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◎ "I have left the palace. Your Highness, please take care of yourself."◎
The older one gets, the less he cares about death, especially busy people like Emperor Xingwu, Yan Xizheng, and Yang Zhimin.
After Emperor Xingwu ordered the Ministry of Rites to organize a grand funeral for Lu Guangzu according to the regulations for a prince, all his old friends, except for the Lu family, quickly returned to their normal lives.
However, Yan Xizheng felt that the little princess had been acting a little abnormal recently. On March 15th, which was the day when the little princess should have taken her new waist badge to stroll around the government offices outside the palace, the little princess actually borrowed a waist badge from the emperor to travel around the palace and ran to the Secretariat to find him. Just like the time when she made trouble on purpose at the age of nine, she sat next to his desk, but she no longer stared at him. Instead, she read a book and only looked at him when she was tired and took a break.
I came once on March 8th, and I came again today...
Considering the sudden redness of the little princess's eyes as she looked at him on the eighth day of the lunar month, and the clear admiration and reluctance in her dark eyes this time, the fifty-nine-year-old Left Prime Minister said with mixed feelings, "Your Highness, rest assured. I've been eating and sleeping well recently, and I'm fine."
Although he couldn't tell when he would die, at least he had no premonition that his end was near.
His thoughts exposed, Qingyang retracted his gaze and said to the book in his hand, "I know, I just suddenly missed Zuo Xiang. I happened to have some free time this afternoon, so I came to sit with Zuo Xiang."
Yan Xizheng didn't want the little princess to come, but he couldn't bring himself to forcibly drive away a little princess who was so worried about his own death. He shook his head, stood up and said, "Your Highness, please take your time. I'll go for a walk outside."
When you get older, no matter how sharp your mind is, you can’t sit for long periods of time.
Qingyang put down the book and followed him: "I will talk to Zuo Xiang."
Yan Xizheng did not object.
As they walked together, they couldn't help but chat for a while. Yan Xizheng asked with concern: "Is the emperor eating and sleeping well recently?"
Even though he could see the emperor almost every day, as a minister he could not rashly inquire about these matters, and he could not tell just by looking at the emperor's face.
Qingyang: "I heard from He Yuanjing that father has almost recovered."
Yan Xizheng sighed deeply, "Time flies. When you're young, you never think about what it's like to be old. But when you're really old, you'll often think of things from your youth."
Qingyang: "Although I'm not old, I still think about my childhood. I remember that Duke Cheng always smiled kindly when he saw me, but the Left Prime Minister always glared at me."
Yan Xizheng: "...I just don't like to laugh. I didn't mean to be disrespectful to Your Highness."
Qingyang: "I don't care, unless Zuo Xiang treats me better in the future, otherwise I will only remember the way you glared at me."
Yan Xizheng didn't want to argue with the little princess about this, but he was a little curious: "Since I always glare at Your Highness, why do you still come to see me?"
Qingyang glanced at the elder who seemed to be getting shorter every year and snorted softly, "I'm not looking at you, I'm looking at the first Left Prime Minister of the Great Qi."
Yan Xizheng smiled and looked back with his head slightly lowered.
Qingyang: "...What are you looking at?"
Yan Xizheng: "I would also like to take a good look at the first princess born in the palace of Daqi."
The little princess also laughed.
.
On the second day of April, after celebrating his sister's eleventh birthday, the third prince Qin Ren was ready to leave the palace.
His prince's mansion was completed last summer. It is located in Shanhefang, south of the imperial palace. Standing on the wall of the back garden and looking north, you can see the imperial city. It occupies the same area as the Princess's Mansion in Yongkang and the Prince's Mansion in Qin Bing, and cost about the same amount of silver.
Everything in the prince's residence was new. Qin Ren only needed to move his clothes, shoes, socks, book collections, etc., and the palace servants would take care of these matters. He could continue to study in Chongwen Pavilion and practice martial arts in Yanwu Hall without worrying about anything.
Concubine Li had nothing to worry about, except that she was reluctant to let go of her son. Although even she disliked her son for being useless, he was still the one she had carried for ten months and gave birth to, and his face was very handsome and lovable.
The Imperial Concubine was more thoughtful than the Li Concubine. She had the palace maids train four beautiful maids in advance and personally sent them to Li Concubine's Xianfu Palace. She explained, "Don't think these brothers are well-behaved in the palace. They might have some ulterior motives after leaving. Rather than letting them make trouble on their own, why don't you and I, as their mothers, help them arrange for servants in the palace? The four of them have already been taught the rules. Later, you can let Ren Ge'er pick two that he likes."
Today's princes and future princes are all hot cakes in the eyes of every palace maid, so satisfying their curiosity and impulse about women first can prevent them from falling into the trap of unruly maids.
Concubine Li understood that this was the maid that the imperial concubine sent to her son.
Her father was just a small local magistrate. All her brothers, both legal and illegitimate, had maids serving them when they were fifteen or sixteen years old, so the princes naturally had some as well.
Concubine Li thanked the Imperial Concubine and sent someone to call her son after dusk. She specifically instructed the palace servant who ran errands to wait in Chengming Palace and avoid her daughter.
Qin Ren came by himself.
Concubine Li first explained to her son what had happened, and then prepared to send someone to bring over four alternative palace maids.
Qin Ren finally came back to his senses and said anxiously, "Mother, wait a moment!"
Concubine Li looked at her son in confusion.
Qin Ren waited until the shock had passed, then whispered to his mother, "Mother, I don't want to be a concubine."
Concubine Li: “Why?” Are there any men who don’t like women?
Qin Ren was not used to talking about this with his mother. He scratched his face twice with his fingers and tilted his head, saying, "I can't bear it. I will get married in the future. When I get married, I will definitely treat her well and won't ask them to serve me anymore. Sooner or later, I will have to send them away. Why should I... Anyway, I don't want it."
He couldn't bring himself to do it, especially after seeing Yuan Chongli treating his maid as a joke and looking down on her. Qin Ren didn't want to become that kind of person.
After hearing what her son said, Concubine Li suddenly thought of herself and her mother.
They were all concubines. She was lucky enough to meet an emperor. Although Emperor Xingwu was much older than her, he was a great hero and treated her very well. My mother's life was very difficult. She was bullied by the mistress above and excluded by her father's new love below. She was depressed all year round and passed away at a young age.
Therefore, Concubine Li could understand that the sons of powerful and wealthy people would take concubines, and she could also understand her son's kindness.
"Okay, then don't bother. Fu'an and Fugui are here to take care of your daily life. Mother is very relieved."
After finishing the matter of the concubine, Concubine Li looked at her son silently. After a few glances, she walked over and hugged her son who was sitting in her arms: "How come you are already sixteen? Mother can't bear to see you leave the palace."
Qin Ren heard that his mother was crying, and he wanted to cry too, but he couldn't. His second brother's life outside the palace was too comfortable, and he had been looking forward to the days when he could sleep in every day!
.
Compared to his mother who was accompanied by the imperial concubine and his father, Qin Ren was more reluctant to leave his sister.
In late April, during the break of the last martial arts class at the martial arts hall, Qin Ren took Zhang Su to sit next to his sister.
Qingyang only looked at the two shadows on the ground.
At the beginning, the eldest brother, the second brother, the third brother, Qin Liang, Yuan Chongli, and Zhang Su were all here, and it was lively and bustling. Later, the eldest brother and Qin Liang left, the second brother and Yuan Chongli left, and now the third brother and Zhang Su are leaving too. The next time she comes to the martial arts hall, she will be the only one left here.
Qin Ren could see that his sister was unhappy, so he smiled and patted her head. "It's okay. If you miss me, you can come stay with me anytime. You can stay as long as you want. Just tell the emperor and I'll have some teachers come to my house to give you lessons. Then the three of us can continue living the same as we did in the palace."
It’s not that Qingyang hasn’t thought about it, but with his third brother and Zhang Su outside the palace and his father and mother in the palace, Qingyang still wants to spend more time with his parents.
In fact, it would be best for the whole family to live in the palace, but the prince has to leave the palace when he grows up. This is a rule passed down from generation to generation.
"No, I'll just come sit with you on my day off."
Qin Ren: "It's up to you. Anyway, the palace is your home, and my place is also your home. You can come anytime you want."
Qingyang leaned on her third brother's shoulder, and as she did so, her gaze naturally shifted to Zhang Su's face who was standing beside her.
Zhang Su avoided the little princess's eyes.
Qingyang said unhappily, "You're about to leave and you don't even bother looking at me. You don't miss me at all, do you?"
Zhang Su shouldn't say "I miss you" to a princess, but he couldn't let the little princess misunderstand him, so he simply shook his head.
Qingyang: "Whatever you think, if I don't see you when I go to Third Brother's place on my day off, I won't see you again."
They were all in the palace. When she asked her third brother to leave the palace, she could just say hello to Zhang Su directly. From now on, she could only go to her third brother's house on her days off in the morning. If Zhang Su was there, they could continue to go out together. If Zhang Su forgot, Qingyang would not be able to send anyone to the Weiguo Mansion to call him out.
Zhang Su looked at the third prince.
Qin Ren didn't dare to say anything. Helping his sister would make him seem cruel and not let Zhang Su rest. If he helped Zhang Su get a day off, he would be glared at by his sister.
Zhang Su hadn't intended to ask the Third Prince for help, fearing he might misunderstand. Seeing the Third Prince lower his head, he said to the little princess, "On this day off, I will also go to pay my respects to the Third Prince early in the morning. If the two princes do not need me to accompany them, I will return home."
Qingyang: "Well, but if you encounter bad weather with wind and rain, or if you have something to do at home and can't leave, you don't have to force it."
Zhang Su nodded.
Qin Ren understood that his sister would not leave the palace if the weather was bad, and he was definitely too lazy to go out. Of course, Zhang Su didn't need to come. In the latter case, neither he nor his sister would make things difficult for Zhang Su.
It was time to continue practicing martial arts, but Mr. Wu looked at the three people gathered together and cooperated without giving any reminders.
The red sun sets in the west and it is dusk again.
Zhang Su was going to leave the palace tonight. After lunch, he took his bag directly to the martial arts hall and left the palace directly.
There was no need to say goodbye to the Third Prince, as he would be there to study with him tomorrow. Therefore, Zhang Su looked at the little princess standing beside the Third Prince and said with a bow, "I am leaving the palace. Your Highness, please take care of yourself."
Qingyang was reluctant to let go, even more reluctant than when her second brother left the palace. She subconsciously wanted to go over and hug Zhang Su, but as soon as she took a step forward, Zhang Su actually took three steps back, as if he had guessed what she was going to do!
Qingyang: "...Why are you hiding? Stand still."
Zhang Su: “…”
He didn't dare to disobey the little princess's order and waited stiffly.
The little princess walked over with a stern face and stepped hard on the upper of his shoe. When Zhang Su looked at her in surprise, the little princess glared at him, called her third brother and left first.
Qin Ren smiled apologetically at Zhang Su and quickly caught up with his sister.
Zhang Su glanced at the shoe with a layer of light gray, then looked at the brother and sister in front of him. After the distance between them was completely widened, he followed behind silently until they reached the end of the palace road. The brother and sister went north, and he turned south.
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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