With Xiao Shiqing's talent and power, he might be able to make things happen anywhere, but when it comes to guessing the children's emotional thoughts, it has almost become a normal situation for him to be crushed by Zhao Qi.
Zhao Mian had just given birth to the little prince, and was at a sensitive and irritable age. Even a harmless question would make him very uncomfortable.
He knew that Wei Zhenfeng had been living on the edge of a knife for the past six months. Although the pregnancy period was not easy, at least she could spend it at home with her family, while Wei Zhenfeng could only rely on himself in Beiyuan, where there were wolves everywhere.
He also knew that there must be a reason why Wei Zhenfeng couldn't arrive immediately after the incident.
But he was just angry. He was angry that Wei Zhenfeng didn't accompany him during his pregnancy, that Wei Zhenfeng didn't see their child being born, and that Wei Zhenfeng even missed their anniversary.
Fortunately, he could still control this kind of irrational anger. If his anger was quantified, he would draw his sword in anger at 50 points, but now he only had 10 at most. With only 10 points of anger, Wei Zhenfeng could almost coax him into submission with a few nice words.
He likes Wei Zhenfeng, and he is willing to give Wei Zhenfeng a chance to coax him.
Zhao Mian asked his father and the others to leave, leaving only Yun Yong and Hua Ju. He asked, "Where is the letter?"
Hua Ju was stunned for a moment: "What letter?"
Zhao Mian's face darkened: "Wei Zhenfeng has no letter for me?"
The chill from Zhao Mian made Hua Ju so nervous that she swallowed her saliva: "No, no."
Very good, the anger value has risen to twenty.
Zhao Mian asked again: "Did he ask you to bring a message to me?"
"Yes!" Hua Ju said hurriedly, "The prince asked us to apologize to His Majesty and beg His Majesty to wait for him for a while. Once the situation in Shengjing stabilizes, he will immediately leave for Shangjing."
This was still a reasonable statement, and the anger level dropped to fifteen.
Zhao Mian's tone slowed down slightly, and he began to care about Wei Zhenfeng's situation in Shengjing: "How did Wei Zhenfeng act during this palace coup? Tell me one by one."
Hua Ju looked at Yun Yong and whispered, "I just answered your majesty's question. Now it's your turn."
Yun Yong's temperament was much more mature and steady than Hua Ju's, but when she thought of what she was going to say next and the expression that Emperor Nanjing would have later, she couldn't help but shudder in advance: "Before we left, the prince specifically told us not to tell you if you ask about the palace coup."
Zhao Mian frowned: "Why?"
Yun Yong said with a stiff face, "Because the story is so wonderful, he is afraid that we can't tell it well and can't show his wisdom and bravery. He wants to tell it to you in person."
Zhao Mian: “…” What.
The anger value rises to forty.
"But there is one thing I can tell you right now." Yun Yong added hastily, "After the prince completely took control of the palace, the first thing he did was not to sit on the throne of Emperor Yuan, but to go to the queen's bedroom and find the phoenix seal of the Queen of Beiyuan. The prince said that this was the promise he made to you."
It seems that Wei Zhenfeng is still thinking about him all the time, and his anger value has dropped to thirty-five.
"I think you have brought the Beiyuan Phoenix Seal with you," Zhao Mian said calmly, "Give it to me."
Yun Yong looked embarrassed: "This..."
Zhao Mian had a feeling that Wei Zhenfeng was going to make trouble again: "Why, he didn't ask you to bring it to me?"
Hua Ju was tricked by his master and was sweating in the middle of winter: "The prince said that he would of course present the Phoenix Seal to His Majesty, but..."
It’s confirmed that Wei Zhenfeng is going to owe you something.
Zhao Mian asked coldly: "Just what?"
Hua Ju shouted out his master's instructions with a fearless attitude: "He just hopes that Your Majesty can promote his position first! The original words of the prince were: Let's not talk about the position of Queen Nan Jing for now, and it's okay if you don't give her the position of Imperial Concubine, but at least give her a title. I think the word 'virtuous' is very suitable..."
Zhao Mian: “…”
Yes, the anger value has reached forty-nine.
Zhao Mian took a deep breath and tried to use his strong self-control to control his anger level below fifty.
Don't be angry, don't be angry.
The doctor said he needed to rest, which was nothing to be angry about. Didn't he know what kind of person Wei Zhenfeng was? It was just Wei Zhenfeng's usual behavior. If he took it seriously, he would lose.
At this time, the sound of a baby crying was heard from the inner hall. Yun Yong and Hua Ju were both startled. When they looked at each other, they saw their own doubts in each other's eyes.
Zhao Mian was concerned about the little prince, and he did not want to embarrass the two girls who had come all the way to the capital to report the news, so he said, "Go find Bai Yu and ask her to arrange for you to stay in the palace."
Hua Ju said: "But your majesty, we have to rush back to Beiyuan as soon as possible to tell the prince that everything is fine."
Zhao Mian said coldly: "I look fine?"
Yun Yong and Hua Ju were speechless for a moment. They noticed that compared to the last time they met, Emperor Nanjing seemed to have lost a lot of weight, and his bright and beautiful face was full of fatigue, but his inviolable majesty remained the same as before.
"You can just stay in Shangjing." Zhao Mian said, "I will send someone else to tell Wei Zhenfeng about my news."
After Zhao Mian left, the two girls from Beiyuan immediately started a low discussion about the crying that had just happened.
Hua Ju asked, "Did you hear that?"
Yun Yong asked back: "Did you hear that?"
"I heard it." Hua Ju asked curiously, "Why is there a baby crying in your majesty's bedroom?"
Yun Yong thought for a moment and said, "Is it your Majesty's one-year-old little sister? The prince mentioned her."
Hua Ju suddenly realized and said firmly: "It must be."
With the overall situation in mind, Zhao Mian's anger level stayed at 49 for several days, and finally rose to 50 because he once again failed to coax the little prince to sleep.
Fifty is the point at which he would draw his sword towards Wei Zhenfeng. Even if Wei Zhenfeng was not by his side, he would still draw his sword.
Zhao Mian handed the little prince to the wet nurse with a gloomy face. Just as he was about to call for help, he saw Bai Yu rushing in.
"You've come just in time," Zhao Mian said, "Call the Second Prince to me."
"We should indeed ask the Second Prince to come down." Bai Yu was still panting but his face was full of joy, "Your Majesty, my teacher and I succeeded!"
After confirming that the Dongling secret medicine can be inherited, all the men in the Nanjing royal family are faced with the problem of possible pregnancy physique. At present, if you want to know the answer to the question, it seems that you can only try it yourself. However, once you succeed in the test, it is no joke, the price is too high.
In order to solve this problem, Master Bai Yu and his apprentice studied the Dongling secret medicine for a long time, read through the notes left by Wan Huameng, and after countless experiments, they finally found a way to crack it.
So, all the men with the surname Zhao in the palace gathered in Yongning Palace, waiting for the "verdict" from the imperial doctors.
"The secret medicine for having a child contains a unique herb found only in Dongling. After taking it, it will remain in the blood forever and can change the color of cinnabar." Bai Yu said, "So you just need to take some blood and drip it on the cinnabar. If the cinnabar changes color, it proves that the secret medicine is still effective in this person's body; otherwise, it proves that the secret medicine has lost its effect."
The last thing Zhao Mian had in his palace was cinnabar for reviewing memorials. Soon, four boxes of cinnabar were brought up, and standing in front of the cinnabar were Zhao Qi, Zhao Mian, Zhao Lin, and Zhao Fan, who was held by his wet nurse.
Zhao Qi and Zhao Mian already knew their own physical conditions and were calmer than Zhao Lin who was standing between them. If they were worried, it was only for their loved ones.
Zhao Qi nudged his youngest son and said, "Alin, come on."
"No, no, no, I'm not in a hurry." Zhao Lin's face was pale, and even with his dark skin, one could tell he was pale. One could imagine how panicked he was. "Father, brother, please go first."
Zhao Mian stretched out his hand and said calmly, "Come on."
Zhao Qi said: "I'll go with you."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, the Emperor." Bai Yu picked up the dagger and lightly cut the fingertips of the father and son. Blood immediately flowed out and dripped onto the cinnabar.
Xiao Shiqing took a step forward and stared at the cinnabar in front of the two men. In a short while, the cinnabar reacted and turned from bright red to orange in front of everyone.
Zhao Mian didn't react and calmly accepted the expected result. Zhao Qi was very depressed and complained: "It's been 20 years, I have given birth to three children, and the drug is still effective. It's too strong. Is it engraved into my... bone marrow?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Cheng Boyan said, "You only need to take contraceptive soup afterwards, and you won't have to worry about it."
Zhao Mian: “…” He finally understood where Bai Yu learned to be so outspoken about sex.
Zhao Qi held his forehead in silence: "I'm not in a hurry about this - Ah Lin, it's your turn."
Zhao Lin, a 18-foot-tall man, hid behind Zhao Mian and trembled: "Brother, I'm afraid..."
Zhao Mian scolded coldly: "Is this all the courage you have?"
Zhao Qi said: "If you are afraid, don't take the test. As I said, you won't have this problem if you are not with a man."
"No, father," Zhao Lin wanted to cry but couldn't. "If I don't have confidence, I will never dare to drink and get drunk with my good brothers in my life."
Zhao Mian couldn't stand such indecision, so he said to Bai Yu, "Just cut it."
Zhao Lin hurriedly said: "Then let my nephew accompany me."
Zhao Mian nodded in disdain. The dagger gently scratched Zhao Lin and the little prince's hands, and the little prince burst into tears. The others held their breath and waited quietly for Zhu Sha to tell them the result.
—Neither has changed.
"No, it didn't turn orange!" Zhao Lin was so excited that he could hardly breathe, "I can't have children!"
Zhao Mian also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the "Nanjing tradition" of the crown prince being born by the emperor himself could end in his generation.
Zhao Lin danced with his hands and feet, and he managed to create the momentum of a group of dancing bears.
In his excessive excitement, Zhao Lin even picked up the little prince and celebrated with him: "We can't have children!"
Zhao Mian and Zhao Qi were so annoyed by him that they told him to shut up in unison.
Zhao Lin really shut up. He didn't know what he was thinking about, and he ran away after saying "I'll take my leave first".
Zhao Qi asked from behind him: "Where are you going, A-Lin?"
"Let's go have a drink with our good brother!" Zhao Lin's cheers resounded through the sky, "Finally I don't have to hide from him anymore—"
"Come back," Zhao Mian called his silly brother, "I have something for you to do."
Zhao Lin was very happy to serve his brother. He turned around and ran back, his mouth almost curled up to the sky: "What do you want, my brother?"
"You go to Beiyuan in person, find Wei Zhenfeng, take back his title of the Four Concubines, and demote him to a concubine." Zhao Mian said angrily, "Also, tell him that if he can't come to the capital before the ninth day of the second month, he will never be allowed to come again."
Zhao Lin was a little confused and a little happy: "Brother, are you serious?"
The emperor has finally come to his senses and wants to leave the father behind and keep the son
"Sir, don't joke." Zhao Mian sneered, "If Wei Zhenfeng asks me about my recent situation in the capital over the past six months, you can tell me that my life has been so wonderful that I have to tell him in person so as not to lose the essence of it."
Zhao Mian knew that his silly brother was no match for Concubine Wei in terms of brains. If Zhao Lin went alone, he would inevitably be teased by Wei Zhenfeng. Therefore, he decided to send Shen Buci and Zhao Lin to the north together.
Without further ado, Zhao Lin drank with his good brother who had been neglected for a long time all night, and set out on the journey north the next day.
The ninth day of February was the little prince's full moon banquet, and Zhao Lin had to kidnap Wei Zhenfeng back to Nanjing before then. Time was tight, so he and Shen Buci traveled day and night, and arrived at the border town bordering Beiyuan three days later.
After several days of sleepless nights, even the strongest of men could not stand it. The two decided to rest in the inn for one night, cross the border tomorrow, and continue their journey north.
The Lantern Festival had just passed, and it was the beginning of spring. The border town was mostly populated by merchants traveling between the two countries, and there were many people and many things to say. Zhao Lin's Ferghana horse was priceless, so there was no market for it even if it was sold at a price. Shen Buci was worried that the horse would be stolen, so he said, "I will go out and guard the horse for the prince."
“No, no, Zhuifeng is very smart,” Zhao Lin lazily looked out the window, “If a stranger gets close to him, he will just kick him…” His Royal Highness King Jing saw something and his face suddenly changed, “Zhuifeng, what are you doing?! Who are you following? Hey—”
Upon hearing this, Shen Buci immediately flew out of the window and saw Zhuifeng following obediently behind a young man in black, ignoring his owner who was shouting "stealing the horse!"
Shen Buci used his Qinggong to catch up with him and put his hand on the young man's shoulder: "Who is it?"
The young man was extremely agile. He just made a move when his forearm was grabbed by the young man. Then a short knife was suddenly placed across his neck. He quickly dodged and was about to fight back when he heard a familiar voice: "Don't fight anymore. You still can't win."
Shen Buci's eyes widened slightly, and he quickly withdrew his hand: "Prince?"
Prince Beiyuan, who he hadn't seen for half a year, stood in front of him with a smile on his face: "It's me - Zhao Mian, are you okay?"
Shen Buci could not answer Wei Zhenfeng's question because of the emperor's order. He noticed that Wei Zhenfeng's steps were not as strong as before, and asked in a deep voice: "Is the prince injured again?"
Wei Zhenfeng raised his eyebrows and said, "Please don't say 'again'. It makes me sound like I'm often hurt."
Zhao Lin, who arrived late, was shocked to see that the "horse thief" was actually his nephew's biological father. "Wei Zhenfeng? Why are you here?"
It’s a pity that His Royal Highness Prince Jing could ask a question with such an obvious answer.
Wei Zhenfeng said nonchalantly: "I'm here to go shopping."
Zhao Lin: “???”
Shen Buci whispered in Zhao Lin's ear: "Prince Beiheng is being sarcastic. He is going to the capital to see His Majesty."
Zhao Lin was completely baffled: "What's so ironic about this!"
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and asked, "Is your brother okay?"
Zhao Lin always kept his brother's orders in mind and said, "No comment."
After failing to get an answer twice in a row, Wei Zhenfeng's heart sank and he frowned: "What happened to Zhao Mian? Are you guys here? Isn't it because he asked you to go to Beiyuan to find me?"
Zhao Lin said firmly: "I have said I have nothing to say. If you want to know, go ask him."
Wei Zhenfeng was worried and confused, but after calming down, he looked Zhao Lin up and down and felt relieved: "Thank you for letting me know."
Zhao Lin was confused: "What did I tell you?"
"If anything happened to Zhao Mian, you wouldn't be like this."
Zhao Lin was mocked. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but say, "There is something you will know sooner or later when you arrive in Shangjing. It doesn't hurt for me to tell you in advance. Wei Zhenfeng, have you heard of a rumor circulating in Shangjing?"
Wei Zhenfeng simply said, "No."
"My brother has been given a concubine!" Zhao Lin said in a fuss, "She is a concubine from the common people, and my brother likes her very much!"
Wei Zhenfeng looked at him: "Oh."
"What's your reaction?" Zhao Lin was stunned and couldn't believe it. "Aren't you jealous?"
"Excuse me, Your Highness Prince Jing, your mind is really at two extremes from your brother's," Wei Zhenfeng looked at Prince Jing in Nanjing as if he were a fool, "Can't you see that the concubine from the folk was talking about me?"
Zhao Lin: “…”
He really hated talking to smart people other than his father and his royal brother.
But it doesn’t matter. What I just said was just a small test. The real amazing things are still to come.
Zhao Lin looked like he was enjoying the show, and said, "What if I say that the concubine is not only favored by my brother, but also gave birth to a prince for him, how will you respond?"
(End of this chapter)