Lianhua and Zhien left Langya Temple, and Haishou was waiting outside. The three of them got on the carriage and went to Chuzhou City. It turned out that Lianhua and his party were staying at the home of the prefect of Chuzhou.
Zhu Di knew that the imperial court had ordered hundreds of officials along the route to protect Princess Yining, and he felt safe in this way, so he asked Ma Sanbao not to stay in an inn along the way. When he arrived in a town, he would first visit the local officials, or the prefect or county magistrate. For convenience.
The residence of Han Shang, the prefect of Chuzhou, is located on the busiest Xinglong Street in the city, backed by a clear river. A row of restaurants and shops hug each other. Although it is getting late, there is still a constant flow of people. After a tiring day, people meet up to eat in restaurants, buy cooked food to take home, and drop by for shopping. They are enjoying the most leisurely time of the day. Chuzhou people are mostly hospitable and have loud voices. When they see an acquaintance, they greet each other loudly. The sounds of calling friends on the street are endless. The strong human touch and the aroma of delicious food fill the evening air.
Lotus looked at this prosperous scene and couldn't help but think of Seoul.
When my father and brother come home at dusk, my mother and I always come to the door to ask for help. The dim candlelight in the house is lit, and the food in the kitchen is fragrant. It is this warm scene that makes every evening the happiest moment of the day. If it were not for Japanese pirates, I would be like my mother, living around my home for the rest of my life. A home is the whole world.
How great would that be
While I was thinking wildly, I saw a neat row of carts entering the residence of the prefect Han Shang, and a team of horses. They were short and strong horses.
Lian Hua was moved in her heart. Before she could speak, Hai Shou had already shouted: "They're from North Korea. They're here! Princess, let me go and see." As he said that, he chased after her. Zhien stood up excitedly and looked out through the green screen window.
After a while, Hai Shou led Zhao Pang, and the two of them quickly walked to the Lotus car. When Fatty Zhao saw Lianhua, he hurriedly saluted and greeted: "I've met the princess! I have already met Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang introduced the prefect Han here. All the luggage has been sent to the prefect's house for the time being. The horses will be reported to the Ministry of Rites tomorrow and will be handed over directly here. Go to Taipu Temple."
Lianhua nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, let's go in and talk."
After entering the gate, they saw that Ma Sanbao and Wang Jinghong had returned and were directing the carriages and horses from North Korea together with Magistrate Han.
This time, the tribute purchased by the Korean king was very generous, with a total of forty carts and sixty tribute horses. Even though the place in Magistrate Han's house was large, it was always crowded and stuffed to the brim, and part of it had to be allocated to the Yamen.
When the accompanying North Korean soldiers and migrant workers saw the lotus, they hurriedly stopped what they were doing and saluted. Lotus smiled and let go one by one. She couldn't help but think back to those people when they set out for the first time, as if it was a dream yesterday, and she was very sad.
Fatty Zhao waited for Lianhua to sit down and took out two letters from his arms, which were given to Lianhua by the king and Mrs. Cao.
Lianhua hurriedly opened it and scanned it, but she had no other words to say to make herself feel at ease going to Beijing. Lianhua was a little disappointed. When had her mother been so angry and just talked in mandarin
Little did he know that Mrs. Cao was hesitant in writing. She wrote a letter, tore it up and wrote it. She wrote a short letter for a day and a night, and finally decided not to mention trivial matters. In the final analysis, she just hoped that her daughter would be safe outside. Although Lianhua is sensible and young, she cannot appreciate her mother's painstaking efforts.
Fatty Zhao picked up another large lacquer box from the car, held it in front of the lotus himself, and said, "This old lady asked me to hand it over to the princess in person."
Lianhua glanced at Fatty Zhao in confusion, slowly opened the lacquer box, and couldn't help but be stunned.
In the lacquer box, there is a set of Korean palace clothes. The color is my favorite light blue, and the soft and fluffy silk is like smoke. The satin edges of the cuffs and collar were made of ivory, and under the candlelight, the satin glowed softly. The stitches on the whole dress are so dense that you can't even see them on the surface. I wonder how much effort my mother put into sewing it!
"Wow! So beautiful!" Zhien next to her exclaimed.
The lotus was gently rubbed, and tears filled her eyes. Afraid of tears dripping on his clothes, he quickly raised his head, took a breath, and said to Zhien, "Take this off and put it away," her voice was choked with sobs.
Zhien agreed and carefully took away the lacquer box. Fatty Zhao then resigned and went to collect other tributes.
Ma Sanbao quietly watched Lianhua calm down, and then said: "It's a coincidence that Mr. Zhao arrived in Chuzhou. Tomorrow, I will go to the Ministry of Rites with Mr. Zhao to report to the Ministry of Rites to see when the princess will enter the palace before deciding on her whereabouts. The princess feels that How about it? Or do we have to wait a few more days?"
Lianhua understands what Ma Sanbao means. Once the Ministry of Rites sets a time to meet him, he will be a member of the palace from now on. These days may be the last free time in my life.
Lianhua shook her head: "No need to wait, just go and report tomorrow."
In order to enter the palace, so many people sacrificed their lives: Nanhuo, Zhao Ke, Shanxi, Zheng Zongcheng, and so many soldiers and migrant workers in the forest. . How can we back down from the battle
Ma Sanbao saw Lianhua's firm voice and longing, pain and determination intertwined on his face. He couldn't help feeling pity in his heart and comforted him: "Okay, then I will cross the river to Beijing with Mr. Zhao early tomorrow morning. Princess, don't worry, there will be no more troubles when we get here." What happened?"
Lotus looked at Ma Sanbao with a pair of clear eyes, and suddenly asked softly: "Sambo, do you think I am stupid?"
Ma Sanbao was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Lianhua to ask such a question. After thinking about it, he replied very seriously: "Of course I don't think so. The princess is doing it for the Korean people. It is a last resort and a great mercy." Ma Sanbao has started reading Buddhist scriptures these days and has become somewhat familiar with them.
After listening to his sincere words, Lianhua burst into tears. After a while, she said, "What you said is so good. I feel sorry for my mother." She paused and then said, "With your prince," she said in a low voice. He bowed his head, infinitely miserable.
Ma Sanbao persuaded: "The princess saved the prince and contributed greatly to the Northern Expedition. No matter what the princess does, the prince will understand." In fact, he has been running to the capital every day these days, visiting the places Zhu Di cares about one by one. After all the prince's painstaking efforts, The princess doesn’t even know.
Ma Sanbao stared at the lotus and said: "My prince only hopes that the princess will be well. As long as the princess is safe and happy, my prince will be relieved."
Lotus chewed these words, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. In fact, why should I treat Zhu Di the same way? When I saw him arguing with Xu Ying that day, I felt sorry for him more than I thought about myself. Isn't it because I was leaving Peiping in a hurry because I didn't want him to be in trouble
Lianhua looked up at Ma Sanbao and smiled gratefully: "Sambo, thanks to you these days."
Ma Sanbao smiled and said seriously: "Have you forgotten what Brother Li said? I was sent by Bodhisattva." Lianhua burst into laughter: "You two..."
A cloud of sadness turned into a smile.
****************
Yingtianfu Palace runs from Hongwu Gate at the southern end of the imperial city to Chengtian Gate in the middle. The north-south central axis in the middle is a wide avenue called the "Imperial Road".
A river cuts across the middle from east to west, which is the Waiyu River. On the river are five stone bridges, the Waiwulong Bridge. On the west side of the imperial road are the military institutions, namely the Fifth Military Governor's Office, Taichang Temple, Tongzhengsi, Qintianjian, etc.; on the east side of the royal road are the central high-level government offices, including the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of War. Zongren Mansion, Han Academy, Imperial Hospital, etc. Among the six departments, only the Criminal Department is not here. Together with the three legal departments of the Dali Temple of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, they are located at Taipingmen.
Zhu Yunping hangs around here every day, inspecting various deployments. This is also what Zhu Yuanzhang taught. You should not just look at the excerpts of photovoltaic projects. You should often go to the site to see the actual situation and have an understanding of the personnel of each department.
Zhu Yunwen didn't sleep well last night. When he closed his eyes, he saw the light blue figure. He didn't squint for a while until the second watch. After going to court this morning, I thought about it and went to the various government departments on the east side of the royal road. Zhu Yunwen himself knew that if he stayed bored in the palace and read the brochures, he might draw that girl's face on the brochures.
Oh, such a charming face...
Zhu Yunwen walked casually without any purpose. Occasionally, people he knew came up to salute and greet them. Zhu Yunwen returned the greetings with a smile, as gentle and approachable as usual.
But I was a little worried: Why can't I drive away that figure? What's more, it's fear: When will I see her again? Then the more I thought about it, the more I became afraid: If I could never see her again in this life, how barren would my life be
Zhang Yuanheng followed Zhu Yunwen and saw that Zhu Yunwen was in a trance today, so he couldn't help but persuade him: "Your Highness, if you are tired, please go back to the palace to rest?"
Zhu Yunwen seemed not to hear it, and still walked forward slowly.
The weather is sunny today, with rays of sunshine falling from the blue sky, but the winter in early February is still quite cold, the royal road is extremely open, and the fresh wind is blowing in our face. Zhu Yunwen was wearing a silver mink cloak, and the cold wind blew open the skirt of his clothes, but he seemed not to notice it. Zhang Yuanheng looked on, vaguely worried.
At this time, Zhu Yun's eyes were filled with majestic palaces, all of which were transformed into the figure of the girl. I remembered that when I read "Luo Shen Fu" before, I thought it was Cao Zijian's dream, "as if the moon is covered by light clouds, fluttering like the snow in the flowing wind", "bright as the sun rising as morning glow", and "scorching like a flower blooming in Lubo" ,so funny.
However, after seeing this girl in Langya Temple yesterday, I realized that she really existed. Cao Zijian couldn't even describe her enough. Her eyes are more than just "bright and good at gazing" and "divine light"
well. While thinking wildly, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself.
At this time, two figures came to Zhu Yunwen, bowed and saluted, and said in unison: "I have met His Highness."
Zhu Yunwen was stopped in his tracks, so he quickly put on a smile and said warmly: "No courtesy." Looking at the two of them, he couldn't remember it for a moment.
A tall and thin chamberlain said with a smile: "Ma He, the official in the palace of Prince Yan, has met your highness." Another middle-aged man, who was stocky, round, short and chubby, also said with a smile: "Zhao Pang, the humble minister of the state of North Korea, the secret secretary of the state, has met your highness." His accent was stiff and thick.
Zhu Yunwen listened, and for some reason his heart moved. He seemed to have something very important, but he couldn't think of it for the moment.
Fatty Zhao saw Zhu Yunwen thinking and smiled again: "I met His Highness at the Ministry of Rites at the beginning of last year. Your Highness probably doesn't remember it."
Zhu Yunwen came back to his senses and said, "Ah, that's right!" Seeing that Ma He and Fatty Zhao were both tired from work, he casually asked, "Why did you get together? Are you going to the Ministry of Rites?"
Ma He and Fatty Zhao answered in unison: "Yes."
Zhu Yunwen happened to have nothing to do, so he smiled and said: "Let's go together and see Mr. Zheng."
While talking, the three people entered the Ministry of Etiquette together. When the guard saw that the emperor's grandson was bringing him in, he hurriedly moved directly to the lobby of the Ministry of Rites. Zheng Zheng, the Minister of Rites, saw Zhu Yunwen and hurriedly welcomed him out. Several people took their seats one after another.
Fatty Zhao often visited the capital in the past few years and became very familiar with Zheng Zhen. He handed over the official documents first, then took out a thick gift list and said with a smile: "This is the tribute gift list from this country. Congratulations." May the New Year be auspicious."
Zheng Zheng took it and turned it over, and couldn't help but praise: "The King of North Korea is so thoughtful this time," and presented it to the emperor's grandson. Zhu Yunwen took it casually, feeling that it was a thick pile and didn't care. Just listening to Fatty Zhao talking and thinking attentively.
Fatty Zhao said humbly: "The princess will bring trouble to His Majesty and all of you in heaven. The King hopes that His Majesty will accept this intention."
Although Li Chenggui was not officially canonized at this time, everyone in the court called him the King of Joseon. Only Li Chenggui's own memorial politely claimed that he had "the right to know the state affairs of Joseon." Zhu Yuanzhang even lost his temper over this matter: The name of the country has been changed, and it is still so pretentious. What does it mean? Therefore, the Ministry of Rites figured out what it meant and simply called him the King of Korea. This has been going on for several years.
Zheng Zheng was reminded by Fatty Zhao and asked hurriedly: "By the way, where is the princess?"
Ma He replied from the side: "Princess Yining left Peiping on November 22nd. I was escorted by the ministers and the royal family's soldiers. The road was very difficult to walk due to ice and snow. I arrived in Chuzhou. Now I am waiting for orders in Chuzhou. Please ask Zheng Your Majesty's orders." Ma Sanbao often went in and out of various arrangements for matters related to Prince Yan's Mansion, so he was familiar with them all.
Zheng Zheng asked: "Are all the tribute horses also in Chuzhou?"
Fatty Zhao respectfully replied: "Yes, we gathered in Chuzhou yesterday, at the residence of Mr. Han, the prefect of Chuzhou."
Zheng Zheng smiled and said: "The horses save trouble. I wrote an official document to the Ministry of War, and Mr. Zhao directly took the horses and handed them over to Taipus Temple in Chuzhou, so that he didn't have to cross the river." As he said this, he turned to look at Zhu Yunwen: "As for the tributes and princesses, last time the Holy Father ordered us to bring them to the palace upon arrival. Please make your decision." Waiting for Zhu Yunwen to speak.
But he saw that the emperor's grandson's face was pale, he was distracted, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Chuzhou! Princess Yining is in Chuzhou!
Arrived before. .
She said her surname was Li, Li!
I'm leaving in two or three days, going to the capital!
Fatty Zhao's accent seemed strange to me. It turned out to be because her maid's accent was the same as Fatty Zhao's, with a curt tongue...
Could it be? Could it be that she is Princess Yining
This bold speculation appeared in his mind, and Zhu Yunwen felt as if his whole body was trembling.
The emperor's grandson looked at Fatty Zhao and asked, "What color clothes does your princess like?" His tone was calm, but his heart was beating fast, and his eyes looked at Fatty Zhao without blinking.
It was an inexplicable question, asked without any clue, and it was really out of royal decency.
Zheng Zheng had never seen Zhu Yunwen lose his composure like this before, and was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. Fatty Zhao didn't realize it, and still replied respectfully: "Blue"; Ma Sanbao vaguely guessed that it was not simple, and stood beside him He said: "When the princess has nothing special to do, she always wears light blue clothes." Looking at Zhu Yunwen, she added: "She has been wearing this for the past few days."
The emperor's grandson turned pale and looked away, staring blankly out of the window without saying a word.
Ma Sanbao was attentive and couldn't help but be a little confused when he saw the emperor's grandson clenching his fists and trembling slightly. He was obviously trying his best to control the excitement in his heart. After what seemed like a long time, Zhu Yunwen turned around and said calmly: "Master Zheng, please bring Princess Yining and Master Zhao to the palace tomorrow to meet you. I will explain it to you, Your Majesty."
Several people agreed. Zheng Zheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the emperor's grandson had returned to normal. Ma Sanbao and Zhao Fatty looked at each other, relieved that things went so smoothly.
Zhang Yuanheng walked behind Zhu Yunwen and shook his head secretly. On a cold day, the Ministry of Rites was not close to the back court, but the emperor's grandson insisted on walking back! So happy to leave! Mr. Zheng is really not simple, but he needs a lot of advice.
The cold wind was still biting on the royal road, blowing against my face like a knife.
Zhu Yunwen walked into the wind with brisk steps. My heart seemed to burst with joy: She is Princess Yining! Princess Yining is her! How could it be such a coincidence? So good again? She stood in front of the rocks, as if she were a fairy; she talked about Buddhism and playfully teased herself; she said with a smile, "Dependencies arise and disappear; why not wait for them to arise"...
It really happened! tomorrow! I can see her tomorrow!
In the howling wind, Zhu Yunwen couldn't restrain his smile and was in high spirits.
What will happen tomorrow