bayedsolid Chapter 450 Different thoughts
Chapter 450 Different thoughts
Every aspect of life, from clothing and food to shelter and transportation, harbors deadly intentions. Who among those who live in the open or in the shadows doesn't harbor malicious intent?
Every time his father sent him out to find medicinal herbs, he always returned battered and bruised.
His growth was a testament to his repeated, lucky survivals amidst the treacherous cracks of danger.
That kind of frustration and humiliation...who can understand?
Despite being the eldest son, the crown prince, and the head of the Eastern Palace, he lived an exceptionally difficult life.
In history, which crown prince has been able to ascend the throne smoothly?
If it weren't for Master Fakong's prophecy, would he have been able to sit in this position as the crown prince?
At that time, he already had the titles of "the most miserable crown prince in history" and "the most miserable monarch in history" after he ascended the throne.
His suffering was like that of a mute eating bitter melon, unable to express his pain.
Thirty-six years!
Thinking of this, his eyes stung with tears, and he suddenly realized that his uncle had taken his hand without him noticing.
He tilted his head back to force back his tears, then turned to his uncle and forced an awkward smile, indicating that he was alright.
"They...are better than me." Though her voice was soft, those few words, choked with emotion, held a thousand unspoken words.
Cang Nanxi gently patted the back of his hand, her gaze sweeping over her daughter and the crown prince: "We are already very lucky."
The interaction between the two was witnessed by everyone present. They all knew how difficult the journey had been, but they all remained silent, their gazes fixed on the Crown Prince and Dongfang Jin.
But one thought simultaneously arose in everyone's mind—
He truly is a person chosen by heaven with great fortune.
Next, the men at the table discussed the arrangements for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet while eating.
The women, however, began discussing the various delicacies on the table.
As evening fell, everyone left satisfied with the return gifts given by Dongfang Jin.
Dongfang Jin and Gu Chenglin also stayed at the Prince Dun's Mansion.
Fengwu Courtyard.
"mother!"
"mother!"
Gu Caiwei and Gu Jingye ran into Fengwu Courtyard one after the other and shouted towards the courtyard.
Yang Wenwen and Shen Qihui followed behind them, along with their maids, pageboys, and servants.
Dongfang Jin looked at the children and said gently, "Have you all eaten?"
Standing next to Dongfang Jin, Gu Jingye said happily, "Mom, we ate at Grandpa's house."
Grandma happened to be back from Ningzhou today, so Grandpa invited us to stay for dinner.
Grandmother also brought a gift for Mother.
After saying that, he winked at Jinbao, and Jinbao and Yinbao came over carrying a delicate little bamboo basket.
Dongfang Jin saw Jinbao open the lid and discovered that it contained longan and lychee.
There was a layer of ice around the small bamboo basket. It looked so fresh that it must have been brought back from Ningzhou by Grandma Hou using her magic bag.
According to my sister-in-law Duan Jing'an, my stepmother-in-law went to Ningzhou two years ago to pay respects to the ancestors of the Gu family.
Since our ancestor returned to his ancestral home with the Jun family (Gu Haozhen's maternal grandfather's family, the Duke of Jingguo), he has never come back.
The main purpose of this departure was to bury some of the old man's belongings together with him.
Because his father-in-law and elder brother were with him, Gu Chenglin was not notified.
Gu Caiwei held a plump lychee between her fingertips and gently peeled it with her snow-white fingers.
The dark red peel splits open, revealing the translucent, creamy flesh.
She smiled and presented the hairpin to Dongfang Jin, the coral bead hair ornament in her hair swaying gently with her movements.
"Mother, please try this fruit. Grandmother specially brought it back from Ningzhou. She said it's called lychee."
Dongfang Jin took the fruit and put it in her mouth; the sweet juice burst on her tongue.
She smiled and reached out to brush a stray hair from her daughter's temple: "It's indeed sweet; the fruit we pick from Caiwei is just so sweet."
The girl in front of me had grown to waist height, and her slender figure was accentuated by her moon-white dress.
Five years of living in Kyoto had shed her childhood naiveté. I heard that she had been learning needlework and etiquette from her aunt Duan Jing'an at the Rongguo Duke's Mansion every morning.
In the afternoon, I listened to the teacher's lectures and learned music, chess, calligraphy, and painting with the young ladies of the household in the study.
Now, every gesture she makes exudes the elegance and grace of a noblewoman, with a bright and confident glint in her eyes.
She does indeed resemble a duke's daughter to some extent.
"My little girl has finally grown up."
As Dongfang Jin sighed, she saw a young girl dressed in a green silk dress walking gracefully towards her.
The jade pendant at Yang Wenwen's waist clinked softly with each step she took, and she bowed in a curtsy.
The faint scent of jasmine mingled with the smell of rain-soaked cobblestones wafted through the air: "Aunt Jin, are you well? Uncle, are you well?"
"Get up quickly, we're family, no need for so much formality."
Dongfang Jin smiled and helped her up. His fingertips touched the corner of the brocade handkerchief peeking out from the girl's sleeve. It was made of Shu brocade, which he had given her some time ago.
His gaze swept over the faint blush still visible on the tips of her ears, and he suddenly smiled mischievously: "Tell me, has Little Stone ever bullied you?"
If he dares to make you angry, I will definitely not let him off.
Yang Wenwen looked up upon hearing this, and her gaze met that of Gu Jingye, who was standing next to her uncle.
The boy's ears turned bright red instantly, and he pretended to be nonchalant as he fiddled with the tassel of the jade pendant at his waist.
She clenched her handkerchief and chuckled softly, "Brother Jingye treats me very well. The other day he even bought some jewelry for me and Caiwei from the Treasure Pavilion."
She paused slightly, clenched her fists, and bit her lower lip: "But... Aunt Jin, my brother has come to the capital with Father to report on his duties."
Instead of moving to the Minister's mansion with his father, he moved to the Gu residence to live with Uncle Ma and his family.
Dongfang Jin took her hand, pried open her tightly clenched fist and held it in his own, then gently patted the back of her hand.
"It's alright. Does your brother also plan to take the imperial examination next year?"
Yang Wenwen stared at their tightly clasped hands, pursed her lips, and nodded.
Gu Jingye stepped forward, his black boots making a rapid sound on the bluestone pavement: "Mother, Uncle Yang went to the capital to report on his duties last year."
The son also visited the Minister's residence. Not only was the furnishings in the elder brother's room simple, but Uncle Yang was also often not at home.
There weren't many servants in the manor, and the food wasn't good, so I took him in to live at my home.
Dongfang Jin ran her fingertips along the intertwined foliage embroidery on the cuff of her sleeve, a thoughtful look flashing across her eyes.
She knew that Yang Lin had been arranged by her cousin to work in the Ministry of Justice last year. Long Qi had mentioned in his report that Yang Lin was one of the Emperor's cousin's men.
But to this day...
She looked up at Yang Wenwen, who was twisting her handkerchief with her head down. The shadow cast by the girl's eyelashes trembled under her eyes, like a butterfly about to take flight.
"It's about my father and brother... who haven't been able to reconcile yet." Yang Wenwen finally spoke, her voice as soft as a flower petal falling on water.
So many years have passed, and my brother said that since my aunt drowned, my father has completely lost contact with my maternal grandfather's family.
However, her father never mentioned her again, nor did he send anyone to look for her.
Because of this, the older brother has also had a rift with his father, and the two of them only see each other a few times a month.
When they met, they would only exchange polite greetings. The father would always avoid the other party, citing his busy official duties, and the brother would always avoid him, citing his busy studies.
My brother said that Aunt Jin gave him the money and the recipe for roasted chestnuts back then.
He owns many roasted chestnut shops in Qingzhou and the surrounding prefectures. Because he has Lingyun Pavilion as his backer, no one bullies him.
My brother's business is doing very well. Aunt Jin recommended the Liu family members back then, and my brother said they are very loyal to him.
The Liu family also led the entire village in planting a lot of chestnut trees in their hometown.
He also led the Liu family to acquire many properties with the eldest uncle of the heir apparent.
I heard that the Crown Prince's maternal uncle and Changsun Lan's maternal uncle not only repaired roads and renovated old houses in Qingzhou, but also led the local people to plant a lot of chestnut trees.
Judging from my brother's words, it seems that our father was unaware of my brother's business dealings.
Gu Chenglin put down his teacup, the celadon bottom striking the stone table with a clear, resonant sound.
He looked at his wife with a knowing look in his eyes—he had heard about the Yang family's affair before.
Yang Lin and his daughter Wenwen had not seen each other since his wife Wenwen passed away.
Yang Lin hates Wenwen for causing his wife's death.
Because of this incident, they abandoned their newborn child to a wet nurse.
Because of his indifference, Wenwen was sold to human traffickers by her wet nurse.
Dongfang Jin sighed softly and looked at the blooming osmanthus flowers outside the courtyard.
Yang Lin was a good Minister of Justice.
If you can't even understand your own family's affairs, how can you shoulder the heavy responsibility of criminal prosecution?