Ye Zelin smiled foolishly, only to hear Zhao Zixu say again: "Come, play another game of chess with me. If you can still beat me, the painting "Spring Outing" by Zhan Ziqian will be yours."
Ye Zelin looked determined to win, "Your Majesty, your words are not joking."
Zhao Zixu said, "If you lose, you must return those calligraphy pieces from your father to me."
Ye Zelin asked, "Your Majesty, do you have the nerve to take back the rewards you gave out?"
A moment later, it was Eunuch Luo who came in. He was wearing a crimson robe and a drooping hat. He greeted Zhao Zixu and Ye Zelin. Seeing that it was Eunuch Luo, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Luo Dajian said, "Your Majesty, the Queen just came down and stood outside the palace for a while before leaving."
Zhao Zixu frowned, then relaxed his brows in an instant, sighing softly as he instructed Luo Dajian to find some interesting things to send to Her Majesty the Queen. Luo Dajian took the order and went out, pointing to a palace servant, handing him a waist badge and asking him to go to the treasury to get a few items. He also instructed a palace maid to go to the official to select some silk and satin, which were also to be sent to the Queen.
Ye Zelin looked at Zhao Zixu and felt pity for Her Majesty the Queen. He wanted to say something but stopped himself and could only sigh.
Zhao Zixu said after a long while, "Don't worry about the successor of the Plum Blossom for now, to avoid being exposed and being targeted by the fox. I will investigate secretly and will tell you if there is any progress."
Ye Zelin said yes.
After they picked up the chess pieces, they began their second game. Zhao Zixu, however, lost his mood. Ye Zelin thought for a moment and said, "When I entered the palace, I heard a story about a burglary at the Qinghe Palace. It was said that the people there were searching the streets for the thieves, and that the Tokyo prefect, Bao Changzhou, had also gotten involved."
"Really?" Zhao Zixu asked, "Did the emperor's uncle report it to the authorities?"
Ye Zelin said: "That's not the case."
Zhao Zixu became even more interested and asked, "If the emperor's uncle didn't report it to the authorities, how did the prefect of Tokyo get involved? Don't even think that Bao Changzhou helped the emperor's uncle catch the thief himself."
Seeing him smile, with no worry on his face, Ye Zelin was also happy in his heart. He said, "Bao Changzhou also meddles in trivial matters. He might not have come to the Qinghe Palace if the Qinghe Palace hadn't contacted him. It was someone from the Shangshu Ling family who reported it to the authorities. It seems that this is what happened. The people from the Qinghe Palace said that the Shangshu Ling Mansion was harboring a thief, but after searching, they didn't catch the thief. Miss Lu Jiayun immediately sent people to the Tokyo Palace. Bao Changzhou personally led people to the Qinghe Palace to demand the person, and beat the brother of the Qinghe Palace manager with twenty sticks."
Zhao Zixu said, "My cousin may look weak, but she is fearless when it comes to her actions. How dare she offend my uncle?"
He then asked, "What did the emperor's uncle lose? Did he catch the thief?"
Ye Zelin said, "I heard there's a medicinal herb called Purple Fire Ganoderma, and people are still searching the streets for it, so I guess they haven't caught it yet."
Zhao Zixu continued, "Who do you think this thief could be? Who would be so bold as to steal the things of the Prince of Qinghe?"
Ye Zelin smiled and said, "I don't know who it is, but I think the furious look on His Royal Highness Prince Qinghe's face is quite amusing."
Zhao Zi gloated a little, "The emperor's uncle has many rare treasures, we should have given him a few more, but it's a pity that only one Lingzhi was lost. However, the thief who dared to touch the things in the Qinghe Palace is a hero."
The two stopped playing chess and talked about the birthday golf club of Princess Anguo. Zhao Zixu sighed that he was the emperor, and if he was a prince of the royal family, he would definitely attend the golf club. He was usually busy with government affairs, and only when he had free time would he summon Ye Zelin to the palace to play one or two games of chess.
As they talked, they talked about the King of Qin who had recently returned to the capital. The King of Qin was the son of the late emperor's concubine Qin Xiuyi. Later, Qin Xiuyi died while giving birth to Princess Huiyang. She was posthumously named Qin Shufei by the late emperor. Less than half a year after Qin Shufei's death, the King of Qin asked to go to his fiefdom Qinzhou, and had not returned for ten years since then, not even when the late emperor passed away.
Zhao Zixu and Ye Zelin were very curious about why the King of Qin suddenly returned to Beijing after not showing up for ten years.
Ye Zelin said, "I heard from Ruhuan that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin will also attend the ball game hosted by Grand Princess Anguo. I will then find an opportunity to approach His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin and find out the reason for his return to the capital."
Zhao Zixu said meaningfully, "Brother Prince Qin really knows how to pick the right time. It's neither too early nor too late. He's safe and sound in Qinzhou, so he's less dangerous. How could the fox let him go once he returns? The fox will attack him sooner or later. An open spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. The Qin Palace is not well guarded. Besides the fox, who knows if there are other people with ulterior motives eyeing him covetously. I dare not send anyone to protect him. Whether he lives or dies depends on his luck."
The two discussed a few pieces of calligraphy, and Ye Zelin was about to leave the palace. Luo Dajian handed him the cakes and pastries that someone had brought back from the imperial kitchen, and sent him to the palace gate as instructed by Zhao Zixu.
Just as Luo Dajian was about to return to Wende Hall, he met Princess Xinyang. Ye Zelin had already left at this time, and he had to spend a lot of time to send the princess away.
Ye Zelin returned to the General's Mansion and heard Side say that Hua Fushu was in Fengque Pavilion, so he went to Gudu Lanxi's yard, gave the cakes to Hua Fushu, and returned to Penglai Residence.
Hua Fushu was a little annoyed with him at first, but when she saw the cake, she instantly calmed down and wanted to share the delicious meal with Gudu Lanxi and Sanqiao. However, neither Gudu Lanxi nor Sanqiao was willing to share the delicious meal with her, as they both understood that it was a gift from Ye Zelin, so she could only enjoy it alone.
The theft at the Qinghe Palace had caused the residents of the city to talk about it, but it was gradually forgotten with the approach of the birthday ball party for Princess Anguo.
When it comes to the Grand Princess Anguo, everyone in the court and the people respect and love her. She is the legitimate daughter of Prince Jing'an and the late emperor's cousin.
More than fifty years ago, she was ordered to marry into Northern Liao and maintain the stability of Song and Liao for fifty years. Two years ago, Northern Liao launched an invasion, but fortunately she persuaded them to stop, thus avoiding a war on the Song-Liao border. It was also because of this incident that the emperor issued an edict ordering Ye Zelin, the son of General Ye Shiheng, to welcome the princess back to the court and confer the title of Grand Princess on her.
The current emperor once gave Princess Anguo a very spacious manor with a Kanazawa Lake in the manor. The football club was held on the shore of Kanazawa Lake. The lush green mountains stretched out like a long dragon, and the lake was shimmering like a mirror.
The shores of Kanazawa Lake were crowded with people, and the place was bustling with people.
The Ye family's carriage slowly stopped, and Madam Ouyang walked out of the carriage, supported by her maid A Yu and her servant Cui Zhi. She wore a dark green gown with a light green gauze jacket over her shoulders, and held a round fan with a bamboo handle embroidered with pear blossoms and a pattern of Xiang Fei in her hand. She looked beautiful and had a gentle smile.
Ruhuan also got out of the car and walked to her mother's side. She was beautiful and charming, holding a round fan with a yellow pear wood handle and a camellia pattern in her hand.
Looking at the bustling crowds and the constant flow of carriages, Ruhuan said, "Mother, look, there are so many people! The Grand Princess is so honored that all the officials and nobles in the capital have come. We are latecomers. It's all because some people were so slow, causing us to lose face."
Hua Fushu and Sanqiao had already come over. She gently patted Ruhuan's shoulder with a silk-covered round fan with a plum, bamboo, cold bird, and sandalwood handle, "Are you referring to me, Miss Ruhuan?"
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