After leaving Ciren Palace, Jiang Changning put away his angry expression, sat on the phoenix chariot, and gently rubbed his forehead.
The Queen Mother is doing this because she is too idle. We need to find something for her to do.
Before Jiang Changning could figure out how to distract the Queen Mother, something happened in the Yan family. Bandits broke into the Yan mansion and stole property.
The servants were alarmed and they called for help, causing the bandits to rush into the main courtyard in panic and take Master and Madam Yan hostage.
In order to avoid harming the innocent, the Yan family guards had no choice but to let the bandits leave.
The bandits were cunning and untrustworthy. After escaping, they did not release Master and Madam Yan.
After receiving the report, the government sent officers to search for the suspect, but to no avail.
This happened more than a month ago. I don’t know what the situation is now as we are so far away.
The Queen Mother was extremely anxious. "It's no big deal to lose some property. How can you not protect your master?"
Jiang Changning sat quietly and listened to the empress dowager's complaints. As long as Emperor Xuanzhi was there, he would comfort his mother and there was no need for her to say anything.
"Don't worry, mother. Your son has sent troops to encircle and suppress these bandits. We will definitely find out the whereabouts of your uncle and aunt." Emperor Xuanzhi was also unable to ensure that the Yan couple would be able to return home safely.
"Your uncle and aunt must have suffered a great punishment this time," the Queen Mother sighed.
"Once I find my uncle and aunt, I will reward them with a team of guards. Do you think this is feasible, mother?" asked Emperor Xuanzhi.
"This goes against our ancestral rules and will not work." The Queen Mother rejected his proposal.
Emperor Xuanzhi pondered for a moment and said, "Give the son some more gold and silver so that they can hire more guards."
"That's fine." The Queen Mother agreed.
"Don't worry, mother. My uncle and aunt are blessed people. Good fortune will come to them." Emperor Xuanzhi said with a smile.
"God bless you." The Queen Mother clasped her hands together, "If only I could see it with my own eyes, I would feel relieved."
The Queen Mother wanted to go back to her parents' home. She had not been back for decades since she married into the palace.
Jiang Changning looked up at the empress dowager. If one does not return to his hometown when he is rich and powerful, it would be like walking in the night in fine clothes. However, the empress dowager's travel would make too much noise, and Emperor Xuanzhi was afraid that he would not agree.
"Mother, the journey is too long. You have never traveled so long before. You can't bear it." Emperor Xuanzhi advised.
"What's the big deal about the long journey? We have a carriage. My aunt sent someone to pick me up to Beijing that year, and I was fine on the road. My father also said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Along the way you can gain knowledge, broaden your horizons, and enrich your vision." The more the empress dowager spoke, the more she felt that she should go back to her parents' home.
Emperor Xuanzhi thought for a moment and said, "Okay, let the prince accompany you back."
"Okay." The Queen Mother was really happy.
Jiang Changning raised his eyebrows but did not object. The prince was old enough to act independently and it was time to let him go and take a walk. He had been trapped in this palace and had lost his experience.
What you learn from books is always shallow. If you want to know everything, you must practice it yourself.
Emperor Xuanzhi spoke to the empress dowager for a few more words, and after comforting her, he took Jiang Changning away.
When they returned to Qiyuan Palace and entered the east hall, Emperor Xuanzhi reached out and took her in his arms, "Do you want to go with me?"
"Your Majesty is wrongly accusing me. I don't want to go with you." Jiang Changning really didn't want to go with you.
She has read the poem "The road to Shu is difficult, harder than ascending to the sky".
There are no high-speed trains, no airplanes, and even no cars now. Are you trying to kill her by making her go there in a horse-drawn carriage on a not-so-flat road
Moreover, the Queen Mother went back to her parents' home, and she had to go back and forth
She could have a few months of peace and quiet for a few months, so that the Queen Mother wouldn't look at her with a reproachful look for delaying the expansion of the royal family.
"Next year, I will take you back to Hangzhou," Emperor Xuanzhi promised.
"Okay." Jiang Changning smiled. The road to Hangzhou is much easier than the road to Sichuan Province.
Knowing that the prince was going to escort the queen mother back to the Yan family, Xiaobai and Xiaoqian also wanted to follow, "Brother Prince, please take me and my younger brother with you. We are very obedient."
"No, you are too young. When you are a few years older and your father assigns you a task, you can go out." The prince refused them.
"We have to wait a few more years!" Xiaobai frowned.
"Be patient." The prince patted his two younger brothers on the shoulders, "Let's go, let's go see our sister."
The little princess, who was only one month old, was awake at this moment. She was lying in the cradle with her eyes wide open, but no one knew what she was looking at.
"Sister, your second brother is here to see you. Are you good? Did you drink your milk well today?" Xiaobai asked seriously, leaning on the cradle, as if his sister could really answer him.
Xiao Qian leaned on the other side, "Sister, sister, look at me, I am your third brother, your best third brother."
The prince coughed lightly, "Sister, I am the eldest brother."
"My sister is still young and doesn't know people yet. When she grows up, she will call me big brother, second brother, and third brother." Jiang Changning picked up his daughter and handed her to the prince, "Let big brother hold her first."
When Xiao Qian was born, the prince had learned how to hold a baby. He held his sister in the same way, and even clicked his tongue to tease his sister, "Mother, mother, my sister is laughing."
The one-month-old baby laughed unconsciously. It wasn't because of the prince that she was laughing, but Jiang Changning smiled and said, "She likes big brother. She's happy to know that big brother is holding her."
Jiang Changning hopes that these four children can be closer to each other as they are born to the same mother. She also hopes that little Xuanyi will not be trapped in the palace like her, but can fly out like a bird.
This cannot be achieved without the support of the prince. Only when the prince indulges his sister can little Xuanyi live freely.
Of course, Jiang Changning would not teach her daughter to be unruly and unreasonable. She would teach her daughter to respect her brother.
Time flies and it’s New Year’s Eve.
The palace held a banquet as usual, and officials above the third rank attended with their families.
Jiang Changning thought that this palace banquet would go by peacefully like in previous years, but who would have thought that in the middle of it, Banqin quietly came to report: "Madam, the daughter of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works fell into the water."
"Who rescued the person?" Jiang Changning asked.
"The eunuch beside the prince." Ban Qin replied.
Jiang Changning frowned, this was a plot against the Crown Prince, the family of the Left Vice Minister of Works had quite a big ambition!
But is the prince so easy to scheme against
The prince is surrounded by eunuchs and guards. Not to mention that it is a very cold winter, even in summer, if someone falls into the water, the prince will not go to rescue them personally.
"The prince invites you over," Ban Qin said.
"Yes, I have to go." Jiang Changning made up an excuse, left the table and went to the side hall.
From a distance, Jiang Changning saw the prince standing at the entrance of the palace, accompanied by several eunuchs.
Jiang Changning called out, "Son."
"Mother." The prince came over.
"Are you scared?" Jiang Changning asked with concern.
"Mother, please touch my ears." The prince said, bending down.
Jiang Changning smiled and reached out to touch the prince's ear, "Touch your ear, it won't scare you."
(End of this chapter)