Graceful Dynasty

Chapter 48: The two swallows return

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The next day is New Year’s Day. During these days, we don’t have to deal with government affairs. It is the happiest time of the year.

Seeing that his face was about to change, Xinghe hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Today is the first day of the new year, don't be angry." At the same time, he had someone prepare the food and brought it in, saying with a smile, "The butler was joking with you. Fifteen is the best age, but when you get to my age, it's getting old. I'm twenty-three already, I'm old." As he spoke, he really felt the sadness of the twilight years of his life.

"Sister Xinghe, how could you?"

She wasn't being snarky, she just didn't want Xinghe to leave the palace. If she left, she would be alone again. She looked down on everyone in the palace except Xinghe. It was finally spring break, and she had to go home again. Thinking of this, Yinchen felt desperate.

Now she could finally act coquettishly with her mother. She hugged her mother's arm and said, "I missed you so much."

He said perfunctorily: "Wait until the future..."

Yinchen knew that she could not get any advantage from the prince, and it was useless to continue pestering him. She turned to act like a spoiled child with Xinghe, "Sister, please take me with you. I will also spend the New Year at your house, okay?"

Xinghe felt very embarrassed, "It's better to persuade him to go back to the palace on his own."

Xinghai was extremely embarrassed, hesitating and mumbling, then stepped aside and gestured, "It's very cold, please come in, Your Highness."

In the morning, she dressed up beautifully. She wore a pink and white floral jacket, a goose yellow brocade skirt, put on a layer of powder, and lip balm. When she came to the front to celebrate the New Year with everyone, everyone felt that Master Su had become a different person today and could hardly recognize him.

"Don't worry." Mrs. Su looked at her sideways. "It's not easy for him to come here, how can I chase him away? Stay, take him to your room, the mattresses are all new and clean. Don't refuse, mother is an experienced person, and she knows everything. The prince will sleep with you today, it's settled."

The master is more thoughtful than the servant. The servant should be aware of the situation. But Xinghe looks at her with a sense of ease. It seems that she and the prince are not strangers. Mrs. Su is satisfied with what she sees and tells Xinghe, "You wait on him well. I will go to the kitchen with your sister-in-law to take a look."

How can I be shy when we are so familiar with each other! Xinghe said: "When you hold me, it really feels like I am back home."

"Is your dress made in-house? How come it's so fine?" She tugged at her persimmon-red jacket with gold sprinkles on it. "This morning I thought I could be the most beautiful woman in the East Palace, but now that I see you, I've given up on that thought."

Yinchen gave the highest praise to her dress: she looked like a fairy. She looked at her earrings and thought they were nice; she looked at her necklace and thought it was nice; she even thought the lip balm on her lips was surprisingly pretty and she couldn't match that look no matter what.

She said angrily, "What?"

Xinghe was silent, thinking that she had never given up, so how could she say "not yet". Maybe people would say that it was shameless to still think about someone else after what she had done with the prince. But it was also true that she was still thinking about someone else. Not to mention that one cup was matched with four teapots, it seemed... reasonable to prepare a spare lid for each cup. If the current lid broke, she couldn't leave it open and not be able to put it on the tea table again.

Xinghe didn't know when she became so popular, and everyone wanted to have a private meal with her. Yesterday it was the prince, and today it was Yinchen. She combed her bangs and said tenderly, "I have to go home in the afternoon. You should behave yourself in the palace and don't get angry with others, understand?"

Xinghe was naturally happy. She had agreed to go back home today. She hadn't been home for more than ten years. She didn't know if it was still the same as she remembered. Although her family was relieved that she had no worries about food and clothing in the palace and her career was going smoothly, she still had to dress up like a festival. Otherwise, her mother would nag her, saying that she looked like a boy and was tough and deserved to be beaten.

The prince did not come in, but stood under the eaves and looked through the window at the stars. Today's little lover is indeed good-looking. This handsome appearance plus the kiss last night makes people panic when they think about it. The prince does not know what it feels like to be newly married, anyway, his mood now is no different from that of a newly married woman. His wife is dressed up beautifully, waiting for him to take her back to her parents' home. He has never felt so clearly that he is needed by her, so even if the Su family is a den of wolves, he has to go there today.

They were both silent, only the wheels rolling over the ground made a slight rustling sound. Her hands rested on her knees, and under her sleeves, there was a soft jade hand. The prince's heart was pounding, and he mustered up the courage to hold her fingertips, regardless of her surprised look. Later, he was annoyed by her look and said in a vicious voice: "You don't act like a girl at all. You should be shy when a man holds your hand."

The prince felt that she was a little overconfident when compared to Xinghe. The feelings between the two were different, could they be put on the same level? He glanced at her indifferently, "Xinghe is under my care, I'm assured."

She said angrily, "What?"

After all, she was a girl. Even if a girl was very successful in the officialdom, she still had her own nature of loving beauty and being gentle. Taking off her official robes and putting on red makeup was the only bit of fun in her not-so-colorful life.

The prince was very puzzled by Yinchen's clinginess. He had been wondering what the purpose of this female attendant entering the East Palace was. Was it just to drag down Xinghe and distract her attention? He had planned everything. He had to guard against Lou Yueting and Huo Yan, but in the end he had to guard against Yinchen. Was it because Xinghe was too lovable, or was he just unlucky? He didn't know what kind of monster Shangguan Yin was. After being kicked out of bed by him, she never showed even the slightest interest in him. A girl of this age should be imagining about love, but why did her imagination seem to be in the wrong direction and shifted to Xinghe

Before he could finish his words, the prince raised his voice and said, "What? You still want to go to Huo Yan's house? Su Xinghe, you haven't given up on him yet?"

The Su family rushed out after being notified by the doorman. They thought it was the girl who came home, but when they saw the prince's carriage parked outside the door, they became a little panicked.

"Sister Xinghe, how could you?"

Her mother laughed at her sister-in-law, "I was just saying that the Control Rong Division is a long way from home, and it takes three to five months to go home. Now that you are so sweet, who would believe you?"

They moved to the side room to talk. When the princess Xia Ling was mentioned, Mrs. Xinghai looked embarrassed. "Miss, what should I do? When she gets old, she will be like a giant Buddha. No one can move her. If it were an ordinary person, she would have been kicked out long ago, but this one is a princess. She begged for mercy and even your brother couldn't do anything. I was thinking, why don't we let her have it? There is no such thing as a princess being a concubine in the world. If she sues the emperor and charges my family with something, I will be a sinner for all eternity."

"Master, you have to be reasonable. The punishment of prisoners is undertaken by the Military Control Department. This one is a fish that slipped through the net. I have to prevent Huo Yan from secretly sending the child back to Cao Zhan. The couple are imprisoned. If he is asked to raise a child, how can the dignity and laws of the court be taken care of?" She smiled flatteringly, "I am concerned about the court and even miss my rest days. You should praise me in the court and let all the civil and military officials know my achievements." She lowered her voice and murmured in dissatisfaction, "They say that the Jinyi Envoy is a second-rank official. In fact, this man's world still does not allow women to be officials. Otherwise, why don't you call me to court?"

Xinghe chuckled, "Sister-in-law still knows me."

There was no need to despise them. The Su family once had a large business, but later their ancestors divided the family. Whenever they wanted to gather together, they would respond with one call. In previous years, he routinely visited the homes of several important cabinet officials, including the Su family. However, he only handed in his name tag outside the door before, and did not go in to sit down. Today, Xinghe was in this wolf's den, and he not only wanted to sit down, but also to stay.

Mrs. Su kept winking at Xinghe, "Please come in, my dear, you..."

Yinchen felt something was wrong when she heard this, "How can you go home? Palace girls can't go home for the holidays."

Dequan was beside him, saying, "You are still growing up, and you are the ugliest now. Don't worry, after these two years, you will naturally grow up, and by then you will be as beautiful as a flower."

Xinghe blushed and said it was just a joke. Her sister-in-law was considerate and said, "The young lady has her own difficulties in being on duty. After all, he is the prince, and no one dares to disobey him, right?"

Xinghe was suddenly stunned. She had taken care of everything outside, but had completely forgotten about her family. She hurriedly said to pack it now, but the prince said no need. With a wink, Shanyin took out two red envelopes made like brocade bags, each filled with a small gold and silver ingot, and hung them on the button on the child's chest, smiling and saying, "This is the red envelope our master gave to the two young masters. He hopes that the young masters will grow up quickly, study hard, become famous all over the world, and become high officials in the court in the future."

The prince got out of the car, smiling, "We are not representing the court today, Lord Su and Madam don't have to be so reserved." He looked up and saw his brother-in-law. There was a dark shadow under Su Xinghai's eyes, and he must have had a hard time recently. He was happy when they suffered, and although it was a bit unkind, he still couldn't help but greeted Xinghai with a smile, "Deputy Envoy, you don't look very energetic, what troubles have you encountered?"

Xinghe was shaken by her until his bones were about to fall apart. He originally wanted to discuss it with the prince, but when he turned around, he had already walked far away. From his attitude, one could tell that he would definitely not agree.

This was actually the first time she had met this sister-in-law, but since she had raised her nephew, she was like a family member, so she naturally felt close to him. With that smile and hug, they quickly became close. Just as she was about to speak, a voice came from the kitchen, timidly saying, "Madam, the pig's trotters have been steamed for a long time, can't we serve them?"

Xinghe looked back and saw a young lady wearing an apricot-colored double-breasted jacket and with her hair tied up standing shyly in front of the door. She looked very pretty and tall. Mrs. Xinghai waved her hand and said that she didn't need to help with the kitchen matters. She pushed her in front of Xinghe and asked her to look at her. "This is someone I brought from my family. She is now with your brother and is the second young master."

Yinchen glared at him fiercely, "General Manager, do you and I have a feud or something? You always poke my lungs."

Anyway, the prince disliked her very much. "Whenever she acts like a spoiled child, I get goose bumps all over my body. This is not her Shangguan family's residence, this is my Eastern Palace! There can't be such an androgynous monster in the Eastern Palace. Think of a way to send her to the Fourth Master as soon as possible."

All the women in the room were very depressed. Mrs. Su complained, "Why is no one dealing with this guy? If it were my daughter, I would make her angry and come back to life even if I died. Her mother can't talk much now, why is she still so arrogant..." Then she thought of Xinghe, "You and the prince...ah? Princess Xialing mentioned your affairs last time and said that you accepted it yourself. Is that true?"

Su Yujin nodded and said yes. He was always a little afraid in his heart. This prince was a shrewd man. There was no clue on his face. The posture of the imperial guards surrounding him was a big show, letting the outside world know that he was close to the Su family. He came in person this time. Who knows what bad things he is up to? There have been so many times in the court, and he solved the problem with a smile, so this time he probably has no good intentions.

The prince is the heir to the throne, and when he comes to the house, he must be greeted with great courtesy. Everyone in the Su family, young and old, rushed to the hall and knelt down to welcome him. The prince sat at the head of the table, quite gentlemanly, and after accepting the greeting calmly, he stepped forward and supported Su Yujin and Mrs. Su, smiling and saying, "Today I am sending my daughter back. I am worried about her walking outside alone. Don't be too polite when you are at home, there are no outsiders anyway."

Yinchen glared at him fiercely, "General Manager, do you and I have a feud or something? You always poke my lungs."

Xinghai's wife hurried to help, "The young lady is busy with work in the government office, and after all, she is on duty in the palace. It is not easy for her to come home casually. There are eyes watching her openly and secretly. Today is the first day of the new year, and the master is accompanying her back. I don't know how great an honor it is."

Xinghe was instantly discouraged. She thought he was going to try to get her to attend the court in the future. She was not happy and turned her head to look out the window. The prince pushed her with his shoulder, "Xinghe! Xinghe!"

Yinchen sneered, "You really love to tease me. I am not as good-looking as you at the age of 23. Let me be 23 tomorrow." Seeing Dequan walked out with a look of contempt, she turned around and hugged Xinghe, "Sister Xinghe is so nice. You said you would eat alone with me. You won't cheat."

Xinghai's wife thanked him profusely. The prince took a look at her and found her to be very gentle and pleasant. Her beauty was not as stunning as Xinghe's, but she also had the charm of "a man of culture and elegance".

The next day is New Year’s Day. During these days, we don’t have to deal with government affairs. It is the happiest time of the year.

How can I be shy when we are so familiar with each other! Xinghe said: "When you hold me, it really feels like I am back home."

As soon as she finished speaking, someone on the other end took over the conversation, "If I say yes, then yes. Aren't rules made by people?"

Yinchen felt something was wrong when she heard this, "How can you go home? Palace girls can't go home for the holidays."

Xinghe chuckled, "Sister-in-law still knows me."

Xinghai was extremely embarrassed, hesitating and mumbling, then stepped aside and gestured, "It's very cold, please come in, Your Highness."

As soon as she finished speaking, someone on the other end took over the conversation, "If I say yes, then yes. Aren't rules made by people?"

If he had any sense of shame, he would not have gotten involved with the two brothers. Xinghe had no idea what to do, no one could say anything about this matter, so it all depended on Xinghai's own ability.

Mrs. Su also had a headache. "I have never seen anything like this in my life. Today is the first day of the lunar year, and I don't know why she didn't come. Maybe she saw the guards of the Eastern Palace outside the door and knew that the prince was there, so she came and turned back. You don't know, when she arrived, our house was in chaos. After all, she is a princess, how could she be so shameless."

Xinghe had no choice but to change the subject, "Why don't you come in and have a seat. It's just a humble room, please don't despise me, Master."

When Yinchen met the prince, she finally behaved herself and performed the formal ceremony, but she was still indignant at his unconventional behavior. "Since that's the case, my master should just give me a word and let me go home to celebrate the festival."

The prince's heart was like a willow branch in the spring breeze in March, swaying back and forth. All his thoughts were on her. She asked whether it could be accomplished or not. What was impossible

She said angrily, "What?"

The prince said no, "If a palace maid leaves the palace at will, and if she brings something she shouldn't bring in, it would be a heinous crime."

So what kind of relationship do they have now? They are obviously more than childhood friends, but they seem to be a little short of lovers. Even if the prince has already made up his mind and Xinghe refuses to admit it, there is nothing he can do. When you like someone, you will always suffer some grievances silently. If he asks for more, he is afraid that she will think he is clinging to her, and if she gets scared, she will become resentful; if he asks for too little, he is afraid that she will think he does not value her. Such an action last night was just a momentary impulse of a young man seeking novelty, and he did not really think about being with her forever.

"Sister Xinghe, how could you?"

Xinghe smiled at the prince and said, "Let father and brother talk to the master. I'll go help mother." As he said this, he led his mother and sister-in-law out of the hall.

So some things are linked together like this. If she didn't clear her side, the prince would stay here until nightfall and didn't want to go back to the palace. What should she do? Mrs. Su said, "We don't have a room in our house for the prince to stay overnight..." She looked at Xinghe and said, "Why don't we take you to the courtyard? I'm worried about you staying elsewhere."

The prince was escorted into the gate, and the guards of the Eastern Palace outside quickly surrounded the residence like an iron barrel.

The prince swallowed and said, "I'll praise you again."

How can I be shy when we are so familiar with each other! Xinghe said: "When you hold me, it really feels like I am back home."

Xinghe felt very embarrassed, "It's better to persuade him to go back to the palace on his own."

The prince's heart was like a willow branch in the spring breeze in March, swaying back and forth. All his thoughts were on her. She asked whether it could be accomplished or not. What was impossible

Su Yujin bowed across the curtain and said, "Your Highness has come. I am sorry for not welcoming you from afar. Now that you have arrived at my humble abode, please condescend to come in and have a seat."

Xinghe chuckled, "Sister-in-law still knows me."

She smiled helplessly at Yinchen, "You've seen it too, it's not that I don't want to take you with me. Just do your job well, and after you've waited for ten years, you can go back to celebrate the holidays like me, okay."

She said angrily, "What?"

The maid who helped her up was not decent or not, and she was naturally inferior to her master. When she knelt down to pay respect to Xinghe, Xinghe quickly supported her and said with a smile: "What are you talking about? You are my brother's roommate, I can't accept your respect. Our family is not that kind of old-fashioned family, we don't follow that kind of thing, get up quickly."

The prince swallowed and said, "I'll praise you again."

The tone was almost like coaxing a child, which made Yinchen very sad. Turning her head, she saw that the food was already on the table. Since they couldn't go home together, having a meal together was also a compensation.

God knows, this is really a trap. The prince clenched his hands tightly and pretended to ask her, "The government has three days off. Today is the first day, and there are two days left. How do you plan to spend it?"

Xinghe thought he was talking nonsense. "Your eyes are defective, right? She has just entered the palace and is unfamiliar with the place. She can't get along with anyone. She is a minister of the same rank, so she can say a few words to him. But when it comes to you, it becomes like this?"

The prince was escorted into the gate, and the guards of the Eastern Palace outside quickly surrounded the residence like an iron barrel.

Xinghe was simply convinced by his ability to act on his words. Although she was indeed thinking about sending someone to serve Prince Xin, it was too unreasonable for her to rush someone away just because Yinchen was on good terms with her. However, since her master had spoken, she had no right to refute. She could only sigh and say, "I'll make the arrangements later. It's still the first month of the year, so it's not good to transfer. Can we wait until after the Chinese New Year to discuss it?"

Before he could finish his words, the prince raised his voice and said, "What? You still want to go to Huo Yan's house? Su Xinghe, you haven't given up on him yet?"

"I think Shangguan Yin is not normal. You should keep your distance from her in the future." He said to her on the way back, "It's okay for a good girl to be affectionate to a man, but if she looks at you with shining eyes, isn't that a mess?"

Now she could finally act coquettishly with her mother. She hugged her mother's arm and said, "I missed you so much."

The two of them sat in a car, shoulders touching shoulders, legs touching legs. Thinking of the tentative kiss last night, they both felt a little awkward.

The prince said no, "If a palace maid leaves the palace at will, and if she brings something she shouldn't bring in, it would be a heinous crime."

That was the case, and she would do the same when she returned to Su's house, just to let them see that she was in Cao's camp but her heart was with Han. But she didn't expect that this fool beside her would jump out of the car at the door of her house and actually bow to him respectfully, "Thank you for your grace, master. I'm home, you can go back to the palace." It turned out that she thought he had nothing to do and specially gave her a ride.

Mrs. Su was still immersed in the joy of her son-in-law. She was a woman who was content with poverty and did not have any bad intentions. Whether Su Daxueshi and his two children were calling the wind or calling the rain outside, her world was only this one acre of land. She had been playing with her grandchildren for a long time and was looking forward to having a grandson to entertain her. The prince was her opponent in terms of position, but when it came to the selection of son-in-law, there was no one more suitable. They made a big fuss outside, that was their ability, but when it came to the family, she was the boss and they had to listen to her arrangements.

The prince's heart was like a willow branch in the spring breeze in March, swaying back and forth. All his thoughts were on her. She asked whether it could be accomplished or not. What was impossible

Xinghe chuckled, "Sister-in-law still knows me."

Xinghai was extremely embarrassed, hesitating and mumbling, then stepped aside and gestured, "It's very cold, please come in, Your Highness."

The two of them sat in a car, shoulders touching shoulders, legs touching legs. Thinking of the tentative kiss last night, they both felt a little awkward.

Xinghe smiled at the prince and said, "Let father and brother talk to the master. I'll go help mother." As he said this, he led his mother and sister-in-law out of the hall.

Before he could finish his words, the prince raised his voice and said, "What? You still want to go to Huo Yan's house? Su Xinghe, you haven't given up on him yet?"

Mrs. Su kept winking at Xinghe, "Please come in, my dear, you..."

Xing Hekuan explained that he was not afraid, "You are married and have no relationship with your parents' family. It is useless to harm your parents' family. A woman can only be divorced if she commits the seven reasons for divorce. You should just give birth to children. If she insists on coming to your house, just let her be a concubine."

She said: "I will go home today to chat with my family and set off firecrackers with my nephew. Tomorrow I may have to go door to door to hand out business cards and wish everyone a happy new year. The next day I want to go to the Duke's Mansion to see Cao Zhan's privately adopted son..."

Anyway, she couldn't explain it clearly, so letting them think it was true would be good for the future. She had to be on guard against the prince falling into bad situations, and she couldn't protect him just by relying on her childhood friend's reputation. But if they were entangled in that, she could fight for her man in front of her father and brother. No one could harm his life.

As soon as she finished speaking, someone on the other end took over the conversation, "If I say yes, then yes. Aren't rules made by people?"

Except for the happy Mrs. Su, everyone else in the Su family was trembling with fear. The prince saw it, but didn't care. Anyway, he was very relaxed. Looking at the children in the wet nurse's hands, the two were not much different in age. It was said that one was born to the wife of the first wife, and the other was born to the newly promoted Mrs. Ru. In terms of generation, the prince felt that he was an uncle, so he waved his hands and asked the two wet nurses to hold the children up, teased them casually, and turned to ask Xinghe, "Where is the New Year's money, have you prepared it?"

Before he could finish his words, the prince raised his voice and said, "What? You still want to go to Huo Yan's house? Su Xinghe, you haven't given up on him yet?"

Now she could finally act coquettishly with her mother. She hugged her mother's arm and said, "I missed you so much."

The next day is New Year’s Day. During these days, we don’t have to deal with government affairs. It is the happiest time of the year.

The two of them sat in a car, shoulders touching shoulders, legs touching legs. Thinking of the tentative kiss last night, they both felt a little awkward.

Xinghe had no choice but to change the subject, "Why don't you come in and have a seat. It's just a humble room, please don't despise me, Master."

Mrs. Su kept winking at Xinghe, "Please come in, my dear, you..."

There really was no other way. There had been no precedent for women attending court, and it might be unfair to her, but for the prince, this was the best way. There were many talented people in the court, and if they were all piled up in front of her, what would she do if she was overwhelmed by the choices? Besides, she would have to return to the inner court in the future, and he really couldn't stand being in the spotlight too much.

As soon as she finished speaking, someone on the other end took over the conversation, "If I say yes, then yes. Aren't rules made by people?"

Xinghe had no choice but to change the subject, "Why don't you come in and have a seat. It's just a humble room, please don't despise me, Master."

The prince was escorted into the gate, and the guards of the Eastern Palace outside quickly surrounded the residence like an iron barrel.

He said perfunctorily: "Wait until the future..."

The prince was escorted into the gate, and the guards of the Eastern Palace outside quickly surrounded the residence like an iron barrel.

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

The prince's heart was like a willow branch in the spring breeze in March, swaying back and forth. All his thoughts were on her. She asked whether it could be accomplished or not. What was impossible

How can I be shy when we are so familiar with each other! Xinghe said: "When you hold me, it really feels like I am back home."

The prince swallowed and said, "I'll praise you again."

Xinghai was extremely embarrassed, hesitating and mumbling, then stepped aside and gestured, "It's very cold, please come in, Your Highness."

Xinghe smiled at the prince and said, "Let father and brother talk to the master. I'll go help mother." As he said this, he led his mother and sister-in-law out of the hall.

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