The few people looked at each other, dumbfounded and silent for a moment.
"My surname is Ting, which means "mu". I came to Kyoto for the first time with my two sisters, and we are not very familiar with the surroundings. Tingmu is really abrupt. If you mind, brother, I won't bother you and take my leave."
The dark green robe looked over in the direction from which he came, and saw two women sitting by the window. Their auras were pure and pleasing to the eye. The person in front of him was also well-dressed, so he stretched out his hand and pressed Tingfeng's forearm, saying: "
Brother Ting, please sit down, it is fate that we meet each other."
Tingfeng curled his lips and naturally got along with them.
After listening for a long time, these people were all talking about how beautiful Chu Xianxue was, and how the Chu family had a great business and great power. Tingfeng dug his ears and interrupted them: "Brother Yang, since the Chu family is so good, now recruits
Isn’t my son-in-law a God-given opportunity? But why doesn’t anyone run for election?”
After he finished speaking, everyone looked at him. Tingfeng blinked sheepishly, trying hard to hide the embarrassment on his face as everyone laughed dryly.
The man in the dark green robe, who was chatting happily with him, saw his embarrassment, so he joked: "Brother Ting is right, but..."
He hooked his fingers, and after everyone gathered around, he said softly and mysteriously: "But I heard that the prince has fallen in love with this Chu Xianxue, and they have made a love affair with each other for life. A few days ago, he had a secret meeting with the prince in the middle of the night."
Everyone listened with bated breath as he continued to speak.
"Let's not talk about whether she has lost her virginity. Let's just talk about a secret meeting with the prince. This prince is the future prince. You think of the woman that the future emperor likes, who has the courage to compete for her?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, but Tingfeng frowned after hearing this.
The sun sets in the west, the twilight is hazy, the flower stamens are shrouded in light smoke, the pedestrians on the street are scattered and walking, and the originally bustling official road now seems a little sparse.
Chu Miaoer looked thoughtfully in the direction of Chu Mansion.
Listening to the discussions of those people, it is not difficult to infer that everyone in the world has known about the affair between the prince and Chu Xianxue for a long time, but it cannot be ruled out that the prince did it deliberately.
At this time, the Chu Mansion was surprisingly quiet. Ever since he came back from the palace that day, the master had locked the third lady in the room. The crying and fussing had not stopped every night. He even spread the news that the Chu Mansion was looking for a son-in-law. You know
The master loves the third young lady so much on weekdays that he would like to pick the stars from the sky and give them to her. In the past two days, people were frightened and held their breath for fear of upsetting the master and his wife.
"Master, since Xue'er is in love with the prince, why not fulfill them? I think the prince's character is also very good."
Chu Xiong sat in the courtyard with a sad face. He thought about the informant who said that the prince had drafted a letter of recommendation for the crown princess. He raised his head and sighed helplessly: "Hey - His Highness the prince expects Xue'er to do such a good job. Why don't I want to help them, but
The Chu family's legitimate daughter has become the queen, and the Queen Mother has granted marriage to the four princesses. Everyone in the court regards the Chu family as a thorn in their flesh, and they can't wait to get rid of it. If Xue'er is fulfilled now, it will undoubtedly push the Chu family into the abyss of eternal destruction.
"
After hearing what he said, Mei Qianrou was a little frightened, with tears in her eyes. She struggled to hold herself up and said, "Even if there is no other way, I can't just help Xueer find a husband to marry. Master -"
The maid hurriedly ran over, but when she saw the situation in front of her, she suddenly stopped. She paced a few steps uneasily, then walked forward tremblingly and said: "Master, madam, there is a man outside the house asking to see you.
He said, he said he wanted to marry the third young lady."
Chu Xiong stood up suddenly. The surprise flashed across his face, but was suppressed again, and he said in a deep voice without expression: "Take it to the front hall."
After receiving the order, the maid was relieved and quickly retreated to the door of the mansion to greet the young master.
I saw the young master wearing a blue robe and following his maid to the front hall. After seeing Chu Xiong, he smiled slightly, bowed humbly, and whispered, "I have met Mr. Chu Xiang." Although his clothes were a bit shabby and not luxurious, he behaved appropriately.
He was very decent and showed no timidity at all. After a chat, Chu Xiong was actually somewhat satisfied with this person. This was indeed somewhat unexpected by everyone.
Everything was quiet, and Chu Miaoer woke up suddenly when she heard a bird call. She turned around and saw a ray of light already outside the window. She guessed that it was dawn, so she retreated into Fu Yunqi's warm arms and listened to his calm voice.
With my heart beating loudly, I fell asleep again.
When I woke up, the rising sun was already in the sky.
While she was having breakfast, Baitao came over from outside, nodded and said softly: "Princess, the Queen has sent a message, asking you to go to the palace after breakfast, and I said that I will also come there."
"Master Chu Xiang is going too?"
Chu Miaoer was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Fu Yunqi. She thought that everyone gathering in the palace today had something to do with Chu Xianxue.
"Yes, Muxue is waiting outside the door, but don't worry, Princess, you have to eat your breakfast carefully. I'll ask them to wait." After saying this, Baitao turned around and ran towards the outer door without waiting for the Princess to answer.
"This girl -" Looking at her anxious back, Fu Yunchi smiled and shook his head, "I have nothing to do today, I will go with you."
The imperial garden was simply decorated by the palace people. It was much simpler than the last night banquet. Fortunately, it was full of flowers and butterflies could be seen everywhere, and it was quite lively.
I heard from Fu Yunqi that there was a riot among civilians in Kyoto yesterday, and the prince was temporarily sent to handle matters, so only Fu Deyou and Chu Qianqian were sitting. As soon as they took their seats, they saw Chu Xianxue walking in accompanied by Chu Xiong and Mei Qianrou
.
Today, Chu Xianxue is wearing a layered gauze pink cloud skirt, which wraps her exquisite body. The waist is tied with tender silk and the gauze is graceful. She nods and lowers her eyebrows. The two strands of hair on her cheeks gently blow in the wind, adding a bit of seductive charm.
.
"See the Emperor." Chu Xiong brought his family to pay homage.
There was a man in a green robe behind him. He looked very handsome, and you knew who he was without even thinking about it.
"No need to be polite, Prime Minister Chu," Fu Deyou stared straight at Chu Xianxue, who was quiet in the middle, and asked with concern: "What's wrong with Xue'er? Her face is so pale."
The Chu family in Kyoto is looking for a husband for the third lady. The whole city is aware of the commotion. It is impossible that the emperor does not know about it and asks questions knowingly. Fu Deyou is just waiting to reap the benefits. Chu Miaoer looks at everyone present calmly.
Several people sneered in their hearts.
His hawk-like eyes made Chu Xianxue subconsciously take half a step back. Xu Xufu turned around and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Xue'er just slept too much during the day recently, so she didn't get a good rest at night. It's not a serious problem."
Her red lips were lightly parted and delicate, looking very adorable. Even Chu Miaoer who was standing by her couldn't help but praise her. She was such a good-looking person.
"It's always easy to get sleepy in spring. Xue'er can come to the palace more often when she has nothing to do. It's just the right time to talk to your eldest sister about what's on her mind. Don't waste your youth. What do you think, Queen?"
"That's what the emperor said." Chu Qianqian nodded perfunctorily with a smile.
Fu Deyou, who was smiling, and Chu Xianxue, who was nodding shyly, suddenly made her feel very cold, even though the sun was still shining warmly on her body. Chu Miaoer was right, the emperor had already looked at Chu Xian with the eyes of a man. It's snowing. If we let it continue, I'm afraid it will never end. Thinking of this, Chu Qianqian felt like she had a headache and was weak.
Father! Yesterday, her father sent someone to tell her that he had found a husband for Xueer, and asked her to hold a banquet today so that she could ask the emperor for a marriage in person for Xueer. According to her father, although the man did not have any official title, he He has good character and generous manners. If he is trained a little, he may be able to achieve great results. There is a storm in the city right now. At this juncture, anyone who dares to go to the government to propose marriage either has ulterior motives or has courage. My father said that this person has good conduct. There will definitely be no deviation.
"Your Majesty—" Chu Qianqian coughed lightly and said with a virtuous smile, "Today's banquet is because Mr. Chu Xiang has something to discuss with the Emperor."
She raised her head and glanced at Mr. Chu. Now she had no other choice but to fight to the death.
"Oh? What's wrong with Mr. Chu?" Fu Deyou asked with great interest.
Chu Xiong just saw the tenderness between the emperor and his youngest daughter, and felt unhappy. Chu Qianqian's anxious eyes made him suppress his unhappy feeling, and then he stood up and said slowly: "Xue'er has reached the age of marriage. , now a young man comes to ask for marriage, I think——"
"Haha," Fu Deyou suddenly laughed, interrupted him, and said haha, "Isn't this the young master that Mr. Chu is talking about?
"
The man in green robe who was named by the emperor stood up, bowed politely, and said humbly: "The common people have met the emperor, the queen." Seeing that he was humble and polite, Chu Qianqian smiled and nodded. He had a good appearance and a pair of bright eyes. Rather satisfied.
"You are quite good-looking. What position do you hold in the court?"
The man in green robe was taken aback for a moment, but he replied in a neither humble nor condescending manner: "Back to the emperor, after failing the exam last year, the common people taught children in rural schools and did not have any official position in the court."
She didn't understand why the emperor suddenly changed the subject. Chu Qianqian saw the panic on her father's face that could not be concealed. Then she looked at Chu Xianxue. Chu Xianxue, who was standing in a dress and looking extremely beautiful under the warm sun, seemed to suddenly understand something. , my heart was startled.
Facing the emperor's scrutiny, the man in green robe seemed embarrassed, sweat broke out on his forehead, and he swallowed his saliva. All these small actions fell into the eyes of everyone present.
"It seems that sir has read a lot of poetry and books. I think I heard a few days ago that the Ministry of Rites seems to be short of a junior official who can repair documents——"
Hearing this, Chu Xiong's expression completely froze, and a chill rushed up his spine to the top of his head, and he stood up suddenly: "Your Majesty, please don't—"
At the same time, Chu Qianqian whispered with a trembling voice: "Your Majesty——"
But seeing the bored look on his face, Chu Qianqian didn't dare to speak anymore, and clenched her hands tightly together, feeling uneasy.
Chu Miaoer and Fu Yunqi looked at each other, and they both saw the meaning of watching a good show in each other's eyes, and tacitly chose to remain silent. In this situation, silence is golden.
There was no emotion in Fu Deyou's deep voice. He glanced at it and spoke calmly: "The ancients said, 'cultivate one's self, manage one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.' What do you think of 'cultivate one's self, govern the country, bring peace to the world, and then bring peace to the family'?"
The man in green robe had a successful smile on his lips, but was suppressed instantly, and shouted loudly: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, but since the common people agreed to Mr. Chu Xiang, they want to marry the third lady." .”
"Dad, I don't want to marry, I don't want to marry him," she turned around and pulled Mei Qianrou's sleeve with tears in her eyes, "Mom, I don't want to marry -"
Mei Qianrou didn't say anything, just wiped her tears, thinking that her daughter, who she loved so much, was married off so casually, and she couldn't stop it, so she felt powerless.
Seeing that no one was helping her, Chu Xianxue, who had been holding back for a long time, cried even more sadly, and her delicate body could not stop trembling.
"Stop her!" Chu Miaoer shouted loudly, startling everyone. They saw a bright red figure rushing towards the rockery. With a "bang", the figure fell to the ground like a fallen leaf, and the ground looked like a blooming tree.
A newly opened flower bud.
"Xue'er——"
Mei Qianrou screamed and fell back. Chu Miaoer, who was watching from the side, reached out to catch her. Several people were shocked. Chu Xiong looked at the little daughter in his arms with heartache.
"What are you doing standing there in a daze! Help Miss Chu San back to the 'Lingxuan Hall' quickly," Fu Deyou scolded sternly, "Mr. Xuan!"
When the palace officials saw that the emperor was so angry, they were all frightened, for fear that they might accidentally lose their heads.
Chu Miao'er, who didn't want to get involved in this matter, saw the blood on Chu Xianxue's face and shouted in a deep voice: "No! She hurt her head, don't move!"
Chu Qianqian was shocked when she heard this and her throat rolled down.
Seeing his precious daughter with blood all over his face, Chu Xiong's heart turned green at this moment. He blamed himself for insisting on his own way. How should he explain to Qianrou if his daughter was gone? His normally shrewd eyes were now cloudy and filled with tears.
.
The imperial doctor arrived quickly and immediately diagnosed that Chu Xianxue had just a skin injury, and only then did the few of them breathe a sigh of relief.
"Since the imperial doctor said that Xue'er should rest, Fu Deyou looked at Chu Xiong and said without doubt, "Then there is no need to travel further and just stay in the palace. Lingxuan Palace is not far from the Queen's Fengwei Palace.
, the queen should always take care of her."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty," Chu Xiong managed to maintain a smile, "but I am afraid that living in the palace as a little girl will cause criticism."
Fu Deyou's face sank and his voice was cold: "I am the emperor, who dares to comment on what I say?!"
Chu Xiong, who was about to retort, saw Chu Qianqian shaking his head at him. His face was so stiff that he could hardly squeeze out a smile, and said in a deep voice: "My lord, thank you, Your Majesty."
One farce ended due to the blood-stained imperial garden, but little did they know that another farce was quietly beginning.