Chapter 144 – It’s good that the king doesn’t see the king

Two days away from the sacrificial stove, the capital city is already very strong flavor of the New Year, the market is very lively with lights and colors.

In addition to the stores along the street, everywhere is a trolley with a basket of vendors, from cured chicken bacon, bad washed wind fish and other meat, to peach and apricot melon kernels, chestnut dates and other fruits; from the glazed trumpet, drums, bamboo horses and other toys to a hundred kinds of various colors of fireworks …… everything is not for sale, to the line of people’s eyes are looking at the blossom.

Su Yan in the carriage at the entrance of the palace changed into civilian clothes, and the crown prince came to the east market wandering, a dozen East Palace guards adorned in the back to protect, lest they be swept away by the surging crowds.

The Prince is greedy for freshness, and when he sees something he likes, he wants to buy it, and the little servant Fubo is smart enough to pay for it.

Su Yan mainly buy New Year’s goods, and very into the local customs, let the guards to help open a New Year’s goods list, according to the above written purchase. What Tu Su wine, Jinhua wine, lamb wine; what pork steamed buns, rice cake, hawthorn cake Geng cake; and a variety of bad pickled pheasant ah, wild duck ah, venison ah, rabbit ah; fruit has pine hazelnut chestnut dates, autumn wave pear, Pingbo fruit, lion citrus phoenix orange, orange slices of prunes ……

When buying, he repeatedly said too much to eat, the family does not have a few people. But the guards laughed: “New Year’s Day, is not to eat, drink and have fun, a year of hard-earned salaries, now do not spend when to spend?”

Well said and reasonable …… speechless Su Yan, bought all the annual goods on the list. Together with the Prince’s fresh gadgets, they filled up a carriage.

Zhu Hailin see everyone head wear gold foil paper folded ornaments, mostly butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and other shapes, so bought a pair of butterflies, wear one himself, the other to Su Yan crown hat.

Su Yan laughed while dodging, “What shiny and silly thing, don’t stick it in my head.”

Zhu Hailin relentlessly pursued him, “This is the ‘Yell and Shout’, worn by everyone at New Year’s Eve to celebrate the occasion. Look at those rich people, they even stuck it all over their heads!”

Su Yan smacked of killing the horse, and died without wearing it. The two of them cheeky fooled around all the way, and when they were tired, they sat down at the roadside stand to eat plaque food, which is also known as wontons in later years.

A carriage traveled slowly by the side of the road, suddenly stopped, turned back a few steps, and rested under a snowy bald tree.

King Yu picked open the curtains and stared at the two brocade-clothed teenagers who were joking and laughing at the eatery’s stall, narrowing his eyes slightly, not knowing what he was calculating.

A few moments later, he called the two young attendants following behind the carriage and whispered a few instructions, while the carriage then resumed its journey and left the Eastern City in a bone-chilling manner.

Su Yan finished eating a bowl of plaice with scallions and pepper, sweating thinly, and wanted to sit for a while to rest his feet. Zhu Helin was impatient to sit for a long time and planned to buy fireworks not far from the front. Su Yan after the baptism of modern performance fireworks, some do not look at the ancient earth cannonballs, do not want to go, said to stay in the same place and so on.

So Zhu Hailin left a few guards to protect him and went off on his own with great vigor.

Su Yan ordered a plate of iced sugar frosted plums to chew slowly, casually listening to the two juniors sitting at the neighboring table chatting.

The taller one said, “Older brother, the government offices are on vacation, and you haven’t gone home to rest yet?”

Another short one replied: “I am not working in the Tian Gong Yuan as a servant, almost built, the end of the year to catch up with the work. The boss said, must be in time to start next March, so the spring break only four or five days off, the rest of the daily subsidy three times the firewood salary.”

The high staggers, “Triple, that’s broad! That is done. By the way, it is said that Tian Gong Yuan built extremely hallowed and spacious, without losing the deep and subtle, no less than the four great academies, is it really so?”

The shorter one laughed: “Since you are curious, just go and take a look yourself. Although the construction site does not allow idlers to come and go as they please, standing on the hillside next to the shallow grass slope and looking down, you can see everything. Older brother will take you to see it?”

The tall one then dropped his bowl and urged, “This is the way to go.”

The two walked off in pairs.

Su Yan spat out a frosty plum kernel and considered whether it was time to go and see how the Heavenly Palace Courtyard had been built before it was too late.

Although he is very contemptuous of King Yu’s nature, and even suspected that the other party is too busy womanizing to put any thought into the errand. But listening to what the passers-by said, and seems to do well. Hearing is believing and seeing is believing, why don’t you just go to the shallow grass slopes west of the outer city tomorrow and see what’s going on.

Zhu Hailin bought a large pile of fireworks and firecrackers back, intending to set them off in the palace on New Year’s Eve, and undeterred, he asked Su Yan, “You don’t have any relatives or family members in the capital anyway, so why don’t you come to the Eastern Palace for New Year’s Eve?”

“How can that be.” Su Yan laughed, “I’m not a clan member, nor an inner official, how can I qualify to spend New Year’s Eve in the palace. Golden nest, silver nest is not as good as one’s own dog’s nest, I think this New Year’s Eve or stay at home, with two small boys with a–“

He almost slipped “personal guard” out of his mouth, but quickly swallowed it back and turned around, “Old Peach Tree Immortal.”

Zhu Hailin had no choice but to let the guards drive the carriage to the entrance of the Su Mansion, helping to unload the New Year’s goods from the car, transporting them into the courtyard, and piling them up on two eight-immortal tables.

Su Xiao Bei and Su Xiao Jing heard the commotion and came out to see that it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, they were busy kowtowing and saluting. Zhu Helin waved his hand and said to Su Yan, “I’ve been out for most of the day, I’m afraid that my father is looking for me, so I’ll go back to the palace first. I’ll come back tomorrow to find you to play.”

Su Yan knows that the Prince loves to get together, worried about telling him tomorrow’s planned trip, he had to follow. The outer city is not more prosperous than the inner city, the wild land is not good to go, in case of any snake or robber, hurt the prince’s golden body, they can not afford the responsibility.

So he simply didn’t say anything and excused himself, “Tomorrow a few of my fellow yearlings are gathering, so I’ll play with my young master some other time.”

The crown prince had to get up and return to the palace after rearranging the appointment for the sacrificial stove.

The carriage disappeared outside the gate, the two boys only then breathed a big sigh of relief. Su Xiaojing ran to the table, touched the east and west, lamented: “After a trip, it’s really different, even the New Year’s goods are so high-class–Lord Shaanxi has earned a lot of silver on this trip?”

Su Yan laughed and scolded, “Bullshit! You make it sound as if I’m taking the opportunity to enrich myself by going on a foreign mission. These are all rewards from His Highness the Crown Prince. By the way, where is Jing Hong chasing?”

Su Xiaobei replied, “He was just there. This time do not show up, do not know where to hide, perhaps do not want to kowtow to see your people.”

Su Yan nodded his head and instructed them to pack up the New Year’s goods, then went to the compartment where Jing Hongchou was staying. Just as he entered the door, he felt a light breeze sweep by, and Jing Hongchou’s figure drifted in from the open window in a trance, landing in front of him and gazing at him, “My lord has returned.”

Immovably surveying Su Yan’s entire body, Jing Hongchu said in a deep voice, “Your honor stayed at the East Palace last night and didn’t run into any trouble?”

Su Yan laughed, “It’s not the first time I’ve stayed overnight in the Eastern Palace, what trouble could there be.”

“There are rumors in the marketplace that the current Crown Prince is arrogant and domineering, not a good match, and recalcitrant, without the temperament of a son of heaven. He really didn’t make things difficult for Your Excellency?”

Su Yan frowned slightly, “Is that how the marketplace is rumored?”

Jing Hong replied afterward, “What my subordinates heard in the inns and teahouses were almost all these sayings. I don’t dare to say it in the open, but I secretly rumor it in private.”

Su Yan asked, “When did these rumors start?”

Jing Hong chase good memory, eyes recalled: “Last year began to hear. This year about from May, after the rumor is more and more widespread, even the Prince good view spring paintings, keen and small eunuchs secret play this kind of palace matters, are said to have a nose and eyes.”

Su Yan’s face turned vaguely green as he said in annoyance, “These people are simply talking nonsense! Wantonly slandering the Crown Prince, they are not afraid of losing their heads!”

He suddenly calmed down, thinking that this node in May seems to be somewhat familiar …… Wei Guifei gave birth to a son, but not at the end of the day? After the birth of the second prince, the rumor about the crown prince is dusty, and the two are likely to be related. Damn, it will not be the old undead Wei clan intentionally looking for people rumors, in the folk bad reputation of the Prince, for the future of the Crown Prince to pave the way!

It seems like we need to find the right opportunity to pull back hard, preferably by disliking each other.

Jing Hongchou pondered his face and asked, “Your Excellency seems to trust and defend the Crown Prince very much?”

Su Yan sat down on the round stool and greeted Jing Hongchou as well. Seeing that he wanted to talk in detail, Jing Hongchu put the pot on the charcoal stove and began to boil water.

Su Yan said: ”Ah Zhui, you are not interested in state affairs and politics, so you are not clear about the situation in the imperial court. Other than that, I didn’t even finish the palace exams before I was appointed as the Crown Prince’s attendant reader and the Secretary of the Bureau of Scripture to wash the horses, so it can be said that the first step into the civil service career was branded as the ‘Crown Prince’s Party’, and the enmity with the Wei Clan is also getting deeper and deeper.”

“My lord is riding a tiger now?” Jing Hong pursued.

Su Yan shook his head: ”It’s not that it’s hard to get down, but I don’t want to get down at all. The crown prince is a good child, properly taught, will become a bright king in the future. Compared to this, the second prince is still in infancy, his qualifications and heart are still unknown. You should understand the reasoning that the Lord is less suspicious of the country, and that you should not establish the first prince, or the eldest prince, or the youngest prince.”

Jing Hong nodded after him, casually picking the coals in the stove a little brighter.

“More than that, the Second Prince’s maternal clan, the Wei Clan, except for the deceased former head of the family, Wei Tu, who is still a character, the rest are worse than a crab. Wei Yan is bumbling around, Wei Jun is full of evil-” Su Yan saw Jing Hong chased the hand that was picking at the charcoal flames shaking slightly, and reached out to hold it in pain.

Jing red chase is no longer the assassin Wu Ming who was whipped by hatred day and night. He has learned to restrain the sharpness in Su Yan, learned not to strike then, a strike not only to take people’s lives, but also to break the sky. He wants to bring down not only Wei Joon a person, and harboring Wei Joon Wei clan, not only for his sister’s personal revenge, but also for the people in addition to public harm.

Therefore, he held Su Yan’s hand back and calmly said, “Please continue, my lord.”

Su Yan nodded comfortably, then said: “Wei Guifei’s mother, Mrs. Qin, does not distinguish between right and wrong; Wei Guifei herself is good at making little sex, loves to compete for favor; the Empress Dowager is a pole that can’t be leveled with eccentric scales, but also extraordinarily protective of the shortcomings, I think there is how much contempt for the eldest grandchildren, and how much the youngest grandchildren are doted on. The second prince, who grew up under such a family culture, will be what kind of behavior? I’m afraid that at that time, even if the Royal Master wants to correct the bias again, because of the day-to-day management, the heart is more than enough.”

The water boiled. Jing Hong chased the pot to make tea and poured a cup each for Su Yan and himself. Su Yan stretched out two fingers and nodded the tabletop to show his appreciation.

“So Your Excellency believes that it is the best choice for the country and the people to let Zhu Hailin sit on the throne of the Crown Prince?”

Su Yan looked at the white smoke curling up above the teacup and sighed, “If you had a piece of fine iron that could be forged into a divine weapon with just a little bit of quenching, would you abandon it in anticipation of the raw ore that hasn’t been dug out of the waste pits yet, with no idea of whether it’s of good or bad texture?”

“No way.” Jing Hongchou replied dryly, “Ten birds in the forest is better than one bird in the hand.”

Su Yan smiled, “And this one ‘bird’, already has quite a deep bond with me. In public and private, I have to stand on the Crown Prince’s side.”

The temperature of the tea has been able to enter the mouth, Jing Hong chase pinch up the cup of tea, sent to Su Yan’s hand: “The place where the adults stand, is the subordinate’s foothold.”

Su Yan leisurely drank a mouthful of hot tea, ”I have now also dispelled the idea of persuading you to build a career. Life is short, the hardest thing is to walk from the heart. In the future, you can stand wherever you want; follow whoever you want.”

Jing Hong chased the color of surprise from underneath his cold and resolute face.

To his ears, this was a promise that was more touching than words of love, meaning that Lord Su had acquiesced to his wish to follow him for the rest of his life. Although not necessarily also acquiesced to his pursuit of the hearts of adults, but at least it is a hope is not? After eating half of the pill, Jing Hong chased him with joy.

Since the mid-autumn night, he has been insecure about the words “break up” coming out of Su’s mouth. Since the mid-autumn night, he has been insecure, always worried about Su adults from the mouth spit out the “break” four words. The fear of having this day without tomorrow, let him simply no longer restrain his inner desire, in addition to the influence of the “into the devil” temperament, but also stored in the openness of the love. In addition to being influenced by the “demonic” nature, he also has the desire to impress the adults with his frankness, so he can say what he wants to say and kiss what he wants to kiss.

The effect seems …… to still be there, although I don t know if there are any after effects in the future, but at least the adults did not reject his intimate contact. Perhaps this also meant that sometime in the future, Lord Su would accept him completely and utterly from body to heart?

Jing Hong chased the excitement to speak, but the face is still cold and solemn, just from the root of the ear began to redden a little, spread to the entire ear, and finally both cheeks as if drunk.

Su Yan looked at his face and flirted with him with a smile, “A remnant of the sun along the distant mountains.”

“What?” Jinghong Chase didn’t react.

Su Yan as a flamboyant genius, left and right can not find a fan, realized that this is a big winter, so use the tea tray instead, shaking in the hand: “A phrase suddenly popped up in my head. It feels like ‘West River Moon’, when I think of a few other lines, I will also be the same as those scholars, hire a songstress to sing it, and enjoy the elegance.”

Jing Hong chased first blankly, and then turned into a face of “unknown” admiration.

Su Yan laughed out loud, thinking that his personal guard was really cute.

However, I heard Su Xiaobei’s voice ringing out from outside the door of the compartment, “My lord, your brother sent someone to drop a note of respect, saying that he will be returning from his official duties and that he will be coming to visit on a certain day.”

Su Yan was slightly stunned, “What brother? I’m an only son.”

“It’s the …… “Su Xiaobei aggravated the bite of the word,” His Excellency had said before that he was going to ‘hide at his brother’s place for two days.” ‘Brother, brother’.”

He looked down at the address on the name tag, and silently added in his heart: the prodigal hoof that lives in the quiet alley! The foreign room is just a foreign room, it’s not so unseemly, why do you have to pretend to be a man, and even made a fake official body, not afraid of being caught by the government.

…… Shen Qi is coming back from Daxing County! Su Yan got up in a hurry, walked over to open the door, took the invitation and put it directly into his arms, made a wink to Su Xiaobei, and pouted at the back.

If this were Su Xiaojing, she would have asked loudly, “Eh, my lord, what are you doing with your squinting?”

However, Su Xiaobei was a cautious human spirit, and instantly comprehended his lord’s meaning – not to let Jing Hongchu know.

As for why not, adults naturally have adults considerations, he a subordinate, follow orders is, why talk too much.

So Su Xiaobei nodded and bowed to leave.

Su Yan is not facing Jing Hong chasing his heart, but is worried that he and Shen Qi can not help but fight again, it is not possible to say which one of them is going to hang again.

The difficulty of mediation seems to be very large, Su Yan holds the escape mentality, thinking that the two do not see the king on the king well. When Shen Qi returned to the capital, do not wait for him to the door, he went directly to the North Township Division and Jingxiang to find him, so as not to meet the two compartments to break up the family.