After a while, the maid brought out several scrolls of paintings. Sheng Weiqiao opened them on the spot and showed them to Zhao Yue and Zhao Yu. After proving that they were authentic works, Sheng Weiqiao sent them away with the paintings.
After seeing off the guests, Sheng Weiqiao was concentrating on preparing for Sheng Weirao's upcoming blind date, but the Zhao brothers whispered after leaving the Mi Zhen County Prince's Mansion: "Fifth brother, did you hear it? Cousin Sheng asked you to From now on, don’t drag County Master Fuchang into talking about painting or not! Besides, our family is not very familiar with the Sheng family, so it would be embarrassing for you to directly inquire about County Master Fuchang.”
Zhao Yue frowned and said: "No one in my family has supported me in studying the art of painting over the years. It's rare to meet someone who is knowledgeable and young enough to talk about techniques and color palette. Do you think so much?"
Zhao Yu said hurriedly: "Fifth brother, it's not that I'm overthinking it, but that's what Cousin Sheng said just now! You also know that the third sister's previous affair with cousin Mi Zhen, although the third sister is still unwilling to mention it. When it comes to Sister-in-law Sheng, who knows if Sister-in-law Sheng also has any opinions on our family?"
"If Biao Sheng was so stingy, would she still lend me the painting?" Zhao Yue said, "You are just too petty. The matter between the third sister and cousin Mi Zhen is ultimately a misunderstanding. My cousin Mi Zhen We have been on good terms with Cousin Sheng for a long time, and she regards the third sister as her cousin at all. I can only blame my aunt for loving her son so much that she went to our house to discuss it with my grandmother before she knew anything about it, but I can’t blame my cousin Mi Zhen and her cousin. of."
Zhao Yu frowned slightly, knowing that this cousin loved the house and the bird, because Sheng Weiqiao borrowed these scrolls and promised that when Zhao Yue went south to Nanfeng County, Feng would let him see the lucky pictures of Gong'e, and he had a good impression of Sheng Weiqiao. If you don’t go in and say something about this person, it’s not right.
He sighed secretly and said: "Fifth brother, you can just talk about it in front of me. It's better to be careful when you go back to the third sister! After all, even the third sister knows about this. It's not to blame for cousin Mizhen and cousin." Sister-in-law, anyone who has been ridiculed for so long and still has to be teased out often... how can he feel better?"
"Don't worry, I'm just telling you that when I get to my third sister, I will definitely not mention the palace of the Prince of Mi Zhen County." Fortunately, although Zhao Li was obsessed with painting, he still loved his sister and nodded sternly when he heard this.
... Sheng Weiqiao was unaware of the conversation between their brothers, and it was the Chongwu Festival in a blink of an eye.
On the Chongwu Festival this year, because there was no special order from Empress Dowager Meng, Shanglin Garden was not used, and a palace banquet was held in the imperial city.
On the eve of the Double Fifth Festival, vague news came from the palace, saying that Queen Meng had been huddled in Wangchun Palace for many years, and she couldn't help but feel bored. She once suggested to the Queen Mother that she should go to Shanglin Garden this year to liven things up. However, Empress Dowager Meng still refused after repeated consideration. This was not because she did not want to give the Queen face, nor because she had any other considerations. In the final analysis, it was because the Empress Dowager was older and her energy was not as good as before.
So it’s not easy to eat and move it around.
In fact, if it weren't for helping the Meng family maintain their influence, given the current condition of the phoenix body, Empress Dowager Meng would prefer to stay quietly in Xinshou Palace and concentrate on recuperating.
Originally, the court was in a state of turmoil because Emperor Xuan Jing was over fifty. Now that the Empress Dowager came out with news of his aging, the atmosphere of this Double Fifth Banquet inevitably became a bit solemn.
On the contrary, it matched the temperament of the candidate recommended to Sheng Weirao by the Qi family.
This man's surname was Zang, his given name was Wanzhou, and his nickname was Bibo. I don't know if it was because he had just come to Chang'an from northern Xinjiang after a long journey, but he still had the evil aura of a military officer all over his body.
The Qi family introduced in advance that his ancestral home was also from the south, but it was in the Jiannan area, not close to Nanfeng County. Generally speaking, people from the south are not as tall as people from the north, but this is not the case with Zang Wanzhou. He is tall and burly, and he walks like a tiger. He is a warrior who can be seen at a glance.
Looking at his physique alone, Rong Suihe, who has a beautiful appearance and a slim body, would be compared to a weak scholar with no strength.
This man's appearance also matched his physique with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was not handsome, but he was dignified.
To be honest, this is not in line with the general appreciation of girls nowadays. The most popular one in the country right now is Rong Suihe, who is elegant and elegant.
But in the eyes of elderly people like Mrs. Sheng and Mrs. Ming, this look is very pleasing to the eye.
Especially the old man, who thinks this appearance is a sign of masculinity, and he looks kind and honest; on the other hand, he looks like Rong Suihe, and he looks like a pretty boy... Well, I can't help it. When he was his grandson, the old man would never say that to him. , and who dares to say that to Rong Suihe, the old man is probably the first to get angry with him.
However... this is how my grandson-in-law is treated.
Because Zang Wanzhou's close relatives are no longer here, the Sheng family only needs to consider Zang Wanzhou himself.
Mr. Sheng and Mrs. Ming knew that they were not good at beating around the bush, and because the Qi family introduced this matter, if they spoke too straightforwardly and got into trouble, they would offend the Qi family, and it might even affect Sheng Weiqiao and the others. Qi's sister-in-law relationship.
Therefore, he specifically asked Xuanyu Feng to take action in advance and spent a long time with Zang Wanzhou.
Finally, when Xuan Yu and Feng Shi made a gesture of "already asked", they made excuses to send him and Sheng Weirao to go to the imperial garden alone. They also politely sent away the Qi brothers and sister-in-law, and then closed the palace door, feeling very anxious. Discussion: "How about it?"
Xuanyu Fengshi said slowly: "Let's talk about it first: I'm afraid the marriage of the girl's family will affect her whole life. I, an outsider, don't dare to comment on such a big matter. I just said that I just told that boy The inference from these words: This guy doesn't plan to leave the army, at least not now. So he hopes to marry a wife who has a decent amount of dowry, and preferably a wife whose mother's family is a bit powerful. As for other things, such as appearance, whether to marry Extraordinary, these come second."
"The main thing is that he is worried that one day he will accidentally die on the battlefield, and his family will be left alone and unable to survive."
"And if the wife has a dowry and has support from her natal family, even if he is gone, it will not be too difficult for the orphans and widowers."
"So he is very satisfied with Fu Chang. If you guys have no objection, he is eager to get married while he comes back to report on his work this time."
"Isn't this too urgent?" Mrs. Ming didn't have much money. Although she heard the words just announced to Feng and Zang Wanzhou from beginning to end, she couldn't quite tell the meaning behind the words. Let's listen now There was some hesitation in explaining, "Although I think the child is not bad, but as you said, marriage is of great importance, and you have to think about it carefully!"
Moreover, when Mrs. Ming heard that Zang Wanzhou was serving in the Northern General, she only thought about the poverty in the north. Now she was reminded that there was a risk of death in the army, especially the foreign enemies, so she said that the situation in the court at the moment , King Gaomi and the Meng family will have a battle sooner or later, and it will be the kind that will affect the Northern Xinjiang Army.
In this way, even if Zang Wanzhou is a good person and will not care about Sheng Weirao's past, he will concentrate on doing good to this girl... What if he really returns with a body wrapped in horse leather in a few years, how can he make his granddaughter cry?
When Mrs. Ming thought of this, she wanted to retreat, "This is the first time we've met each other! He urged me so urgently... Could it be that he's hiding something and doesn't want us to know?"
As soon as he said this, Mr. Sheng glared at him and said, "You are so suspicious without any evidence! Qiao Er and her aunt are the shrewdest. How old is that kid? How can he be Qiao Er's aunt's opponent? She is being tortured. After so long, there is no flaw? Since Qiao Er and her aunt didn't say this, then there must be no one! Besides, this person was recommended by the Qi family. Their aunt is Qiao Er's sister-in-law, and she has always let Qiao Er , how dare you cheat Qiaoer’s direct cousin on such a matter?!"
Only then did Mrs. Ming feel sorry for herself. The old couple specifically asked Xuan Yu Feng to help find out Zang Wanzhou’s background. But now they suspected Zang Wanzhou had something to hide. Doesn’t this mean that Xuan Yu Feng couldn’t do it?
She was very embarrassed and apologized to Xuan Yu Feng: "I'm an old fool. Look at Qiao'er's face, don't be as knowledgeable as me!"
Xuan Yu Feng said indifferently: "Why do the old master and the old madam need to see each other? I don't have a daughter. I want to have a daughter. I must be suspicious when choosing a son-in-law. Only by taking into account all the good and bad can I feel at ease." Sheng Weiqiao raised his chin, "Before Qiao Er came out of the cabinet, I had been involved in her marriage for a long time."
Because after all, they were in the palace or at a palace banquet. Even though the Qi family relied on their relationship with King Gaomi to build such a side hall for them to have blind dates and discussions, Old Mrs. Sheng, Mrs. Ming and Mrs. Xuanyu Feng Either the grade is not high or there is no grade at all. Everyone who can come to the palace banquet today is a privileged person. It's okay if he doesn't show up for a long time during the banquet.
But after all, Sheng Weiqiao and Rong Suihe were members of the clan and close relatives of Emperor Xuan Jing, so they couldn't just run around.
Rong Suihe was simply invited away not long after the banquet was held, and did not leave at all. At this moment, Sheng Weiqiao was alone. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Yes, grandma, you don't know. My aunt guessed the secret at that time." It was a fantastic idea, and I never imagined that my aunt would consider it that way!"
After finishing smoothing things over for her grandmother, she brought the topic back to the right track, "Speaking of whether Zang Wanzhou can be a good match for my fourth sister, grandpa, weren't you also from the Northern Xinjiang Army? Why don't I write to you or something? Former Pao Ze, could you please inquire about him?"
Old Mrs. Sheng said depressedly: "Don't you think I didn't do this? It's just that this kid follows the Qi family closely on weekdays, and outsiders know some of his military exploits and the like. As for his specific character, especially his attitude towards his wife and children. I’m not very clear anymore... As for his previous marriage, many people in the army still don’t know about it!”
He sighed and said with a dejected look, "After all, more than twenty years have passed... Do you know that your grandfather is still in the army at this moment?"
Sheng Weiqiao quickly comforted him: "It's okay if you're not in the army! Don't you still have good eyesight? For example, isn't the uncle you chose for my eldest aunt a very good one?"
Her restless little aunt Sheng Lanling abandoned the fiancé her family told her about and ran away with someone else, which turned out to be unfair. However, her eldest aunt Sheng Lanxin, who followed her father's orders and joined the government, still had a good relationship with her husband Shen Ji.
"We are talking about this and that here, as if everyone unanimously decided on this matter immediately." Old Mrs. Sheng forced a smile, but he did not fully regain his interest. He only said, "Rao'er just went out for a walk with that child. , I don’t know what to think after I come back!”
What he said was correct. Everyone was silent for a while, and then Xuan Yu Feng said, "Then let's return to the table, right? Since we don't know whether things will work out or not, after staying here for a long time, people can guess a lot."
Mrs. Sheng nodded, and everyone returned to the main hall where the banquet was held one after another. Fortunately, at this time, people were enjoying singing and dancing, or talking to each other. Many seats were empty, but not many people paid attention to them... In fact, It is not uncommon for people to take advantage of opportunities such as palace banquets to go on blind dates.
Even today, Sheng Weirao and Zang Wanzhou are not alone.
Among the people who were not present at this moment, there were also several young men and young ladies who were called by their elders to go to the imperial garden to check their fate.
For example, Sheng Weirao and Zang Wanzhou had just turned around a rockery when they happened to encounter Zhao Li and a girl in green clothes standing not far away on the road, facing each other, and the atmosphere was strange.