After entering Chengmingyuan, Zhu Jinghong asked Baochai to set up a chessboard and asked Baochai for advice.
Of course, these are all face-saving projects, and Zhu Jinghong often asks people personal questions.
"Miss Xue, how are you doing in the palace recently?"
"Okay... Master Thirteen can't see it!" Baochai picked up the chess piece and said.
The two often consult each other and are now very familiar with each other, so they talk in private like friends.
"If there's anything you're missing, if you can't talk to Third Sister, you can tell me directly. After all, we are master and disciple!"
"Thirteenth Master, don't say such nonsense. I can't afford to be a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. How can I, a little girl, dare to recognize you as my teacher!"
Picking up the tea cup, Zhu Jinghong said slowly: "You can't even be a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy. Are you scolding me or praising me?"
Baochai raised his head and said with a cold expression: "Of course I am praising the Thirteenth Master!"
The two chatted and played a random game of chess, and Baochai finally couldn't help but get up.
"Thirteenth Master, I really have something important to do. I have been delayed for so long... If my queen asks me, I won't be able to explain it easily!"
Zhu Jinghong collected the chess pieces on the table and said slowly: "I understand, I understand, you just want to leave, you make it sound like I'm not letting you go!"
"I'll give it to you!"
"No need... I bid farewell!"
Before Zhu Jinghong got up, Baochai saluted, took a few steps back, then turned around and ran out.
She had always prided herself on observing etiquette, but now she had to use this rude way to escape Zhu Jinghong's harassment.
After leaving Chengmingyuan, Baochai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This Thirteenth Master is too outrageous. You should come to Chengmingyuan less often in the future!"
"If anything happens, just ask Zhen Qin to come over..."
"No, no, this girl Zhen Qin is obsessed with Master Thirteen. Wouldn't letting her come over just fulfill her wish!"
"But if we let Ting Yatou come over...she is the Queen's niece, wouldn't she be close to the water..."
"Forget it, let me do it if something happens, just think of it as a small loss!"
Baochai murmured in a low voice and walked towards Shangyi Bureau.
Because she was delayed in Chengmingyuan, when she arrived at Shangyi Bureau, Qiqige had just finished washing and dressed up in Ming Dynasty clothes.
"Miss Xue... why are you here!"
The female officers of Shangyi Bureau were extremely polite to Xue Baochai, who came from an "average" background, even though they were of higher rank.
All because Baochai has the support of the Thirteenth Master, Zhu Jinghong, behind Baochai. These people in the palace hate to be superior and to be inferior to others. How can they not treat each other with courtesy now?
After Baochai saluted all the female officials, he replied: "The princess ordered me to come over and take that Junggar woman with me!"
"The girl came just in time. The girl has already washed up and we are planning to send her there!"
"No need to trouble you, just leave the person to me!" Baochai said with a smile.
"Then it's time to trouble the girl!"
After saying the polite words, one of the female officials ordered: "Bring the person over and give it to Miss Xue!"
"yes!"
After a few breaths, a girl wearing a blue double-breasted coat and a bun on her head came out. She was really dressed up.
"Indeed... he looks upright and full of heroism!"
This is the evaluation given by Baochai. Although the other person's appearance is not very outstanding, the heroic spirit between his eyebrows and eyes really adds a lot of points, and people can remember this face at a glance.
"This is Miss Xue, you go with her!"
"where to?"
"Of course I'm going to meet the princess!"
"oh!"
Qiqige took two steps forward and said openly to Baochai: "Hello...my name is Qiqige!"
This confused Baochai, and he could only say: "Hello...I...let's go!"
Baochai was not used to introducing herself like this, so she led Qiqige out without any introduction.
"This girl is so stupid and cute!"
"Cute? When she kills cows and sheep with a knife, you don't think she's cute anymore!"
"Yeah...these people are barbarians, and even women are wielding swords and guns. There's no etiquette in that!"
"Let her enter the palace to serve like this, I'm afraid..."
While the female officials of Shangyi Bureau were discussing, Qiqige had followed Baochai out of Shangyi Bureau.
"May I have your name?"
Qiqige asked very directly. Baochai knew that she did not understand Ming etiquette, so he replied: "My name is Baochai!"
Unexpectedly, Qiqige asked next: "Is he also a slave in this palace?"
There is nothing wrong with this in essence. It is correct to say that those who work in the palace are slaves, but after all, serving as a servant is different from a servant who serves others.
"Just like you, he is the princess's attendant!"
"Oh...then he's not a slave!"
The two of them walked forward in silence for a while, then heard Qiqige ask again: "What is the princess's personality like? Is it easy to get along with her?"
Baochai replied in a calm tone: "Whatever the princess's personality is, you and I need to adapt to it!"
"But I also have a bad temper. I was often beaten and scolded when I was in the palace..."
Before Qiqige could finish her words, Baochai interrupted her and said: "That was in Junggar. Now you are in the Ming Dynasty, so you must abide by the rules of the Ming Dynasty!"
How dare a slave teach me a lesson? Qiqige was very unhappy.
After speeding up her pace and walking alongside Baochai, Qiqige asked again: "Is this palace fun? When can I go out?"
Baochai replied calmly: "You should learn the rules in the palace clearly first, and then talk about things outside!"
She knew that Junggar was at odds with the Ming Dynasty, so she was not optimistic about Qiqige's future.
The two of them talked and soon arrived at Kunning Palace.
At the same time, the emperor's edict also came to the East Palace.
Zhu Jingyuan was looking through past memorials. He didn't dare to neglect when he heard the edict was coming, so he dropped what he was doing and rushed out.
In the outer hall of the East Palace, under the busy work of a group of East Palace eunuchs, the incense table futons needed to receive the order have been set up.
A group of bachelors from the East Palace gathered around Zhu Jingyuan and came to the outside of the hall, lined up and stood ready to receive the order.
"My son, Zhu Jingyuan, would like to ask my father's holy peace!"
The eunuch who conveyed the order responded with a "Holy bow," and then read: "The Lord has spoken orally, and on the ninth day of the 10th lunar month, at the Wuying Hall, a banquet will be held for the chieftain envoys from various countries and tribes and alliances, and the prince will host the banquet for me!"
"Appreciate this!"
"My son, I accept the decree!"
After Zhu Jingyuan kowtowed, the eunuch who delivered the order quickly walked down the steps and helped the prince up on the ground.
After hearing the eunuch's compliments, the officials of the prince's palace sent him out, and then entered the living room with the prince.
"Your Highness, Your Majesty has ordered you to host the state banquet. It shows that Your Highness's favor has not faded and his status is stable!"
"That's right. This matter needs to be carefully planned. We must let His Highness do his job well!"
Everyone chatted with each other and began to discuss the yamen involved in the banquet, and divided the tasks that they had to do.
Everyone was talking about it, and the preliminary plan for the state banquet had been discussed, and Zhu Jingyuan nodded in agreement.
After the group of bachelors left, Zhu Jingyuan's old habit of being nervous relapsed, so much so that he couldn't even read the memorial and turned around directly to enter the inner chamber.
Whenever he encounters a big event, especially an errand assigned by the emperor's father, Zhu Jingyuan will unconsciously become nervous, so much so that he becomes deeply anxious.
When he entered the study room of the inner house, Yuan Chun, who knew the situation, also rushed over and saw that Zhu Jingyuan looked pale as if he was seriously ill.
"Your Highness, what is happening?"
Zhu Jingyuan answered honestly: "My father gave me an errand, but I'm afraid it will be messed up again, so right now I feel overwhelmed and uneasy!"
Although he doted on Wang Yi more, he also knew that Yuan Chun could find a way, so he confessed his thoughts at this moment.
"With the bachelors sharing your worries, Your Highness can just take an overview of the situation and everything will be fine!"
After hearing Yuanchun's words of comfort, Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but said: "I just don't know what to do, if only...if only the thirteenth brother was here!"
Zhu Jingyuan naturally felt at ease when he recalled that Zhu Jinghong had helped make plans in Jinling. Although things were "thrilling", the errands were completed.
"This... during the banquet, why don't we just let Master Thirteen follow us!"
"I plan to invite him here to listen to his opinions, or I will send someone to invite him today!"
"Don't be in a hurry. Let's go and invite them tomorrow. By the way... I invited Lian Sheng'er to come and enjoy the flowers. It just so happened that the begonia flowers were blooming in the garden!"
"Why do you want to invite Sheng'er?" Zhu Jingyuan hesitated.
"Inviting the Thirteenth Brother alone, wouldn't the intention be too obvious!"
Zhu Jingyuan nodded and said, "Can you please contact me about this matter? The time will be...tomorrow afternoon!"
"Well... I will go to the palace tomorrow!"
(End of chapter)
