The silk ceremony had not yet officially ended, and Zhong Lufu's sudden departure was neither timely nor in line with the rules. If someone deliberately arranged it, it would be a crime of disrespect. Xia Houshu and Zhong Qingkui looked at each other, not knowing how to clean up this mess.
Xu Ruoqian has always been a boring gourd. He couldn't hold back a word for a long time, especially when he met Xia Houshu. When he recalled that he had just asked for marriage under the force of his mother not long ago, he felt even more embarrassed and felt some unexplainable embarrassment.
.But when I think about seeing Zhong Lufu leaving,
He felt sad and felt very guilty, feeling that it was his own inaction that forced a considerate girl to be condemned in public. No matter what, he had to find Zhong Lufu first and explain it properly, even if Zhong Lufu was still angry
Even if you don't forgive him, he will go anyway. This is a matter of attitude.
"I, I'll go find her." Xu Ruoqian said and was about to leave.
"Wait a minute!" Xia Houshu stopped him, "Cousin Ruoqian, do you really want to be with Cousin Lufu? No matter who objects, will you not back down?"
"I..." Xu Ruoqian didn't dare to look at Xia Houshu. After a moment of dodging, his eyes finally landed on the ground. After a while, he said, "Actually, I didn't think that much."
How did Zhong Lufu, with such a strong character, fall in love with Xu Ruoqian? Even if she gave up on Xia Houyi, she wouldn't have lowered her standards so low all of a sudden!
Xia Houshu pursed his lips and said: "I'm not saying that Cousin Lufu is not good. On the contrary, she is calm and steady most of the time, and she is smart. It's just that she was not born to my aunt, and your aunt's character is the best.
I understand, will she agree to your marrying cousin Lufu?"
"I don't know." Xu Ruoqian shook his head in confusion. He liked Zhong Lufu. From the first time he saw her at Tinglan Poetry Club, he felt that she was different from those noble ladies who flaunted their origin and appearance all day long.
.She is talented and learned, but she is never light-hearted.
She is easy to show off, knows how to hide her clumsiness, and is knowledgeable and knowledgeable. Even if someone who is jealous of her occasionally uses her shortcomings to taunt her, she just laughs it off without arguing or quarreling. In this glamorous capital city, it is difficult for him to find such a person again.
woman.
Xia Houshu didn't know that Xu Ruoqian had already counted Zhong Lufu's good deeds in his heart, but he thought he was going to show off his ability to cherish words like gold again, and he was so angry that he wanted to curse.
In terms of talents and knowledge, Zhong Lufu and Xu Ruoqian can talk together, but Zhong Lufu is a concubine, and Xu Ruoqian is a person with no ideas. She has to obey her mother Xiahou Mei in everything. Xiahou Mei has been proud all his life and values the most.
It's all about status, otherwise she wouldn't have tried every means to get her daughter to marry well, and went to great lengths to marry Xu Ruoyu to the Qian family, and even used the excuse of getting married.
Xiahou Shu came to ask for Xu Ruoqian's marriage. There were many women in the capital, and there were some women who could meet Xiahou Mei's conditions and be favored by her, but they were not many, and it was not Zhong Lufu's turn. So, if
If Zhong Lufu and Xu Ruoqian insist on being together, it will not only damage the relationship between Prince Gong's Palace, General Cheng's Palace, and Rong'anhou Palace, but also make Zhong Lufu unable to hold her head high with Xiahou Mei.
Xia Houshu couldn't figure out why Xu Ruoqian, a son, didn't want to spend more time thinking about something that even her niece could understand? If he could think more about himself and Zhong Lufu, he wouldn't have to do it in front of Cheng
Hard to do such a thing.
It's not that she doesn't want to be nice, but she doesn't want to see Zhong Lufu fall into the whirlpool of public opinion. Regardless of whether she and Zhong Lufu are cousins or what kind of disputes they have had, here, she is just a woman worrying about another woman.
.
Xu Ruoqian was stunned for a long time without saying anything else of value or significance. He said "I'll go take a look" and went to chase Zhong Lufu.
In public, Xia Houshu couldn't stop him anymore, so he turned to look at Zhong Qingkui and asked: "Did you really not see anything before?"
The situation of these two people does not look like they have known each other for a short time.
Zhong Qingkui shook her head desperately and said: "I'm not stupid. If I had known that they were secretly communicating with each other, for the sake of the face of the sisters in the family, I would definitely tell my mother immediately. But I really didn't see any flaws.
Come, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
Xia Houshu just wanted to confirm again, not to blame Zhong Qingkui. She carefully analyzed what Zhong Qingkui said before for a while.
Zhong Lufu was often depressed after her hope of marrying Xia Houyi was dashed, and even more so after the engagement, but she became active again after Princess Zhao's birthday party. Not only did she often go to the Lan Poetry Society, but she also had an additional
A pen pal who fell in love at first sight. From this point of view, that pen pal is probably Xu Ruoqian. However,
And Xu Ruoqian had never attended Princess Zhao’s birthday party, so where did he meet Zhong Lufu? Did he really get to know her at Tinglan Poetry Club? If this hypothesis is true, then a new problem arises. Normally, she doesn’t leave the door.
How could the ignorant Zhong Lufu suddenly become interested in listening to the Lan Poetry Society?
"Cousin Shu, what should we do now?" Zhong Qingkui looked worried, "Father will definitely blame mother for not being strict in teaching. Besides, there are so many people here, and the news has spread, we are too shameless to be human!"
"Don't worry." Xia Houshu quickly comforted her, "My aunt is only her aunt in name, but she grew up with Aunt Zhu. Even if my uncle is to blame, I can't blame her entirely on my aunt. As for what happened today,
Doesn’t it mean that anything that happens during the silk ceremony cannot be regarded as disrespectful? Your Prince Gong’s Mansion and Rong’an Marquis’ Mansion are also relatives, so it’s not an exaggeration to say that cousins behave more intimately, right?”
Although she said so, even Xia Houshu herself was not convinced by her words. She was the victim of the rumors. She had endured hardships, and she did not want those around her to suffer the same hardships. She quickly took Zhong Qingkui's hand and said, "Let's go."
Come on, let's go take a look too, this is the royal enclosure, they are running around like this without any care, don't let anything happen."
"Okay." Zhong Qingkui agreed without thinking.
"You two, don't go!" Xia Houyi suddenly came over and stopped them.
"Why?" Xia Houshu turned around and looked at his brother in surprise, "Aren't you worried that they will get into trouble?"
"This matter is of great importance, and since my uncle, eldest cousin, and the Cheng family's father and son are all here today, it's not your turn or my turn to intervene," Xia Houyi said.
"But..." Xia Houshu still had some doubts, "Uncle will not spare Lu Fu lightly!"
Xia Houyi explained, "I don't want to blame anyone, but if everyone does something and doesn't want to abide by the rules, he should first think about the price he will pay."
Xia Houshu felt that what his brother said made sense. Since Zhong Lufu knew the family arrangements, she did not object clearly, and she did not tell her parents about Xu Ruoqian in time. Now, in front of everyone, everyone was a little embarrassed. She really should have thought
What price will you pay?
The same is true for Xu Ruoqian.
Xia Houshu's eyes couldn't help but glance into the distance: Zhong Zan was whispering to the entourage next to him, and it seemed that he had already made a plan; Xu Ruoyu also summoned his entourage to give some instructions; and Cheng Jian had already turned his back and walked to Cheng Jian.
In front of General Wang, he seemed to say something. General Cheng Wang looked surprised at first, and then a trace of anger appeared on his face...
"No!" Zhong Qingkui said in panic, "Father must have sent someone to arrest the third sister. In this case..." She simply couldn't imagine what happened next, "What will my mother do?"
Xia Houshu also asked Xia Houyi for help. How many injustices had Princess Gong suffered for several concubines who were not close to her? How many sad tears had she shed? What if her uncle blamed her for Zhong Lufu's incident again?
On the head, that is really unfair!
Xia Houyi was not a person who could not stand things well. Seeing that the two of them were more anxious than the parties involved, he couldn't help laughing and said, "Are you afraid that you have forgotten what my uncle does?"
Xia Houshu and Zhong Qingkui both looked at each other, but they still didn't understand what he wanted to express. Zhong Zan had the Changqingmen darknet in his hands. Isn't it easy to find out something or find someone?
Because of this, they are even more worried about the situation of Zhong Lufu and Princess Gong!
"Don't jump to conclusions in everything." Xia Houyi explained patiently, "How did this matter become what it is today? My uncle will naturally find out. Don't think too much or add to the chaos because of your own righteousness.
Self-defeating.”
Xia Houshu and Zhong Qingkui both understood the truth, but neither of them were law-abiding people. They exchanged a silent look and agreed to send Xia Houyi away first, and then take the opportunity to find Zhong Lufu.
Xia Houyi saw through their little thoughts at a glance, but he didn't point it out. Instead, he said seriously: "You all remember what I said, right?"
"Remember." Xia Houshu and Zhong Qingkui said in unison.
"Now that you remember it, go back to where you were just now." Xia Houyi nodded with satisfaction, and then pointed to the driving seat, "Your Majesty is ready to shoot the first arrow."
According to custom, after the silk ceremony is over, the official hunting will begin.
The officers and soldiers setting up the encirclement will light several fires in the encirclement, and then put the newly cut bamboo on or on the surface to bake. The bamboo will expand when heated, and then make a "bang bang bang" sound. The area has just calmed down.
The beasts that came down will be frightened again and continue to run away. At this time, the emperor will
Wearing bows and arrows, we came down from the city gate, rode horses to the inner perimeter of the enclosure, and fired the first arrow of the enclosure at the hurriedly running herd of animals, and then drew the bow and shot again and again. When the emperor had shot enough, he sent an order to the emperor.
The princes, ministers, princes, grandsons, and guards started shooting, and the hunting officially began.
At that time, hundreds of hunters rush into the mountains and forests, each chasing their favorite prey. It may be wild boars, goats, hares, foxes, deer and other common beasts, or pheasants, golden pheasants, wild geese and other birds. If there are bears
, tigers and other ferocious beasts will never be let go. Ministers in charge must immediately
Send someone to report to the emperor, and once the emperor gets the reward, he will immediately gallop forward and kill the beast with bow and arrow himself, or order the accompanying officers and soldiers to kill it. Under normal circumstances, only one encirclement is carried out every day. After the encirclement is completed, the emperor will
Then he led his retinue back to the main camp, counted the prey, and rewarded his entourage.
After everyone participating in the hunt disappeared in the forest, Xia Houshu finally lost control and quickly took Zhong Qingkui to ride a horse, because just now Yunxi told them that Zhong Lufu broke into the enclosure alone, and then Xu Ruoqian also chased in. But
Since the emperor had not yet completed the hunting ceremony, no one dared to speak out.
Before mounting his horse, Xiahou Shu also took a bow and a bag of arrows from the Buwei officers and soldiers beside him.
Zhong Qingkui was not good at riding a horse, and even after several pulls, she could not get on the horse's back. The horse, as if it was very humane, immediately kicked off its legs and threw Zhong Qingkui off. She screamed in pain.
After Xia Houchun heard the sound, he quickly came over to help her up, and ordered the maid who was accompanying him to take her to the side to rest. Then he jumped onto the horse's back. Fang said to Xia Houchun: "Let's go, I'll come with you."