Ten days later at dusk, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's carriage was driving along the most prosperous street in Shangjing, heading straight towards the gate of the imperial palace.
Zhou Huairang, who was sitting in the same carriage with His Royal Highness, opened the curtain and looked at the familiar traffic outside, tears in his eyes, full of emotion: "Your Highness, we are finally back!"
The hustle and bustle of the bustling city reached Zhao Mian's ears, and the Crown Prince couldn't help but curl his lips: "Well, you're finally back."
The originally planned six-month incognito tour was extended to a year because of the unexpected events. In the past year, he has been to Dongling, where poisons are rampant, to the desert, to the majestic Shengjing, and to Yuzhou, where people are outstanding and beautiful... After experiencing so much, when he returned, he still felt that Shangjing was incomparable to any other place.
It is several times more prosperous than Dongling Kyoto, but it also has the majesty and grandeur that a capital should have. The broad avenues are lined with green trees, and there are numerous shops of all kinds. On the streets, you can often see foreigners in strange clothes, with blond hair and blue eyes, and young girls who have not yet married and do not wear veils. This is a scene that you can never see in the other two imperial capitals.
In Shangjing, you can eat all the delicacies of Nanjing and buy the most expensive and gorgeous silks; ordinary people can borrow any book from the "Shangjing Bookstore" and enjoy the latest performances of the palace women's troupe in the restaurant.
Shangjing was also a free city. Two of the four great universities in the country were in Shangjing, and there were people with lofty ideals who criticized the current situation everywhere in the city. Under their influence, even illiterate street vendors could express their opinions on the latest regulations issued by the court in a well-organized manner.
"Speaking of which, the Crown Prince is going to ascend the throne this year, but he hasn't even married a Crown Princess yet. Is he going to marry a Queen directly?"
"Ah, you can't say that! Your Majesty is in his prime, and the prince is still a long way from ascending the throne."
"Tsk, I can tell from the first glance that you are the type of person who doesn't care about the affairs of the court. His Majesty has long said that he will abdicate when the crown prince reaches adulthood. This year, the crown prince is already nineteen years old, twenty years old in lunar age, and twenty-one in lunar age..."
The carriage of the 21-year-old Crown Prince drove to the Taihua Gate, the main gate of the imperial palace. The nine palace gates opened one after another in front of him, and he saw endless red pillars and carved rafters and heavy dragon thresholds.
The imperial guards marched in formation, carrying swords at their backs; the palace maids supervised them, and everything was in order.
This is the home of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
According to etiquette, when the Crown Prince returns from a year away from the capital, he should first go back to the East Palace to bathe and change into the crown prince's robe before he can see the emperor. However, the current emperor has never taken etiquette seriously, and the Crown Prince sometimes doesn't follow the rules. When he returns to the palace, he and Prime Minister Xiao go straight to the emperor's bedroom.
Zhao Mian had not seen his father for a year, and his longing for him was all transformed into a rapid pace. If he had not been seen by the palace maids and eunuchs, and if he had not been concerned about the prince's manners, he would have wanted to run.
Xiao Xiang was in the same mood. Fortunately, the father and son had long legs, and they arrived at the emperor's bedroom not long after getting off the carriage.
Emperor Jing's personal eunuch Jiang Dehai saw the two of them from afar and smiled widely: "Your Highness, Your Highness, Prime Minister, you are finally back!"
Zhao Mian couldn't wait to ask, "Where's the Emperor?"
Jiang Dehai said: "The emperor is reviewing memorials."
Xiao Shiqing asked, "Is everything okay, Your Majesty?"
"Very good, very good," Jiang Dehai said as he led the two into the bedroom, "Counselor Cheng said that the emperor will give birth in half a month."
Zhao Mian breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he made it in time.
As soon as Zhao Mian's left foot stepped into the bedroom, he heard an extremely familiar voice: "Mian Mian!"
There is only one person in this world who would call him that to his face.
On the bright yellow dragon bed, half lying was a man with bright eyes, white teeth and fair skin. He was wearing loose pajamas, with long black hair draped over his chest, forming a distinct arc on his abdomen.
It was not known whether it was because time had been especially kind to him, or because he had always been optimistic and open-minded and never took anything bad to heart, but he still looked as young as Zhao Mian had been when he was a child, with life and energy in his eyes.
This person is Zhao Mian’s father, the Emperor of Nanjing, Zhao Qi.
Jiang Dehai was right, Zhao Qi was really reading the memorial. He set up a long table on the dragon bed, and on the table, in addition to writing brushes, ink and jade seals, there were also a bunch of snacks he liked to eat, and he would eat a few bites when he felt hungry while reading the memorial.
At this time, Zhao Qi no longer had the heart to read the memorial, nor was he greedy for food. His mind and eyes were filled with Mian Mian, whom he had not seen for a year. When he smiled, his eyes curved into the crescent moon in the sky.
Zhao Mian smiled brightly: "Father."
Jiang Dehai on the side said with a smile: "Your Highness the Crown Prince looks just like His Majesty when he smiles like this."
Xiao Shiqing looked at the scene of the father and son reuniting, and his usually cold eyebrows were tinged with warmth: "Yeah."
Zhao Mian's first dinner after returning home was in his father's bedroom. His father asked him about his schedule for the past year in detail, and later on, the focus naturally shifted to a certain Beiyuan person.
"Nothing else matters, except saving you from the sandstorm and risking his life to protect you in the desert underground palace..." Zhao Qi praised, "These two moves gave him a lot of points."
The small handbook on financial assistance had been handed to him. Zhao Qi read it carefully item by item, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, and occasionally he would exchange views with Xiao Xiang.
Zhao Qi looked curious: "Brother, what does the little prince of Beiyuan look like? Fu Zi said he has an 'excellent appearance', how 'excellent' is he? In terms of appearance alone, is he worthy of Mian Mian?"
Xiao Shiqing said without hesitation: "Not worthy."
Zhao Mian: “…”
Zhao Qi frowned, "What does it mean that Wei Zhenfeng doesn't want to stay in Nanjing permanently? Does he want Mianmian to have a long-distance relationship with him?"
Xiao Shiqing said in a calm tone: "Wishful thinking."
Zhao Mian disagrees with the two fathers' views: "'If love lasts forever, it doesn't matter if you are together day and night'. Long-distance relationships are good."
Zhao Qi looked at his son: "Mianmian, do you really think so, or are you just pretending?"
Zhao Mian said stubbornly, "I really think so. I am very busy, and I don't have time to accompany him when he is around. It is better for us to be in different places and busy with our own things, and then meet each other when we are free."
The expression "I don't believe it" was written all over Zhao Qi's face. He wanted to ask more, but Zhao Mian changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about Wei Zhenfeng anymore. Let's talk about you, father." Zhao Mian's eyes fell on Zhao Qi's bulging belly, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly, "Will father give me a sister?"
Zhao Qi shrugged: "Who knows. But I do like spicy food in the past nine months."
Zhao Mian was a little curious: "Did father take the secret medicine again?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible." Zhao Qi looked at his stomach sadly. "Cheng Boyan speculated that the medicine I took back then must have completely changed my physique. The probability of such a thing happening is extremely small, but I actually encountered it. I have to admit it."
In this case, his little sister was not what the emperor and father expected, just like he was back then.
Zhao Mian thought of the past events that Bai Yu had mentioned before, and wanted to ask his father about the details of his birth. But his father was still here, so it was not convenient for him to ask.
Zhao Qi suddenly thought of something and sat up: "Mianmian, Wei Zhenfeng didn't eat this kind of thing, right?"
Zhao Mian was puzzled: "What is that?"
"Dongling's secret medicine."
After understanding what his father was worried about, Zhao Mian's expression became extremely subtle: "No, none of us ate it."
Zhao Qi lay back down again: "That's good, that's good. I was worried that he would take our Nan Jing's bloodline back to Bei Yuan and never come back."
Zhao Mian: "... Father, don't worry."
Xiao Shiqing helped Zhao Qi lie down and said to Zhao Mian, "You must be tired after traveling all the way. Go back to the East Palace and rest first. The emperor cannot attend the court in the morning, so the crown prince will be the regent in the future."
Zhao Mian stood up from the bedside: "Yes, father. Father, I will come to pay my respects to you tomorrow morning."
Zhao Qi smiled and said, "There's no rush to pay respects or supervise the country. Just sleep in for a few days first."
The husband and wife watched their eldest son leave. Xiao Shiqing suddenly said, "Why doesn't the emperor ask Wei Zhenfeng how tall he is?"
Zhao Qi slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, right, I forgot to ask this - so how tall is he?"
Xiao Shiqing said: "It is much taller than Mianmian."
Zhao Qi was stunned for a moment: "How much is 'quite a few'?"
Xiao Shiqing said: "Wei Zhenfeng is better than Shen Buci, and his skills may be comparable to Shen Buci."
Zhao Qi was silent for a long time, then said slowly: "Brother, are you hinting at something to me?"
Xiao Shiqing said: "What does the emperor think?"
Zhao Qi's expression gradually lost control: "Impossible, Mianmian is so strong-willed!"
Xiao Shiqing sneered: "So, Wei Zhenfeng is capable."
Zhao Qi felt like he was about to suffocate: "Fuck, my Mianmian baby..."
Zhao Mian returned to the East Palace. There was a group of people kneeling at the door, led by the East Palace trio: "Your Highness, please return to the palace."
The entire Nanjing Palace was extremely luxurious, and the East Palace was the most luxurious of all. The prince had to study hard at a young age, learning to be a crown prince who always maintained the demeanor of a great country. This made the emperor very distressed, and he sent all the good things to the East Palace over the years.
Take the bed that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sleeps on, for example. It is made of the best red sandalwood in Nanjing, which absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of time. It is exquisitely crafted and impervious to water and fire. Sleeping on it can calm your mind and soul, and allow you to rest and concentrate.
When Zhao Mian was away from home, he slept in countless beds, including the dragon bed prepared by the Xixia emperor for himself in the underground palace. None of them could compare to this bed. As soon as Zhao Mian lay down on it, he instantly felt that he had suffered too much in the past year.
This bed is wide and long, and can accommodate three adult men. Zhao Mian didn't think it was a big deal to sleep alone before, but now he can't help but think that if Wei Zhenfeng can sleep with him, he can let Wei Zhenfeng feel the difference between Nanjing and Beiyuan.
After feeling this, Wei Zhenfeng must be feeling ashamed of himself, and might even work extra hard in bed to make up for it.
Zhao Mian was unhappy to find that he began to miss Wei Zhenfeng, and this was only the tenth day since they were separated.
Wei Zhenfeng should have returned to Shengjing by now and started to gradually infiltrate the Beiyuan Imperial Guards.
Zhao Mian was lying alone in bed, feeling very tired but not sleepy. He got up, put on his coat, went to the desk, opened a blank book, and planned to write down his experience of the past year in written form and present it to his father.
Bai Yu, who was passing by, saw that the lights were on in the prince's bedroom, so he went forward and knocked on the door. After receiving permission, he walked in. "Your Highness, why are you still not asleep so late?"
Zhao Mian held the pen in one hand and lowered his eyes and said, "Write something."
Bai Yu walked to Zhao Mian and put a fox fur coat on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the handwriting of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince - two neat and straight Chinese characters "正".
What does this mean
Bai Yu didn't ask any more questions, but smiled and said, "Your Highness, have you lived outside for too long and are not used to our Eastern Palace?"
"No." Zhao Mian closed the memorial, "I was just wondering what Wei Zhenfeng is doing now."
Bai Yu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. His Highness was still young and in love for the first time. He thought he could control the pain of lovesickness. He never thought that lovesickness was always a worry that would linger in the heart even after one had put it away from the brow.
"If Your Highness misses the young prince, why not write him a letter?"
Zhao Mian was slightly startled: "Write a letter?"
"Yes." Bai Yu said, "If you send it to Shengjing as fast as possible, Your Highness will receive a reply from the young prince soon."
That's a good idea. Meet once every three months, but write letters every month.
only…
"Then why didn't he write to me?" Zhao Mian said arrogantly, "I asked him to write first."
(End of this chapter)