"Prince Ning has a tyrannical nature and does things according to his heart. If I don't do what he wants, he will have a grudge against me," Rong Xia smiled, "I'm just worried for the people of Daye. What will happen in the future?"
Ban Han sighed. After a long silence, he said, "Is Xie Wanyu trying to be friendly with us, or is she trying to be friendly with the Crown Prince?"
Rong Xia reached out a finger and gently pressed down on her furrowed brows: "No matter what she wants to do, it's not worth worrying about her right now."
Ban Han squeezed his finger and laughed lightly: "I know. You have to be careful."
"Okay."
Ever since the last assassination attempt, Rong Xia had arranged for many guards to be stationed in the main courtyard. The entire marquis fu had been thoroughly searched. After failing once, he didn't want to make the same mistake a second time.
At the end of the first month, Prince Ning's family finally moved out of the palace. The wang fu had been prepared a long time ago. Although Prince Ning wasn't happy, after moving into his new home, he had to pretend to be happy. He set up a banquet and invited people to the fu as guests.
What made Jiang Luo the most angry was that the Ban Family and Rong Xia had found an excuse to send gifts but didn't come. This was equivalent to telling all the nobles in the capital that the Marquis Cheng'an Fu and the Ban Family didn't have a good relationship with him.
If it was just these two families, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, there were several families that claimed to be ill and respectfully sent people to send gifts. However, they didn't even send a junior. Most of these people had a good relationship with Rong Xia. In other words, they had always admired Rong Xia.
After listening to the servant's report, Jiang Luo flipped the gift box that the family had sent to the ground. The jade Guanyin that was worth nearly a thousand taels was smashed to pieces.
When Prince Ning's attendant saw that it was the jade Guanyin that had been smashed, his expression changed in fright. Today was the day that the prince moved. Smashing the jade Guanyin was too inauspicious. He wanted to reach out to pick up the jade shards on the ground, but Prince Ning kicked him away. Prince Ning stepped on Yu Guanyin's head, his eyes full of haze.
"A bunch of unappreciative dogs."
Xie Wanyu stood at the door and watched as Prince Ning lost control of his emotions. She chuckled and turned to leave.
"Wangfei," the palace maid accompanied her back to the room, "the note you gave to Princess Fule, would it make Princess Fule think that Prince Ning wanted to assassinate Marquis Cheng'an?"
"That's her own business." Xie Wanyu's smile was a little gloomy. "I've already given her a favor. If she's not careful, she can't blame me." Although she didn't hate Ban Han, she didn't like him either.
Her life had been so rough right now. If someone else was having fun, she was very willing to watch.
Without many important people, Jiang Luo's housewarming banquet seemed a little cold and cheerless. From the beginning to the end of the banquet, his expression wasn't very good. In the middle of the banquet, there was a servant girl who didn't serve him well and he kicked her in front of everyone. In the end, the servant girl had to be carried away by other people.
When the people next to him saw Prince Ning disregard human life like that, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. This banquet wasn't a happy one and the guests weren't satisfied. When everyone got up to leave, they felt a little rushed.
"Lord Liu," an official called out to Liu Banshan and asked in a small voice, "I heard that the Supreme Court recently took on a somewhat difficult case?"
The tricky part of this case was that the defendant was Prince Ning's housekeeper. Prince Ning had made up his mind that if the Supreme Court touched his housekeeper, it would be a loss of face for him. Therefore, he didn't allow the Supreme Court to take him away.
The housekeeper had killed three people, but Prince Ning didn't allow the Supreme Court to take him away because of his face. This really caused people to criticize him.
Liu Banshan sighed and shook his head. He didn't want to say more.
The official patted his shoulder in understanding. "It's fine for us, but I pity the people of the world …"
He was well aware of the situation, but there was nothing he could do. This was the current situation of the imperial court.
Ten days later, in the Great Moon Palace, Emperor Yunqing was in particularly good spirits. Recently, not only could he gradually walk a few steps, he even ate more than usual. He liked Rong Xia and Ban Han more and more. He always felt that his current good condition was brought about by these two people.
"How many people have been impeaching Prince Ning recently?" He looked at the crown prince standing below him and drank a mouthful of nourishing tea. Seeing that the crown prince still wanted to say something, he frowned and said, "Crown Prince, although you are Prince Ning's older brother, you are also the future emperor of the imperial court. What are you afraid to say?"
The crown prince knelt down and said, "Imperial Father, you may live for thousands of years. This son is willing to be the crown prince for a lifetime."
The hall quieted down. The crown prince knelt on the ground and didn't dare to raise his head. The only sound he could hear was his own rapid breathing.
"No emperor can live for thousands of years. I am the same." Emperor Yunqing's expression was unfathomable. "Stand up and reply."
The crown prince stood up and looked at his Imperial Father's aged face and gray hair. He remembered the scene of his Imperial Father holding his hand and teaching him how to write stroke by stroke more than ten years ago. He couldn't bear to let these things affect his Imperial Father's mood. The things that his second brother did were indeed too much.
"You still haven't thought of how to cover up for your second brother?" Emperor Yunqing threw a memorial in his hand into the crown prince's arms. "It hasn't even been ten days since your second brother moved to Prince Ning's residence and three servants fell to their deaths. If you still want to cover up for him, are you going to wait until he kills everyone?!"
"Imperial Father, please calm down. This son has already comforted my second brother." The crown prince saw that Emperor Yunqing was so angry that his face turned white. He stepped forward and gently patted Emperor Yunqing's back. "If you have something to say, say it slowly. Don't hurt your body."
"Hmph!" Emperor Yunqing sneered. "He sent troops to suppress the disaster victims. Is it effective?"
He didn't care about the lives of some lowly commoners, but he cared a lot about his son's lack of brains. As a person of high status, he should have the basic ability to make decisions. If he couldn't even do this, how could he accomplish great things?
The crown prince's expression immediately darkened. "This son has already thought of a way to appease the disaster victims. There won't be too much trouble."
"Zhen understands." Emperor Yunqing waved his hand. "You are dismissed."
"Father, my second brother is still young. Please give him a few more chances …"
"Crown Prince." Emperor Yunqing interrupted the crown prince. "When Zhen was 15 years old, Zhen already knew how to become an emperor and how to govern a country. As an emperor, you can favor some people based on your preferences. But if you cross this bottom line, then you are an incapable ruler. "
"Zhen doesn't expect you to become a wise ruler. At least, don't cause a disaster because you favor your own people and end up with a bad reputation." Emperor Yunqing waved his hand. "You are dismissed and think about it."
"Yes." The crown prince walked out of the Great Moon Palace with a pale face. On the way, he met Xie Wanyu who came to pay respects to the empress.
"Your Highness." Xie Wanyu saw that the crown prince's expression wasn't good and knew that he had been reprimanded by his father.
"Sister-in-law." The crown prince glanced at Xie Wanyu and then looked away. He didn't offend her at all.
Xie Wanyu thought that the crown prince was actually a very good man. It was just that his personality was too gentle. She curtsied. "Your Highness, Sister-in-law has something to tell you."
"What?"
"I've discovered that Prince Ning's mood is becoming more and more abnormal. I'm worried that there's something wrong with his body." Xie Wanyu lowered her head to look at her toes. "But our family's wang ye doesn't like to talk to me about his matters. If I try to persuade him to see a taiyi, he won't agree."
"You mean to say that my second brother's personality is becoming worse because of his poor health?" The crown prince's eyes lit up as though he had found an excuse for Jiang Luo's mistake.
"Perhaps." Xie Wanyu felt some sympathy for the crown prince. He still didn't know that it wasn't a coincidence that he had been put under house arrest by the emperor because of his unclear relationship with the imperial concubines. Rather, it was Jiang Luo's plan. He was still defending Jiang Luo, but he didn't know that Jiang Luo saw him as a thorn in his side. He wouldn't be satisfied until he got rid of him.
These two brothers were very interesting. They clearly had the same father and mother, but their personalities were completely different.
"Many thanks to Dimei for telling me." The crown prince thought. "I will discuss this matter with Muhou."
"Thank you for your trouble, Crown Prince." Xie Wanyu's face instantly showed gratitude. "If you and Muhou can persuade him, he will definitely listen to you."
The crown prince grimaced. He was afraid that his second brother wouldn't want to listen to him.
"That's right. Has the crown prince explained the misunderstanding that occurred in the palace?" Xie Wanyu pretended to say carelessly. "I believe that the crown prince wouldn't do such a thing. It's not worth it to have a misunderstanding with the emperor over such a small matter."
Hearing Xie Wanyu mention the matter of that day, the crown prince's smile finally disappeared.
After being put under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, he had thought countless times about what had happened that day. Why had he been in the same room as Muhou's imperial concubines and been discovered by Muhou? Everything seemed to be a misunderstanding caused by coincidence. But how could it be so coincidental?
He had suspected that he had been schemed against by the shu princes. But they weren't valued by Muhou and didn't have any real power. What good would it do for them to scheme against him?
"If Your Highness wants to investigate the truth, you can ask my wang ye." Xie Wanyu smiled freely. "Wang ye has a taijian who has a good relationship with one of the palace maids of that imperial concubine. Why don't you have this taijian help you ask? Maybe he will be able to explain what happened."
"You say that the taijian by er di's side has a good relationship with the palace maid of this imperial concubine?"
"Yes." Xie Wanyu looked in puzzlement at the crown prince. "What is it?"
"Nothing." The crown prince's expression became even uglier. "Dimei, please do as you wish. I will leave first."
"Your Highness, Crown Prince, take care." Xie Wanyu smiled as he watched the crown prince's retreating figure. His eyes were filled with pleasure. Her dage had been tormented by pain until he was a bag of bones. Why would Prince Ning need an older brother who was always considerate of him?
After doing something immoral, he still wanted to take all the benefits. How could there be such a good thing in the world?
Since she couldn't divorce him after marrying this kind of man, she would rather be a widow than see him live in glory for the rest of his life. She didn't want to see him sit on the throne of the world.
The second day of the second month was the Great Ye Dynasty's Farming Day. On this day, the Emperor would personally take the Empress to the fields to sow the seeds and pray to the heavens for good weather and a bountiful harvest.
But this year was different. The Emperor couldn't move, so only the crown prince could represent the Emperor.
Other than the crown prince, the Imperial Family, the nobles, and important members of the court all had to accompany the Emperor. They carried hoes and dug a few times. The womenfolk held seeds and scattered them a few times.
Before Ban Han was married, she didn't have to participate in these activities. But now that she was married, she represented a woman who could support her family. She also had a high birth, so she had to appear for this Farming Day.
Wearing a short cotton-padded garment, her hair wrapped in a floral cloth and secured with two wooden hairpins. The rest of her jewelry was removed. Ban Han looked in the mirror and couldn't help but think, in three or four years, if she lost her title, she would probably dress like this.
"Junzhu is really a natural beauty. Even such simple clothing cannot hide your beauty." Ruyi helped Banzhu wash away the cardamom on her nails. After making sure that there was nothing else on her junzhu that could be nitpicked, she said, "Junzhu has a different kind of beauty when dressed like this."
"Ruyi, do you know what I like about you the most?" Ban Han patted the dull coarse clothing on her body, "I like that you have a sweet mouth."
On the side, Yu Zhu heard this and smiled, saying: "Junzhu, nubi also has a sweet mouth. You have to dote on me more."
"Dote, dote, dote on you little beauties," Ban Han grabbed the two's hands and teased, "I don't know which two stinky men will marry my two little beauties in the future."
"Junzhu, nubi doesn't want stinky men. Nubi just wants to stay by your side and serve you."
Outside the door, Rong Xia, one of the stinky men, looked at his furen with a complicated expression. He felt like a wife who had found her husband cheating on her and couldn't find a reason to vent his jealousy.
"Huahua," Rong Xia knocked on the door and interrupted Ban Han's play with the servant girls, "We should prepare to leave."
Ban Han turned her head and found Rong Xia was wearing gray coarse clothing. His hair was tied with a cloth string. The only thing that didn't match this set of clothing was his white face and that tender neck. She couldn't help but feel her eyes heat up. If Rong Xia was really a normal person and appeared in front of her like this, she really might not be able to resist keeping him in captivity.
She got up and walked to Rong Xia's side and took his hand, "Then let's go."
Rong Xia looked at Ruyi, Yuzhu and the other servant girls with a faint smile, "Huahua has such a good relationship with them."
"Don't worry, beauty, the person I love the most will always be you."
Rong Xia looked at Ban Han with burning eyes, "If this sentence is changed to 'I love you the most forever', it would be even better."
Ben Tun blinked his eyes and put on his signature innocent face.
"You won't say it?" Rong Xia reached out and touched her face, "Then I will say it."
"Say what?"
"I will only love you forever."
Ban Han's footsteps paused. She turned to look at Rong Xia and looked into his bottomless eyes. Some people's eyes were the most enchanting existence. Ban Han felt that what she was looking at was not a pair of eyes, but a dazzling and vast starry sky. The scenery inside was too beautiful and too hazy. She couldn't understand all of the scenery inside.
Moving her eyes away, Ban Han smiled. Her long eyelashes were as beautiful as the morning mist.
Rong Xia held her hand tightly and led her into the carriage.
"Rong Xia," Ban Han lifted the curtain and looked at the bustling capital outside, "Look outside."
Rong Xia leaned closer to Ban Han and looked at the scenery outside the carriage window. But other than the passersby and the wine shops, there was nothing special outside.
"Is it beautiful?"
Rong Xia turned to look at Ban Han. Her expression was very calm. For a moment, he didn't know whether to nod or shake his head. After thinking about it, he asked honestly, "What's beautiful?"
"The bustling capital is beautiful."
The carriage they were in was very luxurious, so it attracted the attention of the passersby. Ban Han saw envy and jealousy on their faces, but more than that, they were in awe. Because they knew that even if they were poor for a lifetime, they would not live such a beautiful life.
Rong Xia stretched out his hand and interlocked his fingers with Ban Han's, "I will let you see the prosperity of a lifetime. Believe me."
Ban Han's eyelids trembled. She slowly turned to look at Rong Xia, "A lifetime?"
"Yes, a lifetime, a lifetime," Rong Xia looked at her with a smile, "You like the prosperity of the capital. Then we will try our best to keep it, okay?"
Ban Han did not answer. She looked at Rong Xia's delicate and perfect chin and suddenly asked, "Do you like to wear black clothes?"
Rong Xia stared into Ban Han's eyes. After a while, he said, "Do you like me to wear black clothes?"
"I prefer you to wear half of your clothes, or wear nothing at all," Ban Han smiled ambiguously.
"Huahua," Rong Xia took a few deep breaths to suppress the impatience in his heart, "If you keep talking like this, I will probably lose my status in front of the Emperor today."
"His Majesty will not come today," Ban Han kissed his chin and pushed him away with a smile, "You are a gentleman. Don't do anything impolite."
Rong Xia smiled bitterly. With such a seductress by his side, how could he be a gentleman?
"Marquis, Yu Tian is here."
Rong Xia lifted the curtain and walked down, then turned to help Ban Han. Ban Han stood on the high stool and was half a head taller than him. She looked down at him like a proud peacock, "I promise you."
Rong Xia was stunned, then showed a bright smile.
"Cheng 'an …" Yao Peiji saw Marquis Cheng' an's carriage stop and was about to go forward to greet them. Who would have thought that he would see Marquis Cheng 'an and Princess Fule looking at each other affectionately and smiling. As an old man, he was too embarrassed to go forward and disturb them. He touched his face and turned around, pretending that he did not see anything.
"Minister Yao," Liu Banshan came over and saluted him, "What are you doing standing here?"
Yao Peiji coughed and returned Liu Banshan's salute, "This old man is just looking around, looking around."
Liu Banshan saw that there was something wrong with his expression, so he looked around and saw Marquis Cheng 'an helping Princess Fule jump down from the stool. Marquis Cheng' an looked very careful, as if he was holding a treasure.
After Princess Fule jumped down from the carriage, he did not know what she said, but Marquis Cheng 'an's smile did not fade.
Liu Banshan and Yao Peiji stood in the corner for nearly half an hour before Rong Xia discovered their presence. He held Ban Han's hand and walked to the two people. After greeting each other, Rong Xia asked, "Where is your wives?"
"My wife is not feeling well, so I let her rest in the mansion," Yao Peiji turned to look at Liu Banshan, "Your wife should be here, right?"
Liu Banshan knew that Marquis Cheng 'an was worried that Princess Fule would be bored by herself and wanted to find someone to accompany her, so he said, "My wife will be here soon, please wait a moment."
Ban Han saw a smiling and slightly plump woman not far away walking towards them. She looked at Liu Banshan's thin figure. These two were actually husband and wife, this was somewhat interesting.
Madam Liu was a very kind person. Her status was not very high, but in front of Ban Han, she would not be too eager to please her. The women and men were separated. Madam Liu took Ban Han to the place where the women were waiting for the arrival of the Emperor, and then quietly explained to her what they had to do during the Farming Festival.
Although this Madam Liu was very considerate and did not flatter at all, after interacting with her for a while, she could feel that this Madam Liu was overly respectful to her, or perhaps she valued her too much.
Although Liu Banshan was only a junior official of the Supreme Court and his rank was not as high as hers or Rong Xia's, Madam Liu did not need to be so respectful.
After waiting for about half an hour, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess finally arrived. When they came down from the Crown Prince's luxurious carriage, they were dressed as farmers. The Crown Princess was also carrying a rattan basket in her hand.
There was a ceremonial official on the side reminding the Crown Prince what he needed to do and what he needed to be careful of. The other courtiers and madams stood respectfully. When the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess began to move, the courtiers and madams followed suit and tried to look busy.
Stepping on the soft soil, Ban Han found that the soil had all been turned over. There was not a single weed, nor a single stone larger than the size of a thumb. This piece of land was so clean that it did not look like normal soil. The land around the Ban Family Holiday Manor belonged to the Ban Family. When she had nothing to do, she often played with her father and brother, so she had seen many scenes of farmers doing farm work. The soil was not as soft as this, and it was impossible for there to be no weeds. Stones and dry branches were common.
It seemed like these were all things to coax people.
Ban Han threw the seeds in her hand into the holes she had dug. She threw three or four seeds into each hole. Whether they lived or died, it was up to fate.
Her hands and feet were even faster. In a short while, she had spilled a row of seeds. When she turned her head, she saw that the other madams had already been left far behind her. She looked at the seeds in the bamboo basket at her waist and turned her head to the young eunuch beside her: "Did I do it a bit too fast?"
It seemed like she did not fit in with the group, even though she did not fit in with the group.
"Junzhu's quick hands and feet are a good thing." The young eunuch laughed dryly. It was originally a casual matter. Even if these nobles only threw one or two seeds to plant, there would be people below to fill in the rest. They would also ensure that the crops in the field would grow better than anyone else's.
He did not think that Princess Fule would be so quick. The way she threw the seeds was also somewhat interesting. He was a lowly eunuch, so he did not dare to interrupt Princess Fule's mood. He could only obediently follow behind her.
Ban Han stood up straight and looked around. She saw that in the distance, Rong Xia was loosening the soil. Even though she felt that the soil was so soft that it seemed like it had been loosened countless times.
"Junzhu," Liu furen walked to her side, "Are you tired? If you are tired, come and rest for a while."
Next to the field, there was already a shed for resting. From the outside, it did not look like much, but inside, there were tables, chairs, mats, fruits, and snacks.
Ban Han washed her hands and entered the shed. When the other noblewomen saw her, they all stood to welcome her. Ban Han raised her hand and said: "No need to be so courteous. Sit down."
"Junzhu is really amazing. You did so much work." A furen flattered, "This concubine is really envious."
"There is nothing to be envious of," Ban Han said, "I come from a family of generals. It is not strange that I am stronger than you."
When the others heard this, they all praised the Ban Family's ancestors. They praised how great they were, how they followed their ancestors to conquer the world, how they protected the country.
The palace maids came in to serve tea. The palace maid who was serving tea to Ban Han's hand trembled. The tea accidentally spilled over the rim of the cup and onto the table.
"Junzhu, please forgive me. Junzhu, please forgive me."
Ban Jin saw that this palace maid was only 13 or 14 years old. The childishness on her face had not faded, and her eyes were filled with fear. She looked like a frightened little white rabbit. Ban Jin looked a little pitiful, so he handed her a handkerchief: "It's fine. Be careful not to burn yourself."
"Thank you, Junzhu." The palace maid held the handkerchief but did not wipe the back of her hand. Instead, she poured out the tea that was originally in the cup and filled the cup with water.
"Junzhu, please drink slowly. This servant will leave." The little palace maid tightly held the handkerchief. She used her sleeve to wipe the water on the table and hurriedly left.
Ban Han raised the teacup and took a sip. Then, she put it down.
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