Chapter 129 The Emperor's Word
"Old fox."
In the large and luxurious guest room, Jiang Lin sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed, supporting his chin with one hand.
First lift the roof, then open the window, and then push the door.
One step after another, leaving Jiang Lin no chance to refuse.
The key point is that for Jiang Lin, there is basically no harm in establishing a good relationship with a prince, or in other words, accepting the friendship of such a prince in Kyoto.
For Jiang Lin, it can save a lot of trouble.
Kyoto is the place where imperial power is most concentrated, and basically everything related to imperial power cannot be underestimated.
"You are so close to me, but you still have other purposes."
Jiang Lin scratched his chin thoughtfully.
The words that the King of Qin just said were too blunt. Not to mention a prince, even a yamen runner would not speak so bluntly.
It's like he has another purpose written all over his face.
The question now is, what exactly does Prince Qin want to do?
Treating someone to a meal is a superficial act, and giving away gold orders is also a superficial act.
"Sugar-coated bullet?"
Jiang Lin stretched and muttered, "If that's the case, eat the sugar coating and throw the cannonball over."
As he spoke, Jiang Lin lay down on the bed with his clothes on.
Silent all night.
The next morning, Jiang Lin got up early.
It must be said that the things in the palace are different. They are much better than the hard beds in the dormitory.
Jiang Lin stood up and looked at the bed where he slept last night. A small gourd appeared in his hand and he was ready to move.
"Alas... a gentleman does not accept food given out of pity."
Jiang Lin sighed and gave up the idea of using the storage magic weapon to put away the bed.
He took a look at the large nanmu bed and felt that this bed might be more expensive than his own Taoist temple.
I turned and walked out of the room, only to find that someone was already waiting outside the room. To be more precise, someone just happened to pass by.
"Master, you got up early. Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Baihua bowed with a smile, holding a basket in his hand filled with fresh leeks covered with dew.
Jiang Lin smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "The bed in the palace is also good for health, so it is naturally for a good sleep. Sir, what is this?"
"Oh, my princess loves to eat vegetables, so the prince reclaimed two acres of land and used it to grow vegetables."
Bai Hua weighed the basket in his hand and said with a smile, "The first harvest of tender leeks mixed with eggs to make steamed buns is very delicious. You must try it."
"Master, follow me."
As he spoke, he pulled Jiang Lin, walked around the moon gate, and headed straight for the kitchen.
Arriving at the kitchen, Jiang Lin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
The dignified Prince, with his sleeves rolled up and wearing an apron, was kneading dough in a very methodical manner. Judging from his skillful appearance, it was obviously not the first time he had done this job.
On the side, Zhou Rou was beating eggs.
"Taoist priest?"
When Zhou Rou saw Jiang Lin, she bowed awkwardly, and her face flushed unconsciously.
"Greetings, Prince, Princess."
Jiang Lin saluted with a smile.
"The Taoist priest is here too? Then don't just sit there. Come on, come on, serve me with the chopping board."
The King of Qin raised his head and pointed at the chopping board beside him without any hesitation.
Baihua put the washed leeks on the chopping board and raised his eyebrows at Jiang Lin.
"If you don't work hard, you won't get anything to eat?"
Jiang Lin sighed as if in distress, walked to the chopping board, took out a kitchen knife, and started cutting carefully.
"Hahahaha!"
The King of Qin laughed and said, "I have nothing to do in the morning. I have to find something to do."
"Master, please have pity on me and let me have a full meal sooner."
Jiang Lin heard this, without stopping his hands, raised his head and asked with a smile: "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
"Ugh……"
The King of Qin sighed, kneaded the dough, and with a few flips, rolls and pinches of his hands, it became dough pieces of uniform size.
"Today is Imperial Concubine Mei's birthday. At noon, we have to go to the palace to celebrate. We won't be able to eat until we return in the evening. We are counting on this morning's meal."
Jiang Lin raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "It is said that the imperial palace has the most delicious food in the world, Your Majesty should save some for your stomach."
"hehe."
The King of Qin smiled helplessly and said, "Of course, the banquet in the palace is all good food, but no matter how good the food is, after all the complicated etiquette, it will be cold. How can it be delicious?"
Bai Hua, who was standing by, held a rolling pin and worked hard while answering, "Yes, Taoist priest, haven't you heard that one hot pot is better than three fresh foods?"
Still pretentious.
Jiang Lin made such an argument.
Then, he was a little confused: "The Royal Concubine's birthday is not a big deal in the eyes of the prince, right? Why does he take it so seriously?"
It's the birthday of a concubine like you, and it's obviously not right for a prince of the highest rank to rush over to celebrate her birthday in the middle of the day.
"Master, you may not know that this Imperial Concubine Mei is the biological mother of the current Crown Prince."
Baihua explained, "The queen passed away twenty years ago, and since then, Your Majesty has never appointed another queen."
"And the queen did not give birth to a prince. The current prince is the son of Concubine Mei."
"It can be said that in the harem of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Concubine Mei is no different from the empress except that she does not have the title of empress."
Jiang Lin suddenly understood after hearing this.
"I see."
This should be the so-called "if there is a legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the heir, if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son will be the heir", right?
Jiang Lin sighed silently and chopped the leeks on the chopping board.
Zhou Rou on the side did not say anything. She stood beside Jiang Lin, leaned sideways to put the food in the bowl, and slowly prepared the stuffing.
If you look closely, you will find that Zhou Rou's eyes occasionally look at Jiang Lin next to her.
But Jiang Lin was unaware of anything and just helped Mr. Baihua roll out the dough.
After a short while, a basket of buns was put into the steamer.
In this kitchen, a prince, a princess, a Taoist priest, and a cultivator from a hundred schools of thought were all sitting together on a small stool, waiting to eat buns.
I have to say, this is a very interesting scene.
"Mr. Baihua, I'll have to trouble you to accompany me to this banquet."
The King of Qin rolled up his sleeves, looking like an old farmer, and spoke to Baihua.
Baihua was stunned when he heard this, but he nodded subconsciously and said, "Yes."
After that, he glanced at Jiang Lin hesitantly and asked in a low voice: "Do I need to make some preparations?"
The King of Qin sighed and said, "Bring the food with you. I'm sorry to trouble you, sir."
"Yes."
Baihua couldn't help but frown.
If I want to fully unleash the power of the art I'm practicing, I'll need the assistance of many unique magical instruments.
This was the first time that the prince had asked me to accompany him to a banquet in the palace before, not to mention asking me to bring all my belongings with me.
Jiang Lin naturally saw the trick, but he had no intention of asking.
However, even though Jiang Lin did not ask, the King of Qin still spoke.
"I don't know what my brother wants to do. He wants all the princes and ministers who attend the banquet to bring at least one of their own priests." "But the palace is forbidden. The rule has always been that outsiders are not allowed to set foot in..."
The King of Qin rubbed his brows and sighed, "This is a time of trouble."
Jiang Lin lowered his eyes, showing no intention of responding.
Zhou Rou, who was standing by, could not help but ask, "Father, will your daughter go with you?"
"Even if I don't tell you, I'll take yours with me."
The King of Qin smiled and said, "No matter what happens, at least all the famous families in Kyoto will come to this banquet."
Having said this, the King of Qin did not continue speaking, but his meaning was already obvious.
Zhou Rou couldn't help but secretly glance at Jiang Lin, only to find that he was staring at the steamer in a trance.
It seemed that in the Taoist priest's attention, nothing was more important than the buns that were about to be steamed.
This scene made Zhou Rou a little depressed.
Although she knew very well in her heart that the so-called love at first sight was nothing but a castle in the air, even if she was really determined, the Taoist priest in front of her would not be moved, so she had been telling herself these two days not to be too obsessed.
But when it really came to this, the Taoist priest in front of her didn't change at all, which still made her feel depressed.
At this moment, Jiang Lin suddenly raised his head, and Bai Hua beside him did the same. They both looked towards the direction of the palace gate.
"Both of you?"
King Qin raised his eyebrows.
"Your Majesty, someone is coming from the palace."
Baihua said with a frown.
"Ok?"
After hearing this, the King of Qin thought for a moment, stood up, and said, "Since he is from the palace, he must have some decree. Let's go and take a look."
After saying that, she walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron without changing her clothes.
I walked straight to the main hall and found that there were already three eunuchs waiting there.
The leading eunuch must be over eighty years old, his hair was completely white, and the skin on his cheeks was sagging.
"I greet His Royal Highness Prince Qin and Princess Rou."
The old eunuch went to meet the King of Qin and bowed.
"Does my brother have any important instructions? Why did the great eunuch Chen come here in person?"
The King of Qin did not show any disrespect to the old eunuch in front of him, and even asked him to sit down and talk.
From the old eunuch's age and the way the King of Qin addressed him, it can be seen that this old eunuch has probably been a close friend of the current emperor for several decades.
"The Emperor has some instructions."
Chen Dajian said with a smile, looking at Jiang Lin who was standing with Baihua, and grinned, but the smile was a little revealing.
"This Taoist priest is Taoist Priest Jiang Xuanying, right?"
After hearing this, King Qin frowned secretly, but a smile broke out on his face the next moment. He stood up very naturally, walked to Jiang Lin, patted his shoulder and took two steps forward.
"What the eunuch said is correct. This Taoist priest is none other than Taoist Xuanying."
King Qin stood beside Jiang Lin and said with a smile: "Could it be that the eunuch came here for Taoist Priest Jiang?"
The prince stood up. No matter what, Chen Dajian had no reason to sit still, so he stood up as well. When he heard the King of Qin addressing the Taoist priest Xuanying, he was moved.
Then, he straightened his clothes and said solemnly, "Your Highness, the Emperor has given you an order."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin was about to kneel down, but was stopped by Chen Dajian: "Your Majesty, the Emperor said that if you are a family member delivering a message, you don't have to perform formalities."
"Your Majesty, I respectfully listen to your instructions."
The King of Qin bowed again, and Zhou Rou knelt down behind him, and Baihua did the same.
Only Jiang Lin just bowed and that was the end of the matter.
This scene made Chen Dajian secretly angry, but he didn't say anything.
"Your Majesty's oral instruction: I heard that an interesting young Taoist priest came to Kyoto, and he is staying with my brother, Prince Qin. It just so happens that the palace is hosting a banquet today. Ask my brother, Prince Qin, to bring this young Taoist priest with you. I want to meet him."
After Chen Dajian finished speaking in the tone of the current emperor, he smiled and bowed, saying: "Your Highness, the emperor wants you to bring this Taoist priest Xuanying with you when you attend the banquet."
"It just so happens that you and the princess are both going to the banquet. In addition to Mr. Baihua, you can also bring another attendant."
Upon hearing this, the King of Qin looked deeply at Chen Dajian and said, "Dajian has misunderstood. Taoist Xiao Jiang is my daughter's friend, not a worshiper of the palace."
"However, since it is the order of His Majesty, I will not disobey. However, Taoist Xuanying is not from my palace..."
As he said this, the King of Qin looked at Jiang Lin and winked at him behind Chen Dajian's back.
What I mean is, even if you reject me, I still have a way to get around it.
Chen Dajian also looked at Jiang Lin and asked with a smile: "Although the Taoist priest is a monk, he was born and raised in Hangzhou, Zhou Kingdom. In a sense, he is also a subject of the emperor."
"This time the Emperor personally named you. This has never happened before."
There was a hint of advice in these words.
But Jiang Lin would rather understand it as a threat.
"Since it is the emperor's order, I will obey it. However, I am a country bumpkin and do not know the palace rules. If I offend anyone..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Dajian smiled and said, "Your Majesty has already ordered that the Taoist priest only needs to enter the palace."
"In this way, I have nothing to worry about."
Jiang Lin smiled and nodded.
"In that case, I will return to the palace to report."
Chen Dajian smiled and nodded and said goodbye.
The King of Qin withdrew his gaze only after the eunuch left the palace.
"what."
The King of Qin laughed inexplicably and said, "The Hundred Cavalry Division is truly omnipresent."
Jiang Lin narrowed his eyes. He knew without thinking what the Hundred Cavalry Division that the King of Qin mentioned was, but that was not his focus.
"This chief eunuch is not a simple person."
Bai Hua frowned when he heard this and said, "I have a feeling that if I fight this eunuch, even if I use all my skills, I won't last more than an incense stick."
"It would be strange if an old eunuch who has served two generations of emperors didn't have some skills."
King Qin was not surprised. He just looked at Jiang Lin and said, "Master, who do you think is behind this?"
"I'm afraid he's an old acquaintance of mine from Hangzhou."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "I didn't kill her at that time. It was my negligence."
He said this with a smile, but the obvious murderous intent made Baihua involuntarily move closer to King Qin.
Zhou Rou, who was standing by, breathed a sigh of relief for no reason.
"I'm afraid there won't be such an opportunity in the Imperial Palace."
King Qin frowned and sighed helplessly, "I'm afraid that Taoist priest will be troubled at this meeting."
"How about this, when the time comes, Mr. Baihua will follow Rou'er, and the Taoist priest will stay beside me. Even if there is anything dirty, I will be able to stop it."
At such a large banquet, young people and old men naturally would not be together.
The King of Qin was very thoughtful, but Jiang Lin shook his head.
"Your Highness, have you forgotten? The eunuch just said that the emperor has spoken the truth, and that I only need to be present. As for other matters, even if they are a little offensive or disrespectful, it doesn't matter."
"If there is no law prohibiting it, then everything can be done."
The fever has gone, but I still have some sequelae, such as dizziness, stuffy nose and cough, and especially soreness and weakness in my arms. I feel pain when I put them on the computer desk. I will try my best to write the second chapter. If I can't write it, please forgive me. I am really sorry. I am sorry to all the readers.
(End of this chapter)
