Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 33 Your Majesty Summons
Wude Hall is not big, and it is not worth mentioning compared to Ganlu Hall, but the place is smaller and has the atmosphere of human life.

As soon as Wu Rou entered, she lowered her head and looked around with her peripheral vision, and then an idea came to her mind:
No matter how big the Taiji Palace is, the emperor is only one person, and all he needs for living is a room and a bed.

The emperor propped up one leg and crossed the other leg, flipping through the memorial in his hand, his slightly elegant face frowning slightly, as if he was very unhappy.

Since the first time she went to bed with him, she had only seen the emperor from a distance a few times on the road. A year had passed since the face-to-face summons.

The emperor was still the same, his appearance had not changed much, but because of his displeasure, Wu Rou felt the overwhelming majesty.

Coupled with what Concubine Wei had said to her, she felt even more uneasy.

Wu Rou followed King Jin five steps away, not daring to express her anger. She wondered if she had made some mistake to be called here?
Is it because she has no rules and is too close to His Highness Prince Jin?
Over the past year, she did often chat with Prince Jin, and sometimes even talked about how to take care of her sister... She even became familiar with Princess Jinyang because of her many contacts.

But Prince Jin is still a child, and they usually talk five steps apart. What could be wrong?

Just as she was thinking this, the seven-year-old Princess Jinyang ran out from the side door of the side hall and said in surprise:

"Wu Cai! Why are you here?"

Wu Rou liked Princess Jinyang when she saw her, and a smile appeared on her face.

Her voice finally startled the focused emperor.The emperor glanced at them, and Princess Jinyang reluctantly returned to the side hall as if she understood.

She just held the door open for a little while and kept looking outside obediently, her big round eyes sparkling with a smile.

"Father." King Jin bowed respectfully and politely.

Wu Rou quickly withdrew her furtive gaze and also saluted:
"Wu Rou has met His Majesty."

The emperor put down the memorial in his hand, glanced at them, and said businesslikely:
"I have called you here because I have important matters to delegate. The year before last, we decided to marry Tuyuhun. Now the people and materials for the marriage are all ready, except for a princess.

I only have two or three princesses of the right age, all of whom are of no use. Besides, I might have to marry Tubo in the future. How can I have so many daughters to marry?So I plan to choose a princess from the clan named Li.

This is the first time that the Tang Dynasty has made peace with a foreign country, and it is Tuyuhun, so it is naturally very important..."

He paused and suddenly asked Wu Judao, who had his head lowered:
"Do you know why Tuyuhun is important?"

Wu Rou raised her eyes slightly, looked at Taizong's serious and expectant expression, and shouted anxiously in her heart:

I have studied so much to prepare myself to show off at critical moments and make you think I am good.

But I studied calligraphy and the Four Books and Five Classics...I didn't expect to learn foreign things!

Prince Jin turned his head and glanced at her, and saw her drooping eyebrows and a look of grievance and pity on her face, but her eyes were shining with unwillingness, like a ball of fire...

Seeing this, the emperor sighed slightly, raised his finger and pointed at Prince Jin next to him, and said:

"It's normal that you don't know. Xiaojiu, please explain to her why Tuyuhun is important."

Prince Jin turned sideways, looked at Wu Rou and explained gently and patiently:

"Tuyuhun is located about [-] miles west of Chang'an, bordering the Tang Dynasty and Tubo. It is an important route to countries in the Western Regions.

A strategy formulated by His Majesty to enrich the country and strengthen the army is to keep the trade routes in the Western Regions open and to exchange what is needed.Silk and porcelain from the Tang Dynasty were exchanged for horses, kerosene and other items from the Western Regions, so its stability was extremely important.

The emperor nodded after hearing this, and then said:

"Although Tuyuhun is now a dependent state of the Tang Dynasty, its national power is weak and the domestic political situation is unstable. I sent the princess to marry, firstly to be the eyes and ears of the Tang Dynasty, and secondly to represent the support of the Tang Dynasty. If it can help Tuyuhun stabilize the political situation , that would be better.

Therefore, this candidate cannot be chosen by a woman, but must be chosen by an envoy. "

When Wu Rou heard this, her heart was inexplicably agitated. She couldn't explain why, so she nodded quickly and said:

"Arou understands, please give your Majesty's instructions."

The emperor lowered his eyes, touched the beard on his chin casually, as if thinking, then put it on his propped up knees, nodded his hand and said:
"Now that you know it, you can take care of it. The candidate can be voluntary. If the clan can't choose, it doesn't matter if someone joins the clan."

As he spoke, he pointed at Jin King Li Shan and said:
"Xiaojiu will be 12 years old after June this year. According to the rules, the prince can leave the palace and build a palace at the age of 15. You can make everyone think that the palace is looking for a princess for the Jin Dynasty and hold a party. Gather all the women of the right age to prevent some people from getting the news and hiding away."

Wu Rou and Prince Jin looked at each other. Prince Jin's calm face turned slightly, as if he was helpless, but he said nothing.

The emperor wanted to laugh when he saw him like this. He coughed dryly and said deliberately with a straight face:

"Xiaojiu, cooperate well! ... There are not many people your age in the palace. Young people have more to say to each other, and choose the right person with emotion and reason."

"My son, I obey the decree." King Jin bowed respectfully and said.

"Go."

At this time, Princess Jinyang, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke up, her childish voice revealing her cuteness, and asked:

"Father, have we finished talking about political affairs? Can I take Wu Cairen to see my butterflies?"

The emperor turned his head to look at the princess, glanced at Wu Rou again, then waved to Princess Jinyang to let her pass, and asked:

"You like her very much?"

After Princess Jinyang thought for a while, she nodded obediently.The emperor showed a rare expression of kindness, his voice became much gentler, and he asked again:
"why?"

Princess Jinyang showed a thoughtful expression.

Wu Rou looked up at the emperor's probing look and felt like she was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Although she didn't do anything to deceive Princess Jinyang, it was true that her intentions were not pure.

She really felt guilty, as if the emperor would notice her ambitions next moment and beat her out.

Princess Jinyang thought for a long time and said:

"Well...she is so brave, she dares to hold my hand, touch my face, and even play with me."

As soon as these words came out, the emperor was stunned for a moment, then he laughed out loud and asked:
"...What's the reason for this?"

Princess Jinyang said:

"...No one else dares. Sister Chaoyang said that day that she didn't dare to be near me. If I got sick, she would be affected."

The emperor understood immediately.

Princess Jinyang is not in good health, and she is his most beloved daughter. Those people... I'm afraid they really don't dare to play with her.

Thinking of this, the emperor looked at his young and well-behaved daughter, and looked at her eyebrows and eyes that were similar to those of Empress Changsun. He felt distressed in his heart and almost shed tears.

He stretched out his arms and gave the child a firm hug. He closed his eyes and was silent for a while before letting go of her and saying:

"Go...Wucairen, you follow her."

Wu Rou lowered her head and said "yes", and was pulled into her bedroom by Princess Jinyang.

Although the palace maids I met along the way had their heads lowered, their surprise could be felt from their figures.

Wu Rou was extremely happy. After working hard for so long, she finally had a way to go, right?
Judging from His Majesty's appearance just now, he feels sorry for his daughter, and maybe he will allow her to come to Wude Palace from time to time!
Princess Jinyang took her hand, pointed to a pot of flowers in the room and said:
"Look, I raised butterflies!"

Wu Rou couldn't see where the butterfly was, so she bent down to be at eye level with her and asked:

"...Where is it? Princess, why can't I see it?"

Princess Jinyang dragged her to the front, pointed to a flower branch, and whispered;

"Here... I'm afraid of disturbing it, so I don't dare to move. Otherwise, I would have taken it out to show you."

She was lying on the table with flowers, next to the window, the child's round face resting on her arm, her eyes clear.

Wu Rou followed her gaze and saw an ugly little cocoon hanging on a branch.

Wu Rou only glanced at it, and her eyes moved involuntarily to Princess Jinyang's face. She looked at her slightly pursed mouth and looked at the cocoon room seriously and intently, as if she could see a novel world.

She couldn't help but feel a pain in her heart.

Sensible and quiet children always make people feel distressed, especially since she lost her mother-in-law at such a young age. I wonder if she will feel reserved and sad next to such a busy and dignified Aye.

But it must be lonely.

"This is what a butterfly's cocoon looks like. When will it come out?" Wu Rou asked softly, covering her mouth, for fear that her breath would be too loud and blow the cocoon.

"I don't know...it's been three days." Princess Jinyang lowered her voice and said mysteriously.

At this time, Prince Jin also came over, but he stood at the door and looked at them quietly without making a sound.

Although the 11-year-old boy has a young face and a small stature, he always has the feeling of an adult because he is calm, dignified, intelligent and reserved, and he is still unattainable.

Wu Rou suddenly remembered that when the Queen passed away, he was about the same age as Princess Jinyang. I heard that he had been crying for several days.

But looking at him now, I can no longer imagine him crying and crying as a toddler.

King Jin moved his eyes away from his sister and met Wu Rou's eyes. He suddenly felt warm in his heart.

Before he understood what that look meant, his younger sister, Princess Jinyang, rushed over to him, hugged his waist and asked:

"Brother... did you find any records in the library? When will my butterfly come out?"

Jinyang Li Shan shook his head slightly and said softly:

"There is no such record in the book, but for silkworms to break out of their cocoons, it may take about seven days. Don't worry."

"Okay, I'll wait a little longer..." Princess Jinyang said regretfully.

King Jin touched the top of her hair and said:
"Xi Zi, it's time to practice calligraphy. My brother is going out to discuss some things with Wu Cai. You can do your homework first, okay?"

(End of this chapter)