C13 Fear Grew in His Heart

The imperial garden was surprisingly cool, devoid of the heat of summer. Zhao Qingyan was sitting on the side of a thick and sturdy tree branch. Both of her legs were resting on top of the tree branch. She held a branch in her hand and carefully observed it.

"Young prince, you've grown up. Why did you run up a tree to take advantage of the cool air?" Shen Zi Qing stopped under a tree, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Be careful, don't fall down and hurt yourself."

Zhao Qingyan looked over and smiled. "Ah, it's Uncle Shen." I just took a Xiao from Uncle Zhang, the craftsmanship is quite exquisite. "I was thinking of taking a walk, so I didn't bring a wheelchair. I'm a bit tired, let's take a break." The "Uncle Zhang" he spoke of was a musician from the palace. He probably saw Zhang Ye trying to audition for a new musical instrument and asked for a Xiao.

Shen Zi Qing laughed, "Your mansion has so many musical instruments. You should have at least twenty of them, right? Is there any use in snatching one? " He did not bow, nor did he act restrained. It was as if he was chatting with a junior.

On the other side, it was next to the music room and was relatively quiet. Although it was not very big, one could enter the palace from the Privy Council. A quarter of an hour away from there would be the Qi King Manor. Ever since he was a child, he had often stayed at the palace to play and wander around. Rather than playing with his cousin, he would rather go to the imperial physician, painter, musician, or sportsman's side, or even run to the inner court to watch them train. As time passed, he became more and more familiar with these elders.

Zhao Qingyan looked at Xiao in her hands and replied with a smile, "I want to learn to play the flute. I'll choose one and send it over to her later."

Shen Ziqing asked, "Little Princess wants to learn 'Xiao'?" The little princess he spoke of was the second daughter of the empress, Zhao Chou. She was also the Emperor's favorite little daughter.

Zhao Qingyan shrugged. "She only found it interesting that I was playing with Xiao. Once the freshness has passed, she won't learn it." The girl's hand is small, so how could she hold Xiao Xiao? "

Shen Zi Qing replied: "Even if you are willing to make something interesting to attract the little princess' interest, you are not willing to coax her to learn it."

Zhao Qingyan pursed his lips into a smile, "If you like her, naturally, you would be willing to put in the effort to learn. I will be responsible for finding her something she likes."

Shen Ziqing smiled, "Then Young Prince, please take your time to ponder over it. I have to get busy."

Zhao Qingyan said, "Take care, Uncle Shen. See you out."

Shen Ziqing jokingly scolded, "I never intended for you to send me off. Enjoy the pleasure of climbing the tree."

Zhao Qingyan watched him leave before leaning back against the tree trunk once again. She squinted her eyes, enjoying the rare moment of relaxation and tranquility.

From time to time, the leaves would gently sway in the breeze, causing a few strands of light rays to leak in and then be blocked. Not far away, the lake water sparkled with microwave light. Just by looking at the rippling waves, he was able to calm his heart and spend the entire day in silence. It was an indescribably comfortable feeling.

"Big brother Mo?" A girl wearing a yellow dress held onto the tree trunk with both hands, looking up at him with a smile, "Are you lazy again?" Beside her was a graceful lady dressed in palace attire. Her moth eyebrows lightly swept over her shoulders, causing her makeup to slightly fall off. A person in his forties would only look to be in his early thirties.

Zhao Qingyan propped up a tree and lightly landed on it, "Don't expose me. It's rare for me to be lazy, but I'm always found out." He gave a slight bow to the palace maid and said, "The Empress is well." Due to the inconvenience of his legs, he rarely knelt down in greeting. Even though the etiquette had decreased a bit, it did not seem to be frivolous.

The empress nodded with a faint smile. "When you don't show up, I'll definitely accompany her in searching for you. I didn't expect to find you in the first place."

Zhao Qingyan said, "I was a little tired and wanted to rest for a while before going over. As a result, I fell asleep. "Mm, take it. I took a Xiao from Uncle Zhang. Do you like it?" Seeing Zhao Youlan take the Xiao from her hands, he handed it to her. "Purple Bamboo Xiao, it's lighter. It won't be too difficult for you to hold it."

Zhao Chou looked back and forth as he pursed his lips. "Not good, not as good as Brother Mo's."

Zhao Qingyan was stunned for a moment before explaining, "The jade Xiao is too heavy, and it would slip away from normal jade Xiao Yin. Take this and use it first. When you learn it, I'll gift you a beautiful jade flute.

Zhao Chou gestured with his fingers and looked up at him, his eyes sparkling. "Did you really start learning Xiao when you were my age? Even with such a long period of time, the holes still wouldn't be able to block it. "

Zhao Qingyan bent over and adjusted her hands, supporting Xiao Xiao, she asked: "How do you feel? Will fingers tire? "

Zhao Duo's fingers shook as Xiao Xiao immediately slid to the ground. Zhao Qingyan caught it and held it in her hand. Zhao Rui pouted, "I'm really tired. My fingers are sore."

Zhao Qingyan smiled and said, "Didn't you try to catch me using my Xiao? "Take it slow."

The empress looked on with a smile and spoke up, "Xun Er, girls can't catch Xiao, and you can't work that hard either."

"But Brother Mo said that he started learning when he was thirteen, and learned it in half a year, then he'll be able to play an especially good tune."

The empress glanced at Zhao Qingyan who was trying his best not to laugh, and lovingly stroked her daughter's head, "The most outrageous things in this world are the words of your second brother and your brother Mo. One of them has never been serious, while the other is too used to you always telling the truth.

Zhao Duo immediately objected, "Brother Mo is the best. Brother Mo won't be angry. Only Second Brother will hate you." Furthermore, Imperial Mother, why are you still so angry when you speak the truth? "

With Zhao Qing's support, Zhao Qingyan cried out, "Aiya, this is too unfair! Your sincerity towards me can be seen by the heavens and earth!"

The empress rolled her eyes at him. "You shouldn't have agreed to teach her Xiao Xiao. She couldn't have either." If you really have the free time, you might as well teach her how to play the zither. "

Zhao Qingyan had a pitiful look on his face. "I seem to remember vaguely that when I was seven years old, the Empress said that her zither arts could only be personally taught by the Empress. Others would not let them off easily.

The empress could not keep her face straight and pursed her lips into a smile. "You didn't learn to be side with your royal brother. You've learned to be dishonest. See if I tell your father or not to teach you a lesson."

Zhao Qingyan pretended not to hear. She lowered her head and looked at Zhao Chou, asking, "Have you eaten any good snacks recently?" Today, I made some donkeys and they taste pretty good. In the afternoon, I had my servant bring some over for you? " He then turned to the empress and asked with a face full of questions, "I've done quite a bit. Empress, do you also want to try a bit of these?"

The empress looked at him and nodded. "There are only a few types of pastries in the palace. It's not bad to have some fresh ones occasionally. Give me one too."

Zhao Qingyan answered with a smile and chatted with Zhao Fuyan in a low voice. After a few words, Zhao Fuyan started to giggle.

The empress looked at him with a complicated gaze. After a while, she asked, "Mo'er, it's getting late. Can you come to my palace for a while?"

"Thank you for your good intentions, esteemed wangfei. I'll go to the inner house and take a look, then I won't go over." "Xun Er, go back. Next time, I will enter the palace before coming to see you again." With a slight smile, Zhao Qingyan stroked Zhao Chou's hair and handed Xiao Yan to her. "If you're interested, you can keep this for fun."

Zhao Rui said, "Then Brother Mo must come next time." He reluctantly followed his mother.

Zhao Qingyan leaned back against the tree and mumbled, "Should I go to the inner hall or lie down in the tree for a while?" He thought for a while, troubled, and then wobbled back to the inner part of the building.

— —

"What's wrong with you, Imperial Mother? Who made you unhappy? " As they walked into the main hall, a well-dressed man stood up and greeted them with a look of surprise.

"You're here? Sit down. " The empress sat down. "I just went to accompany Xun'er to see Zhao Qingyan."

The man said, "I heard that you were in a hurry to find Yun Mo. Imperial Mother won't tell me that Yun Mo has angered you, right?"

The empress saw the disbelief on his face and sighed. "What kind of person do you think he is?"

Zhao Shu froze for a moment. She also realized that something was amiss and could not help but ask, "Imperial Mother, what do you mean by that?"

The empress looked at him quietly. "All these years you've been too carefree. You haven't forgotten who you are, have you?"

Zhao Shu froze. "I …"

The empress raised her eyebrows and spoke sternly, "Then let me remind you that you are the grandson of the Great Sect's great-grandson, the King Shang's grandson, and the thirteenth son of King Pu, Zhao Yun. Your Majesty didn't have a son, so he adopted you as his son. You still remember that, right? "

Zhao Shu did not know why she suddenly became so angry and said these words. She only nodded subconsciously. "Yes, I remember."

The empress's expression turned even more serious. "Then let me remind you one more time, who is that Mo Di. He was the eldest brother of the king, the most illustrious prince. He was the eldest son of the king and was the only son. Fortunately, he was the only son. Compared to him, what are you? The same great-grandfather, you are only of his great-grandfather's generation! Your Majesty only has a son like you, and no one wants to fight with you, so your life is very peaceful, so you can enjoy it, right? You? Who can't replace you? In terms of origin, bloodline, and ability, which one of you can compare to him? "

This time, Zhao Shu finally understood what he meant. After a moment of silence, he slowly replied, "Yun Mo was born with a quiet disposition, so there's no need to worry, Imperial Mother."

"Do you believe that?" the empress asked.

Zhao Shu nodded. "Yes, I do." He was the only son of the Qi King. Even if his fourth uncle were to be reborn in the future, he would still be the eldest son. Besides, Yun Mo is handicapped and has already become a king, how can he be harmful to me? Queen Mother, don't forget, he was the one who asked for the order to be conferred the title of King. It was very obvious that royal father was very fond of Yun Mo, perhaps he had really thought of something. With Yun Mo's personality, he would never deliberately ask for the position of prince. Was the prince different from him? Most likely, the reason why he had chosen to call himself a king was to break this possibility, showing that he did not have the heart to fight for the throne. royal father is indeed in his prime, but Yun Mo's body might not be able to hold on for even a few years, so what is there to worry about? "

The empress hesitated, "That may be the case, but …"

Zhao Shu smiled. "Yun Mo's heart is not in the imperial court at all. It is in the hands of those famous officials and scholars that he is not a concern at all."

The empress sighed. "Alright, as a woman, I have nothing more to say. As long as you feel alright, it's fine."

Zhao Shu thought for a moment. "I'll wait for my son to think about it. It wouldn't be a bad idea to probe him a bit." He had a few thoughts on how to proceed.