The sound of the horse's hooves was accompanied by a long shout: "Let——"
The palace attendants carrying the chariot quickly got out of the way when they heard the sound.
A group of three people rode horses and galloped past Chang Sui Ning and the others without stopping for a moment.
Chang Suining subconsciously looked at the three people and the three cavalry who were walking away.
Unless a person riding a horse in Dasheng Palace is a very noble person with special permission from a saint, there are only two possibilities. One is that there is extremely important urgent news that needs to be presented to the emperor, most of which is an urgent battle report that cannot be delayed.
But now looking at the costumes of the three people and the boxes carried on the horses, it is obvious that it is the second possibility.
Chang Suining withdrew his gaze.
It's not just an emergency report from the military.
"That's the envoy from Lingnan who brought lychees to the palace." Prince Rong said to her with a smile.
Chang Suining nodded.
It's a bit ironic to say that lychees from Lingnan are as delicate and urgent as the military's emergency reports. Dasheng even has a dedicated imperial road for transporting lychees.
"I heard that the rain in Lingnan is good this year, so the lychees sent to the capital must be of the best quality." Prince Rong said with a smile, "Ms. Chang will also be able to enjoy it."
Emperor Dasheng had always had the habit of rewarding second-rank officials and above with lychees, and they were always indispensable in the palace of the General Hussars.
Facing Prince Rong, who was always smiling at him, Chang Sui Ning also smiled slightly, but without saying anything more, he only saluted and said, "I'll take my leave now."
"Ms. Chang, walk slowly."
Looking at the girl's leaving figure, Prince Rong withdrew his gaze, smiled and sighed to himself: "It seems that Mrs. Chang doesn't like to eat lychees..."
Normally, there is no one who doesn’t like eating lychees.
It’s not just about the taste of lychee itself——
Not to mention the saying that things are rare but valuable, it is always a matter of pride to be able to eat a lychee sent to the capital all the way from Lingnan, but still fresh and delicious. This is true for officials, but it is also a matter of pride for young people.
It is even more rare for ladies.
But when the young lady just heard the word "lychee", she was not surprised or expected at all.
Chang Suining walked along the palace road. The vermilion palace gate in front of him was just like the color of lychee coat.
The transportation of lychees in summer is always extremely difficult. From Lingnan to the capital, it is ten miles to one post and five miles to one pass. Along the way, the horse is rushing and not stopping for a moment. Although the bad fruits must be carefully selected before being sent to the palace, the lychees are
After entering the palace, they will still be sorted again by the palace people.
The one with the best appearance and the largest appearance is naturally the emperor who is enshrined in the highest place.
Regardless of the officials of the previous dynasty, the distribution of lychees in the harem has always been divided into three, six, and nine grades.
In the hot summer of that year, when the lychees were being divided in the harem, the mother and son in the remote place next to the elephant garden were not left behind.
The three lychees that were delivered were not good-looking in appearance, but they were enough to make the little children's eyes full of novelty.
That was the first time she and Axiao saw lychee.
The concubine's clean and slender fingers peeled one off, and the crystal-white flesh made people salivate.
The concubine removed the core from the lychee and handed it to Axiao's mouth. Axiao was both curious and happy, nodding his head and saying, "It's so sweet."
He was born weak and had a harder time eating than ordinary children. What he said was so sweet would be a pleasant surprise.
So the mother-in-law said - "If you like it, then take another one."
There are three pills in total, delivered per head.
She hesitated for a moment, then handed out the lychee in her hand - "Give this one to Axiao too!"
Although they were both five or six years old, her hands were different from Axiao's thin and pitiful hands that looked like chicken claws. Her hands were fleshy and thick. When she handed out the lychee with such a hand,
In the eyes of the mother and concubine, there should be no need to think about it at all——
The mother-in-law nodded and asked the palace attendants around her to get some snacks for her to eat.
So she gave the lychee to Ah Xiao.
She stood there and watched her mother-in-law peel another lychee to Ah Xiao.
At this time, the palace attendant who took the snacks came back, so she walked away and went to eat snacks.
She has had a good appetite since she was a child, and everything she eats tastes delicious.
And because I wanted to protect my weaker brother, I always had to take two more bites after I was full.
She finished the plate of snacks, and when she took the handkerchief handed to her by Gong'e and wiped her mouth, she saw her mother-in-law looking at her, shaking her head helplessly.
In her helplessness, she seemed a little worried that she would feel uncomfortable after eating too much, and there seemed to be some things that she could not understand when she was young.
Ah Xiao was a little sleepy, so his mother-in-law held him on her lap and gently patted him to sleep.
She just sat there and watched quietly. She was sitting on a high chair with her feet still not touching the ground, but she didn't dare to move around for fear of disturbing Axiao.
She looked a little sleepy and suddenly envied Axiao being held by her mother-in-law.
Ever since she could remember, the mother-in-law had never hugged her like this. She also put her on her lap and hugged her.
But after thinking about it carefully for a while, she thought of it once.
It was a spring afternoon when I was basking in the sun. Axiao was also sleepy and wanted to lose his temper. He cried and refused to let his mother and concubine coax him to sleep.
So the concubine opened her arms to her, hugged her in her arms, and said to Axiao - if Axiao doesn't come, the concubine will hug Ah Shang.
This method always works for children. Children don't think so much. After hearing this, Axiao hurried over.
So the mother-in-law gently pushed her away with a gentle expression and went to hug Axiao.
Thinking of that incident, she looked at the red lychee shell and suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
But Axiao's health was so poor, she shouldn't feel aggrieved.
She wants to be a good child and a good sister.
And Ah Xiao is also a good brother——
That night, Ah Xiao found her and secretly gave her something.
She looked through the lantern on the porch and saw a lychee.
——"This belongs to my sister. I hid it secretly. Please eat it too!"
He might have hidden it in his sleeve or stuffed it in his arms. The lychee was already stale.
But under the gaze of those eyes and eyebrows that looked exactly like hers, she still peeled it open and ate it.
That was the first lychee she ate.
——"Sister, is it delicious?"
——"Not as delicious as chestnuts."
——"Ah, but I think it's delicious."
——"Then I will dig up all the lychees in the world for you from now on!"
In winter, when the palace attendant dug a carrot out of the soil, she thought that lychees also grew in the soil. Before she even understood this, she started to brag about it.
Pian'a obeyed and nodded to her like a chicken pecking at rice.
Chang Sui Ning put his thoughts back when he stepped out of the palace gate.
…
Li Lu, the crown prince of Prince Rong, came to Ganlu Hall and saluted Emperor Shengce and the crown prince respectively.
The Holy Emperor's envoy gave him a seat.
He had always been in poor health, and the Emperor Shengce took a lot of care of him. For example, when he entered the palace, he was given a chariot in summer and a sedan chair in winter, which other members of the clan did not have.
"I was just discussing with the prince about the selection of the crown princess."
Li Lu was slightly surprised when he heard this. He looked at the prince sitting there and smiled slightly: "It seems that there will be a happy event in the palace soon."
The prince sat upright, but there was a trace of obvious nervousness in his eyes: "...but I am still young, so I am not in a hurry about this matter."
My son is still young - this is what he has said most often in the past two years.
This sentence seems to maintain a certain balance.
But he knew in his heart that he would always grow up. He could say this until he was fifteen, twenty...but what about thirty?
"Of course you are not in a hurry, but there are people who are anxious for you." The tone of the Holy Book Emperor was very calm, but a layer of cold sweat suddenly broke out on the prince's back.
He listened to the voice again and said: "But it's okay. The matter of selecting a crown princess is not a trivial matter. It will take some time to identify her. It's time to make preparations early."
Prince: "Everything depends on the saint making the decision...all my sons and ministers will obey."
The Holy Emperor looked at him: "You are the king of a country that will become prosperous in the future. There is no need to obey me in everything."
The prince's face turned slightly pale: "My son..."
The Holy Emperor seemed not to have seen his panic, and continued: "As the prince, everything is closely related to the country. Everyone in the court has interests and calculations, and no one's words can be trusted.
You must carefully consider the choice of the Crown Princess yourself, and do not listen to or believe in the words of any one person and act blindly."
"Yes... I will keep this in mind."
Emperor Shengce then looked at Prince Rong, who was sitting beside him: "The prince is already preparing to choose a crown princess at such an old age. What plans does Lu'er have for his marriage?"
Prince Rong has been recuperating in Beijing for many years, and his marriage has not yet been decided.
Li Lu looked a little surprised: "My nephew has no plans yet."
"But you are old enough to have a family." Emperor Shengzhen looked at him and sighed vaguely: "Your father is far away in Yizhou. If I allow you to delay like this in front of me, what will happen to me?"
How to explain to your father?"
Li Lu composed himself: "Your Majesty will make the decision."
"You are different from the prince." The Holy Emperor said warmly: "If you have a girl you like, you might as well make it clear to me. If your father agrees, then I will make the decision to marry you."
Li Lu was startled.
The girl you like?
He had a look of astonishment on his face: "My nephew has no idea..."
"Then let's try to find one or two." The Holy Emperor looked at the crown prince: "I plan to hold a flower party for the selection of the crown princess. You will also go there at that time. You can pay attention to whether there is anyone who is compatible with you at the banquet.
.”
"Yes." The ice basin on the side was a little cold. Li Lu coughed twice and then said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for taking care of this matter for your nephew."
Seeing that he looked weak, the Holy Emperor asked a few questions about his recent physical condition.
"It's been a bit cold in the summer, so I've had a bit of a cough recently...but it's nothing serious."
Only then did the Holy Emperor look relieved and explain a few more words before letting the palace officials send the person out of the Manna Palace.
Prince Li Zhi also resigned and left.
Looking at the bead curtain that was still gently swaying after the two people left, the Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, and his emotions were unclear.
After a while, Mingluo walked in.
"Your Majesty, the lychees sent from Lingnan have arrived and are now in the outer hall."
The Holy Emperor came to his senses for a moment, then stood up from the dragon chair and said, "I'll go take a look."
Mingluo was not surprised that she wanted to see it in person, so he stepped forward to help her.
The sage is not a person who attaches great importance to food, but every year the sage will personally select some of the lychees that come from Lingnan.
The Holy Emperor came to the outer hall, bent down slightly, and slowly picked out dozens of the most beautiful lychees from the fresh lychees, filling two boxes.
"The remaining ones should be divided among people as in previous years."
Mingluo responded: "Yes, Luo'er understands."
"These two boxes are sent to Dayun Temple and the eldest princess's mansion respectively as in previous years." Emperor Shengce told Mingluo: "Go to the eldest princess's mansion in person. At Dayun Temple, let Cui
Please come over on my behalf."
Mingluo agreed again and left the palace with the two boxes of lychees covered with ice.
"The Saint is thinking of His Royal Highness Princess Chongyue all the time." Sitting on the carriage leaving the palace, the maid beside Mingluo looked at the two boxes and couldn't help but sigh.
These are the best lychees. One box was sent to Dayun Temple to worship the goddess, and one box was sent to the residence of Princess Chongyue during her lifetime. The saint himself has never tasted one.
And it's like this every year.
Mingluo knew what the maid was thinking, and his eyes fell quietly on the two boxes.
This is not just a box given to the eldest princess.
"I heard that when envoys from Lingnan passed by Gongling Mausoleum, they would leave some lychees to offer sacrifices to His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince who was buried in Gongling Mausoleum..." the maid sighed softly.
Both of his sons and daughters have passed away long ago, so what if he becomes a saint? He is not alone yet, he can only care about those close relatives of his own flesh and blood in his heart.
"Fortunately, Princess, you are accompanying your Majesty." The maid sighed with emotion.
Mingluo raised the corner of his mouth slightly, noncommittal.
Does a saint need company?
Or it is unnecessary in the eyes of many people.
With the most supreme power in the world, would you still care about that little bit of insignificant companionship?
Sometimes she wasn't sure whether her aunt really needed it.
However, whether this nostalgia or guilt, no matter how true or false it is, it is only for the deceased.
She sometimes wonders, what would happen to her aunt if her aunt's outstanding children were still alive?
The carriage went to Xuance Mansion first.
Mingluo explained his purpose of coming, and as soon as he handed the box of lychees to Yuan Xiang, before he could say a few more words to Cui Jing, he heard that the other party said that "lychees are perishable" and immediately left for Dayun Temple.
Dayun Temple was built outside the city, a little far away, so Cui Jing asked someone to prepare a carriage and ice cubes to prevent the lychees from spoiling.
Before leaving the city, Cui Jing suddenly reined in his horse.
Yuan Xiang also hurriedly reined in his horse, subconsciously touched the sword on his waist, and looked around cautiously: "Grand Governor, is there anything strange?"
Cui Jing looked at the stall on the roadside: "Go buy some chestnuts and take them with you."
Yuan Xiang, who was pressing the knife: "?"
…
At the same moment, Jade Chip, who had taken a nap in the afternoon, faintly heard the voice of a female servant outside.
"Let's all go to the front yard. The Ming Dynasty's daughter is here."
"A History of Women in the Ming Dynasty?"
"On the order of the saint, the Ming Dynasty's female historian came to deliver this year's lychees to His Highness..."
Your Highness?
Hearing these two words, Yuchi suddenly sat up.
I just dreamed of His Highness again...
In the dream, His Highness kept asking why he didn't go to see her, why, why...
"I should explain it clearly to His Highness..."
"Someone lied to me..."
She didn't mean to harm His Highness!
Yes, as long as she explains it clearly to His Highness, His Highness will forgive her, right?
Your Highness will forgive her!
This thought, which was enough to completely save her from suffering, made Yuchi unable to care about anything else for a moment. She suddenly got out of bed, put on her shoes in a hurry, and walked out of the house quickly.
Due to Mingluo's arrival, the two female envoys who were supposed to be guarding outside went to the front yard.
She walked all the way through the garden and came to the backyard of the eldest princess's mansion, and then came to the door that she had opened many times in recent days.
After a moment's hesitation, she pulled out the latch with trembling movements and opened the door.
The golden crow heading west outside the door was emitting blazing light, causing her to subconsciously raise her hands to shield her eyes.
At the same time, she stepped out of the threshold.