Twenty-six guards surrounded the capital city. It took an hour of fast horse travel from Daxing Zuowei to the capital city.
The last rays of sunset shone down, and the towering and heavy city walls cast a huge deep shadow on the ground.
There was a long queue in front of the city gate. They might be the common people who had left the city during the day and were now returning, or the caravans who had come from far away to do business. After all, this was the capital city, and it was far more prosperous than other cities.
Chen Jingzong rode on his horse and stood silently at the end of the team.
Fugui followed beside him and whispered, "With your status, the prince consort or the commander, the guards will let anyone go if they say hello. Why bother waiting here?"
In fact, the master has a third identity as the son of the current Prime Minister, which is equally useful. However, Fugui knows that the master and the old man don't get along, so he didn't mention it.
Chen Jingzong glanced at him and said, "You are quite arrogant. Do you often show off your power outside by relying on my status?"
Fugui shrank his head, and hurriedly said in defense: "How dare I? Besides, I follow you every day, so I don't have any chance at all."
Chen Jingzong: "You'd better behave yourself, or I'll send you to the border to serve as a soldier."
Fugui quickly promised that he would behave himself.
The master and servant stopped talking.
Although Chen Jingzong had changed into a casual outfit, his imposing figure and the momentum of sitting on horseback were enough to attract attention, causing people in front and behind the team to look at him. The people in the back could only see his back, but the people in the front could clearly see Chen Jingzong's handsome face. In one of the carriages, a young lady from an official family who came to the capital to visit her relatives could not help but secretly look at Chen Jingzong by the small window at the back after being reminded by her maid.
"Looking at his demeanor, he must be a nobleman from a large family. If he is not married yet, he is a perfect match for you, young lady."
"Don't talk nonsense. I don't even know him."
"That's easy. They're not far away. I'll ask the servants following the car to listen carefully. Then we'll know his identity."
Soon, it was the turn of this carriage to enter the city. After the carriage passed, a servant deliberately slowed down his pace and tilted his head to look back.
After a while, Chen Jingzong and Fugui rode past him on horseback.
The servant also came to his senses and ran to report to his mistress: "Miss, I heard it clearly. The city guard called that young man "Prince Consort"!"
The lady and the maid in the car:…
No wonder they all thought he was good, it turned out that the young man was actually the husband of a certain princess! .
Chen Mansion.
When it was time to get off duty, Chen Tingjian stayed in the cabinet for more than an hour before coming out. He walked out of the imperial city along the long palace road and then took his own carriage back home.
What a coincidence, as soon as he got off the car, he saw two horses turning around the alley. Who else could be riding on the leading horse but his fourth son
Chen Tingjian snorted heavily.
Ever since the fourth son had the audacity to ask the emperor for the job of commander of a guard, Chen Tingjian wanted to have a good talk with his son. As a result, the fourth son moved to the guard post that very day and didn't return home for more than ten days. If those words were seeds, they would have sprouted in his stomach by now!
Flicking his sleeves, Chen Tingjian went in first.
Even though they were several houses apart, Fugui still felt the chill in the old man's eyes and couldn't help but shiver.
Chen Jingzong looked normal.
When they arrived at the front door, Fugui led two horses to the stable. Chen Jingzong was about to go to Siyi Hall when the steward guarding the door said with a smile, "Son-in-law, the old lady guessed that you would be back tonight, and she specifically told you to have dinner at Chunhe Hall. The old man just said the same thing."
Chen Jingzong paused and walked towards the main house.
The young and strong prince consort walked very quickly. When he reached the corridor of Chunhe Hall, he saw the old man just stepping into the hall, with his mother standing beside him and talking to him.
Sun was just about to discuss with her husband about waiting a little longer, waiting for the fourth son to come back so that the three of them could have dinner together, but before she could finish her words, the fourth son's figure appeared before her.
Sun smiled happily and said to her husband, "Okay, go wash your hands. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare dinner right away."
Chen Tingjian: …
It turns out that he was busy in the cabinet all day and finally got home, but he had to adapt to the fourth brother's schedule to have a hot meal
His wife has changed. When they were young, she always put him first. Now he is not even as good as the fourth child!
Chen Tingjian's mood became even worse.
Mrs. Sun was already greeting her son with a smile on her face.
Chen Jingzong: "You haven't eaten yet? Just to wait for me?"
Sun: "Waiting for you? You really think you are so handsome, don't you? Recently your father comes back at this time, and I am waiting for him, and for you at the same time."
Chen Tingjian, who was about to go to the next room to wash his hands, snorted again.
Chen Jingzong: "How did you know I would come back today?"
Sun: "The princess sent a message home, saying that she will be back tomorrow. I guessed that you would definitely come back tonight. I don't know my son well enough. His parents can be ignored, but he must cherish his wife."
Chen Jingzong: …
Sun also pushed her son to the side room and watched the father and son wash their hands and faces.
There was only a copper basin on the washstand. Chen Tingjian first wet a towel and wiped his face. He was now washing the towel in water and then wiping his hands.
Sun brought another towel and was about to put it in the water, but Chen Jingzong said disdainfully, "I don't use water that has been used by others."
Chen Tingjian's face turned dark.
Sun glared at her son: "Your eldest and third brothers can say such things, and you are pretending to be so sophisticated in front of me. Who jumped in mud puddles every day when they were young? Besides, your father sits in the cabinet every day, how much dust can there be on his body? Even if he washes his whole body, it will be cleaner than the water you use to wash your face!"
Chen Jingzong looked behind the old man meaningfully and said, "If you sit there every day, you might get sick again."
Chen Tingjian: …
Sun blinked her eyes and turned back to remind her husband: "You too, don't forget the pain again because the wound has healed. Imperial Doctor Li is not in the capital."
Chen Tingjian dropped the towel and went to the main room.
Sun asked the maid to change the basin of water, and only then did Chen Jingzong agree to wash his hands.
At the dinner table, Sun kept picking up dishes for her son. The young man, who was in his early twenties and a military officer, had worked hard all day and was easily hungry.
Based on his son's performance in Lingzhou Wei, Chen Tingjian believed that his son could lead Daxing Zuowei well. What he was afraid of was that after Daxing Zuowei became strong, his son would become ignorant of the immensity of the world and would go to other guards to find a place to use his talents.
There was no such way of being a clerk, not even his son. The emperor had made an exception and promoted his son to be commander, which was already a special favor.
The boss is very good and keeps his composure. Even when he has the talent and opportunity to go to the Six Departments for further training and experience, he keeps his composure.
Being both a father and son as cabinet ministers is an honor, but also a danger. Others appreciate it, but Chen Tingjian doesn't care.
He just needs to stay in the cabinet, and when he is old and ready to retire in the future, if there are other talented people in the court, it doesn't matter if the eldest brother continues to stay in the Dali Temple. If there are no talented people in the court, the eldest brother can naturally show his ability without relying on his father to enter the cabinet.
Of his three sons, the eldest and the youngest listened to him and took the overall situation into consideration. Only the fourth son refused to listen to his advice and was always impulsive, catching him off guard.
Just saying that they went to the guard post to train troops shows that the emperor has no suspicion of the Chen family. If it were someone more suspicious, would he suspect that Chen Tingjian deliberately instructed his son to say that in order to get his hands on the 26 guards in the capital
When Chen Tingjian thinks of that day now, he still feels nervous.
Chen Jingzong lowered his head and ate.
He didn't talk back, so Chen Tingjian thought his son had listened to him. Looking at his son's slightly tanned face, Chen Tingjian couldn't help but ask, "The Beijing Guards are different from the local guards. Many of the soldiers come from famous and noble families. After you go there, will those people be willing to listen to you?"
Chen Jingzong: "I am the son of the minister and the son-in-law of the emperor. Who dares not to listen? Even if they go home and complain, their parents will just tell them to shut up and bear it."
Chen Tingjian also guessed that among the children of the powerful and wealthy, those who had real prospects all took the imperial examinations, or learned martial arts and held important official positions. Only those unlearned and unskilled playboys would be sent to the garrisons by their families, so that they could at least get a salary, which was better than doing nothing.
"I'm not afraid of offending gentlemen, but I'm afraid of offending villains. Some people may listen to you on the surface, but they may seek revenge in their hearts. Although you are the emperor's son-in-law, if you make a mistake and are caught by others, the emperor will not be able to defend you openly, so you still have to be careful in what you say and do. By the way, drink less alcohol, just in case you get drunk one day and someone comes to you to do something bad."
Thinking of the behavior of those playboys, Chen Tingjian said seriously.
Sun had been listening silently to the conversation between the father and son. At this moment, she nodded and followed her husband in giving a few words of advice.
Chen Jingzong hummed casually, and it was unclear whether he agreed or was just trying to please him.
After he left, Sun said to her husband in surprise, "You were weird today. You didn't scold your son for no reason and spoke to him in a gentle manner."
Chen Tingjian: "Will teaching me a lesson be useful? I dare to scold him, and he dares to put down his chopsticks and leave. He doesn't come home for ten days or half a month, and I don't even have a chance to remind him. I don't want him to come back with a big hole and implicate our whole family one day."
Sun smiled and said, "Don't worry, once the princess comes back, he will definitely come home every day. You can teach your son anytime you want."
Chen Tingjian pursed his lips.
The son coveted the princess's beauty, which only wronged the princess. A person of great wealth and status had to face a rude man like the fourth son all day long! .
Siyi Hall.
Chen Jingzong was still resting in the backyard.
He didn't need any maids to keep watch at night, so Chaolu and Chaolan would continue to sleep in the small courtyard specially reserved for maids like them tonight.
When two people sleep in the same room, they can't help but whisper to each other when they first lie down.
"What a fool the prince consort is. The princess is coming back, and he comes back too. Can't he see that the princess doesn't want him to come to the backyard at all?"
"Who knows, maybe when they were in Lingzhou, the princess and her husband became more affectionate."
"I don't believe it. I've never seen a princess dislike someone so much. She just dislikes Concubine Lin and Princess Nankang."
"It's a pity that Zhen'er, Zhu'er and the others are also in the palace, otherwise we could ask them."
"Forget it, the princess will be back tomorrow. Ah, I miss her so much. It's a pity that the ancestral home of the elders is too small, so the princess couldn't bring all of us with her."
That night, the two maids who were anxious to see the princess suffered from insomnia.
In the main room, Chen Jingzong tossed and turned in bed several times before he managed to fall asleep at almost three o'clock in the morning.
The next morning, Chen Jingzong had breakfast in Siyi Hall, packed up briefly, and set off.
In the palace, Emperor Jingshun and his family of four were in Fengyi Palace.
The prince was not happy: "Sister, why don't you stay in the palace for a while longer?"
Huayang: "What's wrong with staying longer? You study and practice martial arts every day, and you can only spend time with me for dinner. If I move out of the palace, I can still go to the city for a stroll during the day."
The prince immediately showed an envious expression.
Huayang smiled and said, "It's still hot now. When it cools down in a while, I'll take you out of the palace for a day."
After saying this, she looked at her father and mother inquiringly.
Emperor Jingshun also looked at Empress Qi. When it came to disciplining the Crown Prince, he basically listened to Empress Qi.
Empress Qi frowned and was about to speak when Huayang came over and said coquettishly, "Mother, my brother has been studying and practicing martial arts very hard recently. You should treat it as a reward for him. I will ask the prince consort to accompany us and bring the guards with us. What else are you worried about?"
Empress Qi looked at her daughter. Her daughter had been away from the capital for more than two years. She had gained more experience and became more independent. In the past, her daughter never interfered with how she disciplined her son.
Thinking about how her son had been very sensible over the past half month, Empress Qi finally nodded.
The prince was so happy that he could not express it in words. From the time he was twelve years old, except for occasionally accompanying his father the emperor and his mother out of the palace, he had never gone out without the supervision of the two elders!
Now, he no longer objected to his sister leaving, he just regretted that he couldn't set a date for her to leave the palace immediately.
This was the family that Chen Jingzong saw when he followed the eunuch who led the way in. Emperor Jingshun and Empress Qi looked at him kindly, and the Crown Prince was looking at him excitedly. On the contrary, Huayang's expression was the calmest. Although he also had a hint of smile, it was a polite smile, and there was no sign of intimacy between husband and wife.
There was nothing strange about it. Except in bed, Huayang always acted like a princess in front of him.
Chen Jingzong paid his respects to the emperor, empress and crown prince in turn.
Emperor Jingshun smiled and said, "Okay, Panpan has lived in the palace for so long, you should go back now, the weather will be hot soon."
Chen Jingzong: …
Panpan, is this her nickname
After being married for so long, this was the first time he had the opportunity to hear these respected elders calling her by their nicknames up close.
(End of this chapter)