Chapter 162 Youth
In order to avoid people, Cao'er took Shi Miaowan on deserted paths, which naturally took more time. But fortunately, the time was useful. They didn't meet anyone along the way, which made Shi Miaowan feel greatly relieved.
Until the two of them arrived at the Imperial Garden.
Shi Miaowan looked at the imperial garden surrounded by the Imperial Guards and suddenly realized that her meeting with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was more serious than she had imagined.
She couldn't help but feel anxious. She had just spent so much time on the road. Would she be late? She couldn't let His Royal Highness wait for her, could she?
Cao'er stepped forward and communicated with the guards before letting the two in.
Shi Miaowan followed Cao'er all the way with an uneasy mood.
Until a pavilion appeared in front of my eyes.
There were two people sitting in the pavilion, one of them was Concubine Jin whom she had met three days ago, and the other one?
Shi Miaowan looked across from Concubine Jin. From her direction, she could only see a back figure, but she thought that must be the legendary Crown Prince.
Shi Miaowan secretly thought that this was not good. She actually made Concubine Jin and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wait for her.
Yuying was facing the bluestone road and naturally saw the people walking on the road.
"Your Highness, the person we are waiting for has arrived." Yuying spoke up to remind Yinreng.
Then it was visibly that Yinreng's body, which had just relaxed, stiffened, and then his back seemed to become straighter.
Yuying couldn't help but burst out laughing. Although Yinreng said he didn't care, he actually cared in his heart.
Hearing the laughter coming from the other side, Yinreng pursed his lips and then realized what he had done.
Just as he was imagining relaxing again—
"Your servant Shi Miaowan pays homage to Her Majesty and the Crown Prince." A crisp voice came from behind him. He felt like a thorn in his back and dared not move.
Yuying, who was watching from the sidelines, found it very interesting. She smiled and said, "Please stand up, Shi Gege. Come and sit next to me."
"Yes, thank you, madam."
Yinreng noticed that someone behind him stood up, then heard the sound of someone approaching, until Shi Miaowan sat down.
The boy and girl really saw each other.
Both of them were a little reluctant.
Yinreng had never thought about what his future Crown Princess would look like. But when he saw Shi Miaowan, he saw that every frown and smile of hers was very dignified. At this moment, he suddenly felt that this was what his Crown Princess should look like.
Shi Miaowan felt that the prince was as handsome as the rumors said. He was wearing a well-tailored apricot-yellow robe, and there was a four-clawed python lying dormant, symbolizing the prince's status. His whole demeanor exuded an air of nobility.
Both of them were very satisfied with each other's first sight.
Yuying saw everything, nodded in satisfaction, and then said: "Then you guys chat first, I have been sitting for too long, get up and walk around the garden, I will be back in half an hour."
Yuying left the space for the two of them and also kindly informed them of the time.
After Yuying finished speaking, she took Qingtao, Qingdai and others out of the pavilion.
Oh, by the way, even He Zhuer, who had always been with the prince, was taken away by her.
Now, only Yinreng and Shi Miaowan were left in the pavilion.
Although she knew that Concubine Jin left so that she and the prince could get to know each other, Shi Miaowan had never faced such a scene before. She couldn't help but secretly look up at the prince sitting next to her, and unexpectedly met Yinreng's gaze.
As if they were electrocuted, they both quickly looked away.
Well, now Shi Miaowan doesn’t dare to look up casually.
But Yinreng looked at the girl in front of him wantonly. He found her shrinking like a turtle very interesting. He couldn't help coughing, and personally poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her, "Shi Gege, please have some tea."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Shi Miaowan took it with both hands, took a sip, and then gently put it down.
Perhaps it was thanks to this cup of tea that the two of them finally felt less estranged from each other.
"Have you adapted to everything in the palace during this period, Princess Shi?" Yinreng spoke first.
Everything she had learned at home seemed to be forgotten. Shi Miaowan shyly said, "Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
After these words were spoken, the pavilion became quiet again.
Shi Miaowan was anxious. Would His Royal Highness think that she didn't like him? But she really didn't know what to say.
Yinreng was also a proud person. Normally, he didn't need to take the initiative to bring up a topic. It was already a great honor for him to speak first.
But looking at the girl opposite him, it didn't seem like she would take the initiative to speak. Yinreng sighed in his heart. The two of them couldn't just sit there and wait for Concubine Jin to come back, right?
Yinreng straightened his mind and spoke again: "Princess Shi, do you want to walk around the Imperial Garden with me?"
Shi Miaowan's eyes lit up, and she looked up, almost impatiently, "Yes! I am willing!"
Yinreng couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips. Shi Miaowan paused, and her ears turned slightly red.
She just thought that instead of sitting here doing nothing, it would be better to go for a walk.
"Then Shi Gege, please follow me."
Yinreng stood up first and walked out of the pavilion, then turned around and looked at Shi Miaowan.
"Yes! Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Shi Miaowan's voice was filled with joy, and she quickly followed.
The two walked side by side, with a person's distance between them. Although it was a bit far, it was rare for a boy and a girl to meet for the first time.
Shi Miaowan was excited. After all, not everyone had the opportunity to visit the Imperial Garden with the prince.
Yinreng turned his head to look at her and noticed that the girl beside him had relaxed a lot since leaving the pavilion. He couldn't help but give himself a thumbs up for his cleverness.
"What kind of flowers do you like, Princess Shi?" After all, she is his future Crown Princess, so it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to understand her preferences first.
Shi Miaowan lowered her head and thought for a while, then looked at Yinreng, "Your Highness, I like Haitang."
Yinreng took in every move of the girl and saw that she was speaking from the heart and not just to make excuses, so he smiled and said, "Then Princess Shi, please follow me this way. There happens to be a crabapple tree in the imperial garden. Princess Shi, you must not miss it."
When Shi Miaowan heard this, she curled her eyes and said, "Yes, I will listen to your Highness."
The girl's obedience pleased Yinreng, "Then Princess Shi must follow me closely."
There was something else behind Yinreng's words.
Shi Miaowan thought about it, then took a step towards Yinreng, shortening the distance between them until their sleeves touched.
Yinreng was satisfied.
When the two of them finished viewing the crabapple blossoms and returned to the pavilion, Yuying had already been sitting there for a while.
The two looked at each other and quickened their pace at the same time.
"Sorry to have kept your Majesty waiting." Two voices spoke at the same time, and it was obvious that the half hour of getting along had deepened their tacit understanding.
When Yuying saw that the two of them seemed to be in love, she knew what was going on.
Then the prince returned to Yuqing Palace, Shi Miaowan followed Cao'er back to Chuxiu Palace, and Yuying also planned to go to Qianqing Palace to report to Kangxi.
Before they parted, Yinreng took Shi Miaowan aside and told her, "Princess Shi, rest assured. I will come to marry you."
Shi Miaowan's face turned red, but she still suppressed her shyness and nodded solemnly, "Okay, I'll wait for Your Highness."
…
After that day, word spread in the palace from somewhere that Princess Shi was the Crown Princess chosen by the Emperor.
Yuying did not pay special attention to the situation of the concubines, so by the time the news reached Yuying's ears, it had spread to almost the entire Forbidden City.
Yuying hurried to the Qianqing Palace, wanting Kangxi to find out who was the first to spread the news.
Kangxi was sitting at his desk reviewing memorials, looking very righteous. When he saw Yuying walk in, he just looked up and asked, "Why are you here, Ah Ying?"
Compared to Kangxi who looked like nothing had happened, Yuying was extremely anxious, "Your Majesty! Haven't you heard about the recent rumors in the palace?"
"Oh?" Kangxi finally put down the red brush in his hand, "What did Ah Ying say?"
"Crown Princess!" Yuying reminded with a disappointed look.
[What happened to Kangxi? I have heard about this.]
Kangxi was helpless and motioned Yuying to sit next to him. "Don't worry, Ah Ying. I will naturally hear about it."
When Yuying sat down next to Kangxi, he stretched out his hand and held her in his arms, and continued, "I sent someone to spread the word."
[Um? ? ? ]
Yuying looked at Kangxi in shock, frowning, very confused, waiting for his explanation.
"Since Ah Ying and Bao Cheng both believe that she is worthy of the position of Crown Princess, then I have to take a look at her ability, right? The Crown Princess is different from others. It is not enough to just have a good temper. She must also have intelligence and means. I told this matter to Xiu Nu just to observe it."
Kangxi seemed to feel more and more aggrieved as he spoke, as if he could not accept that Yuying did not understand his good intentions.
Yuying wanted to get out of Kangxi's arms, but she didn't know that Kangxi was prepared and held her tightly, so she couldn't escape successfully.
Yuying was discouraged.
Kangxi extended his hand and stroked Yuying's back. "Aying, don't be angry. You don't have to worry about this matter. Aying, haven't you been looking for a wife for Yinzhen recently? Do you have any noble ladies you like? Tell me about it." Kangxi casually mentioned, "Why haven't I heard that Yongshou Palace is receiving any beautiful ladies?"
Yuying was indeed diverted from the topic. She frowned and said, "I'm not sure yet."
"When my cousin was alive, she also mentioned to me the candidate for Yinzhen's wife." Kangxi also helped Yuying to come up with ideas, "- Ulanara, what do you think of this girl, Yuying?"
"My cousin had been interested in her when she was alive, and even asked me to marry her to Yinzhen. But how old were Yinzhen and Ulanara at that time? So I didn't agree."
Thinking about it now, he seemed to owe a lot to his cousin.
Kangxi was depressed for only a moment. "However, now Ulanara has a good reputation in the capital. I believe she is worthy of Yinzhen."
Ula...Nara clan?
To be honest, Yuying has complicated feelings towards her.
Perhaps it is because the Ulanara family in modern TV dramas is too deeply rooted in people's minds, and she and Yinzhen can be regarded as a pair of resentful couples.
Yuying even tried to find out what kind of person the Ulanara family was in history?
As an empress, Ulanara was competent. Otherwise, she would not have been able to sit firmly on the throne of empress when Yinzhen had so-called "true love" one after another.
The thing that impressed Yuying the most was that after Yinzhen ascended the throne, he counted the number of women aged 70, 80, and 90 years old every year, and the court gave them silver as a reward. Although the amount of silver was not much, it was a huge expenditure on a national scale.
This was the gift given to these older women by Ulanara after she ascended the throne.
But it must be said that Yinzhen knows how to make money.
Is this the joy of house raiding?
The most rare thing is that as an empress, Ulanara was frugal throughout her life. Even though she followed her husband's lead, Ulanara's frugality was that she never forced others to do it, she just did her best.
Yuying lowered her eyes.
But as a wife, Ulanara obviously did not satisfy her husband. Even after her death, Yinzhen was not present.
Yuying shook her head to clear her mind. She hesitated, not knowing how to tell Kangxi. She thought that Yinzhen and Ulanara should not be forced to be together, right?
"I heard that Ulanara is also a dull person. It might not be appropriate to match her with Yinzhen, who is so taciturn, right?" Yuying could only start from this angle.
Kangxi saw Yuying was silent for a long time and shook her head, which showed that she had thought it over carefully. However, Kangxi clearly did not hear Yuying's voice just now. Now that Yuying denied it, he could not help but continue to ask: "Why not arrange for her to meet Yinzhen? Maybe Yinzhen is also like Baocheng, and feels satisfied after meeting someone?"
Kangxi was a little jealous when talking about Yinreng's attitude towards Shi Miaowan. His Baocheng had grown up and was old enough to get married.
Yuying stared at Kangxi, but didn't deny it directly. Kangxi was right. She should ask the person concerned for his opinion. She couldn't be blinded by one thing. The Qing Dynasty she lived in seemed to be somewhat different from the Qing Dynasty of her time.
"Then I'll go back and ask."
But Yuying still did not give up and asked: "Besides the Ulanara family, does the emperor have any other candidates?"
Kangxi also pretended to think about it, "How about Fucha?" Fucha was also one of the candidates for the Crown Princess, but now that the Crown Princess has been decided, Fucha could naturally be given to another prince.
Yuying thought about it and actually felt that it was feasible?
But let's wait until Yinzhen and Ulanara meet before making a decision.
…
Yuying acted quickly and arranged for Yinzhen and Ulanara to meet the next day.
It's just possible that some people are just not suitable.
Even if we change time and space, it will be the same.
The two taciturn people got together and couldn't say a word. Yuying felt anxious for them.
So in the end, this meeting was full of strangeness and awkwardness, and it was also difficult for them to sit facing each other for so long.
Then, when Yuying asked the two men for their opinions separately, one said that he was still young and could wait before getting married; the other said that the Fourth Prince was a nobleman and she felt she was not worthy of him.
Come on, what else is there to say? They just don’t like each other.
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