Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 210 A Pot of Spring Wine and Getting Intoxicated (2)
When the two of them arrived just now, the sun was still bright.
At this time, the sun has completely set. As soon as the sun sets, the last residual heat of autumn has completely faded away, and the weather has cooled down. The prosperity of Shengjing at night has also faded a bit.
In Wangchuan Juli, where Han Yan and the eldest prince were staying, bursts of melodious and melodious tunes with a hint of vicissitudes of life could be heard.
This tune is touching and magical, making everyone who passes by this place cry.
The eldest prince was leaning on the imperial concubine's couch, supporting his head in one hand and holding half a bottle of wine in the other. He stared at the girl in front of him with a pair of beautiful drunken eyes, with a hint of affection in his eyes.
After finishing the song, Han Yan put the Pipa down on his lap, lowered his eyes and sighed softly.
There was no laughter and laughter in the box, and the eldest prince realized that Han Yan's eyes were red.
"Your music is too sad and heartbreaking to listen to. Is there something unspeakable that makes you end up like this?"
Han Yan gently wiped the corners of his eyes with his fingers and said with a sad smile: "If there is no unspeakable secret, who would want to come here to make a living?"
Her voice was soft and gentle, but there was a hint of sadness.
The eldest prince looked sideways and saw that her face, which was fair and rosy just now, was now pale and pale.
His heart moved slightly, and he couldn't help but ask: "Then what is your story? Are you willing to tell it?"
Han Yan's wonderful eyes stared at him: "Master, you don't want to listen to music, but want to hear stories about the slave family?"
The eldest prince sat up straight, poured a glass of wine for her, and said gently: "If the girl is willing to talk, I am willing to listen."
Han Yan picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp. She sighed softly and then slowly opened her lips: "I am a peasant girl. Although my family is poor, it is relatively stable. However, a few months ago, a man came to the village.
They teamed up with bandits and massacred the slave's parents and even the entire village... The slave had nowhere to go, so he came here to make a living. Fortunately, the boss's wife took him in, and the slave family now has a relatively stable life."
The eldest prince raised one corner of his mouth and said mockingly: "Who is so kind-hearted? She is forcing good girls into prostitution so that you can make money for her!"
"Young Master, what you said is biased." Han Yan suppressed a smile and said seriously: "The landlady will never force us to do something we don't want to do. If we save enough money to redeem ourselves, the landlady will not stop us from leaving."
The eldest prince looked at her and asked softly: "Then do you want to leave here?"
Han Yan lowered his gaze and shrugged with a wry smile: "Although Shengjing is prosperous, there is no sense of belonging. If possible, I would of course hope to leave here and start over in a place where no one knows..."
The eldest prince poured himself a drink and said as if he had made up his mind: "I can help you get out of here."
Han Yan was slightly startled, then lowered his head with anxious lips.
"Thank you for your kindness, Master. However, this is your first time here, so you don't know much about it. Once a man is willing to redeem his life for us, we will follow him and serve him for the rest of our lives. Since Master Liu is a friend, he must have a prominent family background.
It seems that your family will never allow you to associate with people like us."
"So that's it..." The eldest prince scratched his temples, feeling a little embarrassed and not knowing what to say.
"But thank you anyway, kindhearted person." Han Yan poured him a glass of wine and smiled innocently, as if he didn't take it to heart.
"Let's do this." The eldest prince thought in a hurry and wanted to save face: "I will give you a sum of money, and you can redeem yourself and leave here to live your life!"
Han Yan smiled faintly and said softly: "Thank you, Master, for your kindness. But..." She thought about it and then said, "Maybe I shouldn't say these words. But for the sake of Master, it's better not to have anything to do with us.
Okay. Moreover, it seems that the young master is not yet in charge, so if he takes out so much money at once, he will definitely be scolded. Han Yanfu is a humble man, and I don’t want to implicate the young master.”
The eldest prince looked at her beautiful eyes and suddenly asked: "Can I... come to you again in the future?"
Han Yan's cheeks turned slightly red, she covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Young Master can come here often to support me, it is my family's honor!"
The eldest prince saw her smile as bright as a flower,
I couldn't help but feel hot in my heart, and a restlessness slowly rose in my body.
At this time, a purple figure floated outside the door, hiding outside the door to inquire quietly. Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was getting thick at this time, he slightly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled, then turned around and left gracefully.
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It was the busiest time in the annex, and every box on the three floors was full of people.
The waiters in the hall were all sweating profusely and their voices were hoarse from shouting. Outside the door, you could hear the endless sounds in the hall from a distance.
Liu Rong walked out of another box drunkenly, preparing to see the eldest prince and take a breather.
He walked downstairs and happened to see an old man in brocade clothes with white beard and white hair being led in by Bei Xiaobei.
"Lord Mandarin?" Liu Rong couldn't help but exclaimed as he didn't react for a moment.
Hearing this, the old man raised his head slightly and saw Liu Rong, who was disheveled and with red eyes. He smiled at Bei Xiaobei beside him and said, "It seems that all the people who come to you are high-ranking people!"
Bei Xiaobei said with a smile: "Thanks to your patronage, our annex is what it is today. We will also rely on you in the future!"
Man Tingfang twisted his beard and laughed and said, "How dare I not come when your clever mouth says that!"
While the two were chatting, Liu Rong had tidied up a little and walked downstairs.
"Lord Mandarin, why are you here?" Liu Rong asked a little rudely, but the huge shock made him unable to think - how could Man Tingfang appear in such a place?
Man Tingfang smiled and asked, "Do you think I shouldn't come in because I'm too old, or are you worried that I can't afford the expensive drinks here?"
These words were already very tactful. If it were others, they might have left with a cold face.
"That's not what I meant..." Liu Rong scratched his nose, looking a little embarrassed.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to explain, he saw Yan Rong coming from behind and heading straight for Man Tingfang.
"Lord Mandarin, everyone is here and waiting for you!"
"Commander Yan, why are you here?" Liu Rong didn't understand the situation in front of him for a while.
How could Yan Rong, the commander of the Jinjia Guard, get mixed up with the Minister of War?
It is normal for Yan Rong, who has a bohemian nature, to appear here. But would Man Tingfang come to such a place?
Yan Rong turned around and looked at him, as if she had just noticed him: "Mr. Liu, are you also here to attend the Mandarin's wedding banquet?"
"Wedding banquet?" Liu Rong was even more confused: "Is there a happy event in the Mandarin family?"
For some reason, he suddenly thought of the recent heated debate over joining the cabinet.
Could it be that he was also recommended to the cabinet by Wang Su?
"Didn't Mr. Liu hear about it?" Yan Rong looked at Man Tingfang, then looked at Liu Rong: "Mr. Man always has a son! This matter has spread throughout Shengjing City!"
For some reason, Liu Rong was secretly relieved when he heard that it had nothing to do with joining the cabinet.
But when I think about it carefully, I can't help but be surprised: "You have to be old to have a son?"
He looked at the old man in front of him and blurted out: "I remember that the Mandarin's step-brother is now over forty years old. Could it be that you have another concubine?"
Man Tingfang twisted her beard and smiled, without speaking or showing any displeasure.
Yan Rong frowned slightly and scolded: "It's too rude to say this! Master Man and his wife had a deep love for each other. Unfortunately, Mrs. Man was not blessed and passed away early. This step-brother was entrusted to Master Man by Mrs. Man during her lifetime.
Take care of me. In this case, how can the Mandarin take another concubine?"
Liu Rong scratched his nose and smiled coquettishly: "I made a mistake! However, it is indeed a strange news that your wife can give birth to an heir after forty years!"
"Hahaha." Man Tingfang twisted her beard and laughed: "This is all thanks to a Taoist priest's elixir..."
Seeing that Liu Rong was not very interested, Man Tingfang nodded and stopped talking.
"Master Liu is so interested, why don't we join in the fun together!" Yan Rong took advantage of the opportunity and made an invitation.
"No need! I have something else to do, let's do it next time!" Liu Rong quickly declined politely.
He has no interest in things like getting a son in old age, but today he has a mission - to get closer to the eldest prince, which is the mission Liu Bingwen gave him!
However, he was not interested in Man Tingfang's affairs, which made Man Tingfang and Yan Rong breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing Liu Rong leave completely, the two exchanged glances, and hurriedly approached a box while no one was paying attention.
Yan Rong asked Bei Xiaobei to watch at the door, while he walked to a wall with a giant ancient painting and pushed the ancient painting hard. Unexpectedly, the normal-looking painting opened like a door.
, revealing a narrow corridor.
"Master Man, come in quickly! His Highness is waiting for you inside!" Yan Rong lit the oil lamps on both sides of the corridor with a fire stick and bowed his hands to Man Tingfang.
"Okay!" Man Tingfang walked in alone without doubting that he was there.
Yan Rong immediately closed the door and tidied it up. From the outside, it seemed like it was just another ordinary ancient painting.
"Hey, boss lady! Why are you here?" Just when Yan Rong was relieved, Bei Xiaobei's voice came from outside the door, and it sounded as if she was speaking loudly on purpose.
"The whole restaurant belongs to me, is there any place I can't come to?" Hua Fangyi then scolded her.
Yan Rong hurriedly walked out of the door, pulled Hua Fangyi in, and asked in a low voice: "You knew that His Highness was going to meet with Man Shangshu today, why did you come here? Didn't this attract others' attention?"
"I guess it doesn't matter what they want to do. I'm bored, and I know you're bored too, so I want to have a drink with you." Hua Fangyi walked in the door with a sweet smile and closed the door behind her.
With that said, she walked to the low table and knelt down, picked up the wine bottle on the table and started drinking slowly by herself.
Yan Rong knew she did it on purpose, but he couldn't do anything to her. He could only shake his head and sigh, and sat down cross-legged at the low table.
Man Tingfang walked through the long and narrow corridor, and her vision suddenly became clearer.
This is a paradise with birds singing and flowers fragrant. It was built by King Yi for a secret meeting with some important people.
Although the garden is small, it is well-equipped: rockery, verandah, octagonal pavilion, nine-hole bridge, etc.
The grass inside is delicious, the creek is gurgling, and the camellias are as red as fire. Every tree and scene here is built according to King Yi's preferences.
What's even more exquisite is that the other end of this small and exquisite garden is connected to a wing room in the annex.
In this way, King Yi could confidently and boldly meet with some of the ministers of the court, and he could come and go as he pleased without being caught by the emperor's spy!
It was late at night, and the phoenix bamboo in the yard was wet with dew. The clear water in the lotus pond was like a mirror, reflecting the glittering stars in the sky. A gust of autumn wind blew by, and a ginkgo leaf fluttered down.
A tall and graceful man stood on the bridge with his hands behind his hands. He bent down and picked up the fallen leaves. There was a hint of loneliness in his blue eyes, which made people unbearable to disturb him.