The concubine is soft and charming, and the prince is willing to seduce her

Chapter 241 Extra Chapter: Flower Festival (Part Two)

Shen Zhiyu led Wei Qingye by the hand and walked up to the three of them. She gently patted Wei Nianqing's head and said softly, "Zhao Zhao didn't watch where she was going either. Shouldn't she apologize to her older brother?"

Wei Nianqing was immersed in her mother's gentle smile and obediently nodded, saying, "I'm sorry, little brother, Zhao Zhao also bears some responsibility."

Wei Nianqing tilted her head and suddenly pointed to the stall in front of her, saying, "How about I treat you to a sugar figurine, little brother?"

Wei Qingye and Wei Jinghua were worried that she would damage her teeth by eating too much sugar, so they controlled her sugar intake. Today, they finally gave her a legitimate reason to do so.

Wei Qingye chuckled and pinched her cheek. "Are you only treating your little brother to food, or does this little glutton want to eat too?"

The boy felt a little embarrassed. "No need, I'd better go back first, otherwise Master Hua will get worried."

"It's alright, we'll take you there in a bit and explain things to the teacher. He certainly won't blame you."

The stall owner was an elderly man. Seeing the distinguished-looking people standing in front of him, he smiled kindly and said, "I wonder what kind of sugar figurines you gentlemen would like?"
I can make lanterns, flower baskets, and depictions of flowers, birds, insects, and fish.

Wei Nianqing tilted her head and glanced at the boy, then muttered softly, "I want a pretty little flower basket."

"Alright!" The old man skillfully scooped up a spoonful of syrup and quickly sketched it on the board. In no time, a crystal-clear sugar flower basket was ready.

Looking at the miniature flower basket, Wei Nianqing's eyes curved into crescents with happiness. "Big brother, Zhao Zhao gave you her favorite little flower basket. You'll forgive Zhao Zhao, right?"

The boy placed the flower basket in her hands and said earnestly, "Even if Zhaozhao doesn't give me the flower basket made of candy, I will forgive you."

With a candied hawthorn in his left hand and a sugar flower basket in his right, Wei Nianqing was simply the most content person on the whole street.

Shen Zhiyu and her family of four escorted the boy to a makeshift platform, where a large crowd had gathered to watch.

Several children recited poems on stage, their clear voices drawing admiration from the onlookers.

The boy pointed with a proud look and said, "This was an idea that Master Hua came up with, and those are all my classmates and friends."

Wei Qingye raised an eyebrow and asked with great interest, "Then which private school did you study at?"

The boy stood tall and said clearly, "I am a student of Guide College."

Hearing this, an uncle who was watching the commotion nearby enthusiastically introduced them, saying, "You must not be locals from Jingzhou City! This Guide Academy is a famous private school in the city, especially that Master Hua, who is very skilled in teaching and educating people."

She was highly knowledgeable, won people over with her virtue, and her lectures were easy to understand; no student in the academy disliked her.

"Master Hua?" Shen Zhiyu frowned slightly; this surname reminded her of someone.

Seeing her frown, Wei Qingye asked in a low voice, "Zhizhi, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Shen Zhiyu shook her head and said, "No, I was just thinking that since this Master Hua is so amazing, shouldn't my husband set an example and let all the academies in the world know how much the emperor of the Southern Qin Kingdom values ​​the students of the world?"

A woman dressed in a dark blue dress, with delicate features and a gentle demeanor, her long hair loosely tied up and secured with a white jade hairpin, paused slightly upon seeing them before walking towards Shen Zhiyu and the others.

"It's been a long time. Is Young Master Wei accompanying his wife to the Flower Festival?" Hua Jin Chu asked, bowing to them.

Looking at her calm demeanor, Wei Qingye asked, "How have you been these past few years...?"

Hua Jinchu looked at him with relief and joy. "After leaving, I told my father about my thoughts and then started teaching at Guide Academy."

Gradually, I realized that women don't only have marriage as their path, nor do they have to be caged birds. They can also soar through the sky, see the vastness of the world, the beautiful scenery of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, and witness the diverse aspects of life..."

Shen Zhiyu noticed that although she was dressed simply, her complexion was better than when she was in the palace, and her eyes and brows showed a confidence and ease she had never had before. Only then did she realize that she had truly found her own life.

Hua Jinchu turned to look at the group of little kids and said with a smile, "Being able to do what you love, to teach and guide, is more meaningful than living a life of luxury in the palace."

Just then, a little girl ran over and tugged at Hua Jinchu's sleeve: "Teacher, Little Fatty pulled my hair again!"

"Mimi, how about I help you tie your hair up again?" Hua Jinchu squatted down and used her hands to comb her hair again. In a short while, her messy hair became a bulging little bun.

Shen Zhiyu raised her hand and touched the little girl's head. "Is this a girl from a commoner's family in Jingzhou City?"

Hua Jinchu nodded, "Yes, I especially encourage girls to go to school so that they can read, write, and understand things."

For families who couldn't afford it, I recommended they visit Sister Jiang Xu's embroidery workshop to see if they took in girls, so they could learn a skill that would help them make a living in the future.

The little girl tugged at her sleeve again. Hua Jinchu noticed the girl's unease and turned to Wei Qingye, "Young master and madam, if there's nothing else, I'll go and look after the children."

Wei Qingye nodded, watching her walk away hand in hand with the girl, her back view upright and composed.

The family of four went to a teahouse to rest. Shen Zhiyu was feeding Wei Nianqing water when she saw him come in and quickly waved to him.

“She seems very happy,” Shen Zhiyu said softly, “more vibrant than when she was in the palace.”

Wei Qingye grasped Shen Zhiyu's hand: "You don't care about what happened back then..."

Shen Zhiyu shook her head: "Seeing her like this now, I'm actually happy for her. We let them leave back then because we didn't want them to waste their lives in the palace. Looking back now, perhaps that decision was right." At this moment, Wei Jinghua suddenly asked: "Father, were there any girls among the children taught by that female teacher who couldn't afford to go to school?"

“Well, not all ordinary people are wealthy. They have to struggle to make a living. When survival becomes their most pressing concern, studying becomes less important,” Wei Qingye replied.

The young prince pondered for a moment: "In that case, could we establish more schools for girls, so that these girls who cannot afford the tuition can learn a skill, not only to make a living but also to help ease the burden on their families?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingye and Shen Zhiyu exchanged a smile.

He patted Wei Jinghua's head: "Sui Sui's idea was good, but it might be difficult to implement. We need to wait for me and my ministers to discuss and come up with some rules and regulations, as well as amend the laws, before we can announce this to the world."

"Can I join in?" Wei Jinghua asked earnestly.

“Sui Sui, you’re too young now. We can talk about these things when you’re older…” Shen Zhiyu asked, noticing the smile in Wei Qingye’s eyes, “What, you wouldn’t happen to want Sui Sui’s opinion, would you?”

Wei Qingye nodded: "That's a good idea. Since he has this idea, why can't we let him participate in it?"

The world will eventually fall into his hands, so it's no harm in letting him get acquainted with it first.

On the way back to the palace, Wei Nianqing had already fallen asleep in Shen Zhiyu's arms, still clutching the sugar palace lantern tightly in her hand.

Wei Jinghua also dozed off, leaning on Wei Qingye's shoulder.

The incense burner in the corner of the carriage emitted wisps of white smoke, creating a quiet and cozy atmosphere.

Wei Qingye looked at the darkening sky outside the window: "If Zhizhi is sleepy, let me hold Zhaozhao, and you can lean against me and sleep for a while."

Shen Zhiyu stared at him, "Chang Ying, you've been keeping up with Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao's antics for so long today, aren't you tired?"

“With you all by my side, how could I feel tired?” Wei Qingye said.

Shen Zhiyu leaned on his shoulder, a smile playing on her lips: "With a husband like this, what more could I ask for?"

The carriage slowly drove into the palace gate, carrying with it the rare warmth of the imperial family and bringing back the Crown Prince, who was the heart of an emperor at the beginning of his reign.

The Southern Qin Empire soon ushered in a new chapter started by a young emperor.

Even the court officials did not expect that, just as His Highness the Crown Prince turned eighteen, the Emperor would issue an order to appoint the Crown Prince as regent and the prime minister as his advisor.

The imperial edict caused an uproar throughout the court.

Wei Jinghua snatched the imperial edict from Xiao Guizi's hand and rushed towards the Qianqing Palace. He was afraid that if he arrived too late, his father, who had ruined his son's life, would take his mother out of the palace for sightseeing.

As a result, he found a letter on the emperor's desk in the Qianqing Palace, which read: "To be opened by me every year."

When Wei Jinghua opened the letter, the first sentence read, "My son, when you open this letter, your father will have already left the palace with your mother..."

Upon hearing the news, Wei Nianqing, who had rushed over, paused when she saw her brother's gloomy face. "Brother, why haven't I seen Father?"

Wei Jinghua handed over the letter in his hand, "I originally thought that my grandfather was already unreliable enough, but I didn't expect my father to be even more so. It seems that the Southern Qin Empire can't survive without me, the Crown Prince."

After reading the letter, Wei Nianqing was both amused and exasperated. "Brother, I'm afraid you'll have to suffer during this time..."

Before she could finish speaking, she couldn't help but laugh gleefully.

"Hahaha~~Brother, how could you be so miserable? No wonder I heard Father complaining the other day about why you haven't reached the age of twenty yet. So that's what you were planning!"

When the news of the Crown Prince overseeing the country reached the Shen residence, the old Marquis Shen was so angry that his beard trembled. "This is simply absurd!"

Shen Hongfeng, the son, picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Oh, my father, you don't need to worry about this. Although the Crown Prince is young, he has been involved in handling court affairs since he was five years old. He has experienced all kinds of things, big and small, and has nearly eight years of experience."

Besides, didn't the emperor also appoint the prime minister to oversee the state?

Mu Chang ate her snacks on the side, thinking to herself: It's already quite an achievement that we've managed to drag this out until the Crown Prince is eighteen!
I heard Zhizhi mention before that when the crown prince was fifteen years old, the emperor wanted to quit and become a hands-off ruler, but he was persuaded and convinced to continue for another three years.

How could the current emperor not do such a despicable thing?

Ten miles outside Beijing, a horse-drawn carriage sped by.

Inside the carriage, Wei Qingye put his arm around Shen Zhiyu's shoulder and comforted her, "Zhizhi, don't worry, nothing will happen, and we'll be back."

Shen Zhiyu tugged at his cheek and said angrily, "Don't you want to come back for your coming-of-age ceremony every year?"

The trees on both sides of the road are lush and green, and their new branches are stretching and growing towards the rising sun.

The side stories of this book should be coming to an end soon. The reason for ending it in a way that doesn't feel like an ending is because words can't express the deep emotions. Tangtang will no longer tell their story, but their story continues.

I'm currently preparing for my new book, which I expect to release by the end of next month (if all goes well).
May our new book be as long as the mountains and rivers! ヾ(￣▽￣)Bye~Bye~