She had only stayed at the Princess Mansion in Huayang a few times in her life, and this was Chen Jingzong's second visit.
His first visit took place on the last holiday. Huayang first brought him to the princess's mansion to stay for a night in case Chen Jingzong didn't know the way when the couple entertained the prince.
Although he had only been here once, Chen Jingzong acted as if he had been here a thousand times. When the prince was enthusiastically visiting his sister's mansion, Chen Jingzong just followed the siblings without looking away, as if nothing was surprising to him.
"Okay, let's go eat first, and then go out for a walk after dinner." Huayang said, holding his brother's hand.
The prince probed, "Can I go out tonight?"
Huayang: "No, if my father and mother find out that I took you out for a stroll at night, you won't be able to go out during the day anymore."
The prince was disappointed at first, but then he became excited: "When are you going to take me out of the palace next time, sister?"
Huayang: "We'll talk about it when the opportunity comes. Don't worry about it."
The prince curled his lips.
The three of them washed their hands first, and when they returned to the main room, the food was brought in one by one from the kitchen and placed on the table. There were both the prince's favorite dishes and the specialties from Lingzhou.
The prince was in a good mood and had a good appetite, but he was not very interested in tasting delicious food. He preferred to talk to his sister.
"One time in the middle of the month, I practiced archery for a long time. The next day, my arms were sore. When I was practicing calligraphy, I couldn't help but take a break from writing. Mr. Liu saw it and asked me why. I explained to him, and Mr. Liu actually went to the cabinet and complained to Master Mei, who taught me archery."
Having said this, the prince deliberately stopped and picked up some food to eat.
Chen Tingjian was the Prince's Grand Tutor, the first person responsible for teaching the Prince, but he was also the Prime Minister, and it was impossible for him to be with the Prince all day, so several other teachers were arranged for the Prince. Chen Tingjian would only take half an hour every day to teach, and then learn about the Prince's academic progress from other teachers.
Huayang was of course curious and asked, "What did the elder say?"
The prince glanced at the prince consort who had been eating in silence, and said, "The elder looked at my archery skills, praised my rapid progress, and advised me to be careful and not to rush."
Hua Yang smiled and said, "I thought the elder would remind Master Mei to reduce your martial arts lessons to prevent you from overworking yourself."
Prince: "I thought so too. I didn't expect that he seemed to be in a particularly good mood recently and was polite to everyone."
Huayang: "Really? Earlier this month, one of the Prince Consort's nephews got a minor illness after being reprimanded by the elder."
The prince was extremely surprised and looked at Chen Jingzong: "Is this true? How did the elder scold him?"
Chen Jingzong of course knew about the scene where Dalang vomited, and he briefly explained it to the prince.
The prince's mind was racing.
It turns out that Lord Chen is not only strict with him, but also with his own grandson at home!
But he is much stronger than Chen Jia Dalang. He has never been scared to vomit by Chen Ge Lao!
Hua Yang pretended to analyze, "Perhaps the elder is not in a good mood recently, but after Da Lang's illness, he reflected on his attitude and corrected his mistakes."
The prince thought that this would be the best. He hated the old Chen who always had a stern face and scolded people. If Chen really changed, he would like him more.
"Why is the Prince Consort not talkative?"
Noticing that Chen Jingzong was silent most of the time, the prince asked casually, he had met Chen Bochong and Chen Xiaozong, could it be that the son-in-law also inherited the steadiness and composure of Chen Ge Lao like his two brothers
Chen Jingzong looked at Huayang and said seriously, "I have little education and am not good at speaking. The princess repeatedly warned me yesterday to be careful with my words in front of Your Highness so as not to offend Your Highness."
Huayang: …
The prince had no idea that his husband was secretly being sarcastic to his sister. He just thought that his husband was serious. When he was in the palace, all the people serving him were cautious in their words and deeds. Even when he jumped into a puddle, those people would give him a lot of reasons to persuade him to take care of his body or abide by the etiquette of a gentleman. Now that he has left the palace, the prince does not want to have another person like this.
"You are the prince consort, which means you are my brother-in-law. We are family, so there is no need to be so formal. Don't worry, I won't mind even if you say something wrong." The prince said magnanimously.
Chen Jingzong: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Prince: "Why don't you like studying and choose the path of martial arts?"
Chen Jingzong looked at the princess "cautiously".
Huayang: "… Just answer the questions I ask you."
The prince looked at his sister with a strange look. Whether in the letter or in the carriage, his sister said that she was very satisfied with the prince consort. Why was she still so cold? No wonder the prince consort was restrained. It was said that some husbands would call their wives to come and go at will. Could it be that his sister was gentle and amiable in front of him, but had a different attitude towards the prince consort
Of course, even so, the prince did not think that his sister had done anything wrong. He just had a little sympathy for the prince consort. He was handsome and strong, and he was very obedient to his sister, but in the end he could not win his sister's favor.
Chen Jingzong replied to the prince: "To be honest with you, Your Highness, when I was a child, I couldn't stand the strictness of the elder, so I got angry and stopped studying."
The prince had never expected this answer. He forgot to eat his rice or pick up his dishes. He asked, "How did the elder treat you?"
Chen Jingzong gave several examples.
The prince: "So if you don't study, the elder will agree?"
Chen Jingzong: "Of course he disagreed, but I didn't listen to him. He asked me to go to the study to check my homework, but I refused to go. He caught me and punished me according to the family rules. He beat me and I cried. My mother felt sorry for me and didn't allow him to beat me. He had no choice."
Prince: …
The prince consort's mother is the best. When he dares to act as recklessly as the prince consort, the queen mother is the first one to punish him. Even the emperor father wants to speak for him, but is always silenced by the queen mother's lectures.
Huayang picked up some food for his brother and gave Chen Jingzong a sidelong glance, telling him not to say such things, otherwise he would lead his brother astray.
After dinner, the three of them went to visit the garden.
Huayang didn't know what was going on. When she first came, her brother liked to stick to her, calling her "sister" all the time. But now, as they were walking, her brother actually walked next to Chen Jingzong. He asked her about the times when she talked back to her father-in-law when she was a child, and how she dealt with the corrupt officials in Lingzhou Guard.
There is a small hill in the princess's mansion. Although it is small, it is at least higher than the rockery. Standing at the foot of the hill and looking up, you can't even see the top.
The prince pointed upwards and asked Chen Jingzong: "My sister said you are very good at climbing mountains. Can you carry me up in one breath?"
Huayang frowned and said, "Don't mess around."
Although his younger brother is the crown prince, it is not right for him to treat the palace guards like beasts of burden. What's more, Chen Jingzong is a third-rank military officer and a son-in-law of the emperor, so he has his own integrity.
Her tone at this moment was more or less like that of Empress Qi.
The prince lowered his eyes and was about to apologize to his husband when he heard his husband laugh and say, "As a subject and husband, I dare not carry you on my back, in case something goes wrong. But as your brother-in-law, I am willing to carry you on my back."
The prince's eyes lit up.
Cao Li, who had been following him, had sweat on his forehead and bent down to advise: "Your Highness, this mountain is too high and it is dark now. You should..."
Cao Li had a bitter look on his face and looked at the princess for help.
Huayang looked at Chen Jingzong: "Be careful."
Chen Jingzong nodded and carried the prince on his back.
Cao Li wanted to follow with a lantern, but Chen Jingzong had already climbed more than ten steps at a rapid pace, and Cao Li was so frightened that he hurried to catch up with him.
The prince lay on the broad shoulders of his husband's wife. At first he looked back to prevent Cao Li from catching up with him, but when he found that the distance between them was getting farther and farther, he looked forward happily.
The twelve-year-old prince was not as strong as Huayang, and it didn’t take long for Chen Jingzong to reach the top of the mountain.
The prince was still not satisfied.
Chen Jingzong: "Shall I carry Your Highness down again?"
Prince: "Okay!"
Chen Jingzong started to go down the mountain again. When he reached the foot of the mountain, his face was not red and he was not out of breath, which made Cao Li, who was panting next to him, look even more useless.
.
As night fell, Chen Jingzong and Huayang sent the prince to the courtyard where he lived.
The prince went in, and the couple walked back side by side.
Hua Yang looked at him and asked in a low voice: "He orders you around like that, do you really not care?"
Chen Jingzong looked at her and said, "If he was just the prince, I would refuse, but he is your brother and still a child. Why can't I make my brother-in-law happy?"
Seeing that he was open-minded, Huayang put this little matter behind him.
The Qifeng Palace is in front.
The Qifeng Hall in the Princess's Mansion is more magnificent than the temporarily renamed Qifeng Hall in Ning Garden. Apart from anything else, the bed in the inner hall alone is incomparable to those expensive beds outside. It is a large sandalwood bed with a phoenix carved on it that is a meter wide. Four bedposts with phoenixes made of the same material support the gauze curtains on all sides. The light is dim, and the gauze curtains seem like a fairyland of Penglai.
This bed is high and heavy. The last time Chen Jingzong came, he tried to push it. He was very strong, but the bed didn't move at all.
Chen Jingzong was very satisfied; he liked this sturdy bed.
When Huayang saw him staring at the bed, his heart beat faster.
The last time he came, she was on her period. Chen Jingzong couldn't do anything and he hugged her in the middle of the night and talked a lot of nonsense.
"Don't even think about it tonight." Huayang warned in a low voice. She still had to go out with her brother tomorrow.
Chen Jingzong stood in front of a bedpost, carefully examining the carved phoenix hovering above it, and asked, "You haven't prepared anything, so what can I think of?"
Huayang hummed and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
Chen Jingzong stood beside the bed and thought that the bed used by the emperor in the palace should be of this style, big enough for the emperor to summon more beauties to hang out with him.
As for Princess Huayang, her power over male beauty is almost the same as that of the emperor. The fact that Chen Jingzong can lie on such a bed makes him look like a prince consort serving the emperor in bed.
Huayang came back from bathing and saw him sitting by the window, still wearing the official uniform of a royal consort.
If it were any other time, he would have asked for two buckets of water to wash himself clean.
"You're not going to take a shower tonight?" Huayang asked suspiciously. He could do nothing but not care about not having sleep.
Chen Jingzong: "Wash it when you come back."
Huayang: "Where are you going?"
Chen Jingzong: "I have agreed with Zhou Ji that I will personally guard the prince in the first half of the night, and he will guard the prince in the second half of the night."
This was the first time since his birth that the Crown Prince had lived away from the Emperor and Empress. Even though there was a circle of guards surrounding the Princess's Mansion, Chen Jingzong would still add another layer of protection outside the Crown Prince's bedroom. Otherwise, if an assassin really broke in and the Crown Prince was in danger, the entire Chen family would be buried with him.
The lights in the inner hall were as bright as day, illuminating Chen Jingzong's handsome and sharp face.
Huayang rarely saw him so serious, and he was not pretending, so he was stunned.
When she came to her senses, Chen Jingzong had already arrived in front of her.
Huayang felt a little guilty.
In his previous life, he sacrificed his life to protect his brother's kingdom, but his brother did not treat his family well.
"You go to sleep first." Chen Jingzong touched her long hair.
Hua Yang lowered his eyes and asked, "Where are you sleeping in the second half of the night?"
Chen Jingzong: "Don't worry, I'm going to Liuyun Palace and won't come to disturb you."
Huayang pursed his lips.
Chen Jingzong is leaving.
When he was about to pass by her, Huayang suddenly grabbed his sleeve and said, "Come over after you finish your night watch. It's a big house like this, and it feels empty when you sleep alone."
Chen Jingzong was always the one who rushed to get close to her. "Invitation" was too unfamiliar to Yu Huayang, so her voice was very soft.
But Chen Jingzong heard it, every word clearly.
He turned around and hugged Huayang from behind, holding her tightly in one hand, and with the other hand he pushed aside her long hair and kissed the side of her neck.
He kissed her hard.
Huayang lost his balance and started to slide down, but he was immediately lifted up by him and half-carried and half-lifted to the bedside.
Huayang fell on the Shu brocade with a red background.
Just when she thought Chen Jingzong would continue, he grabbed the Shu brocade in front of her and suddenly left.
(End of this chapter)