mtl008 Chapter 406: Don’t Want to Move to the Prince’s Residence
Chapter 406: Don’t Want to Move to the Prince’s Residence
"Sixth brother, why are you here just now? Hongyao has been waiting for you for a long time."
When he opened his eyes, he saw a large casserole bubbling.
Hongyao asked angrily, "Zhaohua, how could you tease me like this?"
He turned to An Lingrong and complained angrily.
"Mother, Sixth Brother also laughed at me."
An Lingrong gently patted Hongyao's head and replied casually, "Okay, mother understands."
She rarely interfered with the children's little quarrels.
It is precisely because of her non-interference that the relationship between the three children is getting better and better.
Bao Ge had already opened the car window when Hong Yao was complaining, and Hong Zhan, who was riding on horseback and accompanied by the guards, looked inside with a smile.
An Lingrong felt distressed when she saw her son's nose was red from the cold.
"Hongzhan, Aunt Baoge has made some minced meat porridge. Come on board the carriage and have a bowl to warm yourself up."
"Thank you for your kindness, Mother. I will shamelessly have a bowl of porridge to fill my stomach."
Hongzhan responded with a smile, his words revealing a hint of playfulness.
There was no small kitchen in the abode of the prince, and the meal that Xiao Quanzi brought back from the kitchen early in the morning was good in style, but it had lost its temperature.
After getting on the carriage, Hongzhan ate two plates of snacks that his mother had ordered Aunt Baoque to send. Children get hungry easily, and his stomach had already started rumbling.
After eating three bowls of hot porridge, Hongzhan finally felt warmed up.
An Lingrong signaled Baoge to serve him a bowl and put the greasy meat patties aside.
The emperor once said that loving mothers often spoil their children, so he sent Baoshu and several other palace maids who were sent to look after Hongzhan, the prince, back, leaving only the immature little Quanzi.
The Prince's Residence is full of the Emperor's people, so she and Concubine Hua cannot make any moves openly. So far, they have only placed a few sweepers in there.
Those people couldn't take care of Hongzhan openly.
An Lingrong felt very uncomfortable when she saw Hongzhan eating the meat pie with big mouthfuls.
"Hongzhan, eat slowly and don't choke. There's more hot food on the stove."
She took out the cakes prepared from the small drawer on the side of the carriage one by one and placed them on the small table in the middle.
Zhaohua sensibly pushed his brother's favorite pastries in front of him.
"Sixth brother, this is the cake that mother prepared for us. Please eat more."
"Thank you, Zhaohua. You can eat too."
Seeing this, Hongyao, not to be outdone, pushed his favorite pastry in front of his brother.
"Sixth brother, you've lost a lot of weight, use more."
He watched his brother eat quickly and was deeply worried about his life in the abode.
Hongyao was so anxious that he couldn't even eat his cakes. He lingered and moved closer to An Lingrong, trying to please her and discuss things.
"Mother, can this son not move to the prince's residence?"
He accidentally learned from his mother that his sixth brother had to rush to the Shangshufang to study at the beginning of Yinshi (3 a.m.) and finish the day's classes at the end of Youshi (7 p.m.).
Studying for eight hours a day, Hongyao couldn't imagine how he would get through such a crazy life in the future.
An Lingrong did not scold him harshly, but asked him softly.
"Tell me why you don't want to move to the prince's residence?"
Hongyao's eyes rolled and he pointed at Hongzhan who was eating.
"Sixth brother, you can't even get enough to eat when you're living in the prince's residence. I can't stand the hardship of having nothing to eat."
He was smart enough not to say that he didn't want to go to Shangshu to study, but An Lingrong understood what he meant without much thought.
"Eighth brother, the emperor's kitchen is near the Shangshufang. After you move to the prince's residence, you can go there often to get food."
Hongzhan coaxed in a low voice.
"Eunuch Su is kind and often asks the imperial kitchen to prepare meals for Sixth Brother. If you don't go..."
"Sixth brother, I'm moving to the prince's residence at the end of the year. Can you tell me what delicious food there is in the imperial kitchen?"
When it comes to food, Hongyao instantly forgets the hardships of studying in the Shangshufang and turns to discuss with his brother what delicacies are in the imperial kitchen.
Hongzhan was a gifted speaker, and in less than a quarter of an hour he had fooled Hongyao so much that he wanted to go to the prince's place and seek refuge with him.
An Lingrong couldn't help but feel a headache when she saw her youngest son's heartless look.
"Hongyao, mother knows you like delicious food, but you must not eat food of unknown origin."
"Mother, I understand."
After he replied loudly, he pulled Hongzhan to inquire about the riding and archery classes in the Shangshufang.
"Sixth brother, I heard the garden is vast. Can you take me horse racing?"
The foal given by the Emperor as a reward is still being kept in the zoo due to the heavy snow.
Ever since Hongyao heard that they were going to the garden to celebrate the Lantern Festival, he began to look forward to the leisurely days of galloping on horseback.
"The Emperor has assigned me a teacher who teaches me horseback riding and archery. If you want to learn horseback riding, you can learn from him."
Hongzhan's horseback archery lessons only started at the beginning of the year. Eunuch Su said that beginners should use docile ponies that will not easily hurt people.
However, An Lingrong heard other meanings in Hongzhan's words.
She pondered for a few breaths and then spoke directly.
"Hongzhan, did the emperor ask you to learn horse riding and archery in the garden?"
"Mother, Eunuch Su has informed me so. The teachers from the Shangshufang will also come to the garden one after another to teach me."
Hongzhan leaned close to An Lingrong's ear and whispered.
"I suspect that the Emperor will not return to the palace so soon after opening the seal. He may stay in the garden until after the Farming Festival."
During the New Year, the emperor stopped writing and stopped handling government affairs from the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.
On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the pens and seals are opened again, and the busy year begins from then on.
The Farming Festival is held in early February every year, and the entire process of sacrifice and farming takes at least half a month.
It makes sense that the emperor would delay returning to the palace.
Prince Guo was injured in the latter half of the twelfth lunar month. If the emperor stayed in the garden until after February, his injury should have healed almost completely.
The garden is vast and sparsely populated. Even if the guards patrol it twelve hours a day, there will always be places that are overlooked.
An Lingrong had a hunch that Prince Guo would seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cause trouble.
She pretended to casually pull Hongzhan's little hand and gestured the word "seventeen" on it, reminding him to be careful of Prince Guo.
After receiving Hongzhan's careful nod, An Lingrong began to think about the arrangements for the people around her.
This time when they went to the garden to celebrate the Lantern Festival, they were accompanied by Baoque, Baoge, Xiaoxiazi, Baoshu who was promoted later, and a group of palace maids who were completely loyal to her.
The only special person is Bao'e. Nanny Chun has basically confirmed that she is Qiuyue's niece.
However, An Lingrong did not tell her the news for the time being. After all, empty words could not make Bao E abandon her original master and join her.
An Lingrong wanted to find out who Bao'e was before making any arrangements.