Night, banquet.
"Hong'er, please get up quickly." The monarch said warmly, beckoning him to get up.
Prince Hongli slowly stood up and saluted Zhou Changshi, the two princesses and the eldest prince. At this time, a chamberlain led him to his seat.
Just as he sat down, he heard the monarch say: "I still remember that when you left the palace and went to Zhangzhou with the king's brother, you were still a little baby. I didn't expect that you had grown into a seven-foot tall man after not seeing each other for so many years. Yes. Seeing that Brother Wang has taught Hong'er to be so courteous and courteous, I can't help but feel ashamed."
After saying that, his eyes glanced at Wang Zilang under the table. It was obvious that he was speaking to him, but who would have thought that not only did he not hear it, but he didn't even raise his eyes and just drank to himself. , the monarch's face suddenly became very ugly.
The eldest concubine rarely frowned and shook her head at the eldest prince, as if she was helpless for her 'son' who failed to live up to expectations.
As soon as he entered the table, his brother Shu Wuluan noticed that Wang Zilang was in an abnormal mood. He was surprisingly calm and his expression was gloomy, as if someone owed him gold and he would not repay it.
Crown Prince Hongli had a bright mind and hurriedly tried to smooth things over. He raised his hands and said humbly, "Hongli really doesn't dare to accept the king's excessive praise!"
The monarch looked away angrily and said warmly: "Hey, this is a family banquet, and we don't need to address ourselves as superiors and subordinates. You might as well call me Uncle Wang."
"Yes. Uncle Wang."
After pondering for a moment, the monarch continued: "If I remember correctly, Hong'er is already in his mid-twenties now. At such a young age and with a handsome appearance, has he ever married a concubine?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Hongli was flattered and said, "Uncle Wang remembered correctly. Hongli is indeed twenty-four years old, but he has never been married..."
Before he finished speaking, he was picked up by Pei An, who had never spoken. "So, the Crown Prince came to the capital to choose a concubine? Then the Crown Prince really came to the right place. There are many young and talented women in the capital. , for example, Miss Tie, the beloved daughter of the former Governor."
Having said that, Pei An's eyes immediately turned to Tie Xinlian, and he saw that her complexion turned white inch by inch, her mouth curled up coldly, and she changed the subject, "For example, let's talk about our first female Marquis Ge Shu..."
These tepid words immediately made Brother Shu Wuluan clenched his fists tightly.
The damn old man couldn't see their woman's palm skills, but he still did this to her!
Pei Yingming on the side was furious when he heard what I wanted to do. The old guy wanted to push his little Luan Luan out, but there was no door! He immediately retorted angrily: "Dad, you are joking, Xiaoluan... Lord Geshu is a first-class queen conferred and crowned by the emperor. Even if she wants to get married, she still has to find a matching official son in the capital. As for Zhangzhou, that bird has no shit. The place...heh."
Realizing that this was at a banquet, he quickly changed his title and used the words 'official's son' to push himself out explicitly and implicitly. This meant that only a young master like him was worthy of being married to Ge Shu. No Luan.
While the man was talking, Wang Zilang's handsome face suddenly turned dark, he glared at the man fiercely, and then started to drink wine vigorously.
Pei An's face turned livid, he pulled the man's sleeves hard and scolded: "The Holy One is here, why can't you keep talking nonsense! Why don't you shut up!"
The monarch glanced at the father and son under the table, his face slightly unhappy, but he did not reprimand him.
After all, he is the crown prince, so how could the monarch hurt the relationship with Pei An because of him? The original invitation to him and his son to accompany him to the family dinner tonight was just to repair the rift caused by the corruption investigation. So now, even if Pei Yingming speaks rudely to the prince, the monarch I could only turn a deaf ear and endure it secretly.
The atmosphere became a little tense for a while.
On the other hand, after hearing these sarcastic words, Crown Prince Hongli's expression was completely natural, showing no trace of anger or embarrassment.
He silently glanced around the banquet, and his eyes fell on Geshu Wuluan. He paused for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Master Geshu has a noble status and is an important official in the palace. Hongli really doesn't dare to climb up! And, Hongli’s visit to Beijing this time is not for marriage.”
Brother Shu Wuluan raised his eyebrows slightly. He was very good at observing words and emotions, and he was kind to the king. His words showed that he understood current affairs and the general situation, and did not have the arrogance and self-reliance of the nobles of the Tian family at all. She couldn't help but look up to him. glanced at him.
Because of these words, the monarch's expression softened slightly, and he slowly touched the wine bottle on the imperial desk with his lower hand, and said, "Then why did Hong'er come to Beijing?"
Ge Shu Wuluan was also puzzled by this issue. Since His Highness the King of Chu lost his throne, his brotherhood with the monarch has become much less friendly. Over the years, he has excused himself from various issues and never came to the capital, even to pay his respects. Not even half a envelope was delivered. There are many rumors circulating in the capital, saying that the King of Chu has been brooding over the king's desire to seize a legitimate son, and wants to establish himself as king!
Because of these rumors, the courtiers who supported the eldest prince in the court began to have their thoughts ready to move again. Although the monarch was suppressing them vigorously, they must have become suspicious. Now that Crown Prince Hongli dares to take risks alone, is there something wrong? How big a deal is it? Isn't the King of Chu afraid that his beloved son will be held as a hostage
Crown Prince Hongli calmly glanced at the crowd and slowly raised his head to look at the monarch. His handsome face looked a bit embarrassed, as if he had something to say that was not easy to say in front of everyone.
Sensing his embarrassment, the monarch slowly softened his expression and said, "It's okay, this is a family banquet. Uncles and nephews can talk freely. Hong'er, please come and talk."
Hearing this, Crown Prince Hongli stood up from his seat, walked to the middle of the table, knelt down, bowed his head and said solemnly, "Back to Uncle Wang, my father is seriously ill, but there is one unfulfilled wish, which is to return to the capital to pay homage to my grandmother. How could Hongli, as his son, just sit back and watch his father's wish come true? That's why he rashly entered the capital. Hongli knew that his father had disrespected his courtship for many years, but because of the brotherhood between Uncle Wang and his father, he hoped that Uncle Wang could Please allow this!"
Every word the man said was sad and sincere, making people feel moved by his filial piety.
The great Sikou in the table had a sharp light flashing in his eyes when the man spoke, but he did not say anything again.
After saying these words, the monarch's face gradually darkened, and the wine cup he raised to his lips was slowly returned to the table little by little.
The concubine noticed the sudden change in the monarch's expression and spoke at the right time, "Your Majesty, please get up first. We will discuss this matter later. This banquet will get cold if it is left to hang out. Please use your chopsticks quickly."
After saying this, he turned around and whispered to the attendant in a low voice, and then left after receiving the order.
Hearing this, Crown Prince Hongli had no choice but to stand up from the ground with his back stiffened, and slowly returned to his seat, but he never dared to raise his head to look at the monarch's expression.
Ge Shu Wuluan could more or less guess why the monarch did not immediately agree to the request of Crown Prince Hongli. His Royal Highness the King of Chu was being disrespectful as a minister and unfriendly as a brother. Over the years, he has not set foot in the capital during every imperial edict. This has not only damaged the monarch's face, but also hurt the relationship between the brothers. Now that he is seriously ill, he can just say that he will return to the capital. Where does that leave the majesty of the king
Moreover, the King of Chu's dissatisfaction with the monarch as the master was no longer a matter of one or two days. This time he came to Beijing in the name of paying homage to a serious illness. Regardless of whether there was a conspiracy or not, the monarch had to be on guard.
Therefore, Crown Prince Hongli’s visit to Beijing is destined to be in vain!
Not long after, silk and bamboo played everywhere, and orchestral music burst into action, alleviating the tense atmosphere in a timely manner.
At this time, a singer came into the room and sang and danced gracefully with a melodious voice.
The moon is bright and the stars are numerous, and the sky is far-reaching.
The banquet is still going on, but everyone present has their own thoughts.
Brother Shu Wuluan slowly glanced at Da Sikou's slightly condensed face and calmly raised his glass to drink.
Suddenly, an angry shout came from the seat opposite, "Brother, bring the wine."
It turned out that Wang Zilang was slightly drunk, and the waiter was afraid that his master would be disrespectful in front of the emperor, so he quietly reminded him and moved the jug far away. How could Wang Zilang follow the words of a slave, so he angrily reprimanded him.
After such a commotion, the monarch's face suddenly turned extremely ugly. Looking at the man's cheeks as red as fire and his demeanor completely lost, he sternly scolded: "How unbecoming! You, please help His Highness back to the bedroom to rest immediately."
He almost yelled through gritted teeth.
The attendant who was accused trembled and hurriedly helped the man up.
Wang Zilang's body swayed this way and that, while struggling, he said angrily and inarticulately: "I, I won't go back! I still want to drink... drink, woman... who do you think you are... you think of me as a dignified prince... you don't know Good people's hearts are nothing..."
As those incoherent drunken words slowly ground to a halt, the man's figure gradually disappeared under the shadow of the lamp.
Seeing the monarch's gloomy face, he was obviously very angry at the eldest prince's gaffe.
Ge Shu Wuluan did not ignore that the man's eyes were glaring at him fiercely when he spoke, and tasting the meaning of his drunken words, it was obvious that the 'you' in the words 'you don't know a good person' was referring to her.
She just couldn't figure it out. What kind of intentions did he have that she should recognize
She didn't think about it carefully, but looked at the concubine unconsciously. Unexpectedly, the concubine's eyes were on her face, and the examining gaze was deep and sharp, which made Ge Shu Wuluan's heart tighten suddenly.
After a moment of silence, the monarch suddenly spoke up, "Today, during this family banquet, I have a happy event to announce. Pei Qing's second son is already young, so the so-called eldest son is getting married, so I will marry Princess Jiule. You, choose a day to get married."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, before Da Sikou could finish feeling proud, two conflicting voices came one after another, "My son and I will not marry!"
"Please take back your life, your Majesty!"
While they were talking, they saw Princess Zhongle and Pei Yingmin standing up from their seats at the same time. One of their faces was full of anger and the other was full of fright. They looked at each other with disgust.
For a moment, the monarch's face darkened again. Looking at his daughter, a cold crack appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Even the children of ordinary people must respect the orders of their parents and the words of matchmakers when they get married. What's more, I am the king of a country. , how can you not marry if you say you don’t want to marry?”
The monarch's tone became stronger little by little, until he intimidated the entire audience. His eyes were full of sternness, and it was obvious that he was about to explode with anger.
However, Princess Jiale was not aware of the immediate stakes at all, and replied with a choked voice: "My parents' orders?! Haha... My mother died a long time ago, and my father has never looked at me squarely. Having a father means not having a father! Why? Are you here to respect your parents’ orders?”
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy, please do not reprint it!
(End of chapter)