Chapter 214 Lantern Festival (Part 3)
When Zhao Tingluo uttered the last word, everyone present knew that things were about to change in Prince Fu’s Mansion.
Emperor Yongjia's gaze swept across the faces of Prince Fu and his son, his gaze was light but sharp, like a blade touched by cold dew. Prince Fu shuddered, a chill rising from the soles of his feet, and his whole body felt cold.
The Prince of Fu's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but Prince Fu held his hand tightly, his nails digging into his flesh. The Prince of Fu's words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't say them.
A hint of contempt flashed in Emperor Yongjia's eyes, and then he looked at Zhao Tingluo, who had tears in his eyes but still held his head high stubbornly and had a childish face.
Emperor Yongjia laughed in his heart, thinking that good bamboo shoots can come out of bad bamboo. The Prince Fu's Mansion was a pool of mud, but it gave birth to a promising person like Zhao Tingluo. Besides Zhao Tingluo, his newly found younger brother also looked good. He was young but had no fear at all. He was much better than his grandfather who could only roll on the ground.
"Father, this little brother is so cute. Can I give this lantern to him?"
Emperor Yongjia looked down and found that it was the seventh prince who was only seven years old.
"Your Highness, I didn't run around. Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my fault that I didn't keep a close eye on you."
A wet nurse came over quickly and held down the seventh prince. The seventh prince wanted to struggle, but he was too young. The wet nurse forced him to kneel on the ground, and the lantern in his hand fell to the ground.
Emperor Yongjia frowned. This wet nurse dared to be disrespectful to Little Seventh Child in front of him, and he didn't know what she had done to Little Seventh Child in private.
The seventh prince's mother, Concubine Yan, had three miscarriages. She became pregnant the fourth time and finally gave birth to the seventh prince. However, she was unlucky and passed away when the child was less than two years old.
The seventh prince was raised by Concubine Shu, the biological mother of the fifth prince. Concubine Shu only gave birth to the fifth prince, and she wanted to provide more support for the fifth prince, so she carefully educated and took good care of the seventh prince.
However, ever since the fifth prince was confined to his house a few years ago and lost the emperor's favor, and seeing that her only son had no hope of winning the throne, Concubine Shu was exhausted and fell seriously ill. She was in a bad mood and was not as kind to the seventh prince as before. She even scolded him for no reason. Concubine Shu was neglected by the emperor, and the seventh prince was dispensable. These servants were the best at observing people's words and expressions, flattering the weak and stepping down on the powerful. They dared not offend the older princes, but bullied the helpless seventh prince at will. Anyway, he had no one to support him when he was wronged.
In recent years, Emperor Yongjia's attention has been on several adult princes. The young princes rarely see their father and are more or less afraid of him.
Looking at the seventh prince kneeling on the ground, Emperor Yongjia was dazed.
The retired emperor never forgot the deceased Empress Yuan, and he was particularly fond of the two children she left behind.
Emperor Yongjia still remembered that when he was only seven years old, he spent two nights copying a chapter of the Book of Filial Piety. His teacher praised his great improvement in handwriting, and his mother asked him to show it to his father.
When he learned that his father was in the imperial garden that day, he bravely took the calligraphy to show his father, but the eunuchs stopped him outside the pavilion and did not allow him to get close. However, he clearly saw that his father was sitting in the pavilion, feeding his elder brother, the crown prince, with his own hands.
The Crown Prince was picky about food and refused to eat. His father felt sorry for him and fed him himself.
At that moment, the little boy felt empty in his heart. He suddenly realized that his master and mother were lying to him. He ate well, studied well, and wrote well. Everyone said he was a good boy, but his father loved the naughty one. Even his father could not get close to him, a good boy.
After that day, he became more obedient than before, but he knew that there was a monster with horns in his heart. The monster grew bigger and bigger, and one day, it would break out of the cage and create a bloody world.
Little Seven, looks a lot like him back then...
Emperor Yongjia's pupils narrowed into a line, focused on the seventh prince.
He was in the prime of his life, forty years old, calm, wise, and strong.
Little Seven is only seven years old this year.
Twenty years later, he was sixty years old, in his sixties, and felt powerless, while the little old seventh was twenty-seven years old at that time, full of energy, carrying on the past and opening up the future.
Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu were both in their early twenties at that time, which was the right age to help their brother the emperor.
Yes, this is the new monarch he needs, not a prince who wants to replace him and sit on the throne when he is forty years old.
Emperor Yongjia's gaze fell on Zhao Tingluo again, a ten-year-old boy standing tall like a pine tree.
Twenty years later, Zhao Tingluo is thirty years old.
Emperor Yongjia lowered his eyes and said, "Okay, let Prince Fu's Mansion take advantage of this. The credit for assisting the new monarch will be given to Prince Fu's Mansion."
The Queen had been paying attention to the expression of Emperor Yongjia. Seeing that his eyes stayed on the Seventh Prince for a long time, the Queen had an idea in her mind.
She winked at the nanny beside her, and the nanny quickly walked up to the wet nurse and said, "You tactless thing, don't you see where you are? Get out of here!"
After saying that, the nanny picked up the seventh prince who was still kneeling on the ground and walked to the queen.
The Queen reached out and touched the Seventh Prince's head, then pointed at Zhao Tingluo and his brother and said, "Little Seventh Prince, don't you want to play with them? Then go ahead. Xiaoluo, keep an eye on Little Seventh Prince and your brother, and don't let them bump into anything."
A few light-hearted words put aside the previous sharp confrontation.
Zhao Tingluo became the playful and noisy child again. He pulled the Seventh Prince over with a smile, holding him in one hand and Xiaobao in the other, and said to Emperor Yongjia and the Empress: "Uncle Emperor, Your Majesty, I'm taking the Seventh Prince out to play."
The Queen said to the Nanny, "Please have someone send more candies and snacks to Prince Fu's mansion. Poor child, he has grown up and has never tasted the snacks in the palace."
Even the unfavored members of the royal family could still enjoy a few snacks given by the palace during festivals.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongjia said to the old eunuch beside him, "When we return to the palace, pick out a few things for me to give to this child."
The old eunuch hurriedly said, "Yes."
Zhao Tingluo took Xiaobao with him to express his gratitude, and then said to Concubine Meng, "My Lady Concubine, can I bring my brother to your place someday for some snacks?"
Concubine Meng smiled and said, "You are such a heartless little thing, it's like you have never asked for snacks from me, the old woman."
Before he finished speaking, Xiaobao shook his head: "Not old, not an old woman."
Concubine Meng was stunned for a moment, and Princess Jianing hurriedly said, "See what I said, aren't you old? Children don't lie. If he says you're not old, then you are not old."
Concubine Meng was in a good mood. The emperor and the empress had all given rewards, so of course she wanted to give some too.
She glanced at the maid beside her, and the maid took out a jade pendant with the inscription "immediate title of nobility" from her belongings and gave it to Xiaobao as a reward.
Concubine Meng was older, and when she attended such occasions, she would always bring some gifts as rewards. This jade pendant was obviously given to the younger generation. Although it was obviously made of good jade, it was not rare.
Emperor Yongjia was suspicious by nature. Concubine Meng spoke for the Zhao brothers today. If she gave him another gift that was obviously carefully prepared, it would inevitably make Emperor Yongjia suspicious. He would think that Concubine Meng knew about this matter before and that was why she made preparations. However, this jade pendant was neither rude nor excessive, but just right.
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