October of the sixth year of Yuanhe.
The capital has entered a cold and harsh winter, with snowflakes falling heavily.
Thousands of miles away in Annan, everything is still thriving and people are living a leisurely life.
The winter wind has long forgotten this place.
In an inconspicuous house in Hualu City, hurried footsteps were heard.
"Your Highness, Madam Qiao has passed away!" The guard rushed to the study to report.
The eighth prince, now the King of Rui, paused holding the brush, and beads of ink as big as beans fell on the rice paper and spread.
As expected, the sudden bad news hit him so hard that his eyes went dark. Without caring whether he was being rude, Prince Rui stepped across the desk and walked in front of the guard who was kneeling on the ground.
He asked word by word, "Who did you say passed away?"
"Your Highness, it was Madam Qiao who left a month ago."
"The old lady has endless energy all day long, how could she just leave like that? Could it be fake news from the capital? If you dare to deceive me, I will kill you!"
"I dare not, this is absolutely true! The old lady passed away in her sleep after the Mid-Autumn Festival. She even arranged her funeral in advance!
Your Majesty, the old lady left you something!"
Prince Rui could no longer hear any other sounds at this time. The only thing in his mind and eyes was the box that the guard had brought to him.
This was a brocade box that Qiao Xin had prepared for him during the years he had lived at the Qiao family. Like Qiao Dalang and the others, it contained all his personal belongings.
The reason why he kept it in the room where he lived in the old house of Qiao's family and never took it away was that he thought he could find a legitimate reason to revisit the old place every time he went to Beijing.
Over the years, the old lady has always been aware of his little thoughts, but has never exposed them to his face!
Now these things actually appeared in a fiefdom thousands of miles away...
"Prepare the horses, I want to go back to Beijing!"
The chief secretary of the palace hurriedly stopped him and said, "Your Majesty, please do not be impulsive. A prince cannot return to the capital without a permit!"
Prince Rui was aroused to rebel: "I don't care what the rules are. Can't I just go back and burn some incense for the old lady?"
"Your Majesty, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The old lady's tablet is in the ancestral hall in Laohu Town. We can go back and pay our respects to her in the future!"
"Where is the old lady buried?"
The guard hesitated for a moment, but still told Qiao Xin's arrangement!
Hearing that Qiao Xinli was unwilling to set up a cenotaph, King Rui smiled sadly.
“This is something she could have done, she’s obviously an old lady, she’s even more deviant than a young person!
She is living a carefree life, but how are we supposed to cope with the future?"
The Chief Secretary couldn't bear to see his master like this, so he cleverly changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, let's first read what the old lady has to say in the letter before making any plans!"
King Rui opened the thick envelope and was shocked to find that there were several land deeds inside!
The chief secretary was very surprised: "Your Majesty, the old lady actually left all her properties in Shu and Annan to you!"
King Rui did not answer, but just stared at the letter in his hand!
Qiao Xin said her final farewell to him in the letter, hoping that he could fulfill his wishes in life and become a free and easy prince.
He was also asked to take care of his property in Shu for an indeterminate period of time.
The Qiao family is out of reach in the capital, so it would be most appropriate to send these assets to him. After all, the fiefdom granted to him by the new emperor is in Annan and Western Shu.
King Rui understood very well that this was just an excuse made by Qiao Xin to protect her self-esteem!
He grew up in the deep palace. His mother was a palace maid. She gave birth to him by chance, and her mother's life was sacrificed during childbirth.
He finally grew up to be seven years old. After several young princes died one after another, his father sent him to Laohu Town!
To be honest, he was really grateful that his father gave up on him so early, otherwise he would not have met the Qiao family.
It was that cold-faced but soft-hearted woman who made him feel the love of family, and it was also she who taught him horse riding, archery and various survival skills without any discrimination!
Even after he came of age, he repeatedly sought his opinion and personally asked his father to grant him a title!
He had been greedy for this warmth and was reluctant to leave Laohu Town. It was she who encouraged him to travel around and told him that a good man should have ambitions and not confine his heart to a small place.
He was born into the most ruthless imperial family. He would have been obsessed with power all his life, but God let him go and let him meet Qiao Xin!
When he has felt the sunshine, why would he return to the dark corner?
Now, before the light shining on me disappears, I actually ask myself to live up to the light in my heart!
Qiao Xin knew that he was the most impoverished prince in the Dajing Dynasty, so she left all the tea plantations and sugar farms she had purchased in the southwestern Shu area to him. The annual profits were enough for him to live a luxurious life.
Haha, except for the time when his father wanted Yu Mancang’s shares and gave him 10,000 taels of silver for investment, he had never been so generous to him!
But Qiao Xin, a woman who has no blood relationship with him, has given him support time and time again!
Prince Rui sat quietly on the coffee table, covering his face with his hands.
After a while, he ordered the chief secretary: "Send a letter to the capital, requesting to return to the capital to celebrate the New Year and visit the old lady!"
"Your Majesty, His Majesty may not agree!"
"He doesn't agree, so I can only act first and ask for permission later. Who would care about his crappy position?"
"Your Majesty, we should be more cautious. There is no need to arouse His Majesty's suspicion!"
"Don't worry, I'll go back to pay tribute to the old lady, and His Majesty will definitely agree. Without the old lady, he might not be the one sitting in that position!"
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