Chapter 93 The Ninth Prince: Hmm, what did I do to deserve this?
If you're looking for a place to escape the summer heat, then Ganming Garden is the place to be.
Shady trees and fragrant grasses.
Several pavilions have been built along the lake in the garden. Climbing up from the pavilions and looking out, the gentle ripples on the water dispel the oppressive summer heat.
In order to make it easier to take care of the Ninth Prince and the Seventh Princess, A-Zhu was able to have a separate palace room when she left the palace.
Now that the two children have left the capital, Azhu has returned to live with Emperor Xuanpei in Chengji Palace.
Summer dresses are very light and comfortable. A-Zhu wore a wide-sleeved brocade dress with lapis lazuli and floral patterns.
She held a round fan with a face adorned with lotus blossoms in one hand, and her light blue shawl fluttered slightly in the wind as she moved, landing on the jade belt at Emperor Xuanpei's waist.
Unlike the crimson dragon robe and crown he wore during court assemblies, Emperor Xuanpei had changed into a light indigo brocade robe with wide sleeves. The two were now strolling together in the garden.
Artificial rock formations and walls were set up throughout the garden, and some of the steps were a bit steep. Emperor Xuanpei reached out his hand to Azhu, who smiled and took his hand, letting him lead him across the steps.
Upon reaching the lakeside pavilion, A-Zhu sat down by the railing.
A gentle breeze caressed her face, and as she gazed at the shimmering blue lake before her, A-Zhu's smile faded somewhat.
She murmured, "In the past, Chen'er and Jiahe only went boating on the lake in the garden and picked lotus pods a few times. Now that they are traveling by boat outside... I wonder if they will get used to it."
Emperor Xuanpei walked to Azhu's side, touched her face, and leaned her against his waist.
"There are always many first times in this world, and you can only know what it tastes like after you try it yourself."
Don't worry.
"I think we should receive a letter from home in three days."
The cool thumb ring was pressed against her cheek, and A-Zhu, whose face was being gently rubbed by the thumb, did not move away.
She leaned against Emperor Xuanpei, closed her eyes, and rubbed against his waist and abdomen.
"When I agreed to let them leave the capital, I could have imagined this day would come... I just can't help it now, but I'll get used to it in a few days."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard singing coming from not far away.
Hearing the sound, A-Zhu opened her eyes.
Curious, she turned her head and looked in the direction from which the singing was coming, only to see that it was coming from several palace maids who were picking lotus pods in a boat.
The palace maids inside the temporary palace dressed and dressed exactly the same as the palace servants.
At this time of year, people wear pink and white traditional ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
How similar she is to Azhu back then.
Looking at them, Azhu was clearly reminded of her former self.
Upon seeing that Emperor Xuanpei, who was frowning, had summoned Eunuch Chen, Azhu quickly stopped him from speaking.
"Your Majesty."
"I was this age when I was collecting dew on lotus leaves in the Hibiscus Garden."
"Back then, I even thought of using those lotus dews to brew tea for His Majesty... In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."
A-Zhu smiled and took Emperor Xuanpei's hand, shaking it gently.
"Your Majesty, would you please accompany me tomorrow to collect some more dew from the lotus leaves?"
Seeing Ah Zhu looking at him with a smile in his eyes, Emperor Xuanpei held Ah Zhu's hand and nodded with a smile.
Although she had pleased Emperor Xuanpei somewhat, seeing that he really disliked the palace maids singing the "Lotus Picking Song," Azhu had no intention of staying any longer and suggested that she return to Chengji Palace to rest for the time being.
Emperor Xuanpei responded to everything without question.
Soon, the group left the pavilion.
As the guards and palace attendants escorted the emperor away, the palace maids in the boat on the lake also noticed.
A few people gasped in surprise.
"That, that's His Majesty?!"
"Those are imperial guards, right? And...and the dragon-patterned canopy, who else but His Majesty could use it?"
"Ah, then His Majesty heard us singing just now?"
"So what if you heard it? Does His Majesty expect him to show you any mercy?"
"Oh dear, listen to this, listen to what they're saying..."
The round-faced palace maid blushed and pounced on the waist of the palace maid next to her.
Laughter and commotion filled the small boat for a moment.
"My dear sister, you are so forgiving. I was wrong, so wrong..."
After the laughter and commotion subsided, the others watched the imperial procession gradually fade into the distance and become blurry.
Looking again at the truly charming and beautiful figure at the bow of the boat, a sigh rose from the boat: "Among all of us, I'm afraid only Sister Lanhe can attract His Majesty's attention more than a few times."
Lanhe looked at Yan'er, who had spoken, with a mixture of delight and reproach.
"Look at you, you're getting more and more confused. What kind of peerless beauties hasn't His Majesty seen? The ladies in the palace are all incredibly beautiful, elegant, and of noble birth..."
"Not entirely. Wasn't that Imperial Concubine originally a palace maid from the Inner Palace?"
On this vast lake, some words come out as easily as the gentle breeze on the lake.
"The ladies in the palace are naturally noble ladies of noble birth, but no matter how noble their status, no one can stay young forever. Sister Lanhe is not lacking in beauty at her age."
"That's right, that's right, who in our palace doesn't know Sister Lanhe?"
"If Sister Lanhe becomes rich and powerful in the future, please don't forget to help us."
"......"
"Well, you're all making fun of me now."
Lanhe put down the lotus pod in her hand, smiled, and leaned over to scratch her itch.
Amidst the laughter and playful banter, Lanhe subconsciously glanced towards the shore, only to find that the imperial procession that had been flanking her just moments before was nowhere to be seen.
The small boat beneath them swayed gently, creating ripples on the water's surface.
......
Yuheyuan
This garden, built along the water, was the residence of Consort Zhang in her temporary palace.
Yesterday's journey was tiring, so Consort Zhang sent someone to tell Princess Qi to take the young prince and rest well, and not to come to Yuhe Garden.
So this morning, Prince Qi, along with his wife and young heir, came to pay their respects.
Ever since he requested permission to go to his fiefdom, Prince Qi has been smiling more and more, and the young prince is now speaking in fluent, deliberate phrases, which is incredibly endearing.
The hall was filled with laughter for a moment, and even after Prince Qi left with his wife and young prince, Consort Zhang's smile remained unchanged.
After drinking a few sips of tea, Consort Zhang thought for a moment and then sent someone to invite Consort Zhou over.
Consort Zhou, who had been recuperating for years, was finally able to get better and walk around again, while Prince An had been running around following Prince Qi all these years.
Now that Prince Qi intends to abdicate, he should at least give Consort Zhou a heads-up beforehand so that they can make preparations.
If Prince An is willing, the fiefdoms will be closer together, so the two brothers can take care of each other.
The summer palace was a scenic spot with both mountains and water, and it was much more spacious than the imperial palace in the capital.
In the process of going back and forth, Consort Zhou arrived a little late.
As soon as she entered the hall, Consort Zhou hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.
"This humble concubine greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort."
Consort Zhang raised her hand.
"There are no outsiders present now, so there's no need for such formalities."
Perhaps due to her long-term illness, Zhou Zhaoyi's lips and eyebrows were light in color, making her look very plain.
Looking at Consort Zhou, Consort Zhang's tone softened somewhat.
"Now that Mao'er has requested permission to take up his fiefdom, I fully agree."
"Mao'er should have already discussed this matter with Prince An... However, after thinking about it, I still want to talk to you about it personally."
Consort Zhou coughed twice with her head down.
When she looked up, her face still showed a gentle and serene expression.
"To be honest, Your Majesty, Yu'er has mentioned this matter to me before."
Consort Zhou shook her head, looking somewhat helpless.
"As Your Majesty knows, this child has always been a mild-mannered person. Once he sets his mind on something, if he doesn't do it well or achieve any results, he will stubbornly persist in doing it without saying a word."
"He is currently holding a post in the court... and I'm afraid he can't leave it for the time being."
Everyone has their own destiny and circumstances.
Moreover, Prince An was not Prince Qi's subordinate and had to listen to Prince Qi in everything.
Even Prince Qi hasn't completely broken ties with the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince would certainly not be so relentless in his pursuit of his honest younger brother, Prince An.
Therefore, upon hearing Zhou Zhaoyi's words, Consort Zhang smiled and nodded.
“Prince An is a filial, patient, and resilient child. He is down-to-earth, diligent, and doesn’t like to gossip or cause trouble.”
"He's doing his job well, so it's reassuring to keep him in the capital."
With that, Prince Qi and Prince An officially parted ways and went their separate ways to pursue their own futures.
After leaving Yuheyuan, Consort Zhou was helped by Mingchun to slowly walk towards Lianyuyuan.
"Prince Qi has already requested permission from His Majesty and will be leaving the capital soon."
Consort Zhou sighed softly.
"Once you leave the capital to take up your fief, it won't be so easy to come back."
Without an imperial edict, it would be a serious crime for a prince to grant fiefdoms without authorization, and returning to the capital would be considered treason.
With Prince Qi gone, the Crown Prince's faction became the sole power in the court.
"Being outside is definitely not the same as being in the palace."
"If you get bumped or bruised, or get caught in the rain, finding a decent doctor is a matter of luck; this is true even for natural disasters... What if it's a man-made disaster?"
"The Ninth Prince left the palace because of the Crown Prince's son, Hong'er, so he probably isn't feeling too good about it."
"If something unfortunate were to happen, the white-haired would have to bury the black-haired, which would surely be a heartbreaking tragedy for Consort Jiang."
"His Majesty loves the Consort so much that he must be heartbroken."
The Crown Prince, Prince Rui, and Prince Ying are all in the same boat.
If anything happens to the Ninth Prince, no matter who among these people was responsible, none of the others will escape punishment.
After Prince Qi left the capital to take up his fief, the only one left in the palace who was ranked ahead of him was... Prince An.
Consort Zhou couldn't help but tighten her grip on Mingchun's hand.
"Prince Qi's departure from the capital to assume his fiefdom is imminent. I can only hope that Heaven will bless him with a smooth journey. Considering how difficult it is to travel abroad... I wonder how the Ninth Prince is doing now."
"Your Majesty."
Mingchun said softly, "The old master said that the chief minister was simple by nature and quite good at finding joy in hardship."
"We've been traveling light throughout this trip."
"The group had just arrived in Shuntian Prefecture some time ago, but after resting for two days, they set off again."
"Now we are traveling south on an official ship."
Consort Zhou nodded.
Everyone in the palace was very patient, and Consort Zhou was no exception.
After all, reckless people don't live long.
Look, after waiting for so many years, haven't we finally got a great opportunity?
"When Prince Qi takes up his fief, let's give the Ninth Prince a proper send-off."
A faint smile appeared in Consort Zhou's eyes as she murmured softly, "With the Crown Prince and so many others accompanying him, the child won't feel lonely on the journey."
......
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