"My Lord, I dare not, I dare not..."
If Miss Jingchu heard this, his fate would be to be put in an iron cage and sink into the pond with a gurgle.
Seeing that He Zhuer wanted to cry but had no tears, his toes trembling, and he was about to kneel down and kowtow, the prince retracted his gaze, stroked his quiver, coughed lightly, and blamed him for reading too many Hadiths.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said, "Okay, I'm just teasing you."
The prince drew his bow and aimed at the target, squinting his eyes for a while, just like Kangxi's. After a moment, his fingers loosened, and a sharp sound of breaking through the air was heard. Arrows shot continuously, and eight out of ten times they hit the bull's eye. After practicing for another half an hour, he actually felt a slight soreness in his shoulders and elbows.
Turning around, he saw He Zhuer tightly shutting his mouth, not daring to say a word. The prince raised his eyebrows, put down his utensils, and said with a smile: "Take my card and go to the Imperial Hospital in person to get some plasters to relax the muscles and bones."
He Zhuer was instantly energized, answered loudly, and ran away as if escaping.
The doctors in the Imperial Hospital were all experts in medicine, but they were proficient in different areas. It was rare to find an all-rounder like Chen Yuanpan. One thing was beyond doubt, they were good at taking pulses, especially the pulse of pregnancy, and they had their own set of sophisticated experience in nurturing and protecting the fetus. In short, practice makes perfect. In the deep palace, who didn't have a special skill
Among them was a doctor named Min, who was famous in the palace for his signature medicine making skills. He was good at preparing medicinal materials, crushing and cooking them to make ointments, whether for treating bruises or other diseases. In addition, the concubines in the palace loved his Yurong ointment very much. Just by listening to the name, you can know what it is for, and it has a wonderful effect on beautifying and nourishing the skin.
However, the cost was high, so Imperial Physician Min had no choice but to set a price. If the ladies received their monthly salary and had some savings, they would stock up on a bottle without thinking twice. After all, youth is fleeting, and appearance is the most important thing in the harem.
It goes without saying that Yunxiu's dressing table is always stocked with jade cream.
He Zhuer was the most trusted personal eunuch around the Crown Prince. The imperial physician and the pharmacists who assisted him did not dare to neglect or offend him. Following his master's orders, He Zhuer inquired and found out that Imperial Physician Min was on duty today. He breathed a sigh of relief and ran straight to the medicine cabinet.
There was a sound of low conversation coming from next to the medicine cabinet. He Zhuer looked closely and saw that it was the chief steward Liang.
From the angle he was standing at, Liang Jiugong was holding a bottle of familiar plaster, and he put it into his sleeve secretly. The item on it flashed by, and three small words were vaguely written. He Zhuer took a few steps forward, pricked up his ears, and caught a few words of conversation sporadically.
“Use this Jade Face Cream once in the morning and once in the evening… and don’t stop for seven days…” Doctor Min’s tone was quite cautious.
Liang Jiugong repeated it once, and then nodded with satisfaction: "I will remember it. His Majesty will also remember your contribution..."
He Zhuer suspected that he had heard the name wrong.
Jade Cream? Your Majesty
He took a few steps back stiffly and finally managed a smile. Liang Jiugong turned around just in time and they met eyes face to face.
Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat, and he hid the jade cream in his sleeves a little deeper, saying calmly, "This is a coincidence."
He Zhuer smiled apologetically, "What a coincidence, what a coincidence, I have met Eunuch Liang. Look, the prince sent me to get some plasters to soothe the muscles and bones."
Seeing him like this, Liang Jiugong panicked.
Did this kid hear what I said before
He couldn't ask. If he asked, it would be clear that he was trying to cover up the truth. So he just hummed lightly and quickly gave Doctor Min a look, meaning that he must understand what should be said and what should not be said.
Doctor Min nodded timidly.
The emperor sent someone to get the jade cream, what is this
He Zhuer pretended not to know and watched Liang Dazongchang go away, still smiling: "Goodbye, eunuch. Goodbye, eunuch."
*****
"Jade Face Cream?" The prince's wrist holding the pen trembled, and most of the calligraphy and painting he had practiced for meditation and cultivation of energy was instantly ruined.
"The Emperor is in his prime, and Tongyi's mother is not much older than him. Why would he need a jade cream?" After a moment of distraction, he accurately grasped the key point, put down the wolf and said in confusion, "My younger brother and sister will be born soon, and they will be younger than the old one..."
At the age of thirty-six or thirty-seven, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is in the prime of his life.
After pondering for a while, the prince suddenly recalled his ninth brother Yinzhen's reaction when he learned that Yi'enniang was pregnant. His chubby face was a mixture of excitement, joy and complexity. Finally, he muttered, "He is still strong at old age", and his tenth brother also echoed him.
The prince gently rubbed Yinzhen's head, and didn't pay too much attention to the rest. Now that I think about it, the old and strong man, is it the emperor
His expression suddenly became very strange, and He Zhuer whispered, "Prince?"
"Nothing." The prince came back to his senses and calmed down, thinking that it would be better not to beat around the bush.
He thought seriously, if he asked about the jade cream, wouldn't the emperor be angry and embarrassed? It all depends on whether the emperor's face becomes smooth and tender.
It is said that women dress themselves up to please themselves, but it turns out that the Emperor is also afraid that Yi'er Niang will dislike him. Today I have really opened my eyes...
A young eunuch's report was heard outside the study, and a steward from the Ministry of Internal Affairs asked to see the Crown Prince to discuss the wedding agenda. This time he was asking about the selection of the master of ceremonies for the wedding.
"Your Highness, what do you think of Master Gelfin?"
The master of ceremonies is always from the prince's maternal family, to show closeness and trust. For example, when the eldest prince got married, his cousin Kuixu was appointed to this position. Back then, Kuixu wore a red silk around his neck and went to the first wife's family residence to welcome the bride in a happy mood. Now it is the prince's turn.
If there was a perfect candidate, it would be Soetu's youngest son, Gelfing. The two were close in age, and when they were young, the prince had some friendship with him. Whenever he saw him, he would affectionately call him "cousin".
Thinking of this, the prince's smile faded.
He sighed softly: "The Hesheli family is not suitable... You can choose. Choose from the royal family."
*****
Suo Mansion.
Although Suo Etu was dismissed from his official position and became a commoner, he still had a title. It was soon mid-March, and now, the whole capital was paying attention to the grand event of welcoming the Crown Princess into the palace, and the Hesheli clan was no exception.
The prince's wedding can even be said to be closely related to them. As the heir's mother's family, they have been silent for too long, so long that they have been forgotten by the heir and can no longer be related to them; to make matters worse, the pillar of the family, Soetu, no longer has the power he once had, and in order to raise money, he offended a large number of noble families, and now he can't even protect himself.
What was the point of him being dissatisfied with the choice of the Crown Princess earlier
All the plans were in vain, and the clan was in a panic. They could only hope that after the prince entered politics, he would be able to restore contact with his mother's family and bring them the former glory.
Gelfin was in his early twenties, the youngest son of Soetu. He was favored since childhood and had never done anything harmful to the emperor, so he was not implicated when the emperor dealt with Soetu.
After Soetu's fall, he could not provide much protection for his family. Gelfing now works as a minor official of the sixth rank in the Ministry of Works. He is a typical official with little benefits and many tasks to do. He also does not have much say and feels bored every time he leaves the office.
The Crown Prince was about to get married, and Gelfin had finally waited for the wedding. He started to think about who would be the wedding master of ceremonies, in order to restore contact with the Crown Prince, to plan for the family, and for the future. After Suo Etu learned about this, he acquiesced to it and also used all his connections in the Ministry of Internal Affairs to help.
…
That day, Gelfen returned to the mansion with a gloomy face. He took a deep breath and was silent for a long time. He said, "Father, the prince chose Baotai from Prince Yu's mansion as the master of ceremonies."
Soetu's right hand, which was pouring tea, trembled, and his brows furrowed, and deep wrinkles like knife cuts appeared on his forehead.
After a pause, he said calmly, "Your Majesty is tired of me, and the Crown Prince is trying to avoid suspicion."
"Avoid suspicion?" Gelfen said with red eyes and gritted teeth as if he had heard something funny. "I don't think so. The prince has been avoiding suspicion for many years! In the early years, the eldest prince was very close to the Nara clan. Did the emperor say anything? Father, I think he has long forgotten his maternal family and Empress Renxiao, and has been completely won over by that woman, Concubine Yi!"
If it wasn't for the Crown Prince, how could Empress Renxiao die of a hemorrhage? If Empress Renxiao were still alive, how could the later-coming Guo Luoluo family be so rampant!
"Gerfin, shut up!"
When the words "Noble Concubine Yi" were mentioned, Suo Etu put down his tea bowl heavily, and a heavy haze appeared in his eyes. Seeing that Gelfen was still unconvinced and wanted to speak, he slammed the table and shouted: "Be careful with your words!"
Gelfen's chest kept rising and falling, and after a long while he lowered his head: "...It was my son who lost his composure."
Seeing this, Suo Etu sighed and said, "You are still young, and your Qi-cultivation skills are not yet perfect. You still need to hone your skills."
Even though there was someone else serving as the wedding master of ceremonies, he did not seem anxious or upset. He was completely different from his usual arrogance and impatience. It was as if he had finally calmed down after going through so many things.
"Father, aren't you in a hurry at all?" Gelfin couldn't help but ask.
Soetu shook his head, pointed at him, and was about to start a long lecture.
Just at this moment, a servant knocked on the door and said in a trembling voice: "Master, there is someone... someone is outside the secret door asking to see you..."
The tone was as if he had seen a ghost. Suo Etu narrowed his eyes, stroked the teacup and asked: "Who?"
*****
The secret door hidden in the lush weeds creaked and slowly opened.
Even though Soetu had some guesses, he still couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.
Gelfin's eyes widened. "You—"
The young man in front of him, wearing yellowed old clothes, looked destitute and miserable. His face was dirty and had a long scar running across his cheek. He looked ferocious and vicious.
He moved forward step by step, his legs limping, as if he would lose his balance and fall to the ground at any moment.
Longkodo grinned and said, "Master Suo, how are you?"