A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

After drinking a cup of tea, the kitten has fallen asleep, and Wang Chen said: "Toffee, it's not early, we should say goodbye."

"I'm leaving so soon?" Princess Zhao showed a little regret on her face. She put the sleeping kitten on the cushion and called to the mother: "Is there any kind of snack like just now in the kitchen? The little girl likes to eat it. Pack it in a box and let the girl take it back to eat."

After speaking, she looked at Jiuzhu: "Wait a minute, there are still a few self-sewn cloth tigers in my house, waiting for me to get it for you."

Jiuzhu opened her mouth, and finally smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

Soon Princess Zhao came out of the house holding a wooden box with several cloth tigers in it, stuffing the box full.

Taking the wooden box, Jiuzhu saluted her and thanked her: "Thank you, Empress Dowager."

"These gadgets are not worthy of thanks." Mrs. Zhao touched the wooden box and said with a smile: "If my child is still alive, his daughter should be as old as you."

Jiuzhu didn't dare to ask her why her child was missing.

When she walked out of Jing'an Palace holding the wooden box and dim sum, the old lady kept sending her and Wang Chen to the courtyard outside before stopping.

Standing on the steps of the red lacquered wooden door, Jiuzhu looked back at the spacious courtyard, and the old ladies who were clearly curious about her and His Royal Highness, but were afraid to come together, feeling a little unspeakable.

As the red lacquered wooden door closed in front of her, Jiuzhu walked out of the long palace alley holding the wooden box, and asked Wang Chen: "His Royal Highness, has this concubine ever had a child?"

"Perhaps he did." At that time, he was still very young, and he can't remember many things: "The first emperor had many wives and concubines, and there were many princes and princesses. Some of them died before they stood still."

Seeing Jiuzhu's bad spirits, he thought she didn't want to leave him, and said, "Don't be unhappy. Or, when your uncle sends someone to Zhou's house to raise a kiss, I will let the mother and concubine take you back."

Jiuzhu wanted to remind him that he couldn't be called "come back" when he went to the palace. Ming Shi Lang Mansion was her home. But thinking that His Royal Highness did not want her to leave, she swallowed the words back, and whispered in Wang Chen's ear tiptoe: "Your Royal Highness, I just thought of something that might be a bit rebellious."

"what?"

Wang Chen didn't believe it, and with her courage, she could think of something violent.

"You said, if the first emperor was able to take in fewer concubines, wouldn't there be so many women suffering?" Jiuzhu hugged the box in his hand: "I just think about it, your Highness, don't say it."

Otherwise she will be finished.

"I'm afraid I will say it, but tell me?" Wang Chen looked at her with a smile.

"His Royal Highness is not someone else, so it's okay to tell you." Jiuzhu's eyes rolled: "If you tell someone about this, then I won't admit it. Anyway, no one except you can prove that I said this."

"Hey, you know how to think." Wang Chen reached out and poked Jiuzhu's cheek, teasing her to dodge again and again, with constant laughter.

"Ming Xiaozhu, don't worry." Looking at her ruddy cheeks with a smile, Wang Chen put his hands behind him and said awkwardly: "I am different from them."

Jiuzhu blinked at her.

Seeing that she didn't speak, guessing that she should understand what she meant, Wang Chen sullenly said, "That's what it means. Don't think too much about it after you go back. One month...it will pass soon."

Knowing that she likes to cling, he lets her cling.

Anyway, anyway... It's his own wife.

"Your Highness, are you blushing?"

"Oh, the Greatcloak is too thick and hot."

"His Royal Highness blushes, too."

"Ming Xiaozhu, don't talk."

"..."

"Forget it, just say what you want. Bring the wooden box and I'll hold it for you."

In the morning, when the fog had not cleared, Sun Caiyao sat in the yard until the sun penetrated the morning fog and the warm sun was high, and she did not see Ming Jiuzhu coming to the Sixth Palace.

"Ming County Lord didn't come here today?" She looked at the too quiet courtyard, and she missed the excitement of Ming Jiuzhu's presence.

"The county concubine, the county lord of Ming was out of the palace early this morning." The maid replied: "The slave servant heard the six sons in the courtyard of His Royal Highness Chen said that the county chief will come back to participate in the New Year's Eve banquet held in the palace on New Year's Eve."

come back?

Sun Caiyao heard these two words and looked at the talking palace ladies in a daze. These palace ladies and eunuchs have already treated her as the princess Chen?

She lowered her eyelids and sighed, "Ming County Lord has left the palace, and the entire sixth palace of Zhang is deserted."

"Exactly, several sisters were very sorry to hear that the county lord came home." The maid smiled: "They also want to accompany the county lord to turn the flower rope together, and even the rope is ready."

"Flower rope?"

"Yes." The maid nodded: "The day before yesterday, the county lord heard the servants mentioned the flower rope, and was very curious. The servants asked people to find a beautiful, soft and hand-free rope in the central province, and prepared to teach the county lord how to play."

Because Ming Jiuzhu casually mentioned something, these palace ladies spontaneously went to look for these. Was it because they liked Ming Jiuzhu, or because they wanted to please?

Perhaps in the entire harem, everyone wanted to please the future princess Chen. It is said that even those old concubines who live in the west and never go out gave her a box of things after Ming Jiuzhu came to the door.

The human mind has always been the most realistic mirror.

She raised her head to stop the maid's endless words, got up and went back to the courtyard where she lived. Before entering the door, she thought for a while, turned her head and went to the main house where Yun Yanze lived.

There was no one guarding outside the door, she pushed the curtain open and went in: "Your Highness..."

Yun Yanze, who was changing clothes, pulled the clothes over, covered the left half of his body, and turned his head to look at her.

At this moment, she felt that His Highness looked at her very coldly. Looking closely, only the smiles at the corners of His Highness's eyebrows were seen. The so-called indifference was just her illusion.

"Cai Yao, why did you come in?" Yun Yanze put his clothes on his left arm, and looked back at her.

Sun Caiyao walked to him and helped him put on the right sleeve: "How can your Royal Highness change clothes in the house alone?"

"I have injuries on my body, so I don't want anyone to see it." He turned and put on a clean robe: "You have been with me in the yard these days. Are you bored."

"As long as you are with Your Highness, you won't be bored." Sun Caiyao shook her head and lowered her head to help him tidy up his belt. He found that there was a scratch on his left ear against his chin. She stretched out her hand to touch the scratches: "His Royal Highness, why are you hurt here?"

"Where?" Yuan Yanze touched, looked up at himself in the mirror, and said casually: "Maybe it was because he didn't sleep well at night and accidentally scratched him."

Sun Caiyao sighed, turned around and took a box of ointment from the table: "His Royal Highness, please take good care of your body."

"Good." Yun Yanze smiled softly, letting Sun Caiyao give himself medicine. His smiling face was reflected in the bronze mirror, he straightened his left sleeve, covered his arm tightly, and said softly: "Don't worry, I will take good care of myself."

The man in the mirror is very nice, with sword eyebrows and star eyes, gentle and gentle.

It's like the best piece of jade in the world.

Jiuzhu got off the carriage and found several carriages parked at the door. She asked the concierge in confusion, "Are guests here today?"

"Miss is back?" The concierge was very happy to see Jiuzhu back, and reminded her in a low voice: "Several adults from the household department came to look for the master today. These adults are in a hurry and look dignified. There should be something important."

event?

During the few days she stayed in the palace, except for the demotion of Prince Qi's biological mother, it seemed that nothing major happened?

She walked into the courtyard, saw her at the spring equinox that had been waiting for a long time, and hurriedly greeted her: "The servant girl greets the lady.

"Sister Vernal Equinox, why did you learn these rules to tease me?" Jiuzhu held her, "Quickly let it go, otherwise I will be awkward."

Seeing her at the equinox, she suddenly laughed: "My dear lady, madam is waiting for you in the yard. Come with me."

"The concierge said, what happened to the head of the household looking for his father?"

"For whom?" The vernal equinox whispered: "Naturally, it is for His Royal Highness Prince Qi."

Jiuzhu paused and turned to look at the equinox.

"The Zheng family committed a serious crime and was sent to jail, and the concubine Ning in the palace was also sent to the cold palace. These adults are worried that King Qi will be implicated because of this, so they come to the master to find a way." The spring equinox shook his head: "The Chaos" The servants and maids don't understand the affairs of the hall. Anyway, it is these civil servants who are trying to figure out a way for the Qi county king."

Jiuzhu went to the main courtyard where his parents lived in silence, and was poured a bowl of tonic soup by the beloved Shen's eagerness.

"A visitor is coming, your father will come to see you in a while." Shen looked at his daughter, she was newly made from head to toe, and her complexion was good, so she felt relieved.

Jiuzhu waved his hand to let all the people in the house exit, lowered his head and pinched the skirt and asked: "Mother, will my father help Prince Qi and the Zheng family?"

"I don't see things clearly in the court." Shen said with a smile: "But your father is a very opinionated person. He won't make a decision just because of what others have said."

"Mother." Jiuzhu raised her head and said to the Shen family: "I don't want my father to help Prince Qi, let alone help the Zheng family."

The first time I heard her daughter make such a request involving the court, after a moment of shock, Shen nodded without asking the reason, "Okay, you sit here and wait for me, I'll go and talk to your father. wake."

Not long after, Shen came back, with Ming Jingzhou behind him.

"Good girl, don't worry." Ming Jingzhou saw his daughter's expression a little uneasy, and explained: "For his father, he didn't intend to help the Zheng family. The Zheng family has done a lot of silly things over the years. It is worthy of the end today. ."

"Your Majesty is the wise lord. Since he put the Zheng family in prison, it means that the Zheng family must have committed an unforgivable crime." He sat down beside his daughter: "What's more, dad's good daughters don't want dad to help them. , Then I will definitely not help."

"There is something, the daughter has been keeping it from you." Facing her pampering parents, Jiuzhu buried her head even lower and couldn't lift her head in shame: "Eight years ago, my daughter did see the imperial concubine and the Royal Highness Chen, but It's not in Lingzhou City, but Huaxi River outside Lingzhou City."

Ming Jingzhou has been an official for many years. When he heard this, he knew there was a hidden feeling. The smile on his face disappeared little by little: "Jiuzhu, what happened to you back then?"

"The Zheng family wanted to kill me." Jiuzhu recalled what happened back then: "That day, my daughter wore a silver hairpin from her master and went down the mountain to buy fish. On the way, I heard someone talking about the cook, it was colorless and tasteless. ."

"They found me." Jiuzhu's hand clenched and slowly loosened: "The man whose chin was cut by my silver hairpin said that I know too much to keep me alive."

The river water that day was extremely cold. The river water was constantly pouring into her ears and noses. She could only float in the water, soberly and desperately waiting for death to come.

"His Royal Highness rescued me." After saying this, Jiuzhu raised his head, as if it was sunny after the heavy rain: "He gave me sweets."