novelhk Chapter 225 His Royal Highness Prince Ning
Chapter 225 His Royal Highness Prince Ning
Chapter 225 His Royal Highness Prince Ning
February was still a bit chilly, and the nobles of Kyoto were still wearing their winter fur coats, but the sun was so bright that young men and women had already started to get together. They might write poetry in a poetry club, make tea in a teahouse, or even play polo.
Today's polo match was organized by the eldest princess, and the guests were all noble ladies from Kyoto and their unmarried children. Some were also engaged, and while it was not convenient to meet privately on weekdays, they could take this opportunity to see each other and get a feel for each other's temperament.
The Feng family also arrived: the Crown Prince's wife, accompanied by her youngest uncle, Feng Zizhou, and a little niece from her mother's family. At this moment, the uncle and niece had gone out to play with their friends, leaving the Crown Prince's wife alone, rubbing her swollen brows and talking to her friends.
"My task today is not an easy one. The fifth child ran away from his marriage last year, causing unrest in the family. After he was found, my father-in-law and my husband beat him so hard that he couldn't get out of bed. If the emperor hadn't taken pity on him and brought him into the palace, who knows what would have happened to him by now."
The friend, the wife of the Wenchang Marquis, smiled faintly and said, "What are you worried about? Even if he's a troublemaker, if he's favored by the emperor, then there's only good in him. Just now, several ladies came over to greet you. Isn't that very clear?"
The Crown Prince's wife felt bitter and took the Countess's hand and said, "Sister, others may not know, but don't you know? The one he ran away from was a princess. How many princesses are there in this world? Alas, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to get married. Forget it, forget it. I can't do anything. If I can, I might as well find a suitable one for my niece today."
There are young men everywhere in Kyoto, but for families like theirs, finding the right one is not easy. If they have a good family background, they worry about their character, and if they have the right character, they worry about their alignment. Alignment is the most important and careful consideration, otherwise, like the Si family in the past...
Thinking of the Si family, the Crown Prince's wife didn't dare to say much.
Feng Zizhou on the other side was carefree. Seeing a man alone not far away, not with others but with a horse, he ran over and patted the man on the shoulder.
"Your Highness Prince Ning!"
King Ning looked back at him without any expression, then turned around and grabbed a handful of hay to feed the horse himself.
Feng Zizhou didn't care. He sat down on the ground next to him and said, "The worst thing about you is that you don't like to talk. You're a nice person, but you're like a person without a mouth. You're so boring. On weekdays, when I see you in the Dali Temple, you're either reading files or trying cases. It's like you have no life of your own. You finally got a day off to go out and play, but why don't you join others? Let's play polo together later, okay?"
Prince Ning shook his head and remained silent.
Feng Zizhou spread his hands and said, "You came to the polo field, but you're not playing polo? Then why are you here? Oh... I see. The eldest princess ordered you to come, right? Hehe, did you come here specifically to see your fiancée, Zhao Ning?"
The title "长" (Eldest Princess) wasn't a title; it simply came from the fact that she was the firstborn daughter of the late emperor. Her mother, of low rank, fell out of favor, and they lived a life of dependence. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was not intolerant and treated them with kindness. After the late emperor's passing, and without the harem infighting, the eldest princess's life improved, and it was then that she began to be respectfully addressed as the eldest princess.
Her former husband was just an ordinary Jinshi. After marrying the princess, he was granted the title of Marquis and was a leisurely man.
The eldest princess had a son and a daughter. Her son was quite promising and was currently gaining experience in the Ministry of Personnel. Her daughter was the Princess of Zhaoning County. She had been engaged to Prince Ning since childhood and was just waiting for the two children to grow up before marrying them.
The old Prince of Ning was originally just the son of an ordinary royal family member, but he was the emperor's childhood study partner and was considered his best friend. Logically speaking, the marriage between Prince of Ning and Princess Zhao Ning was a close relationship, but Prince Ning's situation was quite complicated.
Over two years ago, the Ning Prince's mansion was robbed. After much investigation, a shocking case was uncovered: the Crown Prince, who was about to come of age, had been switched at birth. This meant that the Crown Prince was not the Ning Prince's son at all, and the Ning Prince's biological son had disappeared.
This incident caused a huge uproar in the entire Kyoto. The old Prince Ning died of vomiting blood and illness. Before his death, the emperor went to see him in person, and he begged the emperor to find his son back.
As luck would have it, General Hu, a border defender, returned victorious, bringing back an unconscious adopted son. He said the adopted son was brave and careful, having rescued the injured General Hu from an ambush. On his way back, he was attacked, and disregarding his own safety, he blocked a knife for General Hu. General Hu then adopted him as his son, but upon waking, he had no recollection of his past.
Later, General Hu learned that the Emperor was searching for the true Prince of Ning. Unable to conceal the birthmark on the Prince's shoulder, he brought the adopted son into the palace. Without a second thought, as the adopted son bore a striking resemblance to the young Prince of Ning, the Emperor immediately recognized the child and named him Prince of Ning.
So, although Prince Ning said he was a royal prince, his true identity was still somewhat questionable. Many people thought that this person might have been deliberately offered by General Hu as an impersonator. After all, the world is so big, and although it is not easy to find someone with a similar appearance, it is not impossible.
In fact, Zhao Ning is already eighteen years old and should be of marriageable age, but she does not like Prince Ning and refuses to marry him even though she cries and makes a fuss. The princess has no way to deal with her and the marriage has been postponed again and again. She thought of taking advantage of today's opportunity to let the two meet and interact with each other, and maybe they will develop feelings for each other.
After feeding the horse, Prince Ning patted the horse's head and said, "I don't know how to play polo. I can't play."
Feng Zizhou jumped up: "It's okay, I'll teach you!"
Prince Ning glanced at him, but ignored him. Instead, he asked, "Last month, you talked to me about popularizing the rule of law and said you would write a plan for me. Have you finished it yet?"
Feng Zizhou touched his nose and said guiltily, "Father and Daddy are very strict. I wanted to go and see the people, but they wouldn't let me."
"Why do we need to go to the grassroots to learn about the proposal?"
Feng Zizhou immediately said, "You don't understand this, do you? Look at my cousin, a girl who grew up in the countryside, how could she write so many things? It's because she lives among the people and can understand their suffering. Prince Ning, although you also grew up among the people, you have forgotten your past, right? You need to go deep into the people to get a more suitable legal education strategy for the people."
Prince Ning stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "You're absolutely right. Many of the Dali Temple's members come from humble backgrounds or commoner families. I've asked them about their views on popularizing the law, but surprisingly, they have absolutely no understanding of it. Sometimes I think about it: the Dali Temple is said to be full of talented people, but why do I feel like they're all mediocre? Even worse than your cousin who writes so poorly?"