"Aunt Jinxi, please teach me." Zhao Shu wasn't very confident in her practical skills.
Jin Xi smiled and said, "I knew you'd say that. Okay."
The two busied themselves in the small kitchen, while in the Taihe Hall, Zhao Bi was unsure how to broach the subject; he didn't want to take on the task of finding handsome men.
To put it bluntly, those who seek out handsome men and beautiful women throughout history have always been treacherous officials, and he is a prince, how could he do such a job? He should establish military merits like the crown prince and cultivate his prestige in the army.
However, after Zhao Shu's crying and the invisible pressure Xie Yun and Yan Shiren were putting on him, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"What business does Bi'er have with me?" Emperor Mingde asked.
Zhao Bi thought for a moment, then changed his words, "Your Majesty, I beg you to forgive my tenth brother. After all, he has already admitted his mistake, and besides, he has only made many friends..."
Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Mingde interrupted him, saying, "As you wish, you should take good care of the Tenth Prince's affairs after his death, as he was close to you during his lifetime."
Xie Yun and Yan Shiren exchanged a glance. They both knew perfectly well that Zhao Yan's death was truly worthless. His life was given to Emperor Mingde to strike at the Empress Dowager.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of your tenth brother's funeral arrangements. I will take my leave now." He was also preoccupied and did not want to say more, so he took his leave.
Back at the Fourth Prince's residence, he was in a real predicament. Zhen Qizhong was waiting for him there.
After being dressed up by Zhao Shu, Zhen Qizhong, who had become much thinner, looked even more pitiful, and Zhao Bi couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"You're back?" Zhen Qizhong was fiddling with an unfinished game of chess in the courtyard. Her jade-like face was like a white pear blossom in spring, making one feel a pang of tenderness.
Zhao Bi walked over and instructed Xiao Ruanzi to bring a cloak, saying, "It's getting windy, and you don't take care of yourself."
"It's nothing. The autumn wind is nothing compared to the chill in your heart." He gestured for Zhao Bi to sit opposite him. "I just found a few chess manuals in your study. They belong to the Sun family. You've been married for many years but have no children. Your house is so quiet and deserted. I'm really worried about you."
Actually, Sun Jiao was pregnant at one point, but she was unlucky and couldn't give him a son or daughter. To this day, Zhao Bi has no legitimate son.
Thinking of Sun Jiao, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
Zhen Qizhong knew him so well. Seeing the fleeting guilt in his eyes, her face immediately turned cold. "If you think I'm in the way, then hand me over to the Emperor. I won't stay in your residence and get in your way."
After he finished speaking, he stood up with a flick of his sleeve, but his hand was grabbed by Zhao Bi. He turned around, and their eyes met. The passion in their eyes was so intense that it seemed to burn their eyes.
If Sun Jiao could see the deep affection in their eyes at this moment, one wonders how she would feel.
“Don’t say things like that again. It hurts me to hear them,” Zhao Bi said.
Seeing that things were not going well, Xiao Ruanzi consciously withdrew from the courtyard, closed the door, and stood guard outside to prevent anyone from entering.
But the sound of panting could be heard from inside the courtyard from time to time, and he wished he didn't have ears!
The day of the handsome men competition arrived quickly, and all the civil and military officials were extremely concerned about the results. Although it was really childish to decide the fate of the nation by comparing the handsome men, once it was brought to the forefront, no ordinary subject wanted to lose.
Zhao Shu was no exception. She had been playing Dou Dizhu (a card game) with Zhou Hanyan at home, which was quite boring. On the day of the imperial examination, she also went to the palace.
Unfortunately, the Empress Dowager had already left the capital quietly without notifying anyone to see her off, not even Zhao Shu.
However, since she was the one who loved her the most, he still sent someone to deliver a message, telling her not to worry.
In fact, she wasn't really worried. Zhao Bi was pressing her step by step, and Emperor Mingde had become short-sighted, not wanting any of his sons to surpass him.
Her opportunity will come as soon as these two start fighting.
It was in the Ganlu Hall, where Zhao Shu was still sitting among the princesses, watching quietly.
Such a trivial matter was something that ministers like Xie Yun and Yan Shiren disdained to preside over. After paying his respects to Emperor Mingde and the Empress, Zhao Bi asked, "Your Highness, may I ask where the Duoli Tower is in your country?"
Only then did everyone realize that Dorita was not there!
Tulev paused for a moment, his eyes darting away. "We've already seen his charisma last time, so there's no need to see him again now."
“That is not true. Since it is a beauty contest, we should naturally bring the contestants into the hall for all of you gentlemen to see before we can determine the winner,” Zhao Bi said.
Tulev seemed reluctant. "Fourth Prince, have you not found a handsome man yet, so you're delaying bringing him out for me to see, beating around the bush and stalling for time?"
"Your Highness, the beauty is not here. Is Your Highness feeling guilty?" Zhao Bi pressed aggressively, his tone extremely unfriendly.
Strangely, Tulev seemed genuinely guilty, replying, "This prince did not!" His explanation was weak and feeble.
"Since there isn't one, then please have the eldest prince bring him out!" Zhao Bi said coldly. The officials in the court inexplicably felt that he had a lot of integrity in his attitude towards the enemy country, and their previous bad impression of him faded a little.
Tulev was forced into a corner, his face turning extremely pale, but he did not refuse and ordered the envoy beside him to bring the person in.
When Dorita was brought in, her face was covered with a cloth, only her eyes were visible. When Tulev saw the cloth on Dorita's face, he sat down angrily, without saying a word or looking at Zhao Bi.
Zhao Bi ordered his men to remove the veil. Dorita initially tried to avoid it, but in the imperial court, he could not be presumptuous, and in the end, the veil was removed.
The moment the cloth was removed, Zhao Shu couldn't help but laugh, "Pfft..."
The others couldn't help but laugh as well. Hearing the laughter, Tulev stood up, didn't even look at Emperor Mingde, and angrily bowed before striding away.
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