Being reminded by Agate during the day, Lu Bingzhen suddenly realized that her birthday was coming soon. When thinking about his birthday, Lu Bingzhen felt a little worried about his future life in the palace.
When I was traveling with my parents, every birthday was one of Lu Bingzhen’s favorite days.
Because on this day, Lu Qi and his wife always indulged Lu Bingzhen. Whether they were riding horses for outings in the suburbs, dressing up as men to attend an academy, or spending the whole day shopping for various treasures, Lu Qi and his wife always responded to Lu Bingzhen's requests.
But this year’s birthday is different. Not only is Lu Bingzhen’s body in the capital under heavy control from the Lu family, but also because she is now a confirmed quasi-princess. Every word and every action she takes is stared at by many pairs of eyes in the capital. She has long lost her identity. The right to do whatever you want.
Lu Bingzhen let out a long sigh, leaned on the Changtan, and casually covered his face with the book in his hand. Cai Bing made several plates of tea at the table and melted snow to light incense in front of the Boshan stove. The two heard Lu Bingzhen sighing and at the same time looked back at their little lady.
Cai Bing knew that this was because her little lady was in a bad mood. She smiled and sighed, "Ninth Lady is worried and sad when she thinks about the days when she will enter the palace. But a few days ago, when the marriage decree arrived at our Lu family, it was said that Shen Nanyuan There was a big fuss here, many cups and dishes were broken, and even the jade pendant and hairpin were almost broken. "
Shen Nanyuan was not originally called this name. It was changed by his grandfather Lu Zhi after Lu Bingzhen's fifth cousin Lu Binghui made a big fuss and was canonized by the county king. Agarwood and Qinan are both precious spices, but their effects are to calm the mind and calm the mind.
Lu Zhi meant that the fifth lady was uneasy. After changing her name, Lu Binghui didn't want to look at the maids and servants when she was walking on the road. She just felt that they were all laughing at her. However, the Fan Yang Lu family has always had strict rules. How could the maid dare to laugh at the fifth lady in front of her face?
Cai Bing and Rong Xue originally followed Lu Bingzhen everywhere, and had no feelings for this fifth lady who they had not interacted with for many years. But since the last time the fifth lady almost made a fuss about the county king's canonization of their little lady, Cai Bing and Rong Xue secretly disliked the fifth lady.
Now looking at the Fifth Lady, who most wanted to marry into a noble family, she could only beat her chest for her own young lady's future. Even their own young lady was a little worried about her future days in the East Palace, and Cai Bing and Rong Xue also felt relieved.
Seeing Cai Bing winking and saying something, Lu Bingzhen also burst into laughter, "Okay, okay, let's forget about Shen Nanyuan's affairs. We can't go out to Lu's house on the birthday this year, but before the birthday... ····“
Lu Bingzhen blinked slyly, thinking about how to escape the eyes of the four nuns and his grandfather Lu Zhi, and went out to relax. But before Lu Bingzhen could rack his brains to think of a solution, a ready-made opportunity came to his door.
The female officials in the palace summoned Qingning County Lord into the palace on March 28th, following the Queen Mother's oral instructions.
On that day, Lu Bingzhen, the monarch of Qingning County, once again dressed up according to the rank of a county monarch and entered the palace. As soon as she entered the palace gate, there were palace maids and eunuchs who wanted to please her, the soon-to-be princess, and were diligent enough to carry her into the palace on a walking chariot.
After being challenged by the four nuns in various palace rules and etiquette during this period, Lu Bingzhen certainly knew that this was completely out of bounds for him, so he politely thanked her and still planned to go in on his own.
Just as he was declining, he heard the prince's guard of honor arriving behind him. Pei Jian quickly walked up to Lu Bingzhen, clasped his fists in salute, and explained his purpose.
"Mr. Qingning County, it's not a short walk from here to the Queen's Palace. His Highness the Crown Prince has specially sent a minister to invite you to ride on the chariot to the Queen's Palace."
Lu Bingzhen hesitated slightly when he heard this. The first two times he entered the palace were for banquets. This was the first time for her to go to the Queen's Palace. She wasn't sure how far the journey was, but did riding in a chariot with His Royal Highness count as exceeding the limit?
After hesitating, Lu Bingzhen raised his head and glanced at His Highness the Crown Prince, who was hidden behind the curtain of the chariot, with only his chin slightly exposed. I was in a daze for a moment, maybe it was the majestic palace walls, or the cautious and respectful look of the palace ladies and eunuchs along the way.
All of this made Lu Bingzhen suddenly realize that His Highness the Crown Prince was a superior prince, and he was also a heir apparent who could live and die. In the few brief interactions she had with the prince before, His Highness behaved like a cousin from a family friend, gentle and kind, without any airs of the prince.
Sometimes Lu Bingzhen even feels that His Highness the Crown Prince is very similar to his cousin from the Wang family. The Wang cousin is a truly gentle and gentle man, but can a truly gentle and gentle man really be able to hold the position of prince for many years and win praise from both the government and the public?
The glory of the aristocratic family had already gradually declined with the emergence of the imperial examination system. My grandfather and father were elected officials through the imperial examination, and they were both important officials in the court. Only then did they manage to maintain the glory of the Fanyang Lu family as a first-class aristocratic family.
But if his brother does not have the talent to become an official, the Fan Yanglu family will only slowly decline in the future. Perhaps one day, the Fan Yang Lu family will become as lonely as the Lanling Chen family, which was once prominent in the previous dynasty, and even become an unknown small family.
And she and His Highness the Crown Prince might be like this today, with the Crown Prince sitting on a high chariot, and she could only stand low and look up at the Crown Prince.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who had been waiting for Lu Bingzhen for a long time, sent someone to urge him again.
Pei Jian didn't have a good impression of Lu Bingzhen at first, but now that he saw that her dilly-dallying almost got him punished by His Highness the Crown Prince, he became even more impatient and his tone became cold, "Qingning County Lord, Your Highness the Crown Prince invites you, please obey." ."
Lu Bingzhen nodded silently, ignored his tone and attitude, and followed him on the chariot. However, Cai Bing and Rong Xue were a little dissatisfied with this man's attitude towards their little lady.
On the chariot, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sat on the throne. Lu Bingzhen bowed and sat quietly on one side without saying a word.
Xiao Min was a little surprised by Lu Bingzhen's reaction today. The first few times he met him, Lu Bingzhen was not at all reserved or respectful. Every time she sees her, she behaves as if she were treating an unfamiliar relative. She needs to be restrained and polite, but does not have deep awe.
Today, Lu Bingzhen acted as if he had finally discovered that he was actually the crown prince.
Xiao Min, on the other hand, was a little uncomfortable with Lu Bingzhen's respectful appearance. He coughed lightly and said, "A'rui, there's no need to be so restrained. It's just an ordinary conversation when the Queen Mother summons you today."
Lu Bingzhen was very suspicious of the word "common" in the prince's words, but he could only accept it.
The queen's palace looked luxurious and majestic.
Above the main hall of Kunning Palace, the Queen is sitting on a high place, with a phoenix spreading its wings and about to fly depicted on the seat. There are palace lanterns shaped like cranes and vases with clusters of flowers on both sides. The light smoke from the Boshan stove exudes a rich and sweet aroma of flowers and fruits.
Lu Bingzhen wanted to kneel down respectfully, but he didn't expect that as soon as he entered the palace, the empress would be summoned to him without ceremony. Queen Wen was a cheerful person. She asked the palace maid Xiu Xin to add a chair next to her seat for Lu Bingzhen to sit on. She then held Lu Bingzhen's hand and sighed repeatedly, not stingy with praise at all.
"You are indeed the candidate that I have chosen. You really have a first-class appearance and family background. It is also a coincidence that Mr. Lu just returned to Beijing to report on his work, otherwise I would not be able to see you at the palace banquet. It can be seen that you and the prince are a gift from heaven. A good match is destined to be husband and wife."
After hearing this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thought to himself, how could there be any kind of God-given fate? Mr. Lu still had to mediate alone when he returned to Beijing, so that he could coincidentally catch up with the plum blossom appreciation banquet held by his mother to select the Crown Princess.
It was probably because the Queen was really happy today and she talked for a full quarter of an hour. Lu Bingzhen also seemed to be very attached to Queen Wen. She listened quietly and carefully throughout the whole process, and sometimes smiled along with Queen Wen's teasing.
His Royal Highness, however, couldn't wait any longer. He coughed several times and finally attracted the Queen's attention. Queen Wen laughed, looked at her son Xiao Min narrowly, and then at Lu Bingzhen, who was quiet and gentle, and finally let Lu Bingzhen go for a walk in the small garden of Kunning Palace.
Xiao Min and Lu Bingzhen walked side by side on the cobblestone road in the garden, with the maids and attendants following behind them from a distance.
Perhaps it was the Empress's cheerfulness today that dispelled the previous pressure put on Lu Bingzhen by His Highness the Crown Prince. She returned to her usual relaxed state and said with some curiosity, "Today on the chariot, Your Highness the Crown Prince called me A Rui. Your Highness is How do you know my nickname?"
Xiao Min hesitated slightly, and then replied smoothly, "You told me yourself when you were a child. Ah Rui."
Hearing this, Lu Bingzhen finally pulled out some distant memories from his memory. It seemed that when he was a child, he had indeed stopped His Royal Highness from fetching a kite. However, so much time has passed that Lu Bingzhen’s memory is a little blurry.
Lu Bingzhen wanted to ask His Royal Highness what happened at that time, but His Royal Highness didn't seem to want to tell. He only said that there were countless flowers and grasses in the small garden of Kunning Palace at this season, and he wanted to take her to see it.
After that, Lu Bingzhen took a look at the various flowers in Kunning Palace. His Royal Highness seemed to be very familiar with this place, and he could tell the allusions to every plant and tree. His Majesty the Crown Prince had everything at his fingertips, including the Eighteenth-bachelor Camellia and the Yao, Huang, and Wei Purple Beans and Greens.
The two gradually became familiar with each other, and before leaving, the Queen gave them two potted gemstones and epiphyllum tribute from the Western Regions.
Among the two potted gemstones, one is a jade magnolia bonsai with the word "Fu" on the gold base, and the other is a beeswax bergamot bonsai in an enamel pot. The petals are covered with the warm luster of jade, and the green leaves are made of enamel and look verdant. What's even more rare is that these two pots of flowers are sprinkled with corresponding perfumes, and they have a fragrant aroma in the room.
These are all flowers suitable for this season and are very suitable to be displayed in the house.
After thanking Queen Wen, Lu Bingzhen was once again escorted to the palace gate by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Before getting on the carriage, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince whispered, "A Rui, I know that you can always go out on your birthday in previous years. I will take you to the East Palace to relax in two days."
Lu Bingzhen was startled when he heard this. He was so frightened that he fell down on the carriage seat. His face turned red and his ears were faintly burning.
Wen Queen wanted to let her son and future daughter-in-law develop a relationship, so she ordered Xiu Xin to keep Cai Bing and Rong Xue in the back room to have tea. Because of this, the two of them had no idea what was going on in the garden, and they didn't know why the young lady suddenly turned red.
