Chapter 44
Qu Watanabe knew nothing about his attendance at court.
He just felt that the buzzing sound in his ears was sometimes soothing and sometimes noisy, making him sleep uneasily.
It's not accurate to say that he was sleeping, he still subconsciously remembered the feeling of being sick at level three. Occasionally he couldn't help it, groaning, and his mouth would be covered.
He found it very annoying, and after it happened too many times, he no longer held back and just bit it.
A morning court session that was supposed to be solemn and serious in sentencing the Chu family ended in whispers.
In the end, Concubine Chu was sentenced to death. Those who had connections with her brother and participated in smuggling were beheaded three days later. The other three clans were beheaded in the autumn. Within the nine clans, three generations were not allowed to hold official positions. All kinds of details were reported to the archives.
After the court was adjourned, all officials bowed and left.
After they were far away from the Ganji Palace, the officials who knew each other could not help but discuss:
"Just now in the palace, His Majesty brought a child?"
"It's probably the Seventh Prince. I heard he got sick from fright yesterday. It was very serious. The lights in the Purple Palace were not turned off all night."
The person who was talking to him couldn't help but exclaimed, "You can't even carry him up to the palace. How can that be considered decent?"
Xie Jingshan passed by and bowed when he heard this. "Oh, sir, if you can't stand it, you can go to the Censorate to file a complaint and ask the censor to impeach him. His Majesty might even admit that he was wrong."
"Lord Zuo Shilang, what are you talking about? Haha," the man laughed, "I didn't hear or see anything. We were just talking in private."
The Seventh Prince was ill, so Your Majesty surrounded him with a screen and brought him to court.
It was obvious that he didn't want them to know, they were not fools. And even if this was against the rules, it was because of his majesty's compassion for his son and his kind fatherly heart.
Wouldn't they be disliked if they were so blind as to impeach him?
The censors and judges in the Censorate have all become blind and deaf, so what's the point of them rushing forward?
As a ruler and his subjects, sometimes you still have to turn a blind eye.
Xie Jingshan looked at the two people's hurried backs and shook his head.
It is really eye-opening that His Majesty will one day be like an ordinary father and take care of his children without taking off his clothes.
He did not think that this was a form of flattery for the Seventh Prince. After all, he was the youngest and it was not his turn to compete with his brothers. The ministers all focused their attention on the three older princes.
He just felt that if this continued, other younger princes might become mentally unbalanced.
People's hearts are biased. The more Your Majesty gives to the Seventh Prince, the more he will unconsciously turn his attention to him.
-
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Help me!"
After Emperor Chongzhao left the court, he hurried all the way from the Ganji Palace to the Zichen Palace. His reserved expression suddenly changed, and he stretched out his hand in despair, "Tear off his mouth for me."
Eunuch Yu hurried forward, took a look, and his face was distorted: "Oh my God, how did you bite it like this? "
The young prince closed his eyes tightly, but his mouth was tightly biting the base of Emperor Chongzhao's right hand. Not to mention the saliva, there were also deep teeth marks on his thumb and index finger.
He quickly washed his hands and worked with Ye Xiaoyuan to rescue Emperor Chongzhao's hand from Qu Dubian's mouth.
Eunuch Yu felt pained just by looking at it: "Your Majesty, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Emperor Chongzhao shook his hands, "…I was in court at the time! How could I say that? Hiss, the force of the bite is really strong."
He was so obsessed with saving face that he would suffer in his lifetime. He waited until all the court officials had left and returned to the Purple Palace before he said this.
Doctor Yang came in and wrapped a circle of gauze around Emperor Chongzhao's horrible hand. Emperor Chongzhao ordered, "Wrap my fingers as well. How can I meet the ministers with the tooth marks on my face?"
"Yes," Doctor Yang covered it for him as he was told. After examining him, he focused his attention on Qu Duanbian.
"The temperature doesn't seem to have dropped much. Your Majesty, the little prince hasn't woken up yet."
Emperor Chongzhao said, "I was almost woken up once when I was in court."
Doctor Yang was in a dilemma. He had been practicing medicine for so many years and had seen all kinds of difficult and complicated diseases, but why couldn't the Seventh Prince's temperature go down?
It seemed to be the same last time.
This temperature would burn you crazy.
"Your Highness should not cover yourself too thickly. You can use some wine to wipe your body. I will make another dose of medicine later. If Your Highness wakes up, remember to ask him to eat something so that he can have strength."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qu Watanabe's ears moved.
The child who had been sleeping soundly on the bed just now suddenly crawled up slowly and looked at Emperor Chongzhao with a pair of feverish eyes.
"…Have a meal."
Emperor Chongzhao: “…”
He quickly called for someone to prepare some food that the Seventh Prince would like to eat.
Qu Dubian lowered his head and it fell forward. Emperor Chongzhao held it with his hand, and the latter took his support and yawned without using any strength.
"Eat... the meal prepared by Empress Xuan and Empress Guo..."
He still remembered the dinner appointment he made with Concubine Xuan.
Another bowl of ugly soup popped up in Qu Dubian's mind. After thinking for a while, he added, "That day, the feast day, I want to eat rice too."
His forehead is so hot that it can warm his hands, but this child is still thinking about food.
Emperor Chongzhao: "Go, have someone go to Shunning Palace. As for the meal on the day of the ceremony..."
Ye Xiaoyuan still held a grudge: "The Guanglu Temple prepared it."
"That's not what Guanglu Temple prepared. It's Xu's wheat soup, a sour soup for children," Emperor Chongzhao explained, and then he paused for a moment. "Bao Youfu, go find Xu Jianyan... No, what he makes is not authentic and looks ugly. Go to the Marquis Chijian's mansion and ask the old lady for a bowl."
Ye Xiaoyuan: “?”
The resentment turned into embarrassment, and he silently crossed out a line in the little notebook where he kept his grudges.
Eunuch Bao: "I will go right away and make sure that His Highness has the hottest drink!"
A group of people went to Shunning Palace. After leaving the palace, Eunuch Bao rode a fast horse and went straight to the Marquis Chijian's Mansion.
-
Xu Mansion.
Xu Tingfeng didn't know that his cooking skills were disliked by the emperor. He sneezed several times in a row, wondering why he caught a cold because of the bad weather today.
He received a letter from his aunt at the Marquis Chijian's Mansion last night, which vaguely mentioned the affairs of the Chu family.
The Chu family's fate has been determined. The destruction of the family is an end for them, but a beginning for others.
The Chu family did business in Baojiangfang, Dongchen River. Even though the people were dead, their wealth remained.
The eldest uncle is in the northern border, so the eldest aunt cannot intervene openly. The second uncle's family is stupid and ignorant, and they are only interested in currying favor with others. They don't seem like the kind of people who can vent his anger for his little nephew.
Since the Chu family has taken action, they should not blame others for adding insult to injury.
Baojiangfang is far away from the capital, and the economy on both sides of the river is developing very well. I can take this opportunity to collect a few clean lines, collect them, and save them for my nephew as pocket money later.
Outside the window, bamboo branches are curved, and Xu Tingfeng is setting up a game of chess.
Sitting opposite him was a young man in purple, they were about the same age.
"I'm about to leave. I'm helping you like this, and you're still playing chess to bully me?"
Xu Tingfeng said with a smile: "Let's play something else this time, Gobang. Have you heard of it?"
It only took the purple-shirted young man a second to go from listless to energetic: "Oh! I know, let's play this, come on."
Xu Tingfeng smiled but said nothing.
A minute later, the purple-shirted young man went from laughing to not laughing anymore.
He fluttered his hands and said angrily, "If you switch to Gobang, you will lose even faster! You must have done it on purpose!"
Xu Tingfeng: "Go is too slow, this trip to Dongchen River is a fast one." He sat in a wheelchair, cupped his hands and smiled, "I give you a fast chess game, have a safe journey, and arrive in Baojiang soon."
The purple-shirted young man snorted.
"You're the only one who can say that. Don't worry."
-
Smoke rose from the sword-wielding marquis’ mansion.
Madam Hou cooked the meal herself.
She is very good at making this, and because time is tight, Fang's mother also comes to help. The two of them work together to make a pot of authentic wheat salty soup.
Old Madam Hou wanted so badly to stuff the pot directly into Eunuch Bao's arms.
"I can't eat it. I really can't eat it."
Madam Hou: "I'm worried that the Seventh Prince is hungry. Please give him some more. Oh, and there's more." She hurriedly pulled out a packet of pills in a small green bottle. "If he can't take the medicine, you can use some pills. I heard from the eunuch that the Seventh Prince was frightened and caught a cold. This medicine is often used by the border troops and it works."
"Give it to the imperial physician after we get back and ask them what dosage is appropriate for children."
Eunuch Bao: "Yes."
"There are still some things..."
A quarter of an hour later, Eunuch Bao was already carrying bags of all kinds, with his hands full. Under Madam Hou's gaze of "you can do it", he struggled to climb onto the horse.
He returned to the palace exhausted.
Qu Dubian had already eaten the food sent from Shunning Palace.
Guo Changzai's cooking is more sour and spicy, which is what Qu Watanabe likes. Although the ones from the imperial kitchen are delicious, they are too sweet and you will get sick of them if you eat too much.
Eunuch Bao brought out the sour soup, which was still hot.
Qu Dubian leaned over and took a deep breath; it tasted sour and fragrant.
Emperor Chongzhao: "What else did Madam Hou tell you?"
Eunuch Bao took them out one by one and placed them on the table. "He gave me some pills to treat fever, a small pillow of herbs for curing all diseases, and some small snacks. He only gave me the things and didn't tell me anything else."
Emperor Chongzhao: “Yes.”
His eyes fell on the small pillow that could cure all diseases. He remembered that Yue Qing seemed to have done this before and personally directed the preparation of the herbs, but had not finished it yet.
Madam Hou was alone in the capital, and she must have been lonely, so the pillow must have been prepared long ago and she took this opportunity to send it in.
"Your grandmother loves you very much. You can go visit her when you have time."
Qu Watanabe: “?”
He slowly lowered the simulation level to zero, allowing his brain to think clearly.
The Xu family is considered his in-laws, so he has a natural relationship with them. He has to pay some attention to them, so he gradually got a lot of information from Ye Banban.
My cheap dad is an emperor who is too concerned about his reputation and has a narrow mind. His grandfather holds military power and guards the northern border, so it is impossible for my cheap dad not to be afraid of him.
The reason for maintaining peace was that his grandfather had no heir.
If I'm not mistaken, my cheap dad will choose new people to go to the Northern Frontier in the future to gradually replace his grandfather and smoothly transfer military power.
But if he, a prince, because of their close relationship, causes the old marquis to refuse to give up power or share power, and harbors the intention of usurping the throne and controlling the Northern Frontier, wouldn't his stepfather be unable to sleep at night?
Preventing him from getting close to the Marquis' Mansion is what the petty-minded Lao Deng would do.
If you want to get close, you have to at least wait until someone appears in the Northern Frontier who can replace the old marquis.
He didn't believe that the affection developed in just a few days of getting along could make the emperor give up power.
So this is a test from Dog Dad?
Thinking of this, Qu Dubian kicked the small pillow away and said disdainfully: "Who cares, it's tattered and broken."
"..." Emperor Chongzhao couldn't believe it. "This was made by your grandma's mother! Your mother's mother!"
"Ugly and dirty."
He also patted his feet.
"Grandma, I don't know and I don't want to use it. I have a better one."
Emperor Chongzhao stared at the pillow that was kicked away, thinking of how Yueqing worked hard to make pillows when she was pregnant, and how Old Madam Hou rushed into the palace and kowtowed to him when the brat fell ill for the first time... A nameless anger rose up in his heart.
The veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"How old is your grandmother? She prepared this for you long ago, don't you know how to be grateful?"
Qu Dubian yawned sleepily, "I'm full and want to sleep."
“…”
Emperor Chongzhao asked someone to pick up the pillows, patted them, threw away the pillow that Qu Dubian was currently resting on, and replaced it with this herbal pillow.
He said with a dark face: "From now on, you will use this as your pillow!"
"Oh," Qu Dubian picked up a piece of paper and a charcoal pencil, and lay on the bed pretending to draw, "Whatever, it's fine."
No matter what you say, no one reacts.
But it’s the lack of response that’s the most annoying.
Emperor Chongzhao hesitated for a moment and said earnestly: "Madam Hou is your grandmother. Although you are a member of the royal family, you should visit her in the future. She is good to you, so you should be more filial to her."
The child nodded perfunctorily: "Yeah, yeah."
He even yawned, "But I'll return the gifts soon, my father is going to choose a new mother for me."
Emperor Chongzhao took a deep breath, so the original one is not important anymore, right?
Emperor Chongzhao had originally envisioned that after a few years, Xiaoqi could be released to get close to Marquis Chijian's mansion. After all, every prince had an in-law, which would make it easier to check and balance them in the future.
But if he gets too close to the Sword-wielding Marquis, he will definitely stop him before he takes back the military power.
The medicine pillow reminded him of his memories of Yueqing. He thought that Xiaoqi was sickly, so it would be okay for him to get close to the lonely old man. He didn't expect that the child would say such words today. If he was like this to his grandmother, how many years could he remember his deceased mother?
But no matter who puts himself in the shoes of others, the more Emperor Chongzhao thought about it, the more he felt his heart was hurt. Looking at the small pillow that was being stepped on by his youngest son as a foot pad, he actually felt a trace of sympathy in his heart.
How about letting this kid go and see Old Madam Hou during the New Year this year?
It's not easy for her to run around all the time, only to be despised.
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