Chapter 23

Lin Nanjie walked into the Zichen Palace with her baby in her arms, but unexpectedly she ran into the little prince first.

The little prince was being led by Wang Dehai. He was dressed in plain white and looked extremely handsome.

She walked up to him, stood on tiptoe, and stared at what Lin Nanjie was holding in his arms, with a curious look in her eyes like black grapes.

"I want to see..."

Lin Nan's heart melted. He took out the terracotta figurine of a horseman from his arms, squatted down, held it in his hand and handed it to the little prince: "This is a figurine that I found outside the palace. Do you like it, Your Highness?"

The little prince's eyes lit up, and he held the pottery figurine tenderly in his little hands. The figurine was lifelike and adorable, and the little prince stared at it intently.

"It looks good!" the little prince said crisply.

Lin Nanzhen smiled and said, "As long as the little prince likes it."

The little prince nodded vigorously, playing with it lovingly, and raised his head again:

"You look good, too."

Then there was a "smack" sound and his face was wet. Lin Nanjie felt like he was kissed on the cheek.

Lin Nanjie felt a little soft-hearted. She didn't expect the little prince to be so easy to coax.

Wang Dehai was so upset by what he saw.

The little prince has only kissed the emperor and the empress dowager, and no one else.

Even he, who had served the emperor for so many years, did not have this blessing.

This boy is so lucky!

After coaxing the little prince, Lin Nanjie took out the leaf card again and presented it to Wang Dehai respectfully: "I am so grateful for your care during this period. This is just a small token of my respect."

Wang Dehai was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this guy still remembered him.

Especially knowing that I like this.

This leaf plaque is made of a thin copper sheet with gold foil inlaid on the back. It is depicted with various flower and bird patterns and folk operas, which are lifelike.

Wang Dehai knew at a glance that it was no ordinary item and immediately fell in love with it.

The smile on his face was more sincere: "We are all serving the emperor, so there is no need to take care of him. Just serve the emperor well."

Lin Nanjie: "Thank you for your advice, father-in-law."

Wang Dehai said in a gentle tone: "Go in quickly, don't keep the emperor waiting for too long."

Lin Nanjie then walked into the inner hall holding the music box. Li Chengqian was reading a book, with the ink-stained snowy landscape in front of him, looking as if it had never been touched. The ink had dried up, and the two wild ducks were staring blankly, with a cloud of ink on their heads.

Seeing Lin Nanjie coming in, Li Chengqian raised his eyelids slightly and pretended to be reserved: "Are you back?"

Lin Nanjie smiled with his handsome face, and stood in front of him respectfully, holding the opera box in front of Li Chenghuan like a treasure: "I am grateful for your grace and favor, but I have nothing to repay you. When I left the palace, I found an interesting toy for you."

Li Chenghuan kept his eyes on the book, but kept paying attention to the movements.

I thought to myself, this kid suddenly learned to talk. When he wasn't calling him a dog emperor, he was quite pleasing to the eye.

Li Chengqian put down the book, raised his eyebrows slightly, and pretended to be surprised: "A gift for me?"

He had just heard it all. Lin Nanjie gave Yu'er a clay figurine doll and gave Wang Dehai a pair of gold-leaf-inlaid plaques, making the old and the young laugh happily.

I'm really curious about what he gave me.

Lin Nanqi nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please take a look."

"Then I'll take a look."

He took the box and examined it carefully. The outer shell of the box was carved from huanghuali wood, and the carving patterns were exquisite and elegant, showing the handiwork of an experienced craftsman. The calligraphy and painting mounted on the front were also very good, with elegant strokes and lively pictures, which were indeed not ordinary things.

Li Chenghuan didn't expect that Lin Nanjie really bought him a good thing.

Facing Lin Nanjie's expectant eyes, Li Chengqian nodded and praised: "You are thoughtful. This thing is really good."

Lin Nanqi was immediately delighted and said in a very flattering manner, "Your Majesty, please look, there is a mystery behind this thing."

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows slightly: "Oh?"

He said, if it was just a painting box, it would be too simple.

Lin Nanjie shook the handle on the box and demonstrated, "Your Majesty, please look, this is a play that tells the story of the scholar Liu Mengke who went to Beijing to take the imperial examination."

The pictures flashed by, and the handsome and talented Liu Mengke packed his bags and went to Beijing for the exam.

Li Chengqian found that this play box was indeed wonderful. It was like watching a live play on paper, and he immediately became interested.

"Father."

Hearing the voices of Li Chenghuan and Lin Nanjie talking in the inner room, the little prince also came. He looked at the music box with great curiosity. He even put aside the pottery figurine in his hand and stretched out his hand to climb onto Li Chenghuan's knees.

Li Chengqian had no choice but to carry him up.

Li Chenghuan held the little prince in his arms, and Lin Nanjie stood beside him, with three pairs of eyes fixed on the music box.

Every time the handle is turned, a "click" sound is heard and the picture switches to a new one.

Liu Mengke, a poor scholar from Jiangnan, went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. He encountered many hardships and dangers along the way. First, he was bullied, then he lost his silver coins, slept in the open air, and was hungry. On the day he arrived in the capital, he finally fainted from exhaustion.

Another "click" sound and the picture flipped.

The scholar was picked up by a young man from a noble family, who took him home and took good care of him. The two hit it off immediately and studied together, always talking about the world. Not only that, the young man also taught the scholar how to ride a horse and shoot arrows. The two had a very close relationship, and even in the middle of the night, the young man would climb through the window to find the scholar and study together by candlelight.

Li Chengqian showed praise in his eyes. This scholar was diligent and studious. The young man from a noble family was also kind-hearted and loyal.

If all the scholars in Daqi had this aspiration, the court would surely be full of talented people.

Lin Nanjie's eyes lit up when he saw Li Chenghuan's reaction. He finally found a place to flatter him.

"It's not easy to study hard for ten years, and the true love of a good friend is really touching."

"Your Majesty, look at this noble young man. He is so imposing, handsome, and kind-hearted. He is just as admirable as Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian snorted softly: "Really?"

Lin Nanjie's eyes were full of sincerity: "Of course, the emperor is diligent in his work and loves the people. He is clear about rewards and punishments. The servants and the people admire him every day."

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows. He really cared about the people of the world, so it was no wonder that the little eunuch admired him.

The three continued watching.

There was another "click" sound.

The scene changes. It is freezing cold. The charcoal fire burns out in the middle of the night. The room is unbearably cold. The nobleman and the scholar wrap themselves in blankets and fall asleep together.

The three of them were attracted by the wonderful scene and watched it intently.

It's time for the exam next. Will they both pass the exam together, enter the court together, work hard for the people, and create a good story together?

With a "click" sound.

Still in bed, but this picture is a little different. The two people who were lying peacefully just now are now lying one in front and one behind, which looks quite weird.

I don't know when, the clothes on the bed were scattered, the bedding was in a mess, and I saw that the scholar's pants were taken off by the noble man, revealing his slender legs and... uh... butt.

The little prince said "Huh", looked puzzled, and pointed with his hand.

With a "pop", Li Chenghuan's sleeve knocked over the teacup, and he quickly covered the little prince's eyes with his hands, his eyes wide open.

"Father?" The little prince moved restlessly.

All the tea splashed onto Li Chenghuan's clothes, but Li Chenghuan stared at the picture in the box in amazement, as if he had seen a ghost.

Seeing that his father did not answer, the little prince twisted his body and said hesitantly: "Yu'er wants to see it."

Li Chengqian finally came to his senses from the shock and blurted out, "Don't look!"

Lin Nanjie, actually...actually gave him such a thing?

Just now you said that the noble young man in the opera looks like him?

Still admiring you?

Like him what?

What do you admire?

Li Chengqian's fingers were shaking uncontrollably.

His voice was so harsh that both the little prince and Lin Nanqi were startled.

Lin Nanqi looked at the white mouth, his mind went blank, and he fell to his knees with a plop.

【Ahhhhhhhhhh! 】

[Isn't this a story about a scholar going to the capital to take an imperial examination? Why is it a pornographic picture? And it's about gays!]

【It’s over! 】

[I can’t wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River! ]

"Your Majesty, please spare my life. I deserve death!"

"I didn't know the content was so, uh, so outrageous! Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

When the little prince heard Lin Nanqi kneeling down and begging for mercy, he became even more uneasy: "Father..."

Li Chenghuan looked at Lin Nanjie, and the familiar feeling of blood rushing up his spine.

He took a deep breath and called Wang Dehai: "Take Yu'er out."

The little prince was a little unhappy when he was taken away by Wang Dehai. He didn't know why his father chased him away when he was doing fine, and he kept looking back every few steps.

Li Chenghuan and Lin Nanjie were the only ones left in the inner room. It was extremely quiet, and the suffocating atmosphere made Lin Nanjie's face turn pale.

Lin Nanqi cried with a sad face: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

[Wuwuwuwuwuwu. I originally wanted to please the Emperor, but I ended up making things worse.]

[Ahhhhhhhhh! Your Majesty, please don’t misunderstand me! I really didn’t mean to do that!]

Li Chengqian's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, and he looked at Lin Nanqi with gritted teeth: "Lin Nanqi, you are so brave!"

Lin Nanqi hurriedly explained, "I just found this thing interesting, and the first thing I thought of was the emperor. I wanted to give you a surprise, so I didn't check the content carefully. I didn't expect that it would be... such a content."

"I have no intention of blaspheming the emperor! In my heart, the emperor is noble and holy, like the reincarnation of a god, and must not be blasphemed!"

[I know, I won't give it to you even if you kill me. I don't want to die! ]

Li Chenghuan's anger had not subsided yet, and his chest was rising and falling.

How noble and holy, the reincarnation of a god!

Don't be too careful when you flatter someone!

He caught a glimpse of the indecent patterns on the music box, which made him even more furious. He slammed the music box onto the table.

"How audacious!"

"How dare you make excuses!"

“Your reward is gone!”

Lin Nanqi was stunned for a moment, kneeling there in a daze.

【No more?】

[The hundred ounces of silver are gone? ]

[I also paid thirty taels? ]

Lin Nanqi burst into tears.

His life is so miserable!