The carriage struggled to move forward in the thick snow. The imperial guard driving the carriage wanted the horse to run faster, but the horse slipped and the carriage swayed on the road. She fell in love with him.
"Be careful," Shi Jin rode to the side of the carriage driver and said with a serious face, "If Princess Fule is hurt, which one of you can afford to pay for it?"
"Yes, sir." The imperial guard acting as the carriage driver was so scared that his forehead was covered in sweat. He was also confused. Shouldn't the Shi Family and the Ban Family have conflicts? Why did the Deputy Commander not seem to dislike Princess Fule?
However, the grudges between the nobles were not something that people of their status could understand. Since the Deputy Commander did not want to take this opportunity to punish Princess Fule, he would not offend such a noble person.
Ban Han touched the snow rabbit hair hairpin in her hair and pretended that she did not hear the conversation outside. She lifted the curtain and looked outside. They were almost at the Imperial Palace.
"Deputy Commander Shi," a eunuch was already waiting at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. When he saw the Deputy Commander, he hurriedly said, "His Majesty has ordered that the Princess should take the carriage directly to the Great Moon Palace. There is no need to dismount."
Shi Jin looked back at the carriage behind him and nodded slightly, "I understand."
The guards at the entrance did not even raise their heads. They allowed the luxurious carriage to pass quickly and did not even look at it. The shaft of the carriage left a deep mark in the snow at the entrance of the Imperial Palace. It was not until the carriage could no longer be seen that the guards dared to exchange glances.
Marquis Cheng'an entered the Imperial Palace before Princess Fule did. Why was His Majesty in such a hurry to summon them?
"Deputy Commander Shi," Ban Han, who was sitting in the carriage, opened her mouth and said, "is it not appropriate to take a carriage in the Imperial Palace?"
Shi Jin tightened the reins and retreated to the side. He cupped his hands and said, "Princess, this is His Majesty's order."
Ban Han chuckled ambiguously, "This time, no one will drag me out of the carriage, right?"
Shi Jin put on a solemn expression and said respectfully, "Your Highness is too serious. I dare not offend you."
When he tripped Princess Fule's horse in the Forbidden Palace, it had almost become an unforgettable memory in his heart. Now that he heard Ban Han mention this, he felt ashamed, regretful, and a bit of indescribable bitterness and regret.
If he hadn't tripped Ban Han's horse that day and had accompanied her to see His Majesty, perhaps …
He smiled bitterly and felt that he was indulging in fantasy.
Ban Han laughed. She didn't say a word until the carriage stopped in front of the main gate of the Great Moon Palace.
"Princess, we've arrived at the Great Moon Palace."
When Ban Han stepped out of the carriage, the Imperial Guards around him lowered their heads and took a step back. Even the Commander, Shi Jin, dismounted from his horse and maintained a respectful posture. He lowered his head and could only see a few blue gems embroidered on the plain fur shoes, which matched the blue lotus embroidered on her white palace dress very well.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Several female officials came forward to greet her. Some held an umbrella for Ban Han, and some offered a hand warmer to Ban Han. They were all respectful and in awe.
Seeing Ban Han being escorted into the inner hall by the palace maids, Shi Jin stood there for a while until his subordinates called him. He came back to his senses and said, "Wait here for a while. If His Majesty needs us, we will be able to respond."
Thinking of His Majesty's current temper, the Imperial Guards were still fearful. They listened to Shi Jin and stood guard outside.
Ban Han walked into the outer hall and saw that Rong Xia had already arrived. He was wearing a blue brocade robe and looked ill.
There was a charcoal brazier in the hall, so it was very warm. Ban Han took off her fox fur coat and walked to Rong Xia. "You arrived earlier than me?"
Wasn't he sick? Why did he come in such a hurry?
Rong Xia covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed a few times. "His Majesty summoned me, so I came quickly."
He put down the handkerchief and held Ban Han's hand in his palm. Ban Han's cold hand was immediately wrapped in warmth. She looked worriedly in the direction of the inner hall. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't open her mouth.
At this moment, Wang De walked out. He saw the two of them holding hands and bowed. "Your Highness, Marquis, His Majesty summons you two in."
Ban Han glanced at Wang De. Wang De smiled and stepped aside.
"Let's go." Rong Xia squeezed Ban Han's delicate fingers and reluctantly let go of her hand.
When Ban Han walked into the inner hall, she almost vomited because of the strange smell inside. The smell of incense and medicine mixed together, making her almost breathless. But she knew that she couldn't show any emotion on her face. Otherwise, Emperor Yunqing would definitely explode.
Just as Ban Han expected, Emperor Yunqing's gaze fell on them after they entered the hall. Emperor Yunqing didn't close his eyes until the two of them came closer.
"Your Majesty." Ban Han stood a few steps away from the dragon bed. She looked at the old man with concern and innocence. "You missed me again?"
"Yes." Emperor Yunqing opened his eyes and looked at Ban Han. "I missed you."
"Sit down."
Ban Han pulled Rong Xia to a chair and sat down. She took a thin orange from the lotus leaf fish plate and began to peel it. After peeling it, she found that her hands were covered in orange oil. It was difficult for her to reach for her handkerchief.
Rong Xia silently took out his handkerchief and pulled Ban Han's hands to wipe them clean. Ban Han generously gave him a small half of the orange.
"Girl, now that you have a fiancé, you won't share your food with me?" Emperor Yunqing's voice was a bit muffled. Ban Han was a bit confused. Didn't they say that His Majesty had recovered? Why didn't he speak as well as she did last time?
"This thing is too cold. I don't dare to eat too much. I also don't want to waste it, so I can only let him eat the leftovers." Ban Han smiled as she peeled off a piece of the orange and fed it to Emperor Yunqing. "We'll eat this."
She placed herself and Emperor Yunqing as "we." This implied that in her heart, Emperor Yunqing was one of her people. Even though Rong Xia was her fiancé, in her heart, his position was still lower than Emperor Yunqing.
Emperor Yunqing was really amused by her and ate the piece of orange. "Fine, fine, fine. This thing is very cold. Zhen doesn't like to eat it."
"This subject's daughter knew that His Majesty had people specially prepare this for this subject's daughter," Ban Han said happily. "Many thanks for His Majesty's kindness."
This thing wasn't specially prepared, but Emperor Yunqing saw Ban Han's happy appearance and didn't say anything to refute it. He looked at Rong Xia who was sitting quietly on the side. He hadn't seen Rong Xia for a while. Rong Xia had lost a lot of weight. The illness on his face hadn't disappeared. His face was so pale that there wasn't a trace of blood.
"Jun Po, Zhen called you and Rong girl here today because Zhen wants you to do something for Zhen." Emperor Yunqing said, "Last time, Zhen really liked the picture of the door god you drew for Zhen. Today, draw another one."
"Yes," Rong Xia looked at Emperor Yunqing. He wanted to say something, but stopped. "His Majesty, you also need to take care of your health."
Emperor Yunqing knew that he was worried about his health. He sighed slightly: "Zhen understands."
Two eunuchs carried a table in. The brush, ink, paper, and paint were all prepared. Looking at this posture, Emperor Yunqing wanted to see Rong Xia paint on the spot.
"His Majesty, Marquis Cheng'an can paint. What can I do?" Ban Han turned to look at Emperor Yunqing with a distressed expression. "Don't let me inscribe."
Emperor Yunqing smiled: "Just embroider a few needles on this pouch for Zhen."
Ban Han saw that on the table the eunuchs carried, in addition to the painting tools, there was a simple and elegant pouch. There were no patterns on it.
"His Majesty, it's not like you don't know how this subject's needlework looks like." Ban Han took the pouch, took out the needles, and sat on the chair closest to Emperor Yunqing. "If the embroidery is ugly, don't make fun of it."
The room quieted down. Ban Han held the needles and embroidered the crooked characters "Fu Shou". Only Rong Xia's coughs could be heard from time to time. After finishing the embroidery, Ban Han raised his head and looked at Rong Xia's back. Rong Xia coughed softly and turned to look back at him.
Their eyes met. Ban Han blinked and lowered his head to continue his struggle with the "Shou" character.
Emperor Yunqing looked at the affection between the two and suddenly remembered that he was once young and had fallen in love with a beautiful woman. But he had long forgotten what that beautiful woman looked like. He only remembered that she seemed to have been married.
"His Majesty," Rong Xia put down the brush, "this subject's painting is done."
Emperor Yunqing didn't even look at the painting of the door god. He directly had the eunuchs come in and have them put the door god on the door of the inner hall.
Rong Xia's eyebrows moved slightly. She looked at Emperor Yunqing's somewhat wild eyes and walked to Ban Han's side. Ban Han's embroidery of the pouch was almost done. But the embroidery was so bad that even he couldn't bear to say it was good.
But Emperor Yunqing liked it very much. After the pouch was done, he couldn't wait to stuff it under his pillow.
Ban Han felt that Emperor Yunqing was a bit strange. His words and actions didn't seem like a courageous emperor. He was more like a seven or eight year old child who couldn't control his emotions.
He deliberately had them rush over in the snow just to have them embroider the pouch. How was this different from an incapable emperor?
"His Majesty, His Majesty?" Ban Han found that Emperor Yunqing had closed his eyes. She exchanged a look with Rong Xia and quietly left.
After leaving the inner hall and breathing in the fresh air outside, Ban Han felt her body and mind become comfortable. She looked at the palace maids and eunuchs standing solemnly in the outer hall and waved to Wang De, who was closest to her, "Steward Wang, His Majesty has fallen asleep."
Hearing this, Wang De smiled and led the two out of the Great Moon Palace. Then, he bowed to them and said, "I've troubled Marquis and Princess today."
Ban Han smiled, "To be able to see His Majesty is a good thing that many people can't wait for." But when she said this, she tilted her head and looked at Rong Xia, who was wearing a navy blue fur coat. She was worried that his body couldn't take it, so she directly said, "Since His Majesty is resting, we don't dare to disturb him. Goodbye."
"Take care."
Wang De glanced at Rong Xia, bowed to him, and then turned to return to the Great Moon Palace.
The imperial guards outside the palace gate saw that Rong Xia and Ban Han had come out, and that Wang De had personally escorted them out, so they relaxed. It seemed that His Majesty was in a good mood today.
Since they had brought them here, they naturally had to send them away. Ban Han helped Rong Xia into the carriage and turned to the guards, "Thank you for your trouble. I'll go back with Marquis Rong."
According to the rules, it was not appropriate for a man and a woman to ride in the same carriage. But these two were going to get married soon, so it was not a big deal. They could save some trouble, so no one raised any objections.
"Deputy Commander, why don't I …"
"No need. Just let me make this trip," Shi Jin said expressionlessly, "I brought Princess Fule here, so I naturally have to send her back safely."
"Yes."
Ban Han sat in the carriage and looked at Rong Xia worriedly, "How are you feeling?"
Rong Xia shook her head, "I'm fine." She took Ban Han's hand and wrote three words in her palm.
"Don't worry."
"You …" Ban Han remembered that the person outside was Shi Jin, so she said, "I have a pot to eat at home tonight. You can come with us."
Rong Xia nodded, "Okay."
Outside the carriage, Shi Jin's eyes were looking straight ahead. Snowflakes fell on his hair, and soon his hair was white. His subordinate wanted to hold an umbrella for him, but he refused.
The subordinate noticed that he was not in a good mood, so he did not dare to say more.
The carriage stopped at Marquis Cheng'an Mansion. The person who got off the carriage first was not Rong Xia, but Ban Han.
She jumped out of the carriage, turned around, and reached out to the person in the carriage, "Come down, I'll help you."
"Cough, cough, cough." Rong Xia coughed, lifted the curtain, and walked out. Looking at the hand in front of him, he did not hesitate to take it. After getting off the carriage, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and smiled at Shi Jin, "Thank you, Deputy Commander Shi, for sending us back."
"It's my duty. Marquis Cheng'an, you're welcome."
Rong Xia smiled even more gently, and held Ban Han's hand as they walked into the Ban Family's gate.
"Tsk." After the two entered the gate, an Imperial Guard said unhappily, "Why are all these scholars like this? They're so weak, and they even need a woman to help them. They're just like gigolos." What was more hateful was that the Princess Fule was so beautiful, yet Marquis Cheng'an still had the nerve to ask her to help him. How shameless was he?
Couldn't he be more manly?
"Enough." Shi Jin's expression was cold, "If you have the heart to gossip, why don't you go back and practice your swordsmanship?"
If he could get closer to a beauty, who cared if he was manly or not?
Rong Xia held Ban Han's hand and felt his whole body relax. He stopped coughing, stopped breathing, and his pale face became rosy. He even ate a large bowl of vegetables while eating the hot pot. What weakness and weakness? What lingering sickbed? All of that had turned into bubbles.
In the end, he insisted on staying at the Ban Family's house for one night, using the excuse of the heavy snow and strong wind, and his weak body. This confirmed his determination to marry Ban Han.
Emperor Yunqing woke up the next morning. After waking up, he ate two bowls of porridge and a few pieces of dessert. Even his face looked more radiant.
"Wang De." Emperor Yunqing suddenly said to Wang De, who was beside him, "There's a saying among the people. It's called Chong Xi."
"Your Majesty." Wang De looked at Emperor Yunqing hesitantly, "There is such a saying, but …"
"If I let Marquis Cheng'an and Princess Fule get married in the palace, will it bring joy?"
"Your Majesty." Wang De was so scared that he knelt down in front of Emperor Yunqing, "Princess Fule and Marquis Cheng'an are only foreign officials. How can they get married in the palace? This is against the rules of the ancestors."
"One of them is my niece, and the other is my nephew. It's not too absurd to get married in the palace," Emperor Yunqing said again, "I think they set the wedding date too late. There's a good day in December, and it just so happens that the Princess Royal's mourning period is over. Isn't it just right?"
Wang De knelt on the ground and didn't want to get up. He was only a eunuch. Did he have to worry about the rules of the ancestors?
"Go and call the Imperial Astronomer to see if there's a good day in December."
Wang De accepted the order and left. However, before he went to the Imperial Astronomer, he deliberately leaked the news.
His Majesty wanted Marquis Cheng'an and Princess Fule to get married in the palace, which was definitely impossible. However, it was possible to set the wedding date in December, because December 28th was a good day. The explanation to the public was that it was a good day for both families and families.
After the Empress heard the news, she rushed to the Great Moon Palace and persuaded Emperor Yunqing for a long time before he gave up the idea of letting the two get married in the palace. However, Emperor Yunqing's idea of "driving away bad luck" was too deeply rooted in his heart. In the end, he gave the two of them a side palace in the suburbs of the capital, and he even said that the Imperial Astronomer said it would be better for them to get married there.
The side palace where the Emperor lived naturally had good feng shui. The only problem was that the side palaces where the Emperors lived were usually given to their descendants. There was no precedent of them being given to outside officials. Not only that, Emperor Yunqing treated the marriage of Marquis Cheng'an and Princess Fule as enthusiastically as if it was the marriage of his own son.
What's more, when Prince Ning got married, Emperor Yunqing wasn't so enthusiastic.
Therefore, a mysterious rumor spread that Marquis Cheng'an was actually His Majesty's child. That was why His Majesty let Marquis Cheng'an marry his favorite female descendant. Even though His Majesty was so ill now, he was still worried about Marquis Cheng'an's marriage.
When these people spread the rumor, they suddenly forgot that when Marquis Cheng'an and Princess Fule were about to get married, these people said that Marquis Cheng'an was forced to marry Princess Fule by His Majesty. Now, they said that Marquis Cheng'an was His Majesty's illegitimate child, and that was why His Majesty let Marquis Cheng'an marry his favorite descendant.
When it came to rumors, logic was the most useless thing.
When the Ban Family learned of Emperor Yunqing's intention, the whole family was confused. When the descendants of the family got married, the parents should decide the date. Why would Emperor Yunqing care? What do you mean the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month is a good day? No matter how good the day is, what does it have to do with you?
Ban Huai was so angry that he smashed several tea sets in the house. However, they couldn't refuse His Majesty's "good intentions."
"Master, this tea set costs 600 taels of silver." The Yin Clan watched coldly as Ban Huai smashed the tea set. When he was almost done, he said, "You've smashed nearly 2,000 taels of silver."
"Madam," Ban Huai gasped, "I'm just angry."
"Even if you're angry, you have to swallow it." The Yin Clan laughed coldly, "Didn't you hear what the people in the palace said? His Majesty cares about this marriage the most recently. Because of this marriage, he can't sleep well and can't eat well. If you jump out to stop it, you'll see if he goes crazy."
"Why is he so worried? Could it be that … Marquis Cheng'an really is his illegitimate child?"
"It's just a rumor from some ignorant people outside. Do you believe it?" The Yin Clan laughed coldly, "The Lin Clan doesn't have much contact with the current Emperor. How could you give birth to his illegitimate child? Could it be that it's like those stories say, 'Impregnated by love'? "
"Impregnated by love? It's just a lie." Ban Huai suddenly felt a little guilty, "How could I believe that?"
The Yin Clan raised an eyebrow and ignored him.
"Anyway, Huahua is also willing to marry Marquis Cheng'an. It doesn't make much of a difference if it happens a little earlier or later." The Yin Clan frowned, "Fortunately, everything is almost ready. Otherwise, if we rashly brought it forward …"
"I can't bear to see my daughter get married so early." Ban Huai was stubborn, "I just don't feel comfortable in my heart."
"Could it be that you want to wait until after the mourning period to let them get married?" The Yin Clan lowered his voice, his tone cold.
"M-madam, what do you mean?" Ban Huai was shocked. He looked at the Yin Clan in panic, "It shouldn't be that bad, right?"
"Who knows?" The Yin Clan stood up, "Don't cause trouble. I'll go ask Huahua. If she doesn't have any objections, this matter will be settled."
Originally, the rumor that Rong Xia was Emperor Yunqing's illegitimate child was just a rumor made by some ignorant people who were jealous. However, for some reason, this rumor spread more and more until even Prince Ning heard about it.
"What, illegitimate child?" Prince Ning stood up from his chair, agitated, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible."
If Rong Xia was his father's illegitimate child, his father wouldn't have chosen to protect him after the assassination attempt. This was impossible.
"Why is it impossible?" Xie Wanyu smiled sarcastically, "If we want to talk about it, Marquis Cheng 'an's mother and His Majesty are cousins. It is said that this woman from the Lin Clan is extremely beautiful. That's why Old Cheng Anbo didn't care about the Lin Clan's background and insisted on marrying her as his official wife. He even built a garden for her. "
"Shut up," Jiang Luo said, "Father has an illegitimate child. This isn't a good thing for you or me. Do you think this is the time to watch a show?"
"Your Highness's words don't make sense," Xie Wanyu said calmly, "Even if Marquis Cheng 'an is His Majesty's illegitimate child, as long as His Majesty doesn't acknowledge him, he will always be an official. Why do you care about him?"
Xie Wanyu didn't understand why Jiang Luo was so determined to make things difficult for Rong Xia. Wasn't the most important thing at this time to please His Majesty and trample the Crown Prince into the mud so that he would never be able to climb back up again?
This kind of intelligence problem was really unsolvable.
"So what if he doesn't acknowledge him? Now the entire capital knows about it. There's also that side palace. How much money and material resources were used to build it? This prince and the Crown Prince wanted it, but Father wasn't willing to give it to us. Now that Marquis Cheng 'an is getting married, he didn't say anything else and even let them get married in the side palace. Isn't this attitude obvious?"
The more Jiang Luo spoke, the more he felt that Rong Xia was most likely Father's illegitimate child. Otherwise, why would Father treat him so well all these years?
Xie Wanyu raised his eyebrows: "His Majesty has already bestowed it. You can't go and ask for it back, right?"
"It's not like this prince hasn't seen good things." Jiang Luo was a little upset, "Shut up, I don't want to talk to you."
Xie Wanyu didn't care. She snorted lightly, turned around, and walked out, completely ignoring his entanglement and embarrassment.
"Your Majesty," the Empress walked into the Great Moon Palace and saw that His Majesty was looking at a marriage schedule. She paused, "This is the marriage schedule for Marquis Cheng 'an and Princess Fule?"
"Yes," Emperor Yunqing was in good spirits recently, as if he had a goal. His whole person was in good spirits, "Marquis Cheng 'an doesn't have any elders in his family, and I'm the matchmaker for their marriage. It's inevitable that I have to worry about it."
"Your Majesty …" The Empress picked up a gift list from the Ministry of Rites on the table and glanced at it. This gift list was no different from a royal prince's wedding. According to the rules, when a noble got married, the Ministry of Rites would prepare congratulatory gifts according to the rules. However, these gifts were usually just for show and added a layer of glory to the wedding.
Her heart trembled slightly as she remembered that His Majesty had once called Rong Xia Langjun in his sleep with a frightened expression, as if he had done something wrong.
Could it be …
The Empress suddenly felt that the gift list in her hand weighed more than a thousand pounds.
"Your Majesty, have you heard the rumors outside?"
"What rumors?" Emperor Yunqing didn't raise his head. All his attention was on the list. For him, what he saw wasn't a list, but a perfect wedding. He hoped that after this wedding, his body would be healthy again. Then, he would be able to sit on the dragon throne with all the civil and military officials bowing to him.
"Everyone outside says that Marquis Cheng 'an is your illegitimate child."
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Emperor Yunqing didn't expect such absurd rumors to spread. He immediately said, "Empress, don't believe the rumors outside. I've only met the Lin Clan a few times. How could I have such a big illegitimate child like Marquis Cheng 'an?"
If he really had such a son, it would be fine.
The Empress' heart sank bit by bit. His Majesty didn't care about these rumors at all?
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