Chapter 429: Borrowing the East Wind
The Queen's birth was somewhat difficult, and the baby's first cry was not heard until dusk. Fortunately, Qin Shu and a group of imperial doctors were there, and both mother and child were safe.
The first prince of Emperor Shunguang was born, named Dunyan.
The emperor was very pleased and rewarded everyone in Changchun Palace. Other palace ladies also received small rewards.
Amid the joyful sounds in the palace, Chu Liuzheng crushed the moonlight on the ground and came to Jingming Palace where King Rui lived.
"My Lord, do you still keep your promise to me?"
"Of course it counts." Prince Rui was lying in a rocking chair, fanning himself intermittently. "What do you want?"
Chu Liuzheng: "Leave the palace."
The clear almond eyes reflected the candlelight, brighter than the moon tonight.
Prince Rui paused fanning himself and looked into those clear eyes. "Have you really thought it through?"
"Yes." Chu Liuzheng bowed solemnly, "I beg Your Majesty to grant me this."
King Rui stared at her for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Chu Liuzheng was overjoyed and reminded: "Two people."
King Rui laughed: "Okay, two people."
After receiving this promise, Chu Liuzheng went back and had the deepest sleep he had ever had since entering the palace. In his dream, there were his father, mother, elder brother and younger sister, and the air was filled with the unique fragrance of green grass in the countryside.
There was an unwritten rule in the Dasheng Dynasty that when the first prince of each emperor was born, the emperor would grant amnesty to the entire country and release a group of palace maids from the harem to accumulate blessings for the prince.
Emperor Shunguang also followed the ancestral law and issued an edict of amnesty on the second day after the birth of the eldest prince. The harem also began to draw up a list of palace maids to be released from the palace.
This list does not need to be submitted to the emperor for review.
What Chu Liuzheng asked King Rui to do was to take this opportunity to add her and Xia Qiaoru's names, so that the two of them could take advantage of this opportunity to leave the palace smoothly.
King Rui did not disappoint Chu Liuzheng and the matter was settled.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory selected an auspicious day, and three days later, everything was going well.
Chu Liuzheng held back until the very last moment to tell Xia Qiaoru about this. She was stunned, tears streaming down her face before she could even react. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "Is it really possible to leave the palace?"
"Yes." Chu Liuzheng nodded vigorously, smiled and wiped her tears, his tone light and quick, "We are specially granted to leave the palace, and we have to go through Donghua Gate. I will help you pack your things. Our names are at the back, so we will have time."
"Okay, okay." Xia Qiaoru couldn't wipe away her tears, but her eyes were smiling, and the corners of her mouth were grinning. She hurriedly found all her things, and suddenly remembered something. She paused and turned to look at Chu Liuzheng, "Your Majesty is willing to let you leave the palace?"
"Yeah." Chu Liuzheng smiled. "We're not even old enough. How could we be on the list if it wasn't for His Majesty's permission?"
"That's right." Xia Qiaoru was stunned by the pie that fell from the sky. In her excitement, she didn't notice that Chu Liuzheng's expression was a little unnatural. She muttered, "We still have some time. Let's go say goodbye to Sister Moxiang and the others. And Xiao Xiazi and Xiao Yunzi. It's not easy for them in the pharmacy. I have something to leave for them."
We have been together for so long, and now that they leave, I'm afraid we will never have the chance to see each other again.
"I can't say goodbye." Chu Liuzheng closed his eyes, suppressing the bitterness and reluctance in his heart, and forced a smile. "Our situation is special, and we can't let too many people know."
Xia Qiaoru was stunned and suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Liu Zheng, does His Majesty not know that you are leaving the palace?"
She stared at Chu Liuzheng, her heart beating so fast that it was about to jump out of her chest, and her fingers clenched unconsciously.
"Of course I know." Chu Liuzheng avoided her gaze, lowered his head to pack his things, and urged, "Pack first. I'll write a farewell letter to everyone for you later. Putting everything together will also complete this friendship."
Xia Qiaoru looked at her doubtfully, but in the end her desire to leave the palace overcame her doubt, and she lowered her head to pack up.
I usually think that I will have a lot to say when I leave, but when the time comes to leave, thousands of words are stuck in my throat and just a few words are enough.
Chu Liuzheng folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope. He then put the things the two had left for everyone into a bundle and placed them on the bed along with the letter so that they could be seen as soon as he entered the room.
"Let's go." Chu Liuzheng slung his bag over his shoulder and held Xia Qiaoru's hand.
"Yeah." Xia Qiaoru smiled and held her hand tightly, and went to Donghuamen together.
At the same time, a tall and thin eunuch ran all the way to the Fengtian Hall, wiped the sweat off his face quickly, and peeked in at the back door.
Zhou Yuande saw it out of the corner of his eye and his eyelids jumped suddenly. Why did this kid come to Fengtian Hall instead of staying in Wenhua Hall?
He turned his head and winked at Xiao Anzi, signaling him to leave quickly and not to violate the taboo.
Xiao Anzi was extremely anxious, but had to leave the hall and pace back and forth anxiously.
Today's court meeting was particularly lively because Censor Wang came forward to submit a memorial, suggesting that a ban on brothels be implemented nationwide.
Some agreed, some opposed, and the ministers argued fiercely about it.
Censor Wang was spitting and quoting scriptures, and he was not afraid to show weakness to those who disagreed with his views. The noise made Xiao Jingfan's head hurt. He subconsciously looked to the right, but as expected, he saw nothing.
The familiar figures are gone, there are no voices to listen to, and no melons to eat.
Although the hall was noisy, he felt that it was extremely quiet.
He couldn't help but pursed his lips and frowned in annoyance.
Is that woman addicted to sweeping the floor? She didn't even ask him why he punished her, and she didn't ask him to deal with her when she was bullied. She was nowhere to be seen all day. She shouldn't at least care if the wound she bit him has healed!
He was busy dealing with the backlog of government affairs, meeting with ministers, and receiving envoys who came to pay homage to him on the Emperor's birthday. He had no time to stroll in the imperial garden. Couldn't the woman take the initiative to come and see him?
The more Xiao Jingfan thought about it, the more annoyed he became. There was still a lot of noise downstairs, which made it even more annoying.
A memorial was thrown down and the hall became quiet instantly.
He said coldly, "Lord Wang, please submit a memorial explaining how to proceed."
"I obey your command." Censor Wang glanced proudly at Grand Secretary Zhang, who had just argued with him the most fiercely, and accepted the order happily.
Grand Secretary Zhang's eyes were dim, and a sigh escaped from his lips.
Xiao Jingfan looked around and asked, "Do you have any other memorials?"
Anyone with ears could hear the impatience in the emperor's tone. Since all the urgent matters had been discussed, the remaining matters could be discussed with the emperor alone.
So, no one spoke.
Xiao Jingfan stood up and left decisively.
"Dismiss the court!" Zhou Yuande shouted and hurriedly followed.
Xiao Anzi, who was wandering outside the door, had his eyes lit up. He ran forward quickly and whispered a few words into Zhou Yuande's ear.
Zhou Yuande was startled and lost his grip on the whisk, which fell to the ground with a "bang".
"Is this true?"
"It is absolutely true. I have seen it with my own eyes. Miss Liu Zheng is on the list of those who are leaving the palace."
Xiao Anzi picked up the whisk and handed it to him. He glanced at the emperor as he walked away and asked in a low voice, "Master, should we report this to His Majesty?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com