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◎Each has his own thoughts◎
If they were leaving the palace for personal matters, the prince's family and the little princess would go through Donghua Gate, which was close enough to the Eastern Palace.
But because of Princess Yong's words, the road back to the East Palace seemed especially long today.
Qingyang looked at the figures of his elder brother and sister-in-law lying on the ground, and his heart seemed to be covered by a layer of dark clouds because of the silence.
Qingyang disliked this silence, nor should it be. She had always been close to her eldest brother, and had known her eldest sister-in-law since childhood, like sisters. How could she let Aunt Wang's words sow suspicion and estrangement? At least before her eldest brother and sister-in-law showed any real hostility towards her, Qingyang could observe them carefully, but she didn't want to be the first to make them enemies.
Qingyang looked at her eldest brother who was walking beside her, and just as she turned her head, she met her eldest brother's eyes that were carefully observing her. Then her eldest brother lowered his eyes awkwardly. There was no jealousy or envy, no resentment or hatred, only the nervousness of not being able to understand his sister's thoughts and the awkwardness of speaking.
Qingyang smiled, approached his elder brother and asked, "Brother, why don't you even dare to look at me?"
The familiar teasing tone was like a gust of wind, instantly blowing away the burdens in Qin Hong's heart. Meeting his sister's bright, smiling eyes, Qin Hong finally found the opportunity to explain. He approached his sister and said, "Brother, I can't control what others think, but I truly love your 'Southern Tour' and am truly happy for you that your subjects can witness your talent."
Qingyang looked back at his eldest brother seriously. "I know. Actually, I wrote my travelogue purely to keep it as a souvenir for myself. I never thought about anyone praising me. But when the book was actually published, my second brother was not good at reading, and my third brother only praised me. Only my eldest brother came over and discussed it with me for over an hour. I knew that he was the one who understood me the most among my brothers."
Qin Hong almost wanted to touch his sister's head again, but his sister had grown into a big girl, and it would be inappropriate for him to do so. So he just smiled and praised her: "Because your writing is really good, I will go to discuss it with you when I have time in the future."
Qingyang helped his eldest brother unload his luggage, and then chatted with his gentle and amiable sister-in-law for a while. As for Zheng Ge'er who was walking beside his sister-in-law with a stern face, Qingyang pretended not to see him.
Not long after, Qingyang said goodbye to her brother and sister-in-law, and walked towards her Jiuhua Palace with Jie Yu and Fu Liu.
A barrier that almost stood between the brother and sister was broken in time. Qin Hong breathed a sigh of relief. When he went to see his wife, his eyes accidentally swept across Zheng Ge'er, but he saw Zheng Ge'er glaring at his sister's back as she left. The extremely displeased look made Qin Hong feel unfamiliar and also made him feel chilled for his sister.
It was difficult to get angry outside, so when he returned to Chongyuan Palace, Qin Hong dismissed his attendants, leaving only his wife by his side. He frowned and asked his son, "Why are you glaring at your aunt?"
Zheng Ge'er knew that his father liked his aunt, so he lowered his head and didn't want to answer.
Lu Wenrong sat on another main seat with mixed feelings. She spent more time with her son and noticed his dislike for his aunt earlier than the prince. However, her repeated attempts to persuade and reason with him failed to make her son close to his aunt again. Now that the prince had witnessed it with his own eyes, Lu Wenrong hoped that his teachings would be more effective than hers and would completely correct her son's prejudice.
Qin Hong was recognized by the ministers as a man of gentle temperament. He rarely lost his temper with his family and ministers. No matter who made mistakes among the people he often dealt with, Qin Hong was tolerant as much as he could. However, he could not tolerate his son glaring at his aunt with such hatred.
"explain!"
Following Qin Hong's rare stern shout, Zheng Ge'er's entire body trembled. Seeing his father glaring at him, Zheng Ge'er pursed his lips and turned his head, saying, "Because of my aunt's books, the people outside are now praising her for her virtue. Over time, my aunt's reputation among the people will surely surpass yours. Can your father really tolerate being inferior to your aunt?"
Qin Hong had never expected his six-year-old son to say such words. He was stunned for a moment before explaining, "Little Aunt is talented and cares about the people. It is a blessing for our Qin family to have a virtuous princess like Little Aunt. The people's respect for her is equivalent to respect for the royal family. You should take Little Aunt as your teacher. Why do you have such wild thoughts?"
Zheng Ge'er turned around, stared at his father and said, "Father is wrong! You are the crown prince. Besides Grandfather, you should be the most virtuous person in the Great Qi Imperial Family. Otherwise, the ministers and the people will only have eyes for Little Aunt and respect her virtue. Then, in the future, who will hold the court accountable, Father's words or Little Aunt's?"
Qin Hong frowned: "Who taught you to say this?"
Zheng Ge'er: "I don't need anyone to teach me. I can see it myself. The Royal Grandfather has always loved my aunt the most. He made her an official and took her on the Southern Tour. The Royal Grandfather praises my aunt every day, and I am only getting more and more disappointed in my father. Isn't my father afraid that the Royal Grandfather will make my third uncle the crown prince because of my aunt?"
Qin Hong's face turned pale with rage. He left the table and slapped Zheng Ge'er in the face: "Tell me, where on earth did you hear such provocative words?"
Zheng'er's fair face was slapped red. He felt pain, but he felt even more wronged. Tears as big as beans welled up in his eyes. He looked up at his father and said, "No one provoked me. It was my royal grandfather who told me so himself! He said he didn't understand why you were always afraid and why you always got sick from fear. What else could this be but disappointment?"
He was also disappointed. He was disappointed about why his father could not be as majestic as his second uncle, why he could not please the emperor, and why he did not know to beware of his aunt helping his third uncle win the emperor's favor!
Qin Hong staggered, took two steps back, held onto the chair and fell down on it.
Lu Wenrong had stood up in fear when his son was beaten. Seeing that the prince was pale and seemed to be having another headache, Lu Wenrong immediately drove away his son who had made the prince angry, and then came over to take care of the prince.
Qin Hong avoided his wife's gaze, feeling ashamed to face anyone. It turned out that his father was not only disappointed in him, but he actually said this to his son...
.
Prince Xian's Mansion.
After seeing off all the guests, Qin Ren immediately helped Yan Zhenzhen back to her room to rest, worried that the princess, who had just come out of confinement, would be tired.
Yan Zhenzhen didn't feel tired physically, but she was exhausted mentally. She lay on her side, looking at her husband, the prince, with a worried look on her face. "You heard everything Aunt Wang said, and you saw with your own eyes how ashamed my brother was and how angry my sister was. Tell me, will my brother and sister resent me from now on?"
Qin Ren: "...I can't say that. Big brother is just thin-skinned but very broad-minded. He won't be jealous of his younger sister. Otherwise, he would have been jealous when his younger sister became famous in the imperial examination."
Yan Zhenzhen: "How can this be the same? The palace examination was only known to the ministers and a small number of students. At most, the people in the capital talked about it with relish for a while. But this time, my sister published a book, and she has become famous throughout Da Qi!"
Qin Ren: "...So what if she's praised? The common people will just praise my sister for her talent. There have always been talented people throughout history. My elder brother is the crown prince, so there's no reason for him to be jealous of my sister."
Yan Zhenzhen patted him and said, "Do you know why my grandfather opposed my sister's entry into the court?"
Qin Ren's face changed slightly. Zuo Xiang and Nie Ao were both worried that their sister would interfere in politics.
Yan Zhenzhen: "Sister has already entered the court as an official. If her reputation for virtue spreads throughout the country, she will be even more prestigious in the court. Brother has been ill for many years, and at this time, you and your sister have suddenly emerged as a rising star..."
Qin Ren was so frightened that he sat up. "What do you mean by brother and sister rising to prominence? It's my sister who's talented and famous. How can I have anything to do with it?"
Yan Zhenzhen also sat up, her face close to her husband's face: "You are stupid, no matter how talented your sister is, she is still a princess. Can a princess compete for that position? But she is your biological sister. If your sister has great power, then you have great power..."
Qin Ren covered the princess's mouth with his hand and said in horror: "Don't talk nonsense, I have never had such thoughts!"
Yan Zhenzhen pulled his hand away, the worry in her eyes even more intense: "I know you don't have it, and I have never even thought about it. I'm afraid that others will think you siblings have such ambitions, especially my eldest brother and sister."
Qin Ren was dumbfounded. He followed the princess in worry for a while, then suddenly relaxed. He held the princess's hand and said, "The emperor arranged for my sister to publish a book. If there is any trouble because of the book, my father will definitely solve it. I will go and remind my sister. With my sister's intelligence, she will definitely be able to dispel my brother's suspicion. Let's not worry about it."
The main thing is that I can't help much even if I worry about it, so I just don't cause trouble for my sister.
At Prince Jing's residence, Meng Yao was also complaining to Qin Bing about Princess Yong: "I think she's just trying to sow discord between my younger sister and my older brother."
Qin Bing, who had been drinking with Uncle Wang and was already half drunk, forced his eyes open. "Provoke? What did she provoke?"
Meng Yao: “…”
She used both feet to kick the man who was not negotiable away.
.
March 26th is the day for court meeting.
Qingyang got up early as usual. When Jie Yu carried him to the Chongyuan Palace with a lantern, he immediately spotted his elder brother waiting on the other side. However, this morning, his figure seemed a little hunched...
As soon as the thought came to her mind, the shadow regained its familiar upright posture.
As they got closer, Qingyang could see his elder brother's face clearly with the help of the lanterns held by Jie Yu and De Quan. His face was so pale and haggard that even the light could not hide it.
Qingyang hesitated to speak. His elder brother looked like he didn't sleep well last night. Could he have been affected by Aunt Wang's words?
Qin Hong knew he looked haggard, so he comforted his sister in a gentle voice, "Maybe you drank two extra bowls of wine yesterday afternoon, and vomited last night, so you didn't sleep well. Did you scare me?"
Qingyang took it as a belief and advised, "Then go back and catch up on your sleep, brother. I'll ask for leave from the emperor for you."
Qin Hong: "It's okay, I can hold on, let's go."
Qingyang had no choice but to follow his elder brother towards Qianyuan Hall.
When the time came, all the ministers entered the hall first. Qingyang and his eldest and third brothers stood side by side at the head of the civil officials. Opposite them were his uncle Wang and his second brother who were at the head of the military officials.
After a while, Emperor Xingwu came in from the imperial road on the east side in front, walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, and soon sat on the dragon throne.
After the ceremony, the morning court officially began.
Emperor Xingwu, sitting high on the dragon throne, could clearly see the posture and demeanor of all the civil and military officials in the court, but the first person he noticed today was his crown prince. The crown prince, who used to be in good health because he had practiced martial arts for many years and always got A grades in martial arts exams, had become thinner after suffering from headaches for several months last year. It's okay to be thin, as he usually looked normal, but now he was as pale as wax.
The more Emperor Xingwu looked over here, the lower Qin Hong's head drooped, which was noticed by Qin Ren, who was standing between his elder brother and younger sister due to his age.
Seeing his elder brother's ashamed look in front of the emperor, and then looking at the emperor who kept looking at them, Qin Ren suddenly became nervous and lowered his head to avoid him.
God can bear witness that he really didn't want to compete with big brother. Big brother, don't be ashamed, and father, please don't misunderstand!
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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