Jiujiu didn't believe in ghosts and gods at all. After all, she had once been one of those ghosts and gods.
Although she didn't believe in them, she had to do as the Romans did. Jiujiu imitated Madam Yan and knelt on the praying mat three times. Madam Yan ordered Chun 'er to add incense to the temple while she brought Jiujiu to draw lots.
Madam Yan drew a lot herself, then let Jiujiu draw a lot. As for what the lot meant, Jiujiu didn't listen at all. She just stared blankly at the Crown Prince, who was standing not far away.
She raised her hand to rub her eyes, which were a little sore from the smoke, and raised her head again.
Yes, it was the Crown Prince, and he was even closer now. He was even smiling.
When she saw the Crown Prince, Jiujiu's first reaction was to smile at him. When she came back to her senses, she realized why she was smiling at him.
Although she had deliberately led the Crown Prince to investigate He Yanshuo last time, he had directly abandoned her. Moreover, he hadn't even sent her a message after such a long time. Jiujiu's smiling face instantly fell. She turned her head and ignored the Crown Prince in an exceptionally willful manner.
He wanted her to forgive him just because he came over? Dream on.
Lian Cheng's mouth twitched when he saw Jiujiu turn her head away without hesitation.
Only Jiujiu dared to give the Crown Prince a cold shoulder. However, the Crown Prince, who had been ignored, wasn't unhappy at all. Instead, he smiled even more brightly. This made Lian Cheng, who had been following behind the Crown Prince, feel a little sour.
The Crown Prince asked Lian Cheng to take out the little toy he had found, then walked towards Jiujiu.
The Crown Prince walked in front of Jiujiu and squatted down. He shook the little toy in his hand while looking at Jiujiu and said, "Qing 'er, look at what I brought you."
The crisp sound of gold and jade hitting each other rang out. Jiujiu curiously raised her head and saw the nine consecutive rings in the Crown Prince's hand.
Jiujiu had played with nine rings before, but it was her first time seeing nine rings made of gold and jade Jiujiu.
Jiujiu raised her hand and took the nine rings from the Crown Prince's hand. She looked at it and asked, "What is this?"
Since she was willing to talk to him, it meant that her anger had subsided. The Crown Prince immediately grasped Jiujiu's chubby little hand and taught Jiujiu how to play while saying, "This is the Nine Rings, you have to play it like this."
With the Crown Prince's practiced movements, it didn't take long for him to remove one of the rings.
After completing the series of actions, the Crown Prince raised his head and looked at Jiujiu, as if waiting for praise.
The corners of Jiujiu's mouth twitched. She immediately raised her head and clapped her hands. "Brother Crown Prince is so awesome."
The corners of the Crown Prince's mouth curled up into a smug smile, which made Lian Cheng, who was standing behind him, feel his teeth ache even more.
To be able to be this happy just by playing with nine rings, the Crown Prince was truly regressing the more he lived.
Madam Yan, who had finished asking the master to interpret the lot, turned her head and saw Jiujiu and the Crown Prince playing with nine rings.
When she saw the Crown Prince again, Madam Yan was no longer as helpless as before. She walked closer, and before she could salute, the Crown Prince raised his hand to indicate that there was no need to salute. He lowered his voice and said, "This one is incognito, Madam Yan doesn't need to be so courteous."
Madam Yan nodded her head in agreement. She looked at Jiujiu, who was leaning against the Crown Prince's chest and playing with the nine rings with a serious expression. Madam Yan's face revealed a motherly smile.
Jiujiu was smart to begin with. Just now, the Crown Prince had taught her step by step. Not long after, Jiujiu took out all nine rings herself.
She gave the separated rings to Madam Yan. Jiujiu raised her head and hugged the Crown Prince's head. "Brother Crown Prince, Qing 'er is smart, right?"
The Crown Prince lowered his head and kissed Jiujiu's tender face. He sincerely praised, "Qing 'er is really smart, even smarter than me."
"Hahaha …" Jiujiu hugged the Crown Prince's head and kissed him. Then, she leaned against the Crown Prince's shoulder and giggled.
Seeing Jiujiu smile happily, Madam Yan also smiled. However, no matter how one looked at it, there was a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.
Jiujiu was six years old this year, and there were still nine years before she would marry the Crown Prince. The two of them were starting to cultivate their relationship now, and when they got married, their relationship would definitely be deeper than that of ordinary people. Even if there was a great beauty who could cause the downfall of a country, beauty was fleeting. How could the love obtained through appearance be compared to the feelings they had spent together since they were young?
Jiujiu left early today, so she didn't eat much. After messing around with the Crown Prince for a while, Jiujiu felt hungry. She hugged the Crown Prince's head and acted coquettishly. "Brother Crown Prince, I'm hungry. I want to eat pastries."
The considerate Lian Cheng took out the pastries he had prepared beforehand and handed them to Jiujiu.
He opened the oiled paper and saw that it was a green bean cake.
Jiujiu pinched a small piece and took a bite. The green bean cake was fragrant and soft. It was sweet but not greasy. It was simply delicious. After Jiujiu ate a small piece, she didn't feel as hungry as before. She took two more pieces. She held one in her mouth and brought the other to the Crown Prince's mouth.
The Crown Prince didn't refuse the green bean cake that Jiujiu handed to him. He opened his mouth and swallowed it.
The last time he ate the green bean cake, it was so sweet that it made him a little uncomfortable. However, this time, it was sweet to the bone. The Crown Prince felt that it must be because the green bean cake shop from last time didn't have good skills.
After eating two pieces of green bean cake to fill her stomach, Madam Yan hurriedly brought Jiujiu, the little gluttonous cat, to eat.
Madam Yan was a frequent customer of Leiyin Temple and had a private room in the temple. Not long after they sat down, a young novice monk brought over vegetarian dishes.
Although they were all vegetarian dishes, they were exquisitely made. Even Jiujiu, who didn't like to eat tofu, ate two more mouthfuls of the tofu mixed with scallions.
After eating, Jiujiu pulled the Crown Prince's hand and asked, "Older Brother Crown Prince, can we bring the chef here back?"
The Crown Prince didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Jiujiu's question.
The chef here was also a monk. How could he bring him back?
After eating and drinking to their fill, the Crown Prince sent Jiujiu back to the general's residence. The two sat down and chatted for a while. After they agreed on a time to meet again, the Crown Prince left.
In the blink of an eye, eight years had passed. Jiujiu had changed from the white and tender chubby girl who would puff up her cheeks whenever she spoke to a slender and elegant young lady.
Her relationship with the Crown Prince also became better as time passed. They basically met a few times a month.
Because Jiujiu had a good relationship with the Crown Prince, the Emperor and Empress had a particularly good impression of Jiujiu. Basically, every few days, they would call Jiujiu into the palace to eat together.
However, these days, the Crown Prince and Jiujiu were at loggerheads.
The Crown Prince was six years older than Jiujiu. Jiujiu was only fourteen, and the Crown Prince was already in his twenties. Because he was waiting for Jiujiu, the Crown Prince didn't even have a concubine. The Empress was quite critical of this.
After all, the Crown Prince was the same age as the Crown Prince. Some of the princes younger than the Crown Prince already had children, but the Crown Prince had no children. Although it was gratifying that the Crown Prince had a good relationship with Jiujiu, it didn't make sense that he didn't even have a concubine because he was waiting for Jiujiu. Therefore, the Empress had been making a fuss these days to have the Crown Prince choose a concubine.
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