The Emperor's birthday was approaching, and a banquet was held in the palace. The Shen family was not wealthy, and Shen Er's official position was not high enough, so they were not qualified to enter the palace to present gifts.
Mr. Su got the last seat, and the banquet was set outside the main hall. He sat behind the low table, stretched his neck to look into the distance, and felt dazzled. Not to mention the emperor's face, he couldn't even see whether the emperor was sitting on the throne.
"Brother Su, what are you doing?" someone beside him asked puzzledly.
Master Su laughed it off but felt deeply moved in his heart. The royal family was so magnificent and majestic. Who could have thought that he would soon become a relative of the emperor.
The gifts from the officials had already been presented, and only a gift list was presented to the emperor. The chief eunuch read out the gifts loudly in front of the hall. If the emperor heard any that agreed with his wishes, he would say "reward". If the emperor was really pleased, he would ask the eunuchs to present the gifts for him to appreciate.
But His Majesty has always been strict and self-disciplined, and in order to avoid the tendency of officials to compare with each other, he rarely shows favoritism.
Therefore, when the emperor suddenly said "present it to us", not only those sitting at the back, but also the officials in the front were all unable to react for a moment. They looked at each other secretly, wondering: Whose gift was just reported? What kind of gift could arouse His Majesty's interest
Everyone's eyes were fixed on one spot, and then they saw a colorful bird, with its head held high and chest puffed out, pacing in the birdcage with great confidence, and being brought in by a eunuch.
All the officials were in a daze. Doesn't His Majesty hate people wasting their time on trivial things? When did he develop such a hobby
The emperor looked at the bird and his eyes twitched slightly. He would rather the Su family really presented him with a steamed bun rather than a bird that just shook its head and tail and showed off its wings.
But what can he do? No matter how unbearable it is, he can only say leniently, "This little bird looks quite clever. Where is Lord Su?"
As the announcements were made, Master Su quickly stood up from the last seat, straightened his clothes, walked quickly with small steps, and kowtowed before the emperor.
The officials were discussing the matter. The Anguo Mansion had been forgotten for many years since the death of the old Anguo Duke. How come there was suddenly an opportunity today
Looking at Master Su kneeling in the hall, many ministers subconsciously touched their beards.
Thinking back to those days, they were all made to look like wooden lumps in comparison with the young Duke Anguo. It can be said that as many young men in the capital were obsessed with the Duke Anguo's sister, as many girls were obsessed with the Duke Anguo.
Even now, there are countless ministers' wives whose faces turn red and look coquettish when the name of Duke Anguo is mentioned.
The ministers did not think that it was their own incompetence that caused their wives to fall in love with other men. They just thought that the Duke of Anguo was either a decent man or a monster.
Looking at him again many years later, it was not the same. He was neither good at literature nor martial arts. A real man should be upright and self-reliant. How could he be like him
Humph, he just has a face that pleases women, he still has delicate skin and tender flesh despite his age, and he knows some unconventional tricks. It's all good-looking but useless. It's only because women have long hair and short knowledge that they are blinded by his appearance.
Superficial, how superficial!
It must be said that Master Su had some capital to be able to charm the princess into marrying him. Just like now, he is among a group of court officials of similar age. The others have wrinkles and beards on their faces, like dried bacon, which makes him look very fresh.
The emperor saw him kneeling there and thought he did look a bit like the bird showing off its feathers. No wonder people say that animals resemble their owners.
The emperor opened his mouth and said something like he missed the old Duke Anguo and lamented his youth.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Master Su with envy and jealousy. No matter how His Majesty suddenly became interested in a bird today, and then wanted to invite Duke Anguo to meet him, and then began to reminisce about the past, they all knew that after His Majesty was done reminiscing, he would definitely reward the descendants of his old ministers. If Duke Anguo could seize the opportunity, he might even get a sinecure. It would be a piece of cake.
However, Master Su was only half concerned about this, and the other half was wondering: the bird he got had bright and beautiful feathers, but more importantly, the bird could talk. He had trained it for a long time in the mansion so that it could say a few auspicious words on the Emperor's Birthday to make His Majesty happy. But now this silly bird just wagged its tail and showed off without saying a word, which made him very anxious.
While no one was paying attention, he secretly gestured to the bird as if he was going to hit it.
Although other people didn't see it, the emperor up there saw it clearly. Not only did his eyes twitch, but even the corners of his mouth twitched.
Such a person actually wants to be the brother-in-law of King Rui
But then again, it is better for Duke Anguo to indulge in pleasure and lose his ambition than for some people to have big ambitions in the future and to sow discord between Prince Rui and the other princes.
Anyway, with Prince Rui's ability and current status, he does not need the powerful Yue family to add icing on the cake.
Many thoughts went through his mind, but on the surface, the emperor still spoke slowly and politely, and then offered a reward.
When Master Su heard Eunuch Dehai's offer of reward, he immediately knelt down and no longer cared about the bird. He already knew that the Emperor just wanted a cover.
Having said that, when I thought about all the efforts I had made these days being wasted, I couldn't help but curse him in my heart as an idiot.
Just after he finished scolding, he heard the bird peck twice on the cage. The sound attracted everyone's attention. Then he said in a loud and melodious voice, "My dear, I will feed you meat."
Just as Eunuch Dehai had finished his report, the bird's voice slowly faded away, with the lingering sound lingering in the air.
The hall was so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Master Su was almost choked to death by his own saliva. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He quickly thanked the emperor loudly: "Long live the emperor!"
The veins on the emperor's forehead jumped, and he secretly blamed the matter on Prince Rui. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "That's right, Lord Su, please return to your seat."
Eunuch Dehai quickly signaled and asked the eunuch to take the bird away.
The court officials did not dare to say anything, but they were thinking in their hearts that His Majesty was so tolerant of the Duke of Anguo. It seemed that the Su family was really going to make a comeback.
Master Su returned to his seat. The people around him had no idea what had happened in the hall. They only saw that he had been summoned by the emperor and had received a reward. They all looked envious, "Brother Su, you are so happy!"
I'm not happy with you guys.
Mr. Su's legs were still trembling. He made up his mind that as soon as he left the palace, he would go and settle the score with the owner of the rare bird garden.
What a crap bird, how dare it call His Majesty's little sweetheart in the hall? I'm afraid it's going to scare him to death and eat his little sweetheart!
After the Wanshou Festival, the Su family, which had always been deserted, suddenly became lively. Apart from anything else, the fact that His Majesty only mentioned three rewards at the palace banquet, two of which were given to the princes, and the only one was given to Duke Anguo, shows that he has not forgotten the meritorious officials. Who knows when the Su family will take advantage of the situation and rise again
During this period, even the servants of the Shen Mansion were much more polite to the people in Su Yi's yard.
A few days later, Liu came to the Shen Mansion, not to visit Su Yi, but to see Old Madam Shen.
Her purpose was very clear. As the eldest sister-in-law, she wanted to talk to Old Lady Shen about Su Yi's divorce.
After she left, Old Mrs. Shen called Shen Er to her room.
"… You are infatuated with her, but do you think she has you in her heart? Before she got married, she was flirting with others. After she got married, she didn't think about taking care of her husband and children. Instead, she caused unrest in our Shen family and caused discord between you and me. If it were me, a woman like this should have been divorced back then!"
"Mother..." Shen Er's voice was filled with displeasure.
"Humph, you still want to say something good for her, but now her family is up in arms, and the first thing they want to do is divorce you."
Shen Er frowned and said, "Mother, please don't mention this matter again. I don't agree."
"You have to agree even if you don't want to!" Old Madam Shen slammed the tea table. "Because of her, the second wife is no longer like a wife, and the concubine is no longer like a concubine. You are already thirty years old, and you don't even have a legitimate son or a legitimate daughter. How do you want me to explain to your father a hundred years from now?"
Shen Er remained silent.
Old Madam Shen slowed down her tone and continued, "Listen to me and divorce her. It will be good for you and her. I have already picked a candidate for you. Your cousin from my uncle's family is just sixteen years old this year. She is gentle, beautiful, and kind-hearted—"
"I only recognize Yi Yi." Shen Er interrupted her.
Old Madam Shen's face immediately turned red with anger, "You rebellious son! You are deliberately trying to piss me off to death! Well, in that case, I'll put it this way. This time, you have to divorce me whether you agree or not. Otherwise, I will smash my head against the ancestral tablets and let the court punish you, the rebellious son who forced my mother to death!"
Shen Er's face turned extremely ugly. He knew that Old Lady Shen could do what she said, and if something really happened, his career would be over just for being unfilial and disobedient.
"Is mother really going to force me?"
Old Mrs. Shen was furious: "You are forcing me!"
Shen Er closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were full of bloodshot. He nodded slowly and said word by word, "Okay, I'll do as you wish, mother. I am willing to divorce you, but please don't interfere with my remarriage."
As long as he was willing to divorce, there was nothing that Mrs. Shen could refuse. As for whether to remarry, she believed that as long as that monster was gone, her son would always accept another woman.
As soon as the divorce letter was written, Su Yi packed up her belongings and left the Shen Mansion.
The night before she left, Shen Er got drunk and wandered outside the courtyard all night. Later, at some point, he was helped back home by the people around him.
The next day, Shen Er did not show up, only Shen Shuyao came to see her off. The look in her eyes when she looked at Su Yi was like a bird watching its companion leave the cage, and from then on, it would be free in the vast sky and sea.
Su Yi felt sorry for her, seeing how envious and lonely she was, so she said, "Whenever you have time, come to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to find me."
"Yes, Madam—" Shen Shuyao said subconsciously, and soon stuttered and changed her words, "Ms. Su, Ms. Su."
Su Yi smiled and didn't care. She touched her head again, said goodbye, got in the sedan and left.
"Goodbye." Shen Shuyao said softly, even though she knew in her heart that there was almost no chance for them to see each other again.
She was rarely allowed to leave the house, at most she could go outside the city to burn incense. If the old lady knew that she dared to go to the Su Mansion, kneeling in the ancestral hall when she came back would probably be the lightest punishment.
But this does not affect her good mood. Living a new life, today is the happiest day for her. Although her current situation is still difficult, looking at those who had the same miserable ending as her in the previous life and are now heading towards a completely different and beautiful future, it seems as if her own destiny has also been changed.
She suddenly had unprecedented confidence and decided to live differently this time.
Su Yi moved back to the Su Mansion. The place was large but less crowded, and it was much more comfortable than the small courtyard in the Shen family.
The people who served her all had smiles on their faces. After all, this was their own place. When they came back here, they even stood straighter.
The fact that the sister of Duke Anguo had divorced her husband's family was no small matter in the entire capital. Not to mention that the Duke Anguo's Mansion had recently been blessed by the Emperor, her title as the most beautiful woman in the capital was enough to attract many people's attention and curiosity.
Some people had seen Miss Su when she went out again after several years, but many more people had never seen her again. They only heard that her appearance had not changed, and was even more beautiful. Many people were skeptical and full of expectations, but they had no chance to see her beauty.
Su Yi was not busy these days and did not respond to any of the invitations to banquets. It was just because she had finally moved to a bigger place and had been worried about not being able to hire an opera troupe. Now that she could finally do so, she dragged Liu to watch opera for several days.
This caused some people who didn't know the truth to secretly wonder what kind of dangerous place the Shen Mansion was that Miss Su had to listen to opera for several days to celebrate after escaping from the sea of suffering
The weather was getting warmer and the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, so Su Yi went out with Liu.
There is a gathering and lion dance today, and the Su family has booked a private room in a teahouse facing the street, which is perfect for watching the performance.
When they arrived at the teahouse, many women from other mansions were also there. Liu saw that she knew all of them, so she had the screens between the private rooms removed and turned them into a large open room, where everyone sat together in a lively manner.
Although everyone was chatting and greeting each other, Su Yi was obviously the focus of attention, but not many people came to talk to her.
Firstly because of her appearance, and secondly because of her divorced status.
The female relatives envied her beauty and were even a little jealous, but when they thought that she was divorced, they felt an inexplicable sense of superiority and decided that they did not want to be associated with her.
Su Yi was enjoying her leisure time. She sat by the window and looked at the bustling crowd downstairs. Not far away, a lion dance team was slowly moving towards this side.
Suddenly, she heard a commotion. Su Yi looked up and saw a restaurant across the street. There were several scholars staring at her blankly. When they saw her looking over, their faces turned red.
She ignored it and just focused on looking at the lifelike lions below.
"Who is that?" The scholar opposite guessed her identity.
The others shook their heads and said, "When did such a beauty appear in the capital?"
A few people sent a servant to ask, and the servant ran to the teahouse and bribed the waiter a lot of money before he found out which families' women were in the private rooms.
The men were eliminated one by one, and they were wondering if they could match the man. Suddenly, someone asked, "Could it be Miss Su?"
"Which Miss Su?"
"You don't even know this. Brother Zhang really doesn't care about what's happening outside the window. You only focus on reading the books of sages."
Brother Zhang said anxiously, "Brother Li, stop making fun of me and tell me now."
"Some time ago, the news that the sister of Duke Anguo and the Shen family divorced spread throughout the capital. This Miss Su was famous for her beauty in the boudoir. It's a pity that you and I were born too late to see her. Now that I see her again, she is indeed worthy of her reputation as the most beautiful woman. She is truly stunning."
While these well-read disciples of the sage were praising him, they were all thinking in their hearts: This Shen Er must be a fool. He let such a beautiful lady run away. Is he still a man
Some people in the teahouse also noticed the commotion on the opposite side.
Someone beside him whispered, "Miss Su is really good-looking."
Another person said: "Women should be valued for their moral conduct. No matter how beautiful they are, they will still be divorced. What's the point?"
The voice was neither loud nor small, just loud enough for people nearby to hear. Just as Liu was about to speak for Su Yi, there was a commotion on the street.
"What's the matter?" a lady asked.
Her maid ran to the window and took a look, and said in surprise: "Madam, it seems that Prince Rui has returned from outside the capital and is meeting the lion dance team downstairs."
As soon as these words came out, almost all the unmarried girls in Yunying rushed to the window, and some ladies and grandmothers also came to join in the fun. The place that Su Yi had originally occupied alone was squeezed out, leaving only a small space. She couldn't help but complain to Qinglian in a low voice: "This is the first time I know that Prince Rui is so popular."
Qinglian smiled helplessly and said, "You didn't care about these things before, no wonder you didn't know. Prince Rui is a god of war with great military achievements, handsome appearance, and good family background. He is unattainable, so how can he not be admired?"
Su Yi pointed with her finger and said jokingly, "Look at him, he doesn't even smile, how did he trick the girl?"
Before Qinglian could speak, a girl next to her said in a dissatisfied tone: "Miss Su's words are unpleasant. Prince Rui is of noble status and a child of destiny. How can you and I casually comment on him?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "girl". Even a thick-skinned person like Su Yi could hear the sarcasm in her voice. And from the voice, she knew that this was the person who had just said that no matter how beautiful a woman's appearance was, it would be of no use if she got divorced. She had thought that the person who said this should be at least older, but she didn't expect that the other person was only fourteen or fifteen years old.
Although in this era, fourteen or fifteen years old is already the age to get married, but in Sui's eyes, she is really a little girl.
The girl suddenly covered her face with her hands and let out a small cry of surprise, her face flushed. Su Yi looked down and found that it was King Rui who looked up and saw them.
"Ling Shuang, the prince is looking at you!" A female companion beside her had a face full of admiration, "The prince must have noticed you!"
The girl named Ling Shuang looked coquettish and said shyly, "The prince must have seen it accidentally."
Her female companion said in a slightly sour tone: "Maybe the prince heard you defending him, so he saw you at first sight? Among us, you have the best family background and you are also good-looking. Maybe after you go back, the prince will come to your house to propose marriage."
"Hey, bad girl, what are you talking about? I don't want to listen!"
Su Yi was standing nearby, listening with an indifferent expression. Aren't these little girls too full of inner drama? They can think so far with just one glance.
And this girl named Ling Shuang was just criticizing her, but she hadn't even started to refute before the other party abandoned her. This is very depressing.
She looked down again. There were many people on the street, and King Rui did not ask people to clear the way like he did last time, so they were stuck in traffic for a long time and could not get out. He was not in a hurry at all. He rode on his strong warhorse with his black cloak fluttering behind him.
He was still looking up, his eyes met Su Yi's, then he reached into his arms, touching something, and suddenly he kicked his feet, and amid the exclamations of everyone, he landed steadily outside the window where Su Yi was, holding onto the windowsill with one hand, and finally reached out his other hand from his arms and took out a wooden box for her.
"What is it?" Su Yi was not very surprised.
King Rui said: "Here are the weapons for you."
The sound was not loud, so only two people heard it.
Judging from the size of the box, Su Yi thought it should be a dagger, but if the other party gave it to her like this, it would easily lead to misunderstanding.
She had already heard the little girl named Ling Shuang scream in disbelief, then run out crying.
As for the others, they stared at the scene in amazement.
King Rui left the box behind and got back on his horse, this time riding away quickly.
There was a sudden buzz of discussion in the teahouse, and everyone looked at Su Yi differently. Even those who had previously disdained to associate with her because of her divorce now hid their jealousy and began to chat with her enthusiastically.
On this day, many people in the capital saw with their own eyes that Prince Rui fell in love with Duke Anguo's heli sister at first sight, and even gave her a token of love on the spot!
Many girls were heartbroken, and many men who had seen Su Yi's appearance and were tempted to do something about it were also secretly worried.
But almost everyone was thinking: Shen Er is such a fool!
The two protagonists at the center of the topic were currently in the backyard of the Su residence.
Su Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at King Rui who was climbing over the wall like a lecher, and stood still waiting for him to speak.
King Rui, as always, never beats around the bush and hands Su Yi a stone, "Throw it at me."
It seems that this guy has been hiding somewhere to practice martial arts recently. He hasn't appeared for a while, and when he appeared, he asked her to throw a stone at him.
Since Su Yi had already decided to practice martial arts with him in the future, she certainly would not refuse. She gladly took the stone, took two steps back, and then threw it with some skill.
King Rui's body was faster than last time, and his steps were more varied, but the stone thrown by Sui seemed to have eyes. It would turn halfway, and once it had aimed at the target, it would not let go, and finally hit King Rui's leg steadily.
King Rui was not discouraged. He just nodded slightly and said, "I am not as good as you."
After saying that, he was about to leave the same way. Su Yi said, "Don't leave in such a hurry."
King Rui turned around and saw Su Yi standing in the night, raising a white and delicate hand with fingers spread out, each holding a small stone between her five fingers, smiling at him with ill intent, "Since you're here, just have fun."
The seventh cat was under the wall of the Su Mansion, keeping watch for their prince while being bitten by mosquitoes.
He looked up at the sky for a while, then looked up again, and thought to himself: Should I praise the prince for his bravery? He hasn't come out for so long, and now I'm praising Miss Su for being so good at keeping the prince here until now
That night, the emperor received news that his nephew had climbed into someone's backyard and finally limped back.
The emperor was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "Go stew that bird for me!"
The author has something to say: Bird: Honey~ I am innocent~
ps: I have wisdom teeth growing in my lower teeth. I will go to the hospital tomorrow to see if I need to have them removed. I am so scared~