When he saw his brother yesterday, he was very happy. He looked much healthier than when he first ascended the throne and no longer looked sickly.
He originally thought that his brother had given up the idea of making him the crown prince, but he didn't expect that he became more determined and decided on the spot not to take the throne anymore and insisted on passing it to him.
He also said that he was in poor health and was afraid that he would not live long, so he wanted to fulfill the Queen and the Princess' wish to travel as soon as possible while he was still healthy.
After much deliberation, Xiao Mingzhan found an excuse to go out and look for an antidote for the poison, but the Crown Prince made up his mind and forced him to promise that he would return to Beijing to succeed the throne once the poison was cured.
His dream of a leisurely life with Ranran was shattered, and he once again envied his elder sister and her husband who could do whatever they wanted.
He really wanted to take Ranran away from the capital right now and live a leisurely life. At least he could still enjoy himself for a while before the poison was cured.
But his brother gave him an important task. It was he who led the troops to capture the crown prince and important generals of the Tuji Khanate, and the important task of peace talks fell on him.
When the grand celebration dinner ended, Xiao Mingzhan began a new round of busy work.
The Honglu Temple was also very busy. When agreeing on the list of claims, Xiao Mingzhan used his power for personal gain and added the 100 dairy cows that Gu Xinran wanted.
Gu Xinran originally wanted to return to Jinzhou to see her relatives, but when she saw that her elder brother Gu stayed in Beijing to take up a post, she had to change her plan. It would be best to bring all the family members to Beijing so that the family could be reunited.
It’s just that Xuanxuan’s teacher, Master Dou, is in Jinzhou, so this matter is a bit troublesome.
Gu Xinran asked Xiao Mingzhan for advice. As long as she didn't leave him and go back to Jinzhou, Xiao Mingzhan would help her with everything else.
After some discussion with the Emperor, it was decided to invite Master Dou to come out of retirement again.
Such great scholars can only enjoy a year or two of luxury at home, and they still have to continue to work hard for the court and the capital academy.
Besides, many of his relatives and disciples are in the capital. Moreover, he left the capital before mainly because he could not stand the late emperor's style of doing things. Now that the prince he personally raised has become the emperor, how could he not be willing to return to the capital?
His Majesty directly sent a team of imperial guards, led by Duan Yunchi, to invite people and, of course, to bring the Gu family to the capital.
Gu Xinran thought that if she hired someone in the twelfth month, her family would not be able to leave until after the New Year, and would not arrive in the capital until the end of the first lunar month. In those days, transportation was very slow, so she could only wait patiently.
More than ten days passed in a flash, and the emperor's condition became more stable. Gu Xinran left some pills for the emperor to take on time, and she no longer needed to go to the palace every day.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, envoys from the Turkic Khanate arrived.
A day in advance, Gu Xinran demonstrated some modern negotiation techniques to Xiao Mingzhan, such as asking for too much, bluffing, advancing when the enemy retreats, retreating when the enemy advances, and playing dumb...
After two days of bargaining, the Tuji Khanate agreed to pay the Lan Kingdom 500,000 taels of silver, 10,000 war horses, 5,000 yaks, 100 dairy cows, and a number of various fur blankets.
The Lan Kingdom released the crown prince and captured generals, and the two sides signed a twenty-year non-aggression agreement, perfectly resolving the crisis in the north.
Although this is just a gentleman's agreement, the form cannot be omitted. A piece of paper cannot guarantee peace on the border. It mainly depends on the country's own strong strength.
With cement reinforcing the city walls, crossbows and chariot crossbows guarding the city, and bombs holding the line, the Tughchi Khanate did not dare to act rashly for the time being.
The envoys were seen off and the New Year arrived.
With the people in the west no longer suffering from the drought, with refugees no longer rioting, the northern border is pacified, and the southern border is stable, everyone in the capital is relaxed, and the New Year atmosphere is much stronger than in previous years.
The Prince of Qi's Mansion and the Princess Funing's Mansion were even busier. This was the first New Year after Xiao Mingzhan became the Crown Prince and Gu Xinran became the Princess. There were definitely many guests who needed to be entertained.
All kinds of vegetables, rice, grains, fruits and snacks had to be prepared in advance. Fortunately, the housekeeper Qi was capable and took good care of the two mansions.
I was busy until New Year's Eve.
Xiao Mingzhan and Gu Xinran did not eat the New Year’s Eve dinner at home, but went to the palace to accompany the emperor and empress.
The national treasury is empty, the late emperor has just passed away, and there will be no palace banquet this year.
Due to health reasons and her chastity, Xiao Mingjia had only one queen in her harem, so the number of people for the New Year's Eve dinner was very simple, only five in total.
There were few people and the atmosphere was good. The dishes were small in quantity but varied in variety, so Gu Xinran enjoyed the meal very much.
There was also a considerate and handsome waiter. Whenever Gu Xinran looked at him for a second, Xiao Mingzhan would immediately use the serving chopsticks to put the food on her plate. If she said it was delicious, almost all of it would go into her bowl.
The Emperor, Empress, and Princess were dumbfounded. Was this still the cold-hearted and aloof Prince of Qi?
Jing Yan, who was over seven years old, opened her big curious eyes and pretended to be unhappy and said, "Uncle Huang, you are so partial. You don't even care about Yan'er. You gave all the delicious dried shrimps to Aunt Huang. What should I eat?"
Only then did Xiao Mingzhan realize that he seemed to have gone too far. He only thought about loving his wife and forgot about his eldest niece.
She quickly picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and handed it to Xiao Jingyan, saying shamelessly, "Yanyan, please give in to the imperial aunt today. The imperial aunt only gets to enjoy a few feasts prepared by the imperial chef throughout the year. Princess Changle is magnanimous and will forgive the imperial uncle this time. Otherwise, how about ordering the imperial kitchen to make another serving, no, two! My Ranran hasn't had enough yet."
The emperor and the empress held back their laughter and felt relieved when they saw Xiao Mingzhan finally gaining popularity.
Gu Xinran looked at the plates piled with food in front of her, her face flushed. "Good Yanyan, I'm sorry for taking away your food. It's all your uncle's fault. Let him compensate you."
He turned to Xiao Mingzhan and said, "Brother Xiao, stop eating. I can't eat so much. It would be a waste if I left some. There are still many people who can't eat enough."
Xiao Mingzhan replied very straightforwardly: "Don't waste it. Give me what you can't eat."
The emperor, empress and princess burst out laughing. The King of Qi, who had a fiancée, had fallen from the altar.
Seeing the couple's good relationship, the Emperor smiled and said, "Mingzhan, after the New Year, you will be twenty-three, and Princess Funing will soon be coming of age. Let the Ministry of Rites take care of the wedding. What do you think?"
Xiao Mingzhan has always been looking forward to getting married, and it is of great joy to have his royal brother urging him to do so.
He glanced at Gu Xinran who was eating voraciously and quickly answered, "It's up to my Royal Brother..."
Gu Xinran quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and interrupted Xiao Mingzhan, "Your Majesty, we are not in a hurry. He has a Gu poison in his body, which is not conducive to marriage for the time being. It will be bad for the next generation. Let's get rid of the poison first, and then talk about marriage."
The Emperor and Empress have great confidence in Gu Xinran's medical skills. If she says it is not good, then it is definitely not good.
The marriage had to be postponed, Xiao Mingzhan's hope was dashed again, and the search for the soul-calming mushroom had to be the top priority.
The Queen sighed, "Xiao Mingxuan died just like that. It was such a blessing for him. He had caused so much harm to you two brothers."
Thinking of the hardships of the past, Xiao Mingjia's face darkened. "Now that everything is stable, I can still hold on. Royal brother, after the New Year, put aside everything and concentrate on finding the Soul-Calming Mushroom."
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