Chapter 265 Flowers
The Crown Prince could only drag the three children for a short while before he couldn't hold on any longer. He put Qiuqiu and Fu Ning down and leaned against the palace wall, panting slightly.
Chirp: [This stamina is terrible!]
Although the Crown Prince couldn't hear Qiuqiu's thoughts, he could glean some information from her disdainful little eyes. "You little fatso, don't you know how heavy you are!"
Chiu Chiu retorted defiantly, "Not fat!"
The prince was so angry he laughed. Looking at his skinny sister and then at his chubby little sister, he thought, "It's really a good thing that the two of them, one thin and one fat, can become friends!"
He wasn't a petty person, so naturally he wouldn't hold a grudge against a child. However, the capital wasn't peaceful these days, so it was best for them to stay home as much as possible.
"The Turks will arrive in two months. The court is in chaos right now, and there are people with ulterior motives causing trouble. You three should stay in the Empress Dowager's palace and not run around. Lord Su and Lord Lu will come to take you home once they are done with their business."
This is the second time today that Qiuqiu has heard the word "Turk." The Crown Prince and the Third Prince seem to have very different attitudes.
The Crown Prince looked worried, while the Third Prince was gloating.
Will this implicate my older brother?
If the Third Prince resorts to underhanded tactics, her eldest brother might really be in trouble.
Or should we eliminate the Third Prince first?
The Crown Prince then reminded Qiuqiu, "Qiao Muyang will be beheaded at the Meridian Gate in three days. Do you want to go see him?"
Chirp, it's horrifying! He actually talked about such a bloody topic with a baby who's just over a year old!
The crown prince glanced at her and said, "Don't pretend, you look very excited."
Chuchu wriggled a little, sounding like she was a tiny bit weird~
But...
No, I'm not going.
She didn't like the bloody scene; her mother said that children should retain their childlike innocence.
"It's fine if you don't go. Your older brother asked me to ask him." He's not a pervert!
It's a good thing that Qiuqiu doesn't want to go. Although Qiao Muyang has no powerful connections, he has an extremely complicated network of relationships and is involved with many people. It's good to reduce contact with him.
In Qiuqiu's words, this is the male lead's charm.
While in the capital, Qiao Muyang came into contact with the hidden forces in the southwest. Following the original storyline of the small world, he would absorb the Su family's power, cooperate with the Wen Yang Marquis's mansion and the group in the southwest, and later, under the female lead's influence, break with them, ultimately reforming and secretly executing them in the southwest. He would then absorb the southwest forces for his own use, eventually rising to a high position and supporting the Third Prince as emperor.
However, Qiuqiu changed the course of the story. Without the halo of the Marquis of Wenyang's mansion, Qiao Muyang would no longer be accepted by the people in the southwest, so he could only become a tool for transactions.
If he encounters a pervert, he will be abused and tortured.
Qiao Muyang gained nothing in the southwest because he was imprisoned for a period of time until he hooked up with one of the more powerful older women and was finally released.
The old woman quickly grew tired of him, but he also secretly cultivated many of his own people with her financial support. That's why he managed to escape the crackdown in Yuncheng.
Unfortunately, his dream of returning to the capital to seek revenge was shattered when he met Qiuqiu. Not only that, but it also led him to the guillotine.
The prince thought about it carefully, "Chirp, you're really amazing!"
The three little ones sat in a row, listening to the prince praise Qiuqiu. The shortest one in the middle smiled shyly; she wasn't actually as amazing as everyone praised her for!
The Crown Prince stood up: "Alright, the story is over. Now you can return to Fengwu Palace."
The Crown Prince was busy and couldn't stay with them for too long. He left after his back pain subsided. He noticed that his third brother seemed unwell and decided to investigate.
In these turbulent times, we absolutely cannot afford any more trouble.
The matter of the Third Prince was quickly forgotten by the three of them, and each of them returned to the Empress's Palace carrying a sprig of plum blossom.
The Empress's face darkened the moment she saw the three disheveled little children. "Are you in cahoots with the Third Prince?"
Chirp: "???"
[Why is the Empress using such foul language!]
Lu Diandian: "How dare you insult me?"
Fu Ning: "Pah!"
Queen: “…”
The three of them seemed to dislike the Third Prince, even finding it unlucky to have his name mentioned.
The news that the Third Prince had trampled the only flowering plum tree in the Imperial Garden, leaving only branches, had spread throughout the palace. That flowering plum tree was planted by Emperor Jingming himself in the first year of his reign, and it held special significance for him.
The flowering plum blossoms profusely every year, but this year is different; they withered before the end of their flowering season.
"His Majesty has been paying more attention to these things in recent years, so the three of you must not waste the things that His Majesty likes while you are in the palace."
The Third Prince was punished, but they weren't as tough as him.
Leading the way, Qiuqiu led the two to present the plum blossoms in their hands to the Queen.
The Empress covered her mouth and laughed happily, "So you all want to please me. Someone, quickly put the plum blossoms up."
The three women were too short to reach the flowering plum blossoms. These few branches were remnants left behind by the gardener after he pruned them. The branches, which already had few blossoms, had only a few flowers stubbornly remaining after the bumpy ride.
However, the Empress did not mind and accepted everything.
The children's sentiments are the most precious.
The Queen held up three plum blossoms that looked no different from bare branches and gestured wildly. She hadn't received such a simple and unpretentious gift in a long time.
"Your Majesty, Princess Jingning requests an audience."
The Empress paused in her caress of the flowers, glancing instinctively at the children laughing and playing outside the window. Her smile faded. "About the New Year's Eve banquet?"
Granny Cui nodded: "The Turkic envoy's intentions this time are unclear. However, Queyu's son is already nineteen, so perhaps..."
Everything is said without words...
The Empress sighed, and Cui Mama immediately stepped forward to massage her throbbing temples. "His Majesty only has two daughters, and among the imperial relatives, only the Eldest Princess's family has a daughter. But you know the Eldest Princess's temper... If it were a marriage alliance, Princess Jingning would definitely be the first choice."
"If a princess is married, she cannot become an official. How can we easily give up the sons that ministers have carefully nurtured? Only sons from humble backgrounds are most suitable."
"Whether they become the emperor's son-in-law or remain a minor official for life, they know how to weigh the options. However, all of this must be decided before the Turks arrive. According to Liu Debao, His Majesty also favors Princess Jingning."
Granny Cui and Eunuch Liu were a couple who shared meals together, so they knew some things.
The Empress's hand trembled, and one of the flowers fell, sliding down her fingertips onto the table.
"He's certainly willing to make sacrifices." The Empress rose. "Put the flowers away. Have Jingning wait for me outside."
Granny Cui: "Yes."
Using a princess as a pretext to legitimately exchange for ten or twenty years of peace...
Today it's Jingning, but tomorrow it might be Funing? And whose daughter will she be in the future?
"etc!"
Granny Cui stopped. "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"
"Tell Consort Shu that the Japanese palace will be hosting a banquet the following day, and tell her to keep her mouth shut! Also, send invitations to all the wives of unmarried men in the court."
"You have to come, even if you don't want to!"
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