"Your Majesty..." Duoduo really wanted to say that Nangong Ao had no other abilities besides his pretense, but he thought about it and did not say it, lest the Emperor say that he was blinded by emotion.
"Your Majesty, please peel some fruit for Bin'er to eat." Bin'er held an orange and stretched it out in front of Nangong Ming.
Duoduo hurriedly took the prong and said, "Bin'er must not be rude!"
Nangong Ming also said with a look of displeasure: "You boy, are I very old? You actually called me grandpa."
Duoduo said quickly: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, the child doesn't know etiquette, don't take it offence."
"The Emperor is young? Then why did those aunts just say that the Emperor is long live? Isn't Long Live the Emperor very old?"
"Ah ha ha ha ha..." Nangong Ming laughed and said, "Then your mother is now a thousand years old. Do you think your mother is old?"
Seeing Nangong Ming smile, Duoduo breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Khan, Your Majesty, you scared me to death. I thought you would really be angry."
Nangong Ming said: "Actually, I am really angry because you always treat me as an outsider."
"Then Your Majesty, how many years are you older than Duoduo? I might as well call you loud-"
"No!" Nangong Ming immediately cut off Duoduo's words and said, "No matter what, I don't want you to be my sister. Don't mention this kind of thing again in the future."
Duoduo looked at Nangong Ming's serious face and seemed to be really angry, so he had to say: "I understand, Your Majesty..."
Seeing that the atmosphere suddenly became serious, Nangong Ming suddenly smiled and said: "Don't be nervous. Didn't I say that you are not allowed to be exposed to outsiders like this in front of me in the future? You also agreed!"
"I understand, Your Majesty." Duoduo responded, then pouted and said: "Don't they all say that accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger? Who knows when your face will suddenly change, Your Majesty? Be cautious, just in case you get angry. If my life is taken away, who will help me raise my son?"
Nangong Ming said: "Do you think just saying a few words can be more serious than what happened this morning?"
After Duoduo thought about it, he was a little moved and said: "Today, Duoduo is really touched. Before the truth was revealed, the emperor would protect me at all costs..."
Nangong Ming laughed and said: "Well, it's good to know. Come on, I'm in a good mood today. Come play a few games of chess with me and let me see if you, a woman, have certain attainments on this chess board."
"Play chess? Okay, but the emperor has to let me, I just learned it." In fact, as early as when she was in school, she was busy dating, and no one chased her with her short legs, so she often studied the timing of chess games.
"Don't worry, I will give you three moves."
"Really? That's good!" Duoduo quickly made three moves. Then, Nangong Ming jumped on the horse, and heard Duoduo say continuously: "Cannon horse, capture the colt, then capture it horizontally, the heavy artillery will !stupid move!"
"Huh?" Nangong Ming frowned and said, "You are very good at chessboard, and you said you just learned it?"
"I'm not lying to you. He was taught by the fifth prince. He is very powerful. People say that watching the chess game shows his broad mind and planning talent. Your Majesty, don't say that Duoduo speaks with emotion. That fool is really a man to be created." You can see how talented he is from his instant success in the ring. As long as he is willing to learn, his progress will not be ordinary."
"Ah, let's not talk about them anymore. Come on, let's play another game. I won't let you go this time. If you want to speak for that bastard, you must win first before talking to me."
In the next few days, the emperor came to Zizhuyuan every day, and then left in the middle of the night. During the day, La Duoduo played chess, archery, or went to the racecourse to ride horses.
Duoduo learned a lot from Nangong Ming, especially the essentials of riding and shooting, and the skills of close combat. These things are quite different from what the master taught. What the emperor taught is more direct and useful. After all, it is
What I learned from the naked massacre scene.
But in addition to learning something, Duoduo has always been worried about one thing, that is, whenever he talks about Nangong Jie, the emperor, who is a father, always looks very impatient... Does he mean to use Nangong Jie?
As an emperor, he suppressed her and stole his son's woman, right?
Sigh... Duoduo felt very uneasy when he thought of this.
Tonight will be a sleepless night.
Duoduo stood at the door of Zizhuyuan, looking at the wide and straight palace road with the light of the two red lanterns in front of the door, trying hard to see through the end of the darkness, hoping to see his figure.
Today is already the seventh day, and there is not even a shred of news. According to his character, he should have asked her to question her, but he never showed up.
Sigh... I wonder what happened to that stupid man?
"Wow, mother, look at the luminous insects!" Bin'er ran out of the house and pointed at the twinkling lights in the dark night.
Duoduo turned around and said with a smile: "Son, those are fireflies. They are also found on Phoenix Mountain, but there are just a little less."
"Mom, I want to catch fireflies, I want to catch fireflies!"
"Okay, okay, let's catch them, but the fireflies should be concentrated in a small glass bottle. In that case, if there are more bugs, the bottle will sparkle, which is very beautiful. Come back and find it for you."
A glass bottle.”
Duoduo ran into the house and quickly took out a small-mouthed magnetic jar. Because she had forgotten that there was no technology to produce transparent glass in this era, she had no choice but to grab a bottle with something in it and ran out.
"Mom, I want to catch a lot of them!" Bin'er jumped and chased those fireflies, while Duoduo just followed him like a follower.
This little ancestor is much more valuable than adults, and he is also a more expensive owner. If he is injured somewhere, Duoduo will definitely feel heartbroken.
Chasing after her son and the fireflies, Duoduo unknowingly arrived at the Royal Garden, because there are so many fireflies here. We still didn’t see many last night. Today, all those laughing things with shiny butts came as if they were going to a market.
Join in the fun.
Suddenly, Duoduo discovered a very strange phenomenon, that is, these fireflies seemed to fly out from one direction, and then slowly spread in the imperial garden.
"Godfather?" Bin'er was jumping in front, suddenly turned around and shouted: "Mom, it's the godfather!"
Duoduo felt nervous: "Is it him?"
After walking over, he discovered that he had brought all the fireflies in the palace to release them in order to lure her to the imperial garden.
"Why are you here?" Duoduo was stunned for a moment, then told Bin'er: "Son, you go over there and play for a while. Mom has something to say to your godfather."
"Oh, I got it, Mom, don't talk for too long." Although Bin'er is young, she is very obedient and smart, jumping around and playing with her.
Duoduo said with some embarrassment: "No wonder, I said you didn't see any fireflies last night, but tonight they will be all over the imperial garden. It turns out you caught them from somewhere else."
"Why!" Nangong Jie suddenly stretched out his hands and grabbed Duoduo's shoulders tightly and said, "Tell me, why!"
Nangong Jie's voice could almost be described as a "roar", which made Duoduo feel very uncomfortable. She broke away from his hand and said, "Don't do this, you're hurting me."
"Hmph..." Nangong Jie walked back and forth a few times and asked with great resentment: "I agreed that I would let the emperor grant me a marriage, why do you want to be his concubine? Why!"
"Fool, don't be angry, just listen to me..."
"What else is there to say!" Nangong Jie suddenly shouted loudly: "Everything is a foregone conclusion, what's the point of talking about it?"
"Okay, then let's not say anything. What are you yelling at? What are you doing here? From now on, everyone will live their own lives and have nothing to do with each other!" Duoduo was also angry, and the grievance in her heart made her turn around and leave.
"Don't go!" Nangong Jie hugged her from behind and cried: "Don't go, you know, I haven't eaten or drank in the past few days, and I even tried hard to imagine that you only want glory and wealth.
I am a vulgar woman, thinking that I will hate you and forget you from now on... But I can't do it, I really can't do it..."
A dignified man, who almost lost his life in the ring without shedding a single tear, was holding her tightly and crying like a helpless child.
Hot tears dripped down his cheeks and onto her shoulders, dripping into her heart, making her heart break.
"Actually, the emperor and I..." Duoduo turned around and almost told the story, but when the words reached his lips, he shrank back and said, "Don't get excited yet. I have my own reasons for doing this."
"The reason? What is the reason for sacrificing our happiness?"
"The reason? What is the reason for sacrificing our happiness?" Nangong Jie, with tears streaming down his face, said excitedly.
"Can you please calm down?" Duoduo was almost provoked to tears: "Do you think what I think? Why are two people so tired when they fall in love? It's not all because of you, because you were born in this imperial family.
?”
"Then why don't you refuse? You can refuse. I don't believe that Father will force you to be his concubine!"
"You!" Duoduo didn't expect that he would actually blame her. She really wanted to tell him that if she didn't agree to be his concubine, then she and her son would really be killed!
It's just that she didn't say it out loud. She promised the emperor not to say it out, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
"What, you have nothing to say? After all, you also want to be this concubine, right?" Nangong Jie's voice sounded bitter and full of grief and anger.
"Okay, since you don't believe me so much, how about we elope? Let's take Bin'er with us and go to a place where no one knows us, even if it's deep in the mountains and old forests, and I'll follow you, okay?"
"I-" Nangong Jie suddenly froze for a moment, then said: "But as soon as we leave, my mother will definitely suffer because of me. Besides, the world is so big, it's just loess, where can we run to?"
Duoduo was disappointed for a while, how she hoped he would agree immediately and run away with her, even if it was a momentary impulse... but he actually relented.
"Humph, you know that things are not that simple, right? I thought you could do anything for me, but it turns out it's not like you imagined. When it comes to elopement, you also know that the world is as big as loess.
?You will also think of your mother?"
"But, is there no other way besides elopement?"
Duoduo suddenly became extremely calm, so calm that she felt a little scared and said: "Yes, you will dominate the world by yourself, so starting from tomorrow, you have to become stronger!"
"You mean, I want to compete for the crown prince's position?"
Duoduo asked back: "Do you think there is a more useful way? If not, then listen to me and work hard."
"Who is it?" The patrol team responsible for the tranquility of the harem heard the noise here and ran over quickly.
Nangong Jie looked at Duoduo with a complicated expression on his face, turned around and ran into the darkness.
"Concubine Qian, it turns out it's you. What are you doing at such a late hour?"
"Oh, it's nothing, I just took the kids out to catch some fireflies and play."
"Oh, it's okay. Madam, it's late at night and you may catch a cold. You'd better go back as soon as possible."
"Well, I understand, I'll go back right away."
After Duoduo finished speaking, he looked in the direction where Nangong Jie disappeared, and sighed. His face was more helpless... Since the day when Qian Guifei was appointed, the emperor ordered the two princes to attend court every morning to participate in government affairs.
During the discussion, Nangong Ao was active, especially when it came to disaster relief, and he even asked Ying to personally escort food to the disaster area.
Although it was not allowed to be played, it made all the officials happy to see it.
Nangong Jie, on the other hand, always looked like a frustrated rooster every morning when he went to court. He was just here for the show. Occasionally, when his father asked him, he just hesitated and mumbled, just like everyone else said, and casually dealt with the matter.
What made him most uncomfortable was actually not going to court, but the scene when he passed by Zizhuyuan after retreating from court every day, and saw Duoduo dressed in elegant clothes to welcome his father into the house, and then the windows and doors were closed tightly.
He once had the urge to rush in, but he knew that he would only humiliate himself. Besides, he had nothing to do with Duoduo, so why should he beg, scold, feel wronged, or act wild?
And now that she was a noble concubine, it was only natural for her father to seek her out... So Prince Jie's Mansion began to return to its previous coldness. The once lively Prince Jie Mansion since Duoduo came, has now become lifeless.
The servants saw it in their eyes and were anxious in their hearts. The master was now a weakling who had lost his fighting spirit. He spent all day soaking in wine glasses and was depressed. He was completely different from the tenacious and brave man who was in the ring not long ago.
Some people who had always wanted to curry favor came in and saw this scene. They were so frightened that they turned around and ran away, even taking the gifts back. Who knows if they gave him gifts and he didn't even know who had been there?
The servants are all secretly worried: Your Majesty, please stand firm!
This day was a rare day, because the emperor did not come to disturb Duoduo, so Duoduo had a quiet day. His son was very obedient and sensible. He seemed to know that his mother was unhappy, so he lay obediently in his mother's arms and held her mother's hand.
Play with your hands, no noise, no fuss, no crying or jumping.
Once a person calms down, it is easy to think of those unforgettable past events, of the fool who risked his life to save her over and over again, and of the time in the cave of the savage tribe where he was stupid enough to cut her veins and feed her with blood.
The scene made Duoduo feel a dull pain in his heart.
That delicate and handsome face must be a lot more haggard now... "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner." Jin Lian set a table with the delicious dishes brought back from the imperial kitchen.
"Jinlian, let's leave it for now. I'm not hungry yet. Oh, by the way, you can serve Bin'er first. It's time for the child to grow."
"Yes, empress."
"Jinlian, have you ever thought about the day you will leave the palace and get married?"
"My Lady, don't be joking. How can we have such blessings? We can just wait to die alone in this palace."
"Yeah..." Duoduo sighed: "Once you enter the palace, it's as deep as the sea. You can't help yourself with anything. It hurts yourself and others. It's annoying."
"Oh, empress, are you talking about the fifth prince?"
Duoduo was startled: "Why, what did you hear? Why did you say that?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I didn't hear anything. Instead, I found the Fifth Prince wandering around every day. Especially when he just retired from the court, you can often see him."
"Retreat from the imperial court..." Duoduo was extremely depressed.
That time was the time when the emperor came. In order to prevent the emperor from forgetting his promise, Duoduo tried his best to cater to the emperor's mood without going beyond the limits.
So every time she went out to greet him with a smile, holding the emperor's hand and entering the house... Although the normal relationship between friends was restored after entering the house, could he see the fool outside the house?
What he saw was just her smiling face welcoming you, right?
Thinking about it from another position, even I felt uncomfortable, let alone that stupid person who couldn't tolerate a grain of sand in his eyes... "Empress, you like the fifth prince, right?" Jin Lian suddenly asked.
"Ah?" Duoduo said carefully: "Yes, but Jin Lian, please don't talk loudly everywhere, got it? You don't want to attract trouble.", "Haha, don't worry, Madam, the Emperor is so doting on you now, the concubine in the palace.
We are all on your side, so
Everyone was bullied by that Concubine Yan before. They talked about it every day about how the Empress turned defeat into victory in Zhaoyang Palace. I think that Concubine Yan will definitely not dare to be so arrogant in the future.
At least I don’t dare to deal with you, my queen.”
"Oh, Jin Lian, you are wrong. How could that Concubine Yan give in so easily? That kind of snake and scorpion woman has a mouth full of venomous fangs. If she bites you, you will never be able to stand up again. You should be careful what you say in the future.
Do you know?"
"Oh, I know your Majesty, Jin Lian also knows that those concubines are fawning over your Majesty on the surface and seem to be sincerely trying to please your Majesty, but secretly they are all trying to be jealous. As long as there is a chance, they will step on you to climb up.
.”
"Haha, Jin Lian, it's best if you have this consciousness. By the way, Jin Lian, the hairpin on your head is old. I'll give you a new one."
Duoduo said, pointing to the jewelry sent by the concubines: "There are a lot of hairpins in there, Golden Lotus, you can choose whatever you want, don't be polite to me in the future, you know?"
"Haha, thanks to the empress, Jin Lian accepts your offer, but how can you ask for the things that belong to the empress? Jin Lian is just a palace maid and cannot afford to carry such valuable things."