Seeing that she really wanted to follow him, Cui Wenxi quickly grabbed her and said, "Mom, don't go and provoke me. Last time King Qing came to Changlingfang to make a noise, I don't want to get involved with him anymore."
Jin was unconvinced, "When Prince Qing had to reconcile with you because of that foreign wife, I just wanted to see what kind of fairy she was that made him so confused."
Cui Wenxi said helplessly: "I can't explain the relationship between Prince Qing and me. The root cause is the issue of heirs. He insisted on having his own children, and I couldn't satisfy him, so we divorced. That's it. Simple." He added, "Even if the person who gives birth to his child is not Yan Lan, it will be another girl. Why do you have to be so serious?"
Kim kept silent.
In order to comfort her, Fang Ling drew a cake for her and said: "Madam, please take a longer view. Let's not worry about Prince Qing. Wouldn't it be better if we catch the prince?"
Hearing this, Jin was stunned.
Cui Wenxi couldn't help but hit her and spat: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Fang Ling smiled and said, "As long as the lady is willing to nod, I can enter the East Palace at will."
Cui Wenxi: "You still say that!"
Mrs. Jin was thinking about it, and hurriedly pulled her aside and whispered: "What on earth is going on between you and the prince?"
Cui Wenxi said impatiently: "Mom, don't ask, there is a lot of commotion in the palace."
Seeing her irritability, Mrs. Jin didn't dare to ask any more questions.
On the other side, the master and servant of Yan Lan went to the layman's dormitory to take a rest after offering incense, and were followed by several maids and women.
The courtyard was clean. After Yan Lan rested in the dormitory for nearly half an hour, she dismissed the accompanying domestic slaves and secretly went to the Bajiao Pavilion.
Xiao Tao continued to guard the door of the dormitory, pretending that the master was still inside and would not be disturbed.
There is a bamboo forest next to the Bajiao Pavilion. It is quite secluded and few people come here on weekdays.
Yan Lan avoided the pilgrims and was led over by a young novice monk. Her cousin Ma Yucai was already waiting there.
After the young novice monk retired, Yan Lan went to the Bajiao Pavilion alone.
Seeing her figure, Ma Yucai happily called out: "Yan Niang."
Yan Lan was not very enthusiastic about his attitude and said disgustedly: "Didn't I tell you to come to me less often?"
Ma Yucai smiled apologetically and said, "Money is tight these days."
These words made Yan Lan frown, and she looked at him with even more disgust, "I just gave you a lot of money last two months, and you spent it all so quickly?"
Ma Yucai said nothing.
Yan Lan continued to scold: "Do you think of me as a cash cow, thinking that I can spend endless amounts of money in Prince Qing's palace?"
Ma Yucai didn't like to hear it and frowned and said: "Yan Niang has changed. I just asked you how much money you want to pay, and I started to get impatient." He added, "I told you before that I asked you to get it from Prince Qing for me." Asking for a job, if I had a place, how could I reach out to you to ask for money?"
"Do you think I am the mistress of the palace? Cousin, please don't forget that I am just a concubine in Prince Qing's palace. Even if Aunt Xue, a slave, says no, I dare not not listen."
"That makes sense, isn't there Hong'er?"
"Don't mention him." After a pause, "Although King Qing raised me as a concubine, he despised me from the bottom of his heart. Now that I am as good as my mother, I am as valuable as my son. If he gets tired of me one day and marries his first wife, I Where is the future?"
"You just love to think nonsense."
"Cousin, the mansion of a wealthy family is deep, and you are a prince as powerful as you are. There are many rules and strict hierarchies. I am walking on thin ice. Do you really think that I am enjoying happiness
"Take that Nanny Xue, for example. She has been with Prince Qing for many years and she has never been nice to me. I don't even dare to say a word. She is just a concubine in the mansion.
"Do you think that when I enter the mansion, I am going to enjoy the blessings? I don't have to worry about it. I can just sit back and relax with Hong'er in my hands?"
Ma Yucai waved his hand and said, "That's not what I meant."
Yan Lan looked at the man in front of her coldly. She no longer had the tenderness she once had, only tired boredom.
She suppressed her disgust, took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and put it into his hand, saying, "This bracelet should be worth a lot of money if sold."
Ma Yu just got the jade bracelet and looked at it greedily, "This jade bracelet is of good quality."
Yan Lan's mind was surging, and she suddenly asked tentatively: "Cousin, have you ever thought about returning to Weizhou?"
Ma Yucai was stunned.
Yanlan lowered her head and whispered: "You are now a grown man. The family should worry about your marriage. It is not a good idea to waste time like this."
Ma Yucai stared at her, half-smiling but not smiling, and asked, "What are Yan Niang's plans?"
Yan Lan said sternly: "I will try to find a way to collect some money for you and send you back to Weizhou. When you get married and start a family, and the whole family can go to Beijing to make a living, I will try to help you. It will be better than you being alone and unsure." ." After a pause, "This way, my aunt should feel more at ease."
Ma Yucai raised her eyebrows as if she was watching a joke, "Mother Yan wants to send me away?"
Yan Lan waved her hands quickly, "That's not what I meant, I just don't want to delay you."
Ma Yucai snorted coldly, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay in Beijing to make a living."
Yan Lan shut up and said nothing.
Ma Yucai looked at her sideways, as if he had read through her thoughts, "Why, now that you are so successful, you want to kick my cousin away?"
Yan Lan denied: "That's not what I meant. Don't think too much about it."
Ma Yucai said unhappily: "Don't forget that if I hadn't given you this idea, you would still be digging for food in the countryside right now. I, Ma Yucai, am your nobleman. Without me, how would you be?" today?"
Yan Lan was afraid of irritating him, so she said softly: "My cousin is absolutely right. You are indispensable for Yan Niang to be where she is today. But now I can no longer escape from that wealthy family. Seeing the expression It’s not like being alone, so..."
Ma Yucai interrupted: "Don't even think about it."
Yan Lan shut up and remained silent.
Ma Yucai continued: "I want to demolish the bridge just after crossing the river. How can it be so cheap?" He added, "Mother Yan has really changed. She has only been in Beijing for less than a year, and she has begun to dislike me as a burden. People's hearts are unpredictable. ah."
Yan Lan showed a tired look, "I have been living in fear this year. I was afraid of being betrayed by Prince Qing. In order to save myself and my children, I fought hard to survive, but cousin, you were out having fun, eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. , are you living a happy life?"
Ma Yucai: "This is also the path you choose."
Yan Lan looked at him and said coldly, "I'm tired."
After that, he left without looking back, not even wanting to look at him, as if he would dirty his eyes.
Ma Yucai didn't say anything, he just looked down at the bracelet in his hand. Selling it would be enough to pay off the gambling debt he owed.
That woman is his cash cow, and he will have to rely on her to make a future in the future. Prince Qing's palace is rich and powerful, so what does money mean to him
On the other side, Yan Lan's face had not been very good since she returned to the dormitory. Perhaps she was in a irritable mood, and she smashed the cups on the table in anger.
Xiao Tao outside was startled, and she quickly and cautiously called out: "Madam?"
Yan Lan waited for a long time before saying, "Come back."
After being served by the maid and mother-in-law and returning home, Yan Lan went to the wing to see Zhao Hong.
The child had just fallen asleep, sleeping soundly in the cradle.
Yan Lan sat next to him and stared at his chubby little face in trance. Recalling Ma Yucai, she suddenly felt cold.
That man no longer had the original sincerity and only regarded her as a cash cow, using her like a blood-sucking leech to make money. If things went on like this, she would definitely be implicated and suffer disaster from him.
Thinking of this, Yan Lan became more and more irritable.
She slowly stretched out her hand and gently touched Zhao Hong's delicate face. This was the son she gave birth to with great difficulty, and she had to rely on him to plan her future. But now she encountered a dog that was holding her back. She could not let Ma Yucai. It affects the future of the couple.
After gathering her composure, Yan Lan got up and went back to her room, casually asking her maid: "Where is Prince Qing? Isn't he in the mansion?"
The maid replied: "I heard that Nanny Xue has left the palace and will not come back until later."
Yan Lan raised her hand to signal, and the maid retreated.
Entering the bedroom, Yanlan took out the hosta she had collected.
The hosta was a gift from Ma Yucai. Although the workmanship was poor and the quality was poor, she treasured it like a treasure. Now, she doesn't know whether it's because she has seen too many good things or for other reasons, but she finds it more and more distasteful to her.
Accidentally, the hosta fell to the ground and was immediately broken into several pieces.
Yan Lan looked coldly at the hosta that was broken into several pieces on the ground. What are you keeping the useless things for? Are you waiting to be dragged down
She slowly bent down to pick it up. From the time she came to Beijing last year to now, all the things she had asked for from Prince Qing had been given to Ma Yucai. Thanks to Prince Qing's generosity, her life could be made easier, but Ma Yucai was a bottomless pit of greed.
She especially remembers that Yan's father looked down on him at first, saying that he was evil and cunning. She still thought it was her father's prejudice, but now it seems that Jiang is still too old.
No one wants to be taken advantage of.
She had only been in Beijing for a year, and Ma Yucai coaxed her away with all the money she had earned. At first he said she wanted to make a living, but later he said he wanted her to find work from Prince Qing, and so on.
If he knew how to give back, it was a pity that his heart was not strong enough, so he took the money she gave him and went out to visit the brothels and gamble.
At the beginning, he was a little restrained, but now he is becoming more and more unseemly, as if he is the little wife raised by King Qing, squandering money wantonly, and has no other ability except asking her for money.
What's the use of raising such a man
Yanlan put away the broken hosta with an expressionless face. Anyway, he was a foreigner. If he died in an accident, who would care
Thinking of this, Yan Lan curled her lips and made a decision in her heart.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, court officials began to go on duty, and everyone gave their blessings in the new year. Last time, Cui Wenxi got Zhang Yan's chess record, and specially showed it to Cui Pingying to identify the authenticity. He asked several colleagues to identify it, and they all thought it was authentic.
For chess enthusiasts, it is a great blessing to obtain the authentic works of Zhang Yanqi and Zhang Yan's chess records.
Cui family member has been subject to a lot of rumors these days. In order to make his father happy, Cui Wenxi gave the chess record to Cui Pingying.
He was indeed coaxed into a happy mood.
Lin Qiong used chess records to open the way, so naturally she couldn't accept it in vain, so she sent someone to send him a lot of money, which was regarded as a business deal.
People from Yushitai had secretly looked for him before, which showed that the Lin family was expected to reverse the case. Now that the Cui family has sent money and silver, Lin Qiong originally shied away from it. The slave said that the Duke of Qipu Town liked him very much, but he couldn't accept it in vain. Otherwise it becomes a bribe.
Only then did Lin Qiong accept it.
After the servants of the Cui family left, sister Lin Xiangya poked her head out of the simple side room and asked, "Brother, who is visiting?"
Lin Qiong replied: "It's the Cui family, here to send money."
Lin Xiangya asked in a low voice: "Is this the end of our hope?"
Lin Qiong nodded, "The hope is over." After a pause, "To avoid any complications, you should go to the countryside for a while."
"Brother..."
"Listen to me, you are my life, nothing can go wrong." He added, "This matter has a lot of implications, and I can't let you be at the center of the storm."
"Brother, I'm afraid."
"Don't be afraid, the most difficult years have been over." After a pause, "Just wait and see, the spring is warm, the flowers are blooming, and it's bustling."
These days, when the snow is melting, Cui Wenxi spends all day huddled in the house warming himself by the fire, not wanting to go anywhere.
She was originally a little worried that the palace would attack the Cui family. Unexpectedly, there was no movement these days. The emperor and empress must have been suppressed by Zhao Yue.
After Yuan Wulang found out that she and the prince were having trouble in the city, the people around her were extremely surprised and had various reactions. Fortunately, the expected bad situation did not occur.
Except for the fact that King Qing came to make a noise, it was just a noise. What can he control? After all, the prince is the prince who holds real power and almost eats the saints in the palace to death.
Cui Wenxi also faced up to his relationship with Zhao Yue during this turmoil.
There is no doubt that Zhao Yue is indeed a good person and good at dealing with things. He is quite responsible as a man and will not be reckless and useless just because of his young age.
Compared with Prince Qing, he is indeed calm and steady, with a relatively stable temperament. He does not get angry easily and is relatively calm and rational. It is much easier to get along with such a person.
Human nature will only be revealed when trouble comes. Prince Qing will give up everything for his children. His previous unwillingness to reconcile with her was just for his own face.
Now that Helihou found out that she was involved with the prince, he couldn't stand her climbing high.
If it weren't for bringing Yan Lan back to Beijing, she might never realize the evil nature in her bones. After all, she had been used to smooth sailing in the first half of her life, and there were no big conflicts.
Now the prince's skills displayed directly on the cusp of the storm are as good as heaven and earth compared to Prince Qing, or maybe his upbringing is different in his bones.
When a person is strong enough, he can understand the difficulties of others.
Or maybe Zhao Yue has played the role of a savior since he was a child. He has been forced to seek a future for the East Palace since he was a child, and he has developed a calm and steady attitude to control the overall situation. When encountering trouble, he can give people around him a sense of solid reliability, as long as he is willing to protect him. Yes, it can always be protected and safe.
Cui Wenxi can feel the stability, and some stereotypes about him have also been changed.
After all, he is really good.
Both his wisdom and his handling of things are excellent.
No, in order to find out her thoughts, Pingyang specially invited her into the house to enjoy plum blossoms.
After the snow has melted in the past few days, the winter plum blossoms have bloomed more beautifully.
The sun came out today, and the two of them walked in the plum forest. Pingyang poked her arm and asked tentatively: "Has my mother summoned you these days?"
Cui Wenxi shook his head, "No."
Pingyang: "She's annoyed."
Cui Wenxi laughed and joked: "Are you annoyed that I dislike her son for being young?"
Pingyang also found it funny, "My grandma is a very interesting person. I had a good impression of you originally, but I just couldn't stand it for a while.
"These days, both she and her father are annoyed by Erlang's misbehavior, but with Erlang's skills, it probably won't work.
"At first, she told me that you are a person who knows how to advance and retreat, but she never thought that it was Erlang who was on the other side. As a result, you were still unhappy. She couldn't figure out what was wrong with Erlang that he was so disliked by you.
"On New Year's Day, I stayed in the palace, and she kept chatting with me all night long. It was all about this, and it made me very annoyed."
Cui Wenxi covered her mouth, "She knows my temper well."
Pingyang asked curiously: "We have been friends for so many years, and today you tell me exactly what you think of Erlang?"
Cui Wenxi shook his head.
Pingyang frowned, "What do you mean by shaking your head?"
Cui Wenxi thought for a while and said, "I don't know either." He added, "You and I are both girls and have been through marriage, so we naturally know the difficulties."
Pingyang said seriously: "No matter how you choose, Erlang should treat you sincerely."
Cui Wenxi nodded, "I know, he handled the situation extremely well this time, and he considered my difficulties at every turn, which shows that he has good intentions."
Pingyang: "Don't the girl's family want stability when marrying someone? As long as the person knows how to deal with cold and hot, has a gentle and stable temperament, and is not tiring to get along with, it can be considered a good match."
Cui Wenxi glanced at her sideways, "Did the prince ask you to be a lobbyist?"
Pingyang waved his hand, "That's not the case for him." He paused for a moment, "I thought it was ridiculous at first, but then I thought about it carefully. You and Uncle Fourth Emperor have already reconciled, so what does remarrying have to do with him? And you and Li It’s not your fault, some of his actions are really inappropriate. If you insist on stopping him and don’t allow it, it will look like a petty thing, and you won’t be able to get better.”
Cui Wenxi said happily: "It's good that you have this consciousness. He just feels that it has lost his face and cannot see me well."
Pingyang: "Let's not mention him. I think Erlang is a good person, but he is a little thoughtful."
Cui Wenxi: "He is indeed different from what I thought before."
Pingyang: "If you are really willing to enter the East Palace, I can help you. Anyway, since I am familiar with you, you don't have to worry about having a good relationship with your future siblings. It will save trouble."
Cui Wenxi: "..."
This is really trouble-free, and we can gather a table of leaf cards again.
As Ping Yang said, the emperor and empress in the palace could not accept what their son did, but they did not dare to cause trouble.
The saint is still looking forward to becoming the supreme emperor. If he offends Zhao Yue, when that guy takes leave, all matters in the court, big and small, will fall on him.
Zhao Junqi really couldn't bear it.
He had no interest in government affairs at all. He only found it boring and boring, day after day, year after year, as if there was no end to it, so it was better to let his son take care of it.
He just wants to eat, drink, have fun, and enjoy the rewards.
Empress Ma was preoccupied with wondering why Mrs. Cui was unwilling to enter the East Palace. The ladies of the aristocratic families in the capital were eager to climb high, but she did not.
Just when the two of them were in a stalemate with Zhao Yue, the King of Qing, who had been silent for a long time, began to encourage the old pedants in the court to impeach the prince, saying that he ignored the ethical principles and had no sense of etiquette, justice and shame for hanging out with his former aunt. The East Palace Supervisor should have been a court official. We should reflect on our example but do such scandalous things.
The old pedants who were influenced by the Confucian school also felt that something was wrong, and they all went to court to discuss the matter. For a while, Zhao Jun was as big as a fight.
Zhao Yue was not annoyed at all by being targeted in this way by Prince Qing.
The more the other party jumps around, the more he wants the three mediators and the six recruiters to hit King Qing in the face to make him angry to see who is embarrassing him.
Zhao Chengyan was full of confidence and used public opinion in the court to put pressure on the prince. When he was focused on embarrassing Cui, he never thought that something was wrong in his own backyard.
It turned out that Ma Yucai owed a lot of debt in the gambling shop, and he had just taken the bracelet from Yan Lan a while ago and sold it to pay off the debt. It was originally a drop in the bucket, but he became addicted to gambling, drank some wine, and accumulated debt again.
The people in the gambling house threatened to chop off their hands to pay off the debts, but he became anxious and leaked that he had someone in Prince Qing's Mansion.
The boy in the gambling house thought that there was an acquaintance or relative working as an errand in Prince Qing's Mansion, so he took him there to collect debts.
This matter caused quite a stir. Since Cui left Prince Qing's Mansion, Grandma Xue has been taking care of all the affairs in the Mansion. When she came out of the palace, her control was strict, and the slaves did not dare to have any evil habits.
People from the gambling house brought Ma Yucai to the house to collect debts. No one in the house knew this person.
Ma Yucai was originally a smart person, but after drinking, his tongue became enlarged, his mind was not clear, and he talked nonsense.
He deserved his bad luck. He happened to meet Nanny Xue coming back from outside. When she heard the noise, she frowned and asked, "Who is making such noise here? It's so inappropriate!"
A slave from the family hurriedly stepped forward and responded: "Go back to grandma, it's people from the gambling house who came to make trouble."
Nanny Xue said with a stern face: "This is really outrageous. This is Prince Qing's Mansion. We've got everything here. Send it out quickly. Don't get in my way."
The people in the gambling house relied on the power behind them and said, "We are not here to cause trouble, we are here to collect debts."
Nanny Xue asked sharply: "Who are you looking for and what debt are you asking for?"
Ma Yucai was dragged out by them, "This guy owes a lot of debts and is unable to repay them. He said that an acquaintance is working in the house, and we are here to look for him."