When the emperor arrived at the empress's palace, Chuanwen was engrossed in reading a book at the table, but only those who could hear her thoughts knew that her attention was not on the book at all.
[Princess Chaoyang, are you even capable? What's the use of just being sad after being rejected? Just pounce on her!]
[Haha, Zhang Qing hasn't dared to return to his residence for three days to avoid the Princess of Chaoyang...]
[Hey, Zhang Qing's two girls' schools have already started enrolling students... What the heck! My sister Yu actually signed up to be a cafeteria worker! Sister Yu, do you know that's a high-risk profession? It's easy to get injured!]
Chuanwen, initially surprised, pretended to turn a page of the book, but quickly became speechless. [However, with my sister Yu's biceps, it should be someone else who's injured...]
The Empress was sewing clothes for the little princess, listening to Chuanwen gossip as if she were listening to a storyteller, and she smiled with her lips pursed.
The emperor joined in, sitting beside the little princess's cradle, gently rocking it and admiring his daughter's adorable sleeping face.
The anger that had just left the East Palace dissipated at this moment. Sunlight streamed in through the window, his wife was sewing clothes beside him, he was putting his daughter to sleep, and there was a storyteller nearby. It couldn't be more pleasant.
However, just as he inadvertently glanced up and met Chuanwen's gaze, he suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. Sure enough, the next second, [The Emperor is here! Let's dig into what the Emperor has to offer...]
The hairs on the back of the emperor's back stood on end, but after thinking about it, he calmed down. He was the emperor of a country, and he was upright and honest. There was nothing he had done that was shameful!
However, the next second came Chuanwen's unrestrained mockery:
[Hahahaha, the emperor visited Qingfeng Temple several times wanting them to concoct an elixir of immortality for him, but he was afraid people would call him a tyrant, so he never mentioned it, hahaha. This made Master Taixiao, whom the emperor always dragged along to discuss Taoism, think he had done something wrong. He went away on a pilgrimage for two years and didn't dare to come back. He even frequently wrote to his senior brother to ask if the emperor had arrested him. The whole Taoist temple lived in constant anxiety, hahaha!]
The emperor was slapped in the face so quickly that he suppressed the twitching of his lips. However, looking at the people in the room, he realized that only he and Jinmei could hear Chuanwen's thoughts. It wasn't shameful for Jinmei to hear it; it was better than having all the civil and military officials hear it in the court.
However, reality is often disappointing. The eunuch outside lifted the curtain and announced that the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial was requesting an audience.
The emperor, with a dark expression, summoned the official, who was immediately met with a warning gaze from the emperor upon entering.
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, who had overheard the entire message being conveyed earlier, was trembling with fear. He should have checked the almanac before leaving home today; tears were streaming down his face...
"Your Majesty, the envoy from the Liang Kingdom, who is presenting New Year's gifts, arrived today, and I have already arranged accommodations for him."
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, with the Emperor's stern face, reported his purpose and asked if the Emperor would like to take some time to meet with them.
The emperor thought about it and decided that he should meet them, since they had come from afar and it was only polite to offer his condolences.
After instructing the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies to treat the envoy well, he asked with a forced smile, "My dear minister, you should know what you should and shouldn't say, right?"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was startled; this was clearly a warning. He quickly replied, "Your subject will certainly keep his mouth shut!"
I would never tell anyone that the emperor wanted to seek immortality but was afraid of being called a tyrant, so he hesitated and scared away a Taoist priest!
Only after receiving assurances from the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies did the emperor's expression soften, and he sent the man back.
What kind of riddle are these two playing?
The emperor looked puzzled, the empress smiled knowingly, and the emperor continued rocking the cradle as if nothing had happened.
[Holy crap! The Second Prince's house has exploded!]
The emperor nearly collapsed; as expected, with the imperial edict in hand, he could not remain at ease for even a moment.
The Empress's expression changed as well. At this moment, the guards and eunuchs outside began to whisper among themselves. The Emperor went out to investigate and saw flames and black smoke coming from the southwest.
Judging by the distance, they were practically outside the palace. The emperor was getting anxious. Had his second son's residence outside the palace really exploded? Was his second son alright?
At this moment, the Empress and Chuanwen also came out. Chuanwen stared at the ball of fire, his eyes filled with longing. ["I really want to see the excitement! The Second Prince actually blew up the alchemy furnace while refining pills!"]
The emperor, who was about to send someone to check the situation, paused and successfully caught the word "alchemy". His second son was also an alchemist.
The emperor acted decisively, taking Chuanwen along to see the spectacle. While changing into civilian clothes, the emperor mentally declared that he was only going because he was concerned for his second son's safety, and certainly not because he was interested in any elixir his son was concocting!
When the emperor and Chuanwen arrived, the Second Prince's residence was engulfed in smoke. Wuhoupu was already using water buckets and sprayers to put out the fire, and the neighbors around were also bringing water in buckets and basins to help put out the fire.
[Is the Second Prince out of his mind? He actually ran into the fire to try and save his medicine!]
Chuanwen peered inside, with Zheng Yan protecting her, afraid that she might be jostled by the chaotic crowd or injured by sparks flying out from inside.
The emperor was furious. What use are elixirs if the person is already dead?
"Yin Shuang! Summon the Second Prince to see me! Even if he's in the fire, pull him out! What's going on? How did such a huge fire get out of here!"
The emperor pretended to be very angry about the fire at the second prince's house, but in reality, he was just looking for an excuse to send his people to save his foolish son who was willing to risk his life for the sake of the elixir!
The emperor had two guards, Yin Shuang and Wei Xiang. After hearing the emperor's instructions, the two exchanged glances. Yin Shuang immediately ran inside, while Wei Xiang subtly moved closer to the emperor, becoming more vigilant.
Yin Shuang quickly pulled the Second Prince out. The Second Prince's clothes were burned in several places, the most serious being on his arms, where the clothes were burned through, revealing a piece of scalded flesh. He was soaking wet, probably because he had been doused with water.
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