"The emperor is gone?"
Even though Yuquan had reported everything clearly, the Queen Mother couldn't help but ask again. When she got a definite answer again, she laughed and said, "It seems that he has been really depressed these days, so he didn't think much about it at all. In this case, let him go to the public school to relax. Yingying, let's go too, let's go to Ciqing Palace first."
Zhu Ying didn't wear red today, but a light yellow dress, which made her look particularly bright and attractive in this bleak winter. Upon hearing this, she happily supported the empress dowager's arm and said with a smile: "Well, let's go now! It's rare that the emperor is so angry that he is confused, which makes it convenient for us to do our work!"
The one giving the lecture in Ciqing Palace today was Principal Yue Shan. When he gave the lecture before, it was when the Third Prince had just fallen ill. Now he has been ill for three or four days, and not only has he not recovered, but his throat has also become hoarse. Therefore, at the beginning of the class, he could not help but specially comfort him with a few words, and of course he also suggested again that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should rest early.
However, this time he was still politely declined, saying that studies were more important. Seeing that the screen was set up and Lu Sanlang was helping to pass on the message behind the screen, he calmly began his lecture.
Although the Third Prince could not speak complete sentences, during the breaks in his lectures, the voice of Lu Sanlang asking questions on behalf of the Third Prince could be heard from behind the screen. His questions were very to the point, and he had also heard from others that these were all questions that the Third Prince wrote on pieces of paper for Lu Sanlang to ask. This made Yue Shanzhang respect the studious and inquisitive nature of the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.
So, when he heard the Queen Mother coming to visit the Third Prince in person in the middle of class, he was a little annoyed by being interrupted. But he quickly reacted and hurriedly retreated. Fortunately, the Queen Mother was not as doting as those loving mothers in the deep mansions, and she didn't even meet him alone. She only stayed for a short while.
Moreover, a young eunuch brought him a set of four treasures of the study in accordance with the imperial decree, saying that the empress dowager sympathized with the hard work of the lecturers and gave them a special gift. Knowing that he was not the only one, Yue Shanchang naturally accepted it with peace of mind.
When he went out, he learned that the most noble woman in the palace and even in the world was leaving Ciqing Palace and going to the women's school today. Although he had some doubts about that school, the empress dowager and the concubines in the harem all took out money for cosmetics, so he just sighed in his heart. When he returned to the old place, he calmly began to continue his interrupted courses.
However, neither he nor the other tutors who hastily retreated due to the arrival of the Queen Mother knew that the only one behind the screen was the sad-looking Lu Sanlang, the little fat man Lu!
The third prince changed into a eunuch's crown and clothes and left Ciqing Palace. He followed the empress dowager and her entourage to the Duke of Zhao's Mansion. While the empress dowager and the Zhaoguo Taifu were talking to Jiu Niang and her mother-in-law and preparing to travel together, he quietly left the capital under the escort of a group of servants and generals from the Duke of Zhao's Mansion and rushed to a small village in Tongzhou.
However, even the escorts thought that the prince had sent someone to visit the Fourth Prince, who had been away from the palace for a long time and was almost forgotten by ordinary people. After all, when they were leaving, Ah Liu hurried over and said he wanted to go with them, so they naturally thought that since Ah Liu was also following them, Zhang Shou must have sent him to see the Fourth Prince.