Chapter 27
Ye Xiaoyuan suddenly understood why the young prince had such a calm reaction to coming here.
It turns out that I no longer have any expectations for Your Majesty, my father.
So, His Highness only cried once last night, and still felt uncomfortable when he woke up, but behaved as usual, probably to avoid making him worry... Ye Xiaoyuan felt bitter.
The child who is too easy to trouble is always the one who is subconsciously ignored, while the one who makes noise from time to time always gets the attention.
Qu Watanabe enjoys poking thorns into the heart of his old father in this life.
"Ye and I will be leaving after dinner."
An emperor with an egocentric personality, feeling guilty towards his children and at the same time feeling extremely uncomfortable with the prophecy, he really knows how to handle the situation as a child.
Emperor Chongzhao felt extremely suffocated by Qu Dubian's two or three sentences.
She was so attached to him when asleep, but when she woke up she was not as close to him as a eunuch. The gap was too big. He felt like the child's evasive gaze was like a thorn in his heart.
Eunuch Yu also covered his heart.
This little prince really knows how to poke at people's hearts.
Ye Xiaoyuan said: "Your Majesty, the little prince just woke up and is not feeling well... The little prince is also happy to see you."
Emperor Chongzhao sat opposite Qu Dubian, and the hands on his legs began to turn the rings unconsciously, one big and one small, one left and one right, like an adult tiger against a kitten.
"Ju'an Palace is not conducive to your recovery. You should stay here until you recover. There is no need to move."
Qu Duanbian's ears twitched like a sensitive little animal, and he raised his head, as if he didn't expect that he could stay.
"Where should I go after I recover? Can I...stay in Ju'an Temple?" The child stretched out his little finger and looked at him secretly. "I only need a little bit of food to be full."
Emperor Chongzhao softened his tone and said, "You don't have to go to Ju'an Palace or the temporary palace in the future. Just stay in the palace. I will personally choose a place for you to live. And you don't have to worry about food. I won't let you starve."
Others didn't know, but Eunuch Yu knew it clearly. He was secretly surprised. It seemed that His Majesty had already decided to posthumously confer the title of Queen on Concubine Yun?
If this news gets out, I'm afraid both the former court and the harem will be in an uproar.
There was some oil on the edge of Qu Dubian's mouth. Emperor Chongzhao hesitated and reached out his hand, gently wiping it with his thumb.
A faint smell of blood floated at the tip of Qu Dubian's nose. His face turned pale and he suddenly turned his head and started vomiting and coughing.
"Your Highness?"
Qu Dubian vomited a few more times.
The original plan to stay in the palace was achieved, and he wanted to give his stepfather some face, but... he really couldn't help it.
The shadows of some things in his past life came into this life, and he felt nauseous in his chest. Normally, it would be fine, but he had just eaten half full, so he couldn't suppress the nausea.
Did his father kill someone to get in? Why didn't he change his clothes?
After vomiting for a long time without spitting out anything, Qu Dubian buried himself in Ye Xiaoyuan's arms, smelling the scent of soapberries on his clothes, and felt a little better.
Ye Xiaoyuan kept rubbing his back, his face full of worry.
Eunuch Yu looked at the frozen Emperor Chongzhao and thought to himself, "He was fine just now, what happened?"
Qu Watanabe looked listless, lying on Ye Xiaoyuan's shoulder, covering his nose with disgust, and muttered, "It smells so fishy."
fishy?
Emperor Chongzhao immediately thought of something, stood up and said, "I'll go out for a while."
He walked quickly to the outside of the hall, raised his sleeve and sniffed.
Eunuch Yu followed and said, "It must have been accidentally stained when we were in the side hall, and the young prince smelled it."
"I can't smell anything," Emperor Chongzhao wondered, "Your nose is so sensitive, you must be a puppy."
Eunuch Yu: “…” He couldn’t respond to this.
Emperor Chongzhao shook his clothes and said, "I will go to the West Warm Pavilion, and the memorials will be moved there, so he won't be fumigated here. Please ask the imperial physician to go in and take a look at him. He is already ill, don't let the fumigation make him worse."
"By the way, call the Left Vice Minister of Rites and Prince Ming to come to me. I have something to tell them."
The youngest son couldn't live without him at night, but his distant attitude during the day made him feel inexplicably annoyed. He was holding back his energy, not knowing where to put it, so he decided to torment his ministers.
Eunuch Yu knew that they were here to discuss posthumously conferring a title on Concubine Yun.
Furthermore, Your Majesty, this is not a discussion, but a notification.
-
In the palace.
Qu Dubian held the incense burner that Emperor Chongzhao loved and sniffed it, and the nausea feeling gradually disappeared.
This is ancient times, and the chance of smelling the bloody odor of human blood is much higher than it is now. If this happens every time, wouldn't it affect your appetite?
It would be great if there was a disease simulation type like loss of sense of smell. Not to mention the slight smell of blood, he could even wade through a sea of blood and eat noodles without batting an eyelid!
Ye Xiaoyuan touched his forehead and asked, "Why do you feel hot again?"
It would be abnormal if it wasn’t hot. The simulator time hasn’t ended yet and it has to last until tomorrow noon.
Qu Dubian held Ye Xiaoyuan's hand and said, "Help me up."
"Your Highness?"
His Highness’ face was still pale, and his expression was firm: “I want to practice Tai Chi!”
The signing period lasts for 15 days and cannot be interrupted!
Ye Xiaoyuan: “?”
Damn Wen Xiaochun, how could he teach His Highness Tai Chi like this?
-
Large dining room.
The imperial guards were counting the oil in the main kitchen and comparing it with the amount recorded in the book.
Wen Xiaochun rubbed his nose, which was itching for no apparent reason, and stood aside with his head lowered, listening to the guards' investigation.
"Are you also in the kitchen? Your name is not on the list."
Wen Xiaochun: "I serve the Seventh Prince. Because the Prince's meals were treated harshly before, I was named the steward in the main dining room to supervise. Because it is a nominal position, I don't receive monthly salary, so my name is not on the list."
"The one beside His Majesty the Seventh Prince?"
The manager next to him said, "Yes, I was the one who hired him. He works as a small manager in the oil department."
Oil pipe...
The captain of the guard frowned.
He asked Wen Xiaochun: "Which oil depot are you in charge of?"
Wen Xiaochun hesitated: "I am just a figurehead. I don't have a warehouse under my own management. I just help others manage it occasionally."
"If that's the case, why are you avoiding my gaze?" The chief guard approached, "You're obviously hiding something, why don't you just speak up!"
Wen Xiaochun's face turned pale. "Although this servant does not belong to the kitchen but is the Seventh Prince's servant, I am a nobody. How dare I talk about the private affairs of the stewards?"
At this moment, the steward of the kitchen had come to his senses and his face instantly turned red: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
The chief guard said, "You know you are not from the kitchen. This matter concerns the Seventh Prince. If you care about your master, you should tell him as soon as possible. It will definitely not involve you."
Wen Xiaochun hesitated and struggled, but he said quickly: "If you gentlemen want to check the oil, just check the book, the number will not match."
He leaned forward and whispered in the captain's ear, "The stewards secretly withheld a lot of it. This is a common practice. They gave me some when I came earlier, and they were relieved after I accepted it. But I didn't dare to use it secretly, so I put it all in an empty warehouse at the back. Not a single barrel was missing. You can send someone to check. This is considered a credit, do you want it?"
A gleam of light flashed quickly in the captain of the guards' eyes.
Wen Xiaochun said it well.
It was no big deal for the manager of the main kitchen to be greedy occasionally, and the superiors would turn a blind eye to it.
But at this critical juncture when the investigation has caught fire, it is best to find out the corrupt officials and investigate them. Even if no results are found in the end, it is still a reward for their hard work, which will be beneficial for their future promotion.
He patted Wen Xiaochun on the shoulder: "Just wait."
The chief guard first sent someone to the empty warehouse to drag out the oil drums for reconciliation, which confirmed that Wen Xiaochun was telling the truth and that the number of oil drums allocated to him was not less at all.
Only then did he dispel his doubts and turn his attention to the stewards in the kitchen.
Wen Xiaochun also went over and took a look.
Oil was distributed from other places last night. The few managers who are short of oil now are those who once more or less despised Ju'an Hall.
There are only a few captain guards who can be found here. This captain guard Wu has worked hard for a promotion for a long time and will not miss any opportunity to make merit. After discussing with Ye Xiaoyuan, he found that the risk of selling these stewards was negligible.
While clearing himself, he could also give the little prince another chance to vent his anger.
The chief of the Wu guards patted his shoulder and said, "You are very good. I will record your achievement here."
He said meaningfully: "I won't let you have a hard time in the palace."
Wen Xiaochun: "I only want to stay by your side and serve you. I don't dare to waste your time. I am just a figurehead in the kitchen, so I will resign."
"That's right, staying with the prince is more promising."
Captain Wu of the Imperial Guards took the managers of the oil department to another place for interrogation.
Wen Xiaochun smiled slightly.
-
It's getting dark.
The Left Vice Minister of Rites and several clan members had different expressions on their faces when they walked out of the West Warm Pavilion.
Prince Ming was the only one left in the palace.
He was a handsome and elegant man, about twenty years old, but he was born blind in one eye, which he always covered with a strip of coquettishly colored cloth.
After everyone left, the serious look on Prince Ming's face suddenly disappeared, and he crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair.
"Royal brother, I heard that you brought my nephew to the Purple Palace? Can I go and see him?"
Emperor Chongzhao took a sip of the cold tea at hand to moisten his throat.
"You don't know how to sit. It's already the New Year, and you're already 28, and you still haven't started a family."
Prince Ming pointed at his eyes and raised his eyebrows: "My condition may be passed on to future generations. If my child is criticized right after birth because of me, why would he come to this world? There are many sufferings in this world, why not enjoy more beautiful scenery in the underworld?"
Eunuch Yu raised his eyelids.
Emperor Chongzhao: "You are hinting at something. Are you pointing at me?"
Prince Ming smiled and said, "I just want to say that my nephew is clearly in your heart, so be nice to him, otherwise he will not love you when he grows up."
Emperor Chongzhao: "The father and son of the royal family are first monarch and subject, and then father and son. How can we talk about not being close?" After a pause, he continued, "Besides, you have never raised a child, so you don't know how difficult it is to deal with a clingy kid. It's even harder to serve than our ancestors."
Prince Ming keenly noticed something from his words and winked: "I will serve you now, and you can serve me in the future. It's not shameful."
Emperor Chongzhao picked up the pen at hand and threw it at him, "Tea can't stop your mouth!"
Prince Ming dodged skillfully.
Emperor Chongzhao invited him to stay for dinner. Due to health reasons, Prince Ming had no chance of inheriting the throne since birth. The two brothers were born with the same mother and had been very close since childhood.
After the meal, we chatted for a while and it was already dark outside.
Someone outside came to report, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Ye sent a message saying that the young prince is sleepy."
Emperor Chongzhao: "Has the fever subsided?"
"No, it keeps happening over and over again. I looked fine in the afternoon, but after dinner I played in the palace for a while and started to feel listless again."
Prince Ming was very considerate: "Brother, please go quickly. I will be leaving soon. I have to prepare for what I will say to the emperor tomorrow. I will come to see my nephew when I have the chance."
Emperor Chongzhao nodded.
After taking two steps, he paused, raised his arm and sniffed his sleeve, hesitated for a moment and said, "Forget it, prepare some water, I want to take a bath."
He turned and looked at Prince Ming.
"You don't know, except for her appearance, the child doesn't look like me or her mother at all. She is skinny and small. Today, I cheated Zhang Fanming, and the blood on her body is even more unbearable. She has to sleep in my arms, otherwise she will make a fuss all night."
Prince Ming: “…”
He didn't ask.
Emperor Chongzhao left in a hurry, obviously concerned. Prince Ming touched his chin.
The one who is close to the water gets the moon first.
If he were the emperor's younger brother's son, he would certainly seize this good opportunity to do something, using all means at his disposal, to make up for the lack of father-son affection and make His Majesty care more about him and have more sympathy for him.
Only in the coming years can we live well in the imperial city of Kyoto.
But unfortunately, his little nephew was only two years old and had no idea about the intricacies of royal affection.
-
After Emperor Chongzhao finished bathing and changing his clothes, he dried his hair and entered the Purple Palace.
The youngest son, who had occupied his bedroom for the entire day, was now lying on the kang, grinding a date grinder[1]. Two round winter dates were inserted between two short bamboo strips.
At this time of year, it is rare to find such plump winter dates.
Emperor Chongzhao was sitting at the other end of the kang when someone suddenly came quietly. Qu Dubian was startled and the bamboo strips he was about to balance in his hand fell down in an instant.
he:"……"
He looked at Emperor Chongzhao with a condemning look.
Emperor Chongzhao was a little embarrassed.
Although he had many children, none of them needed his personal care. He only needed to visit the harem frequently. When the children grew up, he would test and teach them knowledge. Starting from the eldest prince, without exception, all of them followed this process.
The situation of the child in front of me is a little different.
First, the child is still very young; second, this is his and Yueqing's child. Since Chenyan has another solution and there is no need to send the child to the palace, the father and son must get along well with each other in the future; third, the young child's biological mother has passed away, and the Imperial Hospital has not conducted a thorough investigation. It will be difficult for him to pick out a concubine suitable for raising the prince in the harem for the time being, so he can only raise the prince himself for the time being.
But after all, they hadn't seen each other for more than two years. It was hard to say how much father-son affection there was. The most was guilt. Add to that the fact that he refused to hug her that night, and the fact that the child didn't call him father after waking up, but called him 'Your Majesty' instead with a distant attitude...
Emperor Chongzhao wanted to ease the relationship, but after all, he had no experience in raising children and didn't know where to start.
He coughed lightly and said to Ye Xiaoyuan: "Didn't you say you were sleepy?"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Just now, the date mill stopped making noises as it was being pushed."
Qu Watanabe's main purpose just now was to lure his cheap father over and make his presence felt in his heart, so that he would not be able to live freely in the palace in the future.
Unexpectedly, Eunuch Bao gave him such a popular gadget from ancient times. It was so interesting when he first started playing with it that he forgot about the performance.
"This little thing is simple," Emperor Chongzhao picked up the bamboo strips and easily placed them on the tip of the date pit, achieving balance. "You see, it will become fine with more practice."
Qu Dubian reached out and took down the bamboo strips he had arranged. Not only that, he also pulled out the winter jujubes at both ends and threw away the bamboo strips.
From the time Emperor Chongzhao came in until now, he not only did not call him "Father" or bow, he didn't even move his butt, and he directly took apart the little toy that Emperor Chongzhao had balanced.
This is already very disrespectful.
Looking around the palace, no one of the princes and princesses dared to do this.
That is to say, the little prince has never been taught etiquette and rules, or how to get along with the emperor, which is why he is so natural and bold.
Eunuch Yu didn't think His Majesty would be angry, but he would definitely feel uncomfortable.
She was so enthusiastic in hugging him in the kitchen at first, why is she so inflexible when she is in front of His Majesty?
Looking at Emperor Chongzhao's expression again, I couldn't see anything, but the corners of his mouth were slightly flattened.
"Don't spoil it." Just as Eunuch Yu was about to lament the young prince's inflexibility, the young prince spoke up and looked up at Emperor Chongzhao, "I've picked up some on the ground and eaten them before. The spoiled dates were very sweet. These two that are not spoiled must be even sweeter."
He held the two dates in his hand, with an obvious conflict on his face. He was particularly reluctant to part with them. He took out one and gave it to Emperor Chongzhao with great reluctance.
"Give it to me?" Emperor Chongzhao was stunned.
The child tilted his head and snorted softly: "Thank you, you didn't let me go, you are... a good person."
Emperor Chongzhao, who was given the nice guy card, felt mixed emotions. He looked at the dates in his palm and was silent for a long time. "You don't have to be so polite to me. I am your father."
Qu Watanabe: "My father is my father, he will hug me, but Your Majesty will not."
Emperor Chongzhao understood. Well, it was obvious that he was still concerned about it.
Qu Dubian turned around and threw himself into Ye Xiaoyuan's arms, quietly put the remaining pill into his palm, and whispered, "Ye Banban, this one is for you."
Then he turned his head and glanced secretly at Emperor Chongzhao. His eyes were a little clever, as if he didn't care, but in fact he was still secretly paying attention to his father's reaction, and his thoughts were clearly evident on the paper.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Chongzhao clasped his hands together and put away the date.
He secretly observed his little son, then turned his head away as if satisfied.
This set of smooth little combos left Eunuch Yu stunned.
The regret in my heart suddenly stopped, and then a feeling of amazement arose. I eat His Majesty's food, live with His Majesty, and even use His Majesty's dates and sell His Majesty's kindness.
If anyone says that the young prince is not flexible again in the future, Yu Decai will be the first to get angry with him!
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