Chapter 3184 The Prince is Delaying Time
Just now, Princess Xinping and His Royal Highness the Prince of Han rushed up and spent a long time with His Majesty the Emperor and the Royal Concubine. It was a heartwarming picture of everyone enjoying themselves and sharing the joy of family. Only His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood far away, watching this scene.
It's like he is an outsider.
Even when he stepped forward to pay his respects to the emperor and the imperial concubine, he was very cautious, and even the way he raised his hand seemed very restrained.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Feng's heart, which had originally felt warm and soft because he was back home and saw his children, couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
He frowned and was about to say something when Nan Yan, who was standing beside him, saw his expression and immediately said, "Your Highness, how come you have lost so much weight again?"
Zhu Chengxuan looked up at her: "Your Highness..."
Nan Yan said distressedly, "It must be because the emperor went south to eliminate the rebels this time and asked you to stay in the capital to supervise the country, which must have exhausted you."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Feng's expression eased a little.
Zhu Chengxuan said hurriedly: "It's useless, Your Majesty, your words are too serious."
Nan Yan smiled and said, "What's the big deal? You've become so thin. If Empress Renxiao were still alive, she would definitely blame me for not taking good care of you."
When mentioning "Empress Renxiao", Zhu Chengxuan's face became even more complicated and gloomy.
Zhu Feng finally came back to his senses.
You must know that this time he went south to eliminate the rebels, and one of the people he eliminated was Xu Shizong, the brother of Queen Renxiao and the uncle of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
The prince was in a very sensitive position. He was naturally very frightened when a traitor appeared in his mother's family. He was afraid that the emperor's wrath would fall on him at any time. No wonder he was so reserved just now.
Zhu Feng couldn't help but sigh, looked at him again, and then said, "You must be exhausted."
Hearing these words that were almost comforting, Zhu Chengxuan felt that the blood in his body, which was originally cold and almost frozen, suddenly melted and began to flow. He hurriedly shook his head and said, "Father, I don't deserve your words."
"What do you mean by worthy or not worthy?"
Zhu Feng glared at him with a look of disappointment. "During this journey, I've seen you handle several important matters, and you've handled them all very well. No matter what happens in the south, the court has always been so stable. It's all thanks to you."
Zhu Chengxuan's eyes were a little red.
He raised his head and glanced at Zhu Feng cautiously before saying softly, "I was just frightened by my father."
“…”
"Your Majesty, I beg you not to take any more risks yourself in the future."
Although he was a son, he spoke like a worried old father, as if he could not bear the shock anymore, which made Zhu Feng laugh.
He chuckled and waved his hand, "Let's talk about it later."
Zhu Chengxuan didn't dare to say anything more.
Nan Yan looked up at the heavy snow and said, "Let's go back first. It's very cold here, and it's on the windy side."
Zhu Feng also nodded and led them inside, saying, "Wait a minute—"
Princess Xinping, who was hanging around his neck, immediately shouted, "Xinping is hungry and wants to eat!"
Everyone laughed.
Zhu Chengxuan also smiled, then said softly, "I've specially had some food and wine prepared in the warm room, not for anything else, but to welcome Father and the Imperial Concubine. Bring your brothers and sisters, and let's sit down and have a meal together as a family - we haven't eaten together for over half a year."
Nan Yan was a little tired after the journey back, but she perked up when she heard this and said with a smile, "It just so happens that I really miss the cooking skills of the chefs in the imperial kitchen."
Zhu Feng also smiled and took everyone downstairs. He and Nan Yan went to take a shower and change clothes first, and then gathered in the warm room together later.
After entering the palace gate and walking a little further, Aunt Tongyun and others came to pick up Nanyan.
Along the way, everyone was filled with mixed feelings of sadness and joy. They knew the pain Tingfu was suffering, and they also knew that Ran Xiaoyu was leaving them. Everyone was very sad, but they were also relieved to see Nan Yan return safely.
Aunt Tongyun's eyes were red as she helped Nanyan walk forward, looking at the snow in the sky. She said, "Your Majesty, how can you be so mean? You could have just sent the warm sedan chair to take you back. Why did you have to walk all the way here? It's so cold."
Nan Yan laughed and said, "What's so cold about this?"
“…”
"I haven't been back for more than half a year. It feels strange. I want to see the scenery around here."
Aunt Tongyun shook her head. It had been more than half a year since she left, and she had experienced many ups and downs, but the imperial concubine's temper had not changed at all.
Just as they were walking forward, Nan Yan heard a tinkling sound behind the opposite palace wall.
She stopped to look and said, "Over there, is that the Yikun Palace?"
Aunt Tongyun said, "Yes."
Nan Yan said: "That voice——"
Aunt Tongyun said, "Yikun Palace is still under renovation."
"Still under repair?"
Nan Yan was startled and looked back at her with wide eyes - you know, the Yikun Palace was burned down during the Wu family's rebellion, and then she moved to the Yonghe Palace, and it has been under repair for two or three years. Especially this time, she followed Zhu Feng south and was away for nearly a year. She originally thought that the Yikun Palace should have been repaired by the time she came back.
Finally, it’s still under repair! ?
Nan Yan sneered and said, "Don't the people from the Ministry of Industry want to receive their New Year's money?"
After saying that, he turned away.
Aunt Tongyun also glanced over there, but without saying anything, she hurriedly led everyone to follow. She walked up behind Nanyan and said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't wrongly accuse the people from the Ministry of Works. They just want to finish the work as soon as possible so that they can come to you and claim their reward."
Nan Yan turned around and glanced at her: "Hmm?"
Aunt Tongyun said, "Your Majesty, think carefully. Ever since the Emperor and Your Majesty left, who has been taking care of all the affairs in and outside the palace?"
Nan Yan's steps paused: "Prince?"
“…”
"Are you saying that the Crown Prince is deliberately delaying the completion of the renovation of Yikun Palace?"
Aunt Tongyun didn't respond.
Nan Yan didn't ask any more questions. After all, this was outside, full of people and gossip, and they had just returned to the capital. The commotion in the south had just subsided, and if any unpleasant rumors got out, it would be bad to cause more trouble.
So, the group returned to Yonghe Palace.
Ruoshui and Tingfu were asked to go downstairs to rest. Aunt Tongyun accompanied Nanyan to rest for a while and then went to take a bath. The bathtub had naturally been prepared long ago. The warm bath water quickly washed away Nanyan's fatigue and dust. She leaned lazily against the wall of the bathtub and let Aunt Tongyun gently massage her stiff shoulders.
Then he asked, "My aunt just said that the Crown Prince is deliberately delaying the renovation of the Yikun Palace so that it won't be completed as quickly as possible."
“…”
"Why?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com