female concubine

In the winter of the ninth year of Jianping, the Prince of Chu gave birth to the eldest son.

The mansion newspaper published by the Tongjin Department only had good news, but no news of the death of the abolished prince. Except for the mansion newspaper issued by the Tongjin Department of the imperial court, various merchants also published the news, and the happy event spread quickly.

Another half a month later, Duanming scholar Li Zhai reported that the former abolished crown prince died of illness. Not long after the abolished crown prince left, the courtiers and the people mistakenly thought that the husband died and the wife followed him. It's a pity.

At the end of the ninth year of Jianping, on the eve of Zhengdan, the eve of the New Year's Eve.

"Aren't those two people and the county lord's envoy all you?"

She nodded without denying, "I know my sister has made all the preparations, but..." King Chu turned his head, "I can't take even the slightest risk."

"What did you go through in Qishan, why do I think you changed after you came back, or what did Her Highness the Crown Princess say to you?" Xiao Youqing stared into her deep eyes, suddenly a little frightened, and then saw the faint and dilute tenderness on her neck. Jojo's trace, "How did you do this, even the voice is so deep?"

The carriage left Zhaoqingfang and drove towards a tile. The King of Chu shook his head lightly, and immediately lowered his head, "I haven't changed. It's my sister who... treats me as my second brother."

King Chu put his hand on her hand, "From now on, no one will be able to shake your position, and no one will doubt me."

She sneered again, and sighed deeply: "Wang Zhao won't let go of even a concubine of the crown prince, but he treats you...I think he still has affection for you."

"you..."

"Six kings, here we are."

The King of Chu took a deep breath, and held Xiao Youqing's hand tightly, "The previous things are over, I don't want to get into the details, my sister's kindness to me, I have kept it in my heart all these years, I know my sister has always had doubts in her heart." She pulled Xiao Youqing out of the carriage, and the two people who pretended to be traveling were no different from standing together with a bunch of dignitaries in this big city.

"What is this place?"

The King of Chu smiled and said, "Wazi in the north of the city is a place where young ladies from aristocratic families like you will not come."

As soon as I got out of the car, I saw many people wearing exotic costumes gathered in front of a small vendor. They still held pottery teapots with strange patterns in their hands. When drinking tea in the morning, they always order tea, so no teapots are produced in the kiln. .

"these people..."

"It's from the Xia Kingdom, and they are selling teapots and bargaining for prices."

Xiao Youqing looked at King Chu in surprise, "Can you understand their language?"

The King of Chu pulled her away, nodded and said: "Fufeng County is the only way for the Central Plains to trade with the West. Qishan County not only has people from the Xia Kingdom, but also people from the Khotan Kingdom farther away. The Lord Bo happens to be able to talk about the Xia Kingdom. I let him teach me the language in his spare time, maybe it will be useful in the future." After speaking, the King of Chu smiled slightly, and led her to the gate of a large courtyard.

The walls on both sides of the entrance of the house are extremely long, and it looks like a rich family's house, but after seeing the red gardenia lamp with a cover at the entrance, Xiao Youqing turned his head and smiled, and stretched out his hand to her ear, "Okay, bad habits don't change, You can stay here to spend the night with the ladies, I will go home and take Da Lang."

The king of Chu immediately stopped her, "Where is my sister thinking?" Then he leaned over to her ear and said, "Don't you always have doubts in your heart?"

What the King of Chu said made Xiao Youqing seem to understand something, and immediately looked at the garden, and walked in with her reluctantly with a wrinkled face.

"New Year's Eve tonight, the ministers are all around the stove at home, King Zhao is grounded, no one will stare at me and impeach me, besides, who doesn't know about my mess?"

The entrance to the garden is a building with a stage, and there are the most women in it, all of whom are full of makeup and beautifully dressed.

Not long after entering the door, several women rushed forward seeing them dressed in extraordinary clothes, "You two little officials, is this your first time here?"

Among them, a woman who had stayed in the building for some years said: "What's the first time, it's only been a few years, and you don't even know the Six Kings?"

The King of Chu stretched out his hand, "Hush."

"But this handsome little official looks very unfamiliar."

The King of Chu just smiled slightly, and led Xiao Youqing around the hall in a familiar way.

Several dumbfounded women competed and wondered: "Didn't these six princes come here after they got married? A little while ago, the palace gave birth to a little prince. How long has it been? The little official next to him is Who is even more handsome than the six kings."

"Looking at the face, could it be..."

"Every time the six kings come, they only listen to the music and never touch anyone. Isn't this a broken sleeve?"

"Speak less, I'm a prince now, so I'm not afraid of losing my head if I talk too much."

So they spread out and shut their mouths.

The king of Chu took Xiao Youqing up to an attic, and threw a piece of silver at the servant who was tidying up outside, "My elder brother is here for the first time, so let your mother come and serve her in person."

"Yes."

After Sier left, Xiao Youqing shook off her hand, "Hehe, from what they said just now, are you still a regular visitor here?"

The King of Chu nodded without denying it and quickly explained, "But I don't seek pleasure." The King of Chu stared at Xiao Youqing again and said with a smile, "I don't know how to ride a horse to the royal road with the appearance of a lady. How many boudoir women's hearts must be attracted."

"I'm too lazy to talk to you." After saying that, Xiao Youqing walked towards the railing, the pavilion was facing Zhaoqingfang, and it seemed that everything could be seen from below, and she remembered that there seemed to be such romantic places. Tall pavilions.

Not long after, a woman who was nearly forty years old twisted her waist and approached, "Hey, why didn't you notify me in advance that the sixth prince is coming?"

The King of Chu looked towards the railing. His mother had seen countless people, and she felt that she looked like a woman, but she didn't dare to confirm it, so she asked suspiciously, "This is it?"

Xiao Youqing turned around, glanced at her mother, and then looked at King Chu's guilty look, and probably guessed something.

Only then did my mother see Xiao Youqing's true face, which was almost the same as what the King of Chu was chanting. Seeing the King of Chu nodding and smiling, she understood what he was thinking. past mistress."

Xiao Youqing was not surprised by the address of the woman, but calmly walked to the seat and sat down slowly.

"Mistress, do you still remember that shabby silk picture?" Mom followed her eyes and smiled slightly: "It was given to you by the six kings, and how did you know the inside story? Speaking of Liu Shi, although Liu Shi is in Lanyue Tower, she is already a member of our courtyard. The reason why she is allowed to stay in Lanyue Tower is to avoid suspicion. There are two gardens in the south and west of the new city, and the one in the south of the new city is not far from the mistress's home."

"The people who come and go in and out of the garden are either rich merchants or high-ranking officials. There are also people from the court and clans who come and go, so they are well-informed. Of course, the most important thing is that the money is collected like running water. For so many years, the slave family has not been greedy for a penny. , As for where it is used, I don’t know, but the mistress can ask the master herself.”

After the mother finished speaking, the king of Chu waved his hand.

"The servant will leave."

King Chu immediately turned around and slowly approached Xiao Youqing with a silly smile on his face.

"If there is anything else to hide, let's tell it together." Sitting upright, Xiao Youqing stared at her coldly, as if interrogating a prisoner.

"Sister, don't stare at me like that, I...I'm panicked and scared."

"It's not a small skill. Not only do you like to visit kilns, but you also opened a kiln?"

The King of Chu walked up to Xiao Youqing's side with a smile, and immediately squeezed to sit down, "When I was young in Da Nei, I found that as long as I had money, I could buy news. Greedy people abound, but those who die for it are not Not many, and the horses and firearms cost money like water, so I started to make money, if I can’t be an emperor, I can be a successful businessman.”

"But in this life, I can only choose the road of emperor. As for the businessman, in the next life, I will be an ordinary couple with you."

Xiao Youqing still stared at her coldly, and suddenly realized: "Did you make up my mind a long time ago?"

The King of Chu was stunned for a moment, "I can only blame my sister for being too famous. The news of Jinling has spread to Tokyo, but I hurried to Sichuan without being able to meet my sister..."

"So what if we meet?"

"Then I will definitely stay in the capital and never leave. What will happen later, I have worked so hard to snatch you back from King Zhao."

Xiao Youqing turned around, "Dengtuzi is lustful, and he was talking about you."

"I'm not the only one who is interested in sex, is it?"

"you..."

"One more thing. Your Majesty has taken back the Military and Government Offices, but the Dianqian Division is still under the control of Shen. The Infantry Division has no commander, so it is in the hands of my uncle."

Xiao Youqing thought, "Li Xiaoyi is Zhao Wangfei's biological father, this army will also go to Zhao Wang?"

King Chu nodded and shook his head again, "King Zhao doesn't understand my uncle. He married his only daughter to King Zhao for the sake of fame and wealth. How can his utilitarian heart be controlled by his children? He is the same as my fourth uncle. Wherever he is, he's running there, but I'm not talking about him."

"It's the commander of the Mabu Army, Princess Kangning's son-in-law, the Zhao family." Xiao Youqing looked up at her, "I can guess it if you don't tell me, but aren't the Zhao family members of the Qi Palace?"

"Yes, so he grew up with the second elder brother. His father was loyal to King Qi all his life. Later, he defended His Majesty's arrows and died in battle. His Majesty promised my sister to him."

"When the second brother was here, I never had delusional thoughts until the second brother was framed. From then on, I started to deliberately learn from the second brother, started planning how to get out of the palace, and started to arrange everything."

"However..." Chu Wang stared at Xiao Youqing without moving, "The appearance of my sister is an accident in this layout, an accident that I will never forget in my life."

King Chu suddenly remembered something again, "By the way, there is one more thing I want to tell you."

"Ok?"

"It's okay if you want me to tell my sister, but my sister has to promise me." King Chu put his arms around her waist and said with a smirk, "Tonight, let me handle it."

Xiao Youqing immediately pushed her chest lightly, sat up and said, "Stop coming."

----------

At the beginning of the tenth year of Jianping, on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year after Zhengdan, the eldest son of the king of Chu, full moon, held a "child washing party" in the mansion.Clan relatives and the Chu Princess Xiao clan brought gifts and congratulations.

A large pot of hot soup was burning in the courtyard, and two servants surrounded the golden pot with colored cloth, and put in dried fruits, green onions and garlic one by one.

The servant brought a gold hairpin and approached, bowed and presented it: "Princess."

Xiao Youqing picked up the gold hairpin, and the king of Chu took the child from her arms, and gently stirred the dried fruit in the basin with the gold hairpin, while the surrounding relatives and friends put the copper coins prepared in their hands into it.

The originally quiet child started to cry not long after being picked up by the King of Chu, "It's okay, you haven't liked me since you were born, can't it be okay if I don't hug you?"

Xiao Youqing put down the gold hairpin, covered his mouth and smiled and said: "How can you hold a child like this, he will naturally cry when he feels uncomfortable, look at the stupid looks of both of you."

"Brother-in-law doesn't know how to hug, let me be the uncle to hug the head office." Xiao Yunze looked at the crying baby and hugged him happily, "He's so pretty."

The darkness at birth faded away, and the child's complexion gradually became pink and tender, "The little county king is really beautiful, and his penetrating eyes are very much like the six kings."

King Chu looked at the baby in his uncle's arms, lowered his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Really..." After hearing this, Xiao Youqing took a step closer, stretched out his hand to clasp her hand hanging beside her leg, and shook his head at her, tenderly He stared at him and said: "After cutting the fetal hair in a while, the officials will give him a name."

The king of Chu looked at her, and most of the depression in his heart dissipated. He stretched out his hand to brush the broken hair by her ear, and said with a slight smile, "Okay."

After the bath, the maid sent golden scissors, and the two carefully trimmed the baby's fetal hair.

"The character generation set by Emperor Taizong is Zongzi in Dalang's place," King Chu teased the baby in Xiao Youqing's arms who had just cut his fetal hair, "What name should Daddy give you, or my wife can think of one. "

Xiao Youqing shook his head, "Let the officials take it, everything is fine, it's his blessing, and it's also my concubine's."

The king of Chu looked down at the child who looked like a pink jade carving, his eyes that were not stained with worldly dirt were clear and bright, "I am a gentleman, I will call you Zongren."