They managed their time well. After lunch, Mei Niang, Cui Xi and Cui Si quickly left the mansion and got on the carriage driven by Lin Amao outside the west gate.
It was a windy spring day. Cui Xi and Cui Si were covered with veils. Mei Niang joked, "If they were to wear red veils, they would become brides. Let me think about where to send these two brides."
Cui Xi shyly called out, "Grandma!"
"Hush!" Mei Niang put a finger on her lips and said, "Don't call me like that outside. Have you forgotten my name is Cen Meimei? The Lord Hou asked me that yesterday. I think he saw me talking to Master Zhang again. He seemed to have some doubts. You have to stay alert and keep your eyes open. If he sees you again, you'll be exposed!"
I remembered the words of the King of Qi: Even if I see you a third time, I will still recognize you!
Can you tell with these eyes? Mei Niang rubbed her eyes helplessly. In her previous life, she had a pair of bright eyes, but she didn't expect that after being reincarnated as Qin Mei Niang, these eyes would still be so eye-catching.
The King of Qi is a smart guy. If he could recognize it, then Xu Junying must have seen something too, right
Cui Si asked: "Even if you changed your name, why didn't you call yourself Qin Meimei? Why did you take the surname of the Cen master?"
Cui Xi said, "What do you know? The girl has her own reasons. This name is not changed randomly: our old lady's surname is Cen. The girl manages Xiankeli under the old lady's surname Cen. She has nothing to do with the Cen boss mentioned above!"
Cui Si suddenly realized: "Yes! I almost forgot that our old lady's surname is Cen!"
Cui Xi said angrily: "You little bitch, I don't know what you are thinking all day long, you are so heartless!"
Mei Niang smiled: "The change of this name is still related to the Cen family... Oh! Just treat him as our old lady's family, so he is a relative!"
As the master and servant were talking, they noticed that the carriage had stopped. They also heard a noisy voice outside, a man's voice shouting and driving people away, and the crisp sound of a whip cracking. Mei Niang's heart tightened, thinking that Lin Amao had bumped into someone again.
Just as she was about to ask, Lin Amao came close to the curtain and said, "Don't panic, young lady. Our car is far away and is not blocking your way!"
Mei Niang asked curiously, "Which noble is traveling? Why is there such a big scene?"
Lin Amao lowered his voice: "I heard it was Princess Sude..."
Princess Sude? Never heard of it, mind your own business. Mei Niang was too lazy to ask any more questions. Seeing Cui Xi and Cui Si leaning against the window, pulling aside a corner of the curtain to look outside, she let them do as they pleased and leaned back in her seat to rest her eyes.
About ten minutes later, Cuixi and Cuisi turned around. Cuixi sighed, "It's really the royal procession. With so many people, it takes a long time to walk across a street. If she came here every day, we wouldn't have to go out!"
Cui Si said: "That's right, if a princess is like this, then the emperor..."
"When the Emperor travels, it will be a big deal. The whole city will be under martial law. Don't even think about watching the excitement. You can't even stand far away!"
Mei Niang smiled and said, "Not really, right? Everyone is different. What do you think of the one who is learning drums in Suochunyuan..."
She only asked the King of Qi to keep a low profile and not disturb the surrounding residents. As a result, he did not even bring guards with him and was only followed by two attendants.
After Princess Sude's procession passed, the crowded crowd of carriages and horses began to disperse. Lin Amao drove his carriage slowly among the team moving in the same direction. After he got out of the intersection and turned into another street, he could walk smoothly.
They soon arrived at Cen's residence in Dongcheng. Mei Niang got out of the car, knocked on the door and went in. She asked Lin Amao to send Cui Xi and Cui Si to Xiankelai, check the situation in the store, and then come back.
Lin Runan came out to greet Mei Niang, changed into men's clothes, and walked to the Suochun Courtyard. The King of Qi was definitely a model of punctuality and had been waiting there. He was still bright and handsome in a purple robe with round flowers and a golden crown to tie his hair. However, because of the solemn dark purple, he exuded an air of elegance and righteousness.
Now he and the Emperor are more like brothers.
Mei Niang imagined what the King of Qi would look like when he grew up to be a mature man, and couldn't help but laugh to herself: No, wouldn't that be too charming
When I got closer, I found that the King of Qi had a sullen face. What was going on? Was he unhappy again? Both I and Runan had changed into men's clothes. Tsk! This man was a freak, moody, I really didn't want to pay attention to him!
Mei Niang also straightened her face and went up with Runan to pay her respects to the King of Qi. The King of Qi snorted. Lin Runan couldn't stand him, so she went to talk to Li Qiuge. She had seen Li Qiuge using a sword that night and thought his sword style was unique, so she wanted to learn from him.
The King of Qi looked at Mei Niang. Her hair was held up by a ruyi necklace, and the rest of her black hair fell behind her shoulders. She was wearing an apricot-red robe, a jade belt lightly around her slender waist, and soft and light brown deerskin boots. She walked past him without making any sound.
The King of Qi followed her and walked to the drum stand: "What are you doing?"
Mei Niang said: "I didn't do anything. I was just adjusting the drums and preparing to teach you how to play the drums!"
"You seem very unhappy."
"I'm not happy? I'm very happy! I'm just afraid that you don't want others to be happy, so I dare not be happy!"
The corners of King Qi's lips curled up slightly, but he held back and asked, "Do you talk to everyone like this?"
"No." Mei Niang tried to knock the small drum twice: "Say what you want to say to the person you meet!"
"Who do you think I am?"
"You are the King of Qi, a very noble man!"
"What if I'm not the King of Qi?"
Mei Niang suddenly had an idea in her mind. She looked up at him and smiled: "If you are not the King of Qi, who would you be?"
"I'm Zhao Bao, we hit it off right away and I'm your best friend!"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment. Inspired by King Qi, she was thinking about whether she could go back and ask Xu Junying: If I am not Qin Mei Niang, can you let me go
I might as well tell Xu Junying about this strange thing about reincarnation. Maybe he can believe it and understand it, and maybe the problem can be solved.
The King of Qi said the latter sentence, but it made her feel uncomfortable. What is the meaning of hitting it off at first sight? She didn't feel that way about him. Best friend? It was definitely not that far.
"Your Highness is the son of the emperor. How dare I call myself your friend? Besides, there is a difference between men and women. If others knew that I met with Your Highness in private, they would gossip about me!"
Mei Niang acted crazy and pointed at Lin Runan who was not far away: "She and I can be called friends!"
The King of Qi was smiling at first, but he turned serious when he heard this: "I don't care if others want to be my friend! You run around outside all day, and you're afraid of people gossiping about you? I just don't regard you as a woman!"
Damn it, it's as if I really want to be friends with you! If you don't treat me as a woman, then I am not a woman? What kind of logic is this
Mei Niang lowered her head, and the King of Qi could not see her face. He looked around, wishing he could reach out and lift her chin, and tear off the mask on her face at the same time.
"Can you please take off this human skin? Don't you get tired of wearing it all the time?"
Mei Niang said: "I have to wear it, otherwise I can't go out to see people. After all, I am a woman, I have to be cautious!"
She wanted to emphasize her female body, and even if she had a little fantasy, it would be shattered. She didn't want to and couldn't replace Jian Yu. There was no sex change operation in this era, and even if there was, she would never become a man.
She suddenly thought of something: modern medicine can turn a man into a woman, but it seems that it has not yet turned a woman into a man.
The King of Qi snorted, "You ran out of the city that day, and you didn't even wear this thing!"
That day? That day hasn’t come yet!
It's easy to find an excuse: "I left in a hurry that day and I forgot about it!"
The King of Qi looked at her helplessly and said, "Wear it, wear it. One day you will take it off and reveal your true face!"
Mei Niang handed him the drumsticks: "Your Highness..."
The King of Qi did not answer: "Call my name!"
Mei Niang remained silent. The two of them were silent for a while. The King of Qi took the drumstick from her hand, beat the drum vigorously, paused, and said sullenly:
"I feel uncomfortable and upset!"
Need I say more? I could see it a long time ago. He looked like someone who was angry and wanted to vent.
Who would the King of Qi be willing to tolerate being bullied by? Apart from the Emperor, it should be his mother, the Empress Dowager.
Mei Niang didn't want to get involved in his affairs. No matter what the reason was, the wisest choice was to remain silent and ignore it.
It is better to coax him to practice playing drums - don't say that this guy is really suitable for playing drums. He is different from others and must have few close friends. You can imagine his inner loneliness. He needs to vent and talk, so let him make friends with the drums and let his emotions settle in the sound of drums!
The King of Qi was dissatisfied with Mei Niang's indifference. Mei Niang said she wanted to play drums for him and play a song with Li Qiuge and other musicians. He felt more happy and stepped aside to watch. Mei Niang started playing a song called "Oh My Ga" by Mayday. The bright and smooth melody and the compact and intensive drum beats showed the unrestrained friendship. The joyful atmosphere instantly filled the whole courtyard. The King of Qi stared at the high-spirited Mei Niang and a smile gradually appeared on his face.
When the song ended, the King of Qi said admiringly: "You must be a remarkable person to have such outstanding skills. Who is your master? You can ask him to come to the palace and teach this skill to the palace musicians!"
Mei Niang thought for a moment and said with a smile, "My master? He went back to his hometown with my brother!"
"Back to hometown? What a shame."
Mei Niang joked, "Don't I know how to do it? I taught Xiao Huan, and now I'm teaching you. If you want to hire a drummer for the palace, let me go!"
King Qi was startled: "You?"
"Yes, I heard that the palace is extremely magnificent and beautiful. It's a good opportunity to go in and have some fun!"
The King of Qi laughed, "You think we're going out to enjoy the view? The palace is beautiful, but it's not fun! I've lived in it for a few years and I'm bored. Every time I go to the palace to pay my respects to my mother, I want to run out early, but my mother always wants me to eat with her, and the food in the palace is terrible... I went to the palace to pay my respects today, and I had a quarrel with my mother for a few words before I ran out."
Mei Niang said: "No wonder you are in a bad mood, it turns out you did something wrong! What's wrong with being scolded by the elders? Is it necessary to be like this?"
The King of Qi glanced at her and said, "I did nothing wrong. It was my mother... Oh! I won't say any more!"
Mei Niang advised him, "You should be nicer to the elderly. It's not easy for her to raise you. She is old now. How much filial piety can she enjoy from you? Just do this so that you won't have any regrets when you think of her kindness in the future!"
The King of Qi asked her, "Are you kind to the elderly in your family? How do you do that?"
"I... I will just do my best to be filial!"
Mei Niang became confused by his question. The first people that came to her mind were the elders in the Xu Mansion, the old lady, the madam, the second madam. They were all weird elders. She felt depressed just thinking about them. How could she be filial to them sincerely
I couldn't help but sigh and said, "It depends on the situation. There are indeed some elderly people who are difficult to get along with. It seems that we shouldn't always pamper and indulge them. It's not good for anyone to be too repressed. The old and the young have their own tempers. Maybe they... should also reflect on themselves and not take advantage of their age and always oppress the young..."
Seeing Mei Niang frowning and looking a little unwilling, the King of Qi couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Are you trying to persuade me to be filial or teach me to resist? It turns out that you also have elders who are difficult to get along with. You should understand the troubles in my heart!"
Mei Niang said hurriedly: "My elders are not comparable to your elders. How can I understand the troubles in your heart!"
The King of Qi smiled and said, "It's nothing more than those few things. It's really annoying to talk about them over and over again! But after your advice, I really think... there's no need to be serious with the old man. Let's just muddle through!"
"What? Did I advise you to do that? I didn't say that!"
"Hahaha... That's what you said! Cen Meimei, you are such a wonderful person!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)