The Great Xia Dynasty originated from the grasslands, and their nomadic nature made them relatively respectful of the status of women. Compared with Bian Tang and Huai Song, for thousands of years, there have been many female generals and female Confucian scholars serving as officials in the court, and there have also been many female rulers in the harem. When it comes to relationships between men and women, people are relatively tolerant. Therefore, in addition to the emperor's concubines and daughters, there were also many guards stationed in the back city, and most of the princes who had not been granted the title of king and had not left the palace to build their own offices also lived here.
At this moment, in the Yingge Villa in the back city, in a quiet bamboo forest, a young man in a black robe was sitting.
The young man was no more than twenty years old, with a handsome face, eyes like stars, a high nose bridge, and eyebrows like swords. His black hair was draped behind his back, loosely tied with a black satin ribbon. He wore an elegant black robe, embroidered with purple and gold unicorns, with dark flowers and auspicious clouds as the border, and Song Dynasty Su brocade as the lining. He wore soft leather boots with deer patterns, and the soles of the boots were engraved with blue cloud patterns. He sat leisurely and quietly in front of a small bluestone table, with incense burning beside him, an ancient zither clanging on the table, and a few books scattered on the side. Next to a green jade wine pot was a glass cup, with two dragons spitting pearls on both sides of the cup, which was obviously a rare treasure.
Although it is winter now, the warmth of the Yalang Mountain and the surrounding hot springs have created such a quiet and warm place. A breeze blows, bringing a fresh and cool breeze on your face, passing through the bamboos, making the place seem even more leisurely and comfortable.
The young man's hands were like white jade, and his fingers were slender. He slowly picked up the glass cup and raised it to his lips, but did not drink it. His eyes were like stars, and he narrowed them lightly. Without even looking, he said in a light voice: "Come out."
"Hateful." A tender female voice suddenly sounded, and a charming girl flashed out from the bamboo forest behind him, "It's no fun to be discovered by you every time!"
The girl was no more than eighteen or nineteen years old. She wore a lilac-colored two-piece shirt with gold sequins on the upper body and a white butterfly-patterned gauze skirt on the lower body. A light blue belt was worn across her waist, and a green lily orchid pendant was hung on it. Her hair was tied up high, and she had tassels on her ears. She had a chicken heart-blood jade pendant on her forehead, Dinglan earrings, and an agate necklace. Although she looked noble, she did not look vulgar at all. As the girl walked, she took off her outer snow cape and said in a clear voice, "Father is still the most partial to you. I just came from Lanshan Courtyard, where it was freezing cold. Look at you, the snow has melted before it even hit the ground."
The young man turned around, his face calm, a faint smile on his lips, and said, "It is the kindness of His Majesty."
"Hehe," the girl snorted, "Why don't you show some love to me? I am your father's biological daughter."
"Princess."
"You called me princess again!" Throwing the fur coat to the servant beside her, the girl ran to the young man and shouted loudly.
The young man smiled helplessly and said, "Chun'er."
"Don't think you can get away with it like this," Princess Chun'er said angrily, puffing up her cheeks as she sat on a stone bench opposite. "Tell me, why did you leave before the banquet was over? I had to abandon all the guests and chase you here."
The man smiled calmly and said, "Sorry, I have something urgent to do."
"What can you do?" the girl shouted. As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that she had said something rash. She carefully glanced at the man's face. Seeing that he didn't react, she hurriedly said, "Did you leave because you saw Wei Jing coming? He just came back from the south, and I didn't know he would come. Don't be angry with me."
The man raised his head and shook his head slowly, "Princess, don't worry. Yan Xun wouldn't dare."
"You call me princess again." Chun Er frowned, suddenly stood up, grabbed the corner of Yan Xun's clothes, and said angrily, "Brother Xun, do you treat me as your own or not?"
Yan Xun lowered his head and frowned at the girl's tender white hands. He couldn't help but frown slightly and took out his clothes without making a sound. "Princess, you worry too much. You still need to pay attention to the distinction between the superior and the inferior."
"Damn the distinction between high and low. We were so good when we were little. Do you remember when I was nine years old, you took me to a brothel to fight? Now you have to be secretive even when calling me by my nickname."
"Back then, I was young and ignorant, and I was reckless."
"Hateful!" Chun'er threw the wine jug to the ground and said loudly, "I hate you so much!" After saying that, she wanted to turn around and leave.
"Princess, please stay," Yan Xun stood up and called out, handing over a box wrapped in lavender silk.
Chun Er raised her eyebrows, "What is this?"
"It's the princess' birthday, and I have a small gift for you. Please accept it, princess."
Chun'er's little face suddenly lit up with joy. She opened the box with a smile, and saw a white rabbit tail. The girl's eyes suddenly widened and she shouted, "This is... This is Yanyan's tail?"
Yan Xun nodded. "A few days ago, I heard that Yan Yan bit your hand and was beaten to death and thrown out by the Queen. You cried for a long time. I ordered someone to cut off this tail, and you can keep it as a souvenir. It's not a valuable thing, so don't be surprised."
Zhao Chun'er's eyes suddenly became moist. She shook her head and said softly, "I have received too many gold, silver and jewelry. Only this is the best gift. Brother Xun, thank you. Chun'er is very happy."
As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's face turned red. She held the rabbit's tail, and without even bothering to put on her fur coat, she turned around and ran out of the bamboo forest.
Yan Xun had been standing there, but the smile on his face gradually disappeared as the girl walked away.
"Prince, Princess Chun is gone."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun silently took off the outer robe that the girl had just touched, threw it on the table, turned around and left, leaving a low voice saying, "Take it and burn it."
"yes."
The servant nodded in agreement, and when he looked up again, Yan Xun had disappeared.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. Yan Xun sat in his study, flipping through the winter tax documents that had just been delivered and making careful comments. Feng Zhi came in three times to serve food but was chased away by the gatekeeper A Jing every time. He had no choice but to wait outside the door in grievance.
The wind blew softly, and the incense from the incense burner on the desk swayed slowly. Suddenly, a fresh scent came over. It was not the cosmetics in the palace, nor the orchid incense of Yingge Villa, nor the green bamboo fragrance of the bamboo sea, but a unique smell with yellow sand and soil, and even the smell of a sharp blade.
Yan Xun frowned, raised his head, and when he saw the person coming, his eyes softened immediately. He wanted to speak, but found it a little funny. He turned his face away, trying to hold it in, but the corners of his mouth gradually curved up.
"Have you laughed enough?" The man who came was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, still a young boy, with fair skin and watery eyes. He was wearing a green leather armor, which made him look even more heroic. He leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes sparkling with a hint of smile, but he said stubbornly, "It's cold outside."
"When did you come back?" Yan Xun's voice was as gentle as water, and it seemed that all the sharpness in his body was removed in an instant. He looked into the warm eyes of the young man in front of the door and smiled gently.
The boy also laughed and tilted his head as he replied, "Just now."
"Why don't you come in?"
The young man pouted and curled his lips in disdain, "Someone said that no matter how serious the matter is, no one is allowed to enter."
Yan Xun nodded, "Really? Since I said that, they still dared to let you in. They are wicked and deserve to be killed."
"I'm still standing at the door." The young man raised his eyebrows, "How dare I break the rules of Master Yan."
Yan Xun was about to speak when Feng Zhi, the little servant who was carrying the food box behind the young man, could not help but say, "Miss Chu, please stop flirting with His Highness. I have asked the kitchen to heat up the food more than ten times. You should at least have a bite first."
"Okay." Chu Qiao picked up the lunch box, stepped in, and said with a smile, "Just give Feng Zhi some face."
The little servant wiped his sweat and walked out.
Yan Xun stood up from behind the desk, walked over to Chu Qiao and took off her cloak, placing it on the chair. Then he turned around and sat at the table, watching Chu Qiao put all the dishes on the table one by one. He closed his eyes and sniffed, saying intoxicatedly, "What a nice smell! Why didn't I smell it just now?"
"Your nose is useless now. If I don't come back, you will starve to death."
Chu Qiao served a bowl of rice to Yan Xun and sat beside him. She took a big bite and said, "Yu Gu's cooking is still the best."
Yan Xun's expression changed slightly, revealing a rare trace of heartache. He lowered his head to look at the young man and said softly, "You must have had a hard time along the way?"
"It's okay," Chu Qiao shook her head, "It's just too cold to bear."
"Your feet are frozen again?"
"No, the boots you gave me are very warm and comfortable."
Yan Xun nodded and said in a deep voice: "From now on, let Ah Jing and the others do this kind of thing. You should stop running around all the time."
"I also want to stay in the house, but how can I be at ease?" Chu Qiao sighed, "Fortunately, it won't be long. In another half a year, we won't have to work so hard anymore."
Yan Xun's eyes lit up. The wind from outside blew in through the slightly open window, bringing with it the delicate fragrance of the distant bamboo forest.
"Have you seen Mr. Wu?"
"No," Chu Qiao shook her head, "I met Xihua, he said Mr. Wu has already gone to Beijing to coordinate the winter tax, and told you not to worry too much."
Yan Xun nodded and sighed, "That's good. I haven't slept well for a few nights. I have been dealing with this matter. If Mr. Wu comes, I will save a lot of energy."
"Is everything peaceful in the palace?"
Yan Xun smiled coldly upon hearing this, unable to hide the sarcasm on his face, "It's still the same as always. I don't know if you've heard the news, but Wei Jing is back. I even had a meeting with him today."
"I heard about it." Chu Qiao nodded and agreed, "Wei Jing was to blame for the collapse of the imperial mausoleum in Nanji Mountain. I heard that he has been dismissed from his post as supervisor. I didn't expect him to come back so soon."
Yan Xun put down his chopsticks, picked up the teacup and took a sip, "You did a good job of removing the firewood from the bottom of the pot. Wei Shuye was implicated by Wei Jing and has now been dismissed from his position as prefect. Now there are rumors everywhere in the palace that Wei Guang deliberately stayed out of it and wanted to get rid of this position. Although that person did not express his opinion, the other elders of the Council of Elders were very dissatisfied with Wei Guang. When the enclosure plan was drafted a few days ago, they collectively blocked the Wei family. Although Mu He Xifeng is useless and Mu He Yunting is gone, but Mu He Rongcheng is not a pushover. When he comes back from Xiling, the Council of Elders will be lively."
Chu Qiao's mouth was full of food, but she said solemnly: "This matter needs to be followed up, we can't be careless, don't worry, I will handle it properly."
Yan Xun nodded and said, "I trust you to do the job." As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly laughed, raised his slender fingers, and gently wiped them on Chu Qiao's face.