Chapter 16, let's consider it a make-up.
Seventeen lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while. When she looked up again, she saw that Mingyue's expression was conflicted and seemed to carry a hint of apology.
Confused, he looked at the other person strangely and asked, "Brother Yue, what's wrong?"
"Uh...did I bring up something that made you sad?"
Seventeen was taken aback, then burst out laughing: "What are you saying, Brother Yue? I'm not a child anymore, I just miss you a little."
Seeing that Seventeen's expression had improved, Mingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Those damned Northern Rong! They've committed so many evils, we'll wipe them all out one day!
"It seems that the customs in different parts of Dajing are quite similar."
Seventeen turned to look out the window, and a vendor below caught his eye.
"Huh? What are they selling over there?"
Mingyue followed his gaze and saw a dazzling array of various trinkets displayed in front of the vendor. The colors on them were beautiful, but it was hard to tell what they were.
Seventeen looked on curiously, but Mingyue smiled faintly: "Those are sparklers, also known as fairy sticks in folk tradition."
"Hmm? Why is it called that?"
Seventeen glanced at the "fairy wand" in front of the vendor again and wondered: Could it be because its colors are so vibrant that it looks just like the fairies in ancient paintings?
"I'm not entirely sure of the specific story behind it, but perhaps it's because of its vibrant colors. After all, it's said that fairies' clothes are extremely beautiful."
Mingyue tilted her head and thought for a while before speaking.
Seventeen nodded, which coincided with his own thoughts, but he didn't really care why. He just stared longingly at the dazzling sparkler.
"You like them? You can buy some to take home and store."
But Seventeen shook his head and refused, saying, "No, this fairy wand is probably filled with gunpowder. It's not safe to bring it back to the palace from outside. Besides, His Majesty might not allow me to put it in the palace."
Mingyue paused, holding her teacup, and poured herself another cup to cover her tracks: "You're right. We can ask His Majesty later. The palace also has these kinds of sparklers, but the palace is very strict, so few people use them to play with."
“That would be great. I’ll ask Grandpa Yuanfu about it later.”
Seeing Shiqi's smiling face, Mingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief and began to wonder if she would have enough time to buy sparklers.
Looking into Seventeen's innocent and clear eyes, Mingyue felt a rare pang of guilt. This child was so naive, yet she had schemed against him in every way... Oh well, consider it making amends.
"Little Seventeen?"
Seventeen was stuffing a few pastries into his mouth. After finishing their meal, he and Yue-ge were strolling around the street, enjoying the lively atmosphere.
Suddenly he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and saw that it was the Prince of Huainan.
The other person was dressed in a bright red robe with gold trim, and the trinkets hanging from his waist were still dazzling. His black hair was tied up high, and the rubies on his gold crown shone brightly.
He had the air of a wealthy young master, and the surrounding people could tell that, so they kept their distance from him, afraid of offending this young master from who-knows-where.
"temple......"
Seventeen had barely opened his mouth to call out when Mingyue pulled him aside, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Young Master."
Only then did Seventeen realize what was happening and quickly followed suit, calling out "Young Master" as well.
Long Zhaoming waved his fan, squinted at the tall guard in front of him, and an idea popped into his mind.
He closed his fan, pointed at the bright moon, and said hesitantly, "You..."
Mingyue's gaze immediately met his, the meaning of which was self-evident. Long Zhaoming chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, oh, oh, Little Seventeen is shopping?"
He turned his head to look at Seventeen, who was a step away from Mingyue. When he saw Long Zhaoming looking over, Seventeen stepped forward.
"Young Master, I'm just strolling around with Brother Yue."
"Brother Yue?"
Long Zhaoming's gaze fell on Mingyue again, but Seventeen thought he didn't recognize Mingyue, so he quickly introduced her: "This is also a guard by His Majesty's side, named Mingyue."
"oh......"
For some reason, Seventeen felt that the King of Huainan's gaze seemed a little strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
"Then let's take a walk together. This must be Little Seventeen's first time spending the New Year in Yejing?"
"Yes, young master."
Long Zhaoming walked outside, with Seventeen and Mingyue lagging slightly behind him.
Along the way, Seventeen answered whatever Long Zhaoming asked, but Mingyue was unusually quiet.
Seventeen glanced at him several times, feeling somewhat worried, but he couldn't say anything in front of the Prince of Huainan. He could only frown and look at the other person from time to time.
Long Zhaoming naturally noticed Seventeen's little glance. He covered the lower half of his face with his folding fan, his fox-like eyes half-closed, as if he had thought of something very interesting, and he was full of smiles.
Seventeen recalled his earlier guesses and glanced cautiously at Mingyue. They were brothers, but his status was completely different from that of the Prince of Huainan...
Fortunately, the three of them didn't go far before the King of Huainan ran into an old friend again. Seventeen and Mingyue also used the excuse of returning to the palace to slip away. Before leaving, Mingyue glanced at the King of Huainan, and he glanced at her in return.
Seventeen noticed the glance they exchanged.
The Prince of Huainan... seems unaware of Yue's identity? Will Yue feel resentful after meeting the Prince of Huainan today...?
Seventeen felt a sense of crisis rising within her. She thought to herself that she couldn't let Mingyue have such thoughts. Being by His Majesty's side now was already the best outcome.
Mingyue had no idea that Seventeen was already imagining a grand drama. The glance he gave Long Zhaoming was merely a warning not to reveal his true identity.
After returning to the palace, Seventeen hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't figure out how to comfort Yue Ge.
However, he glanced at the man beside him a few more times. The man's expression was calm, and he seemed to be doing nothing wrong.
Perhaps I'm just overthinking it?
Seventeen thought to himself that since he and Yue-ge would meet again in the future, he should keep an eye on things for His Majesty to make sure nothing bad happens.
......
The end of the year is fast approaching, and the temperature is dropping day by day. By the 29th, it was already so cold that people couldn't stand it.
In previous years, the 17th was always in the camp with the stove burning brightly, and we often trained, so we didn't feel cold much. But this year it's unusually cold.
After he closed the window, Emperor Jing sat behind the table and sighed, "It seems like it will be even colder this year."
"Would Your Majesty like a cup of hot tea?"
Emperor Jing put down his pen and neatly arranged the memorials: "Go to the kitchen and see if there's anything you want to eat, then bring it over."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seventeen knew that His Majesty knew she had a sweet tooth and often let her choose what she wanted, which touched her heart.
It is truly rare to find someone who treats his subordinates so well, after all, as the ruler of a country.
A moment later, Seventeen brought in steaming hot soup. After placing the two bowls down, he turned around and said, "Your Majesty, Chef Fang said that he added some tonics to this soup and that Your Majesty should drink more of it."
Emperor Jing chuckled for a moment, then got up and sat down at the round table: "I'm not a child anymore, why would I need to replenish my body?"
Seventeen lowered his head and drank his soup without saying a word. "Your Majesty speaks so sweetly now, but how could you have been so self-righteous when you made the Prince of Huainan drink soup back then?"
The two quietly finished their two bowls of soup. After the palace maids came in and cleared away the dishes, Emperor Jing rubbed his temples, looking somewhat tired.
As Long Zhaoming said, the weather this year is abnormal; places that should be cold are hot, and places that should be hot are cold. What happened in Lingnan is a wake-up call.
But not a single one of these good-for-nothings reported the disaster! Their monthly reports were nothing but lavish and flowery language!
If he hadn't been aware of the situation and specifically sent people to investigate, the people would probably have died hoping someone would come to their rescue.
Thinking of the disasters happening in various places, Emperor Jing had a headache, but it was coming soon. Wei Xing's power was coming to an end, and what would be ushered in were officials who would truly get things done.
Tomorrow is the 30th, and Emperor Jing will hold a palace banquet on the 29th. The 30th will be left for them to spend time with their families.
Yuanfu had also made arrangements early on, so only Seventeen remained by Emperor Jing's side.
As dusk deepened and the colorful lanterns lit up, the palace was no longer as solemn and dignified as before, but instead became vibrant and lively.
Ministers had already entered the palace by this time, and everyone offered their congratulations, skillfully preparing for this grand annual palace banquet.
"Wow, you look radiant!"
"What are you saying? My little grandson is driving me crazy every day! Yu'er, call him Uncle Zhao."
Hello, Uncle Zhao.
"Hahaha! Hello, hello, I know you well enough to know you old rascal! Showing off in front of me, huh?"
The ministers walked together, accompanied by their wives and children, all dressed in magnificent and exquisite palace attire, and took their seats in an orderly manner under the guidance of palace servants.
The palace lanterns reflected colorful light, which was very beautiful. The curtain was slowly drawn open, and the palace maids dressed in pale yellow palace robes came forward to serve wine.
The room was filled with laughter and cheers, and even the usually serious civil officials wore rare smiles.
This is the best day of the year!
As the bell tolled, the murmurs of conversation gradually subsided. Eunuch Yuanfu, dressed in a dark red eunuch's robe, stepped forward, glanced at the now-quiet ministers below, flicked his whisk, and announced in a shrill voice, "Welcome, Your Majesty—"
As the ceremonial music began, the first thing to appear in the eyes of the officials was a corner of a bright yellow robe, followed by a pendant at the waist symbolizing status, and finally, the majestic face of the emperor.
Because of the special occasion, Emperor Jing had exempted his ministers from the formalities at the palace banquet years ago. Now, as he walked out, he slowly sat down on the high chair.
To his left stood a man dressed in black. The man had a handsome face and a slender figure. A gleaming sword hung at his waist, revealing its considerable value.
"My dear subjects, there's no need for such formalities. Let's proceed as usual."
After saying this, Emperor Jing raised his hand, and Yuanfu nodded slightly. The palace maids received the signal and served them dishes in an orderly manner.
Standing to Emperor Jing's left was Seventeen, who was almost at the same height as him. Below him was the Empress Dowager, and below her were several imperial concubines.
Empress Dowager Da Jing has never been very prominent. She has been in power for many years but has no children. Although the late emperor did not say anything, he was somewhat dissatisfied.
However, she remained firmly in her position as empress, simply because her surname was Wei.
A note from the author:
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