Although the news of Zhao Defang developing a magical perfume that could repel mosquitoes had already spread throughout the entire palace, from the emperor's concubines to the palace maids, everyone had heard of this matter. In just one afternoon, everyone in the palace knew about it.
Zhao Defang, who was unaware of this, felt a little tired after lunch. Since she had nothing to do, she took a nap. As the saying goes, spring is sleepy, summer is tired, and autumn is sleepy. It was the turn of spring and summer. It was noon, the time when people were most likely to feel sleepy, and Zhao Defang was especially sleepy.
Usually, Zhao Defang would only sleep for an hour or so during her lunch break. This time, for some reason, she closed her eyes and opened them again. More than four hours passed.
When he opened his eyes, the sun was already setting, the moon was hanging on the willow branches, and night had fallen.
Looking at the gradually darkening night, Zhao Defang quickly got up and called the palace maid Cui 'er who was standing under the eaves of the corridor outside the door to ask. Only then did she know that it was already four hours. After stretching her back, she suddenly remembered the family banquet at Funing Palace at three quarters of the night.
In a moment of desperation, he could not be bothered to change out of the ordinary clothes he had bought outside the palace yesterday. He quickly asked the palace maid Cui 'er to lead the way and followed her in the direction of the Fu Ning Palace without stopping.
When Zhao Defang left the Eastern Palace, Li Heiniu, who was standing guard under the porch, saw the Fourth Prince and the palace maid Cui Er rushing out. He thought something big had happened. As Li Heiniu, who was responsible for the safety of the Fourth Prince, he did not think much and called four guards to follow behind Zhao Defang and the palace maid Cui Er.
After turning left and right for a moment, Zhao Defang, who was sweating, finally arrived at Funing Palace. However, just as he walked through the gates of Funing Palace, he met his second brother, Zhao Dezhao, who was about to leave the palace gates. Before he could speak, the other party had already taken the initiative to start a conversation.
"Fourth brother, you're finally here. Royal grandmother, father, mother, third sister Zhao Qing, and our third uncle Jin Wang are all waiting for you. Father sent me to find you, but I met you before I even walked out of the gates of the Funing Palace. Hurry up and go in with Second Brother. If you are any later, Imperial Father and Imperial Mother will not be happy. When the time comes, I'll definitely reprimand you.”Zhao Dezhao, who had an anxious expression on his face, looked up and saw that the person walking towards him was his fourth brother, Zhao Defang. He immediately stopped and let out a long sigh of relief. When he thought of the large family sitting in the hall, he hurriedly urged them.
After hearing Zhao Dezhao mention the list of people who had already arrived at the family banquet, Zhao Defang, who had rushed over, sucked in a breath of cold air. She was secretly shocked. Oh my god, there are so many people coming for the reunion dinner tonight. Everyone is waiting for me, who came late. How can I face them?
After secretly exclaiming in her heart for a moment, Zhao Defang recalled that her second brother, Zhao Dezhao, had just mentioned their third uncle, Prince Jin, and his family of three. After he thought about it and found out that Prince Jin was Zhao Guangyi, he was shocked and afraid.
Because in Zhao Defang's opinion, this Zhao Guangyi was later determined to be the " infamy " of killing his brother to seize the throne. When he saw him later, he really didn't know how to face this person with a human face and a beast's heart. He couldn't help but tremble and couldn't move forward.
"Fourth brother, hurry up and leave. Don't dawdle anymore. Everyone is waiting for you.”Zhao Dezhao, who was walking in front, stopped after walking five or six steps when he saw that Zhao Defang did not follow behind him. He turned his head and urged Zhao Defang, who was deep in thought behind him, once again.
"Oh, second brother, you go into the hall first. I, I have something to tell Cui 'er. I'll rush over immediately.”Zhao Defang, who had been deep in thought for a long time, suddenly remembered something when she heard Zhao Dezhao, who was four or five steps away from her, urging her again. She quickly waved her hand in embarrassment and said apologetically.
"Alright then, hurry up and tell Cui Er to do it. I'll wait here for you to go in first. Don't delay for too long. If you anger Imperial Father, your Imperial Mother and Second Brother won't be able to help you.”Zhao Dezhao rolled his eyes at his fourth brother and sighed lightly as he shook his head.
After Zhao Dezhao turned around and strode into the palace hall ten feet away, Zhao Defang quickly turned around and returned to the main gate of the Funing Palace. Seeing that the palace maid Cui 'er was still standing at the door, he could not help but walk over happily and whisper in her ear. After seeing the palace maid Cui' er nod happily in agreement, he turned around and walked into the main gate of the Funing Palace with relief. He strode towards the palace hall in front of him.
As Funing Palace was the bedchamber of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin and the Empress, not only were there dozens of guards selected from the Imperial Army guarding the entrance, but there were also hundreds of guards patrolling the palace from time to time. Without the written order of the Zhao family, no one was allowed to enter. As a lowly palace maid, Cui 'er was naturally not qualified to enter the Funing Palace.
After receiving Zhao Defang's soft instructions, the palace maid Cui Er ran all the way back to the Eastern Palace to get the things that Zhao Defang had assigned.
"Dezhao, didn't zhen ask you to call your fourth brother? Why did you come back alone? Didn't I tell you just now that if your fourth brother doesn't want to come, you can just tie him up with a rope. A few days ago, Zhen heard the Empress say that De Fang's personality had changed. Today, it seems that De Fang has returned to his previous mischievous personality.”Zhao Kuangyin, who was sitting at the door of the palace with a round, red-painted, gold-rimmed table, saw Zhao Dezhao, who he had just sent out, walk in alone. He immediately frowned and sighed in disappointment.
"Reporting to Imperial Father, you have misunderstood De Fang. He, he is already in the Funing Palace. Just now, he said that he had an urgent matter to instruct the palace maid Cui Er who came with him to do it.”When Zhao Dezhao heard his father's unhappy expression, he quickly walked up to him and bowed his head. He quickly explained to Zhao Kuangyin.
"My son, don't always talk about the fourth brother. He is still young, after all. It doesn't matter if he comes a little later. We can just sit here and wait for a while. Why be so angry?”Zhao Kuangyin's old mother, who had a head full of silver hair, sat at the head of the table. She usually liked her sneaky grandson Zhao Defang the most. When she heard her son say this about her most beloved grandson, she knew that it was Zhao Defang's fault, so she quickly comforted her son.
"That's right, that's right. Emperor, Fang 'er is just a little playful. Just now, didn't Dezhao also say that he was already in the Funing Palace? Perhaps Fang' er forgot to bring a gift for us, so he hurriedly instructed the palace maid Cui 'er who came with him.”Empress Wang, who was sitting on Zhao Kuangyin's right, was already on pins and needles because her own son was so late. After hearing Zhao Kuangyin's words, she couldn't sit still. Fortunately, after hearing her mother-in-law say good things about her son, she quickly stood up for him.
"Imperial Brother, what mother and Imperial Sister-in-law said just now was not unreasonable. Defang isn't even sixteen years old yet. He's just a little playful on a daily basis. As adults, we shouldn't be calculative with a child like him. Anyway, didn't De Fang already arrive at the Funing Palace? We've already waited for so long, so we might as well sit and wait. Perhaps at this time, Defang was on her way here.”Zhao Guangyi, who was sitting on the left side of Zhao Kuangyin, had not said a word. After he observed his mother and the Empress, he realized that they were both speaking up for Zhao Defang. As an elder, he would not be able to justify himself if he did not say a few words. Therefore, he pretended to smile and spoke up for Zhao Defang.
Just as they were talking, Zhao Defang, who had rushed over in large strides, walked into the palace. She looked up and saw a large round wooden table placed five feet in front of her. In front of the table, there were seven or eight people sitting on chairs that were two feet apart. Only a chair was empty between Empress Wang and Zhao Dezhao.
"Imperial Grandmother, Imperial Father, Imperial Mother, Imperial Uncle, Imperial Uncle's Mother, Second Brother, Third Sister, Little Brother Heng, I've made you wait for a long time. Defang is late, please punish Imperial Father and Imperial Mother.”With the memories of her previous body, Zhao Defang only glanced at them twice and recognized all the old women and children sitting at the round table. She immediately walked up to Zhao Kuangyin, lowered her head, cupped her hands, and said sincerely.
"My eldest grandson, you've finally arrived. Quick, come to Grandma. Grandma hasn't seen me for a long time.”The Empress Dowager Du, who was not blind or deaf, was afraid that her son would punish his beloved eldest grandson when she saw Zhao Defang approaching. She quickly stretched out her hand that was like a withered branch and waved at Zhao Defang, who was bowing respectfully. She was a little excited and said with a pleasant expression.
"Mother, you'll spoil him like this.”Zhao Kuangyin, who was sitting upright, stared at Zhao Defang, who was standing in front of him with her head bowed. When he suddenly heard the Empress Dowager Du's words, he frowned and tried to persuade his mother.
When Zhao Kuangyin turned his head, he shook his head slightly at Zhao Defang, who had lowered her head and remained silent. He sighed softly and said indifferently,"Fang 'er, you came late today, causing everyone to wait for you alone. Since this is your first offense, I won't punish you. If there's a next time, I won't let you off easily. Alright, Fang 'er, don't stand here anymore. Hurry up and go to the empty seat at your mother's place. If you don't start the banquet soon, this table of delicacies will probably turn cold.”
"Thank you, Imperial Father, for your kindness. I know my mistake. Next time, I won't come so late.”Zhao Defang, who was secretly uneasy, felt relieved when she heard that Zhao Kuangyin, who was sitting in front of her, did not punish her. She cupped her hands and bowed to her father, admitting her mistake.
Perhaps Zhao Defang, who felt safe and sound, was too excited and spoke without thinking. However, with his brain, he actually said such disgraceful words as "I won't be so late next time". Fortunately, Zhao Kuangyin, who was sitting nearby, didn't hear it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to escape the blame.
Although Zhao Kuangyin didn't know what his fourth son meant, Zhao Defang's words fell into the eyes of someone present. This person was Zhao Guangyi, who was good at disguising himself, observing people, and acting according to the situation.
He thought for a moment and understood the meaning of Zhao Defang's last sentence. He shook his head slightly, making him feel amused.
Zhao Defang, who had just sat on the empty chair between Empress Wang and Zhao Dezhao, had not even warmed up when she saw Wang Fugui, the head of the Imperial Household, walk over quietly. He walked over to Zhao Kuangyin with a horsetail whisk in his hand and whispered something into Zhao Kuangyin's ear.
Zhao Kuangyin, who had been complaining about Zhao Defang's tardiness, had yet to relax his frown. After hearing the report from Wang Guifu, his face was filled with smiles. With a smile on his face, he waved at Wang Fugui, who was bowing and giving instructions, and made a gesture of "please".
After Wang Fugui left the hall with a smile on his face, Zhao Kuangyin, who was in a good mood, quickly nodded at Zhao Defang and said kindly,"Fang 'er, just now, zhen asked you why you were late. Why didn't you tell zhen? If you had told me the truth just now, not only would I not blame you, I would even reward you.”
Zhao Defang, whose stomach was rumbling with hunger, was using her chopsticks to hurriedly put all kinds of delicacies into her mouth. After chewing a few times, she suddenly heard Zhao Kuangyin's 180-degree change in attitude towards her. She was caught off guard and immediately swallowed the food in her mouth with a thud. The expression on her face was written with four words: Puzzled!
Zhao Defang, who was secretly flattered, was like a monk at this time. She was puzzled by Zhao Kuangyin's sudden praise and said, What did this Zhao Guanjia mean by saying this? I came late because I overslept during my lunch break. If I really told him the truth, according to common sense, wouldn't he explode from anger? But right now, this Zhao Guanjia was too unusual, yet he was full of praise for my late behavior.
In the eyes of the somewhat panicked Zhao Defang, it was really: Strange things happen every year, but this year, there are especially many.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]