Prince Extra
There is a forbidden area in Emperor Jianing's imperial study, and even the empress and the crown prince are not allowed to approach it.
He put down the last memorial he had reviewed, rubbed his eyebrows, and when he looked up his eyes fell on the scroll.
The painting shows a snowy forest under the moonlight, with a dozen hungry wolves lurking around. A handsome young man is aiming his bow and arrow at the wolves. He is as calm and composed as the bright moon in his arms, with the corners of his robe rolled up by the pouch at his waist, so real that he seems as if he will walk out of the painting in the next moment.
In fact, it is not appropriate to hang this kind of painting in the emperor's study. Taifu Su had asked for it many times, on the grounds that it was too murderous and should be collected in his residence.
Emperor Jianing, who was always gentle and generous, just snorted coldly without giving any response.
Emperor Jianing made a slight gesture to the old eunuch beside him, and the old eunuch gestured with his hand to lead everyone down and gently closed the door of the imperial study.
He stood up and walked to the scroll, gently rolled up the painting to reveal a secret compartment about one foot wide and half a foot high, in which was a box made of golden nanmu wood.
He took out the nanmu box and placed it on the table, then opened the box to reveal the items inside.
A pair of underpants that had been cut open and stained with blood, the blood stains had already darkened, a pair of underpants embroidered with red intertwining branches, and another pair of underpants embroidered with a bixi piping.
Looking at these pairs of underwear, Emperor Jianing couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth. Memories from many years ago emerged, and he could repeat every word that Su Qianqian said in her heart without missing a word.
"So this is the white moonlight, the bright moonlight, so close yet so out of reach..."
Emperor Jianing gently lifted up his underpants, revealing a purse and a pair of insoles underneath. The objects that once contained drugs now lay quietly in the box, and the passage of time had taken away their former glory.
"How do you know that in the hearts of others, you are also the white moonlight..." The prince picked up the purse and said softly, with a sharp look hidden in his eyebrows, and he was the gentle prince like jade back then.
"Your Majesty, Prince Jing requests to see you." The old eunuch reported outside the door.
Emperor Jianing put the purse in his hand into the box, and then put the box back into the secret compartment, and then said to the outside: "Come in."
Prince Jing had gained a lot of weight by then, and walked in with a protruding belly. When he saw Emperor Jianing's expression, he glanced at the painting.
"What's the matter? Why do you come into the palace so late?" Emperor Jianing gave Prince Jing a warning look and asked.
"Tomorrow is the day to pay tribute to the Marquis of Wuning's mansion. The Duke of Jin and the Duke of Ding are arguing over who will be the first to burn the first stick of incense. Today, we will go to the Marquis of Wuning's mansion and wait. As long as the door is opened, whoever gets there first will get it."
Prince Jing bowed and sat down, worrying about his big belly:
"The Duke of Jin's Mansion said that the Duke of Jin's wife was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wuning's Mansion, the Marquis of Dingyang said that the Marquis of Wuning was his cousin, and Taifu Xiao Su said that his sister had the final say in the Marquis of Wuning's Mansion, so he should burn the first stick of incense. Everything is a mess."
"Haha, what's so strange about this? Aren't you the first one to make trouble? Don't think I don't know how many tomatoes and big bones you gave to that little dog to eat just to get into the greenhouse for that vegetable anytime and anywhere."
Emperor Jianing glanced at Prince Jing, whose eyes were rolling around: "It's been forty years, why haven't you improved? You hide your dirty tricks in your eyes, and if you roll your eyes, you must be guilty."
Prince Jing was scolded and cried: "Your Majesty, I am also an old man, please give me some face. They are all fighting, so I am trying to stir up trouble..."
"Childish! Go back and change into this robe. Now that you are a prince, does wearing this chicken-beak robe still match your status? Also, you are not allowed to wear the woodpecker robe!" Emperor Jianing said coldly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Prince Jing agreed dejectedly.
For forty years, he really wanted to wear such a robe. How happy he would be if he suddenly heard that childlike voice mocking him.
"It's been forty years... I will be present in person at the memorial service tomorrow. Please ask the Ministry of Rites to make preparations." Emperor Jianing said with his eyes lowered.
"In person? Your Majesty, do you know what time it is now? I'm afraid the Ministry of Rites won't be able to sleep all night!" Prince Jing was so shocked that he couldn't speak clearly. His wishful thinking fell apart!
"No need for complicated ceremonies, just follow the good rules for the prince's travel. The one going to the Wuning Marquis's mansion to pay tribute tomorrow is not me, but the prince who has received many favors from the Wuning Marquis's wife."
Emperor Jianing sat on a chair, thought for a moment, and then wrote something: "These foods are prepared. They are the favorites of the wife of Marquis Wuning. When the queen mother was alive, she often mentioned them."
"Your Majesty, the most important thing is to prepare more gold ingots, real gold. That is most likely to summon back the wife of Marquis Wuning..." Prince Jing whispered.
"Nonsense! How could the wife of Marquis Wuning be such a vulgar and greedy person!" Emperor Jianing said sternly.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Prince Jing's answer was quite ambiguous.
Emperor Jianing glared at Prince Jing, then couldn't help laughing: "Just go to my private storehouse and prepare some more."
…
On the first day of the first lunar month, the people of Da Qi were reuniting at home to celebrate the New Year. At the exact time of 9:00 p.m., the only remaining ancestral hall in the Wuning Marquis Mansion was already filled with people.
Duke of Jin Zhou Jinghuai supported his wife and glared at Duke Ding and his brothers sitting opposite him. Little Tutor Su rolled up his sleeves with a pen bag hanging around his waist containing the pens left to him by his second sister. He was waiting calmly and confidently for the ancestral hall to be opened.
"This is outrageous! My wife is a member of the Qin family! Which one of you is a descendant of the Qin family? My second son has the last name Qin!"
Zhou Jinghuai reached out and pulled his second son over to support him.
"I didn't say that you can't have the surname Qin, so why are you making such a fuss? The surname Qin is also the descendant of our Du family's great aunt. She is my biological aunt and my father's biological sister. We should be the first to burn the incense!"
The current Duke Dingguo had the same big belly as his father, and he had no intention of backing down.
"Both Dukes are right. No matter what their surnames are, they all have to listen to my second sister, so I won't be polite. This first stick of incense..."
"The Emperor has arrived!" the eunuch's voice sang loudly.
The Wuning Marquis Mansion had already been given to Lanxiang Academy by Qin Hanzhang in those days. Except for this ancestral hall, other places had become the school buildings of the academy. At this time, Emperor Jianing suddenly appeared in the Qin family ancestral hall.
"No need to be so polite. Today I am only here to pay homage to my old friend in my former capacity as the crown prince." Emperor Jianing got off the car and signaled his subjects not to perform formalities.
The door of the ancestral hall was opened, and the people accompanying them carried in eight large wooden boxes, placed them in front of the altar and opened them. They were immediately dazzling with their golden glow.
"Is my sacrifice worthy of the first incense stick?" Emperor Jianing raised his eyebrows with a little pride.
No one dares to say no.
The smoke of incense curled up, and after everyone bowed, they looked at the names on the tablets. This prosperous era is finally what you wished for!
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