Chapter 175

 

Ever since He Qingxian came to the capital, the palace had been much more frugal in all kinds of expenses. However, during festivals, the palace should also be lively to please the Empress Dowager and the Emperor both physically and mentally.

In mid-Fourth Month, the palace sent an oral message to the imperial relatives in the capital, saying that there would be a palace banquet on the Dragon Boat Festival, and the ministers who had been busy implementing the new policies for half a year could also attend.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Hua Yang and Chen Jingzong came to the Chen Mansion to celebrate the festival.

Hua Yang finally saw her father-in-law again. In just half a year, there were more white hair on her father-in-law’s head. It was all because he was busy and tired.

The imperial court issued the new policies in late Third Month, and by now all counties and cities across the country have received the news. Some officials close to the capital had been submitting memorials to the palace every few days. The reports were nothing more than which aristocratic families have jointly written a letter of opposition, or which academies’ students were causing trouble again.

If one memorial was taken alone, it may seem insignificant, but when there were many of them, it became a kind of public pressure, as if the whole world was against the new policy and was resenting the emperor and the cabinet.

Not being in that position, Hua Yang couldn’t empathize with the pressure her father-in-law and brother felt, but it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.

This time when she came to the Chen Mansion, Hua Yang prepared two full boxes of medicinal supplements and asked her mother-in-law to take care of her father-in-law’s health.

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Chen Tingjian was sitting next to them with a gentle smile on his face. He then said to Hua Yang, “Grand Princess, please don’t worry about this minister. When the Examination Law was first implemented, half of the officials in the country wrote to blame this minister, but this minister just ignored them all. This year, the new policy is being implemented, and the same situation will happen again. This minister is used to it and will never take those criticisms to heart.”

He was looking at the overall situation of the world, military affairs, economy, officialdom, border countries, natural disasters, and other things. While his hand moved one chess piece, his mind had already planned several steps ahead. Only the young emperor would get angry over trivial matters, but for him, as long as there was no big chaos, everything was as expected.

The fifty-six-year-old Chief Minister stroked his long beard leisurely, looking confident and like an immortal.

In fact, he was a little conceited and frivolous, but the old man had been outstanding all his life and he himself had long been unable to realize it.

Sun shi glared at her husband with disgust, but afterwards she couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes.

Hua Yang saw it clearly. After lunch, she and Chen Jingzong returned to Siyi Hall, then she had the opportunity to share her insight with Chen Jingzong: “Mother must like Father very much.”

Chen Jingzong was standing in front of the washstand, washing his face. Hearing this, he didn’t even look at the grand princess sitting in the bed, just said, “Of course, even you, Grand Princess, are very fond of the old man. My mother is just a folk little girl from small place, she was completely captivated by his charm a long time ago.”

Hua Yang: …

She picked up the soft-soled slippers she had just taken off and threw them lightly, hitting Chen Jingzong on his lower back.

After smashing it, the slippers fell to the ground with a slight sound.

Chen Jingzong looked down at grand princess’s slippers, then looked at grand princess who was glaring at him beside the bed, and suddenly said, “You must like me very much, too.”

Hua Yang didn’t understand how he came to this conclusion: “Why do I like you?”

Chen Jingzong: “Mother also often dislikes Father and occasionally hits him. Isn’t this exactly the same as how you treat me? If you think Mother likes the old man very much, then it proves that you like me as well.”

Hua Yang retorted: “Mother’s dislike for father is fake, but my dislike for you is real.”

After saying that, she lay down with her back to him.

Chen Jingzong smiled, wiped his hands and face silently, walked towards the babu bed while untying his outer robe, and finally came to the bed wearing only a pair of pants. He pressed the grand princess who was lying on her side, clasped one of her wrists with one hand, leaned over her and said, “Come now, let see how Grand Princess truly despises me.”

Hua Yang couldn’t move and could only stare at him.

Chen Jingzong said nothing and did nothing, just looked at her with a smile on his face.

Not long after, Hua Yang tilted her head, her eyelashes half drooped, and her red lips slightly pursed, as if a little angry, but her peony-like cheeks became redder and more beautiful.

Chen Jingzong kissed her earlobe: “Do you despise me so much? Then I would rather be despised by you every day.”

The lotus bowl had just been prepared, and that thing could not be used until the evening. Chen Jingzong kissed grand princess until her body softened, then let her go and lay down beside her.

After all, it was summer and he didn’t want to sweat for nothing.

Hua Yang lay on her side, looked at him for a while, and said, “After we go to the palace for the banquet tomorrow, I will stay there for a while.”

Chen Jingzong frowned: “How long will you stay?”

Hua Yang avoided his resentful eyes and said with lowered eyelids: “Until the end of the month, my brother has been quite irritable recently, I want to accompany him more.”

Chen Jingzong thought of the court meeting yesterday, when the young emperor seemed to have a blister at the corner of his mouth.

The emperor’s identity was the most noble, but it also came with heavy responsibilities. Those who were incompetent might delegate all governmental affairs to the cabinet and indulge in pleasures themselves, avoiding stress altogether. But Emperor Yuanyou was at the age when he was full of energy and ambition, so he would also bear corresponding pressure when he encounters troubles.

Perhaps when Emperor Yuanyou was in his thirties or forties, he would become as patient as the old man, but now, Emperor Yuanyou was still very young.

“Brother and sister are also separated by a layer, he should marry an empress.”

Chen Jingzong held grand princess in his arms and squeezed her hand: “Niangniang has a strict temper. She may be able to help His Majesty solve major problems, but maybe not very useful to reason with small troubles. If there is a person who understands your feelings, sometimes you don’t need to talk, just hugging each other will make you feel better.”

Hua Yang: “It should be soon. In Eight-Month next year, the Ministry of Rites will select draft ladies from all over the country. The draft ladies will be brought to the capital for education for a period of time. In the spring of the following year, my brother will be eighteen, and it will be the perfect time for him to get married and take over the government.”

The ancestral system for selecting imperial concubines for the emperor had long been established in this dynasty. The cabinet and the Ministry of Rites would follow the established procedures, and what mother empress could do was to choose three virtuous and graceful candidates from the fifty shortlisted draft ladies. From these three, her brother would choose one of them to be his empress, with the others becoming imperial concubines.

Unfortunately, in her previous life, Hua Yang was reborn in the Twelfth Month of the third year of Yuanyou, and was unable to see her brother’s draft process.

However, according to her mood and temper at that time, she probably wouldn’t care too much either. Why should she care what kind of wife her stinky brother, who didn’t take her words to heart, married to!

“After he gets married, will you still live in the palace for a long time?” Chen Jingzong asked.

Hua Yang glared at him.

You’re asking even though you already know the answer. In ordinary households, how many married women liked their sisters-in-law frequently coming home to give the pointers all the time?

The imperial family had numerous rules. Although Hua Yang was not afraid of her future sister-in-law empress, she also did not want to create unnecessary trouble.

.

The next day, Hua Yang and Chen Jingzong entered the palace early for the Dragon Boat Festival banquet.

This time, Hua Yang also saw the blister at the corner of her brother’s mouth which had not yet disappeared.

Emperor Yuanyou noticed his sister’s gaze and looked a little embarrassed, fearing that his sister would laugh at him.

Hua Yang didn’t laugh, she felt a little distressed.

She was carefree most of the time in her previous life, but after her rebirth, she was filled with worries. She had to help her father-in-law get rid of the seven deadly crimes, and also find a way to resolve the death of her father emperor, Chen Jingzong, and even her father-in-law.

But she had several years to slowly plan and prepare, while her brother had to face a bunch of big and small court affairs every day.

The love that parents have for their children would not fade even when they grow up. The same goes for Hua Yang’s affection for her younger brother. Even though her brother was taller than her, he was still her younger brother. He was the baby she once held in her arms and teased, the three-year-old child who would cry when she pretended to cry, and the little prince who would seriously ask Chen Jingzong to be nice to her when she got married.

Since he was a child, Emperor Yuanyou had known how to read people’s expressions. He always observed the words of his father emperor and mother empress, and the expressions of ministers and palace servants, because his every move was under the supervision of these people.

Therefore, he keenly caught the tenderness in his sister’s eyes.

Emperor Yuanyou: …

It’s just a small blister. There’s no need to be so sad, as if he has a serious illness.

The young emperor felt that his sister was making a fuss, but at the same time, he felt inexplicably warm in his heart.

Not long after the meeting, Hua Yang went to talk to Empress Dowager Qi, Princess Anle, Princess Nan Kang and other female relatives.

Emperor Yuanyou took Chen Jingzong out. When they went out, Chen Jingzong didn’t pay attention to the threshold and almost tripped.

Emperor Yuanyou looked at him strangely and asked, “Is Prince Consort worried about something?”

The palace was full of strict rules and regulations. Even young eunuchs and palace maids who had just entered the palace would not make the mistake of tripping over the threshold.

Chen Jingzong looked at Emperor Yuanyou and whispered, “This minister was thinking about the way Grand Princess looked at Your Majesty just now.”

Emperor Yuanyou’s face turned slightly red.

Chen Jingzong suddenly sighed and said quietly, “If Grand Princess is willing to look at this minister like that once, even if this minister fall on the battlefield one day, then this life will be truly worth it.”

Emperor Yuanyou understood at first, then said unhappily: “It’s a Dragon Boat Festival, why are you saying such depressing words?”

Chen Jingzong quickly apologized.

Emperor Yuanyou encouraged him again, “Don’t be discouraged. As long as you are sincere to her, sooner or later Sister will also take you to heart.”

Chen Jingzong had an expression of being taught.

After everyone arrived, the palace banquet began.

Hua Yang sat at the same table with Chen Jingzong, and their seat was very close to Empress Dowager Qi and Emperor Yuanyou. Opposite them was the Chief Minister Chen Tingjian.

Chen Jingzong approached Hua Yang and said, “Look, the old man worked hard for decades to get to this position, and I got it at the age of twenty-seven.”

Hua Yang: …

Chen Tingjian looked over inadvertently and happened to see the Old Four saying something nonsense, and was glared at by the grand princess.

Chen Tingjian withdrew his gaze, out of sight, out of mind.

Emperor Yuanyou also noticed it, and suddenly felt a little sympathy for prince consort. Perhaps he would never be so loved by his sister in his life.

Soon after the banquet began, the singers and actors from the Imperial Music Bureau came on stage one after another. There was a group of strong men imitating the masculine encouragement of dragon boat racing with sweat pouring down like rain, and there were also singers with colorful skirts fluttering like fairies descending to mortal realm.

While the warriors were dancing, Chen Jingzong secretly pinched Hua Yang’s wrist, forbidding her to stare at the men with their shoulders and arms exposed.

Hua Yang pinched him with her fingernails.

When it was the turn of the singers to perform dance, Hua Yang glanced at Chen Jingzong on the side and saw that he was either looking at his nose, or he was looking at her father-in-law who was talking in a low voice with Cabinet Elder Lu opposite him.

Hua Yang: …

She looked at her brother who was sitting in the main seat.

Speaking of which, her mother empress had very strict rules on the singing and dancing in the Imperial Music Bureau. She did not allow the kind of indecent music that could easily seduce her brother. The dancing singers were also all dressed neatly. If her brother was a lustful person, he probably wouldn’t find much interest in these singers in front of him.

Emperor Yuanyou was originally admiring the dancing of the singing girls when he noticed that Chen Tingjian and Cabinet Elder Lu were leaning over and talking about something. Emperor Yuanyou could not help but wonder if there was some trouble in the local place again.

Cabinet Elder Lu suddenly smiled, and Chen Tingjian also smiled, stroking his beard.

Emperor Yuanyou: …

What’s so funny? Tell him too!

 

The author has something to say:

Cabinet Elder Lu: My waist has been a little sore lately.

Cabinet Elder Chen: How about letting General Qin send you some sea lion kidneys?

Cabinet Elder Lu: Hahahaha

Emperor Yuanyou: ….

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