At the end of September, an incident that was neither big nor small occurred in the capital.
Among the three cabinet elders, Lord Yin died of illness at the age of seventy-five.
This age is considered a long life, and Lord Yin had already reported for illness, so when this day finally came, the civil and military officials were not too surprised, and those who were friends with him came to pay their respects.
Chen Jingzong had no friendship with Lord Yin, but since two Lords passed away this year, he couldn't help but think of his own old man who was a Lord.
Although the old man looks strong now, he goes out early and comes back late every day. He doesn't know if he can live longer than Lord Yin in the future.
Chen Jingzong was lost in thought when he suddenly heard the eldest princess beside him sigh in the darkness. It was a very light sigh, and perhaps she herself did not even notice it.
Chen Jingzong turned around and hugged her from behind: "Why are you sighing?"
The two of them had been lying down for a long time. They shouldn't do anything tonight, so Huayang thought he was asleep. Hearing this, he paused and said, "Lord Yin."
Chen Jingzong: "If Mr. Zeng were still alive, he would definitely be upset. When he passed away, you still wanted to accompany me to Hongfu Temple."
Huayang: "You never say a serious word."
Chen Jingzong: "Why did Lord Yin make you feel sorry for him?"
Huayang made up a story: "He loves to laugh. When I was a kid, I went to the cabinet to play. Everyone else was very respectful, but he treated me like an ordinary girl. He smiled and introduced to me what they did every day."
Chen Jingzong: "How old were you that year? Was our old man there?"
Hua Yang: "Eight years old. My father is here too. I have only been in the cabinet for about a year. I have the least experience."
Chen Jingzong: "He is so lucky that he got to see the princess so early."
Huayang pinched him, but then again, although his father-in-law had the least experience at the time and had to rank behind the other elders, he was the youngest and most handsome, so the elder who impressed Huayang the most was actually his father-in-law.
Chen Jingzong squeezed her hand and said, "You were eight years old, and I was eleven, still running around in the mountains of my hometown."
This is how conversations between husband and wife are, the topic changes all the time with no pattern at all. Huayang couldn't sleep anyway, so he asked him how he lived by himself in Lingzhou before.
Chen Jingzong, however, was not serious. He hugged her and said, "My father doesn't love me and my mother doesn't care about me. I go to the temple to worship Buddha every day and pray to the Buddha to give me a wife who is willing to love me in the future."
Huayang: "It seems that the Buddha did not hear your prayer."
Chen Jingzong kissed her ear and said, "How could you not hear me? The Buddha felt sorry for me and sent a fairy to accompany me as a favor."
Huayang gently grabbed the mattress.
She didn't know whether it was his lips or his words that made her feel numb all over.
.
The funeral of Yin Ge's family had nothing to do with the Princess's Mansion. On the evening of October 8th, Huayang rarely did not eat first, but waited for Chen Jingzong to come back and eat his longevity noodles together.
The weather was cold but the noodles were hot. White mist rose from the bowl, blurring Chen Jingzong's face.
Chen Jingzong took a sip of soup and when he looked up, he found that she quickly lowered her eyes to cover up her gaze.
Chen Jingzong smiled: "Are you thinking about how to celebrate my birthday tomorrow?"
Huayang was just thinking about this day in his previous life.
Ever since Chen Jingzong died in battle, Huayang had completely memorized his birthday. How strange! Huayang clearly disliked him when he was alive, but now that he was gone, Huayang had somehow arranged for the kitchen to cook noodles tonight.
Of course, Huayang did not specifically ask for longevity noodles. Among the people around him, only Wu Run, who was the most considerate, looked at him with pity.
"You can go back to your home tomorrow night. I'll be there in the morning." Huayang said casually.
Chen Jingzong's face changed: "What am I going to do when I go back? Let the whole family celebrate my birthday?"
Huayang: "Don't you like to show off? Isn't the bigger the better?"
Chen Jingzong: "It's different. I like to show off when you give me gifts, but the kids at home don't celebrate their birthdays in a big way. I'm the only one who wants the whole family to prepare a birthday banquet. Even if I'm thick-skinned, I can't stand it."
Not to mention that he is twenty-five years old this year, even if he was fifteen, he would not need the whole family to celebrate his birthday.
Huayang smiled: "I want your whole family to celebrate your birthday."
Tomorrow in his previous life would be the day when the Chen family would commemorate him for a year, and everyone would be sad. But this year, Huayang wants everyone in the Chen family to be happy.
Not only this year, but every year when Chen Jingzong celebrates his birthday, unless something happens in the Chen family or the couple has better arrangements, she will definitely accompany Chen Jingzong home and have a reunion dinner with him.
Chen Jingzong thought that she was deliberately going against him, but he didn't expect that an hour later, when she was lying limply in his arms and about to fall asleep at any moment, she still remembered to remind him to go directly back to the Chen Mansion tomorrow night.
Chen Jingzong tentatively said, "I don't want to go."
The eldest princess closed her eyes, probably because she didn't want to talk. She just leaned upwards, first her soft lips touched his neck, and then when Chen Jingzong's heart was moved, she bit it with her teeth.
Chen Jingzong had no choice but to compromise.
Huayang added vaguely, "When you see father, elder brother, and third brother in the morning court, remember to tell them to go back after their shift, so as not to leave us waiting with empty stomachs."
Chen Jingzong: …
The next day, while it was still dark, Chen Jingzong got up early because the morning court would last at least half an hour. He had breakfast at home and then rode to the palace in the dark.
He arrived neither early nor late, and half of the ranks of civil and military officials were already in line.
Chen Tingjian was the chief minister, and Chen Bochong was also a fourth-rank official in the Dali Temple. One stood in the front, and the other in the front middle.
Only Chen Xiaozong, the sixth-rank official of the Shandong Qinglisi, stood behind the team of civil servants and was whispering something with two colleagues.
Chen Jingzong coughed softly.
Not to mention Chen Xiaozong, even Chen Bochong in the middle looked back.
Chen Jingzong just gave his third brother a look.
Chen Xiaozong and his two colleagues confessed their crimes and walked out.
Chen Jingzong stood in the middle of the tail of the civil and military officials and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too low: "Third brother, today is my birthday. The eldest princess said she wants to accompany me home to celebrate. After the court is dismissed, tell father and eldest brother not to go back too late and delay dinner."
Chen Xiaozong: …
Chen Jingzong is probably the only son-in-law who has done this since ancient times! Even the Prime Minister had to go back early so as not to delay celebrating his son's birthday, a son who was already 25 years old and could have been a father!
Chen Jingzong was not intentionally making it public. Today, he and his wife were destined to return to the Chen Mansion, and the old men were also destined to go back early. Instead of letting outsiders speculate whether they were plotting something, it was better to say it openly.
Chen Xiaozong also understood this truth. After listening to his brother's words, he pretended to be righteous and scolded his brother: "You are so grown up, and you still have the nerve to ask the whole family to celebrate your birthday!"
Chen Jingzong: "I didn't do it on purpose. Last night we talked about the years when I was a kid in Lingzhou. The princess took pity on me and insisted on doing it for me."
Chen Xiaozong: "Shut up, I'm embarrassed!"
He flicked his sleeves and returned to the team.
Chen Jingzong walked to his seat without any shame.
Some people, not sure whether they were joking or trying to curry favor with Chen Jingzong, loudly congratulated him on his birthday.
Then Chen Tingjian and Chen Bochong knew what was going on.
Not only the father and son, but other civil and military officials also unanimously believed that Chen Jingzong deliberately complained to the eldest princess about the injustice he suffered in his childhood, which led to the eldest princess's eagerness to protect her husband and insisted that the Chen family hold a grand birthday banquet for Chen Jingzong.
The news spread quickly in the palace. When Chen Tingjian came to report to Empress Dowager Qi and Emperor Yuanyou, both mother and son already knew about it.
Empress Dowager Qi said, "Huayang is so willful and has caused trouble for you, but you only go home around 1am every day, so you should really take care of yourself and eat on time."
How could Chen Tingjian let Empress Dowager Qi blame his daughter-in-law? He just thought that his fourth son was becoming more and more arrogant due to the royal favor, and he would definitely discipline him strictly when he returned.
Emperor Yuanyou said with a smile: "Today is the Prince Consort's birthday, sir, please don't spoil his and his sister's fun. You should return home early in the evening to enjoy the family happiness together."
Empress Dowager Qi smiled and nodded.
Chen Tingjian had no choice but to agree.
When it was time to end his shift in the evening, Chen Tingjian was teased by Lord Lu for only being late for two quarters of an hour, and was told to go back early.
When Chen Tingjian left the palace, he saw his eldest son and third son waiting outside.
Chen Mansion.
Sun was very happy. She didn't think too much about it. She just felt that her son and daughter-in-law had a good relationship. As for the birthday banquet, it was just a reunion dinner. The Chen family could afford it.
Luo Yuyan deliberately said sarcastically: "Mother can't just be partial to the fourth brother. Can you celebrate the birthdays of the first and third uncles as well next year?"
Sun smiled and said, "That needs to be discussed with your father. He has to agree to it."
Luo Yuyan burst out laughing. If her mother-in-law dared to mention this, her father-in-law would call Chen Bozong and Chen Xiaozong to the study to scold them and ask his sons if they were jealous of their younger brother.
Yu Xiu sat next to Huayang and laughed too.
After dark, Chen Jingzong and Chen Tingjian and his two brothers returned to the mansion almost at the same time. Chen Jingzong was faster. Just as he was being teased by his mother, Chen Tingjian and his two brothers also came in.
Chen Tingjian glared at the four men first.
Chen Jingzong looked at Huayang without disguising.
Huayang smiled and saluted his father-in-law: "I heard that the cabinet is very busy. We came back without warning. I hope we didn't disturb your father from doing his work?"
Chen Tingjian already knew that the eldest princess was willing to protect the fourth child, so he said respectfully that it was no problem.
The four of them changed into casual clothes, and after they came back, the family dinner officially began. Everyone tacitly did not mention anything like celebrating birthdays, which would make Chen Jingzong blush, and just treated it as a reunion dinner.
After dinner, Huayang took Chen Jingzong to stay. They lived alone outside, so it was natural for him to want to stay with the two elders for a while longer.
Huayang smiled and said to Chen Tingjian: "Father, my daughter-in-law hasn't played chess for a long time, and the prince consort is no match for me. I wonder if you can teach me."
Chen Jingzong: …
Chen Tingjian stroked his beard and asked the maid to prepare the chessboard.
Sun picked up a pair of scissors skillfully and handed them to Chen Jingzong: "It's time to prune the branches here. It's a good thing you're here. Give me a hand."
Chen Jingzong knew that this was probably not the first time Huayang had played chess with the old man.
He looked at Huayang deeply, then followed his mother to the begonia potted plant under the south window. He cut whatever branch his mother asked him to cut.
The maid brought the chessboard and set it up, then lowered her head and left. The thick cotton curtain at the door hung down, blocking the cold wind from outside.
It's quite warm in the main room.
After a few moves, Huayang looked at the long beard on his father-in-law's chest and whispered, "Father, there are only two cabinet ministers left in the cabinet, you and Lu. I guess you are going to recommend new officials to join the cabinet?"
Chen Tingjian only looked at the chessboard and nodded: "Indeed, does the princess have any suitable person to recommend?"
The daughter-in-law moved out to keep a distance from the Chen family, and he goes out early and comes back late, so it is not easy for the two to play against each other in this way, so no one needs to beat around the bush.
Hua Yang: "This year, officials have often criticized you for being the only one who has the final say in the cabinet. My daughter-in-law speculates that this time, my father will recommend a minister who has been against you."
Chen Tingjian: "The princess is smart, I do have this idea."
Huayang: "Former Prime Minister Gao once wanted to promote Zhang Pan to the cabinet, but it failed for various reasons. Zhang Pan has made great contributions to the peace talks with Altan Khan and has made remarkable achievements. Although he is from Prime Minister Gao's old party, he also supports your reforms. He is probably one of your favorite candidates."
Chen Tingjian's hand, which was about to make a move, suddenly stopped.
He had known that the eldest princess' daughter-in-law in front of him was not only beautiful and noble, but he did not expect that she would guess so accurately.
Huayang saw the approval in her father-in-law's eyes, but she felt unworthy of it.
Because all this happened in her previous life, she just saw the results and had the opportunity to do it again.
Fortunately, Huayang has become much more shameless after playing tricks many times.
It doesn't matter what her father-in-law thinks. What she has to do is to stop her father-in-law from promoting Zhang Pan, to stop her father-in-law from using this future prime minister who will be the first to jump out and demand her father-in-law to be liquidated after his death.
(End of this chapter)