The Qixi Festival was a night banquet. When Chu Qing sat there, she could see the original owner's parents and nodded slightly to them.
Wei Yutang held a wine glass in his hand, but his attention was entirely focused on Chu Qing beside him. When he saw Prince An sitting there, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.
No one can have designs on his things. If you dare to reach out, be prepared to have your hand chopped off.
Prince An was accompanied by a woman dressed in plain clothes. It was said that she was an ordinary woman that Prince An had brought back from the countryside. Prince An liked her very much and planned to give her the title of concubine.
Chu Qing picked up the wine glass and smelled it; the aroma was quite pleasant.
The female protagonist, who traveled from the modern era, couldn't accept the idea of having multiple wives and concubines in this time, but because she loved Prince An so much, she kept putting it off.
Later, Prince An obtained everything and set his sights on many people who liked the female lead. These were connections he couldn't control, so he simply promised her a lifetime of monogamy.
Before Chu Qing could think further, a hand reached out and grasped his arm, gently reminding him:
"Although it's fruit wine and won't make you drunk, the imperial physician said that your body is not suitable for drinking alcohol."
After Wei Yutang finished speaking, he winked at Xiaozhu, who immediately understood and brought over the cloak that had been prepared beforehand.
A thin cloak was draped over Chu Qing's shoulders, protecting him from the chill of the night.
Chu Qing's parents, sitting below, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene. They had been worried that Qing'er would not have a good time in the palace, but now they no longer needed to worry.
After the banquet, Wei Yutang casually granted Prince An a fiefdom in a remote and harsh region, allowing him to leave with his family.
He wouldn't let Prince An have the chance to successfully reach his fiefdom alive, but it was inconvenient to do so in the capital.
Wei Yutang was not the kind of person who cared a lot about what others said; the only person he cared about was Chu Qing.
Even though Chu Qing had confessed to him before that he no longer had any feelings for Prince An, and that everything before was due to his youthful arrogance and ignorance.
Wei Yutang still felt uneasy, fearing that he might suddenly turn back and think of the feelings he had when Prince An saved him.
He was unwilling to gamble on whether this incident would leave a lasting impression on Chu Qing, and even less willing to let such a trivial matter affect his relationship with Chu Qing.
It would be best to be absolutely certain, as the journey to the fiefdom is long and arduous, and it's perfectly normal to encounter some bandits.
Chapter 82
What does the death of Prince An at the hands of bandits have to do with me, who is in the capital?
It wasn't until one day, when Chu Qing suddenly heard a system notification, that she realized something was wrong.
"The male protagonist dies? Can the male protagonist in this world still die?"
"Yes, host."
The system could see the detailed cause of the male protagonist's death in the space. He silently wrapped himself tighter in his blanket. A jealous man is truly terrifying.
Fortunately, it only had a fleeting desire to be its host's sweetheart. If the marshal had known this later...
The system suddenly felt that being its owner's little darling was quite nice.
"What about the female lead?"
"The female lead is still alive; she was saved by the third male lead, a divine doctor."
The main perspective in this world revolves around the female protagonist, who is much luckier than the male protagonist. Rather than saying that Prince An was originally the male protagonist, it would be more accurate to say that he became the male protagonist because he was chosen by the female protagonist.
If the female lead falls for someone else during this time, the male lead's spotlight might shift.
"knew."
Recently, a little guy has been supervising her, and no matter how much Chu Qing resists those bitter medicines, she hasn't missed a single meal.
In addition, the imperial physicians in the palace were already highly skilled, so he no longer felt weak all day long as before.
As my body recovered day by day, the medicine I drank no longer tasted as bitter as it had at the beginning.
In the words of the imperial physician, the reason why the previous medicines tasted so bad was because they were meant to make up for the body's losses over the years; now all that's needed is to replenish the body properly.
Wei Yutang initially only wanted to make Chu Qing happy, which is why he chose to do that. Only after it was officially implemented did he realize how many capable talents Yu Xi was hidden within it.
Some women, having only been taught by a teacher for a period of time, possess insights into various matters that are comparable to, or even surpass, those of ministers who have served in the court for years.
When Wei Yutang first ascended the throne, many people privately said that his domineering nature made him seem like the makings of a tyrannical ruler.
His Majesty has never cared what these people say; he only does what he believes is right. If his domineering reputation can silence these ministers, then he is more than happy to accept it.
Just like this incident, no matter how much others disagree, they dare not go against his ideas.
As Xiaxia grew up day by day, on the day of her fifth birthday, even with her father's help to plead for her, she was still packed up by her father, the Emperor, and sent back to the Crown Prince's Palace.
Every day at dawn, Xiaxia would be woken up by her nanny to accompany her father, the emperor, to court. The first time she went, Xiaxia almost fell headfirst to the ground.
He didn't hear a word his father said to the ministers; all he could think about was how sleepy he was.
Wei Yutang only had Xiaxia as his child, and he was not worried about Xiaxia's ambition to seize the throne. Instead, he preferred to personally raise Xiaxia into a qualified crown prince.
When he had sufficient ability to take over the country, I personally handed the Imperial Seal to him.
Xiaxia stood there, swaying from exhaustion. The eunuch serving the Crown Prince could only silently pray that His Highness would not collapse.
After all, this is the imperial court session, a serious matter that cannot be handled carelessly.
Halfway through the discussion with the ministers, Wei Yutang noticed Xia Xia's appearance and casually picked her up to continue the important matter.
He also knew that it would be too difficult to get this little darling, who had always been pampered by Chu Qing, to obey him from the start, so he could only take it slowly for now.
Chu Qing also heard that today was Xia Xia's first time attending court, so he waited there when the court session ended.
The little prince, who had been sleeping soundly in his father's arms, rubbed his eyes and saw his father waiting for him there. He quickly let go of his father and ran towards him.
He completely disregarded his father's thoughts and whether his father was currently suffering from some psychological trauma.
Xiaxia is not a good sleeper at all. She is fine in the bedroom, but she couldn't help drooling a little while sleeping in the court just now. She grabbed her father's dragon robe and wiped her mouth.
Because he was his own son, Wei Yutang couldn't get angry no matter what.
Chu Qing knelt down in front of Xia Xia and asked gently:
"Were you tired from attending court today?"
"I'm tired and want to rest with Daddy for a while."
Xiaxia nodded seriously, looking pitiful and wronged, as if she had really suffered some great injustice.
Those serving the Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh when they saw this scene.
When Xiaxia heard someone laughing at her, she instinctively wanted to see who was so bold. After looking carefully for a while but not finding anyone, she continued to act pitiful in front of her father.
"Then come back with me."
Wei Yutang originally wanted to go along, but he still had many memorials to deal with, so he could only watch helplessly as his son smiled smugly at him.
In this dynasty, there is a big day coming up, and people need to go to the temple outside the city to burn incense and pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest this year.
Wei Yutang had told Chu Qing about this a long time ago, but he still planned to tell Chu Qing about it again as the time was approaching.
At that time, Chu Qing was playing the zither in the Imperial Garden, and Xia Xia was sitting on the side with a book in her hand. She was happy to read while listening to her father play the zither.
Even though the pages were full of classical Chinese phrases, he used to only feel a headache looking at them, but now he has a different kind of understanding.
As Wei Yutang walked over, he gestured to the others that they didn't need to announce his arrival, and went directly to sit down next to Chu Qing.
He grew up on the grasslands and had neither the time nor the energy to learn about such romantic things. At that time, his mind was full of killing, and only by being strong enough could he gain a foothold and survive.
Before this, he always thought these things were no good, until he saw Chu Qing.
Chu Qing's slender fingers gently plucked the strings of the zither, and melodious music flowed out slowly. Many flowers in the Imperial Garden had already withered, and the willow branches swayed slightly in the breeze.
Xiaxia was the first to see her father coming, and her little face was long and drawn.
I know it's not very appropriate, but I still really want to ask my father what he's doing here.
With so many state affairs to handle every day, it's quite a feat that the Emperor still has the mind to sabotage his relationship with his father.
Chu Qing glanced at Wei Yutang without saying a word, and only turned her attention to him after the song ended.
"Your Majesty, did you like it?"
"Very good."
Wei Yutang cleared his throat slightly as he said this, because he felt a little guilty.
He couldn't understand any of this. At most, he thought that Aqing looked really beautiful playing the piano. As for what she was playing, Wei Yutang had no idea.
"I'm glad Your Majesty is pleased."
Before His Majesty arrived, the eunuch beside Wei Yutang specially sent someone to fetch a plate of pastries from the imperial kitchen, the kind that the young crown prince loved to eat.
For the sake of the pastries, Xiaxia reluctantly stopped being angry with her father.
"Do you want Xiaxia to come along?"
Not only were they going to the mountain temple to pray for blessings, but they were also going to stay there for seven days. Wei Yutang didn't really want to bring Xiaxia along.
However, I also know that if I don't take her with me for such a long time, Xiaxia will definitely make a fuss.
"Where are you going? Why didn't you take me with you?"
Xiaxia took the initiative to come over and ask, even forgetting about the pastries she really liked, her mind was full of the fact that her father was going to abandon her.
"Of course I'll take you with me when we go to pray for blessings."
Wei Yutang admitted that he had indeed considered not taking him along. The little guy was too clingy no matter where they went, and if he were with him, there would be no difference between being in the palace and not being with him.
However, it's obvious that this idea is too unrealistic. To avoid Xiaxia making a fuss, it's best to bring her along.
When Xiaxia heard her father's words, she didn't believe him at first; instead, she gave a soft snort.
He had long seen through his father. If he hadn't reacted quickly and asked questions, his father would have definitely handed him over to the tutor.
Going to pray for blessings is a big event, and people started preparing early in the morning. Wei Yutang only needed to give the order, and it was just the right time for him to come over and say hello to Chu Qing.
After Chu Qing recovered, she sat in the carriage and didn't feel too uncomfortable even though the mountain road was rugged and bumpy. On the contrary, Xia Xia couldn't sit still and felt a little bored just staying in the carriage.
Wei Yutang wanted to stay with Chu Qing, so he had Xia Xia accompany a young general, who then took him on horseback.
Xiaxia, who had rarely encountered such things before, was very excited, so much so that she didn't even bother her father.
Most of the flowers in the capital have already faded, but the peach blossoms in this mountain temple are just beginning to bloom, with many buds still on the trees.
It was colder in the mountains than outside, but fortunately, Xiaozhu had prepared a lot of thick clothes, so Chu Qing could wear a cloak over her usual clothes.