Chapter 16 The Queen's Reprimand: "Then why are you blushing?"...
"Okay, okay!" Banban agreed haphazardly.
Her focus wasn't on whether her cousin would accept her or not, but on the bag full of gold coins. Even though she couldn't spend them all in the palace, she was still overjoyed.
He immediately grabbed the gold bag, moved it around trying to figure out where to put it, and finally stored it in the small box he had brought with him.
Ying Zheng watched her bustling about, like a diligent little bee reaping a bountiful harvest. Only after she had hidden the gold ingots and snuggled back against his side did he soften his voice and ask, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"
"Why did the kings of the pre-Qin period favor their cousin so much?" Banban leaned on the small table, tilting her head. "Was it because his cousin's younger brother was stupid and incompetent?"
Ying Zheng raised his hand and gently stroked her hair twice, then leaned back lazily against the cushion.
He gazed absently at the setting sun outside the door, lost in thought. "Cheng Jiao certainly doesn't have much talent, but he's only a few years old, so we can't tell anything from him yet."
He recalled how King Yingzhu of the pre-Qin period had twice gazed at his face in a brief daze, and suddenly touched his own face.
"The sun has set, cousin, shall we go for a walk?"
Ying Zheng snapped out of his reverie and said, "Alright."
After changing their clothes, the brother and sister decided to take a short walk in Xianyang Palace.
Banban was very curious; he would stop to look at and ask questions about everything he saw. There were some things that even Ying Zheng didn't know, so the accompanying eunuchs did their best to answer them one by one.
"Xianyang Palace is so big, I can't walk anymore."
Upon seeing this, the temple servants hurriedly asked if they wanted to arrange for a palanquin.
"No need," Ying Zheng waved his hand. "The Ganquan Palace is just ahead. Let's go visit Mother."
"That's good, it's been a long time since I've seen my aunt." Banban said happily, "Let's go, let's go." The two of them were touring the palace together, and did not bring many maids or eunuchs, so they were very light. Banban turned her head and saw a large group of people coming out of the gate of Ganquan Palace. There were two rows of eunuchs and six or seven maids, each carrying an empty tray.
The girl at the front was about fifteen years old, dressed in mourning clothes, and as she walked, one could vaguely see the hem of her dark blue dress underneath.
This woman had a beautiful face and delicate eyebrows, skin as white as snow, and lips that were red without lipstick. Her expression was slightly melancholy, showing no sign of joy.
Who else could it be but Princess Yangman?
Princess Yangman had obviously spotted Ying Zheng and his entourage as well, and quickened her pace to curtsy and greet them respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness."
He greeted her politely, without making a single mistake.
She quickly grasped her hand, not allowing her to bend her knees.
Ying Zheng glanced at the Ganquan Palace behind him. "Sister-in-law, you're too polite. What's this?"
Princess Yangman smiled when she saw that the Crown Prince was willing to be close to her, and her attitude was very friendly. "My sister-in-law, the Queen, has been back in the palace for many days, and I have never been able to find an opportunity to visit her. Today, I heard that she has returned from the Queen Mother's place, so I came to pay my respects."
The "Empress Mother" here naturally refers to the former Lady Huayang.
Banban sorted out these relationships in her mind.
Ying Zheng nodded and said with a smile, "My dear sister, you've been very kind. I heard you've been taking Banban out to play these past few days. Banban is quite mischievous, and you must be very tired. Yesterday, Father bestowed upon me a white jade and pearl pendant. I think you have a gentle and refined temperament, and it will certainly suit you well. I'll have someone send it to you later."
Princess Yangman reacted quickly, flattering, "So, Chengyin's nickname is Banban?"
"Graceful and elegant, every stroke of her pen is like a painting. 'Pan' means warm and beautiful, it is truly a wonderful name."
When Banban saw the princess praising him, he gave her a simple, honest smile.
Princess Yangman couldn't help but gently stroke her soft hair. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Qiu Linruo is still alive, and she's about the same age as Banban."
When Princess Qiulin was mentioned, Ying Zheng fell silent for a moment.
"Look at me, why am I saying all this?" Princess Yangman smiled again. "I suppose you've come to pay your respects to the Queen as well, so I won't bother you any longer. I still have some miscellaneous matters to attend to in my palace, so I'll take my leave first."
As soon as Princess Yangman left, Banban eagerly asked, "Who is Qiulin?"
Ying Zheng answered her, "She was the second daughter of her mother, Lady Chu, and died before she was a year old."
"That's truly heartbreaking." As she spoke, Banban muttered that the Qin people were so strange at naming things; how could they use jade artifacts as names?
“Yangman is not her name.” Ying Zheng led her by the hand towards Ganquan Palace. “Princess Yangman’s fief is Yangman County; this is her title. Her given name is Wansang.”
"Then she must be very rich," Banban thought to herself. The late king must have doted on this youngest daughter.
Ying Zheng took in the envy on his cousin's face and thought to himself that he would find a prosperous place in the future so that his cousin could also enjoy such treatment.
The two entered the inner hall together. Ji Changyue was facing away from them, touching several boxes of jewelry and precious stones. Although she was wearing mourning clothes, one could still see the flamboyant crimson skirt under the white cloth.
"Mother."
Ji Changyue turned around, saw the two of them, and gave them a big smile. "Banban is here. Come sit down, come over here, aunt."
She offered Banban some pastries, and Banban nestled in her arms, saying, "Sister-in-law, you look so beautiful."
Ji Changyue glared at her, deliberately putting on a stern face, "Weren't you pretty before?"
"You were beautiful before, but you're exceptionally beautiful today!!"
Ji Changyue could tell that these words were sincere, and her smile deepened. "You're such a smooth talker." She lightly tapped the tip of her nose, and the two of them made funny faces at each other.
"Were these all given to you by Princess Yangman? I just ran into her with my cousin. The maids were carrying quite a few empty trays."
Ji Changyue snorted, concealing a hint of disdain, "They're only trying to curry favor with me now that the situation has changed. There's not a single one of them in this palace who's easy to deal with!"
After saying that, she turned to Ying Zheng, who was sitting down and taking a bite of a fruit, and said, "You too, don't let your guard down. Just because you've made him the crown prince doesn't mean the Qin Dynasty will be in your hands. You only had half a day off this afternoon, and you're already so lax. How can that be allowed?"
When her son came in, she didn't give him a friendly look, knowing he would sit down as if he hadn't noticed.
"You still have a brother, Chengjiao," Lady Huayang had repeatedly recommended Chengjiao to be the crown prince. Thinking of this, Ji Changyue felt resentful and thought that Lady Huayang was going against her. She spoke more and more angrily, "You should have a sense of crisis. Besides, after the mourning period, many people will send all kinds of beauties to Xianyang Palace. Your father is the new king, and you will have new younger brothers and sisters born in the future!"
"How can you be so lazy? You have no ambition!"
These words are not to be taken lightly; only a father or mother could reprimand a crown prince in such a way, causing him to lose face.
Ying Zheng didn't react in any particular way. He put down the fruit and said, "Your mother's teachings are correct."
Banban quickly changed the subject, interrupting, "Auntie, these are so pretty, can I choose one? I want one too."
“Sister-in-law.” She shook Ji Changyue’s arm.
He didn't argue, and she assumed he had listened, so she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately put on a smile again. "Sure, take more!" she said. She eagerly nudged his little shoulder. "It's nothing, go and choose."
Banban stole a glance at her cousin. His face showed no particular expression, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. However, she was always very upset when she was scolded by her elders at home, and she figured that her cousin must feel the same way.
Besides, how can resting for an afternoon after eating fruit be considered lax? He's usually very diligent.
She hastily selected a few pieces of jewelry, but was somewhat intimidated by Ji Changyue and dared not stay for a meal.
After leaving Ganquan Palace, Banban became much more talkative.
"Does my cousin think Princess Yangman is a bad person?"
Ying Zheng shook his head. "How can there be purely good and evil people in this world?" He explained to his cousin in detail, "Her father finally ascended the throne, but he only reigned for three days before passing away. His only support is gone, and from now on he will have to beg for food from his brother. His brother is not born of the same mother, so how can he compare to their father?"
"But her marriage is not yet settled, so of course we have to rely on my brother, the king." Ji Changyue is a strong-willed person, while the new prince Chu is weak-willed. Do we need to make it clear who we want to please right now?
Banban stared at him with bright eyes, and after he finished speaking, she took out a fruit from her sleeve. "Cousin, you must be thirsty after talking so much. Have a fruit!"
Ying Zheng's words came to an abrupt halt, and his gaze shifted downwards, landing on the fresh and delicious fruit.
“You…” he hesitated.
Inside Ganquan Palace, a piece of fruit remained on the table, its corner missing, the very fruit that Crown Prince Ying Zheng had taken a bite out of before putting it down.
Listening to the Queen's reprimand, one naturally cannot eat.
The palace maid, recalling the Crown Prince's obedient demeanor earlier, shook her head, put the fruit away, and threw it away.
Outside the palace.
"I hid it secretly, cousin, hurry up and eat." Banban curled up the corners of her lips, shook her hands behind her back, and said smugly, "No one can see, I can hide a lot of things in my sleeves."
Ying Zheng paused for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Is that so?" He accepted the fruit, then suddenly, taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, he grabbed her sleeve. "Let me see."
"!!!" Banban was surprised that her cousin would suddenly do this, and she shrank back repeatedly.
He hadn't run more than two steps before he was grabbed by the collar and dragged back.
She was so frightened that she flailed wildly in the air. He lost his grip on her and she fell forward in a disheveled state.
Suddenly, an arm reached out and firmly embraced her waist, pressing her back against his chest.
The expected fall to the ground did not happen. Instead, the back of her head landed steadily on a slightly protruding chest. The skin of her neck brushed against the intricate and luxurious patterns of the other person's robe. She carefully opened her eyes and looked to the side.
A superior and outstanding face appeared in the field of vision, close at hand and looking down at the viewer.
Banban's eyes widened instantly, perhaps from nervousness, or something else; her heart was pounding.
After a long pause, she gripped her sleeve tightly and protested, "I didn't hide anything..."
"Nothing was hidden."
Ying Zheng leaned forward, his dark eyes sweeping across her face, light as a feather, without the slightest weight. Her long eyelashes were a natural gift, casting small shadows on her eyelids, adding a touch of softness to his sharp features.
He looked her over a few times, then his tone subtly rose, "Then why are you blushing?"
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