Shang Yin's situation made Zhao Qingqi lose his desire to go shopping.
However, Ning Hong still pulled him out.
"The person is already out, how can we waste time? However, you need to change your clothes."
"Where do you want to take me?"
Zhao Qingqi tugged at his coarse linen clothes. He didn't know where the person had gotten them from. The fabric was very rough. Although his inner garment was made of fine cotton, his neck was itchy from the friction of the clothes.
He couldn't help but reach out and tug at it, thinking, "These clothes are so hard to wear."
Ning Hong reached out and straightened his collar, her delicate and gentle manner making Zhao Qingqi's breath catch in his throat.
"These clothes are made of coarse hemp, and ordinary people almost always wear these."
"Why are they wearing such uncomfortable fabric? Why don't they wear better cotton?"
As soon as Zhao Qingqi finished speaking, he saw Ning Hong's ambiguous smile.
"In the Book of Jin, there is a story about Emperor Hui. During his reign, there was a severe drought, and the people had no millet to eat. When an official reported this, Emperor Hui asked him, 'Why don't you eat meat porridge?'"
"Is this man an idiot? He can't even afford rice, how could he possibly afford meat?"
"Very well, you're a bit smarter than this fool?"
Ning Hong patted Zhao Qingqi on the head, and Zhao Qingqi finally realized that the story was clearly mocking him. "Your Excellency, I'm saying—"
"Shh, don't call me 'Ninth Thousand Years' outside. You can call me 'Big Brother,' or you can just call me by my name."
"Ning Hongze?"
Zhao Qingqi blurted it out.
As he uttered those three words, a sudden tightness gripped his chest, and a strange mix of joy and sorrow washed over him, causing him to sway involuntarily.
What does this feel like?
Why do I feel so uncomfortable?
Seeing that he seemed to be about to faint, Ning Hong reached out, put her arm around his waist, and pulled him into her arms.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Did you almost fall?
"I don't know, I just feel inexplicably sad and upset."
"Let's find a place to rest for a while." Perhaps he has low blood pressure?
Ning Hong then half-embraced him as they walked, saying, "We're outside the palace now, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."
"When have you ever been polite to me?"
Zhao Qingqi said irritably.
After about half a cup of tea, Zhao Qingqi recovered, but he couldn't bear to push Ning Hongze away. Ning Hongze, seeing that his expression had returned to normal, let go of his hand and let him walk on his own.
"Today I want to show you why ordinary people don't wear cotton cloth, but rather coarse linen."
"The emperor is actually very easy to deceive. To put it bluntly, if I wanted to deceive your father about things outside the palace, it would be as easy as turning my hand."
"That's because Father Emperor trusts you."
"The emperor's trust is a double-edged sword. Although your father trusts me, it is on the premise that my actions conform to his wishes. Once he discovers that I am not doing anything right, the first person to kill me will be your father."
Zhao Qingqi lowered his head and did not refute.
His father was indeed that kind of person.
"I, I will never become like him."
Ning Hong smiled but remained silent, saying, "Let's talk about it later."
Zhao Qingqi was young, and although he wanted to argue with Ning Hongze a few more times, he was soon drawn to the lively scene on both sides of the street.
The street vendors' shouts and performances, along with a few acrobats, completely captivated him, not to mention the clay figurines and kites.
Ning Hong then bought two sugar figurines and handed them to Zhao Qingqi.
"Here you go, try it."
The bright yellow sugar figurines are pleasing to the eye and look delicious.
"You're the one who told me to eat this, it's not because I'm greedy."
Zhao Qingqi took the sugar figurine with an arrogant expression, taking small bites. As soon as it entered his mouth, he was conquered by its sweet taste.
Her eyebrows and eyes curved into a smile.
However, this was not Ning Hongze's ultimate goal.
Ning Hong then led him out of the city.
As for the little tail that appeared behind him named Jiang Yunhua, he ignored it.
Where are you taking me?
As the hustle and bustle gradually faded away, and the scenery before him became increasingly monotonous, with the houses lining the streets growing ever older, Zhao Qingqi couldn't help but ask,
He didn't realize that Ning Hong wanted to hurt him.
After all, he held a high position and wielded great power. To put it bluntly, even if he really killed himself, the Emperor probably wouldn't care too much, since he still had three sons.
"Are you taking me to the countryside?"
His feet were on the muddy path, and the weeds on both sides tickled his legs.
As far as the eye can see, there are endless fields.
The autumn harvest had just ended, and the fields were bare, but there were several old farmers who were cleaning and loosening the soil.
Sweat dripped from their sun-darkened faces, but their faces beamed with joy.
Several children were still playing games on the edge of the field.
They were all dressed in coarse linen clothes and straw shoes, but they all seemed very happy.
In an instant, Zhao Qingqi seemed to understand something.
"Grandpa, how's the harvest this year?"
"Great! This year's harvest is better than in previous years. The weather has been favorable these past few years, and the harvests have been good every year," the old farmer replied cheerfully.
Ning Hong then took him to ask several more old farmers, and each of them was all smiles.
Ning Hong then took him on a tour of the village and treated him to a meal at a nearby farmhouse.
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