The New Year has passed, but the nights in the first month of the lunar calendar are no different from those in the twelfth month, and are still freezing cold.
Chen Jingzong covered himself with a quilt and held Huayang in his arms.
This way, you don't have to worry about her being cold and not being able to see each other's faces, nor do you have to worry about her smelling the alcohol on your breath.
He kissed the back of her neck again and again.
The satin quilt would slide down his strong shoulders from time to time. Every time it slid down, Chen Jingzong would pick it up until he could no longer care about it and could no longer concentrate on it.
The copper lamp was placed on the ground nearby. Its soft halo illuminated the white mist exhaled by the two people. A faint smell of alcohol filled the gauze curtain, which swayed slightly, as if it was also intoxicated.
When the sound of the second watch was heard from the distant street, Chen Jingzong finally lifted the quilt again and took the princess into his arms.
His heartbeat was like the beating of a drum, and the drumbeats passed through Huayang's back and matched her heartbeat.
It was like a storm roaring away, leaving only calm and tranquility.
Even though her back was facing Chen Jingzong, Huayang could still smell the alcohol on his breath. She used to hate it, but now she might have gotten used to it and didn't care too much about it.
She wanted to say something, but her voice became hoarse as soon as she opened her mouth. Without waiting for her to remind him, Chen Jingzong stood up, put on his coat, and went to pour her some water.
Huayang pulled the quilt together, turned around, and watched him pick up the kettle steadily, pour it, and walk towards him again.
When he entered the gauze tent, Huayang could see his satisfied handsome face and his eyes which were not drunk at all.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Jingzong sat down, handed the tea bowl to her, and asked her while looking at her.
Huayang drank some water first, and when his throat felt better, she lay down and interrogated him: "When you were in the car, you were pretending to be drunk and sick, right?"
Chen Jingzong smiled but did not answer.
Hua Yang glared at him and said, "You can be so proud of yourself. Next time, even if you pass out drunk, don't expect me to be soft-hearted."
Chen Jingzong: "We'll talk about it next time. At least I got enough benefits tonight."
Huayang ignored him.
Chen Jingzong went to pack up and help her wipe it again. After that, he got into bed and continued to hold her in his arms.
Huayang leaned against his warm chest and soon fell asleep.
The sleeping princess' body instinctively relaxed, softer than ever.
Chen Jingzong kissed her hair.
.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there was a lantern festival among the people and there was also a lantern festival in the palace. Only royal relatives were invited to the banquet.
After a break in the afternoon, Huayang was about to enter the palace. Chen Jingzong would definitely follow her, and Huayang went to Guanhe Hall to pick up Wanyi as promised.
Chen Bozong and Yu Xiu are both here.
Yu Xiu looked at her beautifully dressed daughter and said to Hua Yang, "Wan Yi is favored by you. She can go to the palace to see the world at a young age. Even mother said that she is the most blessed among all the children in the family."
Huayang smiled and said, "Father and mother will also go to the palace later. Even if I don't bring Wanyi with me, she can go with mother."
Wanyi: "But grandpa and grandma can go to the palace to enjoy the lanterns tonight, thanks to Fourth Aunt."
Chen Jingzong: "That's because of me. If I wasn't handsome enough to be the consort, would they be able to be relatives with the Emperor and his wife?"
Chen Bozong's eye twitched.
Yu Xiu blushed for her uncle and looked at the princess nervously.
Huayang took Wanyi's hand and said, "Let's go first. Let him ride the horse and follow the carriage. Anyway, he is as thick-skinned as a city wall and is not afraid of being blown by the wind."
Wanyi looked at her fourth uncle with a smile, then followed the princess and her fourth aunt and left first.
Chen Bochong used his eyes to warn his brother to have some shame.
Chen Jingzong turned a blind eye, nodded to his sister-in-law, and turned and left.
Yu Xiu stood at the door, watching the three people walk away. Recalling what her uncle had just said, she smiled and said to her husband, "The princess must be very good to my fourth brother in private, otherwise my fourth brother wouldn't dare to make such a joke."
Chen Bozong: "Good or bad, when has he ever said anything taboo?"
.
The guests invited to the banquet in the palace tonight were all royal relatives, so there were no separate tables. Everyone sat in the imperial garden and listened to the opera.
But the seats were divided according to closeness. Those who could sit next to Emperor Jingshun and Empress Qi were all favored concubines and real royal blood. Even Chen Jingzong, the son-in-law of the emperor, was some distance away from Huayang.
Princess Nankang's son Dunger is five months old tonight. He is chubby, with a rosy and cute little face, especially his pair of big black eyes.
Although Emperor Jingshun was the emperor, he was also a mortal. As he grew older and his children grew up, he could only hold his grandchildren in his arms and show them love.
Although Emperor Jingshun hated Meng Yanqing in his heart, he loved his new grandson very much and held him in his arms again.
Concubine Lin was very pleased and asked with a smile, "Who does your Majesty think Dun Ge'er looks like? I said he looks like Yan Qing, but Nan Kang said he looks like her."
Emperor Jingshun looked at his grandson carefully and said with some emotion: "It is said that nephews resemble their uncles. This is indeed true. I see that Dun Ge'er's eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as those of Prince Yu when he was a child."
Prince Yu was the first son of Emperor Jingshun who lived past one year old. Naturally, Emperor Jingshun loved Prince Yu very much. Moreover, when Prince Yu was born, Empress Qi had not yet entered the palace and Concubine Lin was in great favor. If Emperor Jingshun had not been afraid that if he was crowned as the Crown Prince too early, the little Prince Yu would not be able to bear it and die young, he would have really crowned Prince Yu.
There was no rush to confer the title upon the child when he was just born, and later on, I was no longer in a hurry, thinking I would wait until the child was older.
Then Empress Qi entered the palace.
When Emperor Jingshun saw Empress Qi, he was as if he had seen a goddess, and doted on her. As soon as Empress Qi became pregnant, he made her the empress. Even though Empress Qi's first child was a daughter, Emperor Jingshun was not disappointed at all, and doted on his daughter Huayang like a pearl. At this time, even if the ministers suggested that Emperor Jingshun canonize the already enlightened Prince Yu as the crown prince, Emperor Jingshun was reluctant to make things difficult for Empress Qi.
But after Empress Qi gave birth to Huayang, there was no movement in her stomach for several years. Before the little prince was born, Prince Yu was already twelve years old.
The ministers had to persuade him every year, and in the following years Emperor Jingshun had actually become shaken.
The problem is that Prince Yu is not ambitious. He is not smart enough to study, and he cannot endure the hardship of practicing martial arts.
Emperor Jingshun liked his only son but also hated him for not striving for success. Every time he called Prince Yu to test his homework in a good mood, he was almost mad at Prince Yu's stupid brain.
Although you may say that Prince Yu is not smart, he is smarter than anyone else when it comes to having fun!
This is a typical case of not putting one's mind into the right path. The more this is the case, the more Emperor Jingshun doesn't want to confer a title on this son. Even if he doesn't have any other sons in the end, he still wants to hone his son's character.
Soon after, Empress Qi successfully gave birth to Emperor Jingshun's second son.
People are biased. When Prince Yu was just born, Emperor Jingshun was worried that his son was not blessed enough to bear it. But when it came to Empress Qi's youngest son's turn, Emperor Jingshun forgot about this. Only when the second son was one month old, Emperor Jingshun's edict of enthronement came down!
After all, the little prince was the legitimate son of the Empress, and Empress Qi herself was well-known for her virtue. All the civil and military officials were convinced, and the few who opposed her were suppressed.
The little prince was also very promising. When he was three or four years old, he had already shown extraordinary intelligence and talent. Emperor Jingshun became more and more certain of his choice.
However, the palm and the back of the hand are all flesh, and Emperor Jingshun also dotes on Prince Yu, especially in the past few years, Prince Yu has gone to the vassal state, and will never do stupid things in front of Emperor Jingshun. Emperor Jingshun remembers more of Prince Yu's goodness. Tonight, the royal family reunited, but Prince Yu was missing. When he saw a grandson who looked like Prince Yu, how could Emperor Jingshun not think and feel emotional
When Empress Qi saw this, she said softly to Emperor Jingshun, "Come to think of it, Prince Yu has become an uncle, but he has never met Dun Ge'er and his sister. Why don't you ask Prince Yu to return to Beijing to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival this year?"
Emperor Jingshun had this idea, but he glanced at Chen Tingjian sitting in the seat in the distance.
At this time, what he saw was not Chen Tingjian alone, but the cabinet and all the civil and military officials in the court.
The princes were not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. This was a rule left by our ancestors, specifically to prevent the princes from colluding with the officials in the capital to rebel.
Since we have to be on guard, as an emperor, we cannot easily issue an edict ordering the princes to come to the capital. Even when our ancestor passed away, he specifically left a will not allowing the princes at the beginning to attend the funeral!
He can't even go to the funeral, so how can he call his son back just because he misses him
Emperor Jingshun shook his head and rejected Empress Qi's proposal.
But Huayang could see that his father missed Prince Yu very much.
Huayang knew that Prince Yu had already harbored rebellious intentions, otherwise he would not have gathered a group of local officials to support him right after his father passed away.
Huayang wanted to tell her father about Prince Yu's evil ambitions, but she had no evidence. She could show off her power as a princess in front of Prince Xiang, but it was impossible for her to easily deliver evidence of Prince Yu's intention to rebel to her father from such a distance. She had 300 guards, but even if she sent Zhou Ji and others to collect evidence, it would not be easy to get evidence of rebellion. If she alerted the enemy, Prince Yu's party would be able to catch her people and bite back.
The emperor's father does love her very much, but the premise of his love is that Huayang is just a well-behaved and sensible daughter. Once it involves state affairs, once the emperor suspects that she might frame Prince Yu, or even that she is teaming up with the queen mother and the prince to do something, Huayang cannot bear such serious consequences.
Huayang could perhaps find an excuse to tell his father-in-law about this matter and ask him to prepare for a rainy day.
But my father is surrounded by the Imperial Guards, and whatever the cabinet headed by my father-in-law does cannot escape their eyes.
Huayang was afraid that his rash actions would implicate his mother and the prince, and he was also afraid that his father-in-law would be implicated.
For these reasons, Huayang cannot plot against Prince Yu. The only way to stop Prince Yu from rebelling is to keep his father alive and well.
.
Some people like to listen to operas, while others like to watch lanterns.
Huayang listened to a play and then left the table on the pretext of going to watch the lanterns, leaving only two maids, Chaoyun and Chaoyue, with him.
There are many water features in the Imperial Garden, but the weather is cold and the water surface is frozen in winter.
Huayang had taken the opportunity of touring the garden during the day to see clearly where the ice was the thinnest. Now he took his two maids for a walk and finally came to a fish pond.
There are lanterns hanging on the trees beside the pool.
Huayang sat on a chair and said to Chaoyun, "The scenery here is beautiful. Go and ask the prince consort to come over to enjoy the lanterns with me."
Chaoyun left with a smile.
Chaoyue looked around and felt that this place was secluded and quiet. Along the way, there were many places with better scenery than this one.
She murmured in her heart, not daring to question the princess's choice.
"I haven't played on the ice for a long time. I'm going to go for a walk on the ice."
After sitting for a while, Huayang suddenly stood up and walked towards the ice.
Chao Yue quickly pulled her master back: "Princess, the ice here is thin. If you really want to play, let's go somewhere else!"
In the afternoon she followed the princess into the palace, and she noticed what the princess noticed.
Huayang: "Other places are crowded with people, I just want the quietness here."
There was no way Chaoyue could stop her from doing what she insisted on, so she had to hold the princess' arm and step forward together.
At first, Huayang just walked back and forth on the edge, and his thick-soled embroidered shoes made a dull sound as he stepped on the ice.
No matter where she is, Chaoyue is always by her side.
Huayang glanced at Chaoyue's hand and felt a little reluctant.
But my father also had rules for selecting girls. Every time he issued an edict after the Lantern Festival, the beauties from all over the country would go to Beijing for a month and then learn the rules in the palace for another month. When they were actually brought to my father for selection, it was spring and the flowers were blooming, and the beauties were more beautiful than the flowers.
As long as she stopped her father from selecting beauties this time, there would be one less new beauties in the palace, and her father would indulge in less unbridled sexual activities.
No matter what happens in the future, Huayang’s top priority is to avert his father’s death in May this year!
Your Majesty is merciful and will not punish Chaoyun and Chaoyue severely as long as she is not seriously injured.
In the distance, Chaoyun was holding a lantern and Chen Jingzong was walking behind her.
The fish pond is divided into two banks, with a stone bridge in the middle.
When Chen Jingzong was still a few feet away from the bridge, he saw Huayang and Chaoyue standing on the ice through the dry branches of the flower trees.
Huayang was wearing a crabapple red fox fur cloak. She seemed impatient with Chaoyue's following and ran a few steps on the ice.
When she turned around, their eyes met in the air.
Chen Jingzong was just worrying about whether the ice there was solid enough when he suddenly saw Huayang smiling at him.
Although the two of them had spent countless nights together, the noble and proud princess seldom smiled at him, and her most common smile was a sarcastic one during bickering.
But tonight, when she smiled, the moon in the sky and the lights on the treetops were all dimmed.
The moment Chen Jingzong lost consciousness, something unexpected happened.
The ice broke and the princess fell.
He pounced towards Yue, but fell into the water with the princess.
The lamp in Chaoyun's hand fell.
Before her scream could pierce the night, Chen Jingzong had already rushed out.
Huayang was very cold. She had never felt so cold since she was a child.
The water mixed with broken ice drowned her. Three mourning halls hung with white banners appeared before her eyes, as did the falling snow when Chen Xiaozong and others were exiled from the capital.
The next moment, her waist was tightened and she was brought out of the water.
Those images disappeared, her teeth chattered as she saw Chen Jingzong's face dripping with icy water, darker and gloomier than when she learned that she was molested by the Prince of Xiang.
(End of this chapter)