124. Return to Beijing
The imperial palace was majestic. Even the wind and snow could not blow into the magnificent palace. Even the candles were never extinguished by the wind.
The Regent was not in Kyoto, and even the imperial guards were transferred to Tong County to help with disaster relief. Rong Jing felt that the shadows that had been weighing on him had all gone away, and he naturally felt refreshed. He took the opportunity to frequently summon court officials to discuss state affairs with the help of Cao Lun and other assistant ministers, and his intention was self-evident.
Upon learning that Prince Ning was also staying in Tong County, Rong Jing smiled nonchalantly and said, "If he wants to go, then go. He wants to have a good leisure time, but he insists on going there to suffer. Why should I care about him?"
Everyone in Zhaoyang Palace is his own at the moment, and Rong Jing is feeling very proud and confident when he speaks.
"Your Majesty is right." Minister of Finance Luo Ling said, "Not to mention that Prince Ning's going to Tong County is also a good thing. Prince Ning's background is impeccable and he is loyal to Your Majesty. Now that he is going to Tong County, it is natural to use the name of the royal family to save Your Majesty's reputation, so that the people of the world will know that Your Majesty is benevolent and loves the people. It is not possible for the reputation of your virtue to be taken away by the Prince Regent alone."
Rong Jing thought it made sense, although he felt that Rong Se was working in vain. How many people could he rescue with such a large force? Besides, they were just civilians. If they died, they died. It wouldn't cause any trouble.
Now Rong Zhan was also showing his face for him, and the Regent Prince would not gain any advantage. Thinking of this, he was in a good mood and nodded, "My dear minister, what you said makes sense!"
When walking out of Zhaoyang Palace, Luo Ling cautiously lagged behind Cao Lun by half a step, which was considered to be the utmost respect.
Although he flattered the emperor, Luo Ling also knew that the real foundation behind the emperor's successor, the Cao family, was able to compete with the Regent until now.
As Cao Lun walked, he suddenly said, "Minister Luo, you really know how to make His Majesty happy."
Luo Ling lowered his eyes, "It's my duty as a minister."
Cao Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, "Minister Luo, just don't forget your duty, and don't be a flatterer."
"I will keep it in mind and will never forget it." Luo Ling still lowered his head, very respectful.
Cao Lun stopped talking.
Cao Lun knew that Luo Ling must have been involved in Xi Yan's matter. At that time, the Xi family was at the end of their rope and was already a discarded family. Cao Lun was not afraid that Luo Ling had selfish motives to climb up, but he had to know who he was loyal to.
It was not the monarch, but him, Cao Lun.
.
It took seven days for the aftershocks in Tong County to gradually decrease and eventually disappear. During this period, Rong Se never left the disaster area, leading the way without any airs of being the regent of the court.
Rong Se also visited the villages buried by the rubble of Yao Mountain. Unfortunately, after all these days of searching and digging deep underground, only two people were left alive in these villages.
Rong Se was not too disappointed about this, after all, he had been prepared. After a moment of silence, Rong Se looked at the ruins under the night sky and said softly: "At least two people are still alive, which is better than expected. Let's stop here."
Lan Ying asked cautiously: "Then... can we go back now?"
"Yes." Rong Se looked at Yun Zhi and the others, and said slowly: "Thank you all for your hard work during this period. I said that everyone will get a reward after returning to the capital, and it will be redeemed. In addition..."
His eyes softened, and his voice became as soft as jade, sincere and gentle.
"I'm glad everyone is OK."
The high-intensity search and rescue in the icy and snowy environment, accompanied by the threat of aftershocks, resulted in injuries to both the Imperial Guards and the Jinbei Cavalry, but fortunately, Yaoshan did not collapse again.
Hearing this, all the military officers present were stunned, and even Rong Zhan's expression changed slightly.
One has to admit that the Regent is really different from the rumors. He is gentle and firm. In Rong Zhan's eyes, he is even merciful and compassionate to an excessive degree. He is a... good man, and has nothing to do with the cruel and ruthless person who kills people without blinking an eye.
Rong Zhan's eyes dimmed.
Being in a position of power and living in a chaotic world, good people often do not receive good rewards.
Just as he was lost in thought, Rong Zhan heard a soft call.
"Prince Ning."
"Hey!" Rong Zhan suddenly came back to his senses.
Only then did he realize that most of the people around him had dispersed, and the Regent Prince and Marquis Dingbei were standing side by side.
"Thank you for your hard work this time." Rong Se said in a gentle and helpless voice, "But you are different from them. I am afraid I can't give you any reward."
Rong Zhan waved his hands repeatedly: "The emperor's uncle himself does not ask for a reward, so why should I come? It's okay."
"Although there is no reward." Rong Se smiled, "but I can't let you work in vain."
Rong Zhan was still guessing what the Regent King was going to give him.
In the end, Rong Se said calmly: "The king will treat you to a meal."
Rong Zhan: “…”
Rong Zhan: "That's fine."
He had seen it at the last palace banquet. The chefs in the Regent Palace were different from others! It was not a bad meal.
.
The next morning, Rongse left half of the imperial guards to help Tong County with post-disaster reconstruction, and the rest returned to the capital.
It was almost noon when they returned to the city, so they naturally could not attend the morning court. Rong Se and Liang Shenyu went straight to the Regent's Palace. As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw Rong Zhixu and Yun Chu waiting at the door.
Blue Oriole flew towards Rong Zhixu like a little butterfly and began to chirp: "Princess! I'm back! I'm dying of exhaustion!"
"Thank you for your hard work." Rong Zhixu took the person in his arms, gently stroked Lan Ying's head, and then looked at Rong Se, "Uncle, is everything going well?"
Rong Se relaxed a lot after returning to the mansion. He yawned lazily, pretending that he didn't see the two girls' intimate behavior. He nodded and said, "We are lucky that we didn't encounter any severe aftershocks. Yun Zhi went to the Imperial Guards Office to make some arrangements and will come back later. They are all very tired, so let them rest for two days."
Yun Chu nodded, "The things for washing and grooming are all ready, so please take a rest, Your Highness."
Rong Se thought so too, and took Liang Shenyu's hand, saying as they walked, "Shall we go to Canglan Nuan Pavilion first?"
"Okay." Liang Shenyu held his hand and sighed softly, "Your Highness, it's time to have a good rest. You haven't rested much in recent days."
The love and care in his words were obvious.
Rong Se asked helplessly: "Aren't you the same?"
Their eyes met and they laughed out loud together.
After these days of hardship, neither of them was in good condition, and Rong Se almost fell asleep in the warm water of the bathtub. Liang Shenyu pulled her out in a daze, put on her underwear, and rolled her up with a blanket.
The Prince Regent was carried out of Canglan Nuan Pavilion by Marquis Dingbei.
Yun Chu was waiting outside. When he saw this scene, his eyebrows jumped. He said nonchalantly, "There's news from the palace that His Majesty wants to summon the prince and the marquis."
Liang Shenyu lowered his eyes and glanced at the person curled up in the quilt. The person was obviously not very sober. He whispered in a daze: "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, go to sleep." Liang Shenyu coaxed her, then said to Yun Chu, "Tell His Majesty, wait a minute, the prince has just returned to the capital, and he needs to bathe and wash himself before he can see the emperor."
The reasons are sufficient, but daring to make the emperor wait is a heinous act.
Fortunately, Yun Chu was already used to the behavior of these two people. They never took the emperor seriously, so he calmly agreed, "I understand."
Liang Shenyu nodded, then calmly carried the prince back to the bedroom.
.
It has been less than half a month since Rong Se left the capital, and Rong Jing can be said to be living a comfortable life. Although most of the court officials are still members of the Regent Prince's party, at least the Xuanji Camp has been able to occupy a place in the capital. This way, he is more confident.
But after sending someone to summon them, neither Rong Se nor Liang Shenyu showed up, and Rong Jing's expression changed immediately.
"What did you say? They're not coming?"
The eunuch who delivered the decree knelt on the ground and shuddered, "Yes, I didn't see the prince and the Marquis of Dingbei. It was the head of the Prince's Palace who said that the prince had just returned and needed to wash and bathe first."
"They really don't take me seriously." Rong Jing bit his back teeth hard, "Okay, I want to see how long it takes the emperor's uncle to wash and bathe!"
Another eunuch came to report.
"Your Majesty, Prince Ning is outside the palace asking to see Your Majesty."
Rong Jing's expression softened a little, "Let him in."
This is the respect that a subject should show to his monarch. Rong Jing is quite satisfied with Prince Ning.
.
Rong Se slept until dusk. When she opened her eyes, she saw colorful rays of light filtering through the window paper and faintly seeping into the tent. They turned into tiny shadows and fell on the eyelashes of the man beside her.
Dusk always makes people feel sad, but at this moment, Rongse only feels that the years are quiet and good.
He moved slightly, and Liang Shenyu closed his eyes as if he had something to say. He was no longer sleepy as when he first woke up. His face was clear, as if he had been awake for a long time. He smiled and said, "Your Highness is awake."
"Yeah." Rong Se snorted with a nasal tone as if he had just woken up. He closed his eyes and rubbed against Liang Shenyu's arms, and said with emotion, "I haven't slept so comfortably in a long time."
During this time, he could only curl up in the carriage and sleep uneasily, especially when the weather was cold. No matter how careful he was, his conditions were limited and he was often woken by the cold.
Even after this sleep, Rongse still felt exhausted and lacked energy.
Liang Shenyu's body was warm, so Rong Se leaned against him and said sullenly, "By the way, when I came out of Canglan Nuan Pavilion, I seem to have run into Yun Chu. Is he okay?"
"It's nothing serious." Liang Shenyu said lightly, "His Majesty wants to summon you to the palace, but I saw that the prince was tired, so I asked His Majesty to wait."
Rong Se: “…”
Rong Se laughed out loud, and laughed very wildly, and she was shaking with laughter in Liang Shenyu's arms.
"You asked him to wait?"
Liang Shenyu didn't think his behavior was rebellious at all, and nodded calmly, "Yes, Your Majesty has been busy these days, and he should have a good rest when he just returned home. I believe that Your Majesty, as a junior, can understand."
Rong Se thought of a poem from his world: I would not board the ship even if the emperor called me.
What emperor? It’s useless. I want to sleep, so you just wait!
It's very rampant.
"You're right." Rong Se put his forehead against Liang Shenyu's neck and chuckled lazily, "Let him wait."
Liang Shenyu was softened by his affectionate gesture like a little animal, and he pulled him into his arms again, kissed his black hair, and whispered, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry." Rong Se said truthfully, but he was still buried in the other person's arms, and his nasal voice was soft, "But I don't want to move."
"Of course, we cannot let the prince cook today."
Liang Shenyu chuckled, got off the couch, put on his outer robe, called out "someone come", and ordered the meal to be prepared.
Looking back, Rong Se was curled up into a ball on the couch with his head buried in the quilt.
Marquis Dingbei raised his eyebrows slightly.
...is quite cute.