When the world was settled, Lu Bingzhen expected that His Highness the Crown Prince would be busy these days, but she didn't know Xiao Min's guilt for getting her involved in the whirlpool, and she only found it ridiculous that Xiao Min was so nervous.
Xiao Min didn't know that she had concealed her previous illness, so he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was really showing no disobedience, and started talking about various things.
However, Lu Bingzhen couldn't help but ask about the late emperor's death, "I heard that the late emperor is still buried in Chonghua Hall. I am also a junior, so I should go and pay homage. After all, I can't be caught in the open. handle."
The death of the late emperor has long been firmly linked to Gu Concubine and Prince Yu, but the whole story is clear to the two people sitting across from each other.
After hearing this, Xiao Min tucked Ah Rui's quilt with the same expression as before, "No need, Ah Rui. I have already applied for leave to Zongzheng Temple on behalf of you and your mother, saying that you are unwell. Father, I will wait for two days." When there is a funeral, just go and see it off together."
"Mother?" A Rui said in surprise, "Mother was also frightened during the night palace incident?"
Seeing that A Rui was about to get up and call the maids to ask for all the details, Xiao Min had no choice but to hold her quilt, and was afraid that she would use her natural strength to break free, so he comforted her, "A Rui, there is nothing serious about the queen mother, she is just with her." You too."
A Rui blinked her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering twice, and understood what Xiao Min meant.
Thinking about it carefully, A Rui felt that this was indeed what Queen Wen would do. Empress Wen had long been extremely disgusted with the late emperor. Over the years, she had been forced to give in to the late emperor's power as the master of the world.
But now that her son is the confirmed next emperor, Queen Wen naturally no longer needs to endure it. She does things according to her own will and is not willing to pretend even to the last bit.
Most people who knew what the late emperor had done to Queen Wen felt relieved after learning about it. The same was true for Ah Rui, so she didn't offer any advice, but instead asked with concern, "How is the queen mother's health? After all, I will get better faster if I am young. Why don't I go take care of the queen mother and talk with her."
However, if Queen Wen did not preside over the funeral ceremony of the late emperor, who would preside over it?
The Empress Dowager? Impossible, the Empress Dowager is already old, and there is no reason to let the elders handle this matter for the younger ones. Even the royal family has no such precedent. Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess? Ah Rui thought about how she was still cultivating in the East Palace Jinghe Palace and had not even seen a few outsiders.
"Could it be Xu Zhaoyi? Is it too low for Xu Zhaoyi's position to handle the funeral ceremony of the late emperor?" Xiao Min looked as usual, "I didn't leave it to anyone in the harem to take charge of it. I asked Zongzheng Temple to handle it. It’s over.”
"? Qingyan, are you serious? If this is the case, wouldn't Zongzheng Temple have to report to you every little thing during the funeral ceremony?"
Xiao Min was silent, but Ah Rui suddenly understood why Qingyan still had time to go back to the East Palace to rest during the most bizarre period after His Majesty fell into coma, but now he could only go back to the East Palace once every few days.
Raising her hand to touch the obvious black spots under Xiao Min's eyes, Ah Rui complained angrily, "Qingyan, you don't care about your body too much. It's not impossible to leave it to Xu Zhaoyi, why do you have to take everything into your own hands? On the body."
Xiao Min held Ah Rui's hand with his backhand and said warmly, "The concubines who have conducted the funeral rites of the late emperor have higher status. Since I don't intend to let you, the crown prince, conduct the funeral rites of the late emperor, naturally I will." You won’t let others use this incident to blame you in the future.”
Ah Rui felt ridiculous after hearing what he said. She always felt that His Highness the Crown Prince had some misunderstanding about her? It's like she is some weak little white flower. It seems that Qingyan has always felt this way since the night palace incident.
With this thought in mind, she asked, "Qingyan, do you always think that I am very weak and need to be carefully held and cared for by the people around me in order to be safe?"
"Isn't it? Ah Rui." Facing Ah Rui's surprised and funny eyes, Xiao Min said calmly, "Look, everyone knows that assassinating His Majesty is something that should never be done. Even if someone promised you a high-ranking official and a generous salary, , Alchemy Book and Iron Scroll, this matter must not be done. Otherwise, if it fails, it will be a major crime to kill the Nine Clan.
But A Rui just knew that the situation was dangerous and volunteered to do it. If I have evil intentions, the tender love in the past is all disguised, all for the sake of this matter. After you succeed, I will kill you to comfort the soul of the late emperor.
Ah Rui, will you be able to fight back at all when the time comes? Gu could even take this opportunity to uproot the Fan Yang Lu family. From then on, the vitality of the family was severely damaged and the imperial power became more stable. Ah Rui, I know you are always smart, tell me, if this really happens, how can you break this situation? "
At the end of the sentence, Xiao Min was even a little angry.
Ah Rui also knew that what happened that night was too reckless, so she could only explain in a weak tone, "But wasn't the situation critical at that time? I also wanted to understand the difficulties in the East Palace." Ah Rui's tone gradually became more confident, "I married into Donggong, I believe in you Qingyan. If I still hesitate and struggle about this matter and ignore you who are in danger, then why should I marry into Donggong? Then I can follow my parents’ arrangements and marry safely. For a son of a noble family to live a peaceful and boring life.
Besides, although my behavior was reckless, it was all for you and Dong Palace, you, you are acting like this now. "
Xiao Min originally wanted to take the opportunity to say something to make A Rui remember to put him first in the future, but he saw that A Rui was already showing signs of anger, and heard the faint anger in her tone. Ah Rui is always like this. Whenever she gets angry, she starts to look elsewhere.
Xiao Min also heard the words of defense for himself, but he could not say the sentence "Then you should follow the example of the former Crown Princess Zhaolie". Xiao Min thought about it, and finally could only sigh lightly, "Forget it, Ah Rui, I have personally settled this matter. If it is not done by others, there will be no future troubles."
Seeing that the conversation between the two had reached an impasse, Eunuch Fushuang, who was very good at observing people's words, promptly reported, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Royal Highness the Crown Princess, and the harem minister came to ask if there will be a family banquet in the palace during the Double Ninth Festival?"
"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, my father had just woken up, and everyone in the palace was worried about his condition. Now that he has passed away, those who are still alive should hold a family banquet to relieve the coldness in the palace," he said , Xiao Min turned to Ah Rui and asked, "A Rui, can you handle this matter?"
Of course Lu Bingzhen would not refuse and nodded in agreement. She also knew that Qingyan said this because he was worried about her, so she naturally walked down the steps when he saw him. However, thinking of the words that had reached his ears during these days, Lu Bingzhen couldn't help but curious and said something more.
"Qing Yan, the officials have advised you several times to ascend the throne, but why are you still unwilling to ascend the throne? Do you want to consider this matter after His Majesty's funeral?"
"Did they spread the word to you?" Xiao Min looked a little unhappy. Apart from restraining his anger in front of A Rui to avoid scaring her, he almost never concealed his emotions.
"It's not like the words came here, it's just that I accidentally heard someone talk too much. Qingyan, what exactly do you think?"
Since the battle to kill Hulu Khan, His Highness the Crown Prince has gained more and more power. In the whole world, Lu Bingzhen is probably the only person who dares to ask so directly. But this was deliberately pampered by His Highness the Crown Prince. He liked A Rui's truest reaction in front of her. Even her willful and angry look made him tremble even at the top of his heart.
Brushing a few strands of A Rui's hair hanging around her temples, Xiao Min said casually, "Actually, there is no reason. It's just that you were sick last time and were so scared that you were left alone. I was worried that you would get sick this time. That's why I deliberately put Deng Xi on the throne. The day has been postponed for a few days. Gu just plans to be with you. Gu ascended the throne in the previous dynasty, and you were canonized as the queen in the harem. "
The two of them were talking. Shang Gong, who had previously inquired about the Double Ninth Family Banquet, came back and reported through a curtain, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Royal Highness the Crown Princess, the Empress said that she hopes that the girls from the Wen family can also attend the Double Ninth Festival Family Banquet. Here It’s the list of girls from the Wen family given by the Queen.”
The two of them looked at each other and were a little confused as to why Queen Wen wanted to summon the girls from her natal family into the palace during the Double Ninth Festival family banquet. She is now the most noble woman in the palace, and without the late emperor as a constraint, she can just call her niece into the palace to accompany her if she misses her mother's family, so why bother.
I heard Shang Gong's trembling voice speak again, "The Queen also said that if Her Highness the Crown Princess doesn't mind, the girls from the Wen family can help with the Double Ninth Festival family banquet. They have long wanted to have a relationship with Her Highness the Crown Princess, their cousin. Getting close is a rare opportunity right now.”
This time, even if A Rui Buruo and Xiao Min thought about it nine times, they still had a different meaning from Zhongpin. Ah Rui asked in a playful tone, "Young lady from the Wen family is helping me at the Double Ninth Festival family banquet? Are you sure this is the Queen's intention? To falsely convey the Queen's decree is a capital offense according to palace regulations."
Shang Gong was so panicked that he kowtowed on the ground several times, "I don't dare, I don't dare. These are the Queen's original words, and they are absolutely true."
Ah Rui couldn't bear to see this scene, and she didn't want to embarrass the people who were delivering the message. Just as she was about to let her get up, she heard His Highness the Crown Prince's tone of voice, which was calm and did not distinguish between joy and anger. "In this case, Shang Gong should worry more about the Double Ninth Festival family banquet. The girls from the Wen family are just spoiled guests, so why should they be allowed to do things?"
After receiving the right words from His Highness the Crown Prince, Shang Gong wiped the sweat from his forehead, got up and left.
Xiao Min casually put the list of girls from the Wen family on the low table and said warmly, "A'rui, don't worry too much. Guhui told his mother that since you haven't recovered from the illness at the Double Ninth Family Banquet, you won't attend, so as not to injure your mother and the queen. The imperial grandmother is over her illness."
Nodding, A Rui watched Xiao Min leave calmly. In fact, she felt that this arrangement was better. She was not proficient in palace affairs, and the Double Ninth Family Banquet was the first family banquet after the death of the late emperor, so it was inevitably complicated. If she really takes care of it, she is afraid that Qingyan will be troubled later. But Qingyan was tired enough of having to deal with all the complicated matters of the previous dynasty, and A Rui couldn't bear to tire him any more.
Ah Rui's eyes stayed on the list on the short table. The wind blew in from the window and I opened the list. The page that opened was a portrait of a woman, with three small characters "Wen Qiongying" written in the upper right corner.
