Chapter 74: Dual Residence 8: Vitality is endless. ...
Seeing him come back, Meng Xiaohe asked, "What happened?"
Zhu Song said, "It suddenly occurred to me that Yun Qing has been in our family for such a long time. Now that we have acknowledged him, we should make his identity public."
When Zhu Song was sorting out the drug trial records seized from Prince Xian's Mansion, he saw Xia Yunqing's name. There was a lot of information on it, so Zhu Song asked someone to check Xia Yunqing's background based on the information.
Xia Yunqing was twenty-one years old and a native of Xiaoli County in the Northern Desert. He passed the county exam at fourteen, the prefectural exam at fifteen, the imperial college exam at sixteen, and the provincial exam at nineteen, placing first in the Northern Desert exam. However, on his way back from the provincial exam, he was abducted by the Yuling Sect. His parents were killed by Yuling Sect members while searching for him, and his siblings were also taken aboard.
The yamen runners visited Xiaoli County and learned that Xia Yunqing had a good friend named Yu Wusheng who grew up with him. The year Xia Yunqing was abducted by the Yuling Sect, he left a letter and ran away, and has never returned home since then.
When the news reached Zhu Song, he asked people to check Xia Yunqing's brothers and sisters, but they were not found. They were probably all dead.
The medicine refined by the Yuling Sect is very toxic. Only ten out of a hundred people can survive after taking the medicine, and even if they survive, they will turn into man-eating monsters.
Meng Xiaohe thought it was a big deal and agreed on the spot. "Okay, in a few days I'll have your father add him to our family tree. I'll change his name to Zhu Yunqing."
Zhu Song said, "Okay, I'll be leaving then."
Meng Xiaohe stopped him, "Oh, wait, Yunqing made some delicious rice cakes yesterday. Bring some back for His Majesty to try."
"oh."
Meng Xiaohe filled a food box for Zhu Song and said, "Yun Qing's cooking skills are no worse than the imperial chef. Your Majesty will definitely like it."
Wen Fengxuan had lived in Zhu Mansion for a period of time before, and Meng Xiaohe had made special observations about him.
Zhu Song had only known Wen Fengxuan for less than a year, so he had no idea what his taste was. Hearing Meng Xiaohe say that, he agreed, "Okay."
Zhu Song left the Zhu Mansion with a small package and a large food box, but was stopped halfway.
It’s an acquaintance, Xue Caining.
Zhu Song didn't want to go, but now Xue Caining was a princess, he couldn't refuse, so he accepted the appointment.
Following the maid to the second floor of Tianyue Inn, Zhu Song met Xue Caining and said, "I greet Princess Heyi."
Xue Caining quickly gave him a fake hand and said, "Master Zhu, you are so polite. Please take a seat."
Zhu Song said, "I have something else to say. Princess, please speak frankly."
Xue Caining knew he was busy, so she didn't hesitate to ask, "When we were in Jizhou, you promised me that you would accompany me. Do you still want to be with me?"
Zhu Song quickly said, "Princess, you have misunderstood. We once had different views, and my words were often inappropriate. I hope you will forgive me. I already have someone I love, and the marriage has already been arranged. If you would do me the honor of coming to drink a glass of wedding wine, I would be honored."
Xue Caining said, "Sir, why are you trying to coax me? We both know whether you are engaged or not. Are you dissatisfied with my past?"
Zhu Song said, "I dare not deceive the princess. I do have someone in my heart, and I do not deserve your kindness. I have something else to do, so I will not delay you."
Zhu Song turned around and was about to leave, but Xue Caining stopped him forcefully, "Zhu Song, I've already told His Majesty that I'm attracted to you, and he's agreed to grant us the marriage. You have to get married even if you don't want to."
Xue Caining was not polite, so Zhu Song was not polite to her either, "Princess, you probably don't know that I solved a big case a few days ago, and His Majesty awarded me several death-exemption gold medals.
Xue Caining said, "So what?"
Zhu Song patiently explained to her, "That means that even if His Majesty grants the marriage, as long as I don't want to get married, the marriage won't take place."
Xue Caining reached out and pulled Zhu Song's sleeve, "You clearly promised me."
"Princess, please respect yourself." Zhu Song frowned, flicked his sleeves fiercely and strode out of Tianyue Inn.
Zhu Song became angrier and angrier as he walked. It turned out that he shouldn't have come.
After such a delay, it was already noon when Zhu Song entered the palace. When he arrived at the Yangxin Palace, Wen Fengxuan was reading a travelogue. He looked up at him with a half-smile and said, "Master Zhu, you have an appointment with a beautiful woman today. I thought you wouldn't come."
The situation was not right, and Zhu Song sighed quickly, "Ah, to be honest, I have a miserable life. My wife wanted to marry me to someone else, and she found me and asked me to take responsibility."
Wen Fengxuan frowned upon hearing this, "She came to you for this?"
Seeing that he was angry, Zhu Song hurried over to appease him and said, "We only said a few words. I sternly refused."
But as Zhu Song approached, Wen Fengxuan's brows furrowed even more tightly, "She also pulled you?"
Zhu Song was very surprised. How could she know this? He quickly explained, "I was about to leave, and she pulled my sleeve, but I shook it off immediately."
Wen Fengxuan shook off his sleeves and said, "It smells like powder."
Zhu Song took off his coat without saying anything and threw it away, "I'm not wearing it anymore." Then he changed the subject, "My mother asked me to bring you some cakes, try them and see if you like them."
Zhu Song opened the lid and took out the various cakes inside. Wen Fengxuan leaned back in his chair, looked at him and asked, "Have you told your mother?"
Zhu Song nodded, "Yeah."
Wen Fengxuan lowered his eyes, looking somewhat dejected, "She must be very worried, then?"
Seeing him disappointed, Zhu Song pinched his face and said in a relaxed tone, "No, my mother likes you very much. You don't know, my mother likes beautiful women the most. When I left, she repeatedly told you to go back and stay for a while, but I denied it."
Wen Fengxuan was obviously pleased by his words, "Why?"
Zhu Song said: "Ah Xuan is the emperor, how can he just go home with me?"
Wen Fengxuan smiled and said with some longing: "Then quickly raise the little guy and leave everything to him. We can go wherever we want."
Zhu Song picked him up and placed him on his lap. "Then you should eat more. My mother said that you must eat more during pregnancy so that both the adult and the baby will be healthy."
Wen Fengxuan was surprised, "You told me about the child too?"
Zhu Song nodded and said, "I told you, my mother is worried about you."
Wen Fengxuan hesitated and said, "She...wouldn't think I..."
Zhu Song knew what he was about to say and quickly stopped him, "No, my mother would love it if such a handsome boy could give birth to a child for me. Who knows how beautiful the child would be, and it would also improve the overall image of our Zhu family."
After hearing his words, Wen Fengxuan's worries disappeared. He leaned comfortably on Zhu Song's chest and said, "Zhu Song, your family is so nice."
If he were in someone else's shoes, Wen Fengxuan thought, he would definitely not be able to accept such a bizarre thing so quickly.
Zhu Chan said: "It's our family."
Wen Fengxuan looked up with a gleam in his eyes, "How about I open the treasury and let our father choose and take whatever he wants."
Zhu Song quickly stopped him, "No need, he has turned over a new leaf."
Wen Fengxuan said, "But if I don't do something, I always feel guilty."
Zhu Song said: "You being with me can be regarded as solving the Zhu family's long-standing problem."
Wen Fengxuan understood what he meant, "Fortunately, Lord Zhu has high standards, otherwise I wouldn't have any business."
Zhu Song smiled and said, "I just regret not coming to you earlier."
"It's not too late now."
Zhu Song kissed the corner of his mouth and asked, "What did you have for lunch?"
Wen Fengxuan tilted his head, hugged his neck, buried his face in his neck and sniffed carefully, "Waiting for you to come back, I haven't eaten yet."
"It's already so late and you haven't had lunch yet?" Zhu Song raised his voice. Wen Fengxuan was right anyway, "It's all your fault for not coming back earlier."
"I was wrong, but you can't just wait for me and not eat." Zhu Song quickly had the food served. While waiting, he took a piece of rice cake and passed it to Wen Fengxuan's mouth, "Have a snack to fill your stomach."
Wen Fengxuan took a bite, his expression froze. Zhu Song asked, "Don't you like it?"
Wen Fengxuan said: "Quite the opposite."
As Meng Xiaohe said, Wen Fengxuan really liked the snacks made by Xia Yunqing. He didn't eat a single bite of the food in the palace for lunch, but finished all the snacks brought by Zhu Song.
After dinner, Wen Fengxuan felt sleepy, so Zhu Song accompanied him for a nap. Then Wen Fengxuan went to the Qinzheng Hall to meet with the ministers.
Zhu Song had nothing to do, so he went to Li Qiutong to ask about the precautions during pregnancy. Before leaving, he asked Xie Ningyuan to send someone to Zhu Mansion to bring more snacks to the palace.
Xie Ningyuan was worried and went there in person, so he brought Xia Yunqing directly into the palace.
"elder brother."
Zhu Song was a little surprised to see him, "Why did you come to the palace?"
Xia Yunqing replied, "My mother asked me to come to the palace to take care of His Majesty's food and drink."
Zhu Song nodded, and Xia Yunqing didn't say much to him. "It's getting dark, I have to go make dinner. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to eat anything today?"
Zhu Song said: "I didn't hear him say that."
Xia Yunqing responded, "Oh, then I'll do as my mother instructed."
"OK."
Xia Yunqing looked at Xie Ningyuan and said, "Please take me to the kitchen."
Xie Ningyuan said, "This way, please."
"Brother, I'm leaving."
"Um."
After Xia Yunqing left, Zhu Song spoke with Li Qiutong for a while, and then the chief eunuch came in, "Master Zhu, His Majesty has finished his business."
Zhu Song responded, and Li Qiutong said, "Let's stop here for today."
"oh."
Zhu Song went to the Qinzheng Palace and said, "Your Majesty."
Wen Fengxuan smiled when he saw him, stood up and extended his hand to him, "Let's go back to the Yangxin Palace."
Just as Zhu Song was about to be pulled up, the chief eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Heyi requests an audience."
Wen Fengxuan frowned, and Zhu Song let go of his hand, "I'll avoid it."
Wen Fengxuan grabbed his hand and said, "No need, call her in."
"yes."
Soon Xue Caining came in and her eyes widened when she saw the two people holding hands. She had seen everything in Jizhou before, so she naturally understood what this meant. However, she did not expect that Zhu Song was actually with Wen Fengxuan. She was so shocked that she was speechless.
Wen Fengxuan asked, "What do you want to see me for?"
Wen Fengxuan's tone was not good, and Xue Caining replied guiltily: "No...it's okay."
Wen Fengxuan's face was calm, and his tone was slightly deep. "According to the rules of the royal family, when the princess reaches eighteen, she should leave the palace and build a residence. Yangzhou's feng shui is good for people, so let's build the princess' residence in Yangzhou."
The meaning was very clear. Xue Caining had always been afraid of Wen Fengxuan, so she didn't dare to say no at this moment. She just responded and left.
"Let's go back and eat."
As soon as he returned to the Yangxin Palace and sat down, the palace maids brought the dishes. Wen Fengxuan looked at the dishes that were completely different from the previous ones and asked, "Who made the dishes today?"
Zhu Song replied, "Zhu Yunqing, knowing that you like his cooking, mother allowed him to enter the palace and planned to take care of you until your full term."
Wen Fengxuan was slightly surprised, "Zhu Yunqing?"
Zhu Song nodded, "It's recorded in the Zhu family's genealogy. He is truly my younger brother."
Wen Fengxuan pursed his lips, "You don't have to go this far."
Zhu Song smiled and said, "Mom likes him very much, so I won't force him."
Wen Fengxuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Go ask him what he wants to do in the future."
Zhu Song guessed: "He was a scholar before, I guess he still wants to become an official."
Wen Fengxuan said: "Then he will participate in the imperial examination next year. Ask him which department he wants to go to."
"Okay, I'll ask him later. Let's eat first."
"Um."
Tonight, Wen Fengxuan ate two bowls of rice, a rare occasion. After he was stuffed, Zhu Song walked around the room with him to help him digest the food. During the conversation, Wen Fengxuan mentioned something, "Today, Gu Huaiyu wrote a letter requesting to go to various places to inspect the administration of officials."
Zhu Song was surprised. "Ah? Is that true?"
Wen Fengxuan said, "The memorial was just submitted today, didn't you know?"
Zhu Song shook his head. "I haven't heard him mention it at all. I'll ask him tomorrow."
Wen Fengxuan said: "Yeah."
Wen Fengxuan felt tired after walking for a while. He had been getting increasingly tired recently, and he would feel sleepy at the slightest provocation. It was the kind of sleepiness that he couldn't suppress at all. He would fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. He yawned and said, "I'm sleepy."
Zhu Song said, "Li Qiutong said this is normal, just sleep when you're tired."
"Um."
Wen Fengxuan was so sleepy that he fell asleep in bed without even finishing his sentence. Zhu Song wanted to accompany him to sleep, but it was too early. Zhu Song tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. At first, he remembered Li Qiuting's words and didn't bother Wen Fengxuan, but later he was so bored that he couldn't help but touch Wen Fengxuan's face.
The palace lanterns were dim, and the eyelashes cast long shadows under the eyelids. The tip of the straight nose was like the top of a distant mountain. Zhu Song moved closer, and the aroma of ripe peaches became stronger. Zhu Song was very curious about where this smell came from, so he kept sniffing Wen Fengxuan, from his neck to his waist and abdomen.
"Itchy~" Wen Fengxuan muttered, reaching out to push him, but he was so sleepy that he had no strength in his hand. The effect on Zhu Song felt like a tickle, and Zhu Song took the opportunity to kiss his hand. Wen Fengxuan didn't move and fell asleep again. Zhu Song continued to sniff downwards, and perhaps he touched something, so Wen Fengxuan grabbed him.
"No~"
His voice was filled with deep sleepiness, sounding charming and alluring. Zhu Song crawled out from under the quilt and defended himself, "I'm not thinking about that."
Wen Fengxuan was so sleepy that he couldn't even open his eyes, but he still turned his head towards him and asked, "What are you doing?"
Zhu Song spoke frankly, "I'm curious where the peach scent on you comes from."
"There's no peach scent at all."
Wen Fengxuan's voice became more and more sticky, and he moved closer to Zhu Song until his whole body was nestled in his arms.
Zhu Song was a little surprised, "Can't you smell it yourself?"
But Wen Fengxuan didn't reply, and he fell asleep again. Zhu Song didn't want to bother him anymore, so he held him until he fell asleep.
He went to bed too early the first day, and the next day, Zhu Song woke up before Li Qiuting came to call him, but Wen Fengxuan was still asleep. He didn't move for fear of disturbing him, and after a while, Li Qiuting's voice rang out.
In fact, this was not Li Qiuting's job, but now Li Qiuting had to take Wen Fengxuan's pulse every morning and evening, so she took over this job.
Li Qiutong's voice was not loud, and Wen Fengxuan hadn't woken up yet, so Zhu Song gently pushed him, "Ah Xuan, Ah Xuan."
Wen Fengxuan opened his eyes drowsily, obviously still asleep. "Is it dawn?"
Before Zhu Song could answer, Li Qiutong's voice rang out again. Wen Fengxuan narrowed his eyes and sat up, "Come in."
Zhu Song helped Wen Fengxuan put on his clothes. Li Qiuting came in and took his pulse. There was nothing wrong with him. Wen Fengxuan then went to the morning court under the escort of Xie Ningyuan.
Zhu Song was a little worried about Wen Fengxuan's condition and asked Li Qiutong, "You weren't like this the day before yesterday. Why are you so sleepy all of a sudden?"
Li Qiutong said, "I was hungry before, but I ate a lot yesterday, so I naturally felt sleepy. Your Majesty is weak, so it's good for you to eat more and get more sleep."
Zhu Song was still worried, "State affairs are so busy, can he hold on?"
Li Qiutong said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty is much stronger than you think."
Zhu Song said, "I'm worried that he'll be too tired."
It would be unpleasant for Li Qiuting to respond to this, so he chose to remain silent.
At this point, there was no point in saying more, so Zhu Song didn't say anything more. Just then, Zhu Yunqing came over and asked, "Brother, does His Majesty have anything he particularly likes to eat this morning?"
"I don't think so." Zhu Song said uncertainly, looking at Li Qiutong. Li Qiutong waved her hand, "Don't look at me, I don't care about these things."
Zhu Yunqing nodded and said, "Then I'll watch and prepare."
Li Qiutong left early because of something. Zhu Song thought about what happened yesterday and took the opportunity to ask Zhu Yunqing, "Yunqing, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"
Zhu Yunqing thought for a moment and replied, "I want to be a chef."
Zhu Song was very surprised, "Why?"
Zhu Yunqing said: "I don't know, I just think that maybe I didn't eat well during the time when I lost my memory."
Zhu Song was silent for a moment, "I thought you wanted to become an official."
Zhu Yunqing replied: "Maybe I have thought about it before, but now I just want to be an ordinary cook."
Zhu Song didn't want to make the atmosphere so heavy, so he said, "If you become a chef, you won't be an ordinary chef, you have to be a royal chef."
Zhu Yunqing smiled and said, "Then I must perform even better and try to persuade His Majesty to keep me here."
Zhu Song said, "No need to fight for it, His Majesty is very satisfied with your cooking skills."
Zhu Yunqing said, "As long as your Majesty is satisfied, brother, I'm going to make breakfast."
"Um."
Zhu Yunqing went to the imperial kitchen, and Zhu Song also went to the Dali Temple. He had another very important thing to figure out.
When Zhu Song arrived at the Dali Temple, Gu Huaiyu had just arrived. Seeing Zhu Song, he greeted him from afar, "Hey, you're here."
Gu Huaiyu's tone was relaxed, but Zhu Song was not at all relieved. He walked quickly to Gu Huaiyu and asked, "Why did you leave Beijing?"
"You know?" Gu Huaiyu asked first, then explained, "I've been in the capital for a long time and want to go out for a walk. It won't be long, I'll be back before the New Year."
Zhu Song saw that he was serious, "Do you really want to go?"
Gu Huaiyu nodded, "I won't joke about serious matters."
Zhu Song asked, "When do you plan to leave?"
Gu Huaiyu said: "The sooner the better."
Something was really wrong. Zhu Song frowned, "Gu Er, tell me honestly, why did you leave Beijing? You've never thought about going out in all these years. Did something happen?"
Gu Huaiyu sighed, "To tell you the truth, my mother has arranged a marriage for me, and I really don't want to marry someone I don't like, so I want to go out and hide. So, please ask His Majesty to approve it quickly so that I can leave early."
Zhu Song's brows furrowed even more tightly. "Just for this?"
Gu Huaiyu asked in return: "Isn't this enough?"
"That's enough."
So that day Wen Fengxuan agreed to Gu Huaiyu's request, gave him the imperial sword and gold medal, and ordered him to leave Beijing as soon as possible.
Gu Huaiyu did not delay and left early the next morning. He brought only ten attendants with him.
He left in such a hurry that only Zhu Song and Qu Zhoubai came to see him off. The three of them said goodbye at the Shili Pavilion outside the city.
Qu Zhoubai looked reluctant and said, "I want to go too. Why don't you wait for me? I've told the emperor that we can go together."
Gu Huaiyu said to him, "You think you are going to the market? Go if you want to. I am going to do some serious business."
Qu Zhoubai sighed, "Gu Er, I really can't bear to leave you."
Zhu Song quickly stopped him, "Hey, he just went out of the capital for an inspection and came back in a year or two. Don't talk like he was transferred out of town."
Qu Zhoubai said: "Since we met, we have never been apart for such a long time."
Gu Huaiyu said, "I can't be the same as when I was little when I grow up. Okay, I'm leaving."
The three of them hugged each other, and then Gu Huaiyu mounted his horse and rode away. Qu Zhoubai sighed as he watched him go away, and murmured softly, "Why do people have to grow up?"
Zhu Song couldn't answer this question, so he could only pat him on the shoulder and say, "Let's go back to work."
Qu Zhoubai turned to look at Zhu Song, lowered his eyes and consoled himself: "One year, at most one year, and Gu Er will be back."
At that time, no one had expected that it would take three full years for Gu Huaiyu to return to Beijing, but that is a story for later.
Zhu Song had just returned to the palace and saw Wen Fengxuan sitting and staring at the South China Sea Mermaid Pearl in front of him with a serious look.
Zhu Song walked over with a smile, "Do you like it?"
Wen Fengxuan didn't even raise his head and replied directly: "I don't like it."
Zhu Song's smile deepened. "Don't you like watching so much?"
After hearing his words, Wen Fengxuan looked up at him and said, "Because I really don't understand why you would risk your life so much for such a rubbish."
Zhu Song replied: "Isn't that what you want?"
Wen Fengxuan frowned, "When did I say I wanted it?"
Zhu Song recalled the scene at that time, "When Wen Zhan took it out, you kept staring at it."
Wen Fengxuan replied somewhat angrily: "At that time, why don't you look at it and look at you?"
Zhu Song took it for granted, "I'm just looking at you."
Wen Fengxuan blinked and fell silent. Zhu Song noticed that he was in a bad mood, walked over and hugged him from behind, "Are you unhappy?"
Wen Fengxuan leaned against him and said to him, "Come with me to see my uncle."
Zhu Song asked, "Yes, Imperial Master?"
Wen Fengxuan nodded. "Yes, he said yesterday that the matter was settled and it was time for him to return home. Come with me to see him off."
Seeing that Wen Fengxuan was in a low mood, Zhu Song did not ask too many questions about the matter, but just followed him silently to the National Master's Mansion.
The Imperial Master's Mansion has always been a very mysterious place. Its gates are always closed and almost no one goes in or out. Zhu Song was very curious about the Imperial Master's Mansion for a while, but after staying there for a long time, he really couldn't find a way to sneak in. He didn't expect that one day he would be invited in.
Far from the solemnity I'd imagined, the Imperial Preceptorium was a simple rural retreat. Aside from a single-person stone path, the rest was muddy ground, freshly plowed, ready for sowing. A row of verdant bamboo blocked the high courtyard wall. Fish thrashed in the pond, occasionally leaping up and diving, making a "po" sound and rippling the water.
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