C46

The emperor understood and pondered for a moment. Then, he walked over and took Zhao'er's gaze. After that, he laughed and said in a clear voice:

"Pass my decree that the royal grandson, Yang Zhao, is to be celebrated on the full moon, and the second son, Yang Guangcai, is to be bestowed with the title of Emperor. From today onwards, the world shall be pardoned and rejoiced!"

The emperor spoke with golden words. The people within the palace, regardless of whether they approved or not, all knelt down and saluted. The sound of the mountains resounded throughout the palace:

"We wish the Emperor thousands of years of life and the crown prince thousands of years of life!"

I slightly raised my eyes and saw that Yang Guang's cheeks were slightly red, as if he was drunk, or maybe it was due to pleasure.

With the sound of silk bamboo, singing and dancing to liven things up, everyone drank and drank until the third fragment of the night.

The next day, after the Emperor's bestowal, a group of imperial guards came along with him. Due to the assassination incident from a month ago, the Emperor was worried about the safety of the Jin Residence and specially assigned a group of elites to protect them.

To my surprise, the leader of the guards turned out to be Ah He, more or less an old friend, who made me feel more at ease.

After a while, the empress decreed that the bestowment ceremony would take place three days later. Thus, everyone in the palace started to get busy, and prepared to set up the storage ceremony.

In my spare time, I hugged Zhao'er to admire La Mei. The warm winter sun shone on his tender cheeks, slightly suffusing a rosy, clear and cute look.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" He walked out of the garden, dropped to one knee, and bowed as he spoke.

"Oh, it's Mild, no need to be so polite." I was a little surprised, as I wasn't used to being addressed as' Crown Princess Consort '.

He stood up and looked at me with a slightly absent-minded gaze. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he stopped himself from speaking. I asked,

"What is it?"

"Er —" Ah Zhi looked hesitant, but he didn't say what he wanted to say. He only tried to cover it up, "No, La Mei is having a good time now. This humble official has seen that the Empress brought the little prince here alone. Without His highness, the Crown Prince, I feel a little cold."

He was lying. I could see it in his hesitant eyes. Since he didn't want to talk about it, I didn't ask any further.

"The Crown Prince's affairs are complicated, how can he be so relaxed?"

I glanced at his handsome face and saw that his eyebrows were tightly knitted together. His eyes were flickering, as if he had something on his mind, but he didn't know how to say it. In the end, he cupped his fist and said:

"Dong Ri, Tianhan. Your highness, be careful of your jade body. This humble subject will take his leave."

I nodded and watched his back as he disappeared into the distance. He felt that this was weird, but he couldn't figure out what was weird about it.

"Empress, it's getting late, don't freeze the little prince, let's go back?" Rui Cai saw that I was frozen still, so she took Zhao'er from my hands.

"That's good too, Chao'er should be feeding now." After I finished speaking, I held onto my heart and slowly walked towards the Yuanxin Pavilion.

The entire Daxing City was covered in ice and snow. Looking at the snow falling from the sky like jade fragments, I sighed in my heart. Today was a good day, but I didn't expect that the snow would come so suddenly.

Outside the curtain of the carriage, the cold wind was blowing. The maids who accompanied them were so cold that their pretty faces were flushed red, Yang Guang rode in front while the guards followed behind the carriage, heading towards the palace in a grandiose manner.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the palace, I heard a burst of drum music, the officials of the civil and military forces separated to welcome Yang Guang into the palace, Yang Guang got off their horses, I also followed closely behind them from the palanquin, the snow had been cleaned, a vermilion brocade extended from the entrance of the palace to the Great Treasure Hall, Yang Guang, dressed in a golden embroidered dragon gown, had the sun and moon on his shoulders, carrying five colored clouds, wearing a purple gold crown on his head, walked forward with a serious expression.

I wore a red Luan embroidered on a phoenix robe. The patterns woven from gold and silver shone brightly in the snowy light. The golden steps of the willow tree shook the jade hairpin. The pearl tassels hung from my hair. It gave off a noble aura, but it didn't lose its charm. As he slowly walked forward, he noticed that the snowflakes that blew on the long skirt that dragged along the ground, added a few white spots on the red dress, actually gave him quite a bit of interest.

Two rows of palace guards with solemn expressions were standing on both sides. When they arrived outside the entrance to the middle hall of the treasure chamber, the sound of drums and drums rang out. The emperor's head was slightly raised and the empress sat on the highest seat, dressed in luxurious attire with a solemn expression.

Yang Guang and I knelt down in front of each other, kowtowing nine times to receive the golden seal.

"Kneel —"

I fell to my knees with Yang Guang and all the officials in the civil and military fields.

The storage ceremony was extremely complicated. After a day, I was completely exhausted, but Yang Guang was still brimming with energy and vitality.

Returning to the manor, Yang Guangyan said:

"My beloved concubine, the weather is freezing right now, so it's not appropriate for us to move here. We'll move into the Eastern Palace next spring, how about that?"

I gave him a long look and said,

"Your Highness the Crown Prince doesn't need to be busy. Your concubine thinks that although the Jin Mansion isn't luxurious, they're also wealthy. Moreover, your concubine is already familiar with the place, so it's fine if you don't move."

"How can this be?" Gu Ruoyun is already the crown prince now, so why didn't you join the Eastern Palace? " Yang Guang frowned, slightly unhappy.

I suddenly felt dissatisfied and said:

"His Highness the Crown Prince has always been a simple and frugal man, worthy of praise by the world. Now, he's going to waste money for the sake of getting a place to stay?" Seeing his cold expression, I hurriedly added, "Although the Eastern Palace is luxurious, it's still a place of disaster. It's an ominous place, and Imperial Father and Mother have always disliked extravagance, so why didn't the Crown Prince push the Eastern Palace aside and change the Jin palace into the Crown Prince's Palace? I'm afraid Imperial Father and Mother would take advantage of this opportunity."

When Yang Guang heard what I said, his expression softened. After pondering for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and sized me up with a smile that was not a smile, and said:

"Lovely concubine, well calculated. You are truly worthy to be my 'good wife'. With the help of my beloved concubine, I will be like a tiger with wings, haha!"

In his eyes, when I helped him curry favor with the Emperor, it was undoubtedly beneficial for the stability of the throne. As for myself, I just felt that the Eastern Palace was too extravagant and wanted to make others dazzled, for fear that he would follow in Yang Yong's footsteps and not know his place, and only know how to seek pleasure.

On another level, what I'm most worried about is that one day, he will be like Yang Yong, with many wives and concubines.

"Oh? This concubine is only willing to be plain and simple, why would I need your help? " I raised my eyebrows and sneered. I emphasized the words "I am truly willing" to the extreme.

Naturally, he understood the hidden irony in my words.

"Your beloved concubine is a smart person, so you naturally know the seriousness of what's important. You should say what's important inside the mansion, and say what's important inside the palace. Your beloved concubine is clearer than Gu Ruoyun." Finishing his words, he turned around and left. Without looking back, he walked into the snow and headed straight out of the mansion. He sent a personal servant to report to me that he was going to a banquet that would be prepared for him by the influential officials of the imperial court.

In my heart, however, I could not help but sneer. The banquet in the palace has just ended, how could there be such an anxious subject? Furthermore, he hadn't returned for a whole night. He was probably anxious to report the good news to her. He felt a chill in his heart. It was colder than the snow and ice. He couldn't even feel pain anymore.

He stood behind him and said in a low voice:

"Empress, it's cold outside. Go back to the inner hall and rest early."

I turned around with a start, and with a sad look on my face, I looked at Ah He's concerned eyes and said,

"Ah He …" There were actually some unexplainable grievances in his words. I turned my head, not allowing him to see the mistiness in my eyes. Tightening the fox fur on my body, I slowly spoke:

"It's cold in the cold at night. You and the guards should get some rest as well."

When I finished speaking, I slowly walked towards the Yuanxin Pavilion. The snow outside the hall was still falling like shattered white jade, but when I looked at it, I felt as if those fragments had smashed into my heart.

It was a long night, and it was hard for me to rest. Whether it was the snowflakes that were slowly sinking outside the window or the faint calming fragrance that was curling up inside the room, they were all unable to calm my troubled mind. I didn't sleep through the night and realized how much I liked Yang Guang. Initially, I thought that I was just cooperating with him because of his status, but now that I think about it, from the first time I saw him, my feelings had already blossomed.

As he thought of this, his heart felt as if it were bursting with all his internal organs, but there was not a shred of blood in them. He was like a snowflake outside the window, pale and powerless, letting the wind blow against him and into the mundane world.

Regardless of whether Yang Guang was willing to or not, in the end, he did not mention the matter of the move anymore. He only ordered his men to remove the Jin Crown Prince Manor's sign and made a gold-plated "Crown Prince Manor" plaque to hang on the door. For this matter, Emperor Long Xin was overjoyed and praised Yang Guang in the imperial court.

I was busy watching over Gu Zhao'er, who had been by my side all day, not even half a step away, worried about the grass entangling Ah He in his martial arts training, and the peaceful atmosphere in the manor gradually calmed down. However, my emotions were unable to calm down, and even if my heart was focused on Zhao'er, there would still be moments of stagnation on my face.

On this day, I was coaxing Zhao'er to sleep. Suddenly, I heard Chen He playing the "Jade Melody" in the side hall. The melody was so faint that it made people feel comfortable.

Seeing Zhao'er was sleeping soundly and unable to wake up for a while, I handed him over to Rui Cai and called for Chen to come to the side hall.

The snow on the road was melting, the wheels were covered with mud and water, and although the sun was bright, it was still very cold. I was wearing a gold and phoenix coat, and holding the stove, I still felt cold.

After he got off the carriage, he went to the Embroidery Pavilion in Jinxia and immediately felt a trace of warmth. He smiled and said:

"What is Jinxia doing?" After saying that, he glanced at her hands.

When he saw her shyly leaning on the soft couch to embroider a picture of a mandarin duck and water, he was slightly surprised. When did she start playing with such common things?

"This humble girl pays her respects to the Crown Princess!" Perhaps my steps were too light, or perhaps she was too engrossed. When she heard my words, she was shocked and hurriedly dropped the needle and thread in her hand to the side of the bed, bowing respectfully.

"Do you and I still need to be so formal?" I helped her up and said smilingly.

"I didn't know that the Empress had arrived, and I apologize for my rudeness." She spoke slowly, and then, seeing my eyes on her embroidery cloth, she hastily hid it behind her, in the manner of a little girl.

I giggled and said,

"Don't tell me you have a lover? It's no wonder that I didn't see that beautiful halo with a tranquil heart like water. So, it turns out that my heart has long since flown out. "

Jin Xia was greatly embarrassed. Her cheeks were slightly red and no longer had the shrewdness of a merchant. Although she was twenty years old, she looked like she was fourteen or fifteen years old.

"The Empress is making fun of me."

Originally, I wanted to listen to Jinxia's zither tea for half a day to seek peace, but I didn't expect that I would come across such a coincidence. My heart was filled with curiosity as I asked:

"Looks like I've hit the nail on the head. It's just that in the entire capital, there are so many common folk. Those who can match the elegance of the brocade clouds are as rare as phoenix feathers or qilin horns. I wonder which family's young master is blessed and able to obtain the green eye of the brocade clouds?"

Jin Xia pursed her lips. She looked at the embroidered cloth in her hand with the four words "white hair without leaving," and a trace of warmth could be seen in her eyes, just like a young girl who had just opened her heart and missed her lover. He slowly said:

"Empress's words are wrong. In the past, Jinxia had always been proud and arrogant, and thought that everything in the world was ordinary. Only after meeting Young Master Mu did she realize that everything she had relied on was fate."

Her cheeks were flushed red. It seemed that she had truly met a true person. To be able to meet her lover in the mortal world, to be able to stay together for her entire life and never leave her, that was probably the dream of all the women in the world.

I looked at Jinxia with envy and blessings, thinking that she wasn't that young anymore. Her youth was fleeting, so I asked:

To be able to win the heart of Jinxia, he must be a rare man. If there's a lucky chance, I'd like to see it." I wonder when Jinxiang will have a marriage alliance? I'll also give you a big gift.

Jin Xia's eyes flickered. She was extremely shy as she caressed the mandarin duck on the embroidered cloth and said:

"Young Master Mu is also a merchant's home, but he has diligently made progress. Although Jinxia does not care for fame and fortune, but a man's ambition is still admirable. Regardless of whether he is an official or a merchant in the future, whether he is wealthy or not or he falls in the end, Jinxia will definitely follow suit. "

Seeing how determined she was, but her eyes were filled with tenderness, I couldn't help but to be envious of her.

"Since that's the case, let me first congratulate Jinxia. "Who would have thought that today's casual visit would result in such a beautiful occasion. When Jinxia marries in the future, regardless of whether she marries a noble or a commoner, I will personally go and congratulate her."

"Jinxia thanks the Empress for her beautiful intentions." Jinxia said with a smile.

After chatting for half a day, even though the topic was no longer poetry playing with the guqin, and it was mostly me and Zhao'er who were related by marriage, they still had a good time talking with each other.

It was already late, so I stood up to take my leave. The clouds in the sky were no longer as bright as they used to be as I walked to the door.

Since Yang Guang was appointed as the crown prince, he has been busy with government affairs. Not only are he busy with military matters, he also has to frequently enter the palace to help the emperor review his imperial reports. Occasionally, he would have time to return home, but there would always be court officials to visit him.

On this night, Yang Guang received Prime Minister Yang Su in his study. The dog came to report, saying that Yang Guang had dismissed his servants, and did not know what was going on, but for some reason, I always felt that something was amiss. As the ruler, although I had to gather together the ministers of the court to stabilize my position, it was unlikely that I would visit them at night.