Ban Han reached out and held Rong Xia's hand. He pinched his waist and said, "You're the Emperor, but you're climbing through the window. Don't you feel ashamed?"
"In order to make you smile, I'm willing to climb the wall, let alone the window." Rong Xia saw that there were many birdcages hanging in the room, but most of them were empty. He remembered that Emperor Yunqing liked to raise birds for a period of time, so the servants offered many good-looking and clever birds as tribute.
Later, Emperor Yunqing fell ill. After Jiang Luo came to power, he wasn't interested in birds, so the servants slacked off. Many birds in the birdhouse died of starvation or illness. After Rong Xia and Ban Han moved into the palace, there were only a few left.
"If you like, I can ask someone to find some interesting birds for you." Rong Xia saw that these birds didn't know how to fly even after opening the birdcage, so he knew that they had been raised silly by the servants.
"No need." Ban Han shook his head and teased a green parrot that looked silly. "If the Emperor likes them, the Emperor will do it. I won't harm them. Besides, these things can be played with, so don't take them seriously. "
Rong Xia suddenly remembered the sweet potatoes he had eaten in Zhongzhou. He said to Ban Han, "Huahua, do you remember the roasted sweet potatoes we had in Zhongzhou?"
Ban Han nodded. "What's wrong?"
"I'm going to ask someone to try planting them in the imperial fields. If the yield is high, it will be good for our people." Rong Xia copied Ban Han and played with a bird in a cage next to him. "When spring comes next year, I'm going to send an ambassador to go out and see. If he can find other crops, it will be beneficial for our future generations."
"Although I don't understand these things, there's a saying that the world is very big, and there are always things we haven't seen." Ban Han's eyes brightened. "Your Majesty, it's good that you have this idea."
Rong Xia felt that perhaps only Huahua would agree with his shocking idea. The officials in the imperial court and the common people of the world had always believed that Da Ying was the largest and most powerful country, and disdained the other small countries. Perhaps it was because the surrounding small countries were too poor and backward that they had developed this kind of arrogance.
The thoughts of the people were simple. They had not seen enough people and things, so it was not strange for them to feel complacent. However, if the emperor and courtiers were also so complacent, it would not be a good thing.
As an Emperor, one must not be arrogant.
The husband and wife were thinking about how to benefit more people, while the other was very curious about the unknown. Although their goals were not the same, they talked about the same thing. The two of them came to draw a map. From the climate of various parts of the country, they were able to deduce the climate of other parts of the world, as well as the strange countries and people on the other side of the sea.
At the end of their conversation, the two of them realized that if they wanted to go out to sea, they would need a sturdy ship as well as weapons to defend against islands. Only then would they be able to show off their national prestige.
"We need to spend money everywhere." Ban Han leaned on the table. "It seems that we have to do it step by step."
"You're right." Rong Xia looked at the place outside the map that could not be seen. "We can't rush it. We don't have to do it step by step."
"Your Majesty." Wang De walked into the imperial study and saw the Emperor and Empress sitting around the map in deep thought. He bowed and said, "The main hall has been completely refurnished."
Rong Xia raised his eyebrows and said to Wang De, "Let the Imperial Astronomer calculate a good day, then we will move in."
"Yes."
Wang De thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, there is something that I haven't reported."
"Speak." Rong Xia looked up at Wang De and found that Wang De was secretly looking at Ban Han. He tapped the table. "If you have something to say, just say it."
"When Emperor Yunqing was seriously ill, he mentioned something to me." Wang De's voice trembled. "If he passed away, he asked me to take out an imperial edict."
"What imperial edict?"
"An imperial edict to make the Empress a princess."
"What did you say?" Ban Han looked at Wang De in disbelief. "A princess?"
"Yes." Wang De swallowed. "Emperor Yunqing said that Your Majesty is talented and virtuous, and has an outstanding appearance. There will definitely be many women who will fall deeply in love with Your Majesty. He was worried that after his death, Your Majesty would have no one to protect you, and Your Majesty would … Your Majesty would change his mind, so he wanted to give you a noble status. "
Ban Han looked at Wang De in a daze. After a while, he came back to his senses. "That imperial edict, where is it?"
"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. I will go and get it."
However, Wang De came back with a golden box. Ban Han took the box and took out the imperial edict. The handwriting on the imperial edict was a bit vague. After all, it was written by Emperor Yunqing when he was seriously ill.
The edict listed all of Ban Han's merits in detail, and gave her a new title, Changle.
Her feelings for Emperor Yunqing were very complicated. When she was young, she treated him as a close uncle. Later, when she grew up, she faintly guessed some of the truth. When she acted, there was a bit of true feeling, and a bit of acting.
After looking at the imperial edict for a long time, Ban Han put the imperial edict back into the golden box and closed the lid with a click.
The past grudges, love, and hatred faded with the passing of time.
She handed the box back to Wang De. "How long until he is buried?"
Although Emperor Yunqing was the emperor of the Daye Dynasty, in the eyes of the world, he treated both Rong Xia and Ban Han well. Therefore, even though the Jiang Dynasty no longer existed, Rong Xia still ordered that Emperor Yunqing be buried according to the imperial rules.
The construction of the mausoleum began after Emperor Yunqing ascended the throne, and it was completed a few years ago. Now, they just had to choose a suitable date to arrange for Emperor Yunqing's burial.
"Your Majesty, it will be on the eighth of next month."
"Huahua?" Rong Xia saw that Ban Han's expression was a bit gloomy. She stepped forward and gently hugged her, patting her back gently to calm her down.
"I'm fine." Ban Han shook her head and hugged Rong Xia's waist. "I just didn't expect …"
She didn't expect that Emperor Yunqing's feelings for her were more than she had imagined.
On the eighth of the eleventh month in the first year of Cheng 'an, the second last emperor of the Daye Dynasty, Emperor Yunqing, was buried. Although this emperor raised a deposed emperor and a deposed crown prince, the founding emperor of the Daye Dynasty did not lower the rules for his funeral. He even personally attended his funeral, which once again attracted the praise of countless people.
The deposed crown prince, who was now Prince Heqin, wore mourning clothes and walked in front of the funeral procession with a haggard expression.
The glorious Emperor Yunqing ended his glorious life the moment the gates of the mausoleum closed. The funeral procession left with the imperial carriage. Only Prince Heqin was left outside the gates.
His concubine-born sons were afraid of offending the new emperor and did not dare to stay for a moment longer. His di second son was still locked in prison. Only his di eldest son dared to accompany him at the gates.
The eleventh month in Jing was very cold. Prince Heqin looked at the cold words on the tombstone and knelt on the ground to kowtow three times to the person in the mausoleum.
"Cousin." Ban Han saw that Prince Heqin had knelt on the ground for a long time and did not get up. She hesitated for a moment and went forward to check. She found that the other's eyes were red and tears were streaming down his face.
Prince Heqin wiped away the tears on his face and stood to respectfully bow to her. "Greetings to the Empress."
The cold wind rose. Ban Han handed a cloak to Prince Heqin. "The autumn wind is cold. Cousin, take care of your body."
Prince Heqin hesitated for a moment and then took the cloak. He put it on his hand but did not wear it. Ban Han knew what he was worried about. She smiled and moved her gaze away. "Are you used to the new residence?"
"Replying to niangniang, everything is good."
Slowly nodding her head, Ban Han sighed. "That's good." She pulled on the belt of the cloak and looked around. Other than the personal guards waiting for her not far away, there was no one else.
"The wind is cold. Niangniang should return to the palace soon." Prince Heqin thought about how the power of the court was in the hands of Rong Xia. They, the relatives of the previous dynasty, could not help Ban Han and could only cause Rong Xia's suspicions.
"Do not worry. Before I stayed, I spoke to His Majesty." Ban Han knew that Prince Heqin was worried about her. Her smile carried relief. "I thought that Cousin would blame me."
The Crown Prince treated her very well. She helped Rong Xia rebel. If she was the Crown Prince, she would also hate her.
"Before Mother went to the other palace, she told me everything." Prince Heqin's expression was both guilty and relieved. "Marshal Ban … …"
The wind blew up Ban Han's white dress. Her eyelids trembled like a frightened butterfly. "This matter has nothing to do with Cousin. You do not have to feel guilty."
"So what does His Majesty's decision have to do with niangniang?" Prince Heqin smiled warmly as though he was still the gentle youth of the past. "I am not cut out to be emperor. The burden of this world is too heavy. I am an indecisive person. If I am emperor, I cannot give the people a peaceful life. His Majesty is different. He has always been more capable than me, and sees more clearly than me. No dynasty can last for thousands of years. The changing of dynasties is the law of the heavens. It just happened to be my turn. "
When he said this, Prince Heqin's expression was unusually calm. He smiled at Ban Han. "Niangniang, do not take these things to heart. The people of the world need His Majesty, not someone like me."
Ban Han smiled, but her eyes were slightly hot. She turned her head. "Cousin, let's go back."
"It is time to go back." Prince Heqin touched the cold stone tablet. "Niangniang should go first. This subject wants to stay here for a while."
"Alright." Ban Han nodded. "You did not bring any guards. I will leave behind some personal guards to send you back. Be careful on the way."
Prince Heqin smiled and bowed to Ban Han. He said, "Farewell, niangniang."
Ban Han paused and turned to look at Prince Heqin. "Cousin, we are family. You do not have to be so courteous with me in private."
The smile on Prince Heqin's face brightened slightly, but he shook his head firmly. "Etiquette cannot be discarded. Niangniang, the hearts of the people in the palace are complicated. The power and desire overlap. Niangniang, please be careful. In the hougong, do not be soft-hearted and value relationships. Us old people of the previous dynasty, please forget us now. "
Ban Han blinked and suppressed the sourness in her heart. She smiled proudly. "I am me. Whether it is the previous dynasty or the hougong, I will not let Little Yi live. If I go against my heart, I would rather die. Huahua appreciates Cousin's good intentions, but I will not forget. Whether I remember or not, it is up to me to decide! "
"Farewell."
Seeing this beautiful woman with dark skin dismount from her horse and leave without a care in the world, Prince Heqin dazedly stood in place. A long time later, he laughed.
This was Huahua, this was Huahua.
He shook the cloak in his hands and put it on.
This cloak was not thick, but he felt a wave of warmth protect his bone-chilling heart.
Emperor Yunqing was buried, and the commoners were forbidden from drinking and marrying for twenty-seven days. Ban Han rode her horse on the main street. Seeing the commoners still talking and laughing, she took off the cloak and hat on her head. She said to the personal guard behind her, "These commoners are the easiest to satisfy."
The personal guard smiled and said, "Master, don't delay anymore. His Majesty is still waiting for you to go back and eat."
Ban Han smiled. She turned her head and saw a two to three year old child fall not far from the horse. The child was round and chubby. She jumped off the horse.
The moment she jumped off the horse, an arrow flew past her head. She was not injured, but a strand of her hair was cut off.
If she hadn't suddenly jumped off the horse, the arrow would have pierced through her chest. At that time, even a god would not be able to save her.
"There are assassins!"
"Pass down the order to close the city gates."
Ban Han looked down at the hair on the ground. Her face was as dark as ink.
This was her hair. She had taken care of her hair since she was young.
Today was the day of Emperor Yunqing's burial. Although the streets were cleared, after Rong Xia returned to the palace, the streets were lifted. The commoners who had been locked up for half a day couldn't hold back their desire for gossip. They couldn't wait to come out and share the news with their neighbors. At this time, if there was someone hiding in a restaurant or teahouse, ready to attack a passerby at any time, no one would notice.
However, this assassin's methods were not clever. Or it could be said that he was already prepared to die. So when the personal guard found him, he stayed in the house and didn't even try to hide.
The personal guard brought the assassin to Ban Han. Ban Han saw that the assassin had an outstanding appearance and was about the same age as Prince He. He raised his eyebrows and turned to the personal guard and said, "Go and guard the palace gate. If you see the Emperor appear, you must stop him."
"Yes!" The Prince hurried over.
Ban Han looked around and said expressionlessly, "Investigate. This person must have an accomplice."
The assassin didn't hit the target, so he obediently waited for the personal guard to find him. Maybe he was waiting for her to interrogate him here. Because under anger and fear, people would often vent their anger at the first moment, regardless of the situation.
With Rong Xia's importance to her, if she heard that she was attacked, she would definitely rush out of the palace. The assassins lying in ambush on both sides of the road would take this opportunity to kill Rong Xia.
Understanding this, Ban Han didn't even look at the man kneeling on the ground. He got on the horse, raised the horsewhip, and said to the personal guard, "All of you, follow me."
At this time, the personal guard who grew up with Ban Han showed their ability. They knew what their master needed and what they had to do to keep up with their master. Compared with the personal guard, the Imperial Guards' reaction was half a beat slower.
"Your Majesty!" An Imperial Guard rushed into the Great Moon Palace, "Your Majesty, an assassin tried to assassinate the Empress."
Rong Xia, who had just changed out of her plain clothes, heard this and hurriedly asked, "How is the Empress?"
"The Empress is not seriously injured."
"Prepare the horse."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider," Wang De saw that Rong Xia was going to ride out of the palace and hurriedly said, "You can't take the risk."
"Get out of the way," Rong Xia pushed Wang De away and walked out of the Great Moon Palace without looking back.
Du Jiu, who was guarding the door, saw this and immediately followed.
Although Rong Xia was a scholar, her riding and shooting skills were very good. But the palace servants were a little scared. What happened? Why did His Majesty rush out of the palace on a horse?
They didn't dare to ask and just did their work more carefully.
The personal guard sent by the Ban Han was guarding the palace gate. When he heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the Vermilion Bird Gate, he hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
However, dozens of horses galloped past him and didn't even stop.
The personal guard was stunned for a moment. Seeing that His Majesty was about to run away with the Imperial Guards, he hurriedly climbed onto the horse and chased after him, shouting, "Your Majesty, I am the personal guard of the Empress. The Empress has something to say."
Compared with the anxious Rong Xia, Du Jiu was more aware of the environment around him. He heard the people behind him shouting about the Empress, so he looked back. That person … seemed to be the Empress's person?
"Your Majesty, please wait. We have the Empress's personal guard behind us."
Rong Xia pulled the reins. The horse felt pain and raised its front hooves, making a high-pitched neigh.
Seeing that His Majesty finally stopped, the personal guard was moved to tears. His Majesty was a famous talent in the capital. Why was his riding skill so good? He, who had been with horses since childhood, almost couldn't catch up.
"Your Majesty!" The personal guard panted as he bowed to Rong Xia. "The Empress said, please do not leave the palace. This is a trap for you."
Rong Xia's face was as cold as ice. "How is the Empress?"
The personal guard answered honestly, "The Empress is not injured, but her mood is not good."
Rong Xia looked in the direction of the outside of the palace and then looked at the palace gates not far behind him. He tightened his grip on the reins in his hands. "Not in a good mood?"
"Because the Empress … her hair has been shaved." The personal guard's expression was slightly respectful as he forced himself to say, "Your Majesty, the Empress may not be in a good mood in the next two days. Please bear with her."
Rong Xia knew that Momo had always cared about her appearance. She also took care of her hair carefully. If her hair was really shaved,
He coughed dryly. "Have the people from the yamen and the Infantry Department gone?"
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. Right now, the entire street is surrounded like a metal bucket. No suspicious person will be allowed to leave."
"The Empress's hair … how much did she lose?"
The personal guard: …
Ban Han's hair was disheveled as she galloped on horseback. Coupled with the gloomy expression on her face, there was a kind of murderous aura.
She did not say a word along the way. It was only when she saw Rong Xia and his guards standing obediently at the palace gates that her expression became slightly better.
But when Rong Xia and his guards saw Ban Han galloping over, they could not help but take a step back.
"Your, Your Majesty," Du Jiu said in a trembling voice that was not very obvious, "the Empress's mood seems to be very bad."
Rong Xia glanced at him. "Do you think I am not as clear as you?"
Du Jiu: Oh, it's good that you understand.
Before the horse had completely stopped, Ban Han jumped down from the back of the horse. Her hair that was disheveled behind her back danced in the wind like a waterfall.
Da da da.
Ban Han walked a few steps to Rong Xia's side. Before she could bow, Rong Xia took her hand. "Huahua, are you okay?"
"Not so good," Ban Han said with a gloomy expression. "That damned assassin actually ruined my hair!"
"No, let me take a look." Rong Xia reached out and touched the top of her head. Then he circled around her. "It's very beautiful. I can't see anything wrong with it at all."
Oh, there was a tuft of hair at the back that looked a bit shorter.
But he did not say this out loud.
"Really?" Ban Han's heart calmed down a little. She touched the hair at the back of her head with some suspicion. "You can't tell?"
"I can't tell!" Rong Xia nodded affirmatively. "Besides, Huahua is so beautiful. Even if she doesn't have hair, she's hundreds of times more beautiful than other women."
"Nonsense. How can I wear beautiful hair accessories without hair?" Ban Han rolled her eyes at Rong Xia. Her expression was much better. She turned to Du Jiu and said, "General Du, you handle this matter personally. Take His Majesty and my former subordinates with you."
She could not trust anyone else for the time being.
"Yes, General."
"Come back with me first," Ban Han said to Rong Xia. "This is not the place to talk."
"You're not angry anymore?" Rong Xia took her hand and walked into the Vermilion Bird Gate. "Tell me what happened."
Ban Han told him what happened and told him her own speculations. Even a rotten ship would have three catties of nails. Although Jiang Luo was imprisoned, it was not impossible for someone to assassinate Rong Xia with the intention of pushing Jiang Luo back to the throne.
Rong Xia nodded. "Your guess is reasonable."
However, Jiang Luo was not the only suspect. There was also the dethroned Crown Prince.
After returning to the Great Moon Palace, Ban Han looked at her hair in front of the mirror. Rong Xia walked to her side and rubbed her hair. "What? You don't believe what I said?"
"It's because you think I'm good that I don't believe you," Ban Han muttered. Seeing Rong Xia turn around and leave, she ignored him.
"Kacha."
She heard the sound of cutting something behind her. She turned around and saw Rong Xia holding a pair of scissors and a handful of hair. The palace servants were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Ban Han took the scissors from his hand. "Why are you cutting your hair?"
"Didn't we agree to face difficulties together?" Rong Xia put the hair in Ban Han's hand and looked at her with a smile. "Do you feel better now?"
Ban Han squeezed the hair in her hand and reached out to touch Rong Xia's hair. She said with heartache, "No, it's even worse now."
He didn't feel heartache for the beautiful woman's hair to be cut off like this, but she couldn't bear to.
Rong Xia pulled her into his arms and couldn't help but laugh. "Silly Huahua."
Wang De gave a meaningful glance to the others and led all the palace servants out of the room.
"Today's matter," Wang De looked at everyone and said coldly, "no one can speak of it. If even the slightest bit of information gets out, you don't need to live anymore."
"Yes." The most important thing about the palace servants who could serve the Emperor and Empress was that they were careful and tight-lipped.
Ban Han leaned on Rong Xia's chest and looked at the hair in his hand. Although she felt heartache, she still smiled.
He was the Emperor who had successfully rebelled, but he was so clumsy when it came to coaxing women.
Du Jiu searched through Jing and finally found all the assassins hiding in the surroundings. The identities of these assassins were out of Du Jiu's expectations. Some of them were marksmen who had shown their faces in front of the Emperor Yunqing, and some had been masters of the Eastern Palace.
Had these people been sent by Prince Heqin?
These assassins insisted that they were the remnants of Jiang Luo's troops, but Du Jiu didn't believe them at all. This kind of thing that hadn't succeeded and they couldn't wait to confess who was behind the scenes. It didn't fit the assassins' style at all.
If all the assassins in the world were so easy to talk to, then there wouldn't be a "confession by torture" in the world.
Du Jiu gave the testimonies of these people to Rong Xia. Rong Xia looked at them and then threw them to the side. "Choose Prince Heqin to enter the palace."
"Your Majesty …" Du Jiu looked hesitantly at Rong Xia. "Should we let the Empress know of this?"
The imperial study fell silent.
After a while, he sighed and said: "If the Empress asks, you can answer in full detail. If she doesn't ask, there's no need to tell her."
He knew that there was some affection between Huahua and the deposed Crown Prince. If Huahua knew that the Crown Prince had sent people to assassinate her and wanted to use her to lure him into danger, she would be sad for a long time.
"This subordinate understands."
Du Jiu withdrew.
Rong Xia looked at the table full of memorials and sighed. He wanted to keep the deposed Crown Prince alive. If the other party didn't know what was good for him, then he couldn't be blamed.
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