Tianhuang nobleman

The next day, Bai Ren and Qi Xiao entered the palace together to greet the emperor, and when they were bored in front of Chengqian Palace, Qi Xiao kept talking softly to Bai Ren about the New Year's customs in Beijing.

"Today, Empress Feng will take all the concubines to 'sweep the dust' together. After sweeping, the empress will bring the concubines and princes and princesses to the front. Except those concubines with low ranks, the rest will go to the Taimiao to sacrifice together. Ancestor." Seeing from a distance, Qi Hua seemed to be coming, Qi Xiao frowned slightly, and said slowly in a low voice, "You don't have to go, just stay in my palace, I'll let them prepare it for you in advance. Fruit snacks, sit for a while, we will be back after noon."

Bai Ren also saw Qi Hua, a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes, he heard Qi Xiao's words and lowered his voice, "Go to your palace?"

Qi Xiao nodded: "The Shuiyun Temple where you rested earlier has been tidied up and prepared for the fifth year to move in, let's talk..."

There were palace people walking by around, and when they passed by Qi Xiao, they bowed and saluted, Qi Xiao waved his hand, glanced at Qi Hua who was walking towards him and said softly: "Besides, I can't rest assured anywhere else except my palace... Hehe, second brother doesn't need to worry too much. present."

Qi Hua could see the two of them talking from a distance, but when he got closer, he saw that they were chatting affectionately, Qi Hua still thought that Qi Xiao and Bai Ren got acquainted because of the incident in the Qing Palace. After getting together, the more resentful he felt in his heart, he originally wanted to teach Bai Ren a lesson, but the lesson didn't make him feel ashamed, not to mention bringing the two of them together.

Qi Hua put on a smile but turned his head to Bai Ren and smiled: "Hello, my son."

Bai Ren smiled faintly: "Hi, Second Prince."

Bai Ren turned his head to look at Qi Xiao and smiled: "Sweeping the dust and worshiping the ancestors on the same day? In Lingnan, it is 24 sweeping the dust and 25 worshiping the ancestors, which is a bit different. What does 26 do here?"

Qi Xiao raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Why don't you talk to Gu about the customs of Lingnan 26 first?"

The two talked and laughed as if they hadn't seen Qi Hua, Qi Hua's face turned red and white, and finally the fourth prince came and said a few words to Qi Hua so that Qi Hua wouldn't be too boring, Qi Xiao looked at Qi Hua from a distance and sneered: " He has been flattering the emperor a lot lately, and there are no mistakes, and the emperor will probably let him enter the court again after a year."

Bai Ren frowned slightly, and Qi Xiao comforted him with a smile: "It's New Year's Eve, don't talk about it, I didn't scare you just now, we probably won't be able to leave the palace from now on, in previous years I entered the palace at the age of 23, this year it's already It's too late, for you...the emperor will definitely say that you are young and have no relatives in the imperial city, so he wants to keep you in the palace for the New Year...don't worry, I will let you go to my palace."

Bai Ren thought for a while and shook his head, "It's better...to find another place."

Qi Xiao chuckled lightly: "Don't worry, this is in the palace, the emperor will announce you at some point, I don't dare to do anything, in case I make you limping to face the saint... Hehe, this news has reached Lingnan, the king of Lingnan will have his own troops."

Bai Ren was stunned for a moment before he understood what Qi Xiao was talking about. He blushed instantly and said in a low voice, "What I mean is... Qi Hua has been trying to hurt me all this time. It's inevitable in your palace." It's implicated again..."

Bai Ren became more and more speechless, he didn't dare to look at Qi Xiao anymore, and said in a low voice, "I just...prevent problems before they happen."

Qi Xiao looked around, but there were so many people, otherwise Qi Xiao really wanted to hold Bai Ren in his arms and kiss him, he could hardly hide the smile on his face, and said with a soft smile: "Isn't it good to implicate me? I'm dead, you It's also good..."

"Your Highness!" Bai Ren sullenly said, "You clearly know me... I never thought about it that way. It's a New Year's Eve, just make a joke, why bother talking about it."

Qi Xiao apologized with a smile: "Yes, I won't say anything."

Bai Ren said angrily, "There are no taboos."

While talking, Fu Hailu, the emperor's personal eunuch, came out, bowed to Qi Xiao, and greeted all the princes and Bai Ren in turn, before saying: "The emperor announced the crown prince, all the princes and the prince of Lingnan entered the palace. .”

Everyone followed Fu Hailu into the main hall. The emperor and empress in the room had just finished their breakfast. Empress Feng put down the teacup and said with a smile: "It's cold on the ground, get up quickly, Xiaoer... I haven't entered the palace for two days. On the 23rd Is there a stove in your house?"

Qi Xiao lowered his eyes: "Thank you Queen for your concern, the sacrifice is over."

Empress Feng smiled and nodded: "That's fine, I'm afraid you children are not thoughtful, what about Bairen? I have long wanted to announce you to come to the palace to celebrate the New Year together, but I forgot about it because there are too many things in the year. Since you are here today, stay here first, and it will not be too late to go back on the first day of the new year."

Bai Renyi bowed and said indifferently: "Thank you, Empress, for your love."

The emperor glanced at Empress Feng with satisfaction: "The empress is still thoughtful..."

Everyone sat down for a while and was about to leave for Taimiao, Qi Xiao left Jiang Deqing behind, and Bai Ren followed Jiang Deqing to Haiyan Palace.

"The crown prince ordered, just let His Highness do as he pleases." Jiang Deqing gave Bai Ren to the inner room, smiled and said, "If you want something to eat and play, just talk to the old slave."

Bai Ren shook his head, casually picked up a story book and flipped through it to pass the time, Jiang Deqing stayed with him for a while and saw that Bai Ren didn't have much to say, so he went down.

As soon as Bairen sat down until noon, he didn't get up until Jiang Deqing asked him to have lunch. Jiang Deqing served Bairen to eat while laughing softly: "Your Majesty, I really can sit still. This morning...although I have to work hard, but Reading all day long like this is too hurtful to the eyes.”

Bai Ren smiled faintly: "What hard work, I just read some biography books."

"Your Highness, why don't you go for a walk in the courtyard after your meal." Jiang Deqing smiled, "The plum blossoms in the courtyard are just in bloom."

Bai Ren looked at Jiang Deqing for a moment: "When I came here just now, I saw a piece of plum blossom blooming on the west side of the courtyard. It is also from Haiyan Palace?"

Jiang Deqing showed hesitation, and said with a smile: "The ones outside are not as good as the ones in the palace. Your Highness will know after a while, and besides, the snow on the Hualinzi has never been swept away. This winter, several layers of snow have accumulated. It's ice and slipping is no fun."

Bai Renyi thought it over, and smiled lightly: "This is probably the prince's order, but I can't even go out of the courtyard?"

Jiang Deqing paused for an apologetic smile: "Your Highness... It's very cold, and the crown prince is also afraid that you will go out and freeze. Isn't it good to be in the house? If you are bored, you can go for a walk in the yard, which is fine."

Bai Ren chuckled: "It's okay, since he doesn't want me to go out, it's fine if I don't go out."

Jiang Deqing was sweating at first, but he felt relieved when he saw that Bai Ren was not angry, and smiled: "After all, it is the prince, who can understand the prince's painstaking efforts, the prince came to taste this first-grade bear's paw... the prince left I specially asked the small kitchen to prepare it for His Highness, it is the best to eat this tonic in winter..."

After lunch, Bai Ren didn't even go out, stood by the window for a while and then went in for a rest, when he woke up again, Qi Xiao was sitting beside him.

Bai Ren looked out the window: "I came back so early..."

The charcoal fire in Qi Xiao's dormitory was always burning brightly, Bai Renshui's face was flushed, very cute, Qi Xiao looked at him and smiled lightly: "I heard from Jiang Deqing that you stayed in the house for a day?"

Bai Ren nodded, hesitated and said in a low voice: "I'm here with you, and you have to bear a share of the responsibility. Even if you don't tell Jiang Deqing, I won't go around and cause trouble for you."

Qi Xiao couldn't stop ironing in his heart, and said softly: "I'm not afraid of right and wrong, but you really scared me that time in autumn, and I got hurt by that thing Qi Hua after not seeing you for a while, I'm not in the palace for half a day, who knows I know who will come to tease you recklessly."

Bai Ren's heart warmed up, and he deliberately smiled and said: "Your Highness should actually rest assured, didn't the second prince also go to the Taimiao?"

Qi Xiao laughed, and started chatting with Bai Ren about the customs of young people in the palace.

In Fenghua Palace, Empress Feng talked to the concubines with a smile for a while, and when everyone left, she immediately put down her face, entered the inner room and said in a cold voice: "So...he didn't do anything this day. Out of Haiyan Palace?"

Empress Feng's confidant in the palace forced a smile: "Your Majesty, calm down, this... really didn't come out, let alone out of the hospital, His Royal Highness didn't come out of the house at all, and the servant took the two girls out for a walk. But I haven't been able to see His Royal Highness, and I don't dare to get too close to that side... Your Majesty knows that the servants of Haiyan Palace don't have mouths, but they all have more than a dozen pairs of eyes. The servants are afraid that they will see Why, I was afraid that the two girls would become suspicious, so I brought them back first if I couldn't."

"Trash!" Empress Feng was furious, "They are all trash! Qi Xiao is not here, what a great opportunity this is, and you have achieved nothing!"

The confidants in the palace are complaining endlessly, and they can't come out with a hundred swords. Is it possible to pull them out by themselves?

Empress Feng also knew that no one else was to blame, so she breathed a sigh of relief and said in a cold voice: "Forget it, anyway, he's been in the palace for the past few days, so just think of a way."

The confidants in the palace repeatedly agreed, and Empress Feng changed her tone: "But if there is no movement after the first day of the lunar new year...you know, the ancestors' family law, after the fifteenth emperor, you can go to the concubine's palace. If the emperor really favors the two of them...don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Yes, this servant must have tried everything in the past few days." The confidant palace man knelt down on the ground with a plop and said bitterly, "I must share your worries for the empress."

Empress Feng closed her eyes and waved her hands in disgust: "Go."

In the warm pavilion of Haiyan Palace, Qi Xiao nodded as he looked at the big characters written by Bai Ren: "That's right, it's just the characters for longevity..."

"Prince." Jiang Deqing bowed and smiled, "Prince Rong and Prince Rong's son are here, and the emperor let the prince go."

Qi Xiao paused for a moment, turned his head and smiled at Bai Ren: "I'll go and sit for a while and then I'll come back, don't be lazy, I'll write the plaque before I come back, I'll use it right away."

Bai Ren nodded, changed a piece of paper and continued to write seriously, Qi Xiao turned around and followed Jiang Deqing out of the Nuan Pavilion.

"What's the matter?" Prince Rong entered the palace at noon, and Qi Xiao had already met him. Now, using this as an excuse, he naturally had something to avoid Bai Ren's words. Qi Xiao put on a cloak and went out all the way. Yard frowned and said, "But Lingnan..."

"No, it's Empress Feng." Jiang Deqing winked at the little eunuch who was following behind him, and the little eunuch hurriedly ordered everyone to follow farther away, Jiang Deqing said in a low voice, "Empress Feng wants to catch the prince During the few days of entering the palace, it will harm the crown prince."

Qi Xiao sneered: "What does she want?"

"Empress Feng asked her natal family to send two girls in before entering the twelfth lunar month. The two girls have no family background, but they are very beautiful. Empress Feng has kept these two girls by her side, carefully teaching the rules. , Although I didn’t say it clearly... But everyone knows, it must be prepared for the emperor, His Highness knows that concubines sometimes put a few girls like this in their palaces in order to compete for favor."

Qi Xiao frowned: "What does that have to do with Bai Ren?"

Jiang Deqing lowered his eyes: "It's all because the old slave didn't think carefully. I knew before that the Feng family had sent two maids into the palace. The old slave just thought it was a trick used by the queen to win over the emperor's heart, so I didn't take it seriously with His Highness." Said, who knows... Empress Feng's ulterior motives are not about drinking, she is planning to use these two girls to deal with the prince."

"How could Empress Feng have the capacity to accommodate people? She didn't intend to dedicate her to the emperor at all. She only let the emperor meet once. The emperor was very satisfied. Both parties understood, but Empress Feng had always said two The girl hasn't learned the rules well, she is not suitable to serve the emperor, so nothing will happen, the time is too suitable, and the rules are well learned, and it is too late for the emperor to get close to the concubines, so let's let this matter go."

"Just now the spies from Fenghua Palace said that Empress Feng's original intention... is to let the prince meet with either of these two girls during the few days of the new year, and then let the palace people try to make some bad looks Come on, let's let people say that His Royal Highness coveted that girl's beauty and offended them."

Qi Xiao stopped, Jiang Deqing paused, looked carefully at Qi Xiao's face and continued: "It is said that today Empress Feng's original intention was to let her palace servants take the girl out, and when they met the prince, they would take the girl out. The girl was pushed into the arms of the prince, whether it was slipping or something else... There must be some accident first, and then the girl was taken back to the palace and strangled to death... It was said to the outside world that the girl could not bear the humiliation and hanged herself , In this way... No matter how far-fetched it was before, the matter of the son molesting the concubine has become a reality, the emperor will believe it even if he doesn't believe it, so that he doesn't have to dedicate the girl to the emperor anymore, and he can pour a pot of sewage on the son, Your Highness I know, this kind of affair... spreads the fastest."

A look of hostility flashed across Qi Xiao's eyes, and he sneered: "Before... I really underestimated Empress Feng."

Jiang Deqing lowered his voice: "Because of the side hall of Qianqing Palace and the matter of Mao'er Alley, Empress Feng has long hated the prince in her heart."

Qi Xiao pursed his thin lips lightly, and smiled coldly: "Okay... Compete with me, and I'll play with her."