The county lord of Duansu left the Yihua Palace with his children, but after the kung fu of the front and back feet, Emperor Chu came.

"Father." Emperor Liu's concubine listened to the report of the chamberlain, and hurriedly got up to welcome her out of the hall, before she could take two steps, Xiao Xuan had already trotted out and threw herself into Emperor Chu's arms. "Father."

"Look at you like this, you're always crazy, you don't look like a well-behaved girl." Emperor Chu deliberately frowned. "You're a princess, you need to be careful about your behavior."

"Father, sons and daughters don't do this on weekdays." Xiao Xuan knew that Emperor Chu was deliberately teasing her, so she stepped forward and grabbed Emperor Chu's hand and said coquettishly. "My father has been very busy these days, and my son really misses his father, so he will lose his manners."

"You." Emperor Chu laughed. "I'm always coquettish and stupid in front of me, so I can't count you anymore."

Emperor Chu came today, and he also had something to discuss with Emperor Liu's concubine.

Emperor Liu's concubine listened to Emperor Chu's words and originally wanted Xiao Xuan to go out to play. Emperor Chu waved his hand and asked Xiao Xuan to sit down beside him.

"It's just a little thing, and it's nothing for her to listen to." Emperor Chu smiled and smiled with Emperor Liu's concubine. "Today, Duansu brought the children of the family to Yihua Palace?"

"Yes, it's only been a while." Suihong came over with tea, and Emperor Liu's concubine personally got up to take it and served tea to Emperor Chu. "Why did you think to ask about this?"

"A few days ago, Duan Chengwen also brought his eldest son to the palace." Emperor Chu said. "It was said that his eldest son rudely bumped into the eldest princess, and he came to ask me for his guilt. But I took a closer look at his eldest son, and he was a good boy. ”

"The concubine also took a closer look at the child today, it's a good one." Concubine Liu Huang echoed and said. "In the past, I heard a lot about the virtuous name of the lord of Duansu County, but the concubine really didn't expect her to raise the two children so well. Brother Lan is sensible, Sister Chu is cute, and they are indeed excellent children. ”

"Yes, that kid is older than Jun'er, but he has a calm personality and is both civil and military. Duan Chengwen is not as mediocre as the prince of Zhenguo, and now he is also very useful in the ministry, and in two years he will be the secretary of the ministry, and I think he is the next candidate for the secretary of the ministry. "Emperor Chu put down the teacup." I originally thought that Jun'er had a temperament that jumped out, and I needed someone with a calmer temperament to assist me. Now looking at the Duan family, this child is very good, so I want him to enter the palace from next month to study together with the princes and the children of the clan in the imperial study. ”

Concubine Liu lowered her head, her eyes turned around, and she raised her head and smiled in an instant.

"Your Majesty is thoughtful."

"But although he was raised under Duansu's knees, he was still just a concubine, and his family background was a little thinner." Emperor Chu instructed Emperor Liu's concubine. "You let Yu'er and Jun'er take care of him more on weekdays."

"Yes, the concubine will definitely give Yu'er and Jun'er a good advice."

Emperor Chu finished his lunch in Yihua Palace, and took a nap before leaving.

Seeing off Emperor Chu, Emperor Liu's concubine leaned on the soft collapse by the window with long hair and homely clothes, and the palace maid stood by the couch to comb her hair and massage her head.

"Mother." Concubine Liu closed her eyes and pondered, but she heard Xiao Xuan calling her.

"You're here?" When Concubine Liu opened her eyes, she saw Xiao Xuan standing outside the bead curtain in the hall. "Come in."

"Mother, in the imperial study in the palace, except for the prince in the palace and a few children of the clan, few children of the courtiers can be enrolled." Regarding Emperor Chu's arrangement, Xiao Xuan inevitably had doubts in his heart. "Father, how could you value the eldest son of Aunt Duansu's family. not only let him enroll, but also specially instructed his mother to let the eldest brother and the sixth brother have fellowship with him. But when it comes to intimacy, shouldn't his father let the second brother who was raised under the knees of the queen of Zhaoyang Palace take care of him? ”

"That only shows that your father values Lord Duan, but what your father values is not that he was born in the Zhenguo Mansion, but because of his own talents and abilities." Emperor Liu's concubine waved away the palace maid behind her. "Let your eldest brother and sixth brother take care of him, and your father will start planning for the future of your two elder brothers."

"......"

"You're too young to worry about these things." Concubine Liu raised her hand, and Sui Hong immediately stepped forward to hold her arm and help her up. "I'm nine years old this year." Xiao Xuan didn't follow and muttered.

"I know I'm nine years old, but I'm not sensible." Concubine Liu's eyebrows and eyes flowed, and her slender fingers dyed with cardamom tapped between Xiao Xuan's eyebrows. "You're nine years old, so you should be more sensible."

"My mother still thinks I'm ignorant, but compared to my eldest sister, I think I'm already a very sensible child."

"You really pick on others to compare, and you feel that you are not enough to be better than the top, and you are more than enough, and you are quite proud." Emperor Liu Guifei didn't have to give Xiao Xuan a word and was so angry that she had a headache. "Your eldest sister's temperament, Concubine Chen doesn't talk about teaching, and she can't even restrain it now. Seeing that she will reach the age of looking for a horse in a few years, she can still make such a fuss in front of the women of the palace and the ladies of the clan. ”

"Then don't be afraid, the marriage of the big sister and the Ding'an Hou Mansion of Concubine Chen's mother's family are the bottom."

"Tell me about you, where did you hear all this nonsense all day long?" Emperor Liu scolded with a smile.

"Don't fool me, mother, everyone knows these things. The eldest sister is domineering, Concubine Chen is not favored, and those people in the imperial capital who want to climb the princess Gao Zhi have a lot of thoughts. And now there are no outstanding children in the Ding'an Hou Mansion for two generations, and the son of this generation is also a famous gentleman. On weekdays, the father and the emperor dislike the children of those clans, dukes and earls who are doing nothing, and seeing that the next generation may be demoted to the throne. Therefore, his family will naturally want to marry the eldest sister from Concubine Chen, no matter how the eldest sister is the eldest daughter of her father, as long as the eldest sister is welcomed, his family can keep the next generation at least the next generation and the next generation of equal-level lords. ”

"You know a lot." Emperor Liu's concubine glanced at Xiao Xuan.

"Mother, is this praising me or scolding me?" Xiao Xuan took a bite of the snack and said with a smile. "My eldest sister and I don't get along, so I naturally have to know everything about her. Only by knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent can one win a hundred battles. ”

On the first day of Duan Shaolan's study in the imperial study, the eldest prince Xiao Yu and the sixth prince Xiao Jun came to talk to him between classes.

"I heard my father say that you are good at riding and shooting, and we will have time to compete another day." Xiao Jun patted Duan Shaolan's shoulder with a smile, and said very familiarly.

"It's not a competition, my riding and archery was only taught by my father at home, and it can't be compared to the six princes." Duan Shaolan replied with a smile.

After a few days, with Xiao Yu and Xiao Jun's care, Duan Shaolan also became familiar with all the princes and clan disciples in the imperial study.

"Cousin Lan."

One day after class, Xiao Yu left early because he had to go to Emperor Chu to learn to deal with political affairs, and Xiao Jun didn't know what to do and ran away early in the morning.

As soon as Duan Shaolan came out of the imperial study with the little servant who came with him, the second prince, Xiao Jin, quickly caught up with him.

"I've seen His Royal Highness the Second Prince." Duan Shaolan turned around and saw that the person who chased him out was Xiao Jin, and immediately stopped and turned around to salute.

"Cousin, don't be polite." Xiao Jin stepped forward and spoke very kindly. "We haven't had much time to talk these days, I see that it's still early today, so why don't my cousin go back to Zhaoyang Palace with me. The queen mother heard that her cousin had recently entered the palace to study, and she was very worried about it, and she said that she would let me take care of my cousin more. ”

"Thank you for the second prince and the queen." Duan Shaolan just refused. "But my grandfather and father attached great importance to my studies, and specially told me to return home immediately after entering school every day."

Xiao Jin didn't force Duan Shaolan, just stood where he was and said a few words to him, then turned around and left.

"You're you again?" Duan Shaolan had just taken two steps before he was stopped again, and this time the person who stopped him was Xiao Xuan.

"I've seen the second princess." Duan Shaolan knew that Xiao Xuan would wait outside the door of the imperial study every day or two to talk to her two brothers. "It's just unfortunate that the two highnesses seem to have something to do after school today, and they have already left."

"Ah, how is it so unfortunate." There is a chef in the small kitchen of Yihua Palace who is very good at making all kinds of pastries, and today he tried a new recipe, and the pastries that came out tasted really good.

Xiao Xuan specially asked him to do more, and he personally brought someone to send it to his two brothers to try it.

"Is there anything important for the princess to tell the two highnesses?"

"It's not a big deal, it's just that I just got some fresh snacks." Xiao Xuan thought about it for a while, and said with a smile to Duan Shaolan. "How is your sister Sister Chu lately?"

"Thank you princess for your thoughts, Sister Chu only celebrates and plays at home every day under her mother's knees, everything is fine."

"That's it, the left and right dim sum has been made, and this can't be put away to eat the taste right away." Xiao Xuan asked the dantang behind him to take the food box. "In this case, you can take it home and let Aunt Duansu and Sister Chu taste it together."

"Then I'll thank the princess." Duan Shaolan had no choice but to take the food box.

After Duan Shaolan said goodbye and left, Xiao Xuan was still standing in place and looking at his back.

"What is the princess looking at?" Dan Tachibana stepped forward and asked her.

"I think he's pretty good-looking." Xiao Xuan said with a smile to Dantang. "It's not the same as your brother's good-looking."

"The princes are all noble and noble, so naturally they are not the same as this Young Master Duan." Dan Tang has been by Xiao Xuan's side since he was a child, and his feelings are naturally different, and his attitude is more casual. "Princess, let's go back."

"Okay, okay."

Xiao Xuan returned to Yihua Palace, but saw Concubine De and Ning Guiren in the front hall.

"Mother is well." Xiao Xuan entered the hall and shouted. "Concubine De, Ning Guiren is good."

"The princess is back, and a few days ago, our tribe sent someone to Beijing to bring me and my brother some family specialties." Ning Guiren is the daughter of the tribal patriarch who entered the palace after the Saibeiping Rebellion a few years ago - Baoyinge, she was born with a high nose and deep eyes, slightly dark skin, and a unique exotic style. "I specially picked some to give to the imperial concubine, including jewelry and utensils, and the princess will also pick some when she comes. Although these things do not have the luxury and sophistication of the Central Plains, they can be interesting. ”

After Ning Guiren entered the palace, he ignored the solicitation and appeasement of the queen's family, and instead took the initiative to get close to Emperor Liu's concubine and Concubine De. In the past few years in the palace, she has no intention of competing for favor and has no pregnancy and childbirth, and only likes to go to the horse farm in the palace to ride horses, barbecue and eat wine in her Lingxi Palace.

Xiao Xuan likes her very much, and always likes to play behind her, and even Ning Guiren taught Xiao Xuan to ride a horse.

"Okay." Xiao Xuan sat down beside Ning Guiren, and Duo Sang, the maid brought by Ning Guiren from the clan, came forward with a tray.

Xiao Xuan looked over and saw that there were more than a dozen small objects on the tray, and the style was really not the same as the popular ornaments in the imperial capital. Xiao Xuan was not polite, his fingers clicked on seven or eight things, and he also commented with Ning Guiren.

Concubine Liu looked at the two of them with a smile, and didn't care about them, only talking to Concubine De.