still the same as when she left, and the swing frame next to it was still there.
Concubine Qing was lost in thought as she stared at the swing under the tree, her thoughts seemingly returning to the past.
Prince An looked at the swing, a complex expression flashing across his face.
As far as he could remember, Concubine Qing had left the palace.
When he was a child, he always sat on the swing alone, but his father and mother never came to push him on the swing.
Eunuch Liu led the two of them into the hall again with great care. The furnishings in the bedroom had not changed and were still the same as when she left.
The inside was spotlessly clean, and it didn't look like it hadn't been lived in for a long time.
"This room is cleaned every day, and the roof is repaired every year, so it's sure to be leak-proof," Eunuch Liu said attentively. "Your Majesty, please see if there's anything you need. If there is, I'll have someone fetch it."
"No need." Qing Fei said.
"Then I will take my leave first. If Your Majesty needs anything, just send someone to tell me." Eunuch Liu took his leave first and left.
After the mother and son were left alone, the atmosphere became silent.
"Mother, you must be exhausted from the journey. Please take a good rest first. I will not disturb you any more." Prince An bowed and prepared to take his leave.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You haven't told me my daughter-in-law's name yet." Qing Fei said.
Prince An looked slightly surprised, as if he had not expected his mother to speak to him like that, and he seemed less unfamiliar with the topic.
"Come and sit down and talk." Concubine Qing walked over and sat down, and Prince An followed suit and sat down. The mother and son sat face to face. Prince An was still a little reserved, probably because it was the first time they were so close and he was not used to it.
"What's your daughter-in-law's name?" asked Concubine Qing.
Prince An replied, "She is the third daughter of Lord Zheng's family, her name is Qian'er."
"How old are you?" asked Concubine Qing.
Prince An replied, "Eighteen."
"She's two years younger than you." Qing Fei asked again, "Do you like her?"
Prince An hesitated for a moment and replied, "What the emperor chooses for me must be good."
"What do you think?" asked Concubine Qing.
Prince An hesitated again and replied, "My son, I am willing to marry her."
At this time, a palace maid came to report outside the door: "Your Majesty, Aunt Hong from Concubine Zhen's palace has arrived."
Prince An frowned slightly. Concubine Zhen had sent someone with no good intentions.
Concubine Qing asked her maid Cailian to tell the other party that she was tired. After returning, Cailian told Concubine Qing the purpose of Hong Gu's visit. She said that Concubine Zhen sent her to deliver a gift, but Cailian did not accept the gift.
When Hong Gu came back with the gift, she said that Concubine Qing had a palace maid come out to send her away and refused to accept the gift she brought.
"She doesn't know what's good for her." A hint of viciousness flashed in Concubine Zhen's eyes. "I think she's deliberately trying to go against me."
"We have to give her a warning to let her know how powerful the Queen is." said Hong Gu.
Concubine Zhen asked Hong Gu to come over and explain something to her, and Hong Gu went down to make the arrangements.
…
On this side, after Qi Wuhan met the emperor in the imperial study, the emperor told him that Prince Fu refused to return to the palace, and Princess Pingyang had already mentioned this to the queen.
"I also asked Minister Cui yesterday, and he took all the blame on himself, saying that he was a poor parent." The emperor laughed, "According to his statement, wouldn't that mean I was also a poor parent?"
Qi Wuhan said, "Since the Fifth Prince refuses to go back to live here, it would be better for them to live separately to avoid another fight."
"Everyone else is trying to persuade them to reconcile, but you, on the other hand, are just watching the fun and not minding the trouble." The emperor pointed at him and said, "Then you go and persuade the Fifth Prince to come back."
"If Your Highness refuses to come back, can I bring him back?" Qi Wuhan asked.
"It's up to you." said the emperor.
So that afternoon, Prince Fu was tied up and carried to a carriage by the black-armored guards. They cursed Qi Wuhan all the way, calling him a despicable villain and pushing him into the fire. They said he had no sympathy and just wanted to see him suffer...
Qi Wuhan sat aside with his eyes closed, resting and ignoring him.
In the end, he stopped cursing because his mouth was dry.
After the carriage stopped outside the palace, Qi Wuhan had someone untie him and watched him enter the palace before leaving.
After returning, he told Jiang Lan about the interesting things that happened when he went to capture Prince Fu.
When he brought the Black Armor Guards to the garden on the outskirts of the city, Prince Fu hid in the flowers as soon as he saw him. He said he wanted to take two pots of flowers back to fumigate the house. Prince Fu got anxious when he heard it, and took the initiative to come to him and accuse him of wasting resources, and then he was caught by him.
"Did you really kidnap that person?" Jiang Lan was a little surprised and curious.
Qi Wuhan replied seriously, "It's even tighter than the ones used to tie up pigs, but those piglets can't squeal as loudly as the Fifth Prince."
Jiang Lan couldn't help laughing, thinking that this person was sometimes a bit "evil-minded"~
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