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◎Young people are like swords.◎
The 30th day of the third month in the tenth year of Xingwu.
In Chengming Palace, the third prince, who was sleeping soundly with his quilt in his arms, frowned unconsciously and stretched out a hand to scratch his itchy nose.
After a while, his nose started to itch again, and Qin Ren continued to scratch it. When he scratched it for the fourth time, a light and evil laugh sounded in his ears, startling Qin Ren and opening his eyes. Sure enough, he saw his sister sitting on the edge of the bed. His sister was holding a piece of skirt ribbon in her hand, and the light ribbon was about to rub against his nose again.
Qin Ren quickly hid back a distance.
Seeing that his third brother had woken up, Qingyang lowered his skirt and urged him, "It's almost noon. If you don't get up now, you'll be the last one to go, and the emperor will glare at you again."
Qin Ren didn't quite believe it and looked at the eunuch Fu'an who was waiting a few steps away.
Fu An: "There are still three quarters of an hour left. If Your Highness doesn't hurry, you will really be late."
The Third Prince, who at his fastest took less than a quarter of an hour to dress and wash, immediately relaxed. He pulled up the quilt and lay down again. He yawned towards his sister, blinked his tearful eyes, and muttered sleepily, "Father, what a fool! He rarely gets three days off a month, and he still insists that we go to Qianyuan Hall for breakfast at noon. Can't we just eat our own breakfast?"
Qingyang had long been accustomed to his third brother's nagging, so he simply said, "Still sleeping, huh? Then I'll leave the palace by myself later and won't wait for you."
Qin Ren immediately sat up. Seeing his sister looking at him, he quickly pulled up the quilt to cover his shoulders, leaned against the headboard and said, "I'm going to get up. Sister, go wait outside."
Qingyang: "What are you blocking? It's not like you're not wearing a shirt underneath."
Qin Ren: "Even if I wear it, I can't. There are differences between men and women. Even siblings should be careful to avoid it. Besides, I don't know if I farted last night..."
Before she could finish her words, the nine-year-old princess jumped up and ran out without looking back.
Qin Ren grinned, stretched, and slowly got out of bed.
After going to the toilet, washing his face, combing his hair, and changing his clothes, a quarter of an hour later, the third prince, wearing a tea-white round-necked brocade robe, finally lifted the curtain of the side room and stepped out.
Qingyang was admiring several pink and white peonies in a porcelain vase. When she heard footsteps, she turned her head and looked up and down the brocade robe that outlined her brother's tall figure, and then fell on her brother's fair and handsome face. Just when she thought her third brother was so handsome, the handsome third brother suddenly opened his mouth and yawned. Qingyang could see the third brother's throat!
The little princess, who was raised with the careful care of the palace servants, had never had a stye, but at this moment, Qingyang seemed to experience the feeling of having a stye.
When Qin Ren closed his mouth, he was met with his sister's disgusted look. His sister, who looked more tender and beautiful than those peonies, was particularly cute even when she looked at people with disgust.
"Why are you so disgusted? Don't you yawn when you wake up?" Qin Ren teased his sister.
Qingyang: "I won't let anyone see me even if I hit you."
Qin Ren: "I didn't hit you in front of others. You are my sister. Do you think you would dislike your brother?"
The little princess responded with a look of disgust.
Qin Ren sighed: "When we were little, you never disliked me."
In the early years, when he pretended to have a stomachache while running, his sister would feel sorry for him. Now he still pretends in the same way, and his sister has become like her father, not even looking at him.
Qingyang: "Let's go, Big Brother must be waiting for us."
Qin Ren followed his sister as usual.
Chengming Palace is just behind Chongyuan Palace. To the west of the two palaces, separated by a two-zhang-wide palace road, is the high east wall of Qianyuan Hall. When the brother and sister walked over, Qin Hong was indeed already waiting in front of the nearest palace gate. The twenty-year-old Crown Prince stood with his hands behind his back, with broad shoulders, completely shedding the immaturity of his youth. He had been serving in the Ministry of Personnel for three months and was about to marry the Crown Princess in May.
In the eyes of outsiders, the prince has changed a lot, but Qingyang grew up with her royal brothers. As her royal brothers grew taller, she also grew taller. Although she did not grow as fast as her brothers, she was still a little princess who could be held by her second brother's armpits and swung around dozens of times easily at any time.
Therefore, in Qingyang's eyes, the appearance of her royal brothers did not change significantly. She just felt that her eldest brother, who had started to work, was less and less willing to smile. His brows always seemed to be slightly wrinkled, and he would smile when he saw them.
“Big Brother!”
But at this moment, compared to the lazy third brother who was obviously a few years older than her but still needed her to wake him up, Qingyang preferred the eldest brother who was waiting for them here early, and ran over happily.
If an adult has a serious face, the child will feel uneasy. On the contrary, a child's carefree smile can make the adult put aside his worries temporarily.
Qin Hong's expression relaxed as he reached out his right hand to hold his sister's. He nodded to his third brother, and the three siblings walked towards Qianyuan Hall simultaneously. As for the seventeen-year-old Qin Bing, he had happily moved into his quasi-prince's residence last year. Emperor Xingwu had established a rule that princes should leave the palace at sixteen to start their own residences, but they were to continue studying in the residence until they turned twenty, and then be crowned princes and participate in government affairs.
In the eyes of officials, the prince is far away from the emperor when he leaves the palace, and it is easier for him to get the emperor's favor than when he lives in the palace. But in the hearts of Qin Bing and Qin Ren, it is good to leave the palace. They don't have to get up so early in the morning, and they can go shopping in the market after completing a day's homework. They can even go out of the city to play on holidays. Compared with these, what is the "emperor's favor" of getting up early to share breakfast with their father, having their homework checked, and then being scolded?
If their father treated them like his sisters, praising them and smiling at them, they might even feel reluctant to leave!
In the rear hall of Qianyuan Hall, Emperor Xingwu sat semi-reclined in the main seat, relaxed as Concubine Li and Concubine Gui chatted about flowers and children. He normally had too many state affairs to attend to, and being alone made it easier to dwell on them. Spending time with the two concubines and the children on his days off became his simplest pastime. As for horseback riding outside the palace, which required the mobilization of a large number of imperial guards, or incognito visits that would yield little in the way of significant results, Emperor Xingwu was too lazy to bother.
"Your son greets His Majesty, Father."
When the little princess skillfully approached her father, Qin Hong and Qin Ren saluted politely.
Emperor Xingwu waved his hand and said, "Sit down."
The emperor and his family had all arrived, and He Yuanjing signaled the eunuch to serve the meal.
This morning's topic focused on the Qingyang siblings. Concubine Li was still a little worried about the siblings going out of the palace alone.
Qingyang: "Father has assigned eight guards to us, and we are only enjoying a stroll outside the city. What is mother worried about?"
Concubine Li: "I'm afraid you'll be too bold and run a horse secretly, and your third brother won't be able to control you."
His sons all learned to ride horses at the age of ten. At the beginning of this year, his daughter acted coquettishly, and the emperor actually taught her to ride horses himself. When the emperor is around, the father and daughter can ride horses together. If the emperor is not around, the daughter is only allowed to walk slowly along the racecourse with the palace maid holding the reins.
In the palace, the palace maids strictly abide by the emperor's orders and dare not indulge their daughter in misbehavior. Once she leaves the palace, can they expect the third brother to keep an eye on his younger sister?
Concubine Li was afraid that her daughter would treat her third brother like a living horse!
Qingyang looked at his father quietly.
Emperor Xingwu laughed and said, "Those eight guards were sent by my father to protect you. They are also my father's spies. If Lin'er dares to ride alone, I will punish your third brother and Zhang Su by making them kneel outside the palace for a day."
Qin Ren: “…”
Qingyang: "Then let Third Brother ride with me..."
Emperor Xingwu: "He can't even ride well, let alone take you."
Qingyang: "Then it's Zhang Su. He was able to ride a horse at the age of nine, and the emperor also praised his superb riding skills."
Emperor Xingwu smiled and said, "You can try and see if Zhang Su dares to take you with him."
The little princess was motivated and ate faster than usual.
After dinner, the brother and sister said goodbye to their elders and walked side by side south along the long palace road. The warm spring morning light illuminated the entire road. The little princess, who was excited to be able to leave the palace, could not help but run. Qin Ren had no choice but to chase her, running for a while and resting for a while until they ran to the outside of the Suzaku Gate.
There were two carriages parked outside the door. The purple-curtained carriage in front was spacious and gorgeous, and the two horses pulling the carriage had shiny black hair and were fat and strong.
Eight well-trained guards in uniform stood behind the carriage, each leading a tall horse. Standing alone in front of the carriage was a young man in a green robe. He had a handsome face, skin as white as jade, but his eyes were cold and frosty. He didn't have the arrogance to keep people at a distance, but rather like a scabbarded sword, ruthless and without desire, his use entirely at the discretion of the swordsman.
Qin Ren was used to Zhang Su like this, and Qing Yang was also used to it. He asked him, "How long have you been waiting?"
Zhang Su glanced at the little princess's white skirt with a hint of pink, lowered his eyes and said, "About two quarters of an hour."
At this time, the driver, who was also a trained driver, had set up the carriage. Qingyang walked over and held out his hand to Zhang Su. Third Brother was good in every way, but when it came to taking care of Third Brother, he wasn't as reliable as Zhang Su.
The little princess did not speak to remind Zhang Su, nor did she even look at him, but when she walked to the carriage bench, her outstretched right hand was firmly grasped by another hand. Qingyang stepped onto the bench, and with the support of that hand, she easily stood on the shaft of the carriage. At the same time, that hand let go of her.
Before entering, Qingyang casually said, "You come up too."
Zhang Su looked at the third prince.
Qin Ren: "Come on, sister likes to play chess with you."
Zhang Su had no choice but to follow the two princes into the carriage. There was a gauze curtain door inside the carriage, with a width of more than two feet in the middle. On the left was a three-row wooden rack for shoes, and on the right was a low cabinet containing chamber pots that the masters might use.
After putting his boots away and wiping his hands with a clean towel hanging nearby, Zhang Su lifted the gauze curtain and went in.
Seeing the Third Prince unfolding the foldable table, Zhang Su lowered his head to help, then knelt at the end of the table near the car door.
Qin Ren knelt above him with three small porcelain plates in front of him. The one in the middle held melon seeds, the one near his sister held peeled melon seeds, and the one near Zhang Su held melon seed shells.
Qingyang didn't want to play chess anymore, so he asked Zhang Su, "Today was supposed to be a day for your family to get together, but we called you out. Did the Duke and Madam say anything?"
Zhang Su said to the chessboard, "My father and mother told me to protect the two princes."
Qingyang: "Who asked you to protect us? We asked you to come out and play together. Your Highness and I are not here today. We are just friends."
Qin Ren: "Yes, we are all friends. Brother Su, please eat." He handed a melon seed kernel he had just peeled to Zhang Su.
Zhang Su: “…”
Unable to refuse, he had to take the melon seed. Qin Ren smiled and continued to peel it for his sister.
When the carriage drove away from the imperial city and into a street with pedestrians, Qingyang moved to the corner of the window on the third brother's side, lifted the curtain a little and looked out, and called out to the third brother if he saw anything new.
Both the brother and sister were not behaving well, so Zhang Su silently started to peel the melon seeds.
【Author’s words】
Here I come. Time Dafa caused a little jam at the beginning. [Poor]
100 little red envelopes, see you in the evening~
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