In the side hall of the Duke's Mansion, Mrs. Lin sat stiffly on the chair, hugged her ten-year-old daughter in her arms, and touched her pale face, Mrs. Lin said softly, "An An, don't be afraid, see someone later, you follow Mother saluting, unless someone asks you, you don't have to say anything, just stay by your mother's side."
Song Jianing nodded absentmindedly, resting his head on his mother's shoulder, and peeking at the majestic decorations around him. She had been favored for seven years, and Guo Xiao never mentioned taking her back to the mansion. Song Jianing didn't care, but Li Mama was afraid that she would be sad, so she said that the government had too many rules. I don't want her to be wronged.
Song Jianing didn't believe it. He had three guesses in his heart. One was that the concubines of the imperial mansion didn't like her concubine who was snatched by Guo Xiao. The last one is that Guo Xiao doesn't want his princess cousin to be sad. With the concubine kept outside, Princess Duanhui will probably feel better.
But now, she was "invited" by Guo Xiao's father.
As if in a dream, she just persuaded her mother to take good care of her body. Just a few words could cause such a big change
She had something on her mind, so Lin rubbed her daughter's back unconsciously, her eyes on the ground in a trance. Up to now, she has no way out. Since there is no way out, she has to prepare for the future life in the Guogong Mansion. The concubine has no status, and being the wife of the state does not mean that you can sit back and relax. What will the female family members in the house think of her, and will the maidservants violate yin and yang
"Ma'am, girl, our lady is asking you to come over."
Song Jianing held her mother's hand nervously when she heard the words. Mrs. Tai must be with the grandfather of the country now. If something happened to his own father, can Guo Xiao not do his filial piety? To be honest, Guo Xiao really doted on her enough, and he would give Zhuangzi anything delicious and fun. He would accompany her to go out for a walk after errands, but Guo Xiao's doting was even more manifested in the way he treated the bed. If you are passionate about things, then, Guo Xiao could take a fancy to her body in his previous life and took her from Liang Shao regardless of his relatives. Who can guarantee that he will not play tricks in this life
The meat is still the same piece of meat, neither thin nor ugly, the wolf is still the same wolf, the only change is that everyone is several years younger than when they first met...
With a move in her heart, Song Jianing lowered her head and looked at her flat front, she was suddenly less afraid. The ten-year-old self is just a little girl who hasn't grown up yet. No matter how lustful Guo Xiao is, he can't have such thoughts about her at this time, right? As far as Song Jianing knew, Guo Xiao had no habit of playing with children.
After thinking about this, Song Jianing finally dared to lift his head and walk.
The maid led the way, and the girls turned around along the corridor, and soon arrived at Zhenghetang. Song Jianing quickly looked around for a week. There was no Guo Xiao in the courtyard. When he got to the door, he quickly looked inside. There were only Guo Boyan and a kind-looking old woman in her fifties, who was naturally too madam.
"The women have seen the madam, and the grandfather of the country." Standing in front of the hall, Mrs. Lin released her daughter's little hand and politely gave the madam a blessing that could not be faulted. Song Jianing next to him followed suit, but Lin's figure was slender and exquisite, like a green lotus, and Song Jianing was short and round with round cheeks, and his gestures revealed a little childishness.
Guo Boyan's eyes swept over the woman he liked and the lovely daughter-to-be, and slowly turned to his mother.
Mrs. Tai took a deep look at Lin, and then squinted her son again, and then said politely: "The grandfather of the country was attacked on the road, and he ran into your mother and daughter in a hurry. This is my little intention, go back and buy some delicious food. , to stress and shock the child."
Her own maid sent a bulging purse.
Lin Shi didn't look at the purse, took two steps back, bowed his head and declined: "The grandfather of the country is a hero of the court, it is an honor for the women to help, and the lady is kindly rewarded, but the women are ashamed, and the money is thousands of dollars. Can't take it."
Mrs. Tai smiled and said: "That's what you said, but you have helped us a lot, and we have to thank you no matter what."
Lin raised his head, glanced at Mrs. Tai, and said a little embarrassedly: "Mrs. Tai really wants to thank you, the lady begged Mrs. Tai to tell the steward in the house and trouble him to return my carriage, such a big thing happened today, the lady I want to go home early to avoid family worries."
From the solemn hall, a pleasant chuckle suddenly came.
Lin Shi pursed his lips.
Mrs. Tai glared at her son, Guo Boyan didn't care, touched his chin with his intact right hand, and stared at Lin's unabashedly.
Madam Tai was irritable. Since Mrs. Lin was leaving, she asked the maid to escort the girls out.
"Mother, look at this fairy, not only is she good-looking, but she can speak quite well, which suits my taste."
Only their mother and son were left in the hall, and Mrs. Tai angrily reprimanded: "Nonsense, you've become a mother without seeing others? Could it be that you want to forcefully rob a civilian woman?"
Guo Boyan leaned on the back of his chair and looked out the door frivolously: "Since Huiyuan said that she can prosper me, I will settle her, don't worry, mother, I will send someone to persuade her husband, and I will propose marriage after they leave me. ."
Mrs. Tai frowned. Just when Mrs. Lin entered the door, she found that Mrs. Lin really looked like a fairy in Tiangong, and she was the most beautiful she had ever seen in her life. Mrs. Tai immediately suspected that her son's words were nonsense, but she also understood her own son, if there was no special reason , The son is definitely not a person who beats mandarin ducks for lust.
It seems that Master Huiyuan really took a look for his son? But even if the Lin family is the son's destined marriage, the son can't bully others.
"No, you..."
Mrs. Tai wanted to reason with her son, but Guo Boyan suddenly got up and said sternly: "Mother, the news should be passed to the palace, I have to report this matter to the saint, and I will discuss it later when I come back."
It was important to catch the assassin, so Mrs. Tai could only let her son go.
Guo Boyan walked into the palace with gusty steps. As soon as he entered the Chongzheng Hall, he immediately knelt down to Emperor Xuande, who had been waiting for a long time. He bowed his head and said, "Wei Chen is guilty.
There was an assassin at the feet of the emperor, and it was his right-hand man who murdered him. Emperor Xuande had already sent fire to the commander of the guards. He heard that Guo Boyan was coming, and he made up his words of comfort. out. Leaving the dragon chair, Emperor Xuande walked up to Guo Boyan and asked in confusion, "What's your fault?"
Guo Boyan lowered his head and told him all the reasons for his false claim to be assassinated: "Your Majesty, if this is not the case, Mrs. Tai will never agree to marry a widow from a businessman as the principal. There is nothing I can do for the minister. Alarming the emperor, the crime of the minister is unforgivable, and the emperor can punish it any way, just ask the emperor to keep it secret for the minister, and don’t let the lady know.”
Emperor Xuande looked at his confidant who was kneeling on the ground. He didn't speak for a long time. After a long time, he turned around and slowly sat back on the dragon chair. He said with joy and anger: "Lin's is so beautiful, let my love and Qing take such a long time?"
In his mind, the appearance of Lin shi huddled on the ground and whimpered in despair, Guo Boyan said half truthfully: "Although beauty is beautiful, what kind of beauty has I never seen before? At first, I only wanted to take her as a concubine, but who knows she would rather die From then on, since I can't do anything that the overlord can't force, and I'm not willing to be persuaded away by her in a few words, I have to agree to marry her as a wife."
He didn't dare to praise Lin's beauty too much, what if he aroused the emperor's interest? Men are lustful, and the emperor is no exception.
Emperor Xuande's harem had many concubines and concubines, and he was not so lustful that even the widow who was his confidant thought about it. You go to the military camp, and you must not touch women for three years."
Guo Boyan said loudly: "I sincerely follow the emperor's teachings."
Emperor Xuande opened the memorial and said indifferently: "You brought the assassins, and you are limited to arrest all the assassins before dark."
Guo Boyan laughed and took the order to leave. Emperor Xuande glanced at the backs of his courtiers and shook his head helplessly. Guo Boyan has a high position and authority. After the loss of his wife, many people wanted to become in-laws with the government of the state, and they frequently fawned over him. Out of selfishness, Emperor Xuande hoped that Guo Boyan would marry a successor with a low profile, but he never expected that the successor Guo Boyan liked would have such a low status.
~
Assassins appeared in the suburbs of the capital, Guo Boyan personally led people to hunt them down, and after an hour, he arrested more than a dozen "assassins with high martial arts" and returned to the city, and handed them over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. The people applauded and applauded, but they didn't know that those assassins were prisoners in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, and they were just taken out by the majestic grandfather to get some air.
As night fell, Guo Boyan returned to the palace.
Mrs. Tai had been waiting, watching her son devoured the two bowls of noodles before she calmly said: "I have inquired, your fairy is a girl from the Lin family of Jinxiufang, and the queen married a Juren from Suzhou surnamed Song, Song Juren passed away, Lin has been a widow for four years, and returned to her parents’ home in April this year. Boyan, don’t you think it’s strange, she returned to Beijing in April and hasn’t gone out once in the past few months. What a coincidence, you As soon as she came back, she went to Anguo Temple on the same day as you?"
At the end, Mrs. Tai's eyes turned cold and stared at her son with a scrutiny.
The mother has been the housekeeper for decades, and Guo Boyan was ready to be exposed by his mother.
After laughing, Guo Boyan moved to his mother and knelt down, and explained his relationship with Lin in a low voice: "…Mother, I know what you are thinking, but Lin really didn't seduce me, it was me who forced her to leave. Me, if she is a climber and a phoenix, I won't stab myself with an arrow to show you."
Mrs. Tai sneered: "If you want to welcome it or refuse, how can your men see through the means of women?"
Guo Boyan didn't like to listen to it: "In mother's eyes, is the son the kind of faint-hearted person?"
Mrs. Tai sullenly turned her head and said, "Whatever you say, I don't agree." It was a joke to let a widow be the mistress of the palace.
Guo Boyan sighed and said tiredly: "Mother, my son has taken a fancy to Lin for so many years. You know my temper. As long as one hangs me there, I will despise other vulgar fans. Mother really wants to The son will be alone for the rest of his life, and there is no woman beside him who asks for help?"
Mrs. Tai moved slightly.
Guo Boyan made persistent efforts and continued: "Yes, the Lin family has a low status and is not worthy of our family, but mother, have you ever thought about it, if I marry a widow as a wife, my colleagues may joke behind their backs, what about the emperor? The emperor is the least. Xiquan ministers married each other, and five years ago, Li Wentang, Minister of Civil Affairs, and Liu Shuo, Minister of War, married their sons and daughters, and not long after, Liu Shuo was transferred by the emperor to Yongzhou as a military envoy, you must remember this?"
Mrs. Tai understood her son's meaning and said, "It's a good thing to be an errand for the emperor, but it's a good thing to be cautious, but you don't have to be so wronged..."
"My son is not wronged at all." Guo Boyan interjected, his black eyes looking at his mother sincerely: "Mother, I really like her. She didn't show her face on the boat that day, and my heart was numb just listening to the voice..."
Mrs. Tai raised her eyebrows, and Guo Boyan shut up obediently.
Mrs. Tai looked at her son's left shoulder injury, and said worriedly: "You are not afraid of becoming a laughing stock, and I am too lazy to care about you, but have you thought about Pingzhang? Pingzhang is young and impulsive, and it is the age of good face, you can find him a Widow's stepmother, he was angry outside, didn't he spread it on Lin's body when he came back? Who are you going after then?"
Guo Boyan pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Don't worry, mother, I will make it clear to Pingzhang."