Chapter 209 Minglan's Inquiry
"Your Highness!" Minglan bowed.
"No gift."
Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "All of you, please leave!"
"Yes!" The palace maid standing by bowed and retreated.
"You go down too." Zhao Xing looked at Xiao Tao and said.
Xiao Tao looked at Minglan and saw Minglan nod slightly, then she bowed and left.
Zhao Xing looked at Minglan and said with some concern, "You look a lot thinner. Are you feeling better?"
Minglan has a round face and looks a little chubby. She has lost a lot of weight and her complexion is not very good.
It has a hint of sickness, making one feel pity for it.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm fine." Minglan faced Zhao Xing's gaze, lowered her head slightly, and said softly when she heard the words.
Zhao Xing came to the pavilion and sat down, saying, "Please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Minglan bowed and lowered her head to sit down opposite Zhao Xing.
"Don't you have anything to ask me?" Zhao Xing looked at the lake and smiled, "You must have a lot of doubts in your mind, right?"
Minglan hesitated for a moment and said, "I am a humble and chaste woman. I wonder why Your Highness treats me so well?"
It is said that there is no love without reason in the world.
But that's how Old Lady Sheng treated her.
But if you think about it carefully, it's not like Mrs. Sheng likes her for no reason.
She came to live with Old Lady Sheng when she was seven or eight years old. At first, Old Lady Sheng felt pity for her, but gradually developed feelings for her over time.
At least there is a process.
But she and Zhao Xing had never had any contact. The first time was when Zhao Xing went to Sheng's house and promised her that he would give her a legitimate status if she had children in the future.
The second time was at the polo match last year. Zhao Xing invited Rulan to Jinming Lake for dinner and fun, and also invited her.
Zhang Guifen could feel that Zhao Xing paid the most attention to her that day, so how could she not feel it?
Minglan found it very strange and thought of countless possibilities.
Because of her brother and father?
It seems unlikely. After all, there is already a Rulan, and she is the legitimate daughter.
There was no need for Zhao Xing to treat her, a concubine's daughter, like this.
Falling in love with her?
It seems unlikely. She knows herself well and knows that she may not be as good-looking as Molan and Rulan.
Moreover, Zhao Xing's status was so noble that he could get any beauty he wanted.
In the end, Minglan concluded that it was just an illusion.
However, this incident made her certain that Zhao Xing did have special feelings for her.
Not to mention that she was just a dowry, had no status, and was not allowed to enter the Eastern Palace to serve Zhao Xing.
How could Zhao Xing have the time to send people to investigate the murderer and avenge her?
Zhao Xing turned to look at Minglan, and Minglan lowered her head again in response to Zhao Xing's gaze.
"Do you remember the time when you played polo with the Crown Princess at Jinmingchi Villa last year? At that time, you were riding on a horse, galloping wildly, with a bright smile on your face. Your smile was very healing, and I liked it very much."
Zhao Xing's words, which were almost a confession, made Minglan blush.
But she still had doubts in her heart, as it was already the second time they met.
Why did Zhao Xing promise to give her a legitimate status if she had children in the future when he first went to Sheng's house to meet her?
"Okay." Zhao Xing did not give her a chance to ask more questions, and said, "You will be my woman in the future, so it is my duty to treat you well. I probably know something about your situation, but when you come to the East Palace in the future, you don't need to think too much about it, and you don't need to be cautious. The Crown Princess is a tolerant person, as long as you abide by your duties, she will not do anything to you."
The reason why Zhao Xing asked Minglan to ask was because he knew Minglan's personality.
She is very smart, and the environment she grew up in has made her cautious and careful, and she will think twice before encountering anything.
"Yes." Although Minglan still had doubts in her heart, she didn't dare to say more after Zhao Xing said so.
She didn't take what Zhao Xing said seriously.
Zhao Xing shook his head slightly, but didn't care. Minglan's personality was not formed in a day or two, so naturally she wouldn't change just because of a few words from him.
Over time, things will naturally change.
"I heard that you are a good cook, but you are not in good health now. When you recover and enter the East Palace in the future, cook for me to taste." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Minglan replied.
Seeing Minglan was still so reserved, Zhao Xing shook his head, stood up and said, "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
"Your Highness is greeted with respect!"
Minglan breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this. What Zhao Xing said put a lot of pressure on her.
She was also worried that word of what happened here would get to the Crown Princess, causing her to worry too much.
"That's right!" Zhao Xing walked a few steps and stopped, saying, "Don't be reluctant to eat the supplements I sent you earlier. I have someone prepare some more for you to take back when you go back later. Eat more to restore the fat on your face. It doesn't look good when you smile like this now."
Minglan: "..."
Xiao Tao returned to the pavilion only after Zhao Xing left.
"Girl, did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince make things difficult for you?" Xiao Tao asked.
Minglan came back to her senses after hearing this, and looked at Zhao Xingyuan's back and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could His Highness embarrass me?"
"What did His Highness say to you? Why did we talk for so long?" Xiao Tao asked curiously.
"Nothing." Minglan shook her head and said, "Okay, I'll rest for a while and regain some strength. Let's go find the Crown Princess."
"Miss, did you just tell His Highness to let me come to the East Palace with you?" Xiao Tao asked.
Minglan was given as a dowry to Rulan, and was nominally a maid, so naturally she had no right to bring a maid with her.
When Xiaotao received the invitation from the Crown Princess, she told Minglan that if she met the Crown Prince, she should ask if she could be brought along. However, Minglan was thinking about something at the time and did not tell her much.
"Xiao Tao!"
Minglan stopped walking after hearing this, looked at her and said, "It's hard to get into this palace, and it's even harder to get out. Although you are my maid, I always treat you like my sister. I will ask my grandmother to find a good family for you."
She has many maids around her, and she trusts Cuiwei and Danju very much.
However, this kind of trust is the kind that a master has for his servants.
But it’s different for Xiaotao.
At that time, no maid in her mother's courtyard was willing to go, and the original maids tried their best to leave their courtyard.
Only Xiaotao followed her all the time.
She was bullied by her two sisters, and Xiaotao was bullied by their maids.
Xiao Tao has a simple and naive personality. She didn't dare to resist when she was bullied, but she knew how to protect her.
She didn't know whether Zhao Xing would agree to her request, but she didn't want Xiao Tao to follow her to the Eastern Palace.
"I don't want it!" Xiao Tao's eyes turned red and she said, "Miss, don't you want me anymore?"
"Okay." Minglan said helplessly, "We'll talk about this when we get back."
She planned to go back and persuade Xiaotao again. Xiaotao was simple-minded and didn't know what entering the palace meant, but she knew.
…………
After Zhao Xing and Minglan chatted for a while and left, they never went there again.
At noon, Zhang Guifen invited him to have lunch together, but Zhao Xing did not go.
With nothing to do, Zhao Xing locked himself in the study and started working.
He was not busy reviewing the essays, as the vacation given to him by his father had not yet ended.
Zhao Xing was sorting out the knowledge about gunpowder in his mind.
Zhao Xing couldn't figure out whether he was reborn or traveled through time.
However, in ancient times, firearms must have been invented.
It is said that one regrets not having read enough books when he or she needs them. This is absolutely true.
As for gunpowder, all he remembered was one sulfur, two nitrate, three charcoal, and a little sugar, Big Ivan.
He only knows the general principles of guns and cannons.
Moreover, the materials available at this time may not be able to be tinkered with.
In fact, according to his understanding, the Song Dynasty army had already made simple use of gunpowder.
The most commonly used of these are rockets.
This rocket is not the same as the rockets of later generations.
In fact, it is an arrow of arson.
Anyone who has watched historical dramas should have seen that in ancient times, defenders of a city liked to set fire to it and burn the enemy’s siege equipment.
In the early days, people set fire by soaking cloth in kerosene, tying it to an arrow, lighting it, and shooting it out.
But nowadays, most rockets used in the military are powered by gunpowder.
In addition, there are catapults that can throw fireballs using gunpowder.
The Song Dynasty used gunpowder more to aid combustion.
Even if he can't make guns and cannons, it would be good if he could make explosives.
If this thing is used well, it can be very effective against cavalry at critical moments.
War horses are strictly trained and will not be easily frightened.
But if there is enough explosives, there is no need to blow up people. The sound alone is enough to scare the war horses.
This method can only be used once, and the other party will be on guard afterwards.
However, as long as you find a good opportunity, even if you don't win the battle in one fell swoop, it will be no problem to gain a big advantage.
And what if guns are invented?
The reason why Zhao Xing didn't do it before was because he was only a prince now and had limited power.
Once this thing is leaked, it will be meaningless.
Only when he became emperor could he study gunpowder and firearms.
Now we can prepare in advance.
…………
The Eastern Palace
In a courtyard in the west, a woman was leaning on a couch at the head of the main hall, holding a book in her hand and reading it with relish.
A palace maid walked into the room and bowed, saying, "Liang Di, Li Liang Di is here."
"Ok?"
Jiang Liangdi sat up after hearing this, thought for a moment and said, "Let her in."
"Yes!" The palace maid retreated after hearing the voice.
"Aunt...Liang Di, it would be inappropriate if we don't go to greet Li Liang Di when she comes." The old lady next to her reminded.
"She and I are both Liang Di, with the same status and rank. If I go to greet her, wouldn't I be inferior to her?" Liang Di Jiang said as she put down the book.
"Langdi has just entered the palace, so she should get along well with the concubines in the palace. Yu Liangyuan and Sheng Zhengpin are very favored. Liangdi and Li Liangdi entered the palace at the same time and have the same rank. If she has a good relationship with her, she can also have a helper." Mother Su said.
"Okay, my mother kept nagging me when I was at home. Now that I finally got rid of her, you're nagging me again. They are favored as long as they are favored. I'm not interested in flirting and trying to win favor. Your Highness, please come if you want to. I don't care if you don't want to." Jiang Liangdi said as she picked up the book and continued reading.
"Liang Di...Oh, girl!"
Seeing this, Mother Su snatched the book from her hand and said, "Even if you don't care about these things, you can't say them. What if His Highness hears about them? Besides, Li Liangdi will be here soon, so you should stop reading the storybook."
"Alright, alright, just put it away for me." Jiang Liangdi said helplessly.
(End of this chapter)