Zhu Ying turned around and saw Xu Miaojin.

Zhu Ying suddenly felt a sense of strangeness towards this little girl.

As the saying goes, girls change a lot when they grow up. At that time, Xu Miaojin was only in her teens, but here, only three years have passed, and she has grown into a graceful young lady.

Delicate face, clear eyes.

Xu Miaojin, who was able to leave his name in history, would naturally not be criticized in any aspect.

Some people say that there are some differences between ancient and modern aesthetics.

That is true.

But in fact, no matter whether it is ancient or modern, or of various types and styles, when beauty reaches a certain level, it becomes common.

It is undeniable that this glance back made Zhu Ying feel a little moved.

"Miao Jin, you are here too."

Zhu Ying looked around and saw that there were several women next to Xu Miaojin, probably the daughters of some noble families.

Most of them are still dignified and pretty, but compared to Xu Miaojin, the difference is very obvious.

Red flowers need green leaves to set them off.

"Oh, Miao Jin, what an intimate name."

"Whose brother is this? He is so familiar with our Miao Jin."

The two companions next to him immediately started laughing and joking.

Women do not interfere in government affairs, and the matter between Xu Miaojin and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is considered a secret. Only those who know about it know about it, and it is rarely discussed in private.

In an era where the Jinyiwei was so strict, criticizing the monarch was a serious crime.

Therefore, the women who followed Xu Miaojin did not know about those things, and their families had never told them.

Hearing the question from the side, Xu Miaojin didn't know how to respond.

You can't say that this is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying came over to help and said, "I had the honor of meeting Miss Miao Jin more than two years ago, but I have been busy these past two years, so I haven't seen her. I didn't expect to meet her here."

As they got closer, the eyes of the two women next to them suddenly lit up.

Zhu Ying himself is handsome, and his long-standing demeanor makes people feel like a spring breeze.

"This aura is like my father. I feel he is even more powerful than my father."

"What a handsome boy, I wonder if he has a family now."

The two women accompanying Xu Miaojin suddenly felt some affectionate feelings towards her.

The woman on the left gently pushed Xu Miaojin.

Xu Miaojin finally reacted and introduced them, "This is the daughter of Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Rites, and this is the daughter of Minister Li from the Ministry of Revenue."

Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Rites?

Zhu Ying subconsciously took a closer look at the woman on Xu Miaojin's left.

He had some impression of Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Rites.

When the idea of ​​reforming the imperial examination system and selecting scholars by subject was first proposed in the court, Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Rites was the first to stand up and oppose it.

It's not that he holds any grudge. It is very normal for there to be some conflicting opinions in the court. He is not so petty as to do that.

It’s just that Minister Zhang is considered to be a handsome man, but I didn’t expect that his daughter is so ordinary.

If she weren't wearing silk and satin, she would be no different from an ordinary woman.

From this we can see that this girl must have been born to the first wife.

Minister Zhang was a man who never left his wife. Even though he held a high position, he never despised her.

Uh, why am I thinking about this.

Zhu Ying was suddenly speechless.

He didn't realize that he was staring at Minister Zhang's daughter, causing her to blush and lower her head.

The daughter of Minister Li, who was standing nearby, was secretly unhappy when she saw this.

It would be fine if she was better than Xu Miaojin, after all, she is the descendant of King Zhongshan and is so beautiful.

But why is he looking at Minister Zhang's daughter?

This is a bit unwilling.

Zhu Ying came back to his senses without thinking too much and asked Xu Miaojin, "Where are you going to travel?"

Xu Miaojin felt a little nervous about what happened just now, and couldn't help but say, "We just came back from a tour and were about to go back."

"Did Mr. Zhu just come here? Otherwise, I'll go on a boat trip with you."

"I haven't thanked Mr. Zhu properly for what happened last time. My eldest sister has been saying that she wants to invite Mr. Zhu to her house for a simple meal to express her gratitude."

Rather than speaking to General Zhu Ying, Xu Miaojin was speaking to the two people next to her.

Zhu Ying also saw it, and he looked at the sky and said, "Well, it's almost time for dinner. Speaking of which, I haven't been to the Prince of Zhongshan's Palace yet, so I might as well go and take a look this time."

When Xu Miaojin heard this, her eyes suddenly curved into a smile, and there were two small dimples at the corners of her mouth, which was very cute.

The two people next to them felt a little lost.

But there was no way to say anything.

No matter what, compared with top nobles like the Prince of Zhongshan’s Palace, the gap between the daughter of the Minister is a bit too big.

It's possible that they didn't understand the meaning behind this.

At that moment, Xu Miaojin walked to Zhu Ying's side, smiled and waved goodbye to the two women.

The two women could only respond with some embarrassment.

Here in the center of Xuanwu Lake, still some distance from the outside, Xu Miaojin just followed Zhu Ying and walked.

Without others around, I felt a little more shy.

I kept my head down the whole time, not daring to look up.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying laughed and said, "What happened? He was quite lively just now, but suddenly he became like this."

Xu Miaojin didn't know how to respond: "I... I feel a little cold."

The Chinese New Year is just a few days away. Although it has not snowed in Nanjing this year, the cold wind has already begun to howl.

It is because these young men and women have nothing to do that they come to Xuanwu Lake for fun.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying did not hesitate and directly held Xu Miaojin's cold little hand.

It's already so obvious, so there's no need to reject it too much, otherwise it would seem very deliberate.

The soft little hands feel icy cold.

Come to think of it, Zhu Ying, this can be considered a date.

Although he had a wife and four concubines, it seemed that he had never had a serious date.

Looking at Xu Miaojin, whose face was red like a frightened deer, Zhu Ying couldn't help but feel a strange throbbing in his heart.

"Is it still cold?"

"It's not cold anymore."

At this moment, Xu Miaojin only felt her heart pounding, and it had nothing to do with the cold outside.

No matter how shy she was, she held Zhu Ying's hand tightly, and her body subconsciously moved closer to her, and followed her.

At the door.

Song Zhong saw this scene from a distance and considerately asked the carriage to come over.

Even after getting in the car, Xu Miaojin showed no intention of letting go.

"Your Highness, shall we return to the palace?"

"Go to the Zhongshan Palace."

"Okay."

Xu Miaojin felt that her mind was always blank, her eyes were looking at the ground, and she never looked up.

…

Palace of Prince Zhongshan.

Xu Zengshou was already waiting at the door.

His eyes were always looking at the end of the street, with joy and anxiety on his face.

It is true that he is now the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Right Military Governor's Office, but everyone knows that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has begun to reform the army.

This means that there will be a change in the power he holds.

Your Majesty is closely following your father's merits, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may not be so.

Upon hearing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was coming with his younger sister, Xu Zengshou naturally wanted to put on a good show.

"It's here. It's finally here."

At the corner of the street in the distance, a carriage drove up, followed by a dozen Ti riders.

The only one who could have such a grand ceremony was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Xu Zengshou hurried down the stairs and waited.

The carriage stopped and Zhu Ying walked out holding Xu Miaojin's hand.

Along the way, Xu Miaojin had no intention of letting go, even if her brother was watching her, no matter how shy Xu Miaojin was, she didn't want to let go.

She was too afraid of losing.

Three years had passed since Zhu Gaochi fell in love with her on a boat trip.

During these three years, she paid close attention to all the news about Zhu Ying and would take the initiative to find out everything about Zhu Ying.

Whenever Zhu Ying caused a big stir in the capital, Xu Miaojin would always hide in the room and smile foolishly.

I am always particularly happy when I hear news about Zhu Ying.

So, this time, she won't let go.

Of course Xu Zengshou was very happy when he saw this scene.

"Your Highness, Xu Zengshou, pays respect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

As Xu Zengshou clasped his fists and bowed, the servants of Prince Zhongshan's Palace all knelt down and kowtowed.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhu Ying glanced at Xu Zengshou.

Speaking of which, Zhu Ying had never paid much attention to these children of nobles before.

Now it seems that we can still cultivate it more.

Although the Ming Dynasty has many outstanding generals, they are actually of the older generation. As time goes by, more young generals will need to be trained.

Xu Zengshou, as the fourth son of Xu Da, is also a good person.

No matter how you look at it, it is a contribution to the Ming Dynasty.

As Xu Zengshou entered, Xu Miaojin still held Zhu Ying's hand tightly, as if she would lose it if she let go.

At this point, I have already given it my all.

With Zhu Ying's entry.

All the servants kowtowed.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

All the way to the atrium, Xu Yihua was waiting there.

"I greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"You're welcome, Auntie."

Xu Yihua was Zhu Di's princess consort, and in relationship she was Zhu Ying's fourth aunt.

Zhu Ying turned around, glanced at Song Zhong and said, "Alright, all of you can leave now."

"Yes, sir."

This is the Palace of Prince Zhongshan, so it is naturally impossible for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to encounter any danger.

Xu Yihua looked at Xu Miaojin holding the hand of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and she had never expected that today would be so smooth.

My younger sister is quite smart.

When the news of Crown Prince going to Xuanwu Lake is conveyed, he can be brought to the palace.

Xu Miaojin was almost relaxed at this time, and now that she was in a familiar environment, she was no longer so shy.

And to a large extent, Xu Miaojin completely disregarded her status as an unmarried woman, put aside worldly prejudices, and was determined to follow Zhu Ying.

On this point, Zhu Ying still prefers it.

This made him feel something that only existed in later generations.

Besides, as for Xu Miaojin, she was completely different from other women. When I met her, she was just a businessman, not the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

This shows that what Xu Miaojin likes is herself, not her identity.

This feeling is very comfortable.

Maybe it's a feeling of free love.

But at that time, three years ago, Xu Miaojin was still too young, so Zhu Yingcai didn’t have any other ideas.

Now that it has grown and is about to bloom, it is completely different.

Xu Yihua had already arranged for the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous banquet.

There was a table full of dishes, and only Zhu Ying, Xu Miaojin, Xu Yihua and Xu Zengshou enjoyed it.

"I offer a toast to Your Highness. Thank you for coming to the palace today. You really bring glory to the entire palace."

Xu Zengshou picked up the wine glass and said respectfully.

Zhu Ying took a look at the clear wine in the glass and just by smelling it, he knew that it was definitely produced by his own winery.

And this one, even if you don’t see the jar, must be the one with the highest concentration.

Xu Zengshou's thoughts are self-evident.

But when it comes to drinking, he has never been afraid of anyone.

Before he even started eating the food, he had already drunk three cups of wine, which amounted to about 400 to 500 grams.

In later generations, people who have a bad tolerance for alcohol would probably get drunk.

Xu Zengshou's face had begun to turn red, but it was obvious that he was going to continue.

Then come on.

About half an hour later.

Xu Zengshou was already lying on the table, snoring loudly.

Zhu Ying couldn't help but sigh, this is really cruel, it is estimated that he has done two or three kilograms.

Xu Yihua quickly arranged for someone to take his fourth brother away.

"One more drink, Your Highness."

Xu Zengshou was in a daze and shouting randomly.

Xu Yihua took advantage of this opportunity and went out as well.

The servants around seemed to have disappeared.

Only Zhu Ying and Xu Miaojin were left.

Xu Miaojin also drank a small cup in the middle, and her face was already red.

"Your Highness, it's late. Let me help you to rest." Xu Miaojin said bravely.

Zhu Ying looked at the lovely girl next to him and said, "I am a little drunk. I will rest here with you today."

Xu Miaojin naturally took her directly to her own boudoir with the support of others.

All the way from the courtyard to the boudoir, everyone in the palace disappeared completely, not a single figure could be seen.

It was as if all the lively servants from before were gone.

As I entered the room, a faint feminine fragrance hit my nose. It was true that people were intoxicated even without the wine.

After the door was closed, Zhu Ying had no more reservations and put his arms around Xu Miaojin's waist.

Xu Miaojin gently leaned against Zhu Ying and murmured, "I hope Your Highness will have mercy on me."

…

"Boss, do you think we should go back to the palace today?"

After hearing this, Song Zhong slapped his subordinate on the head and said, "Why are you going back? Go to the palace and tell them that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is staying overnight at the Prince of Zhongshan's mansion."

The subordinate touched his head and said, "Ah, why is it me?"

Song Zhong scolded, "You asked such a stupid question, so of course you are the one who went."

After watching his subordinates leave, Song Zhong touched his waist and felt very satisfied.

Naturally, he was the one who informed Prince Zhongshan's Palace of the news that the Crown Prince was going to Xuanwu Lake, otherwise Xu Miaojin would not have been able to catch up.

Even when on the road, I deliberately slowed down my pace.

This doesn't count as bribery. His Majesty and Concubine Ning have both tacitly approved of it.

This amount of money can only be considered as the matchmaker's money.

Seeing that there was no one around, Song Zhong secretly opened it and took a look.

Wow, that’s really generous.

He then happily put it away.