A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

"Beads." Uncle Ming lifted up his wide sleeve corners and poured a cup of tea for Wang Chen: "His Royal Highness Chen is here today to discuss something with his uncle, you see..."

"Uncle, business matters, you tell your highness slowly." Jiuzhu stood up: "I'll get some fruit and melon snacks."

"Sister." Ming Cunfu chased after leaving the hospital door, and saw Jiu Zhu jumping over the wall expertly, silently raising his sleeves, covering his face with them, and sighed.

"Young Master." Xiaosi walked behind him: "Master said, let you go to the study and take out some military books written by him."

"Bingshu?" Ming Cunfu had a bad feeling in his heart. Isn't his father talking about the things he wrote himself?

"Master, did you say, which books of war are they?"

"Master said, there are books in the row of grids on the fifth and third from the left."

Really those things.

Ming Cunfu went to his father's book store, found the fifth and upper third grid on the left, took out all the books inside, and patted the ashes on it. The flying dust made him choke and cough again and again.

"Is this borrowing the book for His Highness to see, or throwing it away?" Ming Cunfu was worried that one day his father would be sent to the frontier again because of offending King Chen.

He removed a carved wooden book box from the shelf next to it. After putting the books in the box, he packed the box so full that it seemed to be a bit of a treasured book.

When he carried the book to the yard, the stone table was full of melon and fruit snacks. The little cousin was holding the teapot and pouring tea to the king. The king was peeling the orange in his hand. Before the peeling was finished, she broke a petal and delivered it. The little cousin's mouth.

"Father, my son brought the book." Ming Cunfu put down the book and took the teapot from the little cousin's hand: "His Royal Highness, please use tea."

Wang Chen glanced at Ming Cunfu, put the orange that was handed to Jiuzhu's mouth into her hand, and turned to ask Ming Jinghai: "Master Ming, is Linglang planning to take the imperial examination?"

Ming Jinghai nodded.

"The time of scholars is as expensive as gold, and Young Master Ming does not need to be accompanied here." Wang Chen bowed his head and peeled the whole orange and stuffed all the fruit into Jiuzhu: "Master Ming, let's review the books first."

Finally, Ming Cunfu was rushed back to the study. He touched the bank note on his body, looked at the wall through the window, rolled up his sleeves and climbed out of the window.

Although it is indecent for a scholar to climb a window and a wall, there is no need to pay too much attention to the girl he likes.

"Master!" The young man hurriedly ran into the yard: "The young master broke his leg!"

"What's the matter?" Ming Jinghai usually dislikes his son, but at this moment the body has stood up honestly, and walked in front of the young man a few steps.

"The young master climbed the fence and slipped accidentally and fell off."

"The bones are misplaced. The old man has broken the bones back for him." The imperial doctor put a bandage on Ming Cunfu and washed his hands: "Don't worry, Master Ming, Linglang has nothing to do with him. He just can't move around recently. He has to stay at home for a while ."

"I'm sorry, I." Ming Jinghai personally sent the imperial doctor out of the room door, and let the butler send the imperial doctor out before sighing. The young man now has too weak physique.

Wang Chen didn't expect that when he stepped into the gate of Ming Jinghai's house for the first time, Ming Jinghai's son would be injured. Silently glanced at Ming Jinghai, Ming Xiaozhu's uncle, is there any ignorant superstition, in case he suspects it is against him...

"It's really good enough. You can fall to the leg even by climbing a wall." Ming Jinghai walked back to the house, cursing relentlessly, and covered Ming Cunfu with a quilt: "Even the dog raised by Jiuzhu, Can jump out of our yard."

Ming Cunfu: "..."

It was not a dog, it was Jiuzhu's most beloved short-footed white horse, and it couldn't jump the fence.

Chen Wang silently picked up the heavy book box and stood up and said, "Master Ming, take good care of Linglang, and this king will leave first."

Leave early, and Ming Jinghai must not let Ming Jinghai feel that all this is against him.

Scholars love to think more, and you must be careful.

"His Royal Highness, I will see you off." Jiuzhu stood up.

"Jiuzhu, wait." Ming Cunfu stretched out his hand from the bed and stubbornly grabbed Jiuzhu's sleeve: "You do a little favor to Brother Six."

Jiuzhu turned to look at Ming Cunfu, and Wang Chen also stopped.

"Brother Six, if you have anything you want me to do, don't hesitate to speak." Jiuzhu likes Ming Cunfu very much. On the way back from Lingzhou to Beijing, Ming Cunfu has been taking care of her with all his heart. I was worried that she would not be able to adapt after returning home, so I told her about her family, the plants and trees in the family, and the thoughts of her family members.

"It's not a big deal." In the presence of his father and Wang Chen, an outsider, Ming Cunfu was a little embarrassed and took out a book of poems from under his pillow: "A few days ago, the Zhou family girl wanted to find this book of poems. It happened that I Here are the ones that were supposed to be sent today, who would have hurt my leg. You can run for me and send the collection of poems to Miss Zhou."

"No problem." Jiuzhu stuffed the collection of poems into his arms: "I will send it now."

"Also, Miss Zhou is not in the house. She is at Qingyun Tea House." Ming Cunfu took out the forty taels of silver notes that had not been warmed up in his arms, and then took out the twenty-two months of silver that he had saved for a month. "You accompany Miss Zhou to choose jewelry. If you have anything you like, you can buy it. The money... Brother Six is ​​out."

"Thank you Brother Six." Jiuzhu took the silver purse, and when he went to get the silver bill, he found that it did not move.

"Take any flowers, especially those that Miss Zhou likes. You must buy them for her and don't save money for me." Ming Cunfu let go and closed his eyes: "Go."

"Okay." Jiuzhu put the bank note and purse away: "Brother Six is ​​so generous."

Only Ming Cunfu silently pulled the quilt on his face to respond to her.

"I have forty taels on my body. Brother Six gave sixty taels. That adds up to a hundred taels." Jiuzhu clutched his heavy purse, and walked very briskly as he stepped out of the gate.

The King Chen who followed her lightly snorted, and after only one hundred taels, he forgot him behind his head. Could it be that he couldn't even compare a hundred taels of silver?

"So happy?" Quickened his pace and walked to Jiuzhu's side, Wang Chen wrapped his arms around his chest: "This king is gone."

"Yeah." Jiuzhu smiled and nodded: "His Royal Highness walks slowly."

"What else do you want to tell this king?" Wang Chen took two steps slowly, then looked back at Jiu Zhu.

"Huh?" Jiuzhu looked at Wang Chen blankly: "What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing." Chen Wang turned on his horse: "You have fun with the little sister, this king has returned to the Ministry of Gifts."

Women are all little liars. He used to say that His Royal Highness Chen is the best. Now that he has a hundred taels and little sisters, he doesn't even want to say a few more words to him.

Hmph, he is a big man, and he doesn't bother to chirp with the little girl. It's easier to say a few words.

Holding her purse, Jiuzhu waved to the far away King Chen, looking at the dust splashed by the horse's hoof.

Wang Chen turned his head and looked at her waving arms, raised his horse whip and swung it perfunctorily twice, and disappeared on the corner of the street.

"His Royal Highness seems a little unhappy." Jiuzhu frowned: "Could it be that the affairs of the Ministry of Rites are too heavy?"

After touching the collection of poems in his arms, I'd better help the sixth brother be a messenger first, but don't be procrastinated because of her work, so that sister Zhou doubts his affection for her.

When he came to the teahouse, Jiuzhu saw Zhou Xiao looking towards the door at a glance.

"Sister Zhou." She walked in a hurry, and ran to Zhou Xiao, panting slightly: "Let you wait a long time."

Zhou Xiao glanced behind her, and the smile on her face was a little lonely: "Sit down and drink some tea, why are you running so eagerly and you don't bring the maid out?"

"I came out today to help Sixth Brother run errands." Jiuzhu took out the collection of poems and handed it to Zhou Xiao: "After Sixth Brother heard that you were looking for this collection of poems, he ran around most of the bookstores in the city and finally found it. "

As a younger sister, beautify the process of helping your elder brother find a book. It is definitely not a lie.

Zhou Xiao opened the collection of poems and glanced, and smiled shyly: "It's such a small matter, why don't you need you to come here specially."

"Originally, I didn't have to go this trip." Jiuzhu drank tea: "Sixth brother won't let me tell you, but I don't think this kind of thing can't be kept secret. This morning, the sixth brother accidentally fell his leg, and the imperial doctor told you He stayed at home for a few days, so he pulled my sleeves and refused to let me go, so that I must send the collection of poems to my sister."

"He was hurt?" Zhou Xiao threw the collection of poems aside, grabbed Jiu Zhu's hand and asked: "How is the injury, what did the royal doctor say?"

"Sister, don't worry, it's just that the bones are misplaced. The imperial doctor has helped him take it back." Jiuzhu patted Zhou Xiao's hand quickly, and patted the purse Ming Cunfu gave her: "Before going out, the sixth brother also specially asked. I, take you to buy things. He gave me all the money. If you don’t spend a lot of money, I can’t explain it to Brother Six when you go back."

After hearing that Cun Fu was fine, Zhou Xiao's expression gradually recovered, but she had lost the interest in shopping.

"Good sister, you should accompany me." Jiuzhu took her arm and said, "If you don't spend, I can't spend with you. Today is like a trip for nothing. Have mercy on me."

"Well, I can't let my sister suffer." Zhou Xiao was amused by Jiuzhu: "Then let's go."

She carefully put the collection of poems into her arms before leaving the teahouse hand in hand with Jiuzhu.

Upon seeing this, Jiuzhu squinted and took Zhou Xiao into a jewelry shop.

"It took so much energy to put people in the Chen Palace. Now tell me that Yun Duqing doesn't need spices anymore?"

"Master, the subordinates and others didn't expect that Wang Chen would suddenly change his hobby and threw out all the spices in the mansion. Could it be that he got the news in advance to make such a move?"

"You mean, there is a ghost among you?"

"The master misunderstood. The subordinates meant that our people found King Qi's people in the Chen Palace."

"Did Yun Yanze help Yun Duqing secretly?"

"Subordinates feel that this is not impossible."

"I remember that Yun Yanze was going to check the mansion of a certain official today. If a family member suddenly wounds someone, what are the chances of hurting him?"

"My sister wears this bracelet so beautiful." Jiuzhu and Zhou Xiao walked out of the jewelry shop: "It's a pity that I saw such a beautiful scenery. I wonder if Brother Six envy me?"

"Don't laugh at me, your marriage to His Royal Highness Chen Wang will be on February 2nd of the new year." Zhou Xiao squeezed Jiuzhu's tender face: "Who will laugh at that time?"

"What's so funny about marriage?" Jiuzhu asked puzzlingly. "It's fun to live with two people you like."

Her eyes are clean, as if the lake has never been polluted. She mentions the word "like". There is no desire or distracting thoughts, only pure happiness and innocence.

Zhou Xiao was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"There are snacks in front." Jiuzhu let go of Zhou Xiao's arm: "Sister Zhou, wait, I'll go buy some."

Zhou Xiao stood on the spot, and after seeing Jiuzhu taste the taste, he bought several different foods, and finally bundled up a big bag.

"Why do you buy so much, can you finish it?" Zhou Xiao asked suspiciously.

"It's not for me." Jiuzhu held the oil paper bag that wrapped the snacks: "This was bought for His Royal Highness and his father. They have many colleagues in the Ministry of Etiquette. If you share them together, there is not much. Ah, I Come to think of it, Uncle Zhou is also an official of the Ministry of Etiquette, right?"

"Especially Your Highness, he is a junior in the Ministry of Rites, sharing food with the adults can promote mutual affection." Jiuzhu explained earnestly: "Master said, no matter how high or low you are, you can't be a lonely person. With all kinds of abilities, it won't be possible if no one is around to support him."

Zhou Xiao nodded and was silent for a moment: "Your master must be an erudite."

"Perhaps." Recalling the two masters being lazy with each other in order not to wash the dishes, Jiuzhu's tone was a little uncertain.

In their view, there are no books to read. Normally, the master teaches her to write, writing on the sand table.

Don't ask what the reason is, just ask them because they are too poor to save paper and ink.

There were crying and begging for mercy in the distance, and Jiuzhu asked Zhou Xiao: "Sister, have you heard the crying of women and children?"

"Don't go there." Zhou Xiao grabbed her: "There is a criminal official's house, which is being checked."

Yesterday, Ming Jinghai had just returned to Beijing. Today, this official was confiscated. Anyone can guess that this official must have colluded with officials from other places and did harm to the people.

The black face is well-deserved, and as long as the corrupt officials he finds out, they will not end well in the end.

"Chajia?" Jiuzhu became more curious. She grew up so old and hadn't seen Chajia before: "Sister, shall we stand far away and look with both eyes?"

"Okay." Zhou Xiao couldn't admit it, but he was actually a little bit curious.

What a bad idea to be born and like to watch the excitement?

The people in the capital are not surprised by such things as ransacking their homes. Since your Majesty's accession to the throne, I don't know how many corrupt officials have been arrested. Anyway, the people's life is getting better and better, and the bad officials are getting less and less.

The guards were outside the door, and the people didn't dare to get too close. They crowded and hid in the corner to watch the excitement.

"Who is the young man standing at the door, he looks so handsome."

"The hair crown he wore is actually inlaid with gems. He is really rich."

"Don't talk nonsense, that's the famous prince of virtuous deeds, His Royal Highness King Qi."

"It's the prince who killed the bandits and got the champion?"

"I was admitted to the champion, and the one who donated a lot of silver to the academy was Wang Chen. Are you from the capital? You can't even tell this point?"

"Then Wang Chen suppressed the bandit and also donated silver. How did the Xiande Wangye become the King of Qi? Is your Majesty partial to the King of Qi?"

"Don't talk nonsense, you don't want to die?!"

"My lord, I found 612,000 taels of silver patterns and some jade jewelry from the Wang's house. This is a rough statistical record, and the specific quantity needs to be counted slowly." The household officials submitted the check register to the king of Qi.

King Qi's expression sank: "As the imperial court commander, it is really hateful to corrupt so many silver taels!"

The household officials did not dare to speak, because the Lord Wang was the uncle of Princess Roud, and he could barely get involved with the royal family.

If it weren't for this, I'm afraid Lord Wang hadn't been so bold in colluding with officials outside of the country to get his head off.

As long as this kind of case involves a large number of cases from top to bottom, in case the royal person is involved...

"Continue to investigate." The Qi dynasty gave his hand in the direction of the imperial palace: "Before this king set out, his father had an order. Whoever is involved in this case will be severely punished."

"His Royal Highness, there are still less than months old in the back house of the Wang family, look at this..."

"The elderly and the children of the female family are detained alone." King Qi glanced at the crying baby held in his arms, and gave Rou De Shima a feeling of affection: "Detain the child's mother and child together."

"Yes, the lower official understands." The official turned and conveyed the prince's meaning to the little official.

Looking at these shackles and panicked people, King Qi thought of his childhood. At that time, he and his mother and concubine were locked up in a small courtyard, and the concubine often sat in the house crying, chanting some regrets.

Later, the mother and concubine stopped crying, and would often take out meat and snacks and let him hide in the house to eat.

The concubine told him that it was brought into the backyard by the uncle's trust, and that his uncle had a way to save them out.

The mother and concubine never told him what the uncle could do to save them, because soon afterwards, something happened against the king and forced the palace. Blood was flowing in the palace, countless princes were involved, and the victor became his father.

Later in the palace, he asked about this, and the mother concubine's face suddenly became very ugly. Since then, he has never asked again.

He didn't like watching women cry, just like he didn't like the two years when he was imprisoned in the palace when he was young.

"Lord, lord." A woman in shackles saw him looking over and kowtow again and again: "I beg the lord, my child is sick. Please have mercy on him and give him some medicine."

The woman knocked extremely hard, and within a short while, blood came out of her forehead. The blood ran down her eye sockets, both hideous and pitiful.

King Qi watched this scene with indifference in his heart. However, in full view, he had to put on a benevolent appearance and walk towards the woman who kowtows.

"Jiuzhu, please help me with the hairpin, it was squeezed crookedly."

Jiuzhu?

When he was two steps away from the woman, King Qi heard the familiar name and suddenly stopped and turned to look at the crowd.

At this moment, the woman who was still kowtow suddenly put her mouth on her sleeve, grabbed a sharp blade, and slammed into King Qi.

King Qi stepped back subconsciously, and the sharp blade that was going to cut his throat only pierced his chest.

The blood soon stained his clothes. He looked down at the injured chest and tapped the wound with his fingers. The sensation of pain was quickly transmitted to the brain the moment he touched the blood.

"Protect the prince!"

The people watching the excitement were stunned by this sudden change, and for fear of being encumbered by the assassins, the Guards also took them into the prison. They suddenly lost the mood to watch the excitement and turned around and ran.

The excitement of locating a home, there will be a chance to watch it again in the future, and being suspected of being an assassin, it is not worthwhile to get into prison.

"Hiss." Seeing that Wang Qi's chest was mostly red with blood, Jiuzhu took a deep breath and whispered to Zhou Xiao: "That woman, she doesn't look like an ordinary person."

Without thinking about it, ordinary people have their hands and feet tied up, but can they kowtow again and again?

Was King Qi a fool who couldn't find such obvious loopholes?

"Don't tell me, let's go." Zhou Xiao dragged Jiuzhu and got ready to run.

"You two, please wait a moment, who are you?" The Guards saw that the crowds were almost running, and there were two young girls in brocade clothes on the spot, and they quickly stopped in front of them.

"These two girls are the daughters of Zhou Shi Lang and Ming Shi Lang in the Ministry of Rites. They must not be rude." King Qi was holding the wound on his chest, his face pale: "Miss Zhou, Miss Ming, this place is dangerous, please leave early."

Jiuzhu glanced at the female relatives who assassinated King Qi. She lay down on the ground and did not move. She didn't know whether she was alive or dead.

Suddenly, thinking of something, she lifted the skirt and ran away.

"Sister Ming, where are you going?" Zhou Xiao chased for two steps.

"I'm worried that your Highness is also in danger, first go to the Ministry of Rites to see." Jiuzhu hurriedly dropped a sentence, and the person has already ran far away, but the snack he was carrying has never let go.

King Qi looked at Ming Jiuzhu, who was running utterly in the street, clutching his wound and frowned.

"Master, you first lie down in the yard and rest. The imperial doctor will come right away." The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard was pale with fright, and he was trembling even when he spoke.

"It's okay, it only hurts the skin and flesh, and the general does not have to worry about it before the inner abdomen." With the support of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, King Qi lay down on the soft couch temporarily prepared in the inner courtyard.

He squinted his eyes as he listened to the panicked voices around him. Who was the good brother who had conspired against him today?

Or is it a certain lady in the palace who wants to share the worries for her son?

"His Royal Highness!" As soon as Wang Chen walked out of the gate of the Ministry of Rites, he saw Jiu Zhu and rushed to him, as fast as a gust of wind.

Jiuzhu pulled him behind the gate of the government office, and then looked around nervously: "His Royal Highness, the guards of the Ministry of Rites, are they very powerful?"

"Of course, these guards were carefully selected by Long Yingwei." Wang Chen saw her running panting, with red cheeks and sweat on her forehead. He took out a handkerchief and wiped her forehead while pretending to be Disgusted: "How do you make yourself like this?"

Didn't you go to the little sister with the silver in the morning, and didn't even want to talk to him more?

Knowing to come to him now?

"When I came, I ran a little bit, it's okay." Jiuzhu shook his head: "His Royal Highness first listen to me. You must bring a guard when you go out, and don't approach unidentified people alone. The capital is too dangerous. "

Hearing that Jiuzhu's tone was wrong, Wang Chen stuffed the dirty handkerchief into his sleeve, turned around and asked himself to pick up the dry buppa with the waiter: "What happened?"

"I just bought jewelry with Sister Zhou, and I watched the house for a while. I didn't expect King Qi to be stabbed in the chest and shed a lot of blood." Jiuzhu said in a hurry, "He is the prince, you are also the prince, in case of a bad person. What should I do if I want to hurt you?"

"Are you running from the Wang family?!" Wang Chen raised his voice. "From the Wang family all the way to the Ministry of Rites?"

Jiuzhu blinked and looked at him puzzled: "What, what's wrong?"

What's wrong with him?

It would take more than half an hour to go from the Wang family to the Ministry of Rites, even if it was a carriage.

She leaned on two legs and ran so far just to tell him this?

"Seeing that your Highness is okay, I'm relieved." Jiuzhu stuffed the oil paper bag into Wang Chen's hand: "Your Highness will take these snacks to share with his colleagues. I have tasted them before buying them, and they all taste good."

"Ming Jiuzhu." Wang Chen stretched out his hand and gently wiped the dust on her cheek with his fingertips, his voice was gentle, "Are you a little fool?"