After breakfast at the Prime Minister's Mansion, a carriage came to take them into the palace. When the carriage arrived at the south gate, there was suddenly the sound of hundreds of officials bowing to each other. Hua Jinglan couldn't help but feel helpless. Loulan Erxue was trying to catch a duck, and she had to confirm her position as the crown prince in front of the ministers and officials. That’s it.
Carriages are not allowed in the palace, so after passing through the south gate and entering the inner palace, they changed into soft carriages. Hua Jinglan and Chun Yuyan rode together. The palace attendants also separated from the palace wall to greet them, with their heads lowered and not daring. Looking at each other.
Loulan Erxue couldn't wait for a long time. Regardless of the imperial doctor's dissuasion, she insisted on waiting outside Fengzheng Palace, her face rosy with joy.
After Hua Jinglan got off her knees, she went up to her, supported her and said, "Why is the emperor waiting outside the palace?"
Loulan Erxue coughed twice, but she was very happy. Her eyes moved on her body, as if she had to see something different in her before she would be willing to do it.
"The humble minister pays homage to His Highness the Crown Prince." The old doctor bowed forward and said, "The Emperor's dragon body is really not suitable for the wind. Please, His Highness the Crown Prince, invite the Emperor to come into the palace to rest."
Hua Jinglan helped Loulan Erxue enter Fengzheng Hall, helped her onto the bright yellow dragon chair, then turned around and stood with Chun Yuyan, both of them bent down and knelt down.
"Thank you for your generous help, Your Majesty." Chunyu Yan said.
Loulan Erxue helped the two of them up and looked at Chun Yuyan and couldn't help but nod her head frequently, "Okay, that's great. One of my worries is finally over. Jinglan can now stay in Loulan Kingdom with peace of mind."
Chun Yuyan and Hua Jinglan looked at each other and fell silent. Loulan Erxue's eyes wandered between the two, and finally settled on Hua Jinglan, asking: "You don't want to stay in Loulan?"
It was not easy for Chunyu Yan to get rid of the shackles of the palace. How could she be willing to jump into this cage on her own initiative? Managing the country was not a child's play, and it was not something she could do with her freewheeling temperament.
The light on Loulan'er's snowy face slowly faded, and he patted the back of her hand and said, "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, I won't force you. You can stay in the palace for a while. The future will be long."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hua Jinglan said calmly.
Loulan Erxue turned around and smiled and said, "You are too unfamiliar. You are the only one left in Loulan. Please call me aunt."
Hua Jinglan smiled and nodded, "Auntie."
Loulan Erxue nodded repeatedly, "The flowers in the Royal Garden are blooming just right, so why don't you go out for a walk?"
Hua Jinglan looked at Chunyu Yan, who said, "Your Majesty, can civilians go to the Hanlin Academy to watch chess?"
"Fuzi, take the young master to the Hanlin Academy."
Chun Yuyan bowed to Loulan Erxue again before following the chamberlain out of Fengzheng Hall.
We walked all the way to the Imperial Garden with Lou Lan'er in the snow. The flowers in the garden were indeed in bloom. It was already summer and they were still in full bloom.
"The flowers bloomed especially long this year. This is a happy omen for the country." Loulan Erxue picked a bright red peony flower, led Hua Jinglan to the pavilion next to the rockery winding bridge, sat down, and took it off with her own hands. With her jade crown, her green hair was rolled into a pair of temples, pinned with bright red peonies.
"Fuzi, does the prince look good like this?" Loulan Erxue took two steps back and looked at Hua Jinglan.
"The prince is naturally beautiful. He wears his hair like this and there is no need to deliberately sculpt it. It is very natural. His demeanor is very similar to that of the emperor back then." Manager Fu fully understood Lou Lan Erxue's mentality and said nothing but good things.
Loulan Erxue didn't know how many years it had been since she dressed up as a daughter, but now she felt more comforted when she looked at Hua Jinglan.
"Lan'er should wear women's clothes from now on," she said, "I will ask the master in the palace to prepare some clothes for you."
Hua Jinglan nodded and walked with Loulan Erxue in the yard again, listening to her tell some old stories, among which she actually missed her sister Ye Meishuang, whom she had never met before.
Hua Jinglan's heart moved slightly. Even though this family relationship did not belong to her, she could not help but feel excited. She really had an idea in her heart to treat Loulan Erxue as her own aunt.
"Lan'er, do you know the meaning of peonies?" Loulan Erxue suddenly turned around and asked her.
"The King of Flowers." Hua Jinglan paused and replied.
Loulan Erxue smiled and looked away, landing on the patches of peonies. "Peonies are graceful and domineering. When a man rules the country, the queen will be peony. Peony is the king but not the emperor. If you want to inherit Loulan's country, I hope you will not fail to do so." The delicate Peony thinks she can protect her people like a sword."
She looked a little dazed as she spoke, "This is also the fate of the Loulan clan. If there are other choices, I don't want to take you down this road."
Hua Jinglan touched the sadness in her eyes and quickly looked away, but another past event came to mind in her mind. The reason why Loulan has no one in the harem now is because the empress abandoned the three palaces and six courtyards for one person back then. The emperor's feelings were like this. Moreover, for the Loulan family, which has extremely difficulty in giving birth to offspring, this is not only a huge resistance, but also Risk your blood. But things went against expectations. Just when the empress was diagnosed as three months pregnant by the imperial physician, a member of the harem rebelled. What happened next was a choice that all emperors would make. The queen executed her lover, and even the child in her belly was lost. The blood of the rebellious officials and traitors could not be preserved, but I am afraid that the queen was mostly grieved at that time... She was killed by the person closest to her. What it feels like to be betrayed, I'm afraid I won't forget it until I die.
Loulan Erxue looked at the flowers in trance for a long time. When she came back to her senses, she saw Hua Jinglan lowering her head. She calmed down her emotions and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. I heard that someone in Baihua City is in trouble with you?"
"It's just a small thing." Hua Jinglan took out a porcelain vase from her sleeve and placed it on the stone table, saying, "Auntie, this is the elixir I asked an expert for. It can nourish your body and prolong your life."
Loulan Erxue took it with a smile, took it out and smelled it, and felt a fresh fragrance coming to her nose. She took one pill in her mouth, swallowed it with the tea brought by the palace attendant, wiped the corners of her lips, and looked at the flowers with a sigh of relief. Jinglan said, "Lan'er is interested."
She had only been out for half an hour, and her face was already full of fatigue. Hua Jinglan sighed secretly. The emperor's early death was the result of his hard work, and Loulan Erxue could not escape this fate.
"I'm a little tired, Lan'er, please accompany me back to the palace." Loulan Erxue stretched out her hand to Hua Jinglan.
Hua Jinglan held her thin hand and exerted a slight force.