Zhurou

Chapter 266 Waiting

As soon as Concubine Li left, it seemed like only a blink of an eye, and all the pre-wedding ceremonies such as the summons, bestowal of gifts, announcement of the bridegroom's tether, and viewing of the box had been completed, and soon it was the auspicious time for the princess to be born.

In Funing Palace the night before, although Zhao Hong went to bed early, he could not fall asleep at all.

He tossed and turned, and for a moment he seemed to hear a faint voice, and couldn't help but shouting, "Wang Shu!"

Then he asked, "Is there anyone outside?"

Wang Shu was in the compartment. He jumped up and leaned closer to whisper, "Your Majesty, it's still early. I didn't hear any noise outside..."

Next to Zhao Hong's pillow was a memorial submitted by the Taichang Temple, which clearly described the process and time of the princess' wedding. He had read it countless times, so how could he not know it?

It was just that Zhao Hong was not able to tell Zhao Mingzhi about his worries, not to mention that the person opposite him was Wang Shu.

He was extremely upset, but he had no way to vent his frustration, so he simply got up early, washed up, and urged, "Go ask Pei Jiedu... the Prince Consort..."

Zhao Hong said the two names one after another, feeling very uncomfortable, so he simply paused for a moment before saying vaguely, "Go see where he is."

Although the emperor did not say it explicitly, Wang Shu could guess a little from his words and expressions. He knew that the emperor was uneasy because the eldest princess was about to marry. He wanted to find fault with the prince consort, but the other party's status and position were unusual, so he could not find any major faults. So he could only sulk here.

Although the little emperor has a good temperament, he is not without temper. Once he starts to act left-wing, the people under him will not have an easy life.

Wang Shu agreed obediently, went out, called a eunuch, and told him to go to Henan Gate to inquire about the news.

However, as soon as the other party left, Director Wang realized something was wrong.

Today is the auspicious time, and although everything has been kept simple as instructed by Zhao Mingzhi, it is a royal wedding after all, and the necessary ceremonies cannot be skipped.

According to old rules, the prince consort should wear casual clothes and a jade belt, first go to the Hening Gate to change into the crown and clothes, and then enter the Donghua Gate.

According to the current time, the prince consort is most likely still in the mansion and has not set out yet.

The prince consort may not set out, but the people that he arranged went to Henan Gate and didn't see anyone there. When they came back to report, could his family just fool him by saying "the prince consort hasn't arrived yet"?
The emperor is already unhappy, so why would he bring bad luck upon himself and make people think he is not doing his job well?

Wang Shu thought about it and simply called two eunuchs over, instructing them to ride fast to the prince consort's mansion to check out the situation, and to come back immediately to report any news, no matter what happened.

Seeing the two of them trotting away, Wang Shu stood at the door for a few more breaths. After a while, he let out a long breath.

When I think about the princess's upcoming death, if it is really as rumored recently, she will soon go to Jingzhao Prefecture with her husband, and the emperor will be the only one left in the capital. This is already difficult, and what will happen when the emperor returns to the capital soon?

Not to mention that the emperor was worried, even he, the eunuch under him, couldn't help but feel worried.

The emperor is still too young.

……

After staying under the eaves for a short while, Wang Shu turned around and went into the hall to serve the emperor.

After Zhao Hong finished washing up, he was not in a hurry to change into his dress. He sat down and watched the princess' wedding ceremony again. As the sky was getting brighter, it was too early to the auspicious time. He was also feeling restless. He wanted to read some memorials, but he couldn't concentrate. He had to put down his hands and took out paper and pen to write big characters.

He had only written five or six characters when he became impatient and his pen went astray, splitting into two strokes from the tip of the pen. His interest was immediately ruined. He stared at the two strokes for a long time. When he raised his eyes, he saw a clepsydra in the corner. Suddenly, he got an idea and asked Wang Shu, "Send someone to see if my sister is up. If she is, I will go and have breakfast with her."

Wang Shu was stunned for a moment, but lowered his head and said: "This humble official will send someone to ask, but..."

"Just what?"

"The princess will be busy today as her husband is coming to pick her up..."

Zhao Hong frowned and said, "Isn't the auspicious time 3:30 pm? It's only the end of 5:30 pm now, how can we miss this meal?"

But he didn't need Wang Shu to reply, he waved his hand and said: "Forget it, no need to go..."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Hong just sat at the desk, holding a pen in his hand, without moving for a long while.

Wang Shu secretly regretted it and was afraid that there would be trouble again, so he asked tentatively: "Why don't I go over and take a look first to see the situation before asking..."

Zhao Hong didn't wait for him to finish his words, and shook his head and said, "Sister is busy today, why should I go over and cause trouble for her..."

He said this and looked very calm. He took a memorial book in his hand and looked down at it, but after half an incense stick of time, he didn't turn a page.

There was an eerie silence in the hall for a moment.

The silence was unusual. Wang Shu did not dare to move, and the eunuchs standing not far away were even more silent, not even daring to breathe.

Just when everyone was getting nervous, a eunuch suddenly came into the hall from outside. He walked very quietly and peeped in. He saw that the lights were on inside and the emperor was sitting at his desk in the outer room, with Wang Shu standing beside him. He was really surprised.

Wang Shu thought he was coming in a strange way, so he walked over a few steps and asked, "What happened ahead?"

The eunuch shook his head hastily and said, "Nothing happened."

Wang Shu was already upset, and seeing Zhao Hong's stupid appearance, he was really angry. For fear of disturbing Zhao Hong, he shouted in a low voice: "Who taught you the rules? There is no urgent matter ahead, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

The eunuch replied hurriedly, "It's Her Royal Highness the Princess. She asked me to come in and see His Majesty and ask if he is still sleeping."

Wang Shu was stunned and asked unconsciously, "What?"

Zhao Hong was in a trance, but when he heard the words "Princess" and "Your Highness", he suddenly woke up and turned around and asked, "What's wrong, Sister?"

The eunuch bowed and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, the prince is outside and has specifically asked me to come in and take a quick look so as not to disturb your majesty's rest." Zhao Hong could not wait any longer and stood up almost immediately, threw down the letter in his hand, and walked out of the palace in two steps and three steps.

As expected, as soon as he went out, he saw several eunuchs and palace servants outside the door, all holding lanterns in their hands. Among them was a man who was wearing casual clothes and had his hair tied up. He was facing the east, as if he was looking at the sky which was just beginning to turn pale.

The man heard the noise behind him, turned around, and saw that it was Zhao Hong. He smiled and said, "I told someone to go in and take a look. Why did you come out by yourself?"

It turned out to be Zhao Mingzhi.

Zhao Hong called out "Sister" and walked quickly towards her.

He wanted to throw himself into Zhao Mingzhi's arms, but seeing that there were people around him, he was too shy to do so, so he just moved closer and said, "Sister, when did you come? Why don't you come in, but just stand at the door in the cold wind?"

As the brother and sister talked, they entered the inner hall together and sat down separately.

Zhao Mingzhi saw that the candles were all lit, and looked at the writing brushes and ink on the table, as well as the large calligraphy. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why did you get up so early today?"

Zhao Hong felt that his handwriting was not good in the morning, so he was too embarrassed to show it to Zhao Mingzhi. He quickly covered it with a piece of white paper, mumbled a few words, and then asked again: "Sister, how come you have time to come here?"

Zhao Mingzhi said, "I saw them making citron cups, and I saw sugarcane juice on the menu, and I thought of you. I'm busy tonight, so I probably won't have time. It would be better for us to eat together in the morning."

Then he asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Zhao Hong was surprised and delighted, as if he had a place to express his secret thoughts that he couldn't tell anyone about. He pursed his lips and replied, "No, I didn't eat. I was also focused on finding my elder sister. I wanted to ask Wang Shu to go to my elder sister's palace and have breakfast with her, but I was afraid that it would delay my elder sister's business..."

Seeing that his brother was acting like a spoiled child to her, Zhao Mingzhi moved the chair under him so that the two siblings were closer, and then asked someone to serve dinner.

Soon, a eunuch came in carrying large and small plates and bowls.

The national treasury and the inner treasury had been empty for a long time, and the brother and sister set an example by living a simple life in terms of food. At the moment, there were only five or six side dishes, Zhao Hong's porridge, and Zhao Mingzhi's ordinary breakfast. The table was not even full.

Zhao Hong didn't have much of an appetite to begin with, and the porridge was made with a lot of nourishing herbs, so although it wasn't extremely bitter, it didn't taste very good. Besides, it was still early, so he just swallowed half a bowl of porridge and considered it his meal.

Zhao Mingzhi didn't force him. He looked around the table, took a bowl, put five or six small wontons in it and handed it to his brother.

There was very little filling in the wontons, as the meat had been chopped into very fine paste. It was a very soft little piece when eaten, and did not make much of a difference at all. The skin, on the other hand, was thin and large, blanched in water and soaked in chicken broth, and tasted soft and fragrant.

Zhao Hong did not refuse and ate slowly.

Zhao Mingzhi waited until he finished eating before sending in a few trays. He pointed at the trays and said, "Which one do you like?"

The trays held by everyone were filled with wine glasses, one cup and one plate making a set. There were plates and cups with orchid and stone swastika patterns, plates and cups with gilded plum blossom and moon patterns, plates and cups with golden chrysanthemum, silver chrysanthemum, plates and cups with bamboo branches reflecting in the pond, and so on. There were also plates and cups with deer under banana trees, carp in the pond, dragonflies on branches, and so on.

Those wine plates were nothing special, but they were exquisite. Only the wine cups were made by splitting a citron in half, hollowing out to make a wine glass, and then carving patterns on them with a knife. They looked elegant from a distance, and had a refreshing fragrance when you got close.

After all, Zhao Hong was still a teenager. When he saw such interesting toys, his eyes lit up at once. He picked out the one with the dragonfly pattern and held it in his hands, looking at it again and again.

Seeing that he was playing with it non-stop and seemed to be enjoying it very much, Zhao Mingzhi asked someone to bring up a small stove. On the stove sat a large clay pot with a little steam coming out of the spout.

Zhao Hong smelled a sweet fragrance and couldn't help turning his head to look. He then looked back at Zhao Mingzhi with a very confused look on his face.

"This is a round cup used to persuade people to drink during a banquet. I saw that it was carved very cutely, so I picked some for you to play with. The weather has been dry recently, so it's just right to drink some refreshing drinks. It's quite unique to use this cup to hold the drink."

As Zhao Mingzhi spoke, he reached out to take the half citron cup from Zhao Hong's hand. Without asking for help from others, he picked up the pottery pot and poured half a cup for his brother.

Zhao Hong took the cup, put it back on the dragonfly plate, and looked at it for a while before drinking the drink.

The drink was made from water boiled with bamboo sugarcane and reed roots. It was sweet and refreshing, and went down the throat very smoothly. And because it was served in a citron cup, it had a rare fragrance.

He took two sips and found it sweet, so he took a set of cups and poured one for Zhao Mingzhi.

The brother and sister sat together like this, drinking hot drinks from citron cups and chatting about family matters. When they discussed the origin of the citron cup, they said that it was originally used to hold alcohol-relaxing juice - in fact, it was sugarcane and radish juice. They also said that the saying "playing with things will ruin one's ambition" is often exaggerated, and that the way of tension and relaxation is better than just tightening up.

The two were not in a hurry, but Wang Shu, who was standing aside, was very nervous.

The cold wind was howling outside, and the clay pot in the house was slowly boiling over with charcoal fire, making gurgling sounds. However, the clepsydra in the corner kept telling time, and it was already the Si hour.

Director Wang wanted to go forward and ask, but seeing that the two men had no intention of stopping at all, he was afraid of disturbing their interest and was afraid of missing the time. While he was hesitating, he saw a figure swaying at the outer door.

He quietly retreated and looked back, only to find that it was a eunuch whom he had just arranged to go to Pei Yong's mansion to inquire about the news.

The eunuch was sweating all over his forehead. He bowed hastily and said, "Sir, I have received your orders and left the palace. Seeing that there were too many people on the road, I dismounted and asked around. I learned that Mr. Pei... Mr. Pei... had already gone to Donghua Gate early. I think he has been waiting for a long time. He brought the goose coins with him and was waiting for the auspicious time to enter the palace. Outside Xuande Gate, Panlou Street was full of people, and everyone was eager to see him."

He paused, and continued, "The Imperial City Department and the Kyoto government have sent soldiers to patrol the shops, but they still can't control it completely. They are about to send someone in to ask, and I want to ask the emperor for instructions - whether to invite the prince consort into the palace first, so as to avoid too many people and cause trouble."

"Isn't it just 9 o'clock?" Wang Shu was so shocked that his voice choked. He turned around to look for a clepsydra, but he forgot that he was in the outer room and there was no clepsydra to look at.

He swallowed hard and confirmed again: "You mean, Mr. Pei has already arrived at Donghua Gate? Is this news accurate? Even if he came earlier, at most he should have exchanged his crown and robes with Ning!"

The eunuch hurriedly said, "I heard the news, but I knew it was too early. I couldn't believe it, so I went to Donghua Gate and saw Mr. Pei wearing a crown and robes, standing outside Donghua Gate. My horse is strong and I am agile, so I can run the fastest. I think it won't be long before someone from outside comes in to question me."

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Almost immediately, a eunuch who came to report the news stood at the door. Seeing Wang Shu, he immediately showed joy and said hurriedly, "Wang Gongfeng, the imperial city department sent someone to urge him outside. They said that Mr. Pei has arrived at the Donghua Gate. There are too many people gathered outside. Can you ask him to go into the palace and wait for a while until the auspicious time?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shu could no longer hold back, and turned his head to look outside at the sun in the sky - it was clearly just rising, and even the shadows on the ground were long, and the morning frost on the leaves in the corridor outside had not yet melted. All of these showed that it was still early and it was not yet afternoon to welcome the bride.

——This is not just a short wait! Just wait for a day!
He couldn't help but complain in his heart for a moment, he didn't even know whether this new prince consort was here to marry or to kidnap the bride, why was he so anxious.