... After Mrs. Song met Deng Zongqi in person, she called Song Zaishui and Wei Changying to her side the next day and said straight to the point: "This marriage must be stopped. Although the reply from Jiangnan has not come yet, it is expected that it will be This means. Concubine Deng said that on the day of Zhong Xiaoyi's birthday, there would be an unlucky omen in the palace - because the Zhaohua Palace where Concubine Deng lived was located in the south of the palace, the queen and Zhong Xiaoyi would arrange for their people to do something about it. .”
After a pause, Mrs. Song continued, "The reason why the eldest prince of this dynasty was abandoned is because after he was deposed, Qian revealed that he used witchcraft to curse the Holy One! So if the Holy One thinks that the imperial concubine is unlucky, even if the imperial concubine is not deposed, Deng will go to The future will also be miserable! Especially if the only prince of the Deng family dies, he may be called a traitor... Concubine Deng’s plan is to use you to replace her and let you enter the city through the south gate that day."
Song Zaishui nodded and said, "As long as I don't marry the prince, I'm not afraid of any of this."
"No." Mrs. Song glanced at her, but shook her head and said, "You are so impatient now that you didn't find the loophole in this rhetoric?"
Song Zaishui was startled and then heard Mrs. Song say, "Not to mention the plans of Queen Gu and Zhong Xiaoyi, how did Concubine Deng know about it so early? It is said that this time, in order to make Zhong Xiaoyi happy, the Holy Emperor specially sent Yiwei south to Qingzhou to look for Zhong Xiaoyi. Relatives—Which one of those four people is from Queen Gu or Zhong Xiaoyi? Although Gu Yiran is also a descendant of the Gu family in the imperial capital! Are the descendants of the Duanmu family and the Liu family easy to control?"
"If you were Empress Gu and saw these four Yiwei - knowing that you are in Fengzhou now, and that Yiwei must go from Fengzhou to Qingzhou, wouldn't you think that something would happen to Deng Zongqi when he passed by Fengzhou?" Mrs. Song smiled coldly and reminded, "Don't forget that Queen Gu also knows that you are unwilling to marry into the royal family!"
Song Zaishui was shocked: "Then all of this... was originally part of the queen's plan?"
"It's also part of the imperial concubine's plan." Mrs. Song said earnestly, "Deng Zongqi is the imperial concubine's direct nephew, and he has been protected by the imperial concubine since he was a child! The imperial concubine's people are coming, do you think the queen will be unprepared? And how could the imperial concubine not expect it? this point?"
"Our family is far away from the imperial capital. We don't hear all the news, and we don't get back and forth in time. We can't make a foolproof plan now. But what Grandma Changying said is right. The Song family is one of the six clans, and we are determined not to regret the engagement. What's wrong!" Seeing Song Zaishui's expression changed, Mrs. Song continued, "But if others don't like the fact that the Song family has a princess and are causing trouble for you to marry into the royal family, then you can't blame the Song family!"
Song Zaishui was thoughtful and said: "So the noble concubine?"
"That's right." Mrs. Song nodded and said, "Since you are willing to cooperate, Concubine Deng has many ways to prevent you from getting married. Then Deng Zongqi is both shrewd and ruthless. When he came to Fengzhou this time, he was prepared to not come back. Be prepared, this kind of person is not afraid to take action against you if he is forced to do so! The reason why the imperial concubine chose you to respond to the bad omen on her behalf is to give the Song family an explanation - this marriage was broken up by the Deng family! Yes, it’s not that the Song family wants to regret the marriage, do you understand?”
Wei Changying said with a smile: "So the Deng family has good intentions." Then he frowned and said, "But I still think that the imperial concubine is taking it for granted. How can she be so sure about what will happen two months later? Besides, I still think that the imperial concubine is taking it for granted. My cousin's trip to Beijing is easy to plan and keeps people watching. If I were the queen, since I know that my cousin can come to Beijing on Zhong Xiaoyi's birthday, why not make it a day? Speaking of Xiaoyi's birthday, something unlucky... Could it be that Xiaoyi would not? Are you affected?"
"Who told you that this bad omen can only be arranged by the Queen and Zhong Xiaoyi?" Mrs. Song nodded at her weakly and said lovingly, "Besides, we are going to use the Deng family, but there is no need to listen to them in everything! Concubine Deng said this to express her willingness to take the blame for breaking up the engagement between Zai Shui and Dong Gong in order to preserve the dignity of the Song family! This so-called idea is nothing more than an attitude. "
Wei Changying looked at Song Zaishui: "What should cousin do?"
"It doesn't matter if you are not destined to join the royal family, or if your knee injury is not healed and it is difficult to walk." Mrs. Song glanced at her niece and said, "Anyway, there are still some days. When Zaitian arrives, I will ask about the situation in the imperial capital carefully before making a decision. stop."
Hearing the words "knee injury has not healed", Song Zaishui blushed with embarrassment and said: "I lied to my aunt before, I..."
"Are you afraid that this little villain gave you the idea?" Mrs. Song smiled half-heartedly. Seeing her always smart and generous niece at a loss after being exposed, she felt a little funny but also a little embarrassed. She remembered that she was there the day before. In front of Mrs. Song, I thought I had concealed it very well. I didn't want Mrs. Song to point it out before I realized that everything was in the old lady's insight... After all, age is not without its advantages. The wisdom accumulated over the years cannot be replaced by talent. .
Although Song Zaishui was highly talented and well-educated, she was still a bit young. Thinking of this, Mrs. Song got some comfort from the blow she received in front of the old lady, and stopped teasing her. She said seriously, "I have just received the news. Three days later The angels are coming, so don’t think too much and be prepared... we elders are responsible for everything!"
Wei Changying nodded with a smile. Song Zaishui let out a long breath, but regardless of Mrs. Song's obstruction, he insisted on standing up and saluted her, and said sweetly: "I believe in Auntie!"
She raised her head and smiled with bright eyes. That kind of dependence and gratitude was in sharp contrast with Wei Changying's natural behavior at the same moment. This made Mrs. Song feel slightly dazed but also secretly strengthened her determination to help this pitiable man no matter what. A handful of nieces - Mrs. Song definitely did not think that her daughter was not grateful enough, but she lamented that Mr. Wei died young. Such a good niece lost the love and support of her biological mother, and was so afraid of marrying into the East Palace but she could not bear to mention it to herself. … It’s nothing more than fear of rejection.
Now her aunt was only willing to reach out when the situation changed, but she was already very grateful. Such a sensible niece made Mrs. Song feel even more guilty.
"I hope Zaitian can bring some good news so that both children can find a good home." Mrs. Song sent the two of them away and said to Grandma Shi melancholy.
The three days came quickly.
On this day, the middle door of Ruiyu Hall was opened to welcome the imperial edict. Wei Huan led his descendants in front, and his female relatives lined up behind. Being blocked by the man in front, the female relatives were far away from the messenger who was reading the edict. They had to kneel on the ground when receiving the edict. Therefore, after receiving the edict praising Wei Huan and Wei Shengnian, they could not clearly see the description of the angel. Even Wei Changying's eyesight could only take advantage of the short time he turned around to stand on tiptoe and catch a glimpse of crimson.
At this time, Wei Huan had already led his children and grandchildren around the angel to greet him, and the female family members were all following Mrs. Song back to the backyard.
Wei Changying was wearing the makeup that Mrs. Song and Mrs. Song had been thinking about for several days and trying on one by one. He sat uprightly in the frost court and waited for more than an hour. He almost thought that Shen Zhou and his grandfather were getting excited about chatting. Today She didn't want to see her anymore, so she saw Shuangli coming to invite her: "The lord and the old lady asked the eldest lady to go to the hall to pay respects to the elders."
Although he had been prepared for it and was not meeting his parents-in-law now, when the matter came, Wei Changying was still a little nervous and urged He to take a closer look at her appearance. In fact, He was also worried about her, but she had to calm down at this moment. He smiled and said: "The eldest lady is naturally beautiful, and today's outfit was planned by the old lady and my wife. Are you still worried that the Shen family will be picky?"
Shuangli also said: "When the servant came in, I almost looked at the eldest lady and was stunned!"
... In fact, Wei Changying's dress today was not flashy. After all, this time he was visiting Shen Zhou, not Shen Zangfeng. Elders, although there are some who like younger people to dress up brightly, but this is the first time they meet, Wei Changying is going to the Shen family to be his wife, so everything must be dignified and solemn.
Therefore, Mrs. Song chose for Wei Changying a water-color dark embroidered mandala-patterned cross-collar middle coat, a blush embroidered white tea wide-sleeved cross-collar jacket, a tooth-colored fairy skirt underneath, and a purple square waistband. Ruyi cloud pattern woven gold belt, arms draped in green pea flowers and silk. Summer has just passed at this time, and the climate has turned cooler, but the autumn mood is not yet obvious. The flowers and trees in Ruiyu Hall are still lush, and the rich and colorful leaves perfectly set off this elegant and fresh body, making Wei Changying look particularly dignified and pleasant.
But considering that Wei Zhang Yingzheng was still young and dressed plainly, he could not show his momentum. So Mrs. Song suggested that the jade pendant should be replaced with a colorful jade jade butterfly, and the silk ribbon tying the jade pendant should be replaced with a bright garnet red blood coral bead palace ribbon.
As for jewelry, the pair of blood jade hairpins given by Mrs. Su must be worn. Mrs. Song chose a dress with a light color for her granddaughter in order not to take away the limelight of the pair of hairpins, which not only showed her respect for Mrs. Su. The respect given to the hairpins is also a painstaking effort to show that Wei Changying can definitely afford to wear this pair of hairpins, which are also famous in the industry.
Mrs. Song's intention was far-reaching. At this moment, there was only a pair of hairpins on the parted bun that symbolized the young girl who had not left the palace, and there were no other decorations.
The hair on the temples, as black as raven wings, and the blood jade hairpin, which is as bright as dripping, complement each other. It seems simple, but because the two colors are rich and pure, they are more impressive. Wei Changying was already very pretty, but when he was accentuated by the crow hair and blood hairpin, he looked even more unforgettable with his dark eyebrows, red lips, snowy cheeks and plump nose.
Surrounded by a group of attendants, she arrived in the back hall. Shuangli went in first to report, and after a while, she came out and nodded. Wei Changying took a deep breath, adjusted his skirt slightly, and then walked in with dignity and grace—
Some new flowers, bonsais and other decorations were added to the back hall, and brand-new curtains were replaced. Otherwise, it was no different from usual. Mrs. Song gave up her left hand to Wei Huan and sat on the right side, with Chen Ruping standing behind her. The old lady's ambassadors, Shuangzhu and Shuangjiao, were waiting at the two tables below.
Wei Changying knew that one of the two seats must be occupied by Shen Zhou, and he must be sizing him up now. He did not dare to be distracted. He saluted Wei Huan and Mrs. Song without looking sideways, and asked his grandparents, Mrs. An-Song, to greet them with a smile. She introduced: "Have you met your Uncle Shen soon?"
After hearing his grandmother's words, Wei Changying turned around and bowed to the guest of honor, calling him uncle. She leaned forward and heard a loud and heroic voice say with a smile: "Hey, is this the girl promised to my nephew Zang Feng? She has good looks and good manners, but she is the daughter of the Wei family... Get up, We are all one family, no need to be polite.”
This voice was as loud as a bell and full of energy. It could be said that it shook the house when he spoke. This voice alone was completely consistent with the image in the minds of ordinary people of a wild and fierce military commander who roamed the battlefield.
Wei Changying couldn't help but think about whether his husband-in-law looked like this? If that's the case, let's have a more timid lady come here, like Zhu Lan did last time, who was so frightened that she fell to the ground when Jiang Zheng shouted loudly...
As expected, if you want to be the wife of the Shen family, you must be careful!
She was thinking wildly here, and in order to prove that she was indeed a dignified and elegant lady, she was determined to shoulder the responsibility of being the mistress of the Shen family! And at this moment, she still had the shyness of a girl who had not yet left the palace. She could only suppress herself and raised her head to see what Shen Zhou looked like. In order to try to figure out what Shen Zangfeng's appearance might be, she lowered her head slightly and used to open the mountain. Dao Qingfengjian's slender fingers carefully held a piece of embroidered Luopa, and stood there solemnly - Shen Zhou didn't know that this niece-in-law was having treacherous thoughts in her heart, but he was very satisfied when he saw her beauty and decent manners. She sincerely praised her with some dignified words, and Mrs. Wei Huan and Mrs. Song wanted to say a few words of humility on her behalf.
Wei Changying was distractedly paying attention to the words of his grandparents and acted shyly. When his grandparents and Shen Zhou were all polite about his appearance, demeanor, and demeanor, his grandmother expected to send him away or call him to come to her side—and then... That was enough for her to meet her elders this time.
After the courtesy was over, Mrs. Song pointed Shen Zhou to the next table and said with a smile: "This is your cousin Song. I met you when you were a baby. Later, our family returned to Fengzhou and we haven't seen him in these years. , I guess I don’t remember.” (To be continued)