Rebellious Minister Part 1

After Haishi, the eunuchs in charge of the lanterns in the East Palace bedroom put out the table lamps and wall lamps one by one, leaving only a few palace lanterns still emitting a dim yellow light.

Even if there were fewer candles, the summer night was still unbearably hot, and the doors and windows of the dormitory were all open. Nanny Sun moved a stool and sat beside the prince's bed, holding a goose feather fan in her hand, facing the side lying on her side from time to time. The prince fanned the wind twice.

It was a very quiet night, and it didn't take long for her to be tired, she tilted her head, leaned her shoulders on the bedpost, and dozed off.

Jing Tingrui, who was dressed in black, jumped in from the window, but without making a sound, he walked around the tables, chairs, and screens familiarly, and came to the bed with a goose-yellow gauze curtain.

After Jing Tingrui glanced at the unresponsive Nanny Sun, he knelt down beside the bed.

Aiqing's body was wrapped in a green brocade quilt embroidered with summer chrysanthemums. He was facing outwards, hugging the pillow, curled up like a kitten, and looked extraordinarily petite and cute on the huge bed.

Aiqing liked to sleep next to the edge of the bed since she was a child, but Jing Tingrui used to be on duty by his bedside.

"Ruirui, I can't sleep, give me your hand." After the lights were turned off, the prince would say coquettishly through the thin gauze.

"Yes, Your Highness." Jing Tingrui would reach in and let the prince hold his arm, and lean his head on it as a pillow.

Not long after that, the prince fell asleep and slept peacefully all night.

In order for the prince to sleep well, Jing Tingrui didn't make a sound even when his arm was numb and hurt.It wasn't until the prince turned over and he was no longer needed, that he withdrew his hand, closed his eyes and took a nap for a while.

Such days passed slowly, and being intimate with the prince had long since become a habit.

However, when Aiqing was eight or nine years old, she no longer asked Jing Tingrui to accompany her at night.Grandma Sun is very strict with the prince. She always dislikes Wu Fu's lack of detail and thinks that Jing Tingrui can't serve the prince as well as she does.

Jing Tingrui didn't argue with her, and went to watch the night at the entrance of the bedroom instead.Of course, in case of thunderstorms, the prince is afraid of thunder, so he will still enter the palace to guard His Highness.

It's just that there are not many thunderstorm days.

"Your Highness..." Jing Tingrui stared at that slightly flushed, fair face, which was still as fresh as when he was a child, and his skin could be broken.

Therefore, the slap that the Empress slapped during the day still left three clear finger marks that could not fade away.

Although Aiqing was asleep, there were still tears in the corners of her crying red eyes, she would sob occasionally, her shoulders trembled slightly, maybe she was still crying in a dream...

"Ugh……"

Jing Tingrui couldn't help but sighed softly, stretched out his hand to caress Aiqing's sweaty forehead, then gently held his little hand, and checked the palm.

Although the ruler thug will not leave obvious scars and does not need to be specially bandaged, but after all, the fingers are connected to the heart, His Royal Highness must be in pain.

What's more, Ai Qing not only hurts her hands today, but her heart hurts even more!

In the past, no matter how naughty the crown prince was, the queen would not beat him. At most, he would preach, and at worst, he would be punished for standing and copying.

But this time the queen is really angry.

Because Aiqing said in public that she didn't want to be the prince anymore... and the source of all this, Jing Tingrui thought it was his fault that caused the prince to be beaten.

But I don't know how to compensate the prince, except for this midnight visit.

"pat, pat..."

Outside the gate of the palace, the footsteps of the guards of the Eastern Palace sounded, and they were patrolling.

Nanny Sun snorted and moved her neck, as if she was about to wake up.

Jing Tingrui took one last look at the prince, stood up, and quietly retreated along the way he came.

+ + + + +

The moonlight is like silver, shining everywhere.In the backyard of the Jingxin Hall of the Dayan Palace, the thick bodhi tree was like a small mountain under the moonlight.

"Huh! Huh huh!"

Under the shade of a giant canopy, sharp silver lights flashed from time to time.The situation that pierced the darkness was like lightning splitting the sky, shooting out dazzling sparks!

Jing Tingrui flew into the courtyard like a swallow from the roof of the meditation hall.The temple is small in scale, and usually there are no other people except two young monks who ring the bell and chant sutras.

And they never set foot in the bodhi garden behind, because the emperor had decreed long ago that it was listed as a forbidden area in the palace.

Looking for the cause, the former abbot, Master Dusheng, was suffering from insanity and disrespected the emperor and the emperor. Qin Tianjian said that the abbot went crazy because of the bad feng shui of the temple.

However, it was only a matter of recent years that this place was banned, and the ministers didn't know why the emperor suddenly got excited and pursued the matter of Monk Dusheng's madness, because the old monk had been dead for many years.

It's just that this is not a big deal, the emperor can do whatever he wants, and everyone soon forgot about it.

Jing Tingrui stood by the release pool not far from the bodhi tree, looking at the sword shadow under the tree, if he was alone in the sharp edge, he would have been torn apart by now.

This sword energy is so fierce, and this set of sword moves is as vigorous as pine and as fast as wind!

"Hooking, hanging, pointing, picking, stabbing, teasing, chopping." Every move and style is like flowing water, done in one go!

Such perfect swordsmanship cannot but be admired and admired. Jing Tingrui is a martial idiot. He knew how to draw a bow and shoot an arrow at the age of three. He practiced a hundred swordsmanship since the age of four.

When he was nine years old, his father took him to shoot in the winter paddock. In terms of the result, he was the No. , and gave all the results to his younger brother.

Since he is a concubine, he has no way of inheriting the family business, and sooner or later he has to go out and establish his own family, but everything that glorifies the lintel obviously belongs to the eldest son.

Since Jing Tingrui was sensible, he understood what it meant to be different from his concubine.Although he didn't bother to compete for fame and fortune, just because the opponent was a descendant, no matter how poor his martial arts were, he was still qualified to participate in the royal family's archery competition.

As for the concubine himself, no matter how strong his martial arts skills were, no matter how hard he practiced, he would still be excluded. The anger in his heart was burning like a flame!

Fortunately, today's Holy Majesty is not a person who cares about his background. He is the one who made Jing Tingrui, who is only ten years old, to be a blockbuster if he doesn't make a name for himself on the school grounds!

Taking this as an opportunity, Jing Tingrui was able to work in the palace, and by coincidence, he became the prince's guard...

Xu was thinking a little too far, Jing Tingrui was a little dazed, and in an instant, the silver front under the bodhi tree turned suddenly, and a beam of sword energy broke through the darkness with a ground-breaking momentum, and struck straight at him!

This change was sudden, Jing Tingrui frowned, concentrated for a while, seemed to have moved his position, but didn't seem to move at all.

Wherever the sword energy went, the bluestone slabs in the courtyard were not spared, and they burst into pieces, leaving a long "ditch".

As the sword energy dissipated, a strand of jet-black hair slowly fell among the gravel, shining quietly under the moonlight.

"What? It's just cutting off a few hairs." With a disdainful and dissatisfied voice, the man with the sword walked out from under the bodhi tree.

Jing Tingrui looked at him, he was only nine years old, but he was young and accomplished, and he was also a natural talent for martial arts.

"I've seen His Highness the Second Highness." Jing Tingrui clasped his fists and said.

"Why is your qigong so strong? How did you practice it?" Chunyuyan pointed at Jing Tingrui with his gleaming white sword, ignoring his salute, and said, "It can counteract my sudden sword qi."

"The subordinate didn't use qigong, he just moved his position slightly." Jing Tingrui said.

"What?! Are you bluffing me?" Yan was very surprised!His eyes kept staring at him, but he didn't catch his movements at all!

"No, it's because the subordinate just moved his standing position and didn't use qigong to resist, so the hair was cut off." Jing Tingrui's calm and indifferent gaze met Yan with a dissatisfied face.

Although Yan's martial arts are good, he is unavoidably impatient in dealing with things, he is still a child after all.Some thoughts will be clearly revealed in his swordsmanship.

Although the sword move was perfect, he was impetuous. Jing Tingrui was surprised by his sudden attack. However, perhaps the anger in the sword energy was too strong, so he was procrastinating instead, giving him a chance to dodge.

It's not as crisp and neat as when he was practicing swords under the tree before.

"Hmph, you're cruel!" Yan put away his sword and said angrily, "I wanted to teach you a lesson."

"...?" Jing Tingrui looked at Yan.

"You caused Qing'er to be beaten by her father, I won't just let it go." Yan was originally resentful for this.

Jing Tingrui didn't defend himself, because it was true.

"The most irritating thing is——" Yan said more and more, getting angry, gnashing his teeth, "Qing'er still likes you so much!"

"This subordinate also likes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Jing Tingrui, who has always seldom talked to anyone, even if the other party is his master, is now rare to confess his feelings?

"Bah! Do you think I don't know?!" Yan glared at him, and said sonorously, "I have investigated, although it is Daddy's intention to send you to the imperial court, but you can refuse! Daddy always values You, will not force others to make things difficult!"

After a pause, Yan then scolded angrily, "But you didn't have any objections, so you went to work for the emperor. Don't tell me that you are so obedient because you want to be promoted!"

Jing Tingrui was a little surprised that Yan could see this matter so deeply and thoroughly, or could he be so persistent because the other party was Qing'er?

"As you said, it is true that you can refuse the humble position at that time. However, accepting the queen's dispatch and serving the emperor is the subordinate's wish, and there is no reluctance in it." After Jing Tingrui finished speaking, he warned, "What's more , this is a matter between me and the prince, you'd better not interfere."

"What did you say?!" Yan was extremely annoyed, and yelled, "Do you still see me as the Second Highness in your eyes?! What's wrong with me caring about my imperial brother?!"

"What are you yelling about? How decent is it!" Just as Yan was about to yell at Jing Tingrui again, a stalwart figure stepped into the courtyard.

"Father, Royal Father!!"

"My minister kowtowed to the emperor, long live, long live, long live!" Jing Tingrui immediately knelt down to receive him, but there was no surprise in his expression.

"I opened this place to let you two practice martial arts well, not to quarrel." Huang Ye frowned, very displeased.

This bodhi garden has long been different, except for the bodhi tree and the pond, there are no scarecrows, archery targets, iron stakes, and traps with real knives and guns.

Huang Ye knew that the most talented people in this palace were Jing Tingrui and Yan'er.

Naturally, he was willing to teach them, and taught them all the secrets of his martial arts - "Wu Shuang Jian Jue".

This set of swordsmanship originated from the Qinglu Kingdom. It is invincible and sweeps away thousands of troops. It is the most varied and sharpest swordsmanship in the world.

But at the same time, this sword art took the most time and effort.If there is no talent, even if they practice for a lifetime, they only know a little bit.

And if you want to practice to the point where the mountains and rivers are discolored and the sun and the moon are dark, you must be a martial arts genius!

Huang Ye once brought out a very outstanding apprentice, that is Ke Weiqing, but now that his martial arts skills are exhausted and it is difficult for him to hold a sword, Huang Ye never mentioned the Wushuang Sword Art anymore.

"I know my mistake." Yan lowered his head.

"This subordinate knows his mistake." Jing Tingrui kowtowed.

"Practice the broken sword pose a hundred times." Huang Ye ordered with his hands behind his back.

Yan was slightly taken aback, this hour has been repeated a hundred times, I'm afraid he will stay here until dawn.

Without hesitation, Jing Tingrui pulled out the Chi You Sword worn at his waist, held his breath under the silvery moonlight and the quiet night wind, and began to practice the sword.

Seeing this, Yan didn't want to lag behind, so he quickly practiced too.The two of them were like a whirlwind, sometimes flying across the air, sometimes landing and spinning, the sword energy shot out, and the branches and leaves of Bodhi were scattered in all directions as if they were torn apart by the strong wind.

Huang Ye has been staring at them, paying attention to their shortcomings, and giving pointers from time to time.Yan is still young, his breathing is unstable, and under heavy pressure, there are many mistakes, but Jing Tingrui has no mistakes.

Most importantly, his heart is also so calm, or is it "cold as ice"?

Wushuang Jianjue does not only mean that this sword technique is invincible in the world.Those who practice swords must be on top of the peak, so that they can dominate all things and be proud of others.

It is impossible for such a person to be cold-hearted.

Yan is not mature enough, obviously still needs time to sharpen, while Jing Tingrui...

Huang Ye always felt that in him, he saw his past self.

Would it be the right choice to let him accompany Qing'er?Could this be breeding tigers?

Huang Ye had foresight and vigilance in his heart, but after thinking about it, how could he catch a tiger if he didn't enter the tiger's den?

Jing Tingrui will be Aiqing's most capable courtier in the future.

As the so-called children and grandchildren have their own blessings, what he can do is to leave the best things to Qing'er as much as possible.

The white-headed sparrows were chirping, and the Bodhi courtyard was shrouded in a thin layer of morning mist. The sun had not yet come out, and the air was still cool.

"Huh! Drink!" Yan, however, was soaked in sweat from head to toe, and his hand holding the sword was trembling, as if he was about to stand unsteadily.

Although Jing Tingrui was not as breathless as Yan, sweat dripped down his straight chin to the ground.

"Okay, let's go here." Huang Ye said, waving his hands.

"This subordinate will escort you back." Jing Tingrui stepped forward and said that he was the imperial bodyguard and should accompany him.

Huang Ye nodded slightly, they were about to leave when Yan suddenly called out, "Royal father."

"What's wrong?" Huang Ye stopped and looked back at him.

"Why doesn't Brother Huang practice Wushuang Sword?" Yan raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said with burning eyes, "Instead of teaching an outsider, why not let Brother Huang..."

Besides, he wants to look at Aiqing's cute face more than facing Jing Tingrui, the "big iceberg".

"Yan Wei, Guard Jing is not an outsider." Huang Ye turned around, his voice was low and powerful, "If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't let him escort me."

"It's... Father." After being taught a lesson, Yan was a little discouraged.

"As for why I don't teach the prince how to practice martial arts..." Huang Ye glanced at Jing Tingrui and said quietly, "That's because it's unnecessary."

"Huh?" Both Yan and Jing Tingrui were taken aback.

"You will all be his subjects in the future, and with you protecting him with all your heart, why does he need to practice martial arts here." Huang Ye said ruthlessly, "Do you understand?"

In other words, their hard work today is for Chunyu Aiqing's country.In the future, they will use what they have learned all their lives to protect Chunyu Aiqing, even at the cost of their lives.

Yan slightly opened his eyes wide, his father loves Aiqing, this is something he has known since he was a child, and he has no objection, because Aiqing is loved by others.

But hearing such words from his father's mouth, Yan still felt sad and lowered his eyes.

"Yes, my son understands."

Yan's voice was not only hoarse, but also full of frustration, Jing Tingrui couldn't help but glance at him.

"You are ministers, no matter what happens, you must not commit the crime, it is a capital offense!"

When Huang Ye said this, he glanced coldly at Jing Tingrui.

In any case, more than 20 years ago, the tragic event of the princes seizing the throne and fighting against each other, as well as Zhao Guowei's rebellion, he will not let it happen again.

"Send your car back to the palace." After Huang Ye said these words, he left the Jingxin Hall in the light of the rising sun.

+ + + + +

It was just dawn, and the splendid palace with many buildings and the towering vermilion city wall were still covered by a gloomy mist.

Only the East Palace is brightly lit, with maids holding copper basins for washing and changing clothes coming in and out.

"Your Highness, are you going to practice martial arts again after getting up so early?" The person who spoke was Nanny Sun, with a sleepy look on her face.

"Well. It's still early, you all rest, I'll go alone." Ai Qing, who seemed to be fully awake, was wearing shoes and socks by herself.

"How can this be? There is no reason for the servants to sleep on their own when the master is up." Nanny Sun shook her head again and again, and immediately called the maids to come over and wait for the prince to freshen up.

"It's just, Your Highness, you read until late last night, and now you wake up so early, don't be exhausted..." Nanny Sun couldn't help nagging a few more words.

"Mommy, I'm not tired. I've made an appointment with Prince Fu to practice sword, so don't worry about me." The prince Fu Aiqing mentioned was Qing Yun, the leader of the iron eagle knight specially appointed by the emperor.

He is in his early forties, but he looks very young and strong, but he has not yet married, and has been living with his elder brother Qing Fou.

Most of the time, Qing Yun was busy running around outside the palace, responsible for spying and collecting secret information at home and abroad. As for what kind of information, Ai Qing didn't know.

"Prepare me a box of dim sum from the imperial dining room, and I'll bring it to the master." Aiqing thought for a while, and said again.

"Yes, Your Highness."

After Sun Nanny had prepared all the things for the prince, the sky was much brighter. Surrounded by the guards and eunuchs, she went to Wanhuayuan, where the prince practiced martial arts.

Speaking of which, the prince had several teachers, and the one who taught literature was the prince's teacher, that is, Wen Chaoyang.As for the martial arts teacher Prince Fu Qingyun, there are also those who specialize in teaching horse riding, swimming, etiquette for ancestor worship, and etiquette for officials...

The princes have to go to school from the age of four, and this "learning" is all-encompassing, from how to speak, to learning other languages, from standing and sitting, to riding a horse and fighting, there is nothing not to learn.

The prince's homework is particularly heavy, and he has to learn how to be a king.So after Aiqing gets up every day, she goes to different schools, and it doesn't end until dusk.

Moreover, except for a few major festivals, such as the Chinese New Year ancestor worship, the birthday of the emperor and empress, and his own birthday, he had to go to school no matter it was windy, rainy, or freezing.

It's not that Ai Qing doesn't like reading, it's just that at this age, she has to be more active. Except for the swordsmanship taught by Qing Yun and the horseback riding and archery courses, he finds other things boring.

When we came to Wanhua Garden, apart from the two servants who were responsible for changing the horses and harnesses, even the sparring partner from the Prince's Mansion hadn't arrived yet, it was still early!

But Qing Yun arrived, admiring the sword that had just been sharpened yesterday.

"Master, good morning." Aiqing called from afar.

"Qing'er." Qing Yun had dark skin and a handsome face. When she saw Ai Qing, she smiled and showed her white teeth, "Why is it so early today, why don't you sleep more?"

That tone was completely pampering the prince, or in other words, loving him as if he were his nephew.

"The early bird catches the worm." Aiqing bowed and said without hesitation, "Isn't that how the master teaches the disciples?"

"Yes." Qing Yun rubbed the back of his head and asked in confusion, "But didn't you keep saying, 'The early worm is eaten by the bird'?"

"That's a thing of the past." Aiqing said seriously, "Tuer brought you breakfast! Did you come here again without eating?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Qing Yun picked up the food box brought by the eunuch, and opened the exquisite red lacquer and gold hijab. Inside was a plate of stuffed soy beans, a plate of hand-cooked beef with sauce, and a few steamed buns. That's right, it's all his favorite food.

"Besides my elder brother, His Highness knows me best." Qing Yun said with a smile.

"Master, enjoy it slowly, and I will practice sword first." In the past, Aiqing would have sat down and gnawed chicken feet with the master, laughing and chatting, but today, he bowed and stepped aside.

Qing Yun looked at him puzzled, should the sun come out from the west?This prince seems to be a different person, speaking and doing things very well, which makes people uneasy.

And this situation has been going on for several days!

Qingyun grew up watching Aiqing, how should I put it, he is the pistachio in the palace, from the emperor to the servants, no one dislikes him.

No, Qing Yun frowned, except for that pretentious Wen Chaoyang.

Although Aiqing was born in the palace, she seldom strictly abides by the palace rules. She laughs when she wants, and cries when she wants, without any pretense. He wants to see the imperial sister, even if he risks being punished, he wants to go to the palace. Foundling hall.

His innocence and frankness are innate, although this kind of personality has caused him a lot of disadvantages, but he never cares about it. Qingyun likes Aiqing quite a lot.

"Could it be that he was punished by Ke Weiqing again?" Qing Yun could think that this was what changed Qing'er.

"What trouble did he get into again?" Qing Yun was thinking, extremely worried about this precious apprentice, and tried to solve it early, and he took the sword to teach Qing'er.

Aiqing practiced meticulously, without any mistakes, and after two hours, she didn't cry out that she was tired, but Qing Yun felt distressed and put him back.

Afterwards, Qing Yun went to Changchun Palace to meet Ke Weiqing, thinking that if the prince made a mistake, he could help him intercede.

Unexpectedly, when Ke Weiqing heard the words, he just shook his head with a wry smile, saying that Qing'er has been very peaceful these days, and should be very obedient, and even Wen Chaoyang praised him for his kindness.

In class, Aiqing not only recites the text fluently, but also matches the pairs.

This is the first time ever!

Now, Qing Yun was even more puzzled, if the crown prince was really so good, why did Ke Weiqing look faintly worried and depressed?

Isn't such a well-behaved prince what he wants?

Qingyun understands how difficult it is for Ke Weiqing, as the "mother of a country", to raise the prince, especially Aiqing is the prince that Huang Ye insists on registering. If he makes frequent mistakes, the emperor's reputation will be most affected.

But things always backfire... Aiqing has his own choice, he seldom cares about his status as a prince, he gets along well with his servants, he is also very generous and friendly to his brothers, he never distinguishes between superiors and inferiors, and takes the lead in making troubles, so he doesn't make much trouble Ke Weiqing was angry.

The two were talking, and Ai Qing came to say good afternoon to Dad. After that, he was going to Wen Chaoyang's class.

Aiqing kowtowed respectfully, seeing her father and master Qingyun, she no longer ran in bouncing around like before, in Ke Weiqing's words, "it doesn't look like it's walking".

He would secretly cover the eyes of Ke Weiqing who was reading a book and let him guess who it was.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who always has no rules, now is the etiquette that should be observed, and the duty that should be fulfilled, and it is strictly observed.

Ke Weiqing nodded, and wanted to say, "Listen to Master Wen's lecture carefully." Feeling that it was unnecessary, he waved him away, and there was no easy topic to talk about between father and son.

Ai Qing bowed and left, Ke Weiqing looked at his well-behaved figure, feeling so strange.

"It looks like the prince is right, but..." Qing Yun also felt the same way. He looked at Ke Weiqing and sighed, "These days, he hasn't smiled once, just like a puppet."

Ke Weiqing opened his eyes slightly, stared blankly, then lowered his eyelids, his thick eyelashes cast a shadow, and wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed silently.