In the next few days, in the back garden of the Daming Palace, the imperial palace in Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, a breathless voice could often be heard shouting feebly: "I can't do it anymore, I can't do it, I really can't do it, I have to rest." Rest."
In the withered back garden illuminated by the winter sun, coupled with Li Zhi's feeble shouting, the entire palace seemed lively and helpless.
The roadside where the two were running was occupied by palace maids and eunuchs, each holding a towel or a water glass in their hands, watching His Majesty the Emperor being pushed from behind by His Highness the Crown Prince.
His Majesty the Emperor's legs felt as if they were filled with lead, and he refused to keep running forward despite any words. His ears were perked up, just waiting to hear the five-wheel hourglass quickly tell the time.
Five-year-old Li Lingyue's face turned red from the cold, and she leaned next to Wu Mei and shouted cheers for her father.
Eight-year-old Li Dan's chubby face was tense. He was just torturing his father. Why did he let himself run with him? It was so cold that he might as well go back to sleep.
Wu Mei looked at the emperor and the prince who were pushing back one after another. During this period of time, although Li Zhi kept complaining, the benefits were obvious. At least he was sleeping better than usual, and he looked more energetic than before. It's indeed a lot stronger.
Finally hearing the sweet sound of the time clock, Li Zhi's legs suddenly seemed to have more energy, and he immediately got into the pavilion where Wu Mei and Li Lingyue were sitting. It was surrounded by transparent glass and a small oven. It was unusually warm.
Li Zhi no longer complained about the simple breakfast. He didn't even want to take a shower. He wiped his hands and face casually and began to enjoy the simple breakfast specially prepared by Li Hong for him.
Li Hong rushed in wearing a single shirt and trousers, carrying a gust of cold wind. When Li Lingyue saw it, she giggled and hurriedly hid behind Wu Mei, fearing that the emperor's brother would put his cold hands on her little face.
As Li Hong finished his breakfast, Wu Mei's words rang in his ears: "You haven't sent some of these kelps to Mrs. Xiao, have you?"
Wu Mei's words shocked Li Hong. Could it be that the two bitter enemies were going to reconcile? Could this kind of thing still happen in the palace
Li Zhi looked at Li Hong silently, and Li Hong said helplessly: "No."
"Have you visited me since you came back from the Western Regions?" This time it was Li Zhi who asked.
Li Hong shook his head helplessly, wondering what happened to Father Long and Mother Long this morning? No matter what, the topic always revolves around Concubine Xiao Shu.
"I'll bring some kelp over and have a look later." Li Zhi said without thinking.
Li Hong nodded and said, "Yes, Father, I will send someone to send some over soon."
"I'll let you go by yourself." Wu Mei hit Li Hong's hand reaching for Li Dan's face with her chopsticks and said angrily.
Li Hong was speechless, but he didn't know that Concubine Xiao Shu had been looking at her two princesses these days. Yiyang and Gao An were now older, but they still lived in the palace. No one thought of the marriage of these two princesses. .
So when Li Zhi went over to chat with her, Concubine Xiao Shu suddenly knelt down and asked Li Zhi to beg the queen for her, hoping that she could make the decision to find a better family for the two princesses.
Therefore, this matter was brought to the table by the emperor and the empress. As for why he told Li Hong, it was because the emperor and the empress were not blind. They already knew about Yiyang and the general Quan Yizhi who was still guarding Anxi. The wild goose has been conveying love for a long time.
As for Gao'an, Wu Mei had already discovered that he still had contacts with Li Hong, an official in the Prince's Mansion. That was one of the Zuo Shuzi who was on the fourth rank of the Prince's Mansion, named Wang Xun. Wu Mei also checked this person. Its background is a branch of the unsuccessful Wang family in Jinyang.
Wu Mei asked Li Hong to go to the Nine Immortals Gate in the harem today. The reason was to let Li Hong talk to Concubine Xiao Shu and hand over the marriage plan of the two princesses to Li Hong, in order to achieve the purpose of humiliating Concubine Xiao Shu. The meaning is self-evident, your two daughters are not worthy of having me solemnize their marriage.
Li Hong took Li Dan, the little fat man who was still lowering his head to eat, and Xiaoxue, who was holding clean clothes for him, and ran to Li Dan's palace. He took a bath first, and then led Xiaoxue and kelp to the Nine Immortals. Go to the door.
The couple, one dragon and one phoenix, who watched Li Hong leave, returned to Zichen Hall. Many royal family members gathered here to ask for an audience. Everyone had only one purpose, which was to ask the emperor to approve the Taiyi City General Chamber of Commerce and other local affairs. Chamber of Commerce, allowing them to trade in old money.
And this is not the first group of people Li Zhi has met in the past few days. Even some wealthy families with whom the royal family is closely related have expressed this meaning in a vague way.
Li Hong probed into the Nine Immortals Gate and saw a clean and empty courtyard. Looking at the scenery in the courtyard, apart from a small flower bed, there was a withered grape seedling shelf with two There is a rocking chair and a coffee table. Although they are not made of precious wood, they are still bright and clean.
The house in front of me is still extremely simple. It is made of blue bricks and blue tiles. Except for the glass windows, the rest of the house looks out of place with any building in the luxurious, grand and gorgeous Daming Palace.
"You are...? I don't know who you are looking for...?" A palace maid about fifty years old, her clothes even had a few patches on her body, looked at the uninvited guests Li Hong and Xiaoxue warily, but her tone was still extremely serious. Respectfully.
"You don't know me?" Li Hong frowned. He didn't know her either. He remembered that there was no such maid in front of Concubine Xiao Shu.
"I'm sorry for my blindness, but I don't know who you are." The palace maid still had a respectful attitude.
Apart from His Majesty the Emperor, the only people who come here are occasional eunuchs who come to give some gifts in life from His Majesty, and then there are the two princesses who come here. Apart from the above three people, no outsiders come here all year round.
And looking at the person in front of him, he is definitely not a eunuch. The little girl behind him is dressed as a palace maid. Which prince can the person in front of him be? But which prince would dare to come here? Even if Concubine Shu's biological prince returned to Chang'an once a year, he would not dare to come here easily.
"Lan He, is your Majesty here? I'll come out right away." Concubine Xiao Shu's voice sounded in the room.
"Back to Concubine Shu, Your Majesty is not here." The palace maid who was replaced by Lan He saluted Li Hong and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll go and report it first."
Watching the palace maid leave, Li Hong shrugged at Xiaoxue and asked, "Where are Yiyang and Gao'an? Don't they come here often?"
"I don't know, I heard that they were coming a few days ago," Xiaoxue said.
"Is it Hong'er?" Concubine Xiao Shu's joyful voice came from inside the door, and then the door was opened by the palace maid just now, and Concubine Xiao Shu, dressed in blue and plain clothes, came out with a smile on her face.
Seeing Li Hong looking around in the yard, Xiao Shufei felt a little sad for some reason, and finally came. She did not see the wrong person back then.
It's just that the prince, who was already very tall back then, has grown taller now, and I have to look up at him.
"I have met my concubine." Li Hong turned around and stood with a smile, looking at Concubine Xiao Shu who seemed to have not changed at all in the past four years.
Both of them looked at each other quietly, and finally Li Hong spoke first: "Time flies, but the mother-in-law's appearance is not old, but it is the credit of this Buddhist scripture? It seems that I should let Yiyang and Gao An read more Buddhist scriptures." That’s it.”
"Lan He, come and greet His Highness the Crown Prince." Concubine Xiao Shu accepted his compliment and hurriedly asked the palace maid to salute Li Hong.
"My slave Lan He has met His Highness the Crown Prince. Please forgive me for your rudeness just now." Lan He respectfully saluted Li Hong, but his voice was trembling.
Could it be that Concubine Shu is about to be restored to the throne by His Majesty? Why did His Highness the Crown Prince come to see Concubine Shu in person? Isn't he afraid that the Queen will...
Li Hong waved his hand casually, followed Xiao Shufei into the room, pointed at Xiaoxue and said: "My son brought some kelp, fresh things, which will help you stay beautiful forever. Let Xiaoxue teach Lan He what to do." How to eat it.”
"Thank you so much Hong'er." Concubine Xiao Shu sat on the other side, watching Xiaoxue and Lan He leave, and then said seriously: "We haven't seen each other for more than four or five years. Hong'er has really grown up."
Li Hong briefly told Concubine Xiao Shu everything he could about things such as meeting Li Sujie when he came back and his own affairs in Anxi.
After finishing speaking, there was a brief silence between the two people. Finally, Li Hong spoke: "Quan Yi is now the deputy commander of the fourth rank of the Crown Prince Zuo Wei, and I can't let him take over for a while." General Wei, you must also know the reason. As for his family background, Wang Xun was recommended by a famous family in Qinzhou, and he is a branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan. He is now the crown prince Zuo Shuzi in the East Palace. "
When Xiao Shufei heard Li Hong's words, she forced a dry smile on her face. Wu Mei finally wanted to humiliate herself. Although she was the prince, she was still a junior, but she had to preside over the marriage of two princesses.
"There may be room for change in this matter. Father will never ignore it, and... Yiyang and Gao An are also in love with those two people. If you don't care..."
"The mother-in-law and concubine Hong'er said understand, but... this... ah... I have caused them trouble." Concubine Xiao Shu had a sad look on her face, obviously unwilling to marry off the two princesses like this.
Although it was common for princesses to marry in the Tang Dynasty, Concubine Xiao Shu's arrogance and nobility as a member of a family with five surnames and seven families still made it impossible for Concubine Xiao Shu to accept that the etiquette system had reduced the two princesses to such embarrassment.
Li Hong could only sigh silently. In this era where form is more important than substance, especially weddings and funerals, everyone hopes to have a high-standard etiquette system to win good luck for happy events. But if as a royal princess, she was so nakedly humiliated, as a concubine, Xiao Shufei would naturally feel aggrieved towards Yiyang and Gao An.
She had suffered such humiliation and torture, being imprisoned in this world, and in the end had to drag down the two princesses. As for Li Sujie... When she thought of this, Concubine Xiao Shu's eyebrows suddenly stretched.
If the prince can be so mismatched, what's the problem with the princess? What's more, both of them are now in the East Palace. As long as Li Hong's position as crown prince is as stable as Mount Tai, everything is still promising.
(End of chapter)