It was getting dark.
Chen Jingzong looked at the princess who was still sitting beside the bed and teased, "Why don't you go back to your room to rest? Do you want to stay here and take care of me all night?"
Huayang didn't think so. She didn't know how to take care of people. If she stayed, Chen Jingzong would not be able to rest in peace.
She looked out the window again.
Chen Jingzong: "Go to bed, the old man is coming early."
Huayang felt uncomfortable when he heard the nonchalant tone.
Chen Jingzong slowly held her hand, looked at her downcast face and asked, "Are you worried that the old man didn't come to see me even though I was injured like this, or are you worried that the old man clearly cared about me but was treated coldly by us, so he probably doesn't dare to come now?"
Huayang said nothing.
Chen Jingzong: "Look, you still think I'm always jealous of the old man. He didn't do anything but got a little scolded by you, and you feel sorry for him. When have I not shed some blood to get you to feel sorry for him?"
He was injured, Huayang didn't want to argue with him at this time, and said calmly: "Father is old, and usually his heart is on state affairs. He is a strict father, but if he didn't care about you, he wouldn't be so busy before and still take time out to teach you personally. The deeper the love, the more severe the criticism. Father is such a person. Even if he never praises you outside, it's all due to courtesy. The more others praise you, the more he will hurt himself as a father."
In Huayang's previous life, his father-in-law was almost a perfect man.
In this life, she found that her father-in-law also had some problems, some big and some small, but there was no doubt that her father-in-law worked hard for the court, so Huayang hoped that he would not have to worry about anything at home except state affairs. But today, she scolded her father-in-law. In order to move back here to facilitate a conversation with General Qin, Chen Jingzong also deliberately humiliated her father-in-law in public, making the biological father and son seem like enemies. Huayang was afraid that he would be sad.
Chen Jingzong: "How can I not know what his temper is like? Don't worry, he has been in the officialdom for a lifetime and has become an old fox. It's just that now that he is in a high position, he is too lazy to guess people's hearts. He just does what he wants and is tyrannical. Anyway, everyone has to listen to him. But an old fox is an old fox. He probably has guessed what we are planning now, so he won't be so sad and tossing and turning."
Hua Yang stared at him and suddenly asked, "Do you also admire him?"
Chen Jingzong glared: "If I don't hate him, he should burn incense to thank the Chen family ancestors. Do you still expect me to admire him? You are dreaming!"
Huayang smiled.
Chen Jingzong: "What are you laughing at?"
Huayang patted his hands, stood up and said, "It's nothing. Since my father won't be coming, there's no need for me to stay here any longer. You can rest by yourself."
Chen Jingzong grabbed her little finger, and Huayang had to sit back because she was afraid that he would hurt the wound.
Chen Jingzong gritted his teeth and said, "Are you trying to piss me off on purpose? What do you mean you don't have to stay here if the old man doesn't come?"
Huayang: "Since you know I did it on purpose, why bother about it?"
Chen Jingzong: "It's not okay to do it on purpose. If you don't let me feel comfortable tonight, don't even think about leaving."
Huayang looked at him and suddenly raised his left hand. The wide scarlet sleeves were like a light cloud, covering the upper half of the prince consort's face.
However, the eldest princess' sleeves were made of the finest silk, and even through two layers of silk, Chen Jingzong could still vaguely see her figure and saw her slowly leaning closer.
This time, almost as soon as she kissed his lips, Chen Jingzong opened his mouth and at the same time held the back of her head with his left hand to prevent her from even touching him.
Huayang was afraid of pressuring the injured shoulder, so he used his left elbow to support it.
After kissing her until she could hardly bear it any longer, Chen Jingzong let her go reluctantly, but held her hand again.
Huayang glared at him: "Are you still not feeling better?"
Chen Jingzong's face showed deep meaning: "I feel relieved in my heart, but other parts of my body start to feel uncomfortable again."
Huayang followed his gaze, caught a glimpse of a blurry shadow, and pushed him away, quickly walking around the screen.
Chen Jingzong looked at her and paused for a moment, probably waiting for her face to become less red, before he left.
As soon as the eldest princess left, Fugui came in and looked at his own prince consort with a face full of heartache.
Chen Jingzong didn't need his sympathy: "Turn off the lights, I'm going to sleep."
Wealth: …
Before the Fourth Master got married, he often talked and laughed with him. Ever since the Fourth Master became a royal consort, his heart has been devoted to the Eldest Princess, and he has become less and less concerned about her!
Despite this, Fugui still spread his bedding next to the prince consort's bed in case he needed someone to take care of him at night.
In the Prime Minister's villa, Chen Tingjian was still reading by lamplight at night, reading memorials from various places handed in from the capital.
Liu Shu, an old servant who had served him for more than 40 years, came in and advised: "Lord, it's almost the second watch, go to bed early. You still have to accompany the emperor tomorrow, how can you be so tired?"
Chen Tingjian said without even looking up: "Read another one."
Uncle Liu shook his head and placed the copper basin filled with hot water in front of the bed.
The foot washing water was brought, and Chen Tingjian could only read a memorial before sitting down beside the bed.
Uncle Liu squatted down to wash his feet, and said to himself: "I don't know how the prince consort is doing now. He has lost so much blood. My shoulders hurt just looking at him."
Chen Tingjian snorted: "It's my own fault, who can I blame?"
Uncle Liu: "You are just being stubborn, but in your heart you may care more about your husband than anyone else."
Chen Tingjian: "He doesn't even consider me his father, so why should I feel sorry for him?"
Uncle Liu: "You really are getting more stubborn as you get older. In the past, when you argued with your wife, you were always the first to give in in the end."
Chen Tingjian sneered, meaning, how could a son compare with his daughter-in-law
However, Lord Chen, who used to fall asleep as soon as he hit the bed after a busy day, lay in bed for a long time tonight and was still very awake. No one knew when he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Chen Tingjian was still having breakfast when he saw Uncle Liu walk in from outside and report: "Lord, I heard that General Qin came early and brought two large boxes of gifts, waiting to visit the prince consort."
The incident happened suddenly yesterday, and General Qin was with the emperor the whole time, so he was unable to fulfill the etiquette. Today he came to visit the injured, so should he prepare a gift
Chen Tingjian frowned, but since Qin Yuantang had brought the gifts over, he didn't know what to say and just pretended he didn't know.
This was the most basic etiquette of the world, and Emperor Yuanyou did not take it seriously. He asked Cao Li, "Did Lord Chen go to visit?"
Cao Li: “Never been there.”
Emperor Yuanyou shook his head. The old man had a bad temper. He really had too many sons and didn't care about them anymore. If he had been injured so badly, his father would have been anxious to come back to life if he knew about it.
After breakfast, Emperor Yuanyou brought Cao Li to visit his poor brother-in-law who was not liked by his own father.
Chen Jingzong had already changed the medicine and was eating, leaning against the head of the bed, while Fugui was feeding him with a bowl of rice.
Emperor Yuanyou asked in confusion, "Why isn't my sister here?"
Chen Jingzong swallowed and explained, "The princess was too frightened yesterday and may not have slept well at night. She is still catching up on her sleep now."
Emperor Yuanyou: ...Okay, sister is more generous than Lord Chen, and he is the one who cares about his brother-in-law the most!
Emperor Yuanyou: "The general is outside seeking an audience, do you know?"
Chen Jingzong said worriedly, "I know, but without the princess's signal, I dare not invite the general in without authorization. I sent someone to persuade the general, but the general refused to leave."
Emperor Yuanyou: …
At this time, footsteps were heard outside. Not long after, the eldest princess, dressed in gorgeous clothes, came in late. When she entered the room, she asked Emperor Yuanyou, "Why did the emperor come so early? Have you had your meal yet?"
Emperor Yuanyou looked out the window which was already bright, but he didn't want to emphasize anything. He replied to his sister's greeting and mentioned Qin Yuantang again: "Sister, the general is sincere, please invite him in quickly."
Huayang gave face to his younger brother and asked someone to invite him.
Qin Yuantang was dressed in the uniform of a general and looked very majestic, but when he saw the three nobles, he still looked as terrified as he was yesterday.
Huayang looked at his brother and said indifferently, "General, there is no need to be like this. The Prince Consort said that it was his own impulse and it had nothing to do with the General."
Qin Yuantang smiled and said, "No matter what, the prince consort was injured by my spear. I specially prepared some tonic for him. I hope he will recover soon."
Huayang nodded, and the matter was over.
Chen Jingzong could not go anywhere for the next two days, so Emperor Yuanyou sat for a while and was about to leave.
Qin Yuantang hurriedly followed, and when they got outside, Qin Yuantang secretly glanced at Emperor Yuanyou several times.
Emperor Yuanyou smiled and asked, "General, is there anything wrong?"
When Qin Yuantang heard this, he knelt down before Emperor Yuanyou and said, "Your Majesty, I really didn't mean to hurt the Prince Consort!"
Emperor Yuanyou: "Of course I know, and I don't blame you. General, please get up quickly."
Qin Yuantang couldn't get up. He looked as if he was being hunted by his enemies. Only the Yuanyou Emperor in front of him could save him. "Your Majesty is wise, but I see that the Princess and Chen Ge Lao are still angry with me. The Princess at least accepted my gift, but Chen Ge Lao refused to even see me. It's obvious that he holds a grudge. If Chen Ge Lao is just giving me a cold shoulder, I will just bear it. I'm afraid that Chen Ge Lao will make things difficult for me after he returns to Beijing..."
As he spoke, Qin Yuantang's voice became lower and lower, and his face looked more and more aggrieved.
Emperor Yuanyou: …
He really didn't expect that General Qin, who made the Japanese pirates, Tatars, and Duoyan tremble in fear, was actually such a person in private.
Emperor Yuanyou paused, and considerately gave Qin Yuantang some advice: "Then you should also prepare a generous gift for Lord Chen."
Qin Yuantang was worried: "I don't know what he likes. I have given him beauties and expensive supplements before, but Elder Chen returned them to me and scolded me. I had no choice but to give him some worthless local specialties to show my respect. But after yesterday, I finally understood that worthless gifts are useless. I have just given the valuable gifts to the princess. I really don't know what else I can give to Elder Chen."
Emperor Yuanyou seemed to have just learned about this and asked in surprise, "You also sent a beauty to Lord Chen?"
Qin Yuantanghu's face turned red, he looked around, and said in a muffled voice: "I was originally in the southeast to fight against the Japanese pirates, and Elder Chen recommended me to come to Jizhen to be the general. I thought that Elder Chen promoted me, and he must want to get some benefits from me, so..."
Emperor Yuanyou laughed and said, "General, you are overthinking. Sir, you are a man of high character. He appointed you because he knows how to appoint the right person to the right position. It is definitely not for personal gain."
Qin Yuantang: "Yes, Lord Chen is a man of high moral character, but now I have stabbed the prince consort. He may be magnanimous, but he must be resentful of me in his heart! Your Majesty, I am not afraid of losing my position, but I am afraid that the Tatars and Duoyan will invade again. It is not that I look down on other generals, but I must guard Jizhen for you personally, so that I can feel at ease! I want to continue to train soldiers for you, build the Great Wall more solid, and make firearms more powerful. I am full of ambitions, please fulfill them, Your Majesty!"
After saying this, he kowtowed heavily to Emperor Yuanyou.
Emperor Yuanyou had personally seen the Great Wall built under the supervision of Qin Yuantang, the 100,000 elite soldiers trained by Qin Yuantang, and the power of the camp vehicles and cannons.
Chen Tingjian valued talents, and Emperor Yuanyou also valued talents!
He helped Qin Yuantang up with both hands and promised: "General, rest assured, as long as you are loyal to me and the court, I will always use you to defend Jizhen."
Qin Yuantang was overjoyed: "With your words, I will no longer have to worry about anything, and I won't have to rack my brains to give gifts to anyone!"
Emperor Yuanyou smiled.
When the two generals returned to Emperor Yuanyou's villa, Chen Tingjian and other cabinet ministers, as well as Liu Jie, the governor of Ji and Liao, and Liu Shou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had been waiting for a long time.
He Qingxian: "Your Majesty, how is the Prince Consort's injury?"
Emperor Yuanyou smiled and said, "I am better now. You don't have to worry."
Chen Tingjian looked at Qin Yuantang.
The others also observed Chen Tingjian and Qin Yuantang silently.
Qin Yuantang felt a little guilty at first, but then he remembered something and stood up straight, standing behind Emperor Yuanyou like a door god.
It is obvious that General Qin has obtained the support of the Emperor and is no longer afraid of Lord Chen!
(End of this chapter)