==Chapter 25==

In the luxuriously decorated and low-key hall, it is a warm scene at this time.

When King Cheng saluted Duchess Anguo, he was pulled by Duchess Anguo to sit down beside him and spoke earnestly. Cui's and Zheng's also gathered around, and the smiling Sanwu interjected from time to time, a scene of harmony and harmony.

Next to the main tooth bed, the king of Chu sat in a wheelchair and listened quietly to everyone. Looking at its location, it seems that the Duchess of Anguo attaches great importance to it, but if you observe carefully, you can find that from beginning to end, the topic of several people is on King Cheng and Queen Xiao, but there is not a word about King Chu, who is also a grandson.

King Cheng and King Chu are both grandsons of the Duchess of Anguo, but there are some differences between them. King Cheng's biological mother is today's Queen Xiao, Queen Xiao is the only daughter of Duchess Anguo, so Duchess Anguo is King Cheng's maternal grandmother. She is also the grandmother of the King of Chu, but there is no blood relationship between the two, only in name.

The biological mother of the king of Chu, Concubine Die, was the daughter of the eight rooms outside the Xiao family, and she was also selected to enter the inner room through guò that year, and her name was recorded in the name of the Wang family, who was not the Duchess of Anguo at that time, and then the daughter of the Wang family married the king of Wei as a side concubine, and the biological mother of the king of Chu married with the sister of the same clan as a concubine.

"Alright, Ah Jia. You see, as soon as you saw His Royal Highness King Cheng, you put aside those of us who were not likable, and the Qi Niang over there had not yet given a salute to His Royal Highness King Cheng and His Royal Highness King Chu. Zheng smiled and interjected as if coquettishly.

It seems that Qi Niang is mentioned, but in fact, it is to remind the Duchess of Anguo that King Chu is still sitting aside. Duchess An Guo reacted, smiled and patted her forehead: "It seems that I am really old and have forgotten this stubble." However, I haven't seen King Cheng and King Chu for a long time, so I really remember to panic. You guys, come over and meet your two cousins. ”

Duchess An Guo smiled and beckoned, and all the little ladies came forward.

"Three Niang, Four Niang, Five Niang and Six Niang, King Cheng and King Chu have all seen it. This is Qi Niang, Eight Niang, Nine Niang, Ten Niang and Eleven Niang, all of whom are the daughters of our Xiao family, because they were too young before, they never brought them out to meet people, this is the first time. ”

Several people stepped forward one by one to salute King Cheng and King Chu, King Cheng smiled and returned the salute, but King Chu had a cold face as if he didn't see it.

This is the first time that Qi Niang and the others have seen King Cheng and King Chu, and they are already apprehensive in their hearts, seeing that His Royal Highness King Cheng is quite approachable, but King Chu has a cold face, so that several people can't help but worry in their hearts whether they are not welcome.

"Look at you, you're all out of the palace, and you still have a cold face, be careful to scare a few sisters." King Cheng said with a smile to the King of Chu, and then turned his head and explained to a few little ladies: "Don't be afraid, he is like this, just get used to it, but there is no malice." ”

Only then did the King of Chu move his eyes and nodded to a few people. Although he still didn't speak, he expressed some intimacy.

A few people retreated to the side, and Duchess An Guo looked at King Chu with a kind face, and asked: "How is your body lately, but there is anything uncomfortable, as long as Grandma thinks of your body, she can't sleep at night." King Cheng, too, knowing that your brother is not in good health, why did you take him out of the palace today. ”

King Cheng was stunned for a moment, and then said with a light smile: "The imperial doctor said, the fifth brother should come out to bask in the sun and breathe, you also know his temper since he was a child, he stayed in the palace all day long and didn't go out, so I thought about taking him out for a walk, and I just missed Ah Weng and Grandma, so I came together." ”

Duchess An Guo nodded, and told the King of Chu to pay more attention to his body, although the King of Chu still had a cold face, but in the end he also responded.

Cui Shi interjected with a smile: "Since His Royal Highness the King of Chu wants to bask in the sun more for the sake of his body, the weather outside today is just right, neither cold nor hot, it is better to let a few small ones accompany the King of Chu to the garden to relax, the lotus flowers in the garden are blooming just right, and it is good to enjoy the scenery." ”

"That's a good idea, so as not to be bored with an old woman like me. Sanniang, you take a few younger sisters to accompany the King of Chu to walk around the garden, bring a few more people, the King of Chu is not in good health, don't let him get angry. ”

"Yes, Grandma."

After all the juniors left, the Cui family and the Zheng family also retired by arranging a lunch meal, and the maidservants in the hall retreated, leaving only two henchmen, and Mrs. An Guo said: "How did you bring him out, his leg is really useless?" ”

It can be seen that all the rhetoric just now is to separate the king of Chu and make room for the two ancestors and grandchildren to speak.

King Cheng nodded, "I don't want to take him out either, but my father has been very attentive to him recently." Since the last time that happened, my father saw that everyone was cold-faced, and he still had a good color for him, and the queen mother asked me to take him out and walk around, so as to show some brotherhood. ”

Duchess An Guo frowned, her face was full of disgust, "This stupid one, raised for so many years, has not come in handy, so he tossed himself into this way, I and your aunt originally wanted to train you the most heartfelt helper, but now it seems that it will not be." ”

King Cheng's face was extremely complicated, "Actually, thanks to him this time, the queen mother investigated privately afterwards, and all the signs pointed at us, if he hadn't blocked the arrow for the prince, we would have carried the black pot this time." ”

Duchess An Guo's face was solemn, and she also realized the power in the middle, "Is there any main messenger behind it?" Does Your Majesty know anything about this? ”

King Cheng grimaced and shook his head: "The left is just King Zhao and King Qi, and they can't wait for us to fight with the prince now." If the prince dies, I will be the most profitable, this is a poisonous plan to kill two birds with one stone, trying to kill people on both sides with one move. In the end, King Cheng gritted his teeth, and it was obvious that he hated the main messenger.

"Now there is a lot of noise in the palace, and my father doesn't like anyone, except for the sick prince, that is, he can get a good color. Originally, he was a powerless person in the palace, but now he is all in trouble, and even the queen mother asked me to ask for more favors in front of my father through him. ”

King Cheng's eyes were full of jealousy, and it seemed that it was difficult to accept that he was high, and he had to take advantage of the cripple of their mother and son in the past to get a little bit of affection in front of Emperor Chengyuan.

There are many princes of Emperor Chengyuan, except for the princes who are still in infancy and babbling, there are six princes who are slightly older. They are the crown prince, the king of Zhao, the king of Cheng, the king of Qi, the king of Chu and the king of Liang, but if you want to say that the prince who is really favored by Emperor Chengyuan, then there is only the prince of the middle palace who was born by the former princess of Wei.

The crown prince Mu Yuanzhang is a sick man, this is something that the whole Great Qi knows, it stands to reason that such a body is not suitable to be the prince of a country, but Emperor Chengyuan eliminated the resistance of the public and let Mu Yuanzhang sit in the position of the prince for nearly 20 years.

The first queen and Emperor Chengyuan had a deep affection and very much affection, which is a well-known thing, so Emperor Chengyuan especially valued this only concubine from the first queen.

In the eyes of other princes, the crown prince has always been an untouchable being, and they have known since they were young that this prince's brother is different from them. Emperor Chengyuan has been creating a status above 10,000 people under one person for the prince all the time, not only from food, clothing, and ceremonial guards and the like, but also from the daily actions all reveal this meaning, all the tributes that come up from the following are never sent to Emperor Chengyuan's Zichen Palace, but the prince's East Palace.

This is a kind of announcement, and it also informs everyone of the prince's status in his mind, but it can't control the ambition that arises as the prince's body becomes weaker and weaker, and the prince below slowly grows up.

With the establishment of Empress Xiao as the successor, King Cheng can be regarded as the concubine of the middle palace, but he, the concubine of the middle palace, and the prince, the concubine of the middle palace, are one in heaven and one on the ground. Especially because King Cheng is also the identity of the concubine of the middle palace, Emperor Chengyuan always presses him, so that he is not as good as other princes in front of Emperor Chengyuan.

Duchess An Guo also understood this, so she comforted: "Even if he is still of some use, our family raised him and raised his lowly mother, which was originally to make them bow to you and your mother and die." Since your aunt said so, since you have her discretion, you will listen to her. ”

King Cheng nodded.

*

This conversation was unknown to everyone in the garden.

Originally, he came to the garden to relax, but because the king of Chu said with a cold face that he wanted to stay alone, everyone had to separate from him and gather in a small pavilion not far from the lotus pond.

The scenery in the garden is extremely beautiful, the midsummer season is the time when the grass and trees are luxuriant, only to see the beautiful trees lush, all kinds of exotic flowers and plants cover a few small pavilions, a clear stream, from the depths of the flowers and trees zigzag under the stone gaps, converge into the pool, the lotus flowers in the pool. A gust of wind blew, full of incense, and there was a feeling of being born in the Yao Pond on the platform.

"Seventh sister, you said that the elders let us accompany His Royal Highness the King of Chu to walk around, wouldn't it be a little bad to put him there alone like this?"

Looking at the figure in the gazebo not far away, Xiao Banniang asked in a low voice.

Qi Niang Xiao Yin's eyes flashed, and she looked at Sanniang Xiao Yan.

Among these people, Xiao Sanniang is the longest, fourteen years old, which is the age of flowers. Melon seed face, slender body, gentle and demure, although a few people have not gotten along with her, but at a glance at her face, you know that it is not the tricky person.

Banniang and the others are not familiar with these sisters, and Sanniang and others used to be unattainable in their eyes, so even if they are sisters now, they don't dare to ask. Fortunately, Banniang Xiao Rong knew that Xiao Qiniang and Xiao Sanniang had a good relationship, so she asked this question.

Xiao Sanniang pondered for a moment and said softly: "His Royal Highness the King of Chu has been silent since he was a child, and although he rarely comes to the house, several sisters know his temperament. Since he said he wanted to be alone, let him be. ”

Xiao Liuniang, who was sitting on the side, raised her eyebrows and sneered: "What, do you want to rely on the past to be courteous?" Then hurry up, why bother asking here. ”

"Sixth sister, you are too direct to speak. That kind of person's mind is different from ours, if you can't get used to it, you will stay away, why dirty your tongue. ”

It was Siniang Xiao Ting who interjected.