Zhou Duxin was brought to see King Jin by Zhou Chengxin on the second day after he attended the Qionglin Banquet.
As he was in filial piety, he could not be appointed as an official, even though he was the first in the second class.
The King of Jin gave him two choices: "When the mourning period is over, you can either enter the Imperial Academy and gain experience. Or you can enter the palace and become an official."
"I am willing to enter the palace and serve the prince."
"Have you thought it through?"
"Yes." Zhou Duxin answered firmly.
King Jin smiled and said, "Okay." But he did not promise to give him a good future.
Once the big thing is accomplished, the Zhou brothers will naturally benefit from it.
Qi Yongzhen was not treated so well. The King of Jin did not meet him. After he passed the imperial examination, he was sent to the Ministry of Rites and became the Right Secretary of the Ministry of Rites, a seventh-rank official.
Whether to use him or not depends on his performance.
After finishing the preparations for the Spring Examination, Prince Jin had time to spend with his pregnant wife.
Early in the morning, Jiang Changning woke up and called the maid to come in and serve him.
After washing up, she leisurely enjoyed her breakfast. Since she became pregnant, she had exempted herself from the morning and evening visits from Park and Chen Yi on the grounds that she had to concentrate on taking care of the baby.
You can't judge a person by his appearance. For her life's sake, it's better to stay away from him.
"Mrs. Cui's cooking skills are getting better and better. This abalone and chicken porridge is refreshing, smooth and delicious." Jiang Changning tasted the shredded lettuce with pepper and spices. "This dish is fresh and tender, and tastes good."
"As long as the princess can eat it, that's good." Nanny Feng said with a smile.
Jiang Changning was also surprised that she didn't have morning sickness.
While they were eating, Shu Fei came in with a smile on her face, holding a piece of gold-sprinkled paper in her hand, "Princess."
"Whose post is this?" Jiang Changning asked.
"It was sent by Eunuch Chang. It is given by the prince to the princess." Shu Fei said with a smile.
Jiang Changning was surprised. What was the King of Jin doing
After taking the flowery note, he saw that the Prince of Jin had written on it: The day is clear and the crabapple blossoms are in bloom. I invite you to enjoy their beauty with me in the Shu Guest Pavilion.
It was late April, the flowering period of the crabapple trees. There were dozens of crabapple trees planted in the flowerbed next to the Shuke Pavilion.
Jiang Changning smiled, "Tell them to prepare the sedan chair. I'm going to keep my appointment with the prince."
Before the appointment, Jiang Changning changed her clothes, tied her hair up again, and with the help of her maid, she got on the sedan chair and went to the Shuke Pavilion.
By chance, Chen Yi was flipping through a collection of poems when she came across the poem "Walking in the Small Garden at the End of Spring," which goes, "Once the plum powder fades, I apply new red to the crabapple. The flowers bloom until the end of their blooming, and the thorns grow out of the raspberry wall."
The interest in flower appreciation was aroused, so he asked the maid, "Where are the crabapple flowers in the mansion?"
The maid replied, "There are dozens of crabapple trees at the Shuke Pavilion, blooming beautifully."
Shuke is an elegant name for the crabapple flower, and Shuke Pavilion also points out that there are crabapple flowers planted there.
Chen Yi put down the poetry collection, stood up and said, "Let's go and enjoy the flowers."
As soon as I entered the garden, I was stopped, "Mrs. Chen, what are you doing here?"
"Eunuch Chang." Chen Yi bowed, "I heard that the crabapple blossoms are blooming in the garden, so I came here to enjoy them."
"Madam, please come back another day." Chang Youzhong narrowed his eyes slightly. She followed the prince here just as he came to appreciate the flowers. She was really restless.
"Okay." Chen Yi walked back with her maid.
After walking for a while, the maid asked in a low voice: "Is Madam going back like this?"
"if not?"
"Madam, Eunuch Chang is there, and the prince must be in the garden."
"I know." Chen Yi said calmly.
"Then why doesn't the lady go in?" the maid asked in confusion.
"Madam, what's wrong?" asked the maid.
Chen Yi said calmly: "Wait."
After a while, Jiang Changning was seen arriving in a sedan chair, escorted by a dozen servants.
The maid murmured, "The princess is already pregnant, and she's still occupying the prince."
Yes, the princess was pregnant, but she still refused to let the prince rest in another courtyard.
She originally thought that since the princess was pregnant, she would have the opportunity to serve the prince in bed, but she didn't expect that even meeting the prince would be a luxury.
Chen Yi's eyes revealed deep resentment, and he whispered, "If you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust."
"Madam, what did you say?" The maid didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing to say, let's go back." Chen Yi turned around and threw her long sleeves back vigorously.
Jiang Changning had no idea that her visit to the appointment with Prince Jin would be seen by Chen Yi, which would arouse her resentment and make her have bad intentions.
"Get out of the sedan." Jiang Changning got out of the sedan and walked up the stairs to the corridor.
Slowly walk through the crescent gate and proceed along the bluestone road.
The path is built according to the terrain and is unconventional. After passing a rockery, you will see an exquisite pavilion.
There are three big characters "Shu Ke Pavilion" written on the plaque of the pavilion. There are curtains and drapes on three sides of the pavilion, leaving only one side facing the crabapple flowers in the garden.
The crabapple blossom is gorgeous and colorful, but the only drawback is that it does not have a strong floral fragrance, only a very faint scent that is almost non-existent.
Even so, it does not prevent scholars and writers from loving the crabapple blossom. They write extensively about it and create popular poems about it.
"The east wind is blowing gently, and the bright light is spreading. The fragrant mist fills the air, and the moon is turning in the corridor. I am afraid that the flowers will fall asleep late at night, so I light high candles to illuminate their red makeup." Jiang Changning walked into the pavilion while reciting a poem.
In the pavilion, Prince Jin was sitting at a stone table with a smile on his face, and white porcelain tea set was placed on the table.
When he heard her reciting a poem, he also replied with one, "The branches are covered with new green, and the small buds are hiding a few red dots. Cherish your love and don't reveal it easily, and let the peach and plum blossoms bloom in the spring breeze."
"The sky is high and the clouds are light, and the breeze is warm. It is a perfect time to appreciate the flowers. Your Majesty is in a very elegant mood." Jiang Changning said with a sweet smile.
The King of Jin stood up and helped her sit down. "The flowers are beautiful, but without beauty, half of the fun is gone."
"I'm pregnant now and don't look pretty at all. Did you send the prince's letter to the wrong person?" Jiang Changning asked playfully with her eyes rolling.
"In my eyes and heart, Ningning will always be the most beautiful." Prince Jin said softly.
"Your Highness, your words make my heart blossom." Jiang Changning smiled sweetly.
Jiang Changning was pregnant and should not drink strong tea, so the teapot was filled with red dates and wolfberry tea.
After drinking half a cup of tea, Prince Jin saw that Jiang Changning had rested enough, so he helped her to appreciate the flowers.
There are four kinds of crabapples planted in the city: the four-season crabapple with clusters of flowers, the bright red weeping crabapple, the large-flowered western crabapple and the stalked crabapple.
The fiery red crabapple tree stood out particularly brightly among the green leaves. Prince Jin reached out and plucked a fully bloomed flower.
Jiang Changning smiled and said, "My dear, you picked the fragrant branches yourself."
"Let my wife wear the flowers." Prince Jin said with a smile.
Jiang Changning was stunned. He looked at the huge flower with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I thought you picked it to put it in a vase."
"Put it on the hairpin and let it tremble in the wind." Prince Jin insisted.
Jiang Changning could only turn her head and let him put the flower in her left temple.
The crabapple flower is known as the concubine among flowers. When worn on the head of Jiang Changning, who had become much plumper after her pregnancy, it made her look more graceful.
King Jin looked at it for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction and praised: "It is so beautiful that it is unrivaled in the world."
(End of this chapter)