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"Do you dare to look me in the eye and say that?"
Because his sister's tone and eyes were so frank, Qin Ren couldn't help but wonder if he was overthinking it. To be cautious, he continued, "Sixteen new guards are selected every month. Do you remember all the names of the sixteen guards each time?"
Qingyang: “Of course.”
She is young and Jie Yu has no martial arts skills. Every time they leave the palace, they may encounter danger or be assigned temporary tasks. If Qingyang can't even remember the names of these guards, how can he call on them at a critical moment? Can he just call "you, you, you"?
Qin Ren was silent.
Qingyang asked, "Have you recognized all of your thirty-six personal soldiers, Third Brother?"
Qin Ren: "...I haven't really ordered them around. I only know the captain of the guards."
Qingyang: "...Third Brother only treats them as ordinary guards, so they will only treat you as an ordinary master. They will protect you out of duty, but they may not be willing to be loyal to you wholeheartedly."
Take Fan Zhong as an example. He not only respected his father's power, but was also grateful for his father's promotion. This gratitude was purely due to his personal relationship with his father. Therefore, Fan Zhong's duty was only to guard the imperial city. But if he heard someone whispering bad things about his father after leaving his shift, even if the bad words were insignificant, Fan Zhong would scold the person harshly instead of walking away as if it had nothing to do with him. The less trouble one has, the better.
Personal soldiers, personal soldiers, the safety of Third Brother’s future travels will depend on these thirty-six personal soldiers, how can Third Brother just deal with them perfunctorily?
Qin Ren understood what his sister meant and promised, "I'll identify them all as soon as I get back. Don't worry, sister!"
Qingyang was worried and advised his third brother, "You have to be nice to them, but not too nice. Only by combining kindness and severity can you truly gain their loyalty."
Qin Ren nodded repeatedly.
During the first month of the lunar year, Qingyang did not teach his third brother a lesson again.
The carriage quickly turned into Shanhefang, south of the Imperial City. New Year's Day was the time for friends and family to exchange New Year greetings. Through the slits in the curtains, Qingyang spotted children running around in new clothes, all dressed like they belonged to wealthy families. Come to think of it, anyone who could live in the inner-city neighborhoods near the Imperial City was either wealthy or noble, or at least had distinguished ancestors.
Qingyang asked his third brother if he had made friends with some officials' children in the past six months. After all, he was a prince, so there would definitely be officials' children who would try to get close to him, just like his second brother got to know more and more "brothers" after leaving the palace.
Qin Ren told his sister a few of them.
At the beginning, his second elder brother kindly introduced him to some girls, but most of them were children of noble families who liked horse racing and hunting. Qin Ren was neither interested in martial arts nor in drinking, so he reluctantly attended two social events and then refused to go out with his second elder brother again. Instead, he gradually became familiar with several young men from civil service families in the same neighborhood, and from time to time they would make appointments to enjoy paintings, play chess, listen to music and other elegant activities.
Qingyang: "That's fine, but Third Brother, be careful not to discuss state affairs with them, and don't casually agree to help them with officialdom."
Qin Ren smiled and said, "Don't worry, sister. Although Third Brother is lazy, he knows the difference between good and bad, and he will never make promises to others carelessly."
The brother and sister chatted casually as the carriage stopped steadily in front of Qin Ren's Third Prince's Mansion.
Qin Ren subconsciously let his sister get off the car first, because Zhang Su always waited outside and Qin Ren didn't need to help his sister.
Fu'an opened the car door from the outside, and Qingyang went out directly. After getting out of the car, Qingyang looked forward casually, but saw Zhang Su standing next to the gate of his third brother's mansion. He was wearing a ochre-red round-necked brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns, with heroic eyebrows and a jade-like face, standing tall and straight like a pine tree.
Qingyang asked in surprise: "Why are you here?"
Zhang Su lowered his eyes and bowed, "Today is the first day of the new year. I am here on my mother's orders to pay New Year's greetings to His Highness the Third Prince."
Qingyang smiled, placed his right hand on Jie Yu's palm, stepped on the footstool and got out of the car, then said to Zhang Su, "Madam, you are too polite. Given your relationship with my third brother, there is no need to be so formal."
Zhang Su: "Your Highness has cared for me for many years. This is my due courtesy."
Qingyang didn't argue with him and watched his third brother get out of the car.
Qin Ren asked Zhang Su, "How long have you been waiting? Why didn't you go inside and wait?"
Zhang Su: "I know Your Highness will have lunch in the palace before returning, and I have just arrived."
Qin Ren couldn't stand his constant humility and scolded him, "Didn't we agree that outside the palace, we can just call each other by our names? If you say something wrong again, I'll give you a cold shoulder."
Zhang Su glanced at the little princess's skirt.
Qin Ren asked his sister again: "Are you going out this afternoon?"
Qingyang: "Let's settle down today and go out for a walk tomorrow."
Since he wasn't going out, Qin Ren wanted to ask Zhang Su to go home and spend the holiday with his family. However, just as he started, his sister interrupted him: "Since you're here, come sit with me and my third brother for a while."
Zhang Su nodded.
Qingyang then asked the steward of her third brother's house to take her sixteen guards to the guard room for placement. These sixteen people were not from the capital, and it was their turn to be on duty in the first month of the year. Qingyang felt at ease to transfer them.
After everything was said and done, Qingyang and his third brother walked in side by side, while Zhang Su followed them at a distance of three steps. But before he raised his foot, his peripheral vision once again glanced at one of the guards brought by the princess.
.
Jie Yu took Fu Liu and Lian Zhou to clean up the courtyard where the little princess was staying. Qin Ren led his sister and Zhang Su to the east warm pavilion on the side of his bedroom.
Fu'an took the lead in lifting the thick silk cotton curtain, and Qingyang walked in, and saw that there was a row of staggered flower stands next to the window in the warm room. There were daffodils, orchids, begonias, chrysanthemums and all kinds of flowers, all of which were famous products specially grown in the greenhouse. There were even a few potted peonies in full bloom, filling the warm room with the heating of the floor heater with the fragrance of flowers.
Qingyang: "...So Third Brother loves flowers so much?"
Qin Ren said with satisfaction: "Yes, I like the flowers from the Imperial Concubine and Mother's place, but I dare not grow them. I am afraid that my second brother and the others will laugh at me, and I am also afraid that my father will scold me for not doing my job properly."
So he had been looking forward to opening his own palace, his own prince's palace, where he could plant as many flowers as he wanted.
Qingyang looked at Zhang Su and asked, "Do you usually do your homework here?"
Zhang Su: "...Your homework should be done in the study. Your Highness will only come here to appreciate the flowers when he has free time."
Qin Ren: "I wanted to stay here, but Zhang Su wouldn't let me. He insisted I go to the study."
Qingyang shook his head and went to appreciate the flowers first, especially the peonies that were in full bloom.
After admiring the flowers, Fu'an brought tea and snacks. Qingyang hadn't played chess with Zhang Su for a long time, so he asked Fu'an to bring the chessboard.
Qin Ren took the initiative to give the main seat next to his sister to Zhang Su, and he stood behind his sister to watch the game.
Qingyang held the chess pieces in his hands, his eyes wandering over Zhang Su. He smiled and said, "You're dressed so festively. Did the Duke's wife prepare new clothes for you specially for the New Year?"
Zhang Su nodded at the chessboard. Wearing red robes on New Year's Day was a rule set by their mother for them and they had to wear them.
Qin Ren ate and drank his fill in the palace, and soon became sleepy. He frequently looked through the curtainless moon-shaped door connecting the side room and the main hall to the warm couch inside.
When Qingyang saw this, he told his third brother to go and rest.
Of course, Qin Ren didn't bother to be polite with his sister and Zhang Su, and happily went inside to lie down.
Zhang Su played the whole game of chess with the little princess, keeping his eyes downcast. When the game was over, he stood up and said, "Your Highness, please take a break. I will take my leave now."
He could resign, but he needed the little princess's consent.
However, the little princess in Zhang Su's sight was just playing with a white chess piece nonchalantly, and had no intention of letting it go.
Zhang Su had no choice but to look at the little princess's face.
Qingyang had been waiting for him for a long time. Seeing that he was indeed quick to withdraw, Qingyang smiled and said, "Sit down. I'll decide when to take a break."
Zhang Su: “…”
He sat down cooperatively and continued to play chess with the little princess.
Qingyang stared at him and said, "You didn't come to pay New Year's greetings. You heard from Third Brother that I would stay with him for a few days, and you were worried that I would be angry if I didn't see you when I came over, right?"
Zhang Su looked calm and said, "I am indeed here to wish His Majesty the Third Prince a happy new year."
Qingyang: "It's just New Year's greetings. You could have come before Third Brother entered the palace."
Zhang Su: "Your Highness is a sleepyhead. If I come too early, I will only disturb you."
Qingyang: "Do you dare to look me in the eye and say that?"
The person opposite him didn't even look up, but just silently put down the new chess piece.
Qingyang snorted, "From now on, you can make all kinds of excuses in front of others, but when we're alone, you're not allowed to quibble."
Zhang Su continued to remain silent.
Qingyang: "Actually, you don't have to come. I'm not such an unreasonable person that I would call you out during the New Year."
Zhang Su thought of the sixteen guards the little princess had brought with her, and asked in a low voice, "Then, when your Highnesses travel tomorrow, will you still need me to accompany you?"
Qingyang tilted his head to meet his eyes: "Do you have any relatives to attend tomorrow?"
Zhang Su shook his head. Although the little princess's face entered his field of vision, as long as he didn't look at it deliberately, the little princess's face would still be blurry. At most, it looked like a white-petaled peony by the window, emitting a soft and delicate light.
Qingyang: "Do you want to accompany me? Yes or no, you can only choose one answer. No lies or extra words are allowed."
Zhang Su: “…”
He looked to the other side. There was a famous calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall. The Third Prince was indeed an elegant man. Then, when the little princess hummed, he said, "I will obey your orders, Your Highnesses."
This is what it means to be powerful and unyielding. Qingyang gritted his teeth and said, "You are lucky to have met a good-tempered princess like me. Otherwise, if you were so disobedient, a bad-tempered princess would have whipped you long ago."
Zhang Su looked back at the chessboard: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your forgiveness."
After the second set, Qingyang finally allowed him to leave. Just as Zhang Su was about to open the curtain, he said, "I'm coming right now. No need to leave in advance."
Since he is free, let's go shopping together.
Zhang Su turned around, saluted politely and said, "Yes."
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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