tallest building

Princess Chu stayed in Wen Mingqian's room for half an hour before going to the front to pay her respects to the Empress.

They left the palace before noon.

She and the King of Chu came together, so naturally they would return together.

However, when she left the palace, the King of Chu had not yet come out, so the princess sat in the carriage and waited.

After about an incense stick's time, the prince finally came out.

"Isn't Your Majesty busy today?" After the Prince of Chu got into the carriage, the Princess asked with a smile, "Why have you kept the Prince for so long?"

"Master Zhuge is also here. He mentioned the essays that the two princes wrote this morning. His Majesty was very interested in them and said a few more words." The King of Chu loosened his belt slightly and said, "It makes me a little uneasy."

Princess Chu couldn't help but feel nervous upon hearing this: "What? Is it because Bai'er's essay is not good? Has it displeased His Majesty?"

“It’s not that he did a bad job, but that he did a very good job,” King Chu sighed. “At that time, Master Zhuge used the phrase ‘the bright moon at the beginning of the month cannot conceal its essence’ to describe him.”

"This...Does Your Highness mean...that Bai'er has overshadowed the Prince of Zhao?" the princess asked tentatively.

"Alas, yes! We've always said we'd just play a supporting role, a green leaf. The Empress's favorite is naturally the Prince of Zhao. Whoever the Empress favors, that's who the Grand Tutor favors. And whoever the Grand Tutor favors, that's who all the officials in the court favor..." The King of Chu stopped talking later.

But the princess naturally understood his meaning completely.

I couldn't help but feel a little worried: "Didn't you remind him to keep a low profile and not show off anymore?"

"Of course I did mention it, but he told me he had already restrained himself." The King of Chu murmured, shaking his head. "He's still just a child, he doesn't know what's important."

"Then...then no one else knows about this, right? At least the Crown Prince of Zhao shouldn't know, right?" the Queen asked.

"I think so! I hope so." The King of Chu wasn't entirely sure either.

"Alas, but then again, our Bai'er is indeed more intelligent than the Prince of Zhao," the Queen said with pity. "It's just a pity..."

What followed was a long silence, with neither of them speaking again.

In the afternoon, Gong Chang'an was playing polo on the path when he kicked the ball into Consort Yun's palace.

Consort Yun rarely leaves the palace, and people say she is ill and should not be exposed to the wind.

Her rank was not low, but she had few servants, so her courtyard was always quiet and deserted.

Gong Chang'an came in through the side door looking for the ball, but was stopped by a senior palace maid.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" The palace maid's tone was relatively gentle, without the slightest hint of harshness.

Firstly, Gong Chang'an was just a child, and secondly, she had a rough idea of ​​who he was.

"This lady is so kind. My name is Gong Chang'an. I accidentally kicked the ball in here. Please forgive me." Gong Chang'an said, bowing earnestly.

The palace maid was amused by him. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed twice before saying, "So you are the little prodigy. I've heard people talk about you before, but I've finally met you today."

"No, no, I'm not a child prodigy. These are just compliments from outsiders, and they shouldn't be taken seriously." Gong Chang'an was a master actor, and his humble demeanor was completely natural.

"Oh my, you're so funny." The palace maid wouldn't let him go find the ball, but instead kept teasing him, "How old are you this year? Not even ten years old yet, are you?"

"Qiu Xing, who are you talking to?" A girl of about twelve or thirteen years old helped a young palace maid out from under the laurel trellis. "Ninth Princess," Qiu Xing quickly turned around and bowed, "Young Master Chang'an kicked the ball into our courtyard, and I was just teasing him for a bit."

"This humble one greets the Ninth Princess." Gong Chang'an also bowed to the Ninth Princess.

The Ninth Princess is Consort Yun's biological daughter. Because her mother rarely leaves the palace, she spends most of her time with her mother.

Although he went out of the palace to pay his respects to the Emperor and Empress, Gong Chang'an had never met her in the more than one month since he entered the palace.

"Qiu Xing, you are being quite rude. You should know that Young Master Gong is a guest of the Emperor. Don't neglect him just because he is young." Although the Ninth Princess was young, she was very composed and dignified.

Although there aren't many servants in the palace, everything looks orderly and well-organized, without any signs of decay or disorder. This is probably mostly thanks to this person.

"Princess, you flatter me too much. I'm just someone who makes a living by following my master," Gong Chang'an said with a chuckle, scratching his head. "I wonder if my ball damaged the plants in the yard?"

At this moment, a young eunuch found and took Gong Chang'an's ball.

"It's alright, take the ball back." The Ninth Princess smiled at Gong Chang'an, "I won't keep you any longer."

This place is not suitable for people to stay; it is not a place favored by the Empress, and those who come here will also be implicated.

Gong Chang'an took the ball and left. He wanted to tell Wen Mingqian, "Mother, I went to Consort Yun's palace today. Although I didn't see her, I did see the Ninth Princess."

“Ah, Ninth Princess, I’ve only seen her twice since I entered the palace.” Wen Mingqian put down his needlework. “Zhang Ma mentioned to me that the Ninth Princess is three years older than you and loves to play in Sister Shen’s palace. I wonder if she still remembers Sister Shen? She probably doesn’t remember her anymore.”

“I felt a sense of kinship when I met the Ninth Princess today,” Gong Chang’an said. “There was a faint sorrow between her brows, which is something that shouldn’t be present in someone her age.”

“Her sorrow naturally stems from Consort Yun. After all, as a princess, she will be able to leave the palace once she gets married. But Consort Yun will spend her entire life in the palace. Although she hasn’t been banished to the Cold Palace, her situation isn’t much better,” Wen Mingqian said. “It’s not just her; aren’t you also carrying a heavy burden at such a young age?”

Gong Chang'an blinked after hearing this: "What can we do? It's fate, there's nothing we can do about it."

His tone was somewhat joking; this child has never been one to wallow in self-pity.

"In this palace, Consort Yun should be someone we can trust, it's just a pity we haven't been able to see her yet," Wen Mingqian sighed softly.

"Is Prince Fenye and the others about to enter the capital?" Gong Chang'an asked. "When Princess Duanmin enters the palace, she might be able to bring Consort Yun out with her."

“Yes!” Wen Mingqian nodded. “With the princess back, the Empress will naturally give her face, and then Consort Yun will no longer need to pretend to be sick.”

As expected, Wen Mingqian and his mother arrived in the capital just one day later.

Preparations for the welcoming ceremony were already underway throughout the capital, and everything was proceeding according to plan.

The palace suddenly became lively, and people got up everywhere before dawn.

Gong Chang'an was also arranged to go and greet them, along with Master Zhuge.

The Queen of the Fields didn't bring many people; besides herself and the princess, she also brought a son and a daughter.

Gong Chang'an saw the burly Fenye King in the crowd, holding a son and a daughter in each hand. His son was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, almost as tall as him.

The daughter was noticeably younger, with a full figure and well-proportioned body.

These two people looked so familiar, and Gong Chang'an rubbed his eyes hard. (End of Chapter)