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◎ "Come, let your father feed you."◎
As the banquet began, musicians, singers and dancers entered the Tingquan Hall in turn to perform.
While the adults were toasting and chatting, the little princess either concentrated on eating or enjoyed the singing and dancing with relish. Apart from talking to her third brother next to her, she had no intention of interrupting the conversation between the emperor and his ministers.
The three-year-old princess often left the banquet early after only halfway through, but the nine-year-old princess could happily stay throughout the entire banquet.
By the end of the banquet, Emperor Xingwu was already seven-tenths drunk. The three who drank the most, Prince Yong, Deng Chong, and Fan Zhong, were even more drunk. Some of them lay on the table with squinted eyes and continued to shout, some leaned back and pointed at the clear spring water cascading outside the hall and muttered "good wine, good wine", and some seemed to be sitting upright but were actually snoring loudly.
Emperor Xingwu pointed at the three men and said a few words of disdain, then he stood up straight, leaning on the table and said, "Okay, let's stop drinking here today. I'll drink with you next time."
The ministers then stood up.
Qingyang also remembered, and he used a lot of strength to hold on to the table, but his legs seemed to have lost consciousness and were out of control. Qin Ren next to him was better than his sister, and he managed to stand up, but he was grinning, afraid that no one could see that his legs were sore and uncomfortable.
The brother and sister successively attracted everyone's attention. Emperor Xingwu looked at his daughter, who was "sitting still," and suddenly burst into laughter. He gestured for Yan Xizheng to look at her. "Look at this! What's all this talent and perseverance? She's just a nine-year-old girl, and she's so sore after climbing a mountain that she can't stand up. How can it be as shocking as you say?"
Qin Bing was the first to burst into laughter. Some of the other ministers and young men laughed out loud, and even those who hadn't laughed out loud had smiles on their faces.
The little princess, whose legs were uncomfortable and who was ridiculed, glared at her father angrily.
Yan Xizheng was about to speak when Emperor Xingwu, drunkenly swayed a bit, then steadied himself and continued, "You were all present when I granted Lin'er the Former Dynasty badge of freedom. I promised her she could use it until she turned ten. I'm her father and the Emperor, so I can't break my promise, can I? After next Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin'er won't run to the Former Dynasty anymore. Prime Minister Yan can rest assured. As for hiking and riding horses, it's not uncommon for any girl from a military family to show interest in it."
This was a positive response to Yan Xizheng's question.
Yan Xizheng bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty is wise."
After answering the minister, Emperor Xingwu walked up to his daughter, bent down and said, "Come, I will hold Lin'er..."
Before he could finish his words, he leaned to the side. Lu Guangzu, who was older and hadn't drunk much, stepped forward and supported the emperor.
Qingyang: “…”
As if he could see the concern and disdain in his daughter's eyes, Emperor Xingwu smiled and looked at Qin Ren: "You, forget it, you can't even stand steadily. Prince, come here, you, as the eldest brother, take your sister back."
Qin Hong was just weak in character. Because he practiced martial arts diligently, his seven-foot-nine figure was still very strong. He also didn't drink much. After receiving his father's order, he immediately came over and easily picked up his sister.
The little princess also frowned because of the numbness in her legs.
Qin Hong held his sister upright with his left hand, and massaged her legs from the knees down with his right hand: "It's okay, it will be fine after a while."
Qingyang lay on his elder brother's shoulder so that he could save some energy.
Emperor Xingwu took the lead and walked out of the villa. He mounted his horse and slowly headed east.
Qin Hong first lifted his sister onto the saddle, then turned over and got on. Having never ridden with anyone before, Qin Hong adjusted himself after a while before putting one hand around his sister's waist and pulling the reins with the other.
The ministers gathered around Emperor Xingwu, with the three princes walking in the middle and the young men following behind.
After all, they were riding horses, so it was impossible for them to get too close. Qin Bing even complained that his elder brother was walking too slowly and started chatting with Yuan Chongli.
The afternoon sun was very bright. When the sound of horse hooves around him became less frequent, Qingyang looked up.
Qin Hong lowered his head and saw a hint of uneasiness in his sister's dark and clear eyes. Qin Hong said softly, "Xiang Yan is overly worried. You don't have to take his words to heart."
Qingyang: "But I just like reading books by sages and I like going to the previous dynasty to watch officials from all over the country govern. Minister Yan doesn't like me like this, does Big Brother also not like it?"
Qin Hong: "No, as long as my sister is happy, I like whatever she does."
His younger sister was only nine years old, and it was her nature that made her smart and studious. She went to the former dynasty simply because there were more people there, which was related to interfering in politics. It was her elder sister who secretly accepted bribes from officials and then recommended them to him that was suspected of interfering in politics, but once or twice was not a big deal, and he could also grasp the measure and would never put someone like Francis in an important position.
Qingyang didn't know what her eldest brother was thinking. She leaned against his chest and whispered her thoughts, "Second brother said that you study and practice martial arts so that you can serve father and emperor when you grow up. Then I will study hard and practice swordsmanship well so that I can also serve father and emperor and elder brother when I grow up. I know what it means for a princess to interfere in politics, but so many ministers offer advice to the court every day. The good ones are adopted and the bad ones are rejected. If that's the case, father and elder brother can use the same method to filter my advice. Why is it that offering advice is not considered interference in politics, but my desire to share father and elder brother's worries is considered interference in politics?"
Qin Hong fell silent.
The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics because of the fear that the women in the harem will support the relatives of the emperor to usurp the imperial power, or because of the fear that the women who interfere in politics are incompetent and will bring chaos to the country. But the fundamental reason why the harem interferes in politics is that the emperor's incompetence gives the harem an opportunity to take advantage of. If the monarch is wise, as your sister said, he can distinguish the advice of the harem or the princess's relatives, and distinguish between good ministers and treacherous ministers, then how can there be chaos?
"Sister, you are right. As long as it is sound advice, ministers and relatives can offer it. So you should just continue studying and ignore Prime Minister Yan."
Qin Hong comforted his sister.
Each emperor has a different relationship with his princess sisters. He only has one older sister and one younger sister. His older sister may be confused sometimes but she always thinks about him. He has watched his younger sister grow up and she is still a child now. If his younger sister becomes ambitious and malicious when she grows up, it is not too late for him to neglect her. Before that, it is impossible for him to become estranged from his younger sister because of Prime Minister Yan's words "consider the trouble first".
.
Qin Hong sent his sister back to the palace and continued to sit there for a while. After the imperial physician came to check his sister's body and confirmed that it was just common fatigue and she would be fine after two days of rest, Qin Hong returned to his own palace to take a bath and change clothes.
Lu Wenrong asked with concern, "How is it, Father, enjoying your outing?"
Qin Hong only reported good news and not bad news: "They are all meritorious officials who have followed my father through thick and thin. My father is very happy today."
After drying his hair, Qin Hong was just about to lie down with his wife for a while when his father sent a eunuch to summon him over.
Qin Hong hurriedly changed into a brocade robe for outer wear and went out.
Compared to his son's solemnity, Emperor Xingwu, who was sitting on the couch in the side room, was much more casual. He was only wearing a blue silk undershirt that he had changed into after bathing, and was placing black chess pieces on the chessboard by himself.
Looking at his son who walked in respectfully, Emperor Xingwu raised his chin towards the chessboard and said, "Sit down, let's play a few games together."
Qin Hong knew it wasn't that simple, so he sat down with his eyes lowered.
Emperor Xingwu casually asked, "Has the imperial physician visited Lin'er?"
Qin Hong: "Yes, it is said that there is nothing serious, father, don't worry."
Emperor Xingwu sneered gleefully, "Little fool! Your third brother wished he didn't have to go, but she insisted on joining in the fun. Now, not only did he tire his legs out, but he also got a lecture from Prime Minister Yan. Fortunately, she was still young and couldn't hear the severity of Prime Minister Yan's accusations. If it were your eldest sister, she would have been frightened and cried on the spot."
Qin Hong looked up and saw that his father was only focused on the chessboard. He concealed his nervousness and said, "Prime Minister Yan's words are indeed alarmist. My sister is still a child at heart. It is ridiculous to talk about interfering in government affairs at this time."
Emperor Xingwu held the chess piece in his hand, looked at his son, and asked, "Do you really think so? Or do you also feel that I favor your sister too much and dare not speak ill of Lin'er in front of me?"
Qin Hong was horrified. He dropped his chess piece and jumped to the ground, kneeling barefoot. "Your Majesty, I truly do not believe my sister has any ambition to interfere in politics. I am definitely not trying to curry favor with you."
Emperor Xingwu: "...Stand up, stop kneeling so easily. You and I, father and son, are just chatting for a few minutes, so why do you have to do this?"
Qin Hong stood up in a panic, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.
Emperor Xingwu asked his son to sit back down and snorted, "Don't worry if you'll accuse me of being partial. I do love Lin'er the most. After all, she's the youngest. When you were little, I was so busy conquering the empire that I didn't have the chance to love you. But I love her, but I'm not confused about the big things. You're the Crown Prince I personally chose. You have to live up to your status as the future emperor. You have to take care of our two princesses when you should, and be strict when you need to, lest you spoil them and use them to control you in the future."
Qin Hong listened silently and said respectfully, "Don't worry, Father. I will remember this."
Emperor Xingwu said: "A monarch is a monarch. No matter how close your brothers are or how meritorious your ministers are, you must prioritize the dignity of the monarch over the bonds of kinship and personal relationships. Let them both love you and fear you. Only when they feel fear in their hearts will they not dare to take advantage of personal relationships to manipulate you. If you can do this, I will have nothing to worry about in the future."
Qin Hong subconsciously lowered his head, feeling ashamed for a moment before saying, "Your Highness will work hard to correct this and strive to satisfy Father as soon as possible."
Emperor Xingwu: "Well, just concentrate on playing chess."
.
After his son left, Emperor Xingwu took a short rest. When he woke up, it was already dusk. The setting sun was brilliant and the evening breeze was cool.
Emperor Xingwu changed into casual clothes and walked leisurely to the little princess's palace.
Qingyang had just woken up and was lying on the couch in the second room because her legs were sore and she was lazy. Concubine Li moved a chair over and fed her daughter melon slices with a silver fork.
The palace maids outside were paying their respects to the emperor, and Concubine Li quickly put down her things and went out to greet them.
Emperor Xingwu held her hand and walked inside. He let go when he was almost in the second room. When he stepped over the threshold, he saw his daughter lying on the couch with her back to him, as if she was fast asleep. However, next to her was a plate of melon slices that had only been eaten 10% at most.
Emperor Xingwu smiled, sat directly on Concubine Li's chair, picked up the fruit plate and said, "Lin'er is asleep, it's just right for me to eat."
When Qingyang heard this, he immediately turned around and tried to snatch the fruit plate.
Emperor Xingwu took the opportunity to pass the freshly tied melon slices to his daughter and said, "Come, let your father feed you."
Qingyang still remembered her father's ridicule in Tingquan Palace. She turned her head and said, "I'm just an ordinary nine-year-old girl, nothing special. I dare not trouble you, father."
Concubine Li, who was unaware of the inside story, looked at the father and daughter blankly.
Emperor Xingwu smiled and coaxed, "This is called showing weakness, so others won't treat my child as a shocking little girl and become overly wary. Do you want them to come to me and say bad things about you every day?"
Qingyang thought about it, then turned around and obediently ate the melon his father fed him.
The father and daughter reconciled, but Concubine Li's heart began to lift. She asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, who said anything bad about Lin'er?"
Emperor Xingwu raised his hand and offered her a piece of melon: "No one, I and Lin'er have taken care of it, you just need to relax and enjoy the summer heat."
【Author’s words】
Here I come, 100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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