Li Yuanmin is wearing a six-peach long dress with gold cloud pattern piping. She has a golden phoenix on her head, decorated with several golden butterfly flowers. She is pretty and rich. The golden jewelry on her head reflects in the sunlight.
There was a dazzling light under her eyes, dazzling and sharp, exactly the same as the look in her eyes that fell on Qingrong. She sneered and said: "You are Lu Siniang's sister, right? You are indeed restless, and you have climbed to the Duke's mansion.
Yes, is this also a place for people like you?"
Her words made everyone present change their expressions. Although Qingrong didn't know the reason, there was no annoyance on her face. She just asked lightly: "I wonder what the princess means by this?"
This neither salty nor bland look seemed like a provocation in the eyes of Princess Ming. She seemed to be even more angry at this time, saying: "You are just like your sister, you are a person with no good intentions and evil intentions. She did what she did."
Don’t you know something? How dare you ask me so shamelessly?”
Qingrong couldn't help frowning when she heard that it was related to Siniang. Ayan was also very embarrassed, so she could only smooth things over and said: "The princess came here to find the princess. It's better to go in early, and don't let the princess wait in a hurry."
That’s good.”
Li Yuanmin said angrily: "Can you even come against me?"
Ayan was in trouble and couldn't tell, so she quickly said: "What are you talking about, princess? How dare you, my maid? It's just that this third lady is also a guest invited by the madam. I can't keep my lady waiting for a long time..."
"Mrs. Wei?" Li Yuanmin glared at Qingrong, snorted, and said angrily: "Let's forget it for today, I will never give up easily." After that, he walked away with all the servants.
Princess Ming came here because of Siniang. How did Siniang offend someone? Qingrong was thinking about it when Ayan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sanniang, let's go in too."
Qingrong came back to her senses and smiled apologetically, "Thank you for your help."
Ayan walked in front and waved her hand: "Sanniang, don't be polite. You are my lady's guest. This is already at the door of our Duke's mansion. How can I ignore it?"
Qingrong smiled and said: "I have only come to Yongcheng recently. I have only lived in Yongcheng for a short time. I don't know many officials and family members. I wonder who this princess is? But is she related to the lady?"
"The Princess Ming is the legitimate daughter of King Yong. Princess Chang Ning, the daughter of the late Emperor, married into the Duke's mansion. The princess is only a few years older than the Princess. The two have a deep relationship. The Princess often comes to the mansion to look for the Princess."
"That's it." Qingrong nodded. As he spoke, a group of people walked through the courtyard gate, entered the hall, and saw a carriage waiting here. Qingrong got on the carriage. Looking from a distance, the courtyard of the Duke's Mansion was beautifully built.
It is very spacious, with white walls and black tiles, and an exquisite attic. It occupies a large area in such a place where land is so valuable, and it is not unworthy of wealth. After a cup of tea, I walked around the rockery and came to a courtyard.
"We're here, that's it." Ayan led Qingrong to Wei Xunyan's yard.
It's mid-October now, and although it's not the middle of winter, the cold wind blowing on the body is quite refreshing. After entering, the whole room is filled with warm fragrance, and Wei Xunyan lies on the soft couch and flips through a book casually.
Seeing Qingrong coming, she became interested and asked: "Are you here? Sit down quickly. I heard that you had a quarrel with Princess Ming at the door?"
Qingrong saw the gift and sat on the stool in front of the soft couch as instructed. She couldn't help saying, "Madam, you are really well-informed. I have never seen the princess before. I don't know why or where I offended the princess today."
It's not my fault anyway."
Mrs. Wei was amused, "You admit your mistake quickly. I don't think your words and deeds seem like a reckless person. You have never met her, so how could you offend her?" She said a little pretentiously: "I think you may not know.
What happened between her and the Xue family is unfortunate. Although she is usually arrogant, she is not so difficult to deal with. She has been in a bad mood recently. If you bump into her again, she might take it out on you.
."
Xue family? What does this have to do with the Xue family? Qingrong also pretended to be surprised, "Why is this?"
"The late Emperor proposed to her to marry Xue Liulang from Duke Xingguo's family. The Xue family first did not marry the princess because of the national mourning, and later did not propose to the princess for a long time. Although the marriage was approved by the late emperor,
, but there is no matchmaker and no betrothal, so there is no fixed number. I only heard that the marriage was being discussed before, but this time during the Western Expedition, Xue Yan, because of his brother's mistakes, took the opportunity to ask for a companion to go on the expedition, saying
I don’t want to delay the princess and want to cancel the engagement."
Seeing that Qingrong listened carefully and was stunned for a while, Mrs. Wei couldn't help but feel a little proud, and continued: "I don't know what Xue Liulang is thinking, but the princess really wants to marry him, and now the marriage is gone.
The next few days, it might even be invalidated, but why don't we make her anxious and get angry? She has always had a good relationship with Chang Ning, and today it's time to complain to this aunt."
For some reason, Qingrong blurted out nervously: "Xue Liulang's brother made a mistake? Which brother was it?"
Mrs. Wei didn't know why she asked this, wasn't she referring to the princess? She glanced at Qingrong strangely, and then thought about it, "It seems to be my cousin...Xue Shao? I heard that he was killed in the army for no reason.
Officer, disregarding military discipline...I don’t remember it clearly, but I just heard it, why do you ask about this?"
How could it be for no reason? Sure enough...she knew that what happened that day still brought him trouble.
Qingrong's eyes were blank and she was lost in thought. Mrs. Wei said: "What's wrong?"
Qingrong came back to her senses. She knew she had made a mistake and secretly regretted it in her heart. But she smiled and said thoughtfully: "It's nothing. I just heard that Xue Shao is an upright man and treats his subordinates well. Hearing this, I feel weird.
That's all. Then...has he been punished for this?"
Mrs. Wei glanced at her and asked curiously: "Really? Is it possible that you know him? Otherwise, you are so curious about him?"
Qingrong looked at her straightforward and curious eyes, and was a little unsure for a moment. She said she knew her, but she seemed to be clinging to the Xue family. She said she didn't know him, so of course it wasn't... She had no choice but to lower her eyes, wondering: "Madam, you are joking, I...I
I just heard about him and was curious."
Before Mrs. Wei could react, she changed the subject and said, "By the way, I almost forgot what I came here for today."
Qingrong ordered: "Songyue, quickly bring up the drawing paper. Madam, take a look, are you satisfied with these? If you are satisfied, I will send them to the West Market store."
Wei Xunyan looked at the elegant peonies and other flower and bird patterns on the paper, and she liked them very much. Qingrong guessed that she also liked gorgeous styles, so she chose these to draw, and it was true. "These are the ones I
If you like them all, then I'll bother you. I've already asked someone to find a few of these screen stands as per your request, and I'll take you to pick them out?"
"Madam, you're welcome. Although I have painted screens, I am naturally not as good at selecting shelves as Madam. I wonder if I would be brave enough to ask Madam to choose for me."
Wei Xunyan said: "That's fine. The paintings I saw were ink paintings of Danqing. It might as well be paired with this black sandalwood screen frame to make it look antique. What do you think?"
Qingrong nodded and said with a smile: "Just follow Madam's advice."
Wei Xunyan saw her choosing a screen stand in the West Market store and knew that she valued it. He couldn't help but curiously asked: "Who are you giving this gift to?"
Qingrong's heart skipped a beat, thinking about how to answer. With her important status here, if she concealed her relationship with Liu Yuniang, it might make people think she had ulterior motives. "To be honest, madam, she is a member of the palace.
Noble man."
"Oh? From the palace?" This made Mrs. Wei interested. She often went in and out of the palace. She didn't know which one Qingrong was talking about.
Qingrong smiled and observed Madam Wei's expression rather nervously, "Yes, let Madam laugh. In the palace... the newly appointed concubine Xian is my cousin. I am making this screen now to congratulate her on her promotion."
."
I thought that Mrs. Wei would dislike her because of this, but she didn't expect that she looked calm, as if she didn't take this kind of thing to heart at all. She covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh? So it's this Concubine Liu Xian, really.
I didn’t expect that you and her are still close relatives.”
Yes, she didn't expect that you were actually the queen's sister. Qingrong breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her like this, it seemed that Liu Yuniang had a good relationship with the queen. She smiled and pretended not to know her identity.
Quite surprised, she said: "Does Madam know a virtuous concubine?"
Wei Xunyan thought she didn't know her identity, and said somewhat mysteriously: "Not only have I met her, but the sister I mentioned to you is now in the middle palace. Naturally, I have also had the opportunity to meet Concubine Xian several times."
"Ah!" Qingrong quickly stood up and saluted Mrs. Wei, looking in disbelief, "Madam is of high status, but I am blind."
Wei Xunyan smiled and asked her to stand up, "Why are you so polite? I am not in the palace. You have never seen me, so it is normal for you not to recognize me."
"Yes, thank you madam. Madam is really generous and considerate." Qingrong followed her words, shook his head and said with a smile: "Speaking of it, I am not used to these rules. When I first arrived at Lingbao Temple, I was so uncomfortable because of this.
I accidentally knocked over the incense burner because I was familiar with the etiquette, which made me laugh. But I learned it at home for nearly a month, and I can be regarded as a good one. Thank you, Madam, I don't mind it."
"Knocked over the incense burner?" Mrs. Wei couldn't help laughing, "You said you are new to learning the rules? Didn't anyone teach you in the family before?"
Qingrong said: "Madam, you don't know. I was weak since I was a child, so my father sent me to live in a Taoist temple in Nanyuan Mountain for two or three years to recuperate. I was away from home for some time. I came to Yongcheng just a month ago, so
There are many things that I don’t understand very well, and it’s just a joke.”
"I see." Mrs. Wei sighed and laughed at herself: "It's hard for you to stay in the Taoist temple. If I were bored, I would be bored and anxious to go home."
Qingrong said: "At first I was a little unaccustomed to it, but since I came to this capital, I have found that I feel much more at ease in the temple. There are not so many rules and etiquette to abide by. It can be said that I am at ease."
Mrs. Wei laughed and said: "It turns out that I don't like to follow rules, but this is a coincidence. I often go to the palace, and I am often very annoyed by these rules, which always make people feel restricted. Ordinarily, my sister has already
She is in the middle palace, but she said that as a queen, she should set an example, or should she tell me that in this position, I should follow the rules, pay attention to everything, and don't let others criticize me. Do you think she is too worried?
"
Qingrong just listened to what she said and felt that the Queen should be a dignified and virtuous person, self-denial and observant of etiquette. But for a queen of a country to be able to do this, there is nothing to blame. Qingrong smiled and said: "Your Highness the Queen is one
The mother of the country, the mother of the world, is naturally strict with herself, and she is worthy of being an example to our female relatives. Her pure appearance is beyond comparison."
Mrs. Wei paused, smiled and sighed: "You, I think you are young, but you are doing the same thing. Maybe you can have a few words with Yingniang."
After the two chatted and laughed for a while, a female doll carved in pink and jade came to look for Mrs. Wei. It seemed that this was Mrs. Wei's daughter. Seeing her coming, Qingrong no longer disturbed their mother and daughter, so she left.
Go, take the selected screen frame and drawing paper to the Jia Val Store in Xishi.
I heard from Mrs. Wei that the reason why the princess was in trouble with her was because her recent marriage was not going well, but the princess also mentioned Siniang, what does this have to do with Siniang? And...Xue Shao's matter, all of these are...