Chapter 142

 

When Qi Jin appeared, Chen Jingzong and Emperor Yuanyou were standing on Jingshan hill in the middle of the imperial garden.

Standing high and seeing far, while Qi Jin was still some distance away from Jingshan, Chen Jingzong had already noticed him.

Chen Jingzong pursed his lips slightly, and his eyes showed displeasure. It wasn’t until he noticed Emperor Yuanyou’s probing gaze that Chen Jingzong quickly restrained his expression and continued to look for the sparrows on the treetops, pretending to be nonchalant.

Emperor Yuanyou used his eyes to signal the chief eunuch Cao Li not to follow him. He took Chen Jingzong farther away, and then asked doubtfully: “Prince Consort doesn’t like Qi Jin?”

Chen Jingzong immediately said: “This minister doesn’t dare. Sir Qi is a graceful gentleman. He’s also a cousin of you and Grand Princess. This minister admires him very much.”

Emperor Yuanyou snorted: “If you dare to deceive Zhen, do you know what crime should that be?”

Chen Jingzong’s expression suddenly became extremely complicated.

Emperor Yuanyou reassured him and said: “Don’t worry, Zhen just want to know how the relationship between you two become sour. Zhen won’t do anything.”

Chen Jingzong: “It’s not a big problem, just had some quarrels. Complaining to you about these seems narrow-minded.”

Emperor Yuanyou: “What’s going on exactly?”

Chen Jingzong was a little hesitant, looked at Emperor Yuanyou, and said tentatively: “If this minister says it, can Your Majesty keep it a secret? You cannot tell Empress Dowager or Grand Princess. This minister is afraid that they will be more partial to Sir Qi. No, Your Majesty must also be closer Sir Qi as a relative. It’s better if this minister doesn’t say anything.”

Emperor Yuanyou’s appetite was already whetted. Seeing that Qi Jin had reached the foot of the hill and was about to come up soon, he hurriedly coaxed: “You are my brother-in-law, in the future your child will be Zhen’s nephew, of course Zhen is more partial to you. It doesn’t matter if you say it. If Qi Jin is at fault, Zhen will teach him a lesson for you.”

Chen Jingzong: “No, this minister already satisfied if Your Majesty don’t blame this minister. But please don’t make this matter a big deal. If it does, our old man will scold me first.”

Emperor Yuanyou: “Okay, okay, Zhen agree, you say it quickly!”

Chen Jingzong glanced at the foot of the hill, and then said in a low voice: “That year in the martial arts competition, this minister won the first place, making Jinwu Vanguard to lose the top three. Sir Qi was jealous of this minister. Later, this minister accompanied Grand Princess to the Marquis Mansion to celebrate the Old Madam’s sixtieth birthday, and Sir Qi was drinking at the same table with this minister. After drinking too much, this minister went to relieve himself. He actually followed and deliberately made trouble for this minister. This minister had to fight with him in the bathroom. He wouldn’t let go so this minister used the Grand Princess to pressure him, hoping that he would sober up, but he actually said that if this minister was not the son of Cabinet Elder, this minister would not even be able to see Grand Princess’ face, let alone be the commander of the Daxing Left Guard!”

Emperor Yuanyou:…

One was his elegant cousin, and the other was his heroic brother-in-law. They both look dignified in front of others, but they actually fight in the bathroom in private?

Chen Jingzong continued: “Of course, what Sir Qi said is true, but we are all relatives, and his words are too rude. Isn’t it a blatant slap on this minister’s face? He truly can pretend, always treat this minister as a good brother outside. But this minister is not so broad-minded, and can’t play a good role between two brothers. If it weren’t for the fact that he is a cousin of you and Grand Princess, if he dared to smile hypocritically at this minister, then this minister would dare to punch him.”

Emperor Yuanyou was stunned when he heard this.

Chen Jingzong said worriedly: “You don’t believe it, right? This minister told you that the more they look like gentlemen, the better they can act. Just like this minister’s third brother, when he was a child, he wanted to play on the ice, but he was afraid of being scolded by the old man, so he encouraged this minister to go and after this minister get on the ice first, he then followed. Later when the old man asked, he said it was to take care of this minister. Of course, the old man only scolded this minister, but instead praised him for caring for his younger brother! ”

Emperor Yuanyou:…

Chen Xiaozong turned out to be that kind of Tanhua!

At this time, Qi Jin finally came up.

Chen Jingzong stood with his back to him and gave Emperor Yuanyou a meaningful look: “You asked why this minister was at odds with the two brothers above, and this minister told the truth. You can never tell our father this, he will definitely not believe it. On the contrary, he will think that this minister deliberately slandered his two brothers in front of you, then this minister’s situation at home will be even more difficult.”

Emperor Yuanyou: “Don’t worry, Prince Consort, Zhen always keep promises.”

Qi Jin smiled and asked warmly: “What are Your Majesty and Prince Consort talking about?”

Chen Jingzong said coldly: “My family affairs has nothing to do with you.”

Qi Jin shook his head helplessly and looked at Emperor Yuanyou: “What’s Your Majesty’s orders for summoning this minister?”

Emperor Yuanyou was in bad mood because he couldn’t leave the palace for autumn hunting. Of course, he understood the reason and just wanted to find someone to talk to about his annoyance.

However, this annoyance had been relieved by Chen Jingzong. Emperor Yuanyou didn’t want to mention it anymore and explained: “Zhen want to practice archery, and would like to ask Cousin and Prince Consort for some advice.”

Qi Jin looked at Chen Jingzong and said humbly: “Prince Consort is skilled in bow and horse. As long as Prince Consort is around, this minister won’t show off his incompetence.”

Chen Jingzong said forcefully: “Sir Qi is overpraise. This minister just practiced archery casually by oneself. How can this minister compare to Sir Qi who has been taught by famous teachers since he was a child.”

Emperor Yuanyou watched silently as the two complimented each other.

Chen Jingzong’s compliments sounded weird when you hear it, while Qi Jin had a gentlemanly attitude, and his compliments to others seemed sincere.

But Emperor Yuanyou had seen too many people like Qi Jin who meant different things.

The first was the civil officials in the court. No matter how different they were in political opinions, when they really want to feign civility, they could praise their opponents to the sky.

There were also when Cabinet Elder Zeng died of illness, Chen Tingjian shed tears, but the cause of Cabinet Elder Zeng’s illness was that he was too afraid of being retaliated by Chen Tingjian. How deep the friendship between these two people could be?

Since childhood, he had been surrounded by a group of people who were accustomed to showing superficial skill, and Chen Jingzong had become one of the few temperamental people that Emperor Yuanyou came into contact with.

In order to preserve Chen Jingzong’s true temperament, Emperor Yuanyou would not tell anyone about their conversation just now, lest Chen Jingzong would be reprimanded by his mother empress, sister, or Chen Tingjian, and would no longer dare to reveal his true feelings in front of him.

“You two doesn’t need to be humble. Just compete. Whoever hunts the most sparrows on this hill within half an hour, Zhen will praise him for his good archery skills and give him reward.”

As soon as Emperor Yuanyou finished speaking, Chen Jingzong set off first with a bow and arrow on his back.

Before Qi Jin left, he did not forget to tell Emperor Yuanyou to sit down in the pavilion on the top of the hill to avoid being hurt by their arrows.

Emperor Yuanyou went to the pavilion as advised. Cao Li led several young eunuchs to surround the pavilion.

Emperor Yuanyou poured himself a cup of tea, but Chen Jingzong’s dissatisfaction with Qi Jin was still in his mind.

It wasn’t that Emperor Yuanyou believed Chen Jingzong’s one-sided words, but that Chen Jingzong really didn’t need to lie. If he really wanted to frame Qi Jin for something, he should charge Qi Jin with a crime instead of some harmless verbal dispute.

Therefore, Qi Jin was indeed not very big-hearted. He was actually jealous of Chen Jingzong because of the outcome of the martial arts competition. He seemed to be a gentleman, but he speaks the language of a villain.

It was true that Chen Jingzong was stained with Chen Tingjian’s light, but didn’t Qi Jin also stain with his and mother empress’s light?

To thought that Qi Jin was a noble and benevolent character, but in fact he was a sore loser.

Emperor Yuanyou still preferred an honest people like Chen Jingzong.

Half an hour later, Chen Jingzong and Qi Jin came back.

Chen Jingzong used an arrow to string seven densely packed sparrows. The sparrows died indecently, which showed that Chen Jingzong was not a particular person.

Qi Jin was very elegant. He only shot at the sparrow’s wing. He hunted four sparrows in total and tied their feet. The four sparrows fluttered and tried to escape.

“Prince Consort is good at archery. This minister is willing to accept the defeat.”

Qi Jin looked at Chen Jingzong’s harvest and said to Emperor Yuanyou with shame.

Emperor Yuanyou felt more and more annoyed. The generals just needed to fight and kill. What kind elegance Qi Jin try to pretend here. He was not his sister, he wouldn’t feel sad for a dead sparrow.

“Just reward Prince Consort to share lunch with Zhen.” Emperor Yuanyou said fairly.

Qi Jin looked as usual, but Chen Jingzong seemed to want to say something.

Emperor Yuanyou: “You want something else?”

Chen Jingzong coughed: “When this minister entered the palace, Grand Princess was still angry with this minister. Actually, this minister would like to ask Your Majesty to reward this minister with something that Grand Princess likes, so that this minister can presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers.”

Emperor Yuanyou almost forgot about this. He paused and said to Cao Li: “Didn’t the inner treasury record a pair of Hotan white jade lotuses last year? Go get them and give it to Prince Consort.”

Cao Li went to fetch it immediately.

Chen Jingzong hesitated and said, “Would it cost you too much?”

Emperor Yuanyou: “If you want to please my sister, sending inferior thing will only add fuel to the fire.”

After saying that, seeing Qi Jin still standing on the side, as if curious about what they were talking about, Emperor Yuanyou waved his hand and told Qi Jin to retreat first.

Qi Jin narrowed his eyes, bowed and left.

Chen Jingzong watched him walk away, then looked at Emperor Yuanyou, and asked uneasily: “Your Majesty won’t have a grudge against Sir Qi because of this minister’s words, right?”

Emperor Yuanyou: “Zhen just want to vent your anger, are you unhappy?”

Chen Jingzong said solemnly: “Sir Qi and this minister are just having momentarily disagreement, but he is loyal to you and the court. This minister just hope that Your Majesty can understand why this minister is being rude to Sir Qi. If this causes Sir Qi to be snubbed by you, it will be this minister’s fault.”

Emperor Yuanyou smiled and said: “Don’t worry, Zhen can still differentiate between public and private affairs. It’s just that there is really nothing for him to do here, so Zhen asked him to retreat.”

Chen Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief.

Later, Cao Li came over holding a rosewood box and carefully placed it on the stone table in front of Emperor Yuanyou.

Emperor Yuanyou opened the box and asked Chen Jingzong to come over and take a look.

Chen Jingzong took a few steps closer and when he looked in, he saw that the box was lined with a layer of water-blue silk fabric, and two white jade lotus flowers as big as a cup were placed side by side on the silk.

Even Chen Jingzong, a rough man, was amazed by these two flawless white “lotus flowers”.

He looked at Emperor Yuanyou again: “One flower is precious enough, why don’t you keep one for yourself?”

Emperor Yuanyou: “Zhen said it’s your reward. Take it back quickly to please my sister.”

Chen Jingzong thanked the emperor for his kindness, pack up the box as carefully as Cao Li did, held it in his arms, and walked down the stairs step by step.

Emperor Yuanyou looked at his steady steps and shook his head in amusement.

It was exactly because Chen family’s lack of background that made Chen Jingzong cherished this reward so much. For noble sons who had been pampered since childhood, they would have seen many similar jade articles.

.

Grand Princess Mansion.

Chen Jingzong was suddenly called away by Emperor Yuanyou. Hua Yang continued to stroll around the garden for a while, then returned to Qifeng Hall.

She lay on her side on the couch, basking in the sun and wondering what happened in the palace. Unexpectedly, Chen Jingzong came in and offered a treasure to her.

Hua Yang liked the pair of white jade lotuses very much, but she was just curious: “Why did my brother reward you?”

Chen Jingzong recounted the conversation he had when he met Emperor Yuanyou: “We often go out of the city, and His Majesty is envious. If I tell him that you and I are enjoying our conjugal love in the garden, will he feel comfortable?”

Hua Yang glanced at him: “Who’s enjoying conjugal love? What’s more, what you said is not all lies. I really dislike you for only thinking about eating lotus roots.”

Chen Jingzong: “You have to be half-truth and half-false to be convincing. If His Majesty asks you later, be careful not to reveal your flaws and make His Majesty punish me for deceiving the emperor.”

Hua Yang was not that stupid. She played with the jade lotus and asked, “You have been gone for so long. What else my brother said to you?”

Chen Jingzong: “Didn’t say anything. His Majesty’s hands were itchy, so he asked Qi Jin and I to accompany him to shoot sparrows. I shot a lot, so His Majesty wanted to invite me for a meal. I don’t care about a meal, so I asked His Majesty for thing that you will like.”

Hua Yang: “…You’re really brave and dare to make demands to the emperor.”

Chen Jingzong looked at her soft cheeks that was reflecting the light of the white jade lotus in her hand, and said with a smile: “It’s because of your face. When His Majesty hears that I want to please you, of course he’s willing to cooperate.”

Hua Yang glared at him, but the corner of her lips seemed to lift up.

Chen Jingzong put his hands on both sides of the wooden box and wanted to kiss that beautiful lips.

Hua Yang pulled back and said, “You’ve hunted so many sparrows, haven’t you washed your hands yet?”

Chen Jingzong: “I won’t kiss you with my hands.”

Hua Yang: “That won’t work either. Go and wash yourself first and wipe your face.”

Whenever autumn comes, the wind in the capital would more or less stir up some dust.

The grand princess was delicate and noble, she couldn’t tolerate any flaws, so Chen Jingzong had no choice but to stop and clean himself first.

But the more he had to stop, the more he felt that the person in his arms was as precious as a fairy, and the more he wanted to kiss her until her bones became weak and unable to break free.

The author has something to say:

Emperor Yuanyou: Alas, Prince Consort had a miserable life in the Chen family before, but luckily he married into our family.

Everyone in the Chen family: ….

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