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◎The Grand Princess's Mansion is completed.◎
Halfway through the palace banquet, Emperor Xingwu asked his three half-grown sons to take their sister outside to admire the moon. There would be fireworks in the palace tonight, so why bother making the children watch him drinking and socializing with his ministers?
After leaving the Taiji Hall, Qin Bing first asked his sister, "How could you carry such a long thing?"
Although Qin Hong and Qin Ren didn't say anything, they looked at their sister with the same surprise and admiration.
Qingyang: "Mr. Guo asked me to recite it."
Qin Hong said with emotion: "Homework is homework, but my sister is very talented to be able to memorize it. When we were her age, we only knew how to play around."
Qin Ren: "My eldest and second brothers played for a year longer than me. I had to get up at 1 a.m. when I was five!"
Qin Bing threatened his sister, who was living too comfortably, "You've been taught to like reading, but when you turn five, you'll have to get up at dusk. No more sleeping in!"
Qin Hong glared at him: "Nonsense, even if my sister has been studying in Chongwen Pavilion, she doesn't have to follow our schedule, don't make trouble."
He was afraid that his sister would believe his second brother's words and resist studying from then on.
Qingyang kept looking up, looking at whichever brother spoke, and asked in confusion: "Why don't I have to get up at night?"
Qin Bing walked backwards and said enviously, "Because you are a girl. Girls will get married when they grow up. They don't need to study too deeply. We will become officials and serve our father when we grow up. We must study hard and practice martial arts well."
Qingyang likes reading and said unhappily, "I also want to work for my father. I will read as much as you do, and I will practice martial arts as well as you do!"
Qin Bing tutted his words twice: "What a little fool! Do you think studying and practicing martial arts is fun? I wish I were a princess and could sleep in every day."
Qingyang got angry, stopped, and glared at his second brother: "You are the fool!"
Qin Ren squatted down to comfort his sister, and Qin Hong scolded Qin Bing.
Qin Bing liked to tease his sister but had no patience to coax her. The more his elder brother scolded him, the more he became dissatisfied. He simply ran away with the palace maids around him and went out to play by himself.
Qingyang leaned in his third brother's arms, still unsatisfied, and said to his second brother's back, "I don't like my second brother. I don't want to talk to him anymore."
Qin Ren: "Yes, unless he apologizes to you."
Qingyang: "Even if I apologize, I won't talk to him."
Qin Ren: "Yes, let's ignore him."
Qingyang went to see his elder brother.
Qin Hong smiled: "Okay, big brother will ignore him."
Qingyang was satisfied. He walked forward holding one of his brothers' hands. As they walked, he suddenly asked, "Third brother, is Zhang Su here?"
Qin Ren: "No, every festival is a day when he can leave the palace. He would rather stay at home."
Qingyang: "Duke Wei and his wife have already entered the palace, what is he doing at home?"
Qin Ren: "Take the servants to play in the streets? The folk lantern festival is definitely more lively than the palace one."
Qingyang was unhappy again: "I want to go to the folk lantern festival too."
Qin Ren looked expectantly at his elder brother, the Crown Prince. He was only eight years old and still a child. If his brothers and sisters wanted to leave the palace, they would definitely have to be taken there by their elder brother.
Qin Hong: "There are all kinds of people out there. Let's just stay in the palace and don't let our father and mother worry."
Qingyang: "What is a mixed bag?"
Qin Hong and Qin Ren: "..."
.
The fireworks in the palace are very beautiful. When they explode, they block the moon, and when the light dissipates, the moon slowly appears.
Qingyang leaned in his mother's arms and fell asleep while watching.
Concubine Li wanted to hold her daughter like this forever, but she was unable to do so. With half of her shoulder almost numb from being pressed down by her daughter, she could only hand her daughter to the wet nurse and said with a tearful look, "Come to my side."
The wet nurse bent her knees slightly, carried the little princess and Jie Yu and left the moon-viewing pavilion.
When they arrived at the west wing of Xianfu Palace, the wet nurse put the little princess on the couch in the second room and helped her wash her face with a towel wet with warm water.
Qingyang, who had been sleeping all the way, was woken up. He looked at his wet nurse and then at Jie Yu, who was standing a few steps away. Qingyang said, "I want to get up at dawn tomorrow morning too."
Xie Yu smiled and said, "We have three days off for Mid-Autumn Festival. Your Highness doesn't need to get up early to study tomorrow."
Qingyang fell asleep again.
When he woke up, it was already dawn. Qingyang packed up and went to the main hall to find his mother, and found that his father was also there.
Qingyang leaned into his father's arms and asked expectantly, "Did your father bring his badge?"
Emperor Xingwu tapped his daughter's cheek and said, "The ones your father has are old. I'll ask the craftsmen to make a new waist badge for Lin'er. It will probably take four or five days."
It’s fine as long as we have it, there’s no rush for Qingyang.
After breakfast, Emperor Xingwu took his daughter to the racecourse, where Qin Hong and his three brothers and Yongkang were waiting.
Qin Hong, Qin Bing, and Yongkang had all learned to ride horses, but Qin Ren had to wait until he was ten years old. So when Emperor Xingwu accompanied the three older children to race horses, Qin Ren was responsible for standing in a safe place to accompany his younger sister.
Qingyang approached the railings outside the racecourse, looked at the horses galloping inside, and muttered quietly, "I want to ride a horse, too."
Qin Ren touched his sister's head, not envious at all: "Riding a horse is so dangerous, I don't even dare to try it."
At this time, Emperor Xingwu rode a dark-haired horse and ran to his two children.
Qingyang raised his hands high: "Father, hold me!"
Emperor Xingwu leaned over and, with one hand, scooped his daughter up to the front of the saddle and placed her there. He then asked his youngest son, "Will you come? You can sit behind me."
Qin Ren shook his head repeatedly.
Emperor Xingwu cursed his daughter as useless and took her to go horse racing.
After the horse race, Emperor Xingwu wanted to check the martial arts of his three sons, and asked them to practice fighting with him according to their age, starting from the crown prince.
When Qin Hong tried to attack his father with sweat on his forehead, Qin Bing, who was watching nearby, wanted to tease his sister, but Qingyang threw himself into his third brother's arms and ignored him.
Qin Bing: "Are you really angry?"
Qin Ren whispered, "You should apologize quickly."
Qin Bing squatted behind Qingyang and apologized with a playful smile. Since his sister refused his gift, Qin Bing had to use his trump card: "Could you ride a horse with me?"
Qingyang finally looked over and said, "I want to ride fifty steps."
Qin Bing: "I'll give you a hundred steps, but you have to promise me one thing. When you get the badge, you have to take me to the former dynasty to play once."
Qingyang thought about it and refused: "You will make trouble, I won't take you with me."
Yongkang, who had been listening absentmindedly, looked at the three younger ones and asked curiously, "What badges are they?"
Qin Bing then explained it again.
Qin Ren saw that his elder sister looked unhappy, so he added, "Father said that my younger sister can only use it until she is ten years old."
Yongkang curled his lips and waited until Qin Bing knelt on the ground and let his sister ride him like a horse. Qin Ren carefully supported his sister's shoulders beside him. Then Yongkang looked at his father who was competing with his younger brother, the prince, like a cat playing with a mouse.
What a great power it is to be able to walk freely in the palace. Even the imperial concubine doesn’t have this qualification, but my father actually gave it to my sister!
Yongkang's first thought was to ask his father for one as well, but his father said that his sister's badge could only be used until she was ten years old. This meant that it was okay for his sister to run around in the past few years, but she would stop making trouble when she grew up and became sensible. Now she was seventeen years old, so if she asked his father for a badge again, wouldn't it seem that she was being unreasonable?
Then, Yongkang thought of the purple jade flute that her father had given her as a reward. Compared with the golden waist pendant that her sister could only play with, her priceless purple jade flute was more valuable.
Besides, what was so fun about the previous dynasty? It was nothing more than government offices, and the officials were all busy with their work. It would be better if there were some rare flowers and plants to appreciate in the harem.
As Qin Hong was pinned to the ground by Emperor Xingwu, Yongkang was no longer bothered to care about his sister's badge.
Emperor Xingwu criticized his eldest son: "I told you to hit me as hard as you can, but you still hold back. How can you be so impatient at such a young age? I am your father. I will not use any harsh blows against you, and I will not be angry with you for hitting me with all your might."
Qin Hong lowered his head, his eyes dodging: "Son, I know I was wrong."
Emperor Xingwu glanced at the second brother who was kneeling on the ground playing with his sister and said, "Let's do it again."
Yongkang secretly encouraged his younger brother, but he saw that his younger brother was very fierce when rushing towards the emperor. However, when the distance was close, his younger brother slowed down again. The emperor's face also darkened. Yongkang was so anxious that he wanted to scold his younger brother. He didn't have the courage when he needed to perform in front of the emperor. What's the point of always getting A in martial arts?
Emperor Xingwu tripped his eldest son with his foot and wanted to yell at him to come again, but he saw that his eldest son's eyes seemed to be red as he slowly stood up.
Is this because of pain from the fall, or is it because of being wronged?
It was a major holiday, and Emperor Xingwu didn't want to make his eldest son feel too miserable. Seeing that the second son had stood up, he let him take over.
Qin Bing rolled up his sleeves and rushed forward like a wolf cub. When his arms were clamped by his father, he kicked his father with his feet. When his legs were held by his father, he suddenly hit his father's chest with his elbow. The more he fought, the more disorderly he became, but the more courageous he became. After falling down, he jumped up and continued to attack without waiting for his father to shout, making Emperor Xingwu sweat.
Finally, Emperor Xingwu twisted the second brother's arms with both hands, forcing him to kneel on the ground and unable to move, and said with a smile: "Are you convinced?"
Qin Bing raised his head and snorted, "I don't accept it, I still have the strength!"
Emperor Xingwu increased the strength of his hands, causing Qin Bing to cry out in pain, but he still shouted "I don't accept it".
Emperor Xingwu was very satisfied with the courage of his second son and let him continue, but this time he put in some real effort and no longer tolerated his reckless behavior. The second son rushed over, and he held his son's arms and threw them to the side, and his son fell to the ground. The second son suddenly changed his tactics and wanted to attack his lower road. Emperor Xingwu moved sideways and slapped his son on the back, making him fall on his face in the mud.
"Are you convinced?" Emperor Xingwu squatted beside his son and poked his still thin shoulder.
Qin Bing, who had a sore tooth, said, "...I give in."
Emperor Xingwu laughed and looked at the third brother who had not yet come on stage.
Qin Ren: “…”
Yongkang, Qin Hong and Qingyang are all very concerned about Qin Ren's performance.
Under the close scrutiny of three pairs of eyes, Qin Ren ran towards his father. Just as Emperor Xingwu raised his hand to receive the attack, Qin Ren fell to his knees with a plop, looking up and forcing a smile: "Father, can I just admit defeat?"
Emperor Xingwu: “…”
Of course that wasn't possible, so it turned into a ridiculous scene where Qin Ren was running in front and Emperor Xingwu was chasing him from behind.
Because he refused to fight and ran away, Qin Ren was slapped on the buttocks by his father. When he stood up, he felt like there was a fire burning. He brought his sister to rest with his mother. As soon as he sat down, he jumped up in pain as if he was being pricked by needles. Qin Ren realized that he was in trouble.
Concubine Li wanted to see, but Qin Ren grabbed the waistband of his pants and refused to take them off no matter what.
Concubine Li had no choice but to send someone to invite the imperial physician.
Qin Ren persuaded his mother to stay and took the imperial physician into the back room alone. When he was lying on the couch and preparing for the imperial physician to help him take off his pants, he tilted his head and saw that his sister had followed him in. He was so scared that he quickly stopped and asked his sister to go out.
Qingyang felt wronged: "I want to see if Third Brother is seriously injured."
Qin Ren: "It's not serious, just apply some medicine and it will be fine. Be good, little sister. Girls can't look at boys' butts, or you'll get stye."
Qingyang: "What is the eye of a needle?"
Qin Ren pointed at his eyes and said, "It's just a small bump on my eye. It's ugly and painful."
Qingyang was frightened and ran out obediently.
Not long after, the imperial physician came out and said with a smile that he had applied medicine to the Third Prince. He should rest for half a day and apply medicine again before going to bed. He would be fine by tomorrow morning.
Concubine Li asked the palace maid to send the imperial physician out and took her daughter in.
Qin Ren stood on the ground adjusting his belt and smiled embarrassedly at his mother and sister.
Concubine Li was both annoyed that Emperor Xingwu had been too harsh and furious that her son was asking for trouble: "Your father wants to teach you martial arts, so what if you fight with him?"
Qin Ren also felt wronged: "My martial arts skills are just that good, do I still need to be checked? Rather than being thrown to the ground by my father and hurting my whole body, I'd rather just get a few slaps."
Concubine Li: “…”
Qingyang, who has always been interested in martial arts, said: "I don't want to practice wrestling. I don't like wrestling."
.
In the evening, Zhang Su, who had been away from the palace for three days, finally returned and went directly to the Chengming Palace of the third prince.
He estimated that the third prince and the little princess should be having dinner with Concubine Li at this time, but he didn't expect that the brother and sister were both in Chengming Palace.
Zhang Su had no choice but to go and pay his respects to the two princes first.
Led into the east room by Eunuch Fu'an, Zhang Su saw the Third Prince lying on the couch. The little princess was lying opposite the Third Prince in the same position, supporting her head with a chessboard between their heads.
Zhang Su: "...Your humble servant greets the two Your Highnesses."
Qin Ren was about to cry. He moved to the side and lay on the pillow: "Come, play chess with your sister. I'll watch you play."
Zhang Su looked at the little princess.
Qingyang explained seriously, "My third brother was beaten by our father and had to lie down. I played chess with him to relieve his boredom."
Qingyang likes his third brother very much, so much so that he would rather not go to his mother for dinner than stay with his third brother.
Qin Ren forced a smile towards his sister: "Sister is the best."
Zhang Su moved a chair to the front of the couch and moved the chessboard over there. He continued playing chess with the little princess while asking with concern, "I wonder why the emperor wants to punish your highness?"
Qin Ren has a lot of grievances that he can't express.
Qingyang: "Father wanted to wrestle with my third brother, but he ran away and was caught by Father again."
Zhang Su: “…”
Qin Ren pressed his buttocks, which were no longer so painful, and said with a smile, "Let's not talk about me anymore. How have you been these past few days?"
Qingyang stopped playing chess and stared at Zhang Su and asked, "Did you go to the Lantern Festival?"
Zhang Su said truthfully: "No, I have been staying at home."
Qin Ren was shocked: "We wanted to leave the palace but couldn't. You've already gone home, why didn't you go out to play?"
Zhang Su: "I don't think there's anything fun out there."
Qin Ren: "So what did you do at home?"
Zhang Su briefly recalled, "Apart from three meals a day, I read, learned horsemanship, practiced martial arts, and spent my free time talking with my father, mother, and brothers."
Qin Ren: “…”
Qingyang: "Can you ride a horse now?"
Zhang Su: "Yes, my father taught me."
Qingyang: "Did the Duke teach you wrestling?"
Zhang Su nodded. Every time he went home, his father would teach him martial arts, which were the skills passed down from generation to generation by the Zhang family's ancestors, including some military knowledge.
Qingyang: "Can the Duke defeat Commander Fan? Who is more powerful between the two of them?"
Zhang Su: "...I don't know."
He only knew that Fan Zhong was a vanguard general, and his father was the commander-in-chief. The former was brave, and the latter needed to be both wise and brave.
.
A few days later, Qingyang received the golden waist badge specially awarded to her by her father. It was smaller than the last waist badge her father had given her. It was made of pure gold and engraved with a majestic Qilin pattern. The four characters "Princess Qingyang" were engraved in the middle of the front, and two lines of small characters were engraved in the middle of the back: Free to move around the palace, limited to use before the Mid-Autumn Festival of the eleventh year of Xingwu.
Emperor Xingwu instructed: "You are the only one who can use the waist badge. Except for the palace maids who serve you, no one else can accompany you to the front court."
The eldest brother wouldn't have such an idea, and it's hard to say about the second and third brothers.
Qingyang: "Okay, then can I leave the palace?"
Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "No, but you can move around the palace as you please."
The little princess pouted, and Emperor Xingwu picked up the memorial next to him and pretended not to see it.
Acting coquettishly didn't work, so Qingyang asked Jie Yu to help her hang the golden badge around her waist and left.
From that day on, the little princess would run to the court whenever she had free time. One day she might watch Fan Zhong arrange the guards to be on duty or do drills at the Imperial Guards, the next day she would go to the Dali Temple to listen to officials analyze a case, the day after that she would go to the Ministry of Revenue to watch the clerks use the abacus, the day after that she would go to the Imperial Food Department to see the fresh fruits and vegetables that had just been purchased, or she would go to the Yichun Pavilion to watch the actors practice their talents.
Officials, guards, and palace maids from all over the place saw her so many times that they gradually got used to it. After all, the little princess was very sensible and would not disturb them while they were doing their work.
Emperor Xingwu watched for a few days and seeing that his daughter was sensible, he ordered the craftsmen to make a light and suitable sedan chair for the little princess, which could be easily lifted by two palace servants. If his daughter was tired, she could lean on the sedan chair to rest at any time.
The little princess studied in the morning and toured the palace in the afternoon. Her days were fulfilling and busy, and before she knew it, it was mid-September.
On this day of rest, Emperor Xingwu called his five children over and said with a smile, "The Princess's Mansion in Yongkang is ready. Father will take you to see it."
The three little ones were very happy.
Prince Qin Hong looked at his sister with a hint of reluctance, because this meant that his sister's wedding was approaching.
Yongkang was both reluctant and excited. The princess's mansion was completely her own home, and she couldn't wait to see it.
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow [milk tea]
ps: The little princess played Gobang with her brother~
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