The carriage slowly drove into the gate of the Duke of Yue's Mansion, then went around the Xixing Pond and the front garden, and finally stopped at the door of the main residence. Dong Biaoyi jumped out of the carriage first, skillfully placed the dismounting stool, and Yunxi came
He opened the curtain and got out, then turned around to help Xia Houshu.
Xia Houshu lay on the soft cushion and was distracted all the way, enjoying the moment of tranquility. Hearing the sound of Yunxi, she sat up, straightened her clothes, and then took her hand to get out of the carriage.
As soon as the three of them stood still, they saw several men dressed as scholars walking out of the gate. The few people who were chatting and laughing immediately fell silent when they saw the carriage at the door and the people coming down.
Xia Houshu took a quick glance and found that they were all literary talents that Xia Houyuan had entertained. One of them was Shang Mingchuan, whom Xia Houyuan favored very much.
Shang Mingchuan now has an official status, but every time he comes to the Duke's Mansion of Yue, he always dresses up as a scholar and seems to have no airs, which is very useful to his colleagues.
Xiahou Shu remembered that she had deceived Shang Mingchuan by pretending to be a maid before, and she almost instinctively wanted to turn sideways to avoid the other party's sight. But then she thought about it, the carriage they were riding in was very ordinary, and it did not hang the Xiahou family's home.
Hui, they may not be able to guess her identity. What's more, there are rumors all over the capital that she has a bad temper and ugly appearance. Who would have thought that she is the protagonist of the rumors if they don't know the inside story?
In other words, Shang Mingchuan is a respectable scholar and has an official status, so he doesn't even have this kind of self-cultivation. Even if he really doesn't know etiquette and has no vision, and even exposes her mercilessly,
Then all she has to do is deny it and refuse to admit it. What can he do to her?
Also, she went back to her home openly, why should she avoid others?
Xia Houshu straightened his body and looked straight ahead with a calm expression, as if he had not noticed the literati. Obviously, the literati were much more polite than she thought. When she saw a female family member passing by, she
They all lowered their heads and leaned to the side.
Sure enough, a child can be taught! Xia Houshu was very satisfied with this and led Yunxi into the gate of the Yue Kingdom Palace without looking away. He did not notice that Shang Mingchuan glanced at her secretly.
Several other literati also quietly paid attention to this young and beautiful woman.
Entering the front yard, I happened to meet Butler Li who had just sent a few literati out.
Butler Li heard the footsteps and came up to him with a smile, and said softly: "Third Miss, you are back, hurry up and go to Songya Hall!"
Recently, Xia Houshu was most afraid of someone looking for her in the house. Once someone looked for her, something bad must have happened to her. But although Butler Li's expression was anxious, there was no worry, and it didn't look like a bad thing.
Xia Houshu couldn't help but wonder: "What happened?"
Butler Li pulled his beard and said with a smile: "The second young master is back and has been asking about the whereabouts of the third girl! Please ask the third girl to find him when she comes back."
"Second brother is back?" Xia Houshu was surprised and happy. He looked up in the direction of Songya Hall and asked, "Is he still at mother's place now?"
"We are all waiting for the third girl to come back!" Butler Li nodded quickly.
"Thank you, Uncle Li, I'll go right away!" Xia Houshu didn't care about anything else. He immediately picked up his skirt and ran to the inner courtyard, completely forgetting the demeanor of a well-known lady.
When Yunxi heard that Xia Houyi was back, he was immediately happy and hurried to follow him to Songya Hall.
Butler Li looked at the backs of the two girls hurriedly away, and quickly warned: "Third Miss, please slow down and be careful not to fall. The Second Young Master just came back today and will not leave immediately. But the others said,
After coming back this time, I won’t go to Mianxiang Mountain again this year!”
Xia Houshu did not slow down, but waved his hand to show that he heard.
Outside the gate, several scholars looked at the carriage that Xia Houshu had just ridden in, then at the gate of the Yue Kingdom Palace, and then at Butler Li looking eagerly at the two girls who were gradually running away. They couldn't help but whisper.
One person said: "Isn't the person who just entered the palace the apple of the eye of the Duke and Princess Xuanhe?"
Another person said: "I heard that there is a girl living in the house now. I think it's nine out of ten. But her appearance is not ugly, she is even very outstanding. How can there be such rumors outside?"
"I just heard Butler Li calling her Third Miss. I'm sure it's not wrong." Another scholar named Zhang interjected. After saying that, he looked at Shang Mingchuan and said with a hint: "I heard that Mr.
I think highly of Brother Shang very much. I not only summoned him many times, but also praised him. I also helped him to say good things in front of his bosses. I think Brother Shang is more familiar with the affairs in the Duke's Mansion than we are. I wonder what Brother Shang has to say about this matter.
?”
Shang Mingchuan smiled softly and said sincerely: "Brother Zhang is joking, you and I are all guests of the mansion, but Shang is lucky enough to be favored by the Duke of the country. Shang is very grateful for this, and even more
If you don’t dare to violate the rules in the slightest, how can you know which one is the Duke’s daughter?”
The other people didn't believe it when they heard this. After all, the previous rumors were not groundless. Moreover, there have been so many rumors about the third girl of the Yue Kingdom Palace recently. They came here, on the one hand, they wanted to take this opportunity to find out more;
On the one hand, it is also to show their loyalty and let Xia Houyuan know that they are not the kind of people who listen to others and will not switch to others just because of some rumors.
One of the scholars named Gao said: "In front of us, Brother Shang, why do you need to prevaricate and cover up? We have all heard that the Duke of Yue wants to recruit you as his son-in-law! You go to the Duke of Yue's Mansion.
The number of banquets is more than ours combined, haven't you ever met this third girl under the recommendation of the Duke?"
When Shang Mingchuan saw that his colleagues were all looking at him meaningfully, he knew that this matter was not easy to deal with. He thought about it for a while, and then Fang Yi said sternly: "Brother Gao, please be careful what you say! Mr. Guo's
I have a deep sense of gratitude for my kindness and will never forget it. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will try my best to repay and live up to my high expectations. But the daughter of the Duke of Yue and Princess Xuanhe is so noble, how can we dare to mess around with it?
What do you think? As the saying goes, disease comes in from the mouth and misfortunes come out from the mouth. You are all knowledgeable people and will be the pillars of the country in the future. You must be more rigorous and well-founded in what you say and do. Don't make assumptions based on thin air or misunderstand that something is trivial or dirty.
The third girl’s reputation is a big deal.”
The remaining few people knew that it was not the style of a scholar to criticize others in private, so they had no choice but to give up. However, everyone was still a little confused about the rumors from the outside world.
The scholar surnamed Gao then said sarcastically: "I was also misled by the false rumors outside, so I said these unfounded nonsense. Please forgive me, Brother Shang. But it is really strange to say this. Although it was just
At a glance, I could also tell that the third girl was not only outstanding in appearance, but also had a very good face. She did not seem to be an arrogant and harsh person. Moreover, we had been to the Duke of Yue's Mansion for banquets several times, and we had never listened to the people in the mansion.
I said something bad about the third girl, why is it spread like that outside?"
Shang Mingchuan is also thinking about this issue.
People outside said that Xia Houshu had a bad temper, and he could understand it. After all, those who spread rumors had evil intentions, and those who believed him would probably never have a chance to come into contact with Xia Houshu in their lifetimes, unable to confirm or refute, so they could only follow what others said. , so that the three of them became tigers. And based on his previous experience with Xia Houshu in the front yard garden, he did not think that Xia Houshu was a weak person who could suffer losses, and he was even quite scheming. This With such a character, as long as someone with good intentions gets hold of something, it may be used to make a big fuss. But those people who use her appearance to make excuses are a bit incomprehensible.
People are multi-faceted and complex, so to evaluate a person's temperament, you cannot use his few words or some trivial things to support it, and people who have been derogated and slandered cannot use little things to prove that they have no The rumors are so bad. It is also because of this that the rumors outside are so crazy. But a person's appearance exists objectively. As long as someone has met Xia Houshu himself, it is impossible to say that she has no appearance without conscience. Say it with salt.
So why are there such outrageous rumors?
When the scholar surnamed Gao saw that Shang Mingchuan had not answered for a long time, he thought that he was still thinking about his previous words, and he was secretly angry. However, he knew that among their group of people, Xia Houyuan valued Shang Mingchuan the most. Before his future was unclear, , he did not dare to offend Xia Houyuan's favorite things easily, so he did not dare to show any displeasure on his face, so he could only turn around and talk to his companions about something else in an attempt to change the topic.
Shang Mingchuan slowly recovered from his doubts, glanced at his companions, and explained in a neither humble nor overbearing manner: "Actually, this is also the first time I have met Miss Xiahou. Like you, I am also very curious about the outside world. The origin of those rumors and why they are so untrue. But to the Duke of Yue, we are all just outsiders. This matter is related to the reputation of the women in the house, so it is really difficult to interfere."
The scholar who spoke first nodded immediately and said: "I think what Brother Shang said is very reasonable. How the rumors are spread outside is beyond our control. Moreover, this matter concerns the female relatives of the Duke of Yue, so we should not get involved rashly. Just take care of it. At most, you can advise people who don’t know the truth and ask them not to criticize others.”
The other people thought about it for a while and felt that this was very reasonable, so they did not dare to continue discussing the matter at the gate of the Yue Kingdom Palace. They all said that they still had something to do, said goodbye to each other, and went back to their homes.
Shang Mingchuan walked a certain distance alone, watching his companions gradually go away. Then he stopped and turned to look at the majestic and solemn gate of the Yue Kingdom Palace. He seemed to see the beautiful girl slowly walking out of the carriage. He came down and walked in without looking back.
In fact, the moment he saw Xia Houshu, he had already guessed her true identity. In addition, Butler Li's attitude towards her was different from others, so he was completely sure of his guess. However, what he couldn't figure out now was , why did Xia Houshu pretend to be a maid to test him before? Did Xia Houyuan really intend to betroth his daughter to him, even at the cost of offending Prime Minister Wang and Princess Mingjia?
He is just a new imperial examination candidate, and he doesn't seem to be outstanding. In terms of family background, although the merchant is a scholar, his family status is far inferior to that of the high-ranking marquis in Beijing; in terms of official rank and future, he is no more than He was the head of a small Yu Department, and he was inconspicuous in the capital city where there were many powerful people. In terms of talent and learning, he was not the kind of famous official who could make a name for himself. Not to mention the number one, second and third overall winner in the scientific examination, it was Xia Houyuan. Among all the literati who had been invited to the banquet, he was not the one who stood out. But even though he was like this, he inexplicably gained Xia Houyuan's love.