coobybook Chapter 251 251 Accompanying the Emperor
Chapter 251 251 Accompanying the Emperor
Chapter 251 251 Accompanying the Emperor
Inside the Imperial Study of the Great Xia Palace, the Emperor settled the major issue of the three Chunyu brothers vying for Ye Pianran with a single sentence. Holding Jingxuan in his arms, he was in a very good mood.
"Since you're all here, accompany me for a walk around the palace," the emperor said. "It's a rare moment of leisure; it's time to enjoy some family time."
Jingxuan hugged the emperor's arm and said in a childish voice, "Okay, okay, Xuan'er hasn't seen Grandpa Emperor for a long time, and I miss him very much!"
The emperor chuckled and gently pinched Jingxuan's nose, saying, "Your little mouth is getting sweeter and sweeter, but you don't resemble your father at all. That's very good, very good indeed."
The emperor had already given his orders, and Chunyu Yang, Chunyu Jing, and Chunyu Shan dared not disobey. After the chief eunuch Li Decai had the preparations completed, they followed the emperor out of the imperial study and slowly walked towards the imperial garden.
The emperor intended to hold Jingxuan in his arms, but Jingxuan noticed that his beard had turned gray and said very obediently, "Grandpa, it's been a long time since I've been to the palace. I want to walk by myself."
"Good, good, Xuan'er even knows how to care for his imperial grandfather." The emperor was so pleased with himself that he smiled broadly and led Jingxuan step by step.
Li Decai, standing beside the emperor, also smiled and said, "The Third Prince is really dedicated to teaching the young prince. Look at his well-behaved and clever appearance, he's so lovable."
The emperor said, "That's right. He doesn't have a woman by his side, and he doesn't like to talk. I don't know how he was raised." After saying that, he turned back and glanced at Chunyu Yang, and snorted from his nostrils, "Xuan'er is nothing like him. He probably inherited all of Ying Hong's traits."
Upon hearing these words, Chunyu Yang broke out in a cold sweat, and his expression became even more stern.
Li Decai lowered his eyes slightly and said with a smile, "Look closely at the young prince's eyebrows and eyes, he does indeed resemble the Third Princess more. Does Your Majesty still remember that when the Third Princess was young, she was very mischievous and not at all like a little girl?"
The emperor's attention was diverted, and he recalled the funny things that happened in the palace more than ten years ago, which made him laugh out loud: "Yes, she was really daring when she was a child. She dared to climb on me and try to pick the pearl on my head. She scared Zhan Qing so much that he knelt down in front of me and kept kowtowing."
Xuan'er listened to them talk about his mother, and he felt quite excited. So, his mother was like this when she was young?
Chunyu Shan touched his nose and chimed in with a smile, "Yes, Third Sister-in-law is a heroine among women. I was bullied a lot when I was a child, and I almost developed a phobia of women."
"Hmph," the emperor sneered, "you were even more mischievous than her when you were young. You drove away countless renowned teachers from the Imperial Academy. How dare you say that?"
Touched on a sore spot by the emperor, Chunyu Shan opened his fan, covered half his face, and smiled somewhat awkwardly.
"You're all causing me a lot of trouble." The emperor's gaze swept over Chunyu Jing, who was walking at the very back, and he said, "Fourth Prince, don't hide in the back and gloat. Do you think I didn't know at all that you and Sixth Prince were secretly drinking the fine wine I gave to the ministers and diluting it with water?"
Chunyu Jing was surprised that the emperor would bring up this matter, and his expression became somewhat awkward. When he saw Chunyu Shan winking at him, he smiled perfunctorily, feeling a subtle embarrassment in his heart. And because of this subtle embarrassment, a resentment was planted that he himself did not realize.
Only the innocent Jingxuan laughed heartily upon hearing these stories of the past, a sense of longing creeping into his heart. But then he remembered that his father didn't often take him to the palace, and his little face scrunched up again.
"Speaking of which, Fourth Prince, you've been married to that girl from Minister An's family for over a year now, why is there still no sign of pregnancy?" the Emperor suddenly asked Chunyu Jing.
Chunyu Jing paused slightly, then resumed his nonchalant demeanor, saying, "Rong'er is in poor health, and I am reluctant to let her overwork herself. Let's wait until she has recovered before making any further moves."
"Is that so? If it's a health issue, you can summon the imperial physicians to your residence to examine her; perhaps that will improve her condition," the emperor said.
Chunyu Jing said, "Father, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."
"However, staying in one place all the time can be suffocating. This autumn hunt, I plan to take the four consorts, Minxian and Shude, with me. You can also bring the child along. On the way, your mother will have someone to talk to, and it will also help her relax. Who knows, she might be pregnant when we return to the capital."
Chunyu Jing clenched his fist and smiled, "Rong'er is weak and should not be overworked. It would be better for her to rest and recuperate in the capital."
Others couldn't detect Chunyu Jing's unusual behavior, but Chunyu Yang could. He frowned imperceptibly, a hint of doubt arising in his mind.
Why does he always avoid topics related to An Rong?
The emperor, however, did not think as deeply as Chunyu Yang, and simply said, "It's alright, you can decide for yourself."
After finally accompanying the emperor on a stroll through the Imperial Garden and making him beam with joy, the sun had already passed noon and was gradually setting in the west. Chunyu Yang naturally didn't want to stay any longer, and carrying Jingxuan, he prepared to leave the palace and return home. Chunyu Shan clung to them like a leech, leaving Chunyu Jing far behind.
After leaving the palace gates, the three brothers exchanged perfunctory farewells and went their separate ways. Chunyu Shan naturally followed Chunyu Yang, leaving Chunyu Jing alone to return to his residence. He rode his horse slowly along the imperial road with his personal guards, reflecting on everything that had happened that day, his eyes growing increasingly fierce.
If Chunyu Shan hadn't interfered with Jingxuan, things wouldn't have turned out this way. He underestimated Jingxuan; to think of having Chunyu Shan bring him into the palace—a seven-year-old child with such a clever mind is truly remarkable. Furthermore, his quick wit and ability to charm others might pose a threat to his children in the future.
Thinking of this, Chunyu Jing couldn't help but think of An Rong, who had died suddenly.
The sudden death of An Rong during her time of pleasure was too unexpected. He had been desperately trying to keep the news a secret, forbidding anyone in the Prince's residence from revealing a single word. However, the Emperor and Consort Min had inquired repeatedly; after all, she was the daughter of Vice Minister An, his lawfully wedded concubine. He could still use An Rong's frail health as an excuse to conceal the truth, but the truth would eventually come out, and it was time for him to find a way to deal with this matter.
However, when An Rong died that day, he was inexplicably very agitated and did not think carefully about why An Rong would suddenly die. Now, thinking about it carefully, An Rong's appearance when she died was no different from that of someone who had been poisoned, which was obviously Ye Yingrou's doing.
Strangely enough, although he suspected that Ye Yingrou was the cause of his unusual heart pain, and now he suspected that An Rong's death was related to her, Chunyu Jing did not feel any disgust towards her, nor did he feel angry. On the contrary, he admired her methods.
The woman who can stay by his side cannot be a useless piece of trash. If she wants to realize his grand ambitions, the road ahead will be fraught with difficulties. If she doesn't have any ability, how can she be qualified to stand with him?
Even so, he was unwilling to be controlled by others. Only he could be the one standing on the clouds, controlling the life and death of everyone in the world!
Just then, the noise from ahead interrupted his thoughts. Chunyu Jing looked up impatiently and realized that he had unknowingly walked to the gate of Shuntian Prefecture. Looking at the crowd of people watching the commotion outside the gate, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to turn back, he saw a carriage parked outside Shuntian Prefecture that looked very familiar.
Remembering where he had seen that carriage before, he was startled and immediately jumped off his horse, striding towards the Shuntian Prefecture.