"Crown Prince." Shi Shi walked into the study and put down the food box in her hands. "This is the soup I had someone make. Have a sip. If you like it, then use it. "
"Just put it here." The crown prince took an unopened memorial and put it on top of the memorial he was reading. "You've worked hard."
Shi Shi noticed that he was on guard against her and felt a bit bitter. After putting down the food box, she bowed to the crown prince. "Rest well. Don't overwork your body." She opened the food box and took out the soup. She put it in front of the crown prince. "I'll watch you drink."
"No need." The crown prince looked up at her. "I'll drink it after reading this memorial. You can go rest."
The faint smell of the meat soup lingered in the room. The Crown Princess took a step back. "This concubine will leave."
"En." The crown prince lowered his head and didn't look at her.
Shi Shi slowly walked to the door and looked back at the crown prince. The crown prince still didn't look at her. Only the forgotten bowl of soup was emitting steam. She didn't know when it would cool down.
After the crown prince regained control of the country, he dismissed the officials who had replaced Rong Xia and Yao Peiji. Then, he personally went to the Yao family to invite Yao Peiji back to the court. He was very courteous.
After Yao Peiji returned to the court, everyone was guessing when Marquis Cheng 'an would return. What no one expected was that when the crown prince personally visited Marquis Cheng 'an, Marquis Cheng' an actually refused the crown prince's request.
Everyone thought about it again. Marquis Cheng 'an was a scholar with a temper. After he entered the court, he had done a lot for the court. In the end, Prince Ning dismissed him without giving him any face. He had just gotten married and had a beautiful woman in his arms. How could he be willing to return?
Moreover, he might be of royal blood. After being humiliated like this, it would be strange if he could swallow it.
The officials in the Crown Prince's faction were very angry. This Marquis Cheng 'an really didn't know how to appreciate favors. The Crown Prince had personally invited him as the Crown Prince, but he actually didn't give him face. Could it be that the Crown Prince had to beg him?
"Crown Prince," a sixth-rank minor official belonging to the Eastern Palace said indignantly, "Rong Xia is not the only talented person in the world. Your status is noble, how can you condescend to invite him again?"
"Talented people are common, but rare." The Crown Prince spread his arms and allowed a serving girl to straighten his robes. He was very disapproving of the words of this minor official. "With Rong Jun's help, I am like a tiger that has grown wings."
"But …"
"Since ancient times, there have been saints who have visited us many times for the sake of talents. Although I dare not compare myself to them, for the sake of the hundred years of foundation of the great cause, how difficult is it for me to make a few more trips?"
"The Crown Prince is righteous!"
"We were short-sighted."
The Crown Prince smiled bitterly. It wasn't that he was righteous. It was just that right now, the court was a mess. The people were angry, and the corrupt officials were like vermin that destroyed the foundation. The officials in the court were like a plate of loose sand, dragging each other down. It was not easy to manage.
Although Rong Xia was young, he had great prestige in the court. Even when he had been punished by Fuhuang and almost everyone in the world thought that he had been abandoned, there were still some officials who spoke up for him in the court. It could be seen how influential he was.
He didn't expect Rong Xia to do much for him, but he had to put on an attitude of using Rong Xia to appease the hearts of the scholars in the world.
"Has the carriage been hitched?" After changing his clothes, the Crown Prince asked the attendant beside him, "I heard that Marquis Cheng 'an moved back to the marquis fu yesterday?"
"Replying to Your Highness, Marquis Cheng 'an has indeed moved to the Marquis Cheng' an fu."
"This seems to be something he would do."
"However, rumor has it that because Princess Fule likes to play in the capital, Marquis was worried that it would be inconvenient for her to come and go, so he moved back to the marquis fu."
Hearing this, the Crown Prince laughed out loud, "That girl Huahua, even if she gets married, she won't let herself suffer."
"Princess Fule is so beautiful, how could Marquis Cheng 'an bear to let her suffer?" The attendant knew that the Crown Prince liked the Jingting Gongfu family, so he only chose to say nice things, "This little one also heard that Marquis Cheng' an accompanied Princess Fule back to Jingting Gongfu to spend New Year's Eve. Many people in the capital are envious of Princess Fule."
Hearing this, the Crown Prince's impression of Rong Xia became even better. In his opinion, if a man was willing to spend so much effort on his partner, his heart must be gentle.
Thinking of Shi Shi, who had been married to him for many years, the Crown Prince sighed softly, his expression somewhat lonely.
Marquis Cheng 'an's mansion was now in a busy state because Ban Han's dowry was too much. One storeroom was not enough, so the storeroom had to be reorganized.
There were countless gold, silver, and jade articles. The housekeeper in charge of the registration was sweating profusely. Their family's Marquis had married a God of Wealth. Looking at the housekeeper, who was from the Ban Family's dowry, who was calm, the housekeeper took a deep breath and told the servants to be more careful when moving things.
"Everything has been packed?" Rong Xia came over and saw many boxes in the courtyard. He turned to look at the housekeeper, "Madam gave this matter to you because she trusts you. Don't let her down."
"Yes." Before Ban Han married into the Rong family, the housekeeper was worried that Princess Fule would let the people she brought over take away his power in the mansion. But he didn't expect that Madam not only didn't have such a plan, but also let him and her dowry be responsible for the storeroom.
This made him feel relieved and moved at the same time. Madam didn't treat their family's Marquis as an outsider.
"Marquis, the gold, silver, and jade articles have been organized, but these antique calligraphy and paintings …" When the housekeeper saw the names of these antique calligraphy and paintings, he almost thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him, or that the Ban Family was playing with him. He didn't dare to tell other servants about this matter, for fear of making a big deal out of it.
"What's wrong with the calligraphy and paintings?" Rong Xia raised his eyebrows, "Is it because the servants are careless and broke them?"
The housekeeper shook his head again and again. He didn't dare to let people break them. If these things were real, any one of them would be priceless. Not to mention breaking them, he didn't even dare to touch them. Words couldn't describe the shock in his heart. He could only hand the list to Rong Xia.
The calligraphy of a calligraphy master from a thousand years ago, the painting of an emperor from two dynasties ago, the only copy of a famous disciple's work, the painting of an empress from two dynasties ago, a pile of calligraphy and painting of a famous scholar, or handwritten copies that were already out of print. These things were hard to find. How could the Ban Family have so many of them? Did they move all of their calligraphy and painting books to the Houfu?
Rong Xia took the list. The more he looked at it, the more shocked he was. He lowered his voice and said: "Who else knows about this?" The Rong family was a big family that had been around for hundreds of years. They had a lot of good things, some books, calligraphy, and paintings, but they were definitely not as surprising as the things on this list. Originally, the Ban Family's dowry list didn't have these things, so he didn't know that his beloved wife married him with such a big family.
The books that Huahua had given him had already surprised him. He didn't think that the Ban Family had so many good things that scholars dreamed of.
"Other than this subordinate, only the servants that madame sent to take care of the storehouse know."
"You did a good job," Rong Xia put away the list, "Keep everything safe. Don't let the news leak."
"This subordinate understands."
Rong Xia took the list to the inner courtyard to find Ban Han. She was lying on the white marble bridge feeding the fish. Because the weather was still cold, she was dressed in furry clothes. From a distance, she looked like a beautiful lazy fox.
"Huahua," Rong Xia walked to her side, took the cloak from the servant girl, and put it on her, "I just saw your dowry. I'll go to mother-in-law and mother-in-law's house to be a live-in son-in-law."
Ban Han was amused by his words. He raised his hand and waved, letting the servant beside him leave, and then said, "Are you scared by those treasures?"
"No," Rong Xia shook her head, "I'm scared by those books."
"These are the things that our family's ancestors didn't want when they accompanied the Great Ancestor to conquer the world," Ban Han sighed, "It's said that at that time, the world was in chaos and the people had no way to make a living. Every time our ancestor conquered a city with the lord, he would share some of the rich people's things with the other brothers. In order to avoid conflicts between the brothers because of the treasures, the Great Ancestor had everyone draw lots together. Our Ban Family's ancestor had bad luck. Every time he drew a piece of trash that others didn't want. Later, the Great Ancestor couldn't bear it. After he became the Emperor, he rewarded our ancestor with a lot of gold, silver, and jewelry. Our family's first generation savings came from that. "
The first Emperor of the Daye Dynasty was also a country bumpkin who didn't know much. It was said that when he first started conquering the world, he couldn't even recognize all the words. Who would believe that such a person could become the Emperor?
When she heard the words "trash", even someone as calm as Rong Xia couldn't help but raise her eyebrows a few times. But thinking about the chaotic world of that time, these antiques and paintings might not be as valuable as a basket of rice. When people couldn't even fill their stomachs, for ordinary people, what was the use of these calligraphy and paintings?
"My family thought that you might like these calligraphy and paintings, so they asked me to bring them over," Ban Han lowered his eyelids, not looking at Rong Xia, but looking down at the koi in the water, "When Brother Heng has a child, we'll give him half of it. These few years, it's enough for you to copy everything that needs to be copied."
"Let's go."
A white hand stretched out in front of Ban Han.
"Where are we going?" Ban Han looked up at Rong Xia. His face was full of smiles, which made Ban Han's heart soften.
"I'll take you to see my storeroom."
Ban Han blinked, and put her hand in Rong Xia's palm. Rong Xia pulled her up, and the two were like children, taking each other to see their treasures.
The Rong family's storeroom was very large. Ban Han saw Rong Xia open several doors before entering the storeroom.
Rong Xia didn't even look at the dozens of red lacquered boxes outside, and directly took Ban Han inside. In the middle room, there were many antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Ban Han wasn't interested in these things, and after a glance, he put away his curiosity.
The innermost room was also very large, with rows of neatly arranged shelves with large and small exquisite boxes. There were mahogany, sandalwood, agarwood, and even gold-rimmed phoebe. She then opened an agarwood box, which was full of jade pendants. It was so casual that it looked like a pile of pebbles.
She opened the nearest large mahogany box, which contained a set of golden head ornaments. The peony petals on the ornaments were as thin as cicada's wings.
How could gold ornaments be made so exquisitely?!
She then opened the other boxes. There were pearl robes, jade pillows, red jade accessories, and all kinds of priceless jewelry. They were so beautiful that Ban Han couldn't take her eyes off them.
"Rong Xia …" Ban Han carefully took out a phoenix wing hairpin. This hairpin was so beautiful that she even forgot to breathe, "Your ancestor wasn't a tomb raider, right?"
Their Ban Family could be considered as a prominent family, and they had a lot of gold, silver, and jewelry. But this kind of jewelry was hard to find even with money. Their family didn't have a whole storeroom full of them.
"Of course not," Rong Xia laughed out loud, and put the phoenix hairpin in Ban Han's hand in her hair, "Rong family's ancestor was the Prime Minister of the previous dynasty, and one of them married a princess of the previous dynasty. You definitely didn't remember the score when you were a child. "
The young masters and noble ladies of the great clans would know the genealogy of the great clans. Which clan's ancestors had done great things and which clan's ancestors were glorious? Most of them would be able to say a few words about it. During their daily interactions, they would also flatter each other. Their Rong family was a prominent family for two or three dynasties. Many people in the capital knew about their ancestor's glorious deeds.
"Those relationships were too complicated, so I only remembered a few families that had a good relationship with our family," Ban Han took a hand mirror inlaid with jewelry from the shelf and looked at her hair. She happily looked at Rong Xia, "This hairpin is really beautiful."
Rong Xia put the bunch of keys into Ban Jin's hands. "All the jewelry here is yours. You can take whatever you like and wear it. Everything is fine."
"All?" The keys in Ban Han's hand made clinking sounds. She looked at Rong Xia in disbelief. This was something passed down from the ancestors of the Rong family. He dared to let her wear it casually?
Rong Xia's eyes swept across the room. She nodded and smiled: "Yes, these jewelry have been in this room for many years. I have to ask Huahua to take them out for some fresh air."
Ban Jin's eyes curved into crescents as he smiled. "Alright."
She liked these beautiful things the most.
Seeing Ban Han's happy appearance, Rong Xia felt that the missing part of her childhood heart was finally filled. Her whole heart was filled to the brim, and her whole heart was warm.
"Is this bracelet beautiful?" Benny picked an exotic bracelet with intricate jewels on it. He had to wear it on one hand and on the other hand on his wrist. Ban Han's arm was tender and white, as if water would come out from it with a light touch.
"It's very beautiful." Rong Xia breathed heavily and licked Ban Han's arm lightly. "But this arm is even more beautiful."
"Stop it. I haven't washed my hands yet."
"I don't mind."
"But I do."
Rong Xia carried Ban Han horizontally and strode out of the warehouse with a smile. His confidants who were guarding outside all lowered their heads and did not dare to look.
"What are you doing? Go and lock the door." Du Jiu coughed to call back the minds of his subordinates.
There was always such a person in the world. No matter how much you touched her, you would feel that every part of her was charming. He wanted to kiss her from her hair to the soles of her feet. He wanted to hold her tightly in his arms and never let her go. He could never bear to see her suffer. If she frowned, he would try his best to make her happy. If she smiled, he would feel that the sky was blue and his heart was warm. He would even be willing to die for her.
Rong Xia felt that he loved the woman beneath him. Every part of her body made him reluctant to move his lips away.
How could there be such a charming woman in the world? How could he be so fascinated by her? He could not understand, nor did he want to understand.
Her body was as soft as the clouds, and her lips were as sweet as honey. In front of her, he was an irrational believer who wanted to give up everything for her. He only hoped that her eyes would always look at him, that she would always love him, and that she would never look away.
The warm tip of his tongue slid across her collarbone, but what it locked was his heart.
Half an hour later, Ban Yu came out of the bathtub and changed into a new set of clothes. Her entire body was like a juicy peach, causing the maidservants to blush and their hearts to beat like thunder. Even they themselves did not know why their hearts did not listen to them.
"Ruyi," Ban Han lazily rested her chin on one hand, a hint of charm in her eyes. "Help me dress."
"Yes."
After her hair was combed, she took out the phoenix hairpin that Rong Xia had personally put on her hair: "Use this."
Ruyi took the hairpin and gasped in shock at the exquisite craftsmanship. "Princess, this hairpin is so beautiful."
"I chose it because it is beautiful." Ban Han drew a gorgeous flower between her eyebrows. "Otherwise, why would I wear it?"
When Ruyi was tidying up Ban Yu's clothes, she saw a faint red mark on Ban Yu's neck. She blushed and said, "Junzhu is right." That was close. She almost couldn't help but touch Ban Yu's neck. What happened to her?
Ban Han had just finished dressing and dressing when she heard a servant say that the Crown Prince had come to visit.
"Where is Marquis?" Rong Xia had gone out an hour ago. Now that the Crown Prince had come, she did not know if Rong Xia was here.
"Someone was looking for Marquis just now. Marquis just left the residence."
"I will be there immediately." Ban Ti put on a bright red cloak and turned to walk out of the hall. The servants who were waiting on him hurriedly followed.
"Crown Prince, this subordinate has asked the servants of the Marquis fu. Marquis Cheng'an is not in the fu right now." The Crown Prince's personal attendant walked in with a slightly displeased expression.
"It does not matter if Jun Po is not here. I will just treat it as visiting my cousin." The Crown Prince smiled warmly, not showing any displeasure on his face.
"Does Crown Prince Gege miss me?"
The Crown Prince turned and saw Ban Han walk in with a smile on her face. Behind her was a large group of servants, just like before she got married. After he was put under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, he could not receive much news from the outside. However, the Ban Family still sent him things from time to time. Although it was just some seasonal fruits and vegetables, he was very touched by their kindness.
It was difficult to send charcoal in snowy weather. How many people in the Great Undertaking sent him things because he was the Crown Prince?
Only the Ban Family, whether he was in power or in dire straits, treated him the same as before.
This was probably the reason why Fuhuang liked the Ban Family.
"Huahua," The Crown Prince stood and smiled, "How have you been?"
"Crown Prince Gege," Ban Han walked in and bowed to the Crown Prince. She looked him up and down and then shook her head, "You have lost weight."
The Crown Prince smiled bitterly, "My appetite has not been good recently."
"Ai," Ban Han sighed and invited the Crown Prince to sit, "Crown Prince Gege, if you have any problems, you could have just called me into the palace. Why did you have to come here personally?"
"I did not come to see you. I came to find Marquis Cheng'an." The Crown Prince knew that Ban Han was a straightforward person, so he did not beat around the bush, "Is cousin's husband here?"
"He just went out," Ban Han summoned a servant, "Send some clever people to find Marquis. Tell him that the Crown Prince is here to visit. Tell him to come back quickly."
"Cousin, there is no need to do this," the Crown Prince hurriedly said, "Cousin's husband is not here. I can speak with you for a while. There is no need to call cousin's husband back."
"If it was anyone else, I would be too lazy to call them," Ban Han laughed softly, "You are his cousin. An important guest is visiting. There is no reason for cousin's husband not to be present."
"Seeing that you are very accustomed to life in the marquis fu, I am relieved." Seeing that Ban Han spoke with confidence, the Crown Prince's smile became more sincere, "I was originally worried that you would not get along well with Marquis Cheng'an. It seems that I was worried for nothing."
He had regrets in his heart. When Huahua got married, he was still locked up in the Eastern Palace. He wanted to personally send his blessings, but he could not.
"How could I have worried for nothing? You are my backer. If he bullies me, you will help me vent," Ban Han said confidently, "When the time comes, you will not help him or me, right?"
"Of course I will help you."
The two cousins chatted about daily life. The Eastern Palace official sitting on the side was secretly anxious. The Crown Prince and Princess Fule had such a good relationship. Why didn't he use the Princess Fule? When the time came, he could have the Princess Fule whisper something to Marquis Cheng'an. Wouldn't the matter be settled?
An hour later, Rong Xia returned. As soon as he entered, he apologized to the Crown Prince.
"Jun Po, no need to be so courteous," The Crown Prince reached out to support him and did not let him finish the bow, "It was my presumptuous visit that disturbed you."
"Many thanks to Your Highness for your tolerance," Rong Xia sat down next to Ban Han and gave Ban Han a gentle smile.
Ban Han hooked his finger and then stood, saying: "Gege Crown Prince, you chat. I will have the servants prepare dinner."
After Ban Han left, the smile on Rong Xia's face faded slightly: "Your Highness, if you have come for the matter of the court, please forgive this official for not being able to agree."
"Jun Po …"
"Your Highness," Rong Xia stood and bowed to the Crown Prince, "This official and the junzhu have just gotten married. It is the time for us to cultivate our feelings. I cannot bear to be separated from her."
The Crown Prince was silent. He could not care about anything else, but he had to care about his cousin.
After a moment, he spoke again: "I know it is difficult for you to return to the court now, but Daye needs you. Daye's people need you." He stood and bowed deeply to Rong Xia, "As for my cousin, I will personally apologize to her. I beg Marquis to help me."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The Eastern Palace official looked at the Crown Prince in shock. How could the Crown Prince of a country bow to a court official?
Rong Xia stood and returned the bow to the Crown Prince: "Your Highness, this official has something to remind you."
The Crown Prince stood and looked at Rong Xia with a gentle expression: "Marquis, please speak."
"His Majesty's body is weak. Prince Ning is like a tiger watching its prey. Even if you have the heart, there are many things in the court that you cannot do."
The Crown Prince was stunned. It was not that he did not know, he just pretended not to know. The people around him did not dare to mention this matter to him.
"How could I not know," the Crown Prince smiled bitterly, "I just want to have a clear conscience."
Rong Xia did not speak. The Crown Prince was a good person, but he was not a good Emperor. If he was the Crown Prince, he would control Prince Ning at this time and take the opportunity to seize power in the court. He would take away the Emperor's power and turn these unfavorable conditions into favorable conditions.
But the Crown Prince was too filial, too loyal, and too gentle.
How could such a person control the affairs of the court? It was just wishful thinking.
"If the Crown Prince has the heart, why not first allocate funds to the disaster-stricken areas and exempt them from taxes for two years to appease the people?" Rong Xia looked at the Crown Prince with a sharp gaze, "Of course, the better way is to punish Prince Ning and let the people see the sincerity of the court."
"But he … is still my younger brother," the Crown Prince said with difficulty, "If I punish him, Father Emperor and Mother Empress will be sad."
Rong Xia's expression became even more indifferent: "Since the Crown Prince is aware of all this, why did you ask this official to return to the court?"
A pile of mud that could not be helped up to a wall, yet he had to help it up. He was not an immortal.
Even if he was an immortal, he would not want to get his hands dirty with mud and add to his troubles.
What he wanted was not a rotten wall.
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