The Adventures of the Crying Princess

East Palace

The prince had a stomachache and had not attended court for several days. Even though he was very disappointed with his son, Emperor Chengde could not help but worry about his health.

When he arrived at the East Palace, Emperor Chengde did not go directly to see the prince, but took a detour to the backyard. The old emperor wanted to know whether the prince had really made progress recently as rumored.

"Little Chenzi, do you think this backyard is as lively as before?" It was the first time that Emperor Chengde stepped into the East Palace since the incident with the Crown Princess.

Earlier, I heard from court officials that the prince had reformed himself and dismissed the singing girls and dancing girls, leaving only two concubines.

Emperor Chengde didn't believe this. He had watched his son grow up, and he knew what he was like. If he suddenly changed, it would be because he was struck by lightning.

Eunuch Chen naturally knew what the prince's East Palace looked like, but he couldn't say it directly. He pulled the corner of his mouth awkwardly and said, "I don't know."

"You old rascal, is there anything in this palace that you don't know? Well, I won't make it difficult for you. You'll know in a moment." Emperor Chengde knew his old friend, and he also understood why he was reluctant to say it out loud.

As soon as they arrived at the backyard, a purple-dressed woman covered her eyes and hugged Emperor Chengde, "Qiuju, I caught you." The scent of powder on the woman's body was very pungent, and judging from her attire, Duan Ran would not be a palace maid. Eunuch Chen was about to scold her, but was stopped by Emperor Chengde.

The woman took off her blindfold and looked over with her watery eyes. Perhaps because she had never seen the emperor before, she looked at him curiously for a long time, "How dare you tease me? Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know, who are you?" Emperor Chengde looked at the other person with interest. It was the first time in his fifty years of life that he was questioned like this.

The woman brushed off the non-existent dust on her body and looked at Emperor Chengde like a pervert, "I am the prince's person, who are you?"

"Oh? The prince's men? How come I don't know? Tell me in detail, what is your relationship with the prince?"

The woman raised her eyes and said, "You old man, you are so unreasonable. What has the people in the prince's backyard got to do with you? You really think you are a dish."

"How dare you! How dare a little palace maid to contradict His Majesty? Do you know your crime?" Eunuch Chen saw that Emperor Chengde was angry, and quickly stood up to defend the emperor's majesty, "Come, someone, take this woman down."

The purple-robed woman knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am blind and do not recognize the emperor's face. Please forgive me."

"What's your name? I'll ask your family to pick you up later."

Emperor Chengde saw that this woman was probably from the common people, and was probably given to the prince as a gift by a certain clan. "Don't worry, I'm not a tyrant. As long as you tell me your name, how you entered the East Palace, and who sent you in, I will let you go."

The purple-robed woman kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. My name is Xiao Su Yun. I used to be the top prostitute in Chunyue Tower, but later the building was closed down by the government. I and a few other sisters were left with nowhere else to go, so we asked someone to serve us in the palace..."

"That's enough! I will investigate what you said. If you tell any lies, I will beat you to death."

"Every word I said is true. If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I am willing to go to the imperial prison to prove my innocence."

Little Su Yun knelt down and kowtowed. She was smart enough not to mention the King of Qi. But the jade pendant on her waist slipped off and was recognized at a glance. It was clearly the King of Qi's thing.

Emperor Chengde took a deep breath, turned around and went back to Chen'an Palace, "Go call the second brother, wait." Emperor Chengde took a few deep breaths, "Let's call the monkey, she knows the second brother, maybe we can hear something from her."

After an incense stick of time, Bai Yimeng was brought into the palace. Emperor Chengde waved at her with a cold face, "No need to greet me, come closer and talk."

Bai Yimeng noticed that Emperor Chengde was in a good mood, and heard about the situation from Eunuch Chen on the way here.

Bai Yimeng bowed, "Your Majesty, may you be well. Your Majesty sympathizes with me because I have just recovered from a serious illness and does not allow me to pay my respects. I am not ignorant and would not pay my respects."

After saying that, before Emperor Chengde could react, he came close and sat down at Emperor Chengde's feet. He could naturally smell the medicine on his body, "Are you sick?"

"Hmm!" Bai Yimeng hummed softly and dozed off leaning on Emperor Chengde's legs.

Emperor Chengde was so angry that he was amused by Bai Yimeng's appearance. He pinched her ears and felt the heat coming from the little girl's back. The old emperor quickly touched her head and said, "You are really sick."

"It's okay, it's just a weak symptom, it won't cause any trouble." Bai Yimeng was dizzy, "Your Majesty, how did you know that I was sick? Did Prince Yi say so?"

Chengde didn't reply, but picked up the little girl and carried her into the inner hall. "Only the Queen and I have slept on this soft couch. You are so lucky. Take advantage of our blessing and get well soon."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Bai Yimeng was about to stand up and salute, but was held down by Emperor Chengde. "Just lie down and be quiet. I have official business to attend to. You stay here by yourself and don't cry or make a fuss. The third brother will come to pick you up later.

If I had known you were sick, I wouldn't have bothered you to come all this way. You too, you're already in this state, why are you still here, do you want to make me feel bad?"

"Your Majesty, I only have one head, and I dare not disobey your order. Are you looking for me for the Crown Prince or the King of Qi?"

He had already walked out of the inner hall, but he walked back after hearing this. "What do you know? Tell me."

Bai Yimeng gritted her teeth and stood up, closing the palace door, then knelt down in front of Emperor Chengde, "Your servant has beaten the King of Qi..."

Bai Yimeng recounted the story of his chance encounter with the young master of Qianjimen, how Princess Xiling came back to life, and finally how the King of Qi was poisoned and spies were planted in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

"I had planned to go to the palace to tell Your Majesty in the next few days. After all, the matter of the Eastern Palace is of great importance. Unfortunately, I had a high fever when I returned that day.

Master said that it was because the poisoning was not completely cleared before, and I did not rest well afterwards. Your Majesty, I am really not contagious."

Emperor Chengde brought a quilt and wrapped the man.

Bai Yimeng was unsure and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, I hit the King of Qi. Will you settle the score later?"

"Last time, the King of Qi wrongly accused you of stealing and threatening him. Let's just let it go this time. Next time, whoever of you starts a fight first will be beaten by me."

After learning the reasons for his two sons' abnormal behavior, Emperor Chengde felt a little relieved. "I know that you and the second son don't get along. I am also surprised that you can take the initiative to help him.

Although it was wrong for you to hit him, it was also a just act. I understand your thoughts. The children of the Bai family are really good.

Tell me, what reward do you want? Let’s make it clear in advance, the shop is not acceptable. You already have so many shops, so don’t be too greedy.”

"Your Majesty, just sit here and talk with me. I miss my father. When I was a child, I was sick and my father sang to comfort me."

When the old emperor heard this, his heart twitched. Without saying a word, he sat aside, patted her head gently, and hummed a little tune. Bai Yimeng actually fell asleep like this.

This was the first time that Emperor Chengde sang in his fifty-plus years of life, and also the first time that he coaxed a child in this way.

Bai Yimeng fell asleep, grabbing the corner of Emperor Chengde's clothes and calling out incoherently, "Daddy...Daddy..."

"Alas!" Emperor Chengde smiled bitterly and patted her back gently. Seeing that there was no one around, he softly agreed, "Daddy is here, go to sleep, you will be fine when you wake up."

Perhaps it was because Emperor Chengde had a natural talent for coaxing children, Bai Yimeng soon fell into a sound sleep, and soon his fever gradually subsided.

When Yuwen Ji arrived and saw the scene before him, he almost suspected that he had also been under an illusion.

It's OK that his father, the emperor, can sing folk songs. The most bizarre thing is that his father can also coax children. When did he learn it?

The most important thing is that Bai Yimeng's saliva stained his dragon robe, but the emperor was not angry at all and seemed quite happy. Is this a myth?

"Your son gives..."

Chengde made a gesture to keep quiet, looked down at Bai Yimeng, lowered his voice, and said carefully, "He just fell asleep. Hurry and take him back. I'll ask Eunuch Chen to send a sedan chair to take you there."

Eunuch Chen secretly found it funny and couldn't help but lower his head to hold back his laughter. After leaving the palace, he said, "Your Majesty, the little princess has won a big prize today.

His Majesty asked what the reward was. The little princess was confused because of the fever, and she asked His Majesty to coax her to sleep. His Majesty softened his heart and actually coaxed her to sleep. He sang and fed her water for a long time.

"Thank you for your advice, eunuch. I will tell the little girl to be careful with her words and actions. But don't tell General Bai about this. If he finds out, the little girl will get beaten again."

"I was just chatting with the prince, you don't have to take it seriously. This kind of favor is not something that everyone can have. Many people want it but can't get it."