Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 In the capital

Chapter 7

The north wind was howling and the weather was cold. After Lin Bozhi arrived in Beijing, he moved into the Prince Zhou's mansion. Before the emperor summoned Lin Bozhi, he had already ordered the Ministry of Works to repair the mansion. Therefore, when Lin Bozhi arrived in the capital, the mansion looked brand new and very impressive.

When the Prince Zhou fled the capital with his family, he only brought a few servants with him. Most of them were left behind. Later, some were scattered and some were sold. When they were brought back for the reconstruction of the mansion this time, it would be good if more than half of them could be found.

Princess Zhou was worried about her son, so she sent Wen Ru, the head maid, and Qian Ma, the housekeeper, over.

Lin Bozhi did not like to use maids, but preferred to use servants. He thought it was convenient to take them out of the house and he did not need to worry too much about doing things. Therefore, for so many years, he had only two head maids and a mother-in-law around him. No wonder Princess Zhou sent people over.

The first thing Lin Bozhi did after entering Beijing was to pay a visit to the emperor. The emperor had not been in good health, but he was naturally happy to see Lin Bozhi. He stood up and changed into court clothes to meet Lin Bozhi solemnly in Chaoyang Pavilion.

The emperor had no children, but when he was recuperating in Jiangnan a few years ago, he adopted a baby girl by chance. When she grew up, she happened to follow the emperor to Beijing. Now she has been named Princess Le'an, but she has not been promised to anyone. She is the emperor's favorite.

Princess Le'an also saw Lin Bozhi for the first time. He was wearing a black court dress with a five-clawed golden dragon and a black wing-shaped crown. He was tall and handsome. He walked gracefully, confidently and confidently, and was very noble. He couldn't help but say to the emperor, "Father, is this the prince of Zhou?"

The emperor was tearful, as if he saw the deceased King Zhou from Lin Bozhi's figure. He and King Zhou were born of the same mother, but because he was weak, King Zhou, his younger brother, often carried him out to play, and they had a very good relationship.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Get up quickly."

Waiting for Lin Bozhi to salute, the emperor stood up to support him, but he was so weak that he was out of breath after just a few steps. Lin Bozhi then took the emperor's arm.

Lin Bozhi remembered that the last time he saw the emperor, he was still the Prince of Qin. Although he was weak, he was still young and looked energetic. Now, he was in his prime but his hair was half-white and his eye sockets were sunken. He remembered that someone had said that Concubine Wang let the Prince of Qin go because he was dying, and he felt a little more worried.

The emperor called for a banquet and called for dancers to liven up the atmosphere. The night was very lively, but Lin Bozhi felt a little drunk.

The last song was performed in a colorful dress, and the lead singer was bright and beautiful, with a voice as sweet as an oriole. Lin Bozhi only looked at them for a few more times, and the emperor smiled and whispered a few words to the eunuch Zhang beside him. Eunuch Zhang smiled meaningfully and said, "I know."

When waiting to leave the palace, it was already dark. Eunuch Zhang personally sent Lin Bozhi off, holding a lantern in front of him and saying attentively, "Your Majesty is not feeling well, and you haven't been so happy for a long time."

Lin Bozhi looked at the palace and always remembered that he almost grew up here when he was a child. He often played with several cousins, and once followed his third cousin to sneak into the imperial study just to see what the jade seal looked like. He was almost discovered by the late emperor, but the prince covered for them, so they escaped.

At that time, he was still young and ignorant, and he felt particularly happy that he had escaped. Now that he thought about it, the entire palace was full of spies from the late emperor, how could he not know?

It was probably the late emperor's order to turn a blind eye and let them run away.

But of the lively group of people at that time, he is the only one left now... At that time, the Crown Princess had just given birth to her cousin, less than a month later, and she was given poisoned wine before the full moon banquet.

He actually couldn't understand how a wise monarch like the late emperor could be bewitched by a woman?

But the late emperor was his grandfather and the emperor's biological father, and no one dared to blame him. After all, as a descendant, you can't criticize your elders, not to mention that he is a king first.

But it is impossible to say that Lin Bozhi doesn't hate.

Although the palace lanterns were lit, the palace was too big. Looking at it quietly, it was like a sleeping monster, a quiet lurker, just waiting for the prey to enter.

Lin Bozhi lowered his head, not wanting to look at these familiar scenes again, and suddenly wanted to go back as soon as possible.

Seeing that Lin Bozhi was unhappy, Eunuch Zhang was also a person who observed the expression of words and did not say anything. He escorted Lin Bozhi into the palace all the way and had a better understanding of his temper.

I still remember that a few years ago, Lin Bozhi was still a high-spirited character, so flamboyant and free and easy, but now he has become very calm, most of the time he always keeps a sullen face and does not speak, and he has dignity at such a young age.

Eunuch Zhang thought that he was indeed worthy of being the son of a dragon and the grandson of a phoenix, and he was really different.

All the way to the palace gate, Eunuch Zhang asked people to prepare a carriage, and two palace maids came out to help a beautiful woman with a slender figure get on the carriage behind.

Lin Bozhi went to see Eunuch Zhang, and he smiled and said, "My Lord, this is given to you by His Majesty."

The weather was getting colder and colder. Lin'an was close to the south, so it was naturally warmer than the capital. Lin Bozhi leaned in the carriage, and Wen Ru put on a thick silk mink coat for him, and took out the heater that had been prepared long ago, which made Lin Bozhi look relieved.

The carriage was bumpy on the road, and because the Zhou Palace was right next to the palace, it arrived quickly.

Lin Bozhi got off the carriage and looked at the front of the palace. The palace had just been renovated. Even the auspicious beasts on the eaves were made of pure gold, which was very impressive. A big red lantern was hung at the door, as bright as day. The guards and gatekeepers gathered together and looked very impressive.

Wen Ru saw Lin Bozhi standing at the door and looked over with some doubts. She thought she saw the words "Zhou Wangfu". She couldn't help but feel emotional and said softly, "My Lord, it's cold outside. Let's go in quickly."

Lin Bozhi's face sank. He glanced at Wen Ru, but there was a feeling that was even colder than the weather. She was so scared that she couldn't stand still for a while. She lowered her head and didn't dare to say a word. In the past, I only thought that Lin Bozhi was a little cold, but not as scary as today.

"My Lord is back."

Lin Bozhi entered the palace surrounded by everyone. The red walls and green tiles, carved beams and painted buildings were magnificent and majestic. There was a familiar sycamore tree in the yard, but it seemed a little different.

When he first arrived at the palace, the steward came to ask him if there was anything he was not satisfied with. He just said why there was no fish tank. Then someone brought a fish tank over. There were several koi swimming around in it. There was a lotus on the water, which was lonely and deserted.

Lin Bozhi entered the house. Wen Ru did not dare to act on her own. She did not dare to say a word. She carefully helped him wash and change clothes, and then went to bed to rest.

There was a bowl of milk next to the bed, which was still steaming and was particularly conspicuous in the room.

Madam Qian pushed Wen Ru, but Wen Ru pretended not to see it. She was so scared just now. It turned out that the prince had such a bad temper. Why didn't she notice it before?

"Why don't you ask the dancer how to arrange it?"

Wen Ru said, "Mammy, I am just a maid, how can I ask the prince about such a thing? You are different. You have been with the princess for more than ten years. You are also somewhat respectable in front of the prince. You should ask."

Mammy Qian gritted her teeth in anger. Although she had never served Lin Bozhi, she was not stupid. Lin Bozhi's face was a little strange just now. How could she dare to go up and make him unhappy at this time? But the dancer was given by the emperor after all, so they did not dare to neglect her.

Just as Madam Qian and Wenru were staring at each other, Lin Bozhi suddenly cursed, "What is this?" and spit out the milk.

The maids serving in the room were startled, and Madam Qian and Wenru knelt down directly.

Especially Madam Qian was scared, because she arranged the milk. She bent down and tasted the milk scattered on the ground, and said, "My lord, I have tasted this milk myself, it is fresh."

Lin Bozhi said coldly, "It doesn't taste like this."

Madam Qian was so aggrieved that she was about to cry. She thought serving the lord was a good job, but who knew that his personality was so changeable, and why was the milk wrong? While she was wondering, she saw Lin Bozhi staring out the window for a long time, and his eyes seemed to drift away, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Lin Bozhi was furious, and everyone in the room was in a bad mood until Nianxia was awakened from her sleep, and then she brought in the tea that Lin Bozhi loved to drink, which eased the crisis.

Nian Xia had been serving Lin Bozhi, so she was naturally familiar with his habits. However, although she knew how to make tea, she didn't know how to make milk. She said, "The milk was prepared by the Crown Prince's wife. I don't know how to cook it."

"You don't know either?"

Nian Xia nodded and said, "The Crown Prince had several illnesses before. The doctor said that the Crown Prince was too thin and it would be best to supplement him with milk, but the Crown Prince didn't like to drink it. But because the princess gave the order, he forced himself to drink it every day. Later, the Crown Prince's wife came in, and she didn't know how to cook it, but the Crown Prince suddenly liked to drink it."

Nanny Qian was really scared and said, "This is not a solution. We should write a letter and ask."

Nian Xia nodded. Today's situation also scared her. She couldn't help but said strangely, "The Crown Prince had a bad temper before, but he had never lost his temper like this."

Nanny Qian sighed, and Wen Ru was so scared that her face turned pale. She was always afraid of not serving her master well.

Nianxia seemed to suddenly remember something and said, "But at that time, the Crown Prince's Consort was still..."

Several people looked at each other, as if they understood something, but also as if they didn't understand. Madam Qian sneered and said, "This master's matter is not something we can interfere with. Remember not to gossip about it. Besides, the dancers given by the palace and the future Crown Prince's Consort are both excellent in appearance and character, and they will soon be forgotten..."

Lin Bozhi lost his temper, and then he felt that the turbid air in his heart had dissipated a little. He asked someone to reheat the milk, drank it with gritted teeth, and then went to bed.

The next morning, he was awakened by the pleasant sound of the piano. The sound of the piano was sometimes as clear as running water, and sometimes as cheerful as the wind, which made people unconsciously fascinated when listening to it.

Many maids gathered around, and of course some people were secretly listening.

Lin Bozhi got up and said to Wen Ru who was putting on his shoes, "Is she playing the piano while sleeping?"

"She is the dancer bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor yesterday."

Lin Bozhi said lightly, "Tell her to go back to the room and don't come out without my order."

Wen Ru was startled, but immediately said, "I know." She thought to herself, this dancer is both talented and beautiful, even a woman like her would be happy to see her, so how could she not impress the prince?

Or maybe, as the rumors say, the prince has only Princess Jialan in his heart? But thinking of what Nanny Qian said last night, saying that men are mostly the same, she sneered for a moment. Nanny Qian can also make mistakes sometimes.