Unintentional worries
"Make your own decision, make your own decision. I just let you do what you want..." The princess complained, sighed, shook her head, and let him go.
After the meal, the princess and Zhong Xianren drank tea in the hall, reminiscing about King Yao's life and talking about health preservation and healing methods. When they were chatting excitedly, Zhong Xianren taught the princess the qigong he had learned from Taoist Master Zhang last month. They practiced it once in the morning and once in the afternoon, which could cultivate the body and mind, strengthen the internal organs and replenish qi. It was said that the effect was very good, so the two of them practiced it stroke by stroke.
Shangguan Yichen led Zhong Yujing to the garden. In the center of the courtyard stood a square-shaped waterside pavilion, which was built by the princess. Facing the water and surrounded by flowers, it was particularly quiet and elegant. The spring water began to melt, and the winter jasmine sprouted. Occasionally, there was a fragrance in the courtyard. The fragrance of tea filled the air on the stone table. The steam from the freshly brewed tea meandered up from the celadon tea set, blending with the water vapor on the lake surface, like a dream.
Zhong Yujing loves the cool air in winter. When she inhales it into her stomach, she feels cool and refreshed, and she is in a very good mood.
Shangguan Yichen filled her teacup and said, "This is the best Longjing tea newly offered by Yutang. Try it." The beautiful scene was even better than that by the West Lake.
Zhong Yujing let the fragrance dissolve in her mouth and listened to Shangguan Yichen ask, "Why were you laughing that day?"
His question confirmed that she was indeed pretending to be drunk that day. Even her uncle beside her didn't notice her laughing, but he noticed it from ten feet away. It was obvious that he was asking the question even though he knew the answer.
Zhong Yujing suppressed her smile and said, "Your Highness is so drunk that I'm afraid you can smell his alcohol from ten miles away."
He was not at all pretentious. "Before the troupe begins, they always play instruments to warm up the stage before anyone even steps on stage. The opening must be full of grand openings and closings, great sorrow and joy, with twists and turns, and a hearty performance. Only then can the audience truly believe and be enchanted by the performance. This is the essence of this, the king."
Zhong Yujing finally laughed out loud and jokingly said, "I've always known that the prince is a master of both military strategy and literary skills, and he is both wise and courageous. I never thought he could act so well."
He fiddled with the teacup in front of him and said playfully, "Marching and deploying troops requires strategic planning, and court politics also requires cunning and deception. This small move is just a show, nothing more."
"Your Highness has always been respectful and restrained. If you act so freely, you might shatter the princesses' dreams of finding their lovers." Zhong Yujing reminded with a smile.
His brows knitted together suddenly, and he continued, "I am not Yifei, and I have no interest in the trivial matters of women. Whatever the princesses and young ladies think is none of my business!"
Seeing that he was slightly displeased, Zhong Yujing then said solemnly, "Minister Shen is a man of high moral integrity and integrity, and is highly respected in the court. Miss Shen is elegant and graceful, and comes from a well-known family of scholars. She is both talented and beautiful, and is indeed a perfect match for Your Highness. The princess once told me that if there is a wedding in the mansion, it would dilute the bleak atmosphere. Why don't you consider getting to know Miss Shen?"
"Why is Prime Minister Jing so eager for me to get married and start a family?" Shangguan Yichen's expression did not ease, but became even gloomier, and he looked at her coldly.
Zhong Yujing was stunned for a moment, and said frankly: "I just saw the princess's condition and thought of my mother. Parents love their children, and they are worried about them. Moreover, after King Yao passed away, the princess hopes that her son will get married soon. I can still feel it. Today, after talking with Your Highness, I was really moved and wanted to share Your Highness's worries. If I have overstepped my bounds, please forgive me." She bowed her head and nodded.
After a moment of silence, the voice above said, "Exonerated."
Zhong Yujing just raised her eyes to look at him and saw that his brows were relaxed, his expression solemn, his eyes blazing with deep meaning. He said word by word, "The one I marry will not be concerned with family background or the rules and regulations. As long as I love her with all my heart, even if it means being on a high platform or at the top of a clear peak, I will pull her to my side, hold her by my side, and stay with her forever, never leaving her side."
Suddenly, he frowned again, looked away, and said disdainfully, "As for Shen Qingci, this prince has never taken her seriously."
He was so serious and solemn, he must have someone in his heart. Miss Chen's enthusiasm might just be a temporary favor, so... it would be a bit troublesome.
Zhong Yujing hesitated for a moment and said, "I have something else to remind Your Highness."
He retracted his stern brows, raised his head slightly and looked down at her. "What's the matter?"
"After the prince left the table that day, I noticed that Miss Chen looked annoyed and she didn't say anything. When the banquet ended and everyone left, I accidentally saw... Miss Chen looking at the empty seat where the prince left, as if she was thinking about something, and her eyes... were a little sinister." She said cautiously.
Shangguan Yichen's expression suddenly relaxed, and he leaned over to look at her, "Are you worried about me?"
Zhong Yujing responded calmly, "Miss Chen is more talented than Wenjun and well-known. She must have a very high opinion of herself. If your Highness makes her bear a grudge this time, it will bring trouble to you in the future."
He laughed carefreely. "When an enemy comes, I will fight him; when water comes, I will block it with earth. I have been fighting in the court and on the battlefield since I was a child. I have seen everything. No matter what she does, I will have a solution when the time comes."
Suddenly he leaned in closer to look at her, a smile thick in his eyes as he said, "Besides, with Yu Jing accompanying me, giving me timely advice and suggestions, I have nothing to fear!"
The princess stood on the corridor, watching from afar Shangguan Yichen and Zhong Yujing drinking tea in the pavilion. Zhong Yujing always liked to wear white clothes, and her temperament was pure and extraordinary. Today, the prince's moon-white gorgeous clothes were also elegant and graceful. She couldn't help but sigh that if Yujing was not a celestial official, she and the prince were truly a pair made in heaven.
Zhong Yujing was wrong in one thing she said. The scene of the drunk prince at Shangguan Yichen's New Year's Eve banquet did not shatter the princesses' dreams of having lovers in their boudoirs, but made the dreams even more beautiful.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, girls from all the boudoirs go out to enjoy the lanterns and have fun, chattering and making the place very lively.
"Hey! Have you heard? Miss Shen was publicly rejected by the Young Sage King at the banquet!"
There was a burst of jeers from the crowd.
"I heard that the marriage wasn't rejected, but that the prince was just drunk and didn't hear the emperor's order clearly."
"I didn't hear it clearly that day, and there was no follow-up after I sobered up. I just didn't want to..."
"That's right, if you really love me, and you know it after you wake up, why don't you return to the palace immediately to receive the order and report!"
Everyone nodded in approval.
"I heard that on the day of the banquet, the prince took off his official robes, let his white hair fall, and wore a flowing robe. He looked like an immortal~"
Let out a lot of screams!!!
"I really want to see what the prince looks like~~" She pretended to be shy and was slapped by others, "How shameless!!!"
Amidst the chaotic chatter, someone pulled out a scroll. "Guess! What is this?" Their eyes twinkled, their bodies trembling with excitement. "It's a portrait of the drunken prince from that day!"
"Wow!!! Ah!!!" The crowd exploded again, like thousands of sparrows flying into the sky, making sharp chirping sounds.
An old man passing by on the bridge was so frail and deaf that he was startled by the sound. His crutch almost fell into the river. He stretched his head and squinted his eyes to look at the source of the sound, trying to find out what was going on.
The scroll was slowly opened amid the girls' eager anticipation. The image of Shangguan Yichen leaning over the desk with his head supported by one arm appeared before their eyes. He looked three parts drunk, six parts hazy, and with a meaningful smile hanging on his lips playfully.
The crowd burst into joyful chirping again, and the sparrows in the trees finally flew away from their nests, chirping in anger, after being frightened too many times.
The young lady who presented the scroll stared at the figure in the painting with a pair of dreamy eyes, and said with a mixture of pride and regret, "The painter said that the painting doesn't even come close to capturing the prince's divine beauty!"
Everyone cried out in amazement and grievance. They were even more amazed than what was in the painting. They thought about how handsome and handsome the real person must be. They felt so wronged that they had no chance to see such a person, and they felt sad.
"I used to think the prince was cold and aloof, a man who didn't understand romance. Now I know he's so carefree and unrestrained, a true man of nature."
The girls all nodded in agreement.
"Miss Shen is a woman of outstanding talent and beauty. Everyone in Lin County knows her. Even such a beauty has caught the prince's eye. I wonder what kind of talent and beauty must be able to be cherished by the prince."
Everyone was caught in a complex emotion, half expectation and half sadness.
The last lady said, "Why don't we go to the river and make a wish. No matter who is lucky enough to grow old with the prince, no one else will be jealous."
"I'd be jealous!"
"I can do that too!"
They played and joked, held the river lanterns together, carefully placed them into the river, put their hands together, recited a few words silently, and watched the small boats flying like fireflies, disappearing at the end of the river along the current.
The next day, Shangguan Yichen's new nickname spread, and its popularity surpassed the news of Shen Qingci's rejection of marriage, spreading from princes and nobles to the common people.
As everyone knows, the young virtuous prince became famous after getting drunk and was given the title of "Drunken Immortal Prince". The painting created by the young lady who was ashamed to reveal her name became a famous work that was sought after in the art market. It was eventually bought by a princess who did not want to reveal her name at a high price. She placed it in her boudoir, framed it, treasured it, admired it every day, and missed it. The painting was named "The Drunken Immortal".
This interesting story, which was elegantly called a masterpiece, naturally reached the ears of Zhong Yujing.
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