Cui Wenxi rolled his eyes and did not answer the question.
Prince Qing in the front hall was so angry that Fang Ling tried to smooth things over and persuaded him to leave, saying that his wife was angry and a fight between the two parties would only make others laugh.
Only then did King Qing give up.
After finally coaxing him away, the servants in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief.
The three girls returned to the wing again, and Pingyang said sternly: "Chang Yue has really made the Fourth Emperor very angry. If he participates in the performance, the rotten people in the court will definitely impeach him, and your Cui family will be criticized."
Cui Wenxi broke the jar and said, "Things have reached this point, it's up to him."
Yong Ning poked her arm, "Let's not mention the fourth child for now. I just want to find out how you and Erlang got involved?"
Cui Wenxi picked up the tea cup and said, "He came to provoke me."
As soon as these words came out, Pingyang couldn't help but said: "It's impossible. Erlang has not been close to women since he was a child. He is famous for being a clean person. He doesn't even have a concubine in the palace. He has a reputation. How could he do such a heinous act?" Things?"
Cui Wenxi tilted his head and looked at her, "Is there a possibility that your so-called cleanliness and not being close to women is because you are thinking about her?"
Pingyang was stunned.
Yongning felt that he was completely confused, "You mean that Erlang has been thinking about you, the Fourth Emperor's aunt, for a long time?!"
Pingyang's eyes were wider than a copper bell, "How is this possible?! You are his aunt of the Fourth Emperor!"
Cui Wenxi showed an expression of "I am also innocent."
The two girls were completely blown away.
Pingyang was even more unbelievable, because in her impression, Zhao Yue always looked dignified and serious, and she had never thought that his thoughts were buried so deeply.
Yongning couldn't help but think of his own father, the Emperor Wu who brought the Yan family's mother and son into the palace and took his nephew's daughter-in-law as his mistress and was criticized by others.
Now that her nephew was also acting like a fool, she really didn't know what to say.
Pingyang never believed that his younger brother would be so ridiculous, and asked tentatively: "If Erlang is really interested in coveting him, when did Chang Yue find out?"
Cui Wenxi thought for a while and said: "At the beginning of this year, King Qing brought his wife back to Beijing, and we had a divorce. Your Pingyang Mansion hosted the Spring Banquet. Who asked it to be hosted?"
Pingyang twitched the corner of his mouth and replied: "It was my mother who asked me to do it. She said she wanted to marry the noble daughter for Erlang."
Yong Ning silently held his forehead, pointed at her and said: "I remember that Chang Yue was fighting with Prince Qing, but no one dared to form a team to shoot the ball. It was Erlang who took the initiative to step forward."
Cui Wenxi nodded and said: "I didn't think about that at the time." He added, "Later, didn't Pingyang give me the lottery gift? It was a pair of mandarin duck jade combs. I thought that the prince was not married, so I gave him the pair of jade combs. Well, he only took the female mandarin duck."
Yongning asked: "Did the male Yuanyang leave it to you?"
Cui Wenxi: "Yes, I didn't delve into it at the time. After all, this fact is ridiculous."
These words silenced the two of them.
Yongning asked after a long time: "What else?"
Cui Wenxi said: "The other thing is that something went wrong at the puffer fish feast in your Yongning Mansion." He added, "Didn't I drink aphrodisiac wine? King Qing insisted on taking me back to the manor, but later the prince intervened. I begged him He agreed to go to Pingyang Mansion."
Pingyang said: "I remember this. At that time, Eunuch Wei came over and asked me to pick you up and stay overnight."
Cui Wenxi said "hmm" and continued: "Then it was about my brother-in-law's transfer for the exam. At that time, I had a divorce with King Qing, so naturally I refused to bow my head and beg him, so I went to Yongning for your advice. "
Yongning covered his face silently and said, "At that time, I gave you an idea and asked you to pester the prince."
Cui Wenxi: "Yes, I set my sights on Pingyang. I used Zhang Yanqi to lure the prince to Pingyang Mansion and had a talk with him. In the end, Pingyang put in a good word for me and made the prince agree to reassign my brother-in-law. "
Pingyang remained silent.
Cui Wenxi said helplessly: "I didn't even realize this at that time. I talked about it with my father and brother. They all felt that the prince had granted the favor for the sake of the Cui family."
Pingyang still didn't believe it and asked suspiciously: "He has personally admitted all these things you said?"
Cui Wenxi nodded, "He once told me personally that everything was deliberately planned." He paused for a moment, "Later, I also thought about it carefully. When I and Prince Qing were at peace, he never did anything out of the ordinary. The thing is, the two of us had a quarrel this year, so he took action, otherwise he wouldn't have been unaware of it all this time."
After hearing these words, the two of them didn't know what to say.
Cui Wenxi continued: "I have been married to the Zhao family for seven years and have been in contact with you for seven years. I believe you all know what my temper is. How could I be so rebellious and provoke the prince
"My Cui family has a very strict family tradition. Even if I am interested in the prince, I have to consider whether my mother's family can afford it.
"Then again, if I hadn't left the cabinet yet and was about the same age as the prince, I would have a good chance of succeeding in scheming for the prince's concubine. But now that I'm married for the second time and have no children, and I'm six years older than the prince, why should I go there? Asking for trouble
"Now that Yuan Wulang has poked out the basket, the whole city is talking about the Cui family. He secretly poked the backbone of the Cui family, saying that I do not abide by women's conduct, that I want to eat swan meat, and that I ignore the ethics. My ex-nephew dared to think about it, and he was still the prince of the East Palace.
"Oh, those words are so unpleasant, just like King Qing came to question me just now and called me a prodigal woman.
"For God's sake, I have been wronged even more than Dou E. The fault is that I am a girl. You all know the prejudice against girls in this world. No matter whether it is right or wrong, women always lose their beauty.
"What I am saying to you today is not to complain, but to discuss the matter. You two are also reasonable. If the prince uses his power over me, what can I, a weak woman, do? After all, I have the Cui family behind me, so I can't afford to gamble. I couldn't afford to lose, so I had no choice but to obey him.
"At first, I thought that he was just trying to get something new and would just wait for the moment to pass. I never thought that Yuan Wulang would break through and make such a fuss. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to survive."
She said a lot of words one after another. She was obviously being miserable, but her tone of voice was as usual. There was no sign of grievance or helplessness at all. On the contrary, it made Yong Ning feel a little sympathetic, "This world is really unfair to girls."
Cui Wenxi sighed, "I don't know how to end it now." He added, "Now that things have happened, I'm afraid the palace will not let me go, Mrs. Cui. If I can't escape this disaster, I can only hope that he will If I can get you two to give each other a glass of wine every day, this handkerchief exchange is not in vain."
Pingyang didn't like hearing this, he frowned and said: "What nonsense are you talking about? What kind of thin wine do you want to give me?"
Cui Wenxi looked at her and said, "Pingyang, don't comfort me. If such a scandal happens, your mother-in-law will not let me go. King Qing will find trouble, and the saint will not let me get away cleanly."
Pingyang shut up and said nothing.
Yongning said objectively: "Actually, if you think about it carefully, the cause and effect of this matter does lie with Erlang. Chang Yue is a female prostitute. If Erlang wants to cause trouble for the Cui family, it will be impossible to prevent it."
Cui Wenxi: "I don't have the power to restrain the chicken. I'm just afraid that he will have thoughts about the Cui family. That's why I followed him for the sake of my mother's family. I can't fight to the death with him. I also want to find a way out."
Pingyang still couldn't believe it and said, "I don't believe Erlang is such a person."
Yongning interjected: "This is Pingyang protecting his shortcomings. Take you as an example. If you were Changyue, would you take the initiative to cling to the prince?"
Pingyang: "I..."
Cui Wenxi said: "To put it bluntly, I can't stand even one of Prince Qing's outer chambers, let alone the three thousand beauties in the prince's harem. I want to jump into such an obvious fire pit. Aren't I asking for death?"
"Pingyang, ask yourself, is this true?"
Pingyang said calmly: "Erlang is my younger brother, a biological brother from the same mother. He used to be reserved and shy in my heart, but in the blink of an eye he turned into a ridiculous and scheming hunter. How can you make me feel embarrassed?" He added, "I'm afraid. When my mother-in-law found out, he was so angry that she almost died."
Yong Ning: "This is indeed ridiculous, but if you think carefully about who brought him up, you will understand. What does my father say? It is just ridiculous and reckless. Erlang has obtained his true inheritance, and I seem to be able to understand it."
Pingyang: “…”
Almost cried.
Cui Wenxi never said a word of grievance from beginning to end, but every word of grievance captured Yongning's sympathy and said: "If the palace gives you trouble, I will definitely argue for you."
Cui Wenxi thought to herself: "Yongning is really willing to listen to my difficulties?"
Yongning said helplessly: "It is indeed not easy for a girl to live in this world. No matter who is in your situation, this matter is very difficult. The friendship between you and me for so many years is also reasonable. If the sister-in-law summons you to the palace, you Send someone to ventilate me, no matter whether it’s useful or not, I have to help you.”
Cui Wenxi held her hand and said, "I've been calling you sister all these years for nothing."
Yongning looked at Pingyang again and said: "Today the Fourth Brother came to question me. I will probably talk to the saints in the palace about this matter when I go back. If the commotion gets bigger, Changyue will probably suffer. What about you, Pingyang? What's your attitude?"
Pingyang hesitated for a while and then said: "I want to ask Erlang first what he means."
Yong Ning nodded, "That's right. You two are siblings, so he won't be able to prevaricate you." After a pause, "If Erlang is a bastard, would you like to give Chang Yue a hand?"
Pingyang: "I will advise my mother-in-law. If Chang Yue is really wronged, she will seek justice for you."
Cui Wenxi succeeded in selling out, and the stone in his heart finally fell, "A friend in need is a friend indeed. I, Cui Changyue, am lucky enough to meet you two. It is a blessing cultivated in my previous life."
Yong Ning: "Don't say these depressing words yet. It's almost noon. I want to use the sour bamboo shoots and duck pot and let the chef prepare it."
Cui Wenxi said hello and asked: "Where's Pingyang, what do you want to use?"
Pingyang: "The duck with sour bamboo shoots is very good."
Cui Wenxi immediately ordered Fangling to prepare the sour bamboo shoots and duck hotpot.
Yongning was really curious about when she and the prince got together, and Bagua asked, "When did you and Erlang sleep together?"
Cui Wenxi: "..."
Pingyang couldn't look straight and said: "Can't aunt be more serious?"
Yong Ning: "Don't interrupt, I just can't see through that boy Erlang. He's usually so serious. How could he have thought of having so much fun and being more playful than an aunt like me?"
Cui Wenxi replied: "It should be after my father's birthday party." He paused for a moment, looked at Pingyang and said, "Last time you caught the cold and stayed here for two days, the prince came to see you, but that day he avoided You made it clear to me."
Pingyang showed an expression of disbelief, "Did he tell you personally?"
Cui Wenxi: "Yes, I have no other option, and I don't dare to offend him. I can only stabilize myself first."
Pingyang asked emotionally: "Why didn't you tell me then?"
Cui Wenxi rolled his eyes, "I told you today, do you believe it?"
Pingyang was stunned.
Yong Ning said: "No one would believe this if I told him about it. That kid is so good at hiding his thoughts. He looks as easy to handle as a soft persimmon. He has so many tricks up his sleeve."
Cui Wenxi dismissed the blame and said: "I had already reconciled with Prince Qing at that time, and I never dared to bring this matter out to ruin the reputation of the prince and ruin the future of the Cui family. Therefore, I thought about it again and again, thinking that I was infertile anyway. And I’ve been married to someone before, and he’s probably just looking for novelty. Once his novelty wears off, he’ll always let me go and stop bothering me. After all, I’m just a young boy, so how can I be a long-term lover?”
Pingyang remained silent.
Yongning held his chin with one hand, "If Yuan Wulang didn't break up the two of you, we would definitely continue to communicate with each other, right?"
Cui Wenxi: "I can't stop it. The prince has the power of life and death. How can I, Cui, control it?" He added, "I have never told my family about this, for fear that they would be frightened. Now that it has been revealed, they will be in trouble soon." I am always worried, fearing that something will happen to me."
After saying that, he looked at Pingyang and asked: "Pingyang, if you were me, would you have a better way to handle this matter?"
Pingyang felt that Zhao Yue's image in her heart had completely collapsed. The younger brother who blushed when he said anything to a girl looked extremely innocent, and he never wanted to be so frivolous.
"I will go to the palace tomorrow to ask him. I have to let him explain clearly in person."
Cui Wenxi: "You might as well ask."
At noon, the three of them warmed up the pot with sour bamboo shoots and duck. Pingyang had something on his mind and drank a lot of wine.
Cui Wenxi was not affected at all. He had a quarrel with King Qing. He had a great appetite and used a lot of vegetables.
Later in the evening, the servant of Yongning Mansion came to deliver a message. It seemed that there were guests waiting in the mansion.
Cui Wenxi sent Yongning away. Before she left, she said, "If my sister-in-law calls you to the palace, send someone to tell me."
Cui Wenxi said hello.
After Yongning left, Pingyang was about to return home soon, and Cui Wenxi saw her off.
After sending the two giant Buddhas away, Cui Wenxi returned to the wing. Fang Ling couldn't help but said: "It's a coincidence that the three of them came together to find trouble. Who can withstand this battle?"
Cui Wenxi curled his lips, "The trouble caused by King Qing will definitely cause trouble in front of the saint. The fun is yet to come. What does today's battle mean?"
Fang Ling choked, "Madam, you are really stable."
Cui Wenxi turned his head and looked at her, "Otherwise, what else can I do? Do I cry like an abandoned woman and beg him for mercy?"
Fangling: "..."
Cui Wenxi said calmly: "This trouble was caused by that bastard boy Zhao Yue. Even if Queen Ma summoned me, I would still be confident. My son did not learn how to intimidate my former aunt, but instead rebuked me. Isn't he bullying others? "
Fang Ling couldn't laugh or cry, "Looking at the prince's attitude, I guess it won't be my wife's turn to complain."
Cui Wenxi: "Today I have Yongning and Pingyang taking care of me. They will also give a few words of support to Queen Ma, so I won't be too embarrassed."
Now that King Qing has come to make trouble, the battle has just begun. Cui Wenxi is in high spirits and not afraid at all. There is no way out anyway.
On the other side, Pingyang returned to the mansion and still couldn't believe what she heard from Cui Wenxi today. She couldn't connect her with the prince no matter what.
In order to find out what the prince was thinking, she went to the palace to find Zhao Yue the next day, trying to find out everything.
Nowadays, government affairs are busy at the end of the year. Zhao Yue is checking the official documents submitted by various local government offices. There are several wooden boxes next to the desk, which are full of complicated government affairs.
Zhao Yue was dressed in a purple robe and a turban on her head. She was writing on official documents very quickly. She didn't have the liveliness and brightness of a young man at all, but only the restrained and steady nature of being increasingly immersed in political affairs.
That kind of restraint is not developed overnight. It requires accumulation of government affairs one by one, thus creating an old and steady person who is not suitable for his age.
When Eunuch Wei was serving tea, he saw that he had been crouching at his desk for a long time. He frowned and reminded him, "Your Highness, please take a rest for a while. I'm afraid your eyes will be damaged."
Zhao Yue ignored it.
Eunuch Wei had no choice but to retreat silently.
After a while, Pingyang came over. Eunuch Wei invited him to wait in the side hall and said, "Your Highness is busy at the moment. Please wait for the princess until the old slave reports."
Pingyang said "hmm" and asked, "It's the new year. Is Erlang always so busy?"
Eunuch Wei sighed heavily, "His Highness stayed up half the night last night. Today he got up before dawn and was busy with official duties. He was really overworked and refused to listen to any advice. This old servant is very worried."
Pingyang frowned slightly, "This won't work. Your health is still important, and you can't just mess around just because you're young."
Eunuch Wei: "Please give me some advice later, princess."
Pingyang nodded.
Eunuch Wei went to the main hall to report, Zhao Yue responded, and Mo Yue went to the side hall after a tea cup.
The two siblings saluted each other, and Zhao Yue asked curiously: "Why do you want to come to my place?"
Pingyang dismissed the rest and ordered Eunuch Wei to stay outside. He coughed and said straight to the point: "Yesterday I went to Changlingfang. Guess who I saw?"
Zhao Yue raised her eyebrows and remained silent.
Pingyang said seriously: "Uncle Four Emperors went to Changlingfang and got into a fight with Changyue. The two of them had a heated argument. Do you know what the reason was?"
Zhao Yue picked up the tea cup and did not shy away. She just said: "It's really strange. Aren't they already divorced? Why did the Fourth Emperor uncle go to cause trouble?"
As soon as these words came out, Pingyang couldn't hold back anymore and blurted out: "Erlang, you are really ridiculous!"
Zhao Yue looked at her, put down the tea cup and asked confidently: "Why am I so ridiculous?"
Pingyang was angered by his attitude, pointed at him and said, "Are you crazy? Changyue is your aunt, and you are her nephew!"
Zhao Yue squinted her eyes, with innocence written all over her fair and handsome face, and said shamelessly: "How could I be ridiculous? Could it be that I forcibly broke up their marriage?"
"you!"
"Sister, I'd like to ask that Mrs. Cui is alone, with no marriage contract, and no husband in her heart. How can it be ridiculous for me to fall in love with her?"
"Confused! Where do you want to put the Fourth Emperor's Uncle with this move?" He added, "My ex-wife got involved with my nephew. The whole capital is discussing this matter. Aren't you trying to harm Cui Changyue?"
Zhao Yue calmly took a sip of tea and said in a calmer tone: "Who wants to harm her? I want to marry her." After a pause, he said word by word, "Marry the fourth emperor's uncle's ex-wife as your main wife. I am the Crown Princess of the East Palace and the Empress of the Main Palace in the future.”
These words were like a thunderbolt hitting Pingyang's head, and he was completely stunned.
She thought her brother was probably crazy.
This world is crazy!