Soon after Mingyitang's verification, Jiang's family also received the banquet post of the palace night banquet.
Since he was a child, Emperor Hong Xiao had a simple sexuality and did not like luxury. It is just that the queen mother today loves fun. Although Emperor Hong Xiao and the queen mother are not mother and child, the two get along well. Emperor Hong Xiao’s biological mother Xia Guifei died early, the queen mother. Without children, the first emperor placed Emperor Hong Xiao under the knees of the Queen Mother to grow up. For so many years of friendship, it can be regarded as a mother's kindness and filial piety.
This time, in addition to banqueting the officials, everyone knew that Emperor Hong Xiao would also give the leader of the verification at the palace banquet. This is a great honor for both the student and his family. Therefore, even if Mrs. Jiang didn't like Jiang Li very much, she told the people around her to make every effort to prepare Jiang Li's clothes and jewelry for the palace banquet, and make no mistakes.
Jiang Li's life is a little more moist than before. At least after the verification, when Jiang's servants talk about her, they will not be as indifferent as before, and they will only talk secretly. Although a little bit sad, Jiang Li's status is a little higher than before, which is an undoubted fact.
At the palace banquet, many officials from the Yan Dynasty and Yanjing City would go there, but Meng Youde, the envoy of Chengxuan, was unable to go this time.
Compared with the bustling scene in the past, Meng's house has been desperately depressed in recent days. The flowers and plants in the garden seem to be left unattended. The yellow leaves fell on the outside of the flower bed, and the hot summer also felt a little chill.
At night, the lights in the room were dim, and there was a faint voice in a room close by. It seemed to be the sound of a quarrel. After a while, there was a "pop", something was broken, and someone slammed the door out.
It is Meng Youde.
In just a few days, Meng Youde has also been haggard and vicissitudes of life, and he is no longer as proud of the past spring breeze. Someone chased after him, it was Meng Youde's wife, Mrs. Meng.
"Master, master—" Madam Meng pleaded, trotting.
"Needless to say, send her back to Zhuangzi tomorrow to recuperate. If she continues like this, sooner or later something big will happen!" Meng Youde said without looking back.
"That's your daughter, how can you be so cruel!" Madam Meng screamed.
"I'm cruel?" Meng Youde stopped, turned his head abruptly, and pointed to the tightly closed door in the distance. "Look at her now, can she stay in the house? Now I have offended Princess Yongning, The right minister also stopped paying attention to me. My career is over here! All of this is caused by your good daughter! If it wasn't for her ignorance of Tian Gaodihou and Jiang Lili's gambling agreement, or her arrow on the racecourse I shot Princess Yongning, why is my Meng Youde?"
"But..." Madam Meng wanted to say something else.
"She is crazy now! My own daughter, I don’t feel bad about it? But she is crazy! It may not be a good thing to stay in the Meng’s family. If someone knows that she is crazy and spreads out, who else would dare to marry her in the future? Zhuangzi stayed there for a while, and returned when she got better. No one knows the fact that she was crazy. Isn't that good?"
Mrs. Meng gradually calmed down after hearing the words. She looked at Meng Youde and asked sadly: "What happened to Hongjin at Princess Yongning? Can we really avenge her?"
"Vengeance?" Meng Youde sneered. I didn't know whether the anger was toward Princess Yongning or himself. He said: "Princess Yongning is behind Cheng Wang. The current power of Cheng Wang will be afraid of even your Majesty. In the future..." He sighed. He said, "The people don't fight against officials, and officials don't fight against the king!"
The helplessness and anger in the tone made Mrs. Meng silent for an instant.
Inside the room, on the corner of the bed, Meng Hongjin tightly held the quilt and shrank in the corner, staring at the visitor vigilantly, and said: "Go away... Go away!"
There was a broken medicine bowl on the ground, and the concoction was scattered all over the ground. One maid was bending over to clean up the mess on the ground, and the other maid was facing Meng Hongjin and comforted softly: "Miss, it’s okay, the slaves will not harm you. ."
"Go away!" Meng Hongjin screamed, and said, "I didn't do it, it wasn't me!"
Since Meng Hongjin was sent back by Princess Yongning three days ago, she woke up like this.
Meng Youde and Mrs. Meng feared that Princess Yongning would tortured Meng Hongjin. The first thing they did when they came back was to have someone check Meng Hongjin’s body for any injuries. After inspection, there were no injuries, but Meng Hongjin became like this after waking up. Just hide, as if being shocked, don't recognize the people around, as if he had forgotten.
No one knows what happened to Meng Hongjin with Princess Yongning. Only the crazy Meng Hongjin and Princess Yongning can know. No one dared to question Princess Yongning Xingshi, even if it was Meng Youde, as long as he still wanted a future, Meng Hongjin was destined to make a senseless sacrifice.
…
The princess's mansion is brightly lit with lights that are very different from the Meng's mansion.
The young dancers in the hall wore thin gauze and danced lightly. The white gauze covered half of their face, revealing a pair of water-cut pupils, all of which were tender and sentimental, all cast towards the person in the center of the hall.
The most central man has a high nose, deep eyes, thin lips, thick eyebrows, and handsome features, but because of his narrow face, he shows a somewhat indifferent indifference.
This is becoming a king.
"Big Brother thinks whichever is good, just take it from me." Princess Yongning said sadly.
King Cheng glanced at her and said, "Why are you listless?"
"Nothing interesting, of course I'm listless." Princess Yongning supported her head, her eyes were soft and soft, she became a little irritated not knowing what she thought of.
Cheng Wangdao: "I didn't get the young lady from Chengxuan's mansion back a few days ago, why is it still boring?"
Hearing that, Princess Yongning was a little surprised, and said: "It's hard for you to pay attention to this kind of thing." She picking up her nails, said: "Don't mention it, Meng Hongjin looks great, but in fact she is a foreigner. I just took her to the princess. I walked in the prison of the house, and without moving her, she peeed her pants in fright." Princess Yongning showed a look of disgust, "Look at her like that. Sent it back."
"You may not be able to withstand the tragic situation in your prison if you go," Cheng Wang laughed. "You take her to see these, no wonder she will be scared crazy."
In the prison of the princess mansion, the people who were offended princess Yongning, who hated them and were unwilling to let people die right away. So stay here and come up with some torture methods, such as peeling off half of the skin, or digging out the knees, and imitating the torture. In short, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a purgatory on earth. Although Meng Hongjin is usually arrogant and domineering, in Meng Mansion, at most, he has seen a maid killed. Such a living horror is enough to scare her courage and become an eternal nightmare in her heart.
"It's boring." Princess Yongning sneered. "Of course, torment people must stay under the eyelids and torment slowly to be interesting. It's best to fight to death. Watching her trying to survive is about to have a glimmer of hope," she "calls." He blew out the flames in the small lamp in front of him. It seemed very funny. He giggled and said, "Just like this, blow out her last hope and make her despair. It’s interesting. Only when you know how to fight against struggling prey, it’s the best prey..."
Cheng Wang smiled faintly: "You're talking about Xue Fangfei, right?"
Princess Yongning pouted her lips and was about to answer. Someone came to report and said, "Master Shelang Shen from Zhongshu is here."
When Princess Yongning heard the words, her eyes lit up, and the tiredness in her eyes suddenly disappeared, and she was very happy to say: "Let him in!"
Cheng Wang calmly touched the tea cup in front of him and took a sip without saying anything.
After a while, Shen Yurong was led in by someone. He first saluted Cheng Wang, then looked at Princess Yongning and said, "Your Royal Highness."
Princess Yongning was overjoyed when she saw him, her expression was even more approachable than before, and she said to Cheng Wang: "I invited Master Shen, brother, you didn't say that there was a shortage of people in Wenchang Pavilion a few days ago..."
Wang Cheng frowned slightly, and seemed to be a little dissatisfied with Princess Yongning's eagerness. Fortunately, only Princess Yongning was forgotten. Shen Yurong was still standing in the hall, keeping his eyes open, and Wang Cheng was more satisfied with him.
Princess Yongning and Wang Cheng have a very good relationship. It is natural that Wang Cheng is satisfied with Shen Yurong, very happy, and somewhat proud, as if proud of Shen Yurong. Since she was injured by Meng Hongjin's arrow that day in the racecourse, many people from the princess's mansion came to care about her body, but Shen Yurong was not there.
Shen Yurong is now Zhongshu Shelang, and also a person whom Hong Xiaodi valued. His wife was not long after his death. It is not a good thing to walk too close with her princess and be seen by others. It's not that Princess Yongning doesn't understand this truth, but she can't help but miss him. Shen Yurong was actually not flattering to her, and not as good as other men, but the more cold and indifferent he was to Princess Yongning, the more Princess Yongning loved him.
Princess Yongning thought that Shen Yurong was born to overcome her. She abandoned the princess's self-esteem for Shen Yurong, put down her face, even killed his wife, and still showed a smile in front of him that she never showed to others. All this was to make Shen Yurong return her same love.
She loves Shen Yurong very much.
King Cheng began to inquire about Shen Yurong. Shen Yurong stood upright, neither humble nor overbearing, but rather capable. Wang Cheng's eyes became more and more satisfied with Shen Yurong. Although Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning had the beginning and the end, Cheng Wang thought it was not a big fault.
Those who make big things don't stick to the trivial, let alone just a useless woman
People in the world are either stepping stones or stumbling stones. Stepping stones must be stepped on and stumbling stones must be thrown away.
Shen Yurong just lost a stumbling block, but his road will become wider and wider in the future, and the road will be smoother.
…
"Shen Yurong has arrived at Princess Yongning's mansion, and King Cheng is also here." The black guard reported.
In the study room of the Guogong Mansion, Ji Heng put back the books he pulled out from the wooden shelf.
The guard disappeared silently again.
"It seems that Shen Yurong and Wang Cheng are on the line." Lu Ji took a sip of tea and looked at Ji Heng with a smile.
"Sooner or later." Ji Heng put the books back, did not leave, but stood in front of the pinewood shelf, seemingly looking for other books.
"Congratulations, my lord, things have gone well again." Lu Ji said: "Shen Yurong catches up with Cheng Wang. Cheng Wang will add a general to the upstart, and his power will rise a lot."
Ji Heng replied nonchalantly: "Shen Yurong has ambitions, and he has ambitions to become kings. The smell of ambitious people is the same. Just like wolves do not work with dogs, Shen Yurong will not choose the emperor in the court, but only Elected as a king, only becoming a king can satisfy his ambitions."
"It's still an adult who can see people accurately." Lu Ji sighed, and suddenly remembered something, and said: "It's just a pity that Meng Youde was on Meng Youde's side. Meng Youde was a righteous person before. Now that he offends Princess Yongning, he is offended. To become a king, the right is a king, so naturally he will no longer use Meng Youde. In fact, Meng Youde is still very capable—"
The Meng family used to act for the right minister and was also a subordinate of Cheng Wang. Now, because of this incident involving Meng Hongjin and Princess Yongning, the Meng family is destined to be abandoned by Cheng Wang. In fact, it was not Cheng Wang who turned his anger, but Meng Youde's daughter was murdered to look like this. It is because Meng Youde said that he didn't care, and he was still acting for Cheng Wang, and it was inevitable that there would be complaints in his heart.
If you have complaints, you may bite back one day. Cheng Wang was cautious and suspicious, and would never use Meng Youde again. In fact, in terms of ability, Meng Youde may not be a good help to grow up in the future. Even from the standpoint of an outsider, I must feel sorry for Cheng Wang.
It's a pity that the matter has reached this point, and it can't be undone.
"This time it is also because of Miss Jiang Er." Lu Ji smiled: "Before Ye Shijie changed his plan because of Miss Jiang Er's relief. Now Meng Hongjin is also because Miss Jiang Er let the Meng family become king. Both times. Because Miss Jiang Er has blocked the adult's plan, this Miss Jiang Er and the adult really have a fate."
"You want to say, Miss Jiang Er didn't mean it?" Ji Heng said.
"Don't you think so too?" Lu Ji smiled and replied, "Otherwise, Wen Ji won't be allowed to investigate, who is behind Ye Shijie."
Ji Heng finally found the book he was looking for on the wooden shelf, pulled out the scroll, and turned around. A golden butterfly embroidered on the corner of the bright red robe flew past behind him.
He said: "It's Miss Jiang Er."
Lu Ji stopped smiling and looked at Ji Heng: "Jiang family..."
"It's not Jiang's family." Ji Heng slowly curled the corners of her lips, showing an unclear smile: "It's Miss Jiang Er."
"Isn't it interesting?" Ji Heng leaned back and said lazily: "I suspect that this second lady Jiang came to defeat me."
…
Summer is long and long. Seeing that autumn is approaching, it seems that there is still no coolness to come. The sun continues enthusiastically, and the flowers in the garden are dazzled.
Therefore, the late rain is always especially loved.
It rained at night, and it didn't stop in the morning. It only changed from pouring rain to pattering light rain. The rain dripped down the eaves into fine bead curtains, and hit the bluestone bricks in the yard, washing the bluestone bricks extremely clean, like primitive emeralds, and it seemed that the fragrance of the soil could still be smelled.
Tonger came in with breakfast, and saw that Jiang Li hadn't woken up yet. There was some surprise. Jiang Li woke up quite early in the past. Jiang Li did not have the habit of being lazy. Every time Tonger had breakfast, Jiang Li cleaned herself up. Up.
"Girl." Tonger whispered.
When he collapsed, Jiang Li opened his eyes suddenly from his sleep, and saw that it was Tonger. He hesitated for a moment before he understood what time it was right now. She sat up and pressed her forehead. Tonger saw that Jiang Li was full of cold sweat on her forehead. She was startled, and quickly asked for a veil to dry Jiang Li, and said: "Is this girl a nightmare, she shed a lot of sweat? ."
Bai Xue was also coming in from the outside, and when he heard the words, he walked to the window and pushed a few windows open. The cool breeze from outside suddenly blew in. The house was not as hot as before, and Jiang Li seemed to be awake a lot.
She said: "I had a dream."
"It was a nightmare," Bai Xue said: "It doesn't matter. There is a saying in our country. If you have a nightmare and feel uncomfortable, you will be fine in the sun. If the girl feels scared, let's go out. —"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Before Bai Xue finished speaking, Tonger interrupted her. "It's raining outside. Where is the sun?"
Bai Xue finally recovered and said, "Oh, wait a few more days."
Tonger asked Jiang Li: "What did the girl dream of, so scared?"
Although Jiang Li tried his best to cover up, the fear and panic in his eyes still leaked a bit. She always smiles and does things on weekdays, as if nothing can bother her, so once she loses her temper, it becomes especially obvious.
"It's nothing," Jiang Li lowered the emotion in her eyes and said, "I just dreamed of an old person."
Last night, she dreamed of Xue Zhao again.
Different from the dream of Xue Zhao during the last race checkup, this time, Jiang Li saw Xue Zhao being locked up in the same place as a big jail. There were many people guarding the place, and everyone was born with evil spirits and evil spirits. Xue Zhao was covered in blood and was hanged upside down in a cell. Jiang Li wanted to get close to him, but was separated by an iron fence. And she called Xue Zhao's name, but Xue Zhao didn't move, knowing his life or death.
Immediately afterwards, people who did not know where they came from began to torture Xue Zhao. They scalded Xue Zhao's body with a red-hot soldering iron and watered it with salt water mixed with chili peppers. Xue Zhao started yelling, Jiang Li was in great pain, but she could not touch Xue Zhao.
Jiang Li didn't realize that she had a dream until Tonger awakened her.
She couldn't help feeling a little worried about why she dreamed of Xue Zhao. It is rumored that the dead relatives will have dreams of their families at night, but why does Xue Zhao want to let himself see those in his dreams? Where is that, is hell impossible? But a young man like Xue Zhao, who has never done anything bad, is sincere and enthusiastic, is upright and courageous, shouldn't he go to hell anyway
And looking at Xue Zhao's feeling of powerlessness was more painful than killing her.
Although it was just a dream, Jiang Li couldn't let go of it. In addition to the rainy weather today, I don't know if it was affected. Jiang Li didn't want to say anything, and was very silent.
Jiang Li's silence was seen by Fang Feiyuan's maids. Tong'er and Bai Xue didn't know why, but seeing Jiang Li's appearance that he didn't want to be disturbed, everyone did their work in silence.
In the afternoon, the jade beside Mrs. Jiang came to Fangfeiyuan and said to let Jiang Li go to Wanfengtang. Mrs. Jiang had something important to explain.
After Jiang Li responded, she went back to the house to change clothes. Taking advantage of this gap, Bai Xue asked, "I don't know what the old lady did with the girl."
"It's still a question," Tong'er put on Jiang Li's outer clothes, while saying: "Of course it is for the palace banquet. Tomorrow is the palace banquet. Not only do we girls have to go, but they also have to accept your majesty's gift. With such a great honor, the old lady will certainly tell the girl carefully, so as not to make any mistakes. However," Tonger whispered: "Since I was back with the girl back to Beijing, I haven't seen anything wrong with the girl, so it's better to worry about it. Miss them themselves..."
Tong'er's temperament is also a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps he has been in the mountains for a long time. This word fell in Jiang Li's ears and Jiang Li couldn't help but laugh, and the haze that had begun in the morning was a little loose.
Seeing Jiang Li finally smiled, Tong'er and Bai Xue also breathed a sigh of relief. They only heard Jiang Li say: "Yes, the old lady told me to go there because of the palace banquet, so let's go now."
At this moment, in the night phoenix hall, apart from Jiang Li, the family members of the Dafang, the Second and the Third Rooms are all here.
Jiang Yuanbo was the first assistant of the dynasty, and Jiang Yuanping was a three-level political officer. Although Jiang Yuanxing was only a school book, he could also go to the palace banquet because of such two elder brothers. The palace banquet is a major event, representing the face of the Jiang family, and Mrs. Jiang naturally wants to advise something.
These matters are about the same, every year, because Jiang Li will also go with this year, so I will especially ask Jiang Li again.
While waiting for Jiang Li to come, Lu Shi Xu felt bored, so he asked Ji Shuran, "Sister-in-law, I heard that You Yao and Zhou Shizi's marriage time has been set?"
As soon as this word came out, several people in the room looked different.
Mrs. Jiang didn't have any fluctuations in expression, but the faces of the people in Sanfang were astonished. It was obviously the first time I heard about it.
Ji Shuran smiled softly: "The news from my younger siblings is very good. Yes, I discussed it with Madam Ning Yuan Hou a few days ago. Madam Hou thought You Yao was already in time and could get married earlier, and next winter will be the best."
Jiang Youyao will be sixteen next winter.
When Jiang Youyao heard the words, two blushes flew on her face. It's just because everyone knows the relationship between her and Zhou Yanbang, so there is no need to hide anything, she just bowed her head shyly and didn't speak.
Jiang Yu'e was shocked. She knew that Jiang Youyao and Zhou Yanbang's marriage would be completed sooner or later, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. Zhou Yanbang was the first son of Ningyuan Hou, and Ning Yuan Hou had only one son, and the entire Ningyuan Hou Mansion will belong to him in the future. Jiang Youyao can be a housekeeper and a wife after marrying. Besides, Zhou Yanbang, the son of Ningyuan Hou's son, is a well-known beautiful man in Yanjing City.
Jiang Youyao married a beloved man, Jiang Yu'e couldn't help but think of herself, that her father was just a school book, not to mention how humble the official rank is. In Jiang's family, he was a concubine, and he was not very close to his uncle and uncle. Although he worked hard to please Ji Shuran, Ji Shuran would certainly not be too dedicated in his own marriage. There are very few people who can help her. In any case, she can't marry such a Ruyi Langjun like Jiang Youyao.
Seeing him thinking of herself, Jiang Youyao could not help but sigh in her heart thinking of her future destiny, both sad and unwilling.
Lu said with a smile: "You Yao is really a blessing, that Zhou Shizi is a family that everyone in Yanjing City wants to marry. But sister-in-law," she asked very concerned: "Don't forget that Li'er is also a member of our Jiang family. Li'er is still a elder sister, and Li'er's marriage hasn't been decided yet, and You Yao's marriage has been decided first, which might be a little gossip."
This is a bit subtle. Everyone knows that Jiang Youyao's marriage originally belonged to Jiang Li. Jiang Youyao not only occupied the magpie's nest, but also seized the opportunity.
Mrs. Jiang closed her eyes slightly and turned a deaf ear to the fight between the two daughters-in-law. The scene before her was already familiar. Ji Shuran's appearance is gentle but his wrists are tough. Lu Shi admires vanity and competes for strength. The two get together and stumbling is inevitable. In the end, it's just a harmless little fight, as long as it doesn't affect the overall situation.
"Thank you brother and sister for your concern." Ji Shuran didn't seem to hear the ridicule in Lu's words, and replied kindly: "The master of Li'er's marriage is also letting me pay attention, and I also care about it. Li'er's age, too I should have reached the age when I should talk about marriage, but now there is no one to propose a marriage, and I have not seen a better one. I am reluctant to marry Lier in a hurry. If my younger brother and sister have a good candidate, please let me know. I am sorry. Let the master look over, palms his hands, after all, I don't dare to take charge of Li'er's lifelong events easily, and it's up to mother and master to have seen it."
Ji Shuran easily avoided Jiang Youyao's words of taking away the family relationship, and without a trace, degraded Jiang Li, saying that there are women in the family, but Jiang Li has been back in Yanjing for so long, but no one has ever come to Jiang Li. People don't look down on Jiang Li to propose marriage, and Jiang's family can't take the initiative to send their daughter there. Later, he pushed all Jiang Li's marriage to Mrs. Jiang and Jiang Yuanbai, and picked them all by themselves.
Unfortunately, Jiang Li couldn't help laughing when he heard Ji Shuran's words as soon as he walked to the door of Wanfengtang.
Tong'er was angry with blue smoke on her head. Seeing Jiang Li still smiling, she was a little puzzled. Ji Shuran said that to her. Jiang Li was not angry, but also laughed. What's so funny about this
Jiang Li stepped into the Wanfeng Hall and said, "Old lady."
Mrs. Jiang's eyes dimmed. Jiang Li now calls her "old lady" instead of "grandmother". She seems to be deliberately breaking her relationship with herself, or the relationship with Jiang's family. Of course, Mrs. Jiang could not see the current Jiang Li and Miss Jiang Er as one person. Jiang Li had changed a lot, but Mrs. Jiang didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Lu's smirking eyes closed, thinking that Jiang Li would have to respond to what Ji Shuran said just now, so that Ji Shuran was not happy, she was always happy to see it.
But Jiang Li didn't seem to hear Ji Shuran's slander just now. After calling the old lady, he saluted them one by one, without mentioning that Ji Shuran was wrong.
Jiang Yu'e looked at Jiang Li's newly-changed pleated skirt with flowers, the reward that Mrs. Jiang gave to Jiang Li after verification, and her jealous eyes were red.
Jiang Youyao was staring at Jiang Li, thinking that he had heard from the maid before that Zhou Yanbang wanted to cancel his marriage contract with Jiang Li, and couldn't help but feel the resentment in his eyes.
Jiang Li stood calmly, turning a blind eye to them.
She doesn't care at all.