Chapter 62 The Prince Who Failed to Revolt
Zhang Xiaojia came to the Dali Temple again.
The Dali Temple Minister looked at her and really felt that life was unbearable.
"Little Ancestor, didn't I tell you yesterday that the second trial would be held in three days? Today is the second day after that."
Zhang Xiaojia nodded. "I know. I was just passing by the Dali Temple. Since I'm here, I just came in to take a look. I won't interfere or meddle in government affairs. I'll just be a bystander."
The Dali Temple Minister said helplessly: "We have sealed it all, because this case has been brought to court several times. I promise that it can be closed within five days."
Zhang Xiaojia pretended to be stupid and said, "When will you close the case? What does it have to do with me? I'm just passing by." Then she left.
She came to Kyoto in the heavy snow every day because she received so many gifts. It was the end of the year and every family was busy, even Prince Jing was no exception.
After returning to Prince Jing's mansion, Bai Zhu took out the list of gifts and handed it to her. This was a list of filial piety sent by the servants. Zhang Xiaojia took a look at it and pointed out a few families. The rewards given should not be low.
When preparing for the annual gifts, the Imperial Palace, the various princely palaces, and even the residences with which they had some connections all needed to express their appreciation. Even if these gifts might eventually be stored in the treasury, etiquette was still essential.
There are many rules for giving New Year gifts. You must follow the principle of giving gifts first to the elders and then to the younger ones, and first to the respected and then to the humble. Elders do not need to give New Year gifts to juniors.
Therefore, Prince Jing's Mansion only needs to send annual gifts to the Imperial Palace, the Three Princes' Mansion, the Princess' Mansion and the elders of the upper royal family, and ignore the rest.
As for the delivery method and content selection of New Year gifts, this gave Zhang Xiaojia a headache.
If the gift is too heavy, it may seem like you are showing off; if the gift is too light, it may cause people to laugh at you.
But she was also familiar with these things, but she was thinking about what kind of reward she should give to this one and what kind of face she should give to that one?
After a whole day's work, it was finally done.
There was only one New Year gift left, and Zhang Xiaojia didn’t know what to do for a moment?
To send or not to send?
After meeting the emperor yesterday, Concubine Xian sent someone to invite her to meet him, but she did not go and ran away.
She understood that the virtuous concubine wanted to protect her natal family.
She wanted to kill Concubine Xian's father and brother from her mother's family, but Concubine Xian didn't understand.
So there is no solution.
After thinking for a long time, adhering to the principle of finding his brother when he has something to do, he handed the annual gift for the virtuous concubine to the Wude Sishi, and asked him to give it to the emperor, and the emperor would do as he sees fit!
Zhang Xiaojia stretched and went home after get off work.
Her Jingqin Mansion really had to pass by the Dali Temple every day.
She was really feeling bored, so when she opened the curtain she saw the Dali Temple Minister coming off duty.
Seeing that the Dali Temple Minister treated her like a plague god, she jumped into the carriage and drove away without looking back.
Zhang Xiaojia really wanted to say, you should be fined for speeding.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
Zhang Xiaojia lifted the curtain and took a look, but she tried to pretend she didn't see it.
"Little uncle, Wan'an!" Zhang Xiaojia jumped off the carriage
She followed the little uncle dejectedly.
Come to the private room on the second floor.
Looking at the desserts on the table, the little uncle pointed and said, "Go and find out for me what kind of food she likes so that I can ask the emperor for a royal chef."
"Also," the young uncle's expression grew serious, "find out her dietary restrictions. What does she dislike? What does she hate? This prince must know all of this clearly."
Zhang Xiaojia couldn't help but roll his eyes and said, "Little Uncle, don't forget that she may not be willing to be with you."
The young uncle's face darkened instantly. He suddenly drew the long sword from his waist, pointed the tip of the sword at Zhang Xiaojia's neck, and said in a voice as cold as ice: "You asked me to adopt Princess Anguo, but that's not what you said when you adopted Mingming."
Zhang Xiaojia felt the chill on her neck, but she wasn't afraid at all: "She definitely won't like you pointing a sword at me. If I get even a scratch, I'll go to the palace and complain."
Upon hearing this, the young uncle's eyes flashed with regret, and he quickly drew back his sword. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Come to my palace tomorrow and decorate her courtyard. If there's anything missing, I'll give you money, and you can go and buy everything."
Zhang Xiaojia nodded to show that she understood and that she was going to drain his money.
"The day after tomorrow, the Dali Temple will open for trial. Will you go?"
"As an idle prince, I won't go. I just want to accompany her in this life. She wants to travel all over the Great Zhou, and I will accompany her. It's that simple."
Zhang Xiaojia couldn't help but sigh, "I appreciate your kindness. But please don't change your mind."
The young uncle glared at Zhang Xiaojia and said, "You should worry about yourself! He Fei's former lover hangs around his manor every day. You'd better be careful and don't let her have the chance to snatch Xiao Fei away."
Zhang Xiaojia pretended to be angry and wanted to settle the score with He Fei, then ran away.
The imperial farm is not far away and can be seen clearly.
After hearing the report, Zhang Xiaojia lifted the curtain and saw Wen Miaoyin standing quietly by the roadside waiting. Her figure looked lonely and a little cold, and the cloak on her body was obviously not made of leather with excellent cold-proof performance.
"My lady, you are well." Wen Miaoyin greeted softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.
"Get in the car." Zhang Xiaojia responded gently and motioned Wen Miaoyin to get in.
After Wen Miaoyin sat down, Bai Shao poured her a cup of hot tea. Wen Miaoyin took the cup, her hands trembling uncontrollably, and quickly put the cup to her cheek, trying to absorb the slightest bit of warmth.
"I haven't spoken a single word to Prince Jing since I arrived at the Imperial Manor." Wen Miaoyin broke the silence in the car. "Every time I see him, I turn around and leave immediately."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaojia said "Oh" in a long tone, with a playful look in his eyes, as if he was considering the truthfulness of Wen Miaoyin's words.
Wen Miaoyin didn't stop talking: "I came to Huangzhuang because I need a favor from you."
When Zhang Xiaojia heard this, she immediately became interested: "Oh? Is there anything I can help you with?" She leaned forward slightly, showing great concern and curiosity.
Wen Miaoyin took a deep breath, as if to organize her thoughts: "At the beginning, I obeyed my parents' orders and the matchmaker's words and married the youngest son of the Chengdu prefectural governor's family.
I thought I could live a stable and happy life, but fate played a trick on me. He passed away suddenly a year ago. I don't believe it, because no one in my husband's family was sad. He didn't return to Beijing until six months ago.
Her eyes became firm and complex. “But recently, I have had an increasingly strong thought in my mind – I suspect my husband is not really dead. He pretended to be dead just to marry a woman he has long admired.
Once this thought took root, it grew like a weed, leaving me unable to rest. So, I came to you, hoping you could help me find the truth."
Zhang Xiaojia's eyes revealed concentration and rationality. "You believe your husband is not dead. Besides your observation that your in-laws didn't show the proper grief after losing him, is there anything else inconsistent or suspicious about this inference?"
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