283, go back
283, go back
Princess Ding knew that her eldest son had just returned from outside and must be tired after the long journey.
Seeing that the two brothers had talked for a while, she asked the eldest son to go back to his own yard to rest first, and kept the younger son with her, not allowing the younger son to go and bother the eldest son.
After her eldest son passed away, she asked someone to open her private room and took a lot of good things from her dowry and sent them to the courtyard where her eldest son lived.
Zhao Lang had just returned to the courtyard where he lived when his mother's steward came with people to deliver things, and also sent him four maids and four servants.
Looking at these beautiful maids before him, how could Zhao Lang not guess the purpose of his mother's sending them here? He paused for a moment, then said to the steward who sent them here, "Leave a few servants here, and take the maids back to my mother."
“...Yes.” Seeing that their prince did not want maids, the steward had no choice but to take the four maids returned by their prince and leave.
After coming out of the courtyard where their prince lived, the steward brought several maids back to the courtyard where their princess lived, and told their princess that their prince had accepted the things and the four servants, and had returned the four maids.
"this……"
Obviously, Princess Ding did not expect that her eldest son would keep the servant and return all four maids to her. She was also paused in her heart.
However, since the eldest son didn't want them, she didn't force it, and said to the steward who came back to report: "Since the prince doesn't want them, then let them go. Just leave them to serve in my yard." Princess Ding waved her hand, and a big maid came forward to take the four maids returned by their prince out.
Seeing this, the steward also saluted, bowed, took two steps back, turned around and walked out.
After the steward who had returned to report left, Princess Ding waved her hand and asked the rest of the servants in the room to leave, leaving only her closest wet nurse to talk.
"I originally thought of sending a few people to serve Lang Ge'er, but I didn't expect him to return them all to me."
"Princess, please don't rush this matter. The prince has just returned and I'm afraid he's still a little uncomfortable."
"Well, you're right. Let's keep these maids here and teach them a little bit. We'll find a chance to send them to Lang Ge'er to serve him later."
"Mammy, you said that Lang'er has been in Kyoto for so many years, but I have never heard him mention that he has a girl he likes. I have written to him twice before, saying that I want to find a marriage for him, but he refused both times. Mammy, what do you think Lang'er thinks about this matter?" In fact, Princess Ding also spent a lot of thought on her eldest son's marriage.
She didn't like the girls from Beijun very much, but the noble ladies from Kyoto Prefecture didn't want to have anything to do with Prince Ding's Mansion, let alone marry her eldest son who was a hostage in Kyoto Prefecture.
But now that her eldest son is back, she has thought about his marriage again and wants to arrange it.
"This, I don't know either. Why don't you find some time to ask the prince what he thinks, Princess?" There was no way that Nanny Li could guess what their prince was thinking, so she had to say this to their princess.
"You're well aware of Lang'er's personality. Does he look like someone who would tell me everything he wants?" Princess Ding shook her head and continued, "I've been a little neglectful of him over the years, and I'm afraid he'll resent me."
"This is also my fault."
"Princess, you're worrying too much. You are the prince's biological mother. How could the prince blame you?" Nanny Li comforted her master.
Seeing her mistress unhappy and knowing she was worried about the Crown Prince's marriage, Nanny Li thought for a moment and offered an idea: "Princess, your birthday is next month. How about we have a small celebration this year? Invite the ladies and young ladies from all the mansions to our house for a visit. Perhaps the Crown Prince will meet a suitable girl?"
Princess Ding thought about the current situation. It would definitely be inappropriate to hold a grand birthday party. But if she held a small one, just inviting a few familiar ladies and girls to come over for tea and chat, and to have a look at her eldest son, it seemed that there was nothing wrong with it.
So she agreed, "Okay, let's do as you say. Please have someone make arrangements in advance."
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Nanny Li responded.
Zhao Lang, who was in his own yard at the time, had no idea that his mother was discussing with the old nanny beside her about finding a girl for him.
Qingzhu brought a few servants into the room, poured hot water into the bathtub, and then came out and said to the master standing outside: "Master, the hot water is ready."
"Well, you guys go out."
Hearing this, Zhao Lang waved his hand and asked Qingzhu to take a few servants out. He stayed in the room alone.
After walking behind the screen, he took off his outer coat, then the quiver on his arm, and then the dagger tied to his foot, and then the clothes he was wearing, and hung them on the screen one by one.
After taking off the last piece of clothing, he sat naked in the bathtub. Only then did he feel a sense of security as if he had returned to Prince Ding's Mansion.
In fact, on the way back to Beijun from Kyoto Prefecture, they encountered some scattered Hu soldiers on the road. He led his guards to eliminate the Hu soldiers they encountered, so they were delayed for some time. Otherwise, they would have returned to Beijun long ago.
On the way, he also stopped by the military base they had built to take a look, but he didn't take the people and things inside out. Now, the people accompanying him were still the same guards and secret guards who had followed him before.
Soaking in the hot water, he let out a comfortable sigh, thinking of his mother and brother whom he had met today.
He used to have fewer complaints about his mother, but after seeing the white hair in her hair, the women in Prince Ding's Mansion, and his younger brother, and knowing that her life in Prince Ding's Mansion must have been very difficult, he seemed to have less resentment towards her and even felt a slight sense of guilt.
As a child, he had been away from home for so many years and had not been with his mother, leaving her to stay in this backyard surrounded by wolves, with a young son, waiting for him, the eldest son, to come back.
In fact, when he was a child in this palace, he already knew the difficulties his mother faced. His father was a passionate and promiscuous man who fell in love with every woman he met, and his mother was never the only one around him.
Before his mother married into Prince Ding's mansion, his father had already had several women around him. The current Concubine Li was the maidservant who had been with his father. That woman had become a concubine because she gave birth to the eldest son.
I'm afraid that in the past few years when he was not in Prince Ding's Mansion or in Beijun, Concubine Li often came to his mother, the mistress of the house, to cause trouble.
Thinking of the father who had betrayed his mother's true love and treated him as if he had disappeared after the legitimate son went to Kyoto Prefecture, Zhao Lang took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.
***
That afternoon, Zhao Rui, who was at the military camp, met someone close to his mother and learned of Zhao Lang's return. He was so shocked he stood up from his chair, a look of disbelief on his face, muttering, "No, it's impossible! How could he have come back alive?!"
"Are you sure it's Zhao Lang who came back?" He asked the latter question to the person who came.
"Yes, Master, it's absolutely true. It's really the Crown Prince who has returned. The Princess and the housekeeper have both recognized him and confirmed that it's the Crown Prince himself, there's no doubt about it."
"How could he come back alive!" Obviously, Zhao Rui was very surprised that his younger brother could come back alive to Beijun.
When Zhao Rui learned that his younger brother had really returned, the expression on his face changed several times, from disbelief at the beginning to slowly accepting the fact, and then a ferocious expression appeared on his face.
But it’s better that you come back. Only when you come back will I have a chance to kill you!
After taking a deep breath, Zhao Rui waved to the visitor and said, "You can go back first."
"Yes, young master." The man turned and walked out.
After seeing the people leave, Zhao Rui went to his father's tent. After being informed by the soldiers outside the door, he entered the tent smoothly.
"Your son greets your father."
"Get up."
Prince Ding, who was writing at his desk, asked without even looking up, "What can I do for you?"
"Father, a servant from the palace just came to deliver a letter saying that my second brother has returned." Zhao Rui said.
"What? Your second brother? Zhao Lang is back?" Prince Ding thought for a moment before remembering that he had such a son.
"Yes, absolutely true." Zhao Rui saw his father's expression and knew that he didn't know about this matter, so he deliberately asked: "Father, why did my second brother come back?"
"We haven't received any news from the court saying that our second brother can come back. Could it be that he ran back secretly?"
"If His Majesty and the court investigate, I'm afraid our Dingwang Mansion will be implicated by our second brother."
"This rebellious son! Why did he come back instead of staying in Kyoto?!" Prince Ding put down the brush in his hand and said angrily.
Seeing their father was angry, Zhao Rui realized that his purpose in coming here had been achieved. He took a few steps forward, approached his father, and said in a low voice, "Father, the late emperor passed away not long ago. If the new emperor sets his sights on our Dingwang Mansion and Beijun, I'm afraid it will affect our...important matters."
He lowered his voice even more when he said the word "big thing".
Just as the father and son were talking in the tent, they heard someone talking outside. The father and son looked at each other and ended their conversation.
Hearing someone outside asking for an audience, who seemed to be from the palace, Prince Ding raised his voice and responded, "Come in."
After hearing this, the soldiers outside let the servants from the palace into their prince's tent.
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