Chu Yin's mood plummeted to rock bottom.
It turned out that Lu Jingzhe really meant it when he said he "wouldn't miss her."
She had stubbornly disbelieved him, even accusing him of saying the opposite of what he felt.
Recalling that moment, Chu Yin's face grew hotter with unbearable embarrassment.
She wondered what Lu Jingzhe now thought of her.
If she were in Lu Jingzhe's place, she'd probably think she had lost her mind...
Chu Yin's fingers gently massaged her temples.
Why had she made such a mistake?
Was it because she had watched him suffer for eight years, so she naturally assumed he would love her deeply from the start? Or was she too eager for a perfect life?
She wasn't sure.
Maybe, she got too excited after her rebirth and lost her sense of judgment.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late to mend the situation. She could still be that dignified, virtuous Crown Princess, behaving with propriety.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingzhe and Lu Jingrui were accompanying Empress Jiang back to the Kunning Palace when Jiang Yuyuan staggered out of the side hall.
"Your Majesty, have the Emperor and my aunt left?" She appeared anxious. "I wanted to see them off despite feeling unwell... What should I do now? My aunt might be disappointed."
The young girl's hair was disheveled, her face pale, evoking pity. Empress Jiang comforted her, "It's alright. I've already explained your condition to Shan Hui. She won't blame you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jiang Yuyuan noticed Lu Jingzhe and Lu Jingrui and hurriedly came forward to greet them, "Oh, my cousin and third cousin are also here..."
Lu Jingzhe remained silent, but Lu Jingrui was curious, "What illness keeps you in the palace?"
"Three cousin, I suffered from heatstroke," replied Jiang Yuyuan, who rarely saw Lu Jingrui.
This young man was strikingly beautiful, almost androgynous, memorable, but unfortunately not favored and destined for a remote princely role. Her gaze quickly shifted back to Lu Jingzhe, "Cousin, I haven't properly apologized for interrupting your meal last time."
"No need," Lu Jingzhe didn't see what there was to apologize for, turning to Empress Jiang, "Mother, you woke up early today; you should rest."
His gaze didn't linger for even a moment, leaving Jiang Yuyuan feeling a sudden chill in her heart.
"Cousin..." she couldn't help but ask, "You arranged for the Chief Imperial Physician for me last time, but he has gone to Yan Mountain. Which physician should I ask for now?"
Surely this wasn't a question for him, was it?
Lu Jingzhe replied indifferently, "Since you are a guest of Kunning Palace, it's under my mother's purview."
"Yes, don't worry, there are plenty of imperial physicians," Empress Jiang added. "A minor case of heatstroke can always be treated."
Jiang Yuyuan pursed her lips, not daring to say more for fear of displeasing Lu Jingzhe.
All these actions were noticed by Lu Jingrui, who smirked slightly, realizing Jiang Yuyuan might have her sights set on his brother.
No wonder she always called "Cousin" so sweetly, but when it came to "Second Cousin" or "Third Cousin," the sweetness was gone, just a plain address.
Unfortunately, his brother wasn't interested in women. Having one Crown Princess was enough; why would he take another concubine?
Jiang Yuyuan had miscalculated.
Lu Jingrui suggested, "Mother, why not call for Physician Xu? I believe his medical skills are only second to the Chief and Deputy Chief Imperial Physicians. He treated my heatstroke two years ago."
"Now that you mention it, I remember. Alright, let's call for Physician Xu."
Jiang Yuyuan quickly expressed her thanks, "Thank you, Third Cousin."
"You're thanking too early," Lu Jingrui teased, "wait till you're cured. Your symptoms seem more severe than mine were."
Feeling guilty, Jiang Yuyuan's cheeks flushed slightly: "It's just that... my health isn't as robust as yours, Third Cousin."
"Oh?" Lu Jingrui raised an eyebrow, "Do you also have a weak constitution, like the Crown Princess?"
"No, I'm not as...," Jiang Yuyuan stammered a bit.
Being frail was not a good thing.
Like Chu Yin, who needed to see a physician even for her menstrual period, might not live long or have difficulty conceiving again, which could affect her position as the Crown Princess. Therefore, her health couldn't be worse than Chu Yin's.
Realizing she had misspoken, Jiang Yuyuan immediately pretended to feel dizzy, swaying as if about to faint.
Qingshuang, startled, quickly stepped forward to support her.
Empress Jiang instructed a maid, "Quickly go and fetch Physician Xu." Looking at Lu Jingzhe and Lu Jingrui, she said, "You may go back."
The two of them bowed and took their leave.
Another good opportunity missed, Jiang Yuyuan leaned on Qingshuang's shoulder, frustrated with herself for not being clever enough to avoid making a mistake at a crucial moment. Besides, Lu Jingrui was being rather meddlesome; why did he have to make suggestions?
If he hadn't spoken, she wouldn't have mentioned her poor health.
Because of this, Jiang Yuyuan began to dislike Lu Jingrui.
At the hour of Si, the sun was scorching hot, heating up the jade carriage.
Emperor Jianxing's ears buzzed, overwhelmed by the noise from the two children.
Lu Xiu still asked, "Imperial Grandfather, why does this horse have black spots?"
"Those aren't black, they're brown," Lu Zhen corrected.
"I mean that one, not this one..."
Emperor Jianxing took a sip of his cool tea to soothe his throat, then instructed the coachman to stop the jade carriage and leaned out to speak to He Zhong, "Take them to the Crown Princess immediately... tell her the children miss their mother."
He Zhong, always by the Emperor's side, understood his feelings well: "Yes, I will see to it immediately."
He dismounted and first picked up Lu Xiu, then instructed another eunuch to carry Lu Zhen.
The Crown Princess's carriage was just behind.
Approaching, He Zhong bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor said it's not good to keep you and the children separated for too long, so he ordered me to bring them to you. They've been missing you."
An hour, that was quick.
Chu Yin suppressed a smile: "Alright, thank you for your trouble."
Seeing their mother, both children rushed to her: "Mother, the Emperor's carriage is bigger than this one."
"Of course, the Emperor is the sovereign."
"What's a sovereign?" Lu Xiu asked.
"A sovereign is a king appointed by divine mandate..." He probably wouldn't understand, so Chu Yin changed the subject, "Were you asking the Emperor a lot of questions? What did you ask?" It seems the Emperor couldn't handle an hour with them.
"Brother was asking about horses just now."
"Yeah, about the horses pulling the carriage, the ones with black spots."
"What else did you ask?" Chu Yin said.
"About what the Emperor was drinking, it tasted bitter and yucky."
"No, that was tea."
"Your grandfather was drinking cool tea. Keep going, what else did you ask?" Chu Yin pinched their cheeks gently, "Think carefully."
"...We asked about the thing flying in the sky, oh, the flag."
"The things on the flag, they're so strange."
"Did the Emperor tell you what they were?"
"Hmm, some kind of bird..."
"......"
Time passed unnoticed amidst the messy conversation.
At noon, the caravan stopped, and the eunuchs busied themselves setting up tables and chairs for lunch.
Princess Baocheng, fanning herself, stepped down: "It's really hot on the road. Luckily, I brought some ice... Brother, these chilled melons and peaches are surely refreshing." She instructed her maid to bring them over.
Seeing this, Tang Feiyan exclaimed joyfully, "Auntie, you're so thoughtful. We're fortunate to have you, now we can enjoy some comfort."
The melon, cut open, was enticingly red. Biting into it brought a wave of coolness down the throat, truly refreshing.
Emperor Jianxing smiled warmly, "Very considerate, please sit down."
Princess Baocheng then sat beside Emperor Jianxing.
Chu Yin, managing the two children, was the last to arrive.
Seeing his grandchildren, Emperor Jianxing immediately appreciated the challenges of child-rearing and found his daughter-in-law more agreeable: "A'Yin, come sit here too... Try this chilled melon Shan Hui brought, and give some to Xiu'er and Zhen'er as well."
"Thank you, Father Emperor, Auntie," Chu Yin responded and moved over.
It turned out that Lu Jingchen and his wife were the last to be seated.
Tang Feiyan, somewhat annoyed, recalled the jade carriage stopping earlier and suddenly asked, "Sister-in-law, how come Xiu'er and Zhen'er are with you? Weren't they with the Emperor before?"
It must be that the children were too much to handle, and the Emperor couldn't bear it, so he sent them back.
Having known her for two lifetimes, Chu Yin understood Tang Feiyan's thoughts and sighed, "It's my fault, I've raised two little troublemakers. The Emperor has a good temper to have tolerated them this long. Usually, Xiao Dou and Qi Niang help me manage them." She then apologized to Emperor Jianxing, "I've been negligent, please forgive me, Father Emperor."
Emperor Jianxing responded indifferently, "It's fine."
Judging by those two rigid words and his expression, the Emperor must be dissatisfied with Chu Yin.
Indeed, not properly disciplining the children was seen as the mother's fault. The Crown Prince had lessons to attend and likely had no time to manage, but Tang Feiyan consoled Chu Yin with, "Sister-in-law, managing two children is indeed hard work. Mistakes are inevitable, nobody is perfect."
She really had something to say about everything.
Chu Yin just smiled, not responding, and continued feeding the children the chilled melon.
As Tang Feiyan's insinuation was somewhat subtle, Lu Jingchen didn't notice it and was busy trying to please Princess Baocheng.
"Auntie, I heard you're looking for the Buddhist relics of the venerable Master Faming?"
"Yes, do you know where to find them?"
"I know someone who might know... I'll tell you once I get the information."
Princess Baocheng was delighted and patted his arm, "That's great, I'll wait for your good news."
Compared to her aloof eldest nephew, her second nephew was much more considerate. Firstly, his face was always pleasant to look at, always smiling like a warm spring breeze, and secondly, his attitude was respectful, always obliging without being asked.
However, Princess Baocheng wasn't naive. She knew receiving favors from Lu Jingchen would come with a price.
"After I get the relic, I'll treat you to a meal... and you can choose anything from my mansion." She clarified, as she couldn't just persuade her brother to change the heir over a relic.
Honestly, unless Lu Jingzhe became her enemy, she wouldn't interfere.
"It's just a small favor, Auntie. No need to spend on me." Lu Jingchen hadn't expected to sway Princess Baocheng with this act.
Winning over hearts isn't easy, so he was willing to wait.
Five years, ten years, or even longer.
While the throne was desirable, his life was precious too. He wouldn't resort to drastic measures.
"By the way, Auntie, why didn't you bring my uncle..." Lu Jingchen started to inquire about Jiang Xian but was interrupted by several dog barks behind him.
Soldiers immediately became alert all around. Chu Yin looked towards the east and saw a lush green taro field in the distance.
In the field, two dogs were barking, and some farmers were passing by.
If it had been a wheat field, it might have been ravaged by locusts by now.
Chu Yin, remembering Yi Jian, couldn't help but ask Emperor Jianxing, "Father Emperor, is Minister Yi's locust prevention program proceeding smoothly?" Although she had him summoned to the capital earlier, she wondered if he faced any obstacles.
Of course, the likelihood was small, given the Emperor's oversight.
Emperor Jianxing glanced at her, teasingly, "What, afraid of it not going well and I'll punish you?"
"I am willing to accept punishment, but I'm genuinely concerned..."
"What's there to worry about? The officials who hindered the effort before have already been executed by me. Let's see who dares to oppose now!"
Chu Yin was taken aback.
The Emperor was indeed decisive and swift.
"I was overthinking. I won't ask again in the future."
Given Chu Yin's significant contribution to this matter, Emperor Jianxing, seeing her sincerity, said, "Yi Jian suggested planting sesame and peas in August and September. I plan to have Jingzhe oversee it. You can accompany him and see for yourself."
Chu Yin's eyes lit up, smiling, "Thank you, Father Emperor."
Tang Feiyan felt a surge of jealousy, unable to understand Emperor Jianxing's favoritism.
Hadn't he just been blaming Chu Yin for not disciplining the children properly?
But she dared not question it.
Emperor Jianxing's gaze then fell on Lu Jingchen, "Jingchen, you should also accompany Jingzhe and learn."
"Yes, Father Emperor," Lu Jingchen was overjoyed.
Tang Feiyan, not mentioned, felt deflated like a frostbitten eggplant.
After the meal, the caravan resumed its journey towards Yan Mountain.
The next morning, Chu Yin gazed through the carriage window at Yan Mountain, piercing the clouds like a sharp sword.
Perhaps due to the heavy moisture in the air, the breeze blowing into the carriage brought waves of coolness.
It felt so comfortable.
Chu Yin stepped out of the carriage with the two children, excitedly saying, "Xiu'er, Zhen'er, look, that's Yan Mountain! We're going to climb it soon!"
Meanwhile, back in the capital, Lu Jingzhe was in the Qianqing Palace, reviewing memorials.
Without Dong Ling announcing the time, he could tell from the sunlight outside the window that it was already Chen hour.
Chu Yin and the children must be on Yan Mountain by now, right?
The image of her saying she would cry for him appeared in his mind.
Fifteen days seemed like fifteen years to her; for such a brief separation, she had been so coquettish and clingy.
So now, a day apart, was she missing him to the point of tears?
