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◎Qin Liang: Prince An is a wimp!◎
It gets dark early in winter. When Qin Bing, who was on duty at the South Camp, rode his horse back to Prince Jing's Mansion against the wind and snow, it was already completely dark.
Princess Meng Yao took her two children to play on the warm couch in the west room. Five-year-old Ying'er was smart, clever, well-behaved and cute. Zheng'er was almost eight months old, strong and sturdy. He chased his sister and crawled around on the couch. If he couldn't catch up with his sister for a long time, he would be anxious and want to cry. When his sister deliberately let him catch up, the little guy would smile and show his four small white teeth.
When Qin Bing came in angrily, he was greeted by his son's adorable giggling face.
His unhappiness disappeared immediately. He unbuttoned his cloak, took off his boots, and got on the couch. He picked up Zhen Ge'er and kissed him twice.
Ying'er hid to her mother's side in time. Meng Yao glanced at her husband's socks with disdain, which smelled faintly of sweat. In the end, she felt sorry for him traveling in the snow, so she didn't say anything.
The family of four had dinner happily. After the wet nurse took the siblings away, Meng Yao immediately ordered the maid to bring water for the prince to wash his feet.
Qin Bing: "...Where does the sweat come from in the middle of winter? And I just changed my socks this morning, so they don't smell at all."
Meng Yao: "Your feet stink even though you're not sweating. That means you're born with smelly feet and your nose is stiff from the wind."
Qin Bing had already been fuming during the day, and after being disparaged by the princess, he couldn't hold back his voice anymore. He glared at Meng Yao and said, "If I had known you'd scold me for running back in the wind and snow, I would have stayed in the barracks tonight! I've finally seen through it all. None of you in the Meng family cares about me!"
Meng Yao thought of his cold expression when he first came back and raised an eyebrow. "Who else in our Meng family has offended you?"
Qin Bing: "Your second brother! You've been controlling me and not letting me drink at home. I've been holding it in for almost a year. Yesterday, I was so craving it that I asked him to secretly bring me a jug, but in the end, there wasn't even an empty jug!"
After the Northern Expedition against the Donghu was victorious, he and Meng Changhe were transferred by their father to the Southern Camp as commanders of the guards. Cheng Zhixu was also in the Southern Camp, but he still had to mourn for his father for three years. It would be okay to secretly ask his family for wine, but wouldn't it ruin his reputation if he went to ask outsiders?
Qin Bing may not care about other reputations, but he does not want to be criticized for being unfilial.
Meng Yao understood and sneered at him, "Second Brother would be harming you if he really gave you alcohol. Don't you think about it? What we do at night is hard for outsiders to know. If you secretly drink alcohol, there are so many people in the barracks. The moment you open your mouth, the alcohol will float out. Who wouldn't smell it?"
Qin Bing also understood that he was just too greedy!
After washing his feet and changing his inner clothes, Qin Bing lay on the bed like a dead man. Thinking that he would have to live in this lonely life for another two years without banquets, visiting relatives and friends, or drinking alcohol, he lost the motivation to do anything. At the same time, he hated the set of etiquette that had to be followed during mourning more and more. As far as he knew, ordinary people did not have so many rules and regulations.
Meng Yao sat down beside the bed and consoled him, "Be content. You're a prince, so at least you can still work. Ordinary civil servants have to go home to mourn their parents when they die, and it's even more difficult to be stuck at home all day."
Qin Bing snorted.
Meng Yao looked at him like a dead man, smiled, picked up something from the bedside and brought it to Qin Bing.
That's a long and thin wine jug!
Qin Bing sat up as if he was dead, snatched the wine pot, drank most of it, and then hugged Meng Yao and kissed her: "I knew you had me in your heart!"
Meng Yao patted him twice and said, "From now on, I'll give you a pot of wine every time we have a day off. Don't ask anyone for more wine. I'd be embarrassed if it got out."
.
Qingyang did not have her second brother's alcohol addiction, and as the new emperor, her mourning period had long passed. However, she was willing to wear plain clothes and wait for her father for three years. Of course, she did not want to blindly abide by all the filial piety rules. She would still be intimate with Zhang Su when she wanted to at night. She just hoped that they would not have children in three years. Anyway, she was still young, and had to worry about a lot of things in the first three years after ascending the throne. She really did not have much free time to devote to offspring.
As soon as the twelfth lunar month arrived, all the officials in Beijing became busy again. The Ministry of Rites was relatively relaxed, with only two important tasks - preparing for the new emperor's sacrifices to heaven and ancestors next year, and drafting several reign titles for the new emperor.
This has been the rule in all dynasties. When the previous emperor passes away, the new emperor does not change the reign title in the year, and only starts to use the new reign title the following year.
The new Minister of Rites was the former Left Vice Minister of Rites, who was in his fifties and was also very familiar with the new emperor's temper. Although she was a female emperor, she had ambitions that were no less than those of the previous emperor. Therefore, such a new emperor had to be given a more domineering reign title and could not be mediocre.
On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Ministry of Rites handed the memorial with nine reign titles copied on it to the new emperor.
Qingyang fell in love with "Tianqing" at first sight. Tianqing, Tianqing, means destiny and celebration for the whole world.
In addition to the meaning, Qingyang also likes to extend the word "Qing" from the princess title given to her by her father to the reign title of her dynasty, so that it seems as if her father is still by her side.
As the new emperor selected his preferred reign title, the new Minister of Rites, who had only been in office for three months, also breathed a sigh of relief. Now that he had completed this task, he could finally spend a peaceful and stable year!
In Qingyang, although the reign title is important, she doesn't have to worry about it once it's chosen, as there are many more important state affairs waiting for her than the reign title.
The new emperor's busy and fulfilling life was free from the worries of family matters. His young and beautiful mother, accompanied by the noble concubine, had long since emerged from the shadow of their father's death. His three elder brothers were content to do their duties, and after their shifts, like their eldest sister, they stayed indoors to quietly mourn for their father. The only empress, Zhang Su, observed rituals by day and was passionate by night...
The only family matter that really distracted Qingyang was his uncle Prince Yong, who was guarding his father's tomb.
It's not that Qingyang deliberately thinks badly of Uncle Wang, but Uncle Wang has always been unwilling to let his niece take over the "Old Qin Family's Kingdom". Before the emperor's death, he repeatedly talked to Uncle Wang. He was afraid that Uncle Wang would go astray after the emperor left, causing the Old Qin Family to kill each other. The emperor would be sad if either of them was hurt.
Qingyang was not afraid of Uncle Wang, and Uncle Wang was not her closest friend, because she and Uncle Wang did not have such a deep affection for each other. Even if they did, the little bit of uncle-nephew relationship had been completely worn out when Uncle Wang kept saying that her future child would be of the "Zhang family's seed."
Be vigilant because of differences, and take precautions in advance because of vigilance. With precautions, there is naturally no need to be afraid.
In the middle of the twelfth lunar month, Prince Yong, who was guarding the imperial mausoleum, continued to patrol his mountain day after day. However, Crown Prince Qin Liang asked for leave because his wife Deng was seriously ill, and he, as a son, had to stay by his mother's side to take care of her.
After receiving the memorial, Qingyang immediately arranged for two imperial doctors to treat Aunt Wang. As her niece, no matter whether she cared about Deng or whether Uncle Wang was guarding the tomb for the late emperor, Qingyang could not be negligent in such small matters and let officials and people criticize her for her poor personal ethics.
The two imperial doctors left the palace in a hurry, and when they came back to report, they looked very heavy-hearted. Princess Daoyong had lung heat caused by a cold, and she had a persistent cough. She needed careful treatment to recover.
What this meant was that the imperial doctors could not guarantee that they could cure Princess Yong's lung heat.
Qingyang had read some medical books and knew that wind-cold diseases could be mild or severe. Princess Yong's lung heat was a serious case.
No matter they are royal relatives or ordinary people, nephews and nieces have to visit their aunt when she is sick. Qingyang does not need to leave the palace because of her noble status, but she informed her three royal brothers and the eldest son-in-law Fu Kui about Deng's illness at the morning court and asked them to go and see her quickly. Fu Kui mainly asked her to remind her eldest sister.
After the morning court session, Qin Hong, Qin Bing and Qin Ren agreed to return home to prepare gifts and meet outside Prince Yong's mansion half an hour later. Qin Hong also specifically instructed Fu Kui to bring his eldest sister along.
Deng Tai, who was following the three kings, heard this and whispered to his eldest brother Deng Kun: "Shall we go together?" Deng was their aunt!
Deng Kun had pondered this matter in the court and said, "Let's ask mother to go with us after we finish our duty."
Deng Kun did not lower his voice, and the three Qin Hong brothers all heard it. They also guessed that Deng Kun was talking about visiting Aunt Wang.
Even though they are all relatives, they are divided into close and distant relatives. For the Deng family, the nephews and nieces on the husband's side are definitely not as close as the nephews on the mother's side. Therefore, it is most appropriate for the two groups of younger generations to visit separately. For example, if only Deng Kun and his brothers go, then Deng and Qin Liang can ask Deng Kun and his brothers to have dinner at the palace. If it is Qin Hong and his four siblings, even if Deng's mother and son want to stay, the four siblings... at least Qin Hong and the eldest sister are unwilling to stay.
But Qin Hong still overestimated his eldest sister. Yongkang not only did not want to stay for dinner at Uncle Wang's house, she even refused to do the honor of visiting Deng. She directly sent Fu Kui to visit on her behalf, using the excuse that she was also sick and had to stay in bed to recuperate.
Fu Kui couldn't persuade the eldest princess. Qin Hong looked at his second and third brothers and their spouses who had rushed over, shook his head, and led the way inside with his wife Lu Wenrong.
Qin Liang respectfully entertained three pairs of princes and princesses and the lone prince consort.
Deng was indeed very ill, lying on the bed with her skin and bones. Qin Hong and his companions heard her violent coughing before they even entered the room. In order to prevent the six nobles from being infected with the disease, Qin Liang considerately prepared six face towels. Qin Hong felt embarrassed but politely said no. Qin Liang rarely put on a cold face and threatened to send them away if they did not wear face towels.
So, Qin Hong and the other six put on their face scarves with a helpless look on their faces, but happy in their hearts.
When she arrived at the bedside, Mrs. Deng saw her three nephews and their wives. She didn't know whether she was moved or because she was coughing so hard, but she kept crying.
After a few simple pleasantries, the Qin Liang couple escorted the three couples out and chatted in the hall about Deng's condition. Since it was still early for lunch, the couple didn't offer any food, and Qin Hong and the other six left happily. Ultimately, they respected Uncle Wang, a blood relative who had made contributions to the Great Qi. They had no real affection for Aunt Wang and Aunt Deng, whom they only saw a few times a year. Furthermore, since they were all of high status, there was no need to go against their will and put themselves in a difficult position.
In the evening, the couples Deng Kun and Deng Tai came to visit with their mother, the lady of the Duke Dingguo's mansion.
Because the royal family members were all in mourning for the late emperor, this was the first contact between the Deng family and Prince Yong's Mansion after the late emperor's death.
The lady was Deng's sister-in-law, and they had no blood relationship. But at this time, Deng became close to her sister-in-law and insisted on holding her sister-in-law's hand to complain. Qin Liang's wife then pulled her two cousins to sit next to her to accompany the elders.
Qin Liang took the opportunity to invite Deng Kun and Deng Tai to his study.
Without the outsiders around, Deng Kun's face darkened. He questioned Qin Liang, "Auntie was always healthy in previous years. Why did she suddenly become so ill this year?"
If Qin Liang hadn't pulled them over, he wouldn't have suspected that there was something wrong with his aunt's illness. But when Qin Liang pulled them over, his aunt's illness seemed too much of a coincidence.
Qin Liang smiled bitterly, "In previous years, the late emperor supported my father, and my mother was at peace and healthy. This year, the late emperor is gone, and my father has become a thorn in the new emperor's side. My mother is trembling with fear all day long, and she has become sick with worry."
Deng Tai gritted his teeth and said, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as we don't make any mistakes, the new emperor will have no reason to target us!"
Qin Liang: "Even though I haven't made any mistakes today, I can't change the mistakes I made in the past. When the late emperor appointed the Crown Princess, my father and my eldest cousin were the only ones who objected. Do you really think there's an emperor in this world who would forgive a minister who openly opposed his succession?"
Deng Tai suddenly wilted, and Deng Kun also pursed his lips and remained silent. He had offended the new emperor in more than one way. The nine-year-old princess had once punished him by slapping himself in the face.
Qin Liang reminded Deng Kun again, "In the campaign against the Piao, my uncle was the primary contributor, but he died of illness. Zhang Jian, at a young age, became the General of Yunzhou. Zhang Jian did participate in the campaign, and the late emperor's appointment was fair. Now, Li Yu has died suddenly, leaving the post of General of Qingzhou vacant. My eldest cousin is the Duke of Dingguo, and he also had military achievements in the Northern Expedition against the Donghu. Yet, the emperor would rather transfer Fan Zhong there and ignore you. Is it that your prestige and ability are inferior to Fan Zhong's, or does the emperor not trust your loyalty?"
Deng Kun clenched his fist, and his fist bones crackled.
Of course, the new emperor would not trust his loyalty, because he didn't have that thing at all. Why should he be loyal to a woman?
Being disloyal to the new emperor was fine, but Deng Kun wouldn't be easily provoked by Qin Liang. "So what? If the emperor wants his subjects to die, they must die. Can we brothers rebel because of this? My father was a founding hero of the Great Qi. If we, his sons, dare to rebel, the people of the capital can drown us with a single spit."
Qin Liang said, "I also do not wish to tarnish my uncle's good reputation. My father and I have always sought to enthronize a new emperor from among the descendants of the previous emperor who can truly continue the Qin family's orthodoxy. However, we are weak and need the full support of my two cousins."
Deng Kun was really shocked. He thought his uncle wanted to become emperor himself!
Deng Tai asked directly, "Who do you want to support? Prince An would rather die than take the throne. Prince Xian certainly won't support us in our rebellion against the Emperor. Prince Jing, even if he has ambitions, I'm afraid he won't let us control him, right?"
Qin Liang laughed and said, "Prince An is the eldest son of the late emperor and the legitimate heir apparent. If it weren't for the situation, how could he have willingly given up the throne?"
Deng Kun: “…”
Yes, Prince An is a wimp. As long as my uncle pushes Prince An onto the throne, he will be able to force Prince An to give up the throne with good reason in the future!
【Author’s words】
Qin Hong: [cracked][melted][clown]
Haha, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow!
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