Chapter 38
The next day.
After Emperor Chongzhao left the court, he slapped his youngest son who was still sleeping.
Qu Dubian was woken up by the slap and got up slowly. Under his messy hair, he had a ▼-▼ expression.
Emperor Chong Zhao felt a little embarrassed when being stared at. "Strange, why did you wake up so late today?"
Didn’t you stay up late last night?
Qu Duanbian yawned, "Is there something wrong?"
Emperor Chongzhao kept the secret a secret: "You will know in a moment. Come, help the seventh prince to wash and groom, and after breakfast, bring him to the west warm pavilion to see me." After saying that, he left.
Inexplicable.
Qu Dubian washed, dressed, practiced Tai Chi, and had breakfast.
Even with the emperor's order, he still followed his usual pace and did not seem anxious at all.
Wen Xiaochun: "Your Highness, someone from Shunning Palace came outside and said that this is a return gift from Concubine Xuan and Princess Zhiyi to you."
He paused as he was about to walk towards the West Warm Pavilion. Qu Dubian became interested and said, "I want to take a look."
Soon, the gift from Shunning Palace was carried in. It was a small car that was just right for children to sit in. It looked like a rickshaw, but it had reinforced guardrails around it.
"Wow--"
This gift really touched his heart. Qu Duanbian originally wanted a small car to make it easier for him to go to and from school.
He sat on it swiftly, and Wen Xiaochun pulled the rope in front with his hand, and easily pulled him around the hall twice.
Turning and rotating are very flexible.
Wen Xiaochun stopped and said, "It seems to save a lot of effort." It even looks more comfortable than a sedan chair, and it looks fun. His Highness likes it very much.
Qu Du played for a long time until Eunuch Bao came in and urged: "Your Highness, His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."
Only then did he remember his cheap father.
"I'll be right there."
So he patted his butt, got out of the cart, followed Eunuch Bao to the west warm room, and was carried over the threshold.
Walking around the screen, Qu Dubian saw his stepfather sitting on the kang table and the beauty next to him.
He paused beside the screen.
The beauty smiled gently: "This is the Seventh Prince. This is the first time I have seen him. He is really cute."
Emperor Chongzhao saw that his youngest son had stopped and did not move forward, so he raised his hand and waved, smiling: "Come here quickly, come and meet someone, you should call her Empress Chu."
"..."For some reason, Qu Dubian had a sense of déjà vu as if his biological father was remarrying, his stepmother came to visit, and both sides tried their best to show him the warmth of their reconstituted family.
He glanced at Concubine Chu, who was wearing a blue-green dress and was very beautiful.
However, he always felt that the way Empress Chu looked at him was different from the normal way, which made him feel uncomfortable.
"Hello, Madam Chu," Qu Du walked slowly to the side of Emperor Chongzhao and pouted, "What do you want me to do?"
His attitude towards the emperor made Concubine Chu slightly surprised. She glanced at His Majesty, who seemed to be accustomed to this way of communication, and she was even more surprised.
Emperor Chongzhao asked, "How about you stay in the palace of Empress Chu for a few days?"
Qu Du Bian blinked and asked directly: "Is she the mother chosen by His Majesty for me?"
Emperor Chongzhao: "I said, it depends on what you like. I won't force you, but you can't be too willful. This Empress Chu has a good personality. She has never fought for anything since entering the palace. She is different from the empresses who blocked you in the imperial garden. She will treat you very well."
Concubine Chu said at the right time: "Seventh Prince, why don't you go to Queen Chu's palace to play? There are many good things there. Queen Chu lives in Changxin Palace, and the Fifth Prince is also there. You can have some company."
After saying this, he wanted to reach out and hold Qu Watanabe's hand.
Qu Duanbian dodged directly: "Father, I don't want to go."
Concubine Chu withdrew her hand awkwardly.
"Nonsense." Emperor Chongzhao said, "Empress Chu is also your elder, you are not allowed to be rude."
Lady Chu: "Maybe it's me..."
Qu Dubian interrupted: "You said that Madam Chu is very gentle, so Madam Chu will not be angry."
Concubine Chu choked and stirred her handkerchief unconsciously in her sleeve. "Of course I am not angry, Seventh Prince, is there anything I did wrong?"
"I don't want to go anyway."
He was stubborn again, and Emperor Chongzhao grabbed his hand with a headache, coaxing him: "Don't you miss your mother? Concubine Chu looks a bit like her. You can try to get along with her."
“…A mother cannot be replaced by just her face!”
This excuse sounds disgusting. If the biological mother knew about it, she would be very disgusted. Qu Watanabe was really angry this time.
He seized the opportunity, broke free, and jumped away from Emperor Chongzhao. The startled Emperor Chongzhao reached out to grab his son, but when he saw his son land safely, he sternly reprimanded him, "You have no manners! You can even hang the door sill, and you jumped off the step. What if you fall?"
Qu Dubian ran out in a flash.
"I'm going out to play!"
Emperor Chongzhao was so angry that he slammed the table, "Little bastard!" He picked up the cold tea and drank it all in one gulp, "Sooner or later, I will be pissed off to death by him."
Lady Chu: "Your Majesty, don't be angry. The little prince is just attached to his biological mother."
"I know that he is just a little bit troublesome at ordinary times, but he won't be so stubborn."
Emperor Chongzhao sighed, "But even if a prince was made the crown prince since birth, it doesn't make sense for him to live with the emperor all the time. How can that be justified?"
-
Qu Dubian sat in the car and headed straight to the zoo.
Here are ferocious beasts that the emperor hunted but did not kill but raised, such as tigers and black bears, as well as rare and adorable small animal pets.
The most common ones are cats and dogs.
The concubines in the harem and relatives of the royal family all loved to come to this place to select the raccoon hounds.
Qu Watanabe, accompanied by the menagerie servants, stopped in front of the kennel.
At that time, there were no foreign dog breeds like those of later generations, only local hunting dogs and pastoral dogs.
The palace servant at the kennel said, "Your Highness, the puppies are over here. The ones you are looking at are all adult dogs."
He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. God knew how scary it was to see the little prince standing in front of the cage with his hands behind his back, not even as tall as a dog. He really wanted to put two more locks on the outside of the cage.
Qu Watanabe: "Father-in-law, is there anything that doesn't bite?"
The palace servant of the kennel said, "Dogs that bite people will not enter the adult kennel. Dogs here do not bite people. I still suggest you choose a puppy. In this way, it will be more obedient when it grows up."
Qu Dubian poked a piece of meat with a long bamboo stick and walked in front of the cage. Suddenly, the kennel was filled with barking sounds. The dogs wagged their tails wildly and stared at the meat on the stick eagerly.
After walking around for a while, at the end, there was a big black dog lying there, just sweeping its tail slightly, but not coming forward to ask for meat.
Five black dogs.
Qu Watanabe stopped and pointed: "I want it."
Kennel attendant: "This one? This is a female dog, good-looking, but a bit old. She just gave birth to her last litter of puppies not long ago and will be thrown out soon. Your Highness, would you like to choose another one?"
Qu Dubian approached the cage of the five black dogs, squatted down and waved, "Big Black, Big Black."
The female dog's ears moved, and she slowly stood up and walked to the edge of the cage. Wen Xiaochun tightly grasped the back of Qu Watanabe's collar, intending to pick up his own prince if anything happened.
After the female dog reached the cage, she slowly lay down again. She did not eat the meat that was handed to her with a bamboo stick right away. Instead, she gently sniffed Qu Watanabe's palm through the cage.
Qu Watanabe: "Dahei, Dahei, do you want to come with me?"
The bitch growled softly and ate the meat he threw in.
Qu Watanabe: "It agrees!"
Kennel Palace Staff: “…” He is indeed a child. He just ate a piece of meat and didn’t say anything. It’s obvious that he agreed.
"You really want this?"
Qu Watanabe said coquettishly: "Let him out quickly, father-in-law."
The kennel staff smiled and said, "Okay, wait a moment."
Even if it is docile, you still need to take protective measures.
Not long after, the five black dogs had their mouths covered with something similar to the bite stoppers of later generations, but it was made of wood, and a rope was tied around their necks.
Under the care of three palace servants, Wen Xiaochun and Ye Xiaoyuan, Qu Dubian played with it for more than an hour, throwing balls and hiding things for it to find, and they became almost familiar with each other.
Every time he gave an order, Dahei would turn his head to look at him before carrying out the order... Qu Watanabe had a strange feeling that it was not him who was playing with the dog, but the dog who was indulging him in playing with the dog.
When he was almost familiar with the position, Qu Dubian asked someone to push his cart in, tied the rope into a suitable shape, and put it on Dahei.
-
evening.
Outside Shunning Palace.
“Your Highness!!!”
"Your Highness! Slow down! Slow down!!"
A doggie car drove steadily and evenly on the palace road. The cheerful purring of the wheels was accompanied by the laughter of the children. Qu Watanabe opened his hands and blew the wind, "Dahei is so great!"
I wanted to use a puppy cart to pull people for fun in my previous life, but I never had the time to raise a dog.
Although it seemed a little dangerous and out of line to others, he was very happy - it was the happiest and most liberated time he felt since he traveled through time.
It's more fun than sliding down a high stone slab.
Dahei pulled the cart easily and steadily, and Wen Xiaochun only had to jog to catch up with him.
Guo Changzai, who was in the back hall of Shunning Palace, heard it all. She looked up and said with emotion, "There is such an infectious laughter in the palace. I haven't heard it in a long time."
Not long after, the owner of the laughter knocked on the door of Shunning Palace.
The palace maid informed Concubine Xuan, who came out and looked at the scene. She was surprised and said, "Your Highness, it's almost time for dinner, why are you here?"
Qu Watanabe chuckled and said, "I'm here to thank Lady Xuan for the gift." He pointed to the puppy car and said, "This one is really fun."
Dahei stuck out his tongue and wagged his tail at Concubine Xuan in a mature and dignified manner.
Ye Xiaoyuan wiped the sweat off his face and smiled helplessly at her.
"..." Concubine Xuan was silent for a moment.
If she remembered correctly, this little car was used to entertain children, and required someone to pull the rope in front and move it.
"I was just helping out. In fact, the car was made by Concubine Guo. She should be the best carpenter in the harem."
"Mr. Guo, she is my mother." A little girl, about five years old, with eyes like black grapes, poked her head out from the palace gate. She was looking curiously at her younger brother who had a handsome puppy car at the door.
It was Princess Zhiyi who ran out after hearing the noise.
Qu Watanabe looked up: "Huh?"
Concubine Xuan: "She is Zhiyi, the only princess in the palace. You can just call her Sister."
Qu Dubian said obediently, "Sister." He hadn't seen this sister when he came to eat last time. He thought the father and sons were all together and there was no daughter, but there was actually another one.
In Zhiyi's impression, her brothers and sisters never paid any attention to her. She had never seen a brother who would obediently call her "sister", and she immediately developed a mentality of "little elder".
She walked out of the palace and handed him a wooden rabbit. "This is for my brother. I drank his milk tea last time. This is my return gift."
Qu Watanabe was very polite: "Wow! Thank you, sister. I like it very much!"
"I, I like it too," the little princess said embarrassedly, glancing secretly at the puppy carriage parked at the palace gate.
Everyone can see the eager and conflicted look on his face.
Qu Watanabe: "Sister, I'll teach you how to play with cars. Can you stay for dinner?"
Zhiyi's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes! My mother cooks delicious food, and Empress Xuan often goes there to eat."
Qu Dubian secretly glanced at Concubine Xuan and smiled shyly.
"Empress Xuan..."
The way he wanted to eat for free was no different from the way Zhiyi wanted the puppy carriage.
Concubine Xuan said with a smile: "Just tell me straight, how can Concubine Xuan not keep you?"
Qu Watanabe Yu was very happy and asked someone to move the puppy car inside. He then stayed in the yard and played with the car with Zhiyi.
It’s okay for him to drive around on the palace road by himself and fall down, but Sister Zhiyi is someone else’s child, so it’s better for her to play in a safe place.
It was getting dark and lights were turned on in the front yard.
Guo Changzai came once. It was the first time she heard her daughter laugh so freely. She stood there in a daze for a long time. The Seventh Prince saw her from afar, and he held his chin with his hand and waved at her with a smile.
Guo Changzai smiled, did not disturb them, bowed, and went to the small kitchen at the back to help. The Seventh Prince was a very cute and straightforward child.
Smoke from the cooking stove rises.
The surrounding vegetable gardens had been cultivated a lot more than when he first came, and there was a breath of life everywhere.
Zhiyi's nose twitched, and she suddenly stopped the doggie carriage, got out, and held Qu Watanabe's hand, "Brother, let's go. Sister will take you to eat something delicious."
Qu Watanabe: "Sister, you don't want to play anymore?"
"I smell fried golden horns. They are best eaten while hot. They won't taste good if they are served on the table. Let's take some secretly."
She was obviously a habitual offender. She secretly took two from the stove through the handkerchief, then hurried out and took her brother to squat on the steps outside to eat.
Fried golden horn is actually a crescent-shaped fried food filled with a mixture of mashed meat and lotus root. When you bite it, it is crispy and soft, with the aroma of meat and lotus root mixed together, which tastes wonderful.
“This is delicious.”
"As long as it tastes good," Zhiyi leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, can you come and play with me more often? I'm the only kid here, it's so boring."
Qu Watanabe: "Sister, don't you want to go to school?"
Zhiyi said, "Mother said that the princess only needs to learn needlework and acquire some talents. I cannot go to school with you."
Qu Dubian slowed down his eating.
Just when I was about to say something, a voice came from the main hall: "Come and wash your hands, it will be time for dinner later!"
Zhiyi then took him to wash his hands, and he swallowed what he wanted to say for the time being.
What Qu Dubian didn't expect was that just as he sat down at the table, a palace servant came outside to report, "Your Majesty, Concubine Chu is here."
Qu Dubian complained in his heart, was he under the debuff of eating? Last time he came here, he was interrupted by the emperor, and this time he was interrupted by Concubine Chu.
Concubine Xuan put down her chopsticks and said, "Ask her to come in."
After Concubine Chu came in, Concubine Xuan discovered that Eunuch Bao, who served in the presence of His Majesty, was following behind her.
She bowed first, then glanced at the Seventh Prince who was silently shoveling rice into his bowl, "His Majesty has given a verbal order, asking me to take the Seventh Prince to Changxin Palace to stay for a few days. I'm sorry to disturb you while you're having dinner."
Concubine Chu walked a few steps towards Qu Dubian and said, "Seventh Prince, the Changxin Palace has prepared your favorite food. His Majesty said that your meals will also be prepared and sent to you by the Imperial Kitchen these days, so that you won't get used to other food."
Qu Du didn't even raise his head and said, "No, I'm going to finish my meal here with Empress Xuan. I'm going back to the Purple Palace." The food cooked by Concubine Guo was indeed delicious.
Bao Gonggong stepped forward and said in embarrassment: "Your Highness, His Majesty has already ordered all your belongings to be moved to Changxin Palace."
Qu Watanabe: “…”
The kid who was eating happily just now suddenly looked gloomy.
Concubine Xuan put down her chopsticks and said, "The children are eating. You come in to report at this time. Do you understand?"
Concubine Chu apologized, "Sister, I'm really sorry, this is His Majesty's order. He is also worried that the little prince will get an upset stomach if he eats here."
Concubine Xuan: "This means that the food in my Shunning Palace is not clean."
Concubine Chu said: "I don't have this..."
"Alright," Concubine Xuan raised her hand, "blast them out."
Eunuch Bao: "Empress Xuan, this is His Majesty..."
Concubine Xuan: "Then let him come here and tell me himself."
Concubine Chu and her entourage were driven out of the main hall and waited outside.
Inside the palace.
Concubine Xuan: "Eat with peace of mind, they won't come in."
"Empress Xuan, will you be punished by His Majesty?" Qu Dubian took another fried golden horn.
"When he was at the palace..." Concubine Xuan paused, "Because of something, he had a martial arts exchange with His Majesty. Since then, he has not come unless there is something else."
Qu Watanabe: “…”
If I remember correctly, my cheap dad doesn't seem to know martial arts.
So was it a sparring match or a one-sided beating?
He wiped his mouth and climbed down from the chair, "Empress Xuan, I'd better leave."
Concubine Xuan frowned slightly, stood up, walked to his side, and squatted down: "Your Highness, don't worry about me."
"No," the child in front of him shook his head like an adult, "Empress Chu is the mother chosen by His Majesty for me. I don't like her at all."
Concubine Xuan: "If you don't like it, then don't go."
Qu Watanabe: "His Majesty has already moved my things over there, and he insisted that I go."
The emperor's desire for control means that even if he doesn't like her and doesn't choose Concubine Chu in the end, he still has to stay with her for a few days. This is another way of "being nice to him."
He hugged Concubine Xuan and said, "I actually like Concubine Xuan's place better. I will come here often to play with my sister in the future."
If his dog father really found him a foster mother that he felt uncomfortable with, then he would definitely turn into a street urchin in the palace, sleeping here tonight and there tomorrow night, and never going home.
Concubine Xuan was stunned.
Qu Dubian invited Ye Xiaoyuan to eat and take things. He took away half of the fried golden horns, then pushed open the door of the hall and walked into the darkness outside.
Concubine Xuan watched him avoid Concubine Chu's attempt to hold her hand and get into his own puppy carriage.
The small figure huddled together in the dark, gnawing on the food taken from her, ignoring everyone, and it could be vaguely seen that she was sulking towards the emperor.
Concubine Xuan reached out her hand subconsciously.
Zhiyi held it.
The little princess said, "Empress Xuan, can my brother live here forever? I'm happy that he's here. I feel like Empress Xuan is also very happy."
Concubine Xuan: "Me? Do I look happy?"
Zhiyi stretched out her little hand and poked the corner of her mouth, "Yes, you were always smiling when your brother was around. After he left, you became the same as before."
Concubine Xuan covered her little hand and pressed her fingertips against the corner of her lips.
-
The puppy carriage was driving on the palace road, and Qu Duan didn't say a word along the way.
In front, a palace maid from Concubine Chu's household ran ahead and lifted up the threshold that was blocking the road and removed it.
Arriving at the gate of Changxin Palace, Eunuch Bao smiled at the stern-faced little prince and said, "Little Prince, His Majesty has specially allowed the imperial kitchen to cook for you. It's all warmed up inside. You..."
Qu Watanabe: "I've even shared my milk tea with you!"
Eunuch Bao was stunned for a moment by his fierceness.
Qu Watanabe was angry: "Your Majesty, you moved my things here, and you didn't even tell me quietly. Sure enough, not everyone treats me as well as Ye Banban and Xiaochun."
"Oh, Your Highness, I'm not!"
"I don't want to listen," he said in a low voice, not listening to Bao Gonggong's explanation, and watched Xiaochun untie the rope on Dahei.
Dahei shook his fur and seemed to be running very happily. His eyes were much brighter than when he was in the kennel. He gently nudged Qu Watanabe with his muzzle to show his affection.
Concubine Chu was startled and said hurriedly: "Quickly pull this dog away! How can it be allowed to touch the prince when it is so dirty!!"
“I like it.”
Qu Duan turned his head and asked: "You don't like it?"
Concubine Chu: "...I like it, but I'm worried that it might bite people. But since Your Highness likes it, come, bring the dog in and feed it well."
The palace maid came to lead it, but Dahei refused to move.
Qu Dubian held its leash and it followed him. After an afternoon of work, it already knew who its owner was.
Ye Xiaoyuan and Wen Xiaochun looked at each other and could see that the young prince had a vague rejection of Concubine Chu. They stepped forward at the same time, avoiding the palace servants of Changxin Palace and getting close to Qu Dubian.
Qu Dubian found a place and placed the car and Dahei.
The palace maids from Changxin Palace brought a basin of raw meat. Qu Dubian skewered the meat and fed it to Dahei piece by piece.
He hated the behavior of strangers moving his things without permission. Whether it was Concubine Chu, with whom he intuitively had a bad aura, or Emperor Chongzhao, this behavior directly touched his sore spot.
Qu Dubian became a deaf boy and turned a deaf ear to the palace maids in Changxin Palace who advised him to go inside to eat.
Focus on feeding Dahei.
-
Eunuch Bao returned to the Purple Palace and saw Yu Decai at the door.
Eunuch Yu asked quietly, "How is it?"
"Oh," said Eunuch Bao, "Your Highness is really angry this time. I have never seen Your Highness lose his temper like this before."
Eunuch Yu: "Go in quickly, His Majesty is waiting inside. I have asked you three times in just a short while."
Eunuch Bao calmed down and went in to report.
He repeated what he had just said to Eunuch Yu, and said with a sad face, "Your Majesty, since coming to the Purple Palace, the young prince has always been kind to us servants and palace maids. This time, even the servants were treated harshly. Why don't you go and see the young prince in person?"
Emperor Chongzhao felt a headache when he heard this: "I moved him away so quickly because I knew that if he saw me and jumped on me, I wouldn't be able to shake him off."
"How did Concubine Chu perform?"
Bao Gonggong recalled: "I was quite accommodating to His Highness. He never got angry when His Highness was being naughty. When His Highness let go of the dog he had picked from the zoo, I was worried about His Highness's safety."
"She is a good person, but Xiao Qi, alas."
Emperor Chongzhao pressed his temples and said, "Go to the storehouse and pick out two boxes of incense I made, and also two gold ruyi. Send them all to Changxin Palace tomorrow."
Eunuch Bao: "Lady Chu seems to prefer agate."
Emperor Chong Zhao looked at him strangely and said, "Who said it was for Concubine Chu? This is for Xiao Qi. I'm afraid he will make a fuss."
Eunuch Bao: “…”
So is this a bribe?
Isn't it a little late, Your Majesty?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com