The emperor looked straight at Yong'an and said meaningfully, "Sister, stop making trouble. Jingle is a guest at your house, and you are too slow to be the host."
The emperor's tone was a little heavy, and veins popped out faintly on his forehead.
Yongan's cheeks turned pale and his lips pursed, but he didn't say anything in the end.
In her opinion, what should be done should have been done. At this point, no matter how tough Sheng Xiyan is, she should obey.
The two maids in Wangqing Pavilion were old ladies she brought out from the palace. They were employed by her mother back then and were the best at disciplining people. Once those disobedient palace maids and concubines fell into their hands, they would be sure to make them dare not go west if they were told to go east, and dare not lie down if they were told to kneel.
Sheng Xiyan must have realized how powerful it was by now.
A maid carefully handed her a handkerchief. She took it and wiped the wine stains on her face. She forced a smile and said dryly, "Jingle, I was just playing a little joke on Miss Shengda. I'll take you to find her." This was considered lowering her head.
Yongning's voice had just fallen, and Jingle hadn't responded yet. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a slender figure walking towards her from afar. The sunlight shone on her through the dense shadows of the trees, as if she was coated with a layer of light. Behind her was a maid holding a bamboo basket.
Yongan was stunned for a moment, and said silently, "Jingle, Miss Shengda is back, isn't it necessary for you to be so angry and lose your sense of proportion?"
Jingle fell silent.
When the master and servant approached, Jingle noticed that the bamboo basket in Xigui's hand was filled with blooming apricot flowers, each more beautiful than the other.
Others didn't care, but the ladies at the flower pavilion had witnessed the uproar over whether to wear apricot blossoms in their hair. What was going on now? The twists and turns of the excitement had made them almost nervous. They would have to check the almanac before going out in the future.
Yong'an was a little surprised, and then he saw Sheng Xiyan walking in front of him with a maid, looking respectful.
The corners of her tightly pursed mouth relaxed a little, and she asked scrutinizingly, "Ms. Shengda, where have you been? Jingle is waiting for you anxiously."
Sheng Xiyan stared at her miserable face for a moment. No matter how smart she was, she couldn't imagine how Yongan had tortured her into this state in such a short period of time.
Sheng Xiyan lowered her eyelids slightly, bowed and said, "Your Highness, I went to pick some flowers." She gestured to Xigui to give her the bamboo basket and showed it to Yongan.
The basket was filled with apricot blossoms, nothing else.
Did she trample on a basket of apricot blossoms and then pick another basket to make amends to herself?
Thinking of this, the depression in Yongan's eyes faded a little.
It seems that the two maids' hands are still raw. So, when dealing with a disobedient wild girl like Sheng Xiyan, she should be taught what respect and inferiority mean, so that she will never lose her sense of propriety.
Yongan finally felt relieved.
At this moment, she actually wanted to see Sheng Xiyan and Jingle, the future mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, fighting each other, but the emperor was obviously annoyed, so she could only comfort herself by saying that Sheng Xiyan was a chess piece to be kept for future communication, so she let them off this time.
"Since you have nothing to do, you can go back to Jingle, lest Jingle think that I am hiding you." She sneered, glanced at Jingle and said, "Jingle, you must think clearly before doing anything in the future, and don't be so impulsive all the time."
Jingle narrowed her eyes. She believed in Sheng Xiyan in her heart. The only thing she was afraid of was whether Yongan had done anything to the little girl.
"Yan..."
Jingle was about to let her come over when she saw Sheng Xiyan take another step towards Yongan. The hem of her skirt swayed, revealing two pearls on her embroidered shoes.
She gently opened her red lips and said in a gentle but extremely clear voice: "Your Highness, Princess, I just passed by an apricot tree and thought the flowers were in full bloom, so I picked some. Princess, would you like to wear them as a hairpin?"
Yongan: “…”
Her heart couldn't help but skip a beat and she couldn't help but look at Sheng Xiyan again. This time, she found that her almond-shaped eyes were clear without any panic. Apart from a little sweat on her forehead, she looked energetic.
Logically speaking, Sheng Xiyan shouldn't be like this. Could it be...
Just as the thought came to her mind, before she could think about it carefully, Sheng Xiyan continued, "Your Highness, I heard that in the Northern Frontier, after the old prince passed away, all the soldiers and civilians put apricot flowers in their hair to show that they would not forget the national humiliation and would not surrender to Northern Yan. The soldiers and civilians were united, which led to the subsequent seven-day defense of Jiangyue City and the great victory at Yanshan Pass."
Sheng Xiyan's smile became even brighter, and she looked incredibly beautiful: "Your Highness the Princess, just now you were also... " Having said this, she deliberately paused.
Yongan's eyes gradually became shocked: "Enough..."
Sheng Xiyan interrupted her at the right moment and finished her words: "Let's follow the example of Northern Frontier and wear mourning for the King of Zhenbei and the soldiers of Northern Frontier who died in the battle, to show that we have not forgotten the shame of those years."
"Alas, I misunderstood your good intentions. So, I will go pick another basket and ask the princess to... wear the flowers in her hair."
The emperor didn't know what Yong'an had done before, but now he instantly understood the cause and effect. His face changed drastically, and the knuckles that were pinching the fan handle turned slightly white.
Yongan avoided the emperor's gaze guiltily.
Xigui secretly cheered for Sheng Xiyan in his heart. On the way here, Xigui couldn't help but guess countless times why she picked the basket of apricot blossoms on purpose. He never expected that the girl would directly use the apricot blossoms to scold Princess Yong'an.
This is so cool!
Xigui stood there with his head lowered and his eyes submissive, with a strange look in his eyes.
She understood better than anyone that this was the girl's counterattack against Princess Yong'an. It was swift and fierce, and completely unlike the princess's petty tricks. It was so open and aboveboard and honorable.
Yongan's face turned pale. She could finally confirm that Sheng Xiyan did not go to Wangqing Pavilion! Otherwise, under the various methods used by the nanny, she would never be so arrogant!
What on earth happened?!
Yongan looked at his personal nanny with resentment, blaming her for not handling the matter properly! Not only did she fail to bring the person over, but she also didn't report to him when something went wrong.
Unfortunately, she still thought that Sheng Xiyan had already become obedient. This was like another hard slap in her face.
She had never been so embarrassed in her life.
"Your Highness." Sheng Xiyan pushed the bamboo basket towards her again, smiling innocently, but the words that came out of her mouth made Yong'an feel cold in his heart, "Could it be that I misunderstood, isn't that what you meant?"
"At that time, I saw you had someone bring a bamboo basket of apricot blossoms, and I thought you wanted everyone to wear one in their hair." She tilted her head and said innocently, "Could it be that you only wanted Princess Jingle to wear it?"
These words revealed all of Yongan's sinister thoughts that could not be made public.
Sheng Xiyan's meaning was very clear and explicit. If everyone wore the hairpin together, it would mean they were mourning for the Northern Frontier soldiers and King Zhenbei. If only Princess Jingle was allowed to wear the hairpin, then Yongan had bad intentions and was doing it on purpose.
Most of the people present didn't know about the flower pavilion, but they had heard that the Zhenbei King died on the battlefield, his body was humiliated by the Beiyan people, and buried under an apricot tree like flower mud. Anyone with blood in his veins couldn't stand this. But, hadn't the court and the emperor always treated the Zhenbei King's Mansion well?
There was surprise or suspicion in their eyes, and some even looked thoughtful, carefully looking back and forth at the emperor and Jingle's faces.
The emperor tapped his palm with the handle of his fan, remaining silent, his eyes dark.
After a brief surprise, Jingle's eyes lit up.
When the news of his father's death reached the capital, people from all walks of life and the court called for the emperor to issue an edict of national mourning. However, the emperor pretended not to hear and casually brushed the matter aside.
My father died for the country, for the people, for the northern border, for Darong, and his body was torn into pieces. The Zhenbei Palace has guarded the territory of Darong for more than a hundred years. Few members of the Chu family in each generation had a good end. Most of them were buried in the battlefield, wrapped in horsehide. Now only Achen and his brother are left, and they can't even wait for a national mourning.
At that time, Jingle was dissatisfied, but her son was still in the northern border and was surrounded by powerful enemies. She could not turn against the emperor, so she endured it.
I have endured it for four years. I have endured it until now.
Indeed, this is a great opportunity. It is an opportunity that Yongan personally handed over to the Zhenbei Palace!
"It turns out that I misunderstood your Highness's intention." Jingle smiled faintly and sighed, "Your Highness cares so much about the Zhenbei Palace and is willing to mourn for the soldiers in the Northern Frontier. This is also a good thing."
She took the initiative to pick out an apricot blossom from the bamboo basket and said arrogantly, "Your Highness, please wear the flower in your hair."
The positions were suddenly reversed. Back at the flower pavilion, it was Yong'an who forced Jingle to wear flowers, but now, Jingle took the lead.
The emperor's face became increasingly gloomy, and the beating of his fan became increasingly unrhythmic.
He had known for a long time that Yongan was dissatisfied with Jingle, and this grudge had been around for a long time, but after all, she was his sister. Normally, he would turn a blind eye to her provocations or oppression, but he had never expected that Yongan could be so willful.
The princes of the Darong Dynasty held military power. In the vassal areas, the people and soldiers only knew the princes, not the court. Which emperor could tolerate this? For Darong, this was simply a major concern. His father had given them opportunities in the past, but each of them was very selfish and refused to let go of the military power.
People in the world are narrow-minded. They can only see the merits of the princes, but not their ambitions.
If the princes were to be eliminated, no evidence could be left behind, so that those who did not know the truth in unofficial history would think that the royal family was getting rid of them.
Therefore, from my father to myself, it took a lot of effort and effort to finally get rid of the two, but there is still the huge mountain of Zhenbei Palace.
The Zhenbei Palace is now a meritorious official, and Chu Yuanchen has just made great contributions to expanding the territory. Now I can only respect the Zhenbei Palace. If Yong'an's behavior is seen by others, wouldn't it just cause speculation?
How could he attack the Zhenbei Palace openly then?
It's just making trouble for yourself.
The emperor glanced at Yong'an with an unfriendly look. Yong'an felt guilty. She was the daughter of the late emperor, who had passed away. The only one she could rely on was her brother.
Yong'an angrily took the apricot blossom from Jingle's hand and pinned it on her temples. She didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes seemed to be asking: Is this okay?
Jingle took the bamboo basket, walked up to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, please also wear flowers for the soldiers in the northern border." When she said the word "wear flowers", Princess Jingle felt happy in her heart, and her blood was boiling under her calm appearance.
emperor:"……"
He endured it again and again, nodded with difficulty, and said with a face full of righteousness, "That's right. This battle took four years, and countless soldiers in the Northern Frontier were killed or injured. Even if the Northern Yan has surrendered now, the dead heroes will not come back. The people of Darong should remember the national shame, so that they can always keep their blood."
The emperor gritted his teeth and used all his strength to control his facial expression, squeezing out a voice from between his teeth: "This is what I should do."
Four years ago, the military commanders in the court, not knowing whether they were instigated by the Zhenbei Palace, insisted that he issue an order to hold a national mourning for Chu Shen and Beijiang. If this continues, not to mention the vassal state, even the people of Darong will be deceived by this so-called favor.
At that time, he was "extremely sad" and resigned from office for several days, only then was the matter suppressed. Now, four years have passed, but Jingle has taken the opportunity to bring up the old matter again.
Moreover, Jingle directly revealed his identity.
If he hadn't called it out, even if he knew it, he could have kept it a private matter. But now, with his status as an emperor, if he took the flower, it would mean that he had surrendered to the Zhenbei Palace, and that his persistence four years ago was a huge joke.
But if he refuses...
Yong'an's absurd behavior no longer had any high-sounding reasons to cover up. Once it was spread out, everyone would think it was his intention and that he had asked Yong'an to deliberately humiliate the Zhenbei Palace.
Chu Yuanchen is now at the peak of his fame. If the world believes that he cannot tolerate the Zhenbei Palace, his proposal to reduce the power of the princes in the future will surely lead to speculation from all sides.
The emperor's Adam's apple moved, and he finally raised his hand and took an apricot blossom from the bamboo basket. This simple action was extremely difficult for him to do, as if he was not picking up an apricot blossom, but a lit firecracker that would explode in his hand at any time, leaving him bloody.
Jingle smiled with satisfaction, and then asked King Zhao, "Where is the prince?"
King Zhao looked at the emperor and seeing that he remained silent, he also took one and pinned it on himself.
Jingle: "My father and the soldiers of the Northern Frontier will be deeply moved."
Both the emperor and Jingle knew in their hearts that as long as the two sides did not tear each other apart openly, the Zhenbei Palace would still be the emperor's loyal subjects. Even most people in the court did not realize that the two sides had become enemies, and the two sides still maintained superficial harmony between the monarch and his subjects.
The emperor was waiting for the right time to completely wipe out the Zhenbei Palace.
The Zhenbei Palace is also waiting for the opportunity...
After the emperor and King Zhao had both put flowers in their hair, Sheng Xiyan took the bamboo basket and walked to the others one by one.
Since the emperor had already worn it in his hair, they had no reason to hesitate and naturally took apricot blossoms from the bamboo basket and either wore them in their hair or pinned them on their lapels.
The faint fragrance of apricot blossoms lingers in the waterside pavilion, refreshing the heart.
Different from the emperor's entangled and embarrassed mentality, everyone was very happy to wear the flower in their hair. Some young men even had radiance in their eyes, as if after wearing the flower in their hair, they could charge into the enemy camp and defend the country like the soldiers of the Northern Frontier, or follow the Prince of Zhenbei to expand the territory for Darong.
Sheng Xiyan walked up to Zhao Yuanrou.
Zhao Yuanrou shook her head slightly in disapproval, her eyes seemed to be accusing her of making a terrible move.
Sheng Xiyan had been fed up with this kind of pretense since her last life. She just said, "...Cousin Rou, please wear a flower."
Zhao Yuanrou's eyes showed pity, and he really wanted to tell her how outrageous what she had done was.
The princes were in charge of a large army, which would naturally cause envy among the royal family. In fact, as long as the Zhenbei Palace took the initiative to hand over the military power to show that it had no ulterior motives, the emperor would not have to kill them all for the sake of his face.
However, in order to please Princess Jingle, Sheng Xiyan actually trampled on the reputation of the royal family. Isn't this a clear sign of standing against the royal family?
Zhao Yuanrou couldn't agree with that. Her cousin Yan was smart, but her vision was only limited to the upper class and she was not up to the standard of being presentable.
There are indeed many people in the world who are blinded by their own shortcomings, only seeing the immediate good and evil, without thinking about the long-term. Even the only daughter of the King of Zhenbei is like this. She originally thought that Princess Jingle would be as brave as a man, but she was still influenced by Sheng Xiyan's words and only cared about the present pleasure. It's just like this when you think about it.
A sigh of deep sorrow and pity escaped from Zhao Yuanrou's mouth.
"What are you dithering about?" Cheng Chuyu was getting impatient, and came over at lightning speed, saying impatiently, "It's just a flower in your hairpin. People who don't know would think you were embroidering flowers."
As she spoke, she solemnly picked up an apricot blossom and pinned it in her hair. She smiled at Sheng Xiyan, with a myriad of thoughts in her mind and she didn't know what to say for a moment. When she turned around, she saw Zhao Yuanrou looking at her as if she was an ant.
Cheng Chuyu frowned and said unhappily, "What are you looking at? You think you are the Avalokitesvara who saves the suffering. You are either showing mercy to this or that all day long. If you really want to show mercy to someone, go give medicine or porridge. Why are you pretending here? It's unlucky."
"You!" Zhao Yuanrou looked embarrassed and glared at her angrily.
"Don't look so ignorant of the ways of the world. You're eating from the bowl while looking at what's in the pot. I'm talking about you." Cheng Chuyu always spoke bluntly, and he almost pointed at someone's nose and scolded him.
Good intentions are not rewarded! Zhao Yuanrou was very angry. She originally wanted to persuade Cheng Chuyu not to show up so quickly, so as not to attract the emperor's attention. In this case, she didn't need to waste her breath.
She roughly picked up an apricot blossom from the bamboo basket and was about to walk away to show that she had severed ties with them, but Sheng Xiyan had already walked past her holding the bamboo basket.
Zhao Yuanrou: “…” She pinched the apricot blossoms, not knowing whether to leave or not, and felt extremely embarrassed.
Soon, everyone in the pavilion wore apricot blossoms in their hair.
Sheng Xiyan counted them and found that there were still about ten flowers in the bamboo basket. Some people must be away. She gave the basket to Xigui and asked her to look around, then returned to Princess Jingle.
Princess Jingle looked at her with gentle eyes and smiled.
Since four years ago, apricot blossoms have been a pain in her heart that she cannot touch.
But now it is different, it represents the bloodiness of the Northern Frontier, the bloodiness of their Zhenbei Palace.
The emperor still had a look of understanding and nodded approvingly at Jingle.
The beautiful stringed instruments and singing in his ears made him feel upset, but fortunately he still had a bit of rationality, so he endured it. His chest felt stuffy, as if there was a fishy smell rolling in his throat.
"I've been out for a long time." The emperor didn't want to play the White Dragon Fish Costume anymore, and said with a forced smile, "I still have memorials to review, so I'll leave first." He regretted it and shouldn't have come here.
The opportunity has come, and Jingle will certainly not waste it.
She said, "Yes, the emperor is very busy, and he needs you to go back and issue an order to mourn the fallen soldiers in the northern border."
emperor:"……"
He understood Jingle's attitude, was silent for a while, and said, "I know."
There was no strange expression on his face. He sighed and said, "The Zhenbei Palace and the soldiers of the Northern Frontier have brought us great peace and prosperity. It is my great honor to see them die on the battlefield. They should be given a state funeral to honor their heroes."
"I have never forgotten the voice and appearance of the King of Zhenbei in the past four years. I have also been thinking about this matter, and I am only waiting for a great victory in the northern border to pay tribute to these heroes together."
"I will issue an edict after I return to the palace." The emperor said with great satisfaction, "When Achen returns to the capital, he must be rewarded. If Achen had not guarded the northern border for four years, there would not be peace today. Achen has really grown up. When he was brought to your father, he was still a small child, but now he can defend the country and guard the border."
"Jingle, sister, you guys have fun here. I'm leaving now."
Everyone bowed and said, "We respectfully send off the Emperor."
As soon as he walked out of the waterside pavilion and out of everyone's sight, the emperor's face immediately became gloomy. He ripped the apricot blossom from his hair, pinched it tightly in his palm, and then threw it to the ground viciously.
He had a sinister look on his face, and his features were distorted and sinister.
The eunuch took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the flower juice off his hands, not even daring to breathe.
The emperor asked in a cold voice, "Who is that girl named Sheng?"
The eunuch bowed and replied, "She is the eldest daughter of Sheng Xing'an, the Minister of Rites. The Queen Mother gave her in marriage to the Prince of Zhenbei a few days ago."
"Nonsense!"
The emperor shouted in anger, his chest heaving.
He also knew that the Queen Mother had arranged a marriage for Chu Yuanchen. At that time, Chu Yuanchen's life or death was uncertain, and the Emperor did not care, as it was just a small matter anyway.
But he never expected that the person the Queen Mother gave to Chu Yuanchen would be such a person!
The emperor's eyes were dark and his mind was in turmoil. If it weren't for the trouble-making of the Sheng family, today's incident wouldn't have come to this. How on earth did the Sheng family raise a daughter who was even bolder than Jingle?
The emperor felt a headache the more he thought about it, and he couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
When he came, he was very excited, but when he left, he was not only uninterested, but also very angry and had nowhere to go.
Thinking that after returning, he would have to issue an edict to mourn for the soldiers in the northern border while defending their country, the evil fire in his chest burned even more fiercely.