A piece of Japanese incense

We sat down to eat together and listened to Yu Tuan's talk:

"Now, the oldest grandson of the emperor is the crown prince Feng Zhiyan. His companion is Fang Sinian, the legitimate grandson of Marquis Wanning. Fang Juexia, the legitimate sister of Mr. Fang, is the companion of Princess Yan."

"Oh~ That's the woman who came to our yard and made a scene that day!"

"Right, right, right! The brother and sister relied on the favor of Concubine Xin, they were really accomplices to the tiger, taking advantage of the tiger's power! Especially Fang Juexia, she has regarded herself as the Crown Prince's consort since she was a child. Any woman who wants to get close to the Crown Prince will be hastily married off at best, or even dismissed from office and expelled from the capital for bringing trouble to her father and brother!"

"Oh my god! So disgusting!" I swallowed the last bite of the steamed bun and wiped my mouth.

"That's right! Everyone in the palace avoids her, fearing that if they accidentally get involved with this little ancestor, they will be beaten for no reason. By the way, young lady, let me tell you, there is another funny thing, that is, the personal maid next to her is called Xiaohan, do you know why she is called Xiaohan?"

"Why?" Yuyi and I asked in unison.

"It is said that her maid named the 24 solar terms according to their origins. She chased away the previous solar terms such as Dahan and Mangzhong, so the current one is called Xiaohan."

“Hahahahahaha!~”

"The next one is the grandson of the emperor, Feng Zhixu. His mother is the daughter of the crown prince's tutor, and she is a childhood sweetheart of the crown prince. The crown prince had a falling out with the queen because of her mother. And because his mother gave birth to the crown prince's eldest son before the crown princess, the queen and the crown princess particularly dislike him. Fortunately, the crown prince still loves him very much."

"What's the point of the Crown Prince liking it? The Crown Prince and his concubine stay outside the border all year round and never come back. They put their son in this palace. The Queen has the final say in this palace."

After listening to Yuyi's analysis, I nodded in agreement.

"His tutor is Zhou Ziheng, the legitimate son of Marquis Jingwen. Marquis Jingwen was the prince's tutor back then and is also the prince's best friend. It's clear that the prince is still planning for this son!"

When I heard Feng Zhixu's name, the face of Bai Ri appeared in my mind. He has a distinct personality and is the grandson of the queen. He should have never suffered any grievances.

Yu Tuan continued, "Then there is the Crown Prince Feng Zhiyu! He is the twin son of Princess Tingzhu. The Crown Princess couldn't win the Crown Prince's heart, so she put all her attention on the Crown Prince and lived up to everyone's expectations. It is said that the Crown Prince must get up at the hour of Mao to study and go to bed at the hour of Zi. He must excel in literature, etiquette, riding and archery, etc. Even what he eats is strictly regulated. He cannot indulge himself, nor can he slack off in the slightest."

"Ah~ This life is so boring!"

"No!"

"This Crown Princess is so partial. She doesn't even care when her own daughter is sick." Yu Yi said sympathetically.

"Ah! Princess Tingzhu is ill? I haven't heard of it."

"She secretly took medicine today, and was discovered by me and the young lady. The young lady checked the princess' pulse and found out that she had a heart disease! She had this disease since she was born."

"Oh~ No wonder the Crown Princess was already looking for a county horse when the princess was less than ten years old."

"What! Ten years old?!"

"Yes, the Crown Princess has taken a liking to Yu Ji, the third son of the Minister of War, and was going to get engaged to him, but the Emperor felt that they were too young, so he let Yu Ji be the Crown Prince's tutor."

"This princess is so pitiful. She can't make any decisions at all." Yu Yi pursed her lips, with a trace of heartache in her eyes.

Yu Tuan chewed a piece of pork elbow and said, "I haven't mentioned Princess Qi yet! She is the one who is pitiful!"

"What do you mean?"

"Princess Qi's mother is the sister of the Minister of Revenue. She was originally engaged to a director of the Ministry of Rites. When the Minister of Revenue got married, Prince Yun went to congratulate him, but he got drunk and went into the wrong room... Tsk tsk tsk, this is Princess Qi!"

Yu Tuan spread out her hands, patted them helplessly, and continued, "Prince Yun refused to acknowledge her at first, but when he saw her belly getting bigger and bigger, the Minister of Revenue reported it to His Majesty, who was furious when he found out. He sentenced Prince Yun to confinement for half a year and granted the marriage, so that they had a legitimate status. Prince Yun hated the Minister's family because of this, and he never met Madam Pei."

Yu Tuan took a sip of tea and continued, "Princess Qi has lived with her unfavored mother and has had no food to eat since she was a child. Her mother died when she was seven or eight years old. There was no grand funeral. When His Majesty first summoned this granddaughter, she was obviously one year older than Princess Tingzhu, but she was half a head shorter and skinny. His Majesty felt sorry for her and let her live in the palace. Her life has improved since then."

"Then, once she enters the palace, she will feel at ease with the love and care of His Majesty, the Emperor." Yu Yi put down the chopsticks in her hand and dropped the empty bowl aside.

Yu Tuan took a plate of pumpkin seeds and chatted while eating them, "Not at all! Everyone is just trying to deal with Her Majesty. She doesn't even have a personal nanny, and the maids are replaced one after another. No one wants to suffer with her."

"Then she can also see His Majesty. Why didn't she tell His Majesty when she was wronged?"

"Your Majesty is very busy and can only see her twice a year. Besides, she is not the only granddaughter."

"That's exactly what the young lady said! Princess Qi's first education was at a palace banquet. When the Crown Princess teased Prince Yun, she mentioned Princess Qi by chance. His Majesty then ordered Concubine Xin to find a study partner for Princess Qi and arrange for her to study as soon as possible. Concubine Xin casually chose Ye Shi, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Rong'an. She was Fang Juexia's little follower."

"I saw Ye Shi following Princess Yan around every day, and I thought Princess Yan had two study companions."

"Oh! This concubine is also very opportunistic, and never takes Princess Qi seriously."

"According to what you said, Princess Qi is all alone, without even a close friend. She is really pitiful. Young lady, you should help this little princess as much as possible while you are studying."

"Yuyi, you are showing your sympathy again! You are just a little servant, and you feel sorry for the princess!"

"How can this be called an overflow? In this palace, at least the three of us are always together and can rely on each other..."

Listening to Yu Tuan and Yu Yi's bickering, I lay on the table, lost in thought...

I really don't want to stay in this shabby place anymore. I have to find a way to enter Wenyuan Pavilion. There are so many medical books, and I can always find useful information. Oh! Even if I can't go back to modern times, I have to treat Princess Tingzhu first.

After dinner, the slightly warm sunshine still could not hide the remnants of winter.

Yutuan bought some seeds from the imperial kitchen: cauliflower, radish, pepper, wheat...

"If it were me, I would plant flowers all over this yard! Magnolia, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, osmanthus, chrysanthemums... Every day when I open the door, I can see flowers. How happy I would be!" Yu Yi said while her hands did not stop moving.

"Is there still a lack of flowers in the Imperial Garden? We are growing vegetables now and we can eat them in two months! Can flowers fill our stomachs?"

Yutuan and Yuyi tidied the open space in the yard into rows, loosened the soil, scattered seeds and watered the space.

"Don't think Yutuan is heartless every day. When it comes to food, he is very decisive." I teased.

"I'm not eating it myself! The girl is still scolding me! I can't walk when I see something delicious..." Yu Tuan pouted unconvinced.

"Yes! Yes! Yes~ When we get home on Qingming Festival, we'll get a small oven and some pots and pans so we can cook in the yard!"

"We also need to get Master Bao's bacon!"

"Auntie Liu's pickled cabbage and large intestines! These can all be put in!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We need to buy more cloth to decorate the tables and chairs!"

"Bring a few more blankets! And bring the incense burner from our room!"

"We need to buy curtains too! The girl can't sleep in the light, so she has been sleeping with her head covered these days!"

"Hahaha! Yuyi! You discovered all this!"

……

Laughter floats with the breeze,

It’s nice to bask in the sun~

The sun has not yet come,

No sunshine,

A little bit warm.