wedding dress

Chapter 13 The Prince
The second prince also sat down at the table, his face was slightly pale, and there was a chill in his body.

Baozhu took the hot tea served by the palace servants and handed it over, and also a box of red lacquer plum blossoms.Opening the lid of the box, Xiaodong smelled a sweet fragrance.Inside are peanut sesame candies, osmanthus pine nut candies, rose white cake slices, souffle kernels, salted pine nuts and sugared chestnuts.

The second prince picked up the teacup and asked casually, "Father is still in the study?"

Baozhu replied: "Yes, the second prince has something to ask to see the emperor? Is it something in school?"

"No, no, no." He said hurriedly, "I got a headache this morning, so I didn't go to school."

"Yo, did you tell the imperial physician?"

"No, just rest for a while."

Based on his ten years of studying in his previous life, Xiaodong can completely conclude that the second prince is playing truant by pretending to be sick.

Baozhu stopped talking, and peeled chestnuts for Xiaodong.This food is really heavy, and Xiaodong feels heavy after eating two chestnut kernels.Baozhu asked: "I don't know if the Princess is used to drinking this tea? Would you like someone to make honey tea?"

Xiaodong nodded repeatedly.

Although eating too much sweets will make you fat and damage your teeth, she still likes it.

The sweet taste can make people forget a lot of troubles and feel good.

Baozhu ordered people to serve honey tea again, then knelt down to one side.

The second prince looked at Xiao Dong several times, and asked softly: "What is the little princess doing here?"

Xiaodong looked at him, when the second prince thought she couldn't answer, Xiaodong said: "Wait for dad."

Her voice is crisp and weak, like a newborn thrush.

The second prince was stunned for a moment: "Uncle An is also in the study?"

This is no nonsense.

Xiaodong grabbed a handful of candy and handed it to him: "I'll eat it for you."

The second prince's expression suddenly——

"Eat, it's delicious."

He slowly reached out and took the candy.

Originally, the sugar was already a little hot by the charcoal stove, but Xiaodong grabbed it again, making it a little sticky.The second prince grabbed a handful of sticky candy like this, he didn't throw it away, he ate it, his complexion became more colorful and rich.

Children who play truant will always feel guilty, and usually dare not go home, just wandering in the street.The second prince has been cats in this side hall for a long time, his hands are really cold.

As soon as the second prince sat down, Xiaodong was too embarrassed to dry her feet, so Baozhu came over to help her put on her shoes.On each of Xiaodong's shoe tips is embroidered a fat golden fish with a pearl in its mouth, which is exquisite and extraordinary.

The second prince knew that he shouldn't look too much, although they are cousins, there are differences between men and women.But those shoes don't look half the size of his palm, lined with white fluffy tabi socks, they are really cute.

Xiaodong didn't care, she liked the shoes very much, even if they were inlaid with pearls, it was too extravagant.The heat from the charcoal stove made her face flush, and the second prince only thought that this little princess was obedient and beautiful, much cuter than the golden boy and jade girl dolls in the painting.She is much closer than those few arrogant imperial sisters who are not close.

The second prince's mother was originally a palace official with a humble background. After giving birth to the prince, she was named Zhaorong. She is not very beautiful, and she has long since lost her youth. The status of the second prince is not valued much, but he has a good temper , the people in the palace are not very afraid of him.

Baozhu asked him in a low voice: "Why doesn't the second prince like reading? There have been several troubles in the past six months, right?"

When asked by her, the second prince hesitated for a while before saying, "I just can't read it—"

"Then go to peek at the performance of martial arts archery, will you never get tired of it?"

The second prince was a little coy: "Archery is fun."

Xiaodong understands him very well. Compared with dry reading, archery on horseback is of course more boyish, but the atmosphere at this time seems to be more literary than military.It's certainly not a decent thing for a dignified prince to fall in love with martial arts.

The second prince sat for a while and left first. King An talked with the emperor for more than half an hour, and it was almost noon before he came to pick up Xiaodong.

"Go home?"

King An shook his head: "Let's go see the queen mother, and then go back to the mansion."

Xiaodong nodded, Eunuch He came up from behind, and said with a smile, "My lord, your majesty has ordered. It's freezing cold, if your lord and princess are going to Changchun Palace, please go there by chariot."

He beckoned, and sure enough a chariot was brought over.

King An said, "It's not in line with etiquette."

Xiaodong watched helplessly as he couldn't sit in the chariot, and had to walk on his own two short legs.

Wang An glanced at her, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, took her hand, and walked forward slowly.

In Changchun Palace lived the Empress Dowager Shengci, the biological mother of the Emperor and King An.

Even towards her own son, the Empress Dowager Shengci was indifferent.Her face was covered with a thin layer of powder, without rouge, and she looked slightly pale.She also only wears plain jade hairpins on her head, which is no different from that of ordinary widowed women.Changchun Palace is called Changchun, but it is cold and lonely here, and even the palace ladies and eunuchs seem to be less talkative than other places.Compared to Empress Dowager Shengde's place full of flowers and laughter, this place is just... like a nunnery.

"Stay—go after lunch."

The Empress Dowager Shengci's words did not have the slightest enthusiasm, they were dry and sounded very forced.

King An said: "Thank you, Queen Mother, but the previous court was busy, and several cities in the south of the mountain were hit by heavy snow..."

The implication is that this meal will not be eaten.

The Empress Dowager Shengci didn't force her, she didn't even show a smile from the beginning to the end, except for asking Xiaodong if she was cold or tired at the beginning, she couldn't find anything to say.

"Then... let's go back earlier, be careful on the way."

King An responded and said, "The queen mother should also take care of herself."

Mother and son, grandparents and grandchildren, just say goodbye without words.

The more Xiaodong thought about it, the more something was wrong. Why are the biological mother and son so alienated and indifferent to each other?If she didn't know, she must think that Empress Dowager Shengde is the mother of the emperor and King An.

After going out of Dongning Gate and getting into the sedan chair, Xiaodong felt that his tired feet were no longer his own.King An held her in his arms, lifted the sedan chair, and walked quickly and steadily.

"Are you hungry?"

Xiaodong shook his head: "Not hungry."

I ate a lot in the side hall.

King An hugged her, lifted the car curtain to take a look, and said in a low voice, "When I was your age, I couldn't eat enough all day long—at that time, my brother and I were raised by the queen... My mother didn't see each other for several days, and even if she did, she couldn't talk. After a long time, I didn't know what to say..."

He seemed to be talking to himself, Xiaodong was still young, although he was talking to her, he didn't expect her to understand, it was more like talking to himself.

Wang An touched her hair, but picked a broken pine nut shell from her hair: "What is this?"

Xiaodong took a look: "Pine nuts."

Wang An picked up the piece of broken shell and smiled: "It's strange that I have to be hungry, so I ate it secretly. Well, next time I ate it secretly, remember to wipe your mouth clean."

Xiaodong didn't know what he thought of again, that smile was so gentle——

Gentle inside, but revealing a bit of melancholy.

(End of this chapter)