The Crown Prince was seventeen, only three years younger than Prince Jin.
However, the Crown Prince looked somewhat scholarly. Although his eyebrows and eyes were a little similar to Prince Jin's, his face shape and nose bridge were not as sharp as Prince Jin's, and his lips were slightly fuller, making him look less stern and more gentle and sunny.
The Emperor glanced at him, frowning, "What are you going to do? Stay here and keep vigil. As the Crown Prince, you should naturally do better than your younger brothers, setting an example."
Was the Crown Prince so attached to Prince Jin?
"Zhou Ze can go if he wants. He can keep vigil when he returns." Prince Jin, however, placed a hand on Crown Prince Zhou Ze's arm, "Let's go."
He seemed to have just gotten up and was unsteady, so the Crown Prince quickly steadied him.
"Imperial Father, your son will continue keeping vigil when he returns."
The Emperor huffed, then called out to the other imperial princes, "Then, the Second Prince can go too."
A hint of joy welled up in the Second Prince's eyes. He quickly agreed and came over.
"Imperial Father, your son will support you." He walked over and quickly supported the Emperor.
The Emperor immediately felt much more comfortable.
Look, the Second Prince was still sensible and knew who to be close to.
The group proceeded grandly to the ancestral temple.
Meanwhile, Nanny Qing woke up feeling refreshed today. The fatigue from yesterday had completely disappeared, and she hadn't even dreamed last night.
She slept deeply and dreamlessly until dawn.
She took out the small sachet from the secret pocket of her inner garment and looked at it for a long while.
Could it be that the talisman drawn by Second Miss Lu was really effective?
But this was too magical.
Nanny Qing thought of the steward. The steward hadn't been sleeping well these past few days either, but because he wasn't as close to Qing Yin and Qing Bao, he naturally hadn't mentioned it to the two maids.
She took the sachet and went to find Steward Yun Bo.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
Yun Bo sighed, "You know, with the Prince's condition, how could I sleep well? As soon as I lie down, I have one nightmare after another."
Nanny Qing handed him the sachet.
"Keep this on you when you sleep tonight."
Yun Bo was puzzled, "Why?"
It was crimson. What would an old man like him do wearing such a sachet to sleep?
"Just wear it! We'll talk again when you wake up tomorrow!"
Nanny Qing huffily shoved the sachet into his hand, glaring at him severely, "You must wear it to sleep!"
With that, she turned and walked away.
Yun Bo watched her retreating back, baffled, and mumbled, "This old woman, so fierce."
He shivered but still tucked the sachet into his embrace.
At the ancestral temple, the Emperor and his entourage had arrived in the main hall.
The spirit tablets on the altar were neatly arranged, except for one, which had toppled over.
Prince Jin recognized that tablet at a glance; it belonged to his Imperial Father, the Retired Emperor.
What was going on now?
"That, that fallen tablet is the Retired Emperor's?" the Emperor asked.
Grand Master Zhi Shen, with Master Si Zhen and Master Jie Chi, was guarding nearby. As Zhi Shen was about to speak, Jie Chi innocently blurted out.
"Yes, it can't be set upright."
"Amitabha," Zhi Shen stepped forward, blocking Jie Chi. "My unruly disciple is still young and speaks nonsense. Please forgive him, Your Majesty."
The Emperor, at this moment, wouldn't bother with a young monk.
What he found strange was, could the tablet truly not be set upright?
"Crown Prince, go and see."
Crown Prince Zhou Ze assented and walked over to set the tablet upright.
"Is the base unstable?" the Emperor asked.
The Crown Prince inspected it carefully; there was nothing wrong. "Reporting to Imperial Father, the base is very stable, also smooth, and the weight is balanced."
It wasn't top-heavy at all.
"Then was it blown by the wind?"
The Emperor paused after speaking, as he hadn't felt any wind.
Prince Jin watched the Crown Prince replace the tablet, his expression indifferent, "Let's just wait and see."
Under the eyes of so many people, let's see how that tablet falls again.
"Since I am here, I shall offer incense." The Emperor felt it was awkward to just stand there.
Zhi Shen quickly lit the incense sticks and came over.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince also held incense. When it was Prince Jin's turn, he waved his hand, not taking it, "This Prince won't need it."
Zhi Shen found it strange. Why wouldn't he need it?
The Emperor, with the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, knelt and offered incense. After placing the incense sticks into the censer, they all stared intently at the tablet.
After a while, the tablet remained perfectly still and stable.
The Emperor looked at Zhi Shen.
"What is going on?" Didn't they say it couldn't be set upright?
Zhi Shen was also surprised.
Master Si Zhen and Master Jie Chi exchanged glances, the two monastic brothers simultaneously scratching their round, shiny heads in confusion.
"Huh..."
"Are you playing tricks on me?" The Emperor's face darkened.
Zhi Shen quickly uttered Amitabha, "Your Majesty, how could this humble monk joke about the Retired Emperor's tablet?"
The Emperor thought for a moment, and he agreed.
He had known Zhi Shen for over ten years, and he wasn't this kind of person; he had always been very steady.
"Then what is happening?"
"Perhaps, the Retired Emperor just wanted His Majesty and the Crown Prince to offer incense?" Jie Chi answered first again. "Now that His Majesty and the Crown Prince have come, the Retired Emperor isn't throwing a tantrum anymore."
This left everyone somewhat bewildered. Was that really it?
They waited for a while longer, but the tablet did not fall.
"Alright, if there's nothing wrong, let's return to the palace."
The Emperor and his group left first. Prince Jin didn't move. He only walked over then, took an incense stick, "Imperial Father, I already have a fiancée, and I've returned to the capital. I promised you I wouldn't leave. What more are you dissatisfied with?"
He placed the incense stick into the censer.
"My life and yours were originally linked. Your departure almost took me with you. Now that I've been saved by Lu Zhaoling, are you perhaps displeased?"
Thud.
The tablet fell down.
Prince Jin: "...."
His eyebrow twitched.
He set the tablet upright again, "Do you truly want me to die with you?"
The tablet did not fall.
Logically, this shouldn't be possible.
Prince Jin found it utterly absurd. Could this tablet truly hear his words? And was it really reacting to him?
A thought stirred in his mind, and he asked again, "Then, it can't be that you're dissatisfied with Lu Zhaoling becoming my Princess Consort, can it?"
"Thud!"
The tablet fell again!
A small bald head peeked in from outside the door.
Prince Jin froze in place, staring at the toppled tablet.
He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock.
"You are truly displeased? Then next time, I'll bring her here, and you can tell her yourself." Prince Jin turned and walked away.
After he left, little Jie Chi ran back in, set the tablet upright, and bowed.
"Retired Emperor, you don't like the Prince Consort? Huh, does Prince Jin have a Princess Consort already? Is she perhaps very ugly, which is why you don't like her? How ugly must she be?"
She was so ugly that even the Retired Emperor's spirit tablet manifested!
From that moment on, Jie Chi's curiosity about the future Princess Consort soared to its highest point.
The next day, Nanny Qing woke up and immediately went to find the steward.
The sun was already high, but Yun Bo, who usually rose earlier than chickens, was still not awake.
"Old Yun! Get up now!" Nanny Qing banged on the door.
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