Chapter 97
A few days later.
Qu Watanabe adapted to life in the prince's residence.
Except that the journey to school became longer and he could no longer sleep in Shunning Palace at night, he still walked at his usual pace.
The two vegetable gardens in the front yard of Pingguiyuan were planted with small seedlings.
Yi Shier was a qualified guardian of the vegetable garden. Whenever Yidianbai wanted to harm the seedlings, he would grab the dog steadily and ruthlessly and throw it out.
Now, in Yidianbai's eyes, Yishier has been promoted to a natural enemy.
Princess Sihe is five and a half years old. Because of the influence she suffered in the womb, her body has always been weaker than that of ordinary girls. She has been raised in Fengwu Palace and rarely goes out. Only now has she gone to school.
On the day she went to school, the queen came to Qu Watanabe's yard and brought a lot of good things.
She came to see him off in person, and said earnestly: "If you hadn't fought for the opportunity for Zhiyi to go to school, His Majesty would never have let Sihe go to school."
Everything will be easier once the door is opened.
With the precedent of Zhiyi, Emperor Chongzhao could not afford to ignore her.
Qu Watanabe said embarrassedly: "You are too kind."
The queen still insisted on keeping the things.
After she left, Ye Xiaoyuan sighed, "The Queen truly loves Ai Si and the princess. The princess has inherited the legacy you left behind, and she came to thank you."
As a queen, why would she need to go to this extent?
Qu Dubian nodded: "But I can't use all these things by myself, Banban, you can take the ones that are useful, and send the rest to the fifth and sixth brothers."
"good."
After living in the prince's residence, Ye Xiaoyuan had more and more social engagements and interactions on a daily basis, and he handled them very well.
There is another more important thing that requires a gift.
The eldest prince's wife gave birth to a daughter, who was the first grandchild of Emperor Chongzhao. When Princess Xiang was about to arrive in the capital, Emperor Chongzhao was very pleased and directly made her a princess and rewarded her with many things.
Qu Watanabe's generation was upgraded to that of an uncle.
The eldest brother's daughter is not even a hundred days old and cannot be seen by anyone yet. When he went to the eldest prince's house to give gifts, he did not see Shu Wenxin and the baby, but saw the eldest prince who was smiling foolishly while accepting the gifts.
I don't know how many days it has been since he last shaved the beard on his face, and it has grown a circle. Even though he was not the one who gave birth to the child, he looked so much more aged.
Those who came to give gifts at this time were all clan members, and the ministers had to wait until the Hundred Days Banquet.
After dealing with the others, the eldest prince asked the kitchen to prepare a table of food and invited his brothers to have lunch.
"Come on, Xiaoqi, eat more. You're losing weight too fast."
"Thank you, brother."
Qu Watanabe moved the crystal elbow in front of himself.
He was a short man in the past few years and didn't grow much. He was so worried that he drank two cups of milk a day and measured his height with a ruler every day.
But I don’t know if it’s due to his age or because he has grown rapidly in the last two months. Almost every half a month, his clothes become shorter.
In addition, he usually practices a lot of martial arts, gets hungry very quickly, and his body consumes energy very quickly. He can only desperately replenish food to maintain the nutrition he needs.
He now eats six or seven meals a day.
Liu Liu and Ye Xiaoyuan both habitually carry some snacks with them, so that when their prince is hungry, they can feed him with just a stretch of their hands.
Even so, Qu Watanabe has lost a lot of weight.
"The food cooked by the chef in the palace is not as delicious as your sister-in-law's, but it's okay. Try this," the eldest prince picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork.
"How can we digest so much meat?" said the Third Prince. "Eat some vegetarian dumplings."
The eldest prince rolled his eyes.
Qu Dubian said in the midst of his busy schedule: "I'll eat them all."
The Fourth Prince shook his head. Xiao Qi was already very skilled at this kind of work that required carrying water.
"If you haven't come yet, remember to congratulate your elder brother. Come, let me pour you a glass," the third prince poured a glass of wine for the eldest prince.
The eldest prince said: "I don't drink, let's drink tea instead. Oh, don't get me wrong, I know you are prone to misunderstanding. If I drink, your sister-in-law will not let me into the house to see my daughter."
The third prince kept smiling: "...This is as it should be."
The seven brothers clinked their glasses together.
After the short gathering, the eldest prince changed his clothes, took a bath, and then went to the backyard to find Shu Wenxin.
Shu Wenxin was watching her daughter sleep.
The eldest prince dragged a stool and sat beside their bed, then reached out and gently squeezed the child's hand.
After a long while, he finally said, "I didn't feel anything before, but now I just feel that I can't lose. You are all behind me. If I fall, you will be implicated as well."
Others always said that Xiao Qi was very different because he was raised by his father for a period of time. He didn't quite understand how different it was before, but now that he has a stable family, he seems to understand a little.
From the moment he chose to fight with the Third Brother, neither he nor the Third Brother had any way out.
The eldest prince held Shu Wenxin's hand and said, "I also remember your brother's vengeance. After I defeat the third brother, I will interrogate him first."
Shu Wenxin looked at the eldest prince's eyes, which were firm but still revealed a hint of integrity, and was silent for a while.
...Forget it. I've known for years that he can be a little stupid sometimes, right?
She held the eldest prince's hand and said, "You are wrong about one thing. I am not behind you, I am beside you."
Husband and wife are one, sharing weal and woe.
-
The Third Prince’s Mansion.
When he returned home, he was in a bad mood.
The Third Prince's wife poured him a bowl of hangover-relieving soup.
The third prince married the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites in late spring, and they had been married for only a short time.
"Everyone knows that a princess is an honor that only the daughter of the crown prince can have. If the emperor conferred the title of princess on my eldest brother's daughter, what would the officials in the court think? I'm afraid that those who are neutral will side with my eldest brother."
The Third Prince's Consort said, "Your Highness, you are drunk. Perhaps it is because the child is the first grandchild and His Majesty is happy that he bestowed the reward."
The Third Prince: "In the past two years, he and I have been fighting fiercely in the court. Second brother, you have not offended either side, nor have you leaned towards anyone, and you have made no achievements in the court. As long as I can bring down the eldest brother, my chances will be great."
He closed his eyes while the Third Prince's wife rubbed his temples.
The Third Prince: "Fortunately, my eldest brother gave birth to a daughter, otherwise..."
The Third Prince's wife responded, "Yes."
The Third Prince raised his hand and gently grasped her wrist: "You, the eldest grandson of the Emperor, cannot give up your hand again."
The Third Prince's wife was quiet for a moment, "Yes."
-
soon.
Princess Axiang is about to enter the suburbs of Beijing.
There was naturally another argument in the court about which prince should lead the officials to welcome the emperor. However, because of the relationship with the Third Prince's wife, the Minister of Rites argued hard and won the job for the Third Prince.
He smiled at the eldest prince and said, "I look forward to my niece's hundred-day banquet."
The implication is, what if my father has grandchildren, what if he is made a princess? He still can't be snatched away.
The eldest prince did not understand the hidden sarcasm in his words, but he felt disgusted by the third prince's false smile and left.
Their dispute did not fall on Qu Watanabe.
He only needed to follow Emperor Chongzhao and stand in front of Ganji Hall to greet him.
At noon, Princess A Xiang finally arrived at the imperial city. She was followed by maids from the northern border, and her clothes and appearance were full of exotic customs.
Emperor Chongzhao descended the steps to greet him.
The palace servants and guards beside him also said in unison: "Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
Emperor Chongzhao: "You are finally back. I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
Princess Xiang stood in this imperial city which she had been away from for a long time, her mind in a trance for a moment.
It’s the first time she’s back in more than 20 years.
Princess Ah Xiang had tears in her eyes: "Brother, I am also eager to go home."
Emperor Chongzhao: "In my memory, you are still the same as when you were young, dragging me out of the palace to buy candied haws."
"Thank you for your hard work along the way," he patted Princess Xiang's hand and said, "Come, let me introduce these little ones to you. You can all call them aunt."
"Aunt Xiang is well."
Several princes came to greet her and Princess Xiang nodded to them, but after all, they were nephews she was not very familiar with, so she was only slightly polite.
Qu Dubian observed from the side and found that her eyebrows and eyes were indeed somewhat similar to those of Concubine Zhou.
"Brother, I passed by the northern border town on my way back, and Prince Ming asked me to bring you a letter."
"oh?"
Prince Ming has been crying out to come back ever since he was sent to the northern border by the emperor ten years ago. He came back once five years ago, but was sent back after staying in the capital for only half a month.
So even if Emperor Chongzhao did not read the letter written to him by Prince Ming, he knew roughly what was in it.
He smiled and said, "Let's go. We are tired from the journey. Let's go back to the palace to have a meal first. I still remember the food you liked to eat, and I have prepared it."
Princess Xiang: "Thank you, my brother."
After making the mascot, everything else had little to do with Qu Watanabe.
He returned to Shunning Palace for lunch.
At noon, the gate of Shunning Palace was never closed. Qu Dubian rushed in quickly as usual and shouted:
"Empress Xuan! I'm back! Is the meal ready? Did you miss me?"
Zhiyi stuck her head out and said, "You are the only one missing. Come quickly."
The other side.
After Princess Axiang finished her meal with the emperor and clan relatives, she gave the letter to Emperor Chongzhao and returned to the Cining Palace.
She stood hesitantly at the gate of the Cining Palace for a long time, not daring to knock on the door.
She touched her hair and her hands.
"I'm so old now, what if my mother can't recognize me?"
The maid comforted him: "Your Highness, you are not old, you are very beautiful."
Princess Xiang: "There are fine lines around my eyes. Should I put on more rouge?"
She stood at the palace gate, feeling timid, but the gate opened by itself.
An old face came into view. Concubine Zhou had a head full of silver hair and looked a little anxious. She had been restless since she heard that Princess Xiang had entered the palace. Now she estimated that her daughter should be back by now, so she couldn't help but go out to take a look.
Unexpectedly, when he opened the door, he saw his daughter standing outside the palace gate.
As soon as the mother and daughter met, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
I haven't seen you for more than 20 years, which is already half a lifetime.
Concubine Zhou choked up and said, "Why... don't you even come in? You can't eat well at the banquet, the palace has prepared your favorite food for you."
Princess A Xiang couldn't help but go forward and hug her, crying loudly.
"Mom, I'm back."
The mother and daughter entered the palace and did not calm down until they had finished their meal.
Princess Axiang accompanied Concubine Zhou for a walk in the Cining Palace.
The large platform in the Cining Palace caught her attention. "Mom, what is this?"
Concubine Zhou said with a smile, "It's square dancing, which brings us a lot of fun every day. I was not in good health in the past few years, and I danced along with the Seventh Prince's things, and combined with the imperial physician's medicine, I gradually got better."
Princess Xiang was surprised: "Seventh Prince?"
Concubine Zhou: "You don't know? Well, you should have seen him. When His Majesty came to greet you at the gate of Ganji Palace, he should have been there too."
Princess Xiang thought about it and realized that she would have to return to the Northern Frontier in the future. She didn't pay much attention to her brother's sons. She only remembered meeting a few people who called her aunt, but she didn't know which one was the seventh prince.
Concubine Zhou: "The best looking one, the one who loves fancy things."
Princess Ah Xiang suddenly realized: "It turned out to be him."
The young boy wore a red and gold headband decorated with some gold threads and pearls. He wore it seemingly to cover the fuzzy hair around his hairline.
Her hair was tied up high, and a jade bead was hung at the end of the three-colored rope used to tie her hair.
The colors were gaudy, but he managed to hold it up with his face.
Princess Xiang: "Indeed, she is handsome."
Concubine Zhou: "I was ill at the time, and the child was only a few years old. He came to the Cining Palace every day to give us flowers. Seeing him so energetic every day made me feel better."
Princess Axiang: "Then I owe him a favor of taking care of me."
Concubine Zhou: "He is basically in Shunning Palace at noon and in the afternoon. You can go there tomorrow. It just so happens that we in Cining Palace all know what he likes to eat. You can carry it."
Princess Xiang hesitated: "Is this all we need to prepare? Isn't that a bit bad?"
Concubine Zhou: "No, the atmosphere in Shunning Palace is different from other palaces. They don't like those empty things. It's better to bring more food."
Only then did Ah Xiang nod.
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