Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Li Zhen and Li Zhi, the two brothers, failed to answer Emperor Li Shimin's questions and were punished to copy the *Jijiu Zhang* twice. They were now copying the book under the lamp light, looking rather miserable.
Li Jingyun and Li Mingda were also beside them. They were simply practicing calligraphy.
Princess Gaoyang had returned to the Ice Tower. Before leaving, she told them that the Ice Tower would open the day after tomorrow and asked them to come.
Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, and Li Yin had all left. One went to read memorials, another returned to the Eastern Palace, and the other went to arrange his new residence.
"Has he left?"
"Left, left. We can relax for a while." Li Zhen craned his neck as if looking far away. After seeing Li Shimin leave through the main entrance of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he immediately turned back and said.
"That's good."
Li Zhi threw the pen in his hand and began to let loose.
As for the copying they were supposed to do, of course, their subordinates would do it for them. Those people deliberately imitated their handwriting.
"Hongxuan, dear sister, stop writing. Father is not in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. There's no need to pretend. How's your villa? When will you take me to have a look?" Li Zhen came up to Li Jingyun, grinning.
Li Jingyun smiled. "Eighth brother, you're always under your mother's supervision. How can you get out of the palace?"
"I'll go with you. Mother will surely agree. You've all been there several times, but I haven't been even once. That's not okay."
Li Zhen was also a bit of a rascal, but he was strictly disciplined by his father, the great emperor Li Shimin. He always pretended to be well - behaved in front of his father, which made many people ignore his true nature.
"What on earth does cement look like? I heard you're making paper and researching a new printing technique. Don't you want to see how it's going? Better now than later. How about tomorrow morning? The four of us can go together." Li Zhen rambled on. When he looked back, he saw his younger sister sipping longevity porridge contentedly.
Her innocent big eyes blinked at him.
He was about to repeat himself when someone patted him on the shoulder twice.
"Who is it? Just talk. Why are you patting me?"
Li Zhen was so engrossed in what he was saying that he didn't notice the dead silence in the entire hall. No one dared to speak. Hongxuan and Li Zhi were winking at him like they had eye spasms.
He just went on talking. "Hongxuan, just take me with you. I also want to see the road made of cement and stones."
"Can't you go by yourself? Why do you have to be accompanied by Hongxuan?"
The person behind him asked.
Li Zhen was a bit impatient. Who on earth was this person? Asking such a boring question.
"Didn't I just say? Mother won't agree if I don't go with Hongxuan!" Li Zhen said as he turned around. When he saw it was Empress Zhangsun standing behind him, his legs went weak and he knelt down immediately.
"Mother? Mother, why are you here? Do you miss your son?" Li Zhen changed his tune so quickly.
He really was off - guard, off - guard!
He only thought he was safe after Father left and didn't expect Mother to show up.
He wasn't used to his mother who had recovered her health. In his impression, Empress Zhangsun was still the one who was bedridden and had difficulty getting out of bed.
Li Jingyun quickly swallowed the half - mouthful of porridge in her mouth. She couldn't help laughing and lowered her head, her shoulders shaking. Eighth brother was so funny.
He was so arrogant just now, and now he was on the verge of acting coquettishly.
"You've learned how to coerce and induce, huh?" Empress Zhangsun pinched Li Zhen's chubby cheek. "Why are you so interested in your sister's affairs? Who told you about them?"
She was worried about Li Jingyun. Her little daughter had never experienced such things before, and she was afraid she might think too much, so she came to have a look.
Unexpectedly, her little daughter was fine and seemed normal.
It was Li Zhen who was over - excited, a person who had nothing to do with it.
Li Zhen struggled in his heart for a long time before deciding to tell the truth. "That guy Cui Xian said that Hongxuan, a little girl, definitely couldn't build a library, not even make paper. I refuted him, and he said that I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, so why was I so sure. That's why I want to go out and have a look."
"So that's how it is. Cui Xian, isn't he Cui Tian's younger brother?" Empress Zhangsun always felt the name was familiar. She thought for a while and then remembered.
The Cui family was able to send their children to study in the Hongwen Academy. In other words, Cui Xian and Li Zhen were classmates.
This bet had only been made for three or four days, and the location of the library hadn't been decided yet. Was the Cui family so eager to probe the progress of the royal family?
"Yes." Li Zhen replied.
Li Jingyun finished the porridge and slumped contentedly on the Hu - bed. She said casually, "Mother, just let eighth brother go with me to have a look tomorrow. We have nothing better to do anyway."
Besides the papermaking and movable - type printing in the villa, she was also thinking about the peddlers selling silver - thread candy and transparent - flower cakes in front of her Chengyang Princess Mansion.
The food outside the palace wasn't as delicate as that in the palace, but it had a unique flavor.
That was what she felt when she ate cold Chinese scholar tree leaf noodles last time.
"Okay. You just need to know your limits." Empress Zhangsun said. Then she looked down at Li Jingyun. "Hongxuan, you did a good job this afternoon, but you need to be tougher."
"Tougher? Mother, I'm not going to handle political affairs like Father and elder brother in the future. I don't need to learn these things, do I?" Li Jingyun pulled on Empress Zhangsun's sleeve and said pitifully.
Learning how to get along with those officials was something elder brother should do.
"Why don't you need to? You're a princess. There will also be officials working in your mansion. Aren't you going to manage them? And you, Zhinu, and the others are the same."
"Yes, I understand, Mother."
Li Jingyun nodded obediently.
At this time, in the Cui family, Cui Tian was standing at the door with a feather duster, waiting for Cui Xian to come back. As soon as a carriage stopped at the door, Cui Xian lifted the curtain. When he saw his elder sister's face, he quickly pulled the curtain back.
He called to the coachman, "Hurry up! Go back first!"
"Stop! Where do you think you're going?" Cui Tian shouted. The coachman didn't dare to move and had to turn back to persuade Cui Xian. "Fifteenth young master, you'd better get off. The mistress is really angry today. Hurry up and go apologize."
"I'm scared."
Cui Xian's voice trembled at the end.
"Come out. I won't beat you today." Cui Tian said.
Cui Xian was still scared, but he still came out tremblingly. After getting off the carriage, he felt his calves shaking.
"Sister, you promised not to beat me."
Cui Xian kept dodging backward. The coachman quickly drove the carriage away.
"Come in. The food at home is ready. We're waiting for you to have dinner."
After the door was closed, Cui Xian saw a pretty and graceful little maid kneeling in the yard. It was his personal maid, Cuizong. There were tear - stains on her face, and it seemed she had been crying.
He felt pity for her and immediately went over to pull her up. Just then, when he looked up, he saw Cui Tian standing in front of him with a feather duster.
"Sister? Sister? Didn't you say you wouldn't beat me?" Cui Xian, who was domineering outside, was very afraid of his elder sister at home.
He had been disciplined by his elder sister since he was a child.
"I'm asking you, did you deflower Cuizong?"
Seeing her younger brother nod, Cui Tian immediately whipped him with the feather duster. "Deflower her but not take her as a concubine? What will she do in the future? And you're still so young! How could you do such a thing!"