Chapter 41 The Dinner (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
After leaving the West Third Palace, the two of them headed straight for the Taiji Hall. For this spring hunt, the civil and military officials were waiting for the emperor in the square in front of the Taiji Hall.
When I arrived, there were quite a few people there, and the Crown Prince had arrived very early and was currently talking to the Grand Secretary Zhao Chengdong.
Zhao Chengdong came from a humble background and was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the twenty-seventh year of the Yuhe era. He was also a veteran official of two dynasties, with both prestige and ability being more than sufficient. The emperor relied on him greatly. Before becoming the Grand Secretary, he had served as a lecturer to the emperor when the emperor was still a prince, so the emperor trusted him even more.
Even if he doesn't take sides, no one would dare to do anything to him. Now that the Crown Prince is talking to him with such a friendly expression, Fu Mingzi thinks it's probably because the Crown Prince wants to get closer to him. Because based on what Fu Mingzi knows about Zhao Chengdong, he would never take sides at this time; he's a notorious old fox.
Sure enough, as they drew closer, they heard the Crown Prince speaking with great concern to Zhao Chengdong about the severe drought in the Northwest that had been a major concern for the court in recent days. Zhao Chengdong responded with a few words without saying a word, showing no intention of delving deeper into the matter.
"Your Highness is so concerned about the country and its people; His Majesty would surely be very pleased to know this." Zhao Chengdong spoke these bland, flattering words with a kind face, making it impossible for anyone to say anything more.
The Crown Prince was probably furious with his appearance. As soon as he saw Zhou Xiaoyan coming over, he immediately put down his hand and turned to greet Zhou Xiaoyan: "Fifth brother is here. It's windy today, so you must dress warmly, otherwise you might get quite cold when you get to Yuntai."
"Thank you for your concern, elder brother. I understand." Zhou Xiaoyan was moved to tears.
The crown prince immediately felt much better. Even if someone was praising him, it was still much better than him performing a solo act!
The two put on another show of brotherly affection, while Zhao Chengdong stood by and watched without showing any emotion, his face still beaming with a smile.
Fu Mingzi was impatient with the brothers' perfunctory responses, but she was curious to observe Zhao Chengdong.
His understanding of Zhao Chengdong came from the Duke of Jingguo's occasional cursing and his own analysis of some rumors. He had only met him once, when his elder brother took him to attend the Second Prince's wedding, and he only saw him briefly.
Looking at him now, he is about fifty years old, with a peaceful demeanor and kind eyes. He looks like a wealthy old man who has no desires. No one would have thought that this person would be the chief minister of the Great Wei Dynasty, second only to the emperor.
Seemingly noticing Fu Mingzi's gaze, Zhao Chengdong looked over.
Fu Mingzi was startled and quickly lowered her head.
Zhao Chengdong looked at Fu Mingzi's awkward profile and a smile flashed in his eyes. This person should be the youngest son of that old man, the Duke of Jingguo. Judging from his appearance, he's another slippery fellow.
Fu Mingzi lowered his head and felt that Zhao Chengdong's gaze seemed to linger on him for a moment. He immediately held his breath and was a little nervous, but the next moment Zhao Chengdong's gaze moved away, and Fu Mingzi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Crown Prince did not notice this minor exchange. Although Zhou Xiaoyan did not show any reaction on the surface, his hands, which were originally hanging at his sides, clenched tightly.
He remembered that in his previous life, Fu Mingzi and Zhao Chengdong seemed to have had a significant conflict, and the protagonist of that conflict was himself.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a pang of sorrow. He vowed that it would never happen again in this life, and gritted his teeth inwardly.
Just as they were talking, the emperor finally came out.
Because it was a spring hunt, the emperor was dressed in riding attire, but he did not actually ride a horse to Yuntai. Instead, he sat in the imperial retinue.
The Crown Prince and Zhou Xiaoyan also had their own ceremonial guards, so Fu Mingzi could only join the ranks of the officials. Fu Mingzi initially felt a little awkward, but when she thought about being able to stay by her elder brother's side, she felt it was nothing.
However, Fu Mingsong was always cautious and meticulous when he was outside, so when he saw Fu Mingzi walking towards him, he shook his head slightly and pointed to the end of the line.
Fu Mingzi was speechless. He was just a study companion and shouldn't be ranked next to Fu Mingsong, but this was his older brother. Even if he came, what difference would it make?
Since her older brother was unwilling, Fu Mingzi wouldn't provoke him, so she could only purse her lips and obediently walk towards the back of the line.
Because it was the emperor's trip, it was naturally not as simple as Fu Mingzi's previous trip to Yuntai. This journey took half again as long.
Fortunately, once they left the capital, Zhou Xiaoyan put away his ceremonial regalia and rode his horse to follow the procession, thus allowing him to travel with Fu Mingzi.
Fu Mingzi was very happy. Apart from the capital, he ran around with Zhou Xiaoyan, giving him pointers on the scenery around Beijing, telling him which areas had the best views, which peaches were particularly sweet, and which pheasants were especially plump.
Throughout the process, Zhou Xiaoyan listened quietly, his expression unusually gentle.
In fact, he knew all these things after he left the capital in his previous life. At that time, although he wanted to die, as long as he thought that his life was exchanged for Fu Mingzi's life, he dared not die and could not die. Therefore, he followed the words he had spoken and went to see the world and experience its beauty.
It's a pity that he had long lost his spirit, and the person who cared about him the most had also died. He had no more attachments to this world, so he died of depression a few years after leaving the capital.
“Your Highness, look!” Fu Mingzi pointed to a small hill not far away: “When I was young, my father used to train me there. Every day, I had to run five laps around that hill and practice riding and archery for an hour. I suffered a lot when I was young. Later, I was so tired that I rode off on horseback. My father chased me back and almost broke my legs. Luckily, my elder brother saved me.”
When Fu Mingzi said this, she still looked like she had just survived a disaster.
Zhou Xiaoyan felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this and said in a low voice, "The Duke of Jingguo is too harsh."
Fu Mingzi chuckled foolishly: "He is a bit strict, but he is also very distressed. The night I was beaten, I heard from my older brother that he was wiping away tears."
Looking at his radiant face, Zhou Xiaoyan felt as if something was swelling in his heart, about to burst forth at any moment.
Zhou Xiaoyan panicked and subconsciously turned his face away, not daring to look at Fu Mingzi again.
"Let's hurry up, or we'll fall behind." Zhou Xiaoyan spurred his horse and chased after the group.
Looking at his slightly disheveled figure, Fu Mingzi smiled faintly. Fifth Prince, he's really quite adorable...
**
They dawdled until the afternoon before finally arriving at Yuntai Palace. It was such a short distance, and they even had to rest once along the way.
Fu Mingzi secretly complained that these civil officials were really too weak. They were riding horses, and if they were walking, they probably wouldn't have made it in two days.
However, once they arrived at the imperial palace, the emperor moved in immediately, while the officials who had come with him first paid their respects to the emperor before resting.
However, these princes were still ranked behind the ministers.
Fu Mingzi naturally stood with Zhou Xiaoyan, but he couldn't go into the inner room and could only wait outside.
Zhou Xiaoyan went in for about fifteen minutes and then came out, but the Crown Prince did not come out with him.
"Father Emperor has asked His Highness the Crown Prince to stay and speak with him. Let's go back now," Zhou Xiaoyan said calmly.
Fu Mingzi nodded and left with Zhou Xiaoyan.
The courtyard that the emperor assigned to Zhou Xiaoyan was located in the northwest of the front palace of the temporary palace. It was larger than the courtyard in the palace and even had a small garden in the middle with a small pond in which several koi carp were raised. Fu Mingzi looked it over and thought it was acceptable.
He actually had a slightly positive view of being used as a target; at least the emperor's living conditions had greatly improved in order to put on a show.
"This courtyard is quite nice, much brighter and more spacious than the palace," Fu Mingzi said with a smile.
Seeing that he liked it, Zhou Xiaoyan said gently, "When summer comes, Father will come here to escape the heat, and he can stay for a longer period of time then."
Upon hearing this, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but smile at Zhou Xiaoyan: "How could Your Highness have known that His Majesty would have taken you with him at that time?"
Zhou Xiaoyan said calmly, "Since he wants to use me as a target, it would be unreasonable not to give him even this small benefit. After all, no one is blind."
Fu Mingzi burst out laughing: "That's right. If His Highness is so 'favored' in the future, I, as his study companion, might also rise to prominence along with him."
Zhou Xiaoyan was both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected Fu Mingzi to think this way. It was hard to say whether Fu Mingzi's personality was a good thing or a bad thing.
After admiring the new house for a while, the two went back to rest. Fu Mingzi's room was right next to Zhou Xiaoyan's, very close by.
Fu Mingzi stood in her yard, looking at the not-so-high wall and the moon gate in the middle, and thought to herself, "How can I sleep at night in this environment?"
However, this idea is just a thought; if he were to actually do something, he probably wouldn't survive the night.
Fu Mingzi sighed and turned to go back to her room.
Xiao Yunzi was puzzled by Fu Mingzi's actions. What was wrong with Young Master Fu? Wasn't he just happy a moment ago?
Xiao Yunzi didn't dare to ask too many questions, but he kept it in mind, thinking about when to tell Eunuch Wei. After all, Eunuch Wei had solemnly instructed him to take good care of Young Master Fu.
Because there was a banquet that evening, Fu Mingzi didn't sleep for long. After only half an hour, she was woken up by Xiao Yunzi.
Fu Mingzi was a bit grumpy when she woke up. She sat on the bed for a long time with a sullen face until she calmed down and came back to her senses.
Xiao Yunzi had been serving him for quite some time and naturally knew his habits, so she didn't rush him. She prepared a hot towel and stood aside.
"Give me the towel." Fu Mingzi waved her hand.
Xiao Yunzi hurriedly served it, then asked with a smile, "Did you rest well, young master?"
Fu Mingzi wiped her face: "I'm alright. Where is Your Highness? Is he up yet?"
"His Highness got up a long time ago," Xiao Yunzi said with a smile. "He's having tea in the front hall right now. He said there's still some time before the banquet, so please don't rush and take your time."
Fu Mingzi couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. Was the Fifth Prince concerned about him? He was quite the repressed flirt.
However, Fu Mingzi didn't dare to be in no hurry. Instead, he quickly tidied himself up and went to the front hall to meet up with Zhou Xiaoyan. After all, attending the banquet was not something Zhou Xiaoyan could decide on his own, and he couldn't hold Zhou Xiaoyan back at this time.
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