The King of Chen is the King of Chen. Even the shocking words from Taoist Master Songshan did not affect him at all. After coming down from the high platform, he and Yao Niang even drank a cup together, as if he had not heard these so-called "inexpressible" words at all.
Yao Niang sometimes really admired Gao Xuance, he was truly a rare talent, no matter what, his expression remained unchanged, but she couldn't do that. Not everyone could remain calm.
But it is very difficult to impress such a person unless you truly devote yourself to him.
"You said you were hungry. Why don't you use it? The mutton here is not fishy." Gao Xuance said to her with a smile.
Yao Niang came back to her senses and said, "Well, I'm just about to eat. You should eat more too."
Gao Xuance shook his head: "I don't need to. You know I am practicing Taoism. All living beings, whether they have breath or are flying or crawling, must not be killed."
"Okay, then I'll use it myself." Yao Niang lowered her head and ate it herself. It's really amazing that even a hungry cow could eat it.
Gao Xuance couldn't help but smile when he saw her eating happily, and asked, "Do you want some snacks?" He remembered that during the short time they were together in their previous life, she got hungry very easily. She ate very little during meals, but whenever she had nothing to eat, she would buy all kinds of snacks, and the whole table would be piled with snacks.
I eat five or six kinds of melon seeds, and all kinds of fructose available on the market are piled up, not to mention peaches, loquats, starberries, grapes, and tangerines, which I buy in baskets to eat at home. Once, my face turned yellow because I ate too many tangerines.
But after she married him, perhaps because it was inconvenient, Gao Xuance rarely saw her eat snacks, or even almost never ate at all.
Could it be that she has married into the palace and cannot be bought?
Yao Niang didn't care if he mentioned the snacks. She wiped her mouth first and then said depressedly: "I like snacks, but I can't eat too much. Some snacks are too sweet. Eating too much sweet will make you fat. There is a cousin in my family who likes to eat snacks since she was a child, and she became fat."
"What's wrong with being fat? Just be fat. Aren't you cuter if you're a little fatter?" Gao Xuance didn't mind too much.
Yao Niang glanced at Gao Xuance and couldn't help curling her lips: "I don't want to be fat. I want to have a body shape like this when I am a hundred years old."
Gao Xuance liked talking to her the most. He didn't need to put in any effort or be aggressive. It was very simple, trivial but very interesting. He tilted his head and looked at Yao Niang and said, "Do you want to fast with me?"
"No, I will feel uncomfortable if I don't eat." In fact, Yao Niang wanted Gao Xuance to eat normally like herself. After all, he had just consumed so much and his body must be very tired. And he often fasted. Isn't it bad for his body?
Is this why it died young?
She wanted to persuade him again, but she felt that she had said too much and he didn't listen.
Just when he was wondering how to persuade him, King Zhou came over. Gao Xuance stood up and the two brothers talked to each other. King Zhou came over to remind him: "You should also know what happened today. You should be more careful in what you say and do. Otherwise, I will have trouble dealing with your affairs in the future."
Originally thinking that the King of Zhou was reminding him, and in the end he was still afraid that he would be implicated, Gao Xuance snorted coldly: "Second brother, you should take good care of yourself. I have never said anything out of line, why are you saying this to me?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Since ancient times, even the emperor has to abide by the rule of eldest son. Let alone you and me. The closer you are to the royal family, the more you need to know your responsibilities. Don't bring disaster to your mother." King Zhou warned him.
Gao Xuance said with a smile, "Second brother, is there no hope? You are persuading me now just to curry favor with eldest brother. I am also helping you, second brother, so please don't get the wrong idea. Besides, I don't want to fight or not fight."
King Zhou felt that his brother was beyond help.
Gao Xuance also felt that he and the King of Zhou had no common ground, so he returned to the banquet. Yao Niang had just finished her meal and was still hungry. The roasted lamb smelled delicious, and the kitchen was preparing pilaf.
"Are you full?" Gao Xuance smiled again.
Yao Niang nodded: "I'm full, you didn't eat much, how can this be? I know you want to practice Taoism, but you hunted today and sat all night. Since you don't like meat, how about I make you a bowl of noodles myself?" Afraid that he would disagree, Yao Niang pouted: "Don't you want me to fulfill my wife's duties at all?"
Seeing her say this, Gao Xuance had no choice but to agree.
There was also a kitchen in the palace. Yao Niang took people there and cooked a bowl of vegetarian noodles herself. The soup base was also very simple, with one spoonful of green onions, one and a half spoonfuls of green sauce, half a spoonful of sesame oil, a little pepper and salt, and most importantly, a little bit of sugar to enhance the flavor.
After the Longxu noodles are cooked in a pot, they are served in a bowl and a bowl of Yangchun vegetarian noodles is ready.
Gao Xuance was talking to Gao Jian at Maochunxuan: "Go check if this Taoist priest Songshan has been bribed by someone? I didn't expect him to be waiting for me here."
"This is all due to our poor performance." Gao Jian also felt ashamed.
Fortunately, Gao Xuance rarely blames his subordinates. Instead, he said, "It is useless to talk about this matter. We need to assign more people in the future. We cannot let this happen again."
Gao Jian lowered his head: "Yes."
Just at this moment, Yao Niang came in with a tray, and someone outside shouted, "The princess is back, the princess is back."
Gao Xuance's expression remained unchanged, and he said to Gao Jian, "In that case, you should leave first. The Ministry of Rites has the Luo family to support me, and no one will talk about appointing a crown prince at will. You should focus on the eldest and second princes first."
Gao Jian didn't dare to say anything more and left quickly.
When he walked out, he happened to meet Yao Niang. When Yao Niang saw that it was Gao Jian, she smiled and nodded. When Gao Jian saw her again, he still thought she was so beautiful that he didn't know where to put his eyes.
I thought Prince Chen had some true feelings for marrying Luo, but now it seems that he did it only for the power of the Luo family.
But she is really Xianhui.
When I went out, I heard that the princess cooked personally. Because the prince didn't want to eat pork, she made Yangchun noodles.
Gao Jian turned his head to take one look, then left in a hurry again.
When Yao Niang brought the noodles back, Gao Xuance saw the bowl of noodles. The plain noodles and the green vegetables looked very appetizing. There were also a few cold dishes on the side.
The small bowl of noodles was quickly eaten up, but I still felt like I was not satisfied.
"How come your craftsmanship is so good?" Gao Xuance was surprised.
You have to know that Yao Niang’s craftsmanship in her previous life was not that good.
Yao Niang didn't understand what he meant, she just said: "It's good to be attentive in everything. When I was at home, my mother taught me how to cook. Although we don't have to cook every day because of our status, it's good if we can learn a little bit."
In fact, it was later because the Prince of Zhou had a weak spleen and stomach and was often sick that she figured out how to cook by herself. It was rare that Gao Xuance liked her.
"It's delicious." Gao Xuance held Yao Niang's hand and couldn't help but wonder why his father was not angry at all today. Maybe he really valued him, or he wanted to protect him.
Yao Niang saw that Gao Xuance was thinking about something. She always felt that he was thinking about something, but he rarely told her, probably because he thought she didn't understand.
She couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about? If there is something, tell me."
"It's no big deal. What do you think about what Taoist Master Songshan said today? To be honest, this title was given to me by my father. Now that I have accepted it, I can't give it up even if I want to." Gao Xuance looked at Yao Niang with sharp eyes.
If she and he are not of the same mind, then don't blame him.
he……
He could only try his best to keep her a secret and prevent her from influencing him. Otherwise, he couldn't bring himself to kill her or let her die of illness.
Yao Niang smiled and said, "There is a saying among the people: if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. If I don't help my husband, who else can I help? But I want you to promise me one thing."
Gao Xuance was delighted to hear Yaoniang call him her husband. When he heard her make a request, he quickly asked, "What is it?"
"You must be a wise ruler, recover the lost territories, treat the people well, and make Dalin a sign of revival." When she was in Anzhou in her early years, she heard that Emperor Jianzhang lost the city and Dalin was massacred. She cried uncontrollably at the time, and Emperor Tianlu died within a year. After the Crown Prince of Zhou ascended the throne, he was still very young and there were even wars for years. Even her son Lu Chengyun went to fight in the war.
Gao Xuance didn't expect what she said. He actually held her hand and even had tears in his eyes: "Sister Yao, you are really my confidant."
"I have never thought about fighting for power. In fact, if I were to be a prince, I would just be humble and patient. But now, Dalin is still indulging in the so-called prosperity, and I can't see anyone with long-term plans. This king is extremely worried!"
At the end, he slammed the table in anger.
Yao Niang stepped forward, held his hand and said, "King Cheng of Chu killed his brother and usurped the throne, but he became a hegemon. King Mu of Chu killed his father, but he conquered the Jianghuai area. King Zhuang of Chu, the son of King Mu, was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. King Ling, however, committed suicide in the wilderness due to his unsuccessful conquest of the State of Wu, and was given the title of Ling. The merits and demerits recorded in history books are completely different. Although I am a woman, I know that virtue is the highest, but if it is to make the country rich and the people strong, this is what a monarch should do. When Li Shimin was in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, no one thought he was a traitor. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
These words really made Gao Xuance look at Yao Niang in a new light.
In his previous life, he heard that Lu Chengyun became the top martial arts scholar and was almost the most trusted person by the new emperor. He rose to prominence at the age of twenty-something, which was not a privilege that ordinary people could get. He was still wondering what could make a child who couldn't even be taken care of by his widowed mother grow up like this? Now he finally found the answer.
Yao Niang is just a woman, but she has such insight.
"Sister Yao, don't worry. I am by no means a heartless and ungrateful person. If that day ever comes in the future, I will definitely let you share this honor with me." Gao Xuance said sincerely.
瑤娘卻知道這種事情不好許諾，唐玄宗李隆基當年的原配王氏舉家何嘗不是幫助李隆基，後來王皇後被廢，下場極其慘烈。
這高玄策現在許諾的歡，可自古君王哪個不是權利欲望極其盛。
她連忙道：“王爺說什麽呢，我不盼着別的，只盼着王爺能實現自己的抱負，從此大臨國富民強，其他的，您就不要為難我一個小女子了，我什麽也不懂。”
高玄策見瑤娘如此，似乎知道她心中的顧慮，也不再多問，只是孩子氣的把她一下扛在肩頭，今日算是徹底的享受了床笫之歡。
幾次被推倒之後，瑤娘不禁心生懷疑，如此高大威猛的宸王，怎麽可能會早夭？完全沒有任何征兆啊。
比起高玄策的平靜，大皇子卻是憤怒不已，他正對沈亮道：“真是賠了夫人又折兵，松山道長好容易買通，父皇卻一點都不忌憚，難不成是真的有意于宸王不成？”
“誰知道聖上居然一點也不忌憚宸王呢？”沈亮也頗覺得失策。
林緯南卻皺眉道：“難不成皇上真的想傳位給三皇子不成？如今禮部居然完全不提立儲一事，提起來也是不痛不癢的提幾句，我看是羅大宗伯有意為之。”
他家和羅家有些關系，準确來說是和羅夫人郁氏有些關系，林家曾經受過郁大人的幫助，因此和郁氏往來頗為密切，甚至當年的宸王妃也往他們府上過去了。
這也是大皇子生氣的地方，他舅舅家和妹夫家都是勳貴，故而再娶王家為勳貴反而是極其不劃算的，當年若是娶了羅瑤娘，如此，也有文官輔佐。
文臣是最能接近皇帝之人，尤其是羅至正門生故舊許多。
沈亮冷笑道：“當年羅家還有另一位不也是支持衡王，到最後若非羅至正保下，早就亡了，這次我看羅家遲早重蹈覆轍。我道是為何宸王如此對羅氏女癡情，原來其中早有預謀。”
“那倒也不是，是憲國公知趣，知曉什麽叫長幼秩序，嫡庶尊卑的道理。否則，這世上的事情，就全部亂套了。”沈雲攤手。
這個時候大皇子知曉自己已經是君心不在，所能靠的唯獨只有勳貴和所謂的宗法制度，父皇為人軟弱，父皇不可能為了三皇弟而抗衡的。
要撼動自己的位置，除非洪貴妃成為皇後，可這樣群臣也會反對。
可他們也知道帝王若是屬意誰，這個人是很有可能會上位的，不是這麽簡單的。更何況，宸王雖然沒有勳貴支持，但是晉陽王可是支持他的。
此事原本是沈亮主導，哪裏知道皇帝這般偏心，他回到自己房中，心情有些低沉。
陸氏奉了茶過來：“今夜怎麽回來的如此晚？”
“還不是有術士說宸王将來貴不可言，皇上卻贊同不已，我們替大皇子擔心啊。”沈亮當然不會把這個術士是他找來的這話說給妻子聽。
他和陸氏比和先前原配的關系更好，陸氏年輕美貌能管家，重要的是體貌康健，非常合他的心意，因此外面的事情他也會說一點給陸氏聽。
陸氏聽了也忍不住皺眉：“難怪宸王妃都不把綏德長公主放在眼裏，原來是聖意期許。”
本來她只是以為宸王受寵，沒想到人家還要追逐皇位，說真的，平安做個親王不好嗎？何必還要争那個位置，陸氏真的是不懂。
沈亮還不知今日馬球的事情，不禁問道：“宸王妃如何，很猖狂嗎？”
“猖狂倒也沒有，只是不太把綏德長公主放在眼裏，還贏了大皇子妃一場。”
陸氏當初為了接近綏德長公主，還刻意和憲國公的女兒交好，可宸王妃對這位宗室長輩根本就沒有任何巴結。
沈亮擺手：“那是因為宸王還有洪貴妃在皇上身邊，若論帝寵，誰都比不上這兩母子。至于宸王妃，她——”
他倒也不好說瑤娘的不是，因為他後院還有個類似羅氏的女子，是晉陽王世子送過來的，當年他還畫過他的畫像。
陸氏和沈亮成親之後，沈亮是再也沒有去過妾侍處，對她幾乎是專房獨寵，旁的女子都沒聽到他提過，現在她提起宸王妃，丈夫居然猶豫了，她難免有些不快。
“宸王妃如何？”陸氏還是問起。
沈亮則道：“宸王妃她倒不是那種人，她和宸王還是不同的，宸王心機深沉，為人艱險狡詐，宸王妃卻很單純。”
不單純也不會被宸王騙的團團轉了。
明明羅至正是個非常支持正統的士大夫，但因為女兒倒向宸王了。
“單純？不會吧。”陸氏也是在莊令儀那裏聽到許多宮中的事情，就如瑤娘是怎麽趕走先皇後的侄女，怎麽故意讨好公主，腳踩她這個伴讀等等。
這絕非是什麽單純的女子。
沈亮知道這是女子的嫉妒心，雖然心中不認同陸氏所講，但也只能附和。
昨日魚水之歡，瑤娘眉目含春，尤其是一雙剪水秋瞳蘊含着水光，也許是昨日兩人敞開心扉，今日他們柔情蜜意更勝昨日。
而昨日行獵頗多，皇帝還要見一些番邦大臣，高玄策就空閑下來，他特地陪瑤娘去行宮泡溫泉，瑤娘帶了兩身寝衣，準備下去好生泡一下。
“你不下去泡嗎？”瑤娘見他什麽都沒帶。
高玄策痛苦道：“我怕我忍不住。”
瑤娘不厚道的笑出聲來，這個人有時城府太深，有時又這麽孩子氣，真是讓人覺得太可愛了。
二人挽臂而行，高玄策見瑤娘笑出聲，也寵溺的看着她：“昨兒我打獵的時候看到一只鹿，本來想打一頭鹿，但是見它的眼睛裏有淚水，很似你這樣的鹿眼。”
瑤娘一聽，急道：“那你打了它嗎？”
“當然沒有，我想起你來，心軟就放了，你放心吧。”高玄策笑道。
瑤娘這才拍了拍胸脯：“真是驚險不已。”
高玄策保證道：“你放心吧，我知道你最讨厭什麽事情，心地又軟，你若不喜歡什麽，我是肯定不會做的。”
他喜歡的人，甚至做低伏下都願意，還在路上摘了不少花，對瑤娘道：“你教我編花環，我替你編一頂花環，好不好？”
“戴着會不會像媒婆啊？”瑤娘捂嘴直笑。
她實在是太喜歡高玄策了，不為別的，他只要有空就真的陪她，完全以她為主。
高玄策正欲回答，只見迎面走來陸氏夫妻，本來高玄策就是抄小道準備帶瑤娘過去的，陸氏則是因為自己想出來走走，哪裏知道把高玄策夫妻的話聽了個正着。
“給宸王殿下和宸王妃殿下請安。”陸氏趕緊行禮。
高玄策“唔”了一聲，還是瑤娘笑道：“快起身吧，別多禮。你這是去哪兒呀？”
“臣婦只是在周圍轉轉。”陸氏心道好險。
瑤娘則點頭：“好，那我們就先去了，不打攪你了。”
她們走遠了之後，陸氏的丫鬟才扶起陸氏。不免笑嘻嘻的：“沒想到宸王殿下對宸王妃那麽做低伏下的？奴婢還從未見過這樣的男人呢。”
陸氏嫁給宣平侯世子沈亮，已經是專房獨寵了，沈亮也對她頗為迷戀，但宣平侯世子比她大十幾歲，不似宸王才十八，宸王妃今年也不過十五六歲，她頭一次才發現宸王這樣的天之驕子，居然這樣讨人歡心，心思更是細微之處體貼，他會提到宸王妃的眼睛似鹿眼，因為這般，他放過了那只鹿。
皇室夫妻多是相敬如賓，就如同大皇子和大皇子妃這樣的，再也不會說出這種話，甚至尋常夫妻也很少會如此的。
如果宸王妃真的是那麽不擇手段的人，宸王這樣狡詐的人怎麽可能對她這麽好？
這些陸氏的想法瑤娘就不知曉了，她剛剛褪去外衣之後，就走下去沐浴了，高玄策則坐在外面，一心一意的按照瑤娘說的編花環，最重要的也是守着瑤娘，怕有人偷看就不好了。
反正不管別人怎麽說，他就一個人背對着瑤娘，很認真的編花環。
泡在溫泉中暖洋洋的，這種全身毛孔都打開了，瑤娘總覺得渾身舒泰，真的太舒服了，她甚至靠在溫泉的玉石上昏昏欲睡。
這裏的溫泉肯定不遜色于華清池的溫泉，她好笑的想着。
實際上昨夜那些話，她是真的從第一天許配給宸王就想到了，丈夫現在的處境由不得他了，從這個“封號”開始，甚至從洪貴妃和林貴妃這種錯位的關系開始，彼此已經不可能和睦了。
除非宸王公開和洪貴妃切割關系，甚至肯忍氣吞聲伏低做小。
即便是前世，周王能夠上位，也是天祿帝死了，而且沒有子嗣，周王才按照長幼之序上的，而周王是和洪貴妃切割非常徹底的。
有天祿帝在時，周王封地非常狹窄，蛇蟲鼠蟻頗多，若非如此周王世子本身孱弱，後來加上環境更加難以養活。
她知道争那個位置是很艱險的，可她希望自己能以她微薄的力量保護他。
……
After getting dressed and going out, Gao Xuance was flipping through a local journal. When he saw Yao Niang coming out, he immediately took out the wreath he had woven as if presenting a treasure: "My craftsmanship is not very good, please don't laugh at me."
Although the braid was twisted and tangled, Yao Niang put it on her head and turned around in front of Gao Xuance, smiling sweetly and asking him, "Doesn't it look like a flower fairy?"
Gao Xuance held her arm and said with certainty: "You must be the King of Flowers, the fairy who controls all flowers."
"Hehe." Yao Niang finally understood why the emperor liked treacherous ministers.
Because they are good-looking and speak nicely.