Zhao Heng picked up the portrait of the beautiful girl on the table, and his eyes naturally fell on the top one. The woman on the painting had crescent eyebrows and slightly upturned lips, looking very dignified and graceful. He saw the chin from his forehead, and then took a look at the whole. Then, under the exploratory gaze of Emperor Xuande, he moved this one to the bottom and continued to look at the second one.
So Emperor Xuande looked at his third sons like this, flipping to the end one by one, his eyes stayed on each portrait for about the same time, and Bai Baiqingjun's face did not show any amazing emotions from beginning to end. In other words, out of ten beauties, none of the sons liked them.
Emperor Xuande thought his son would continue to pick and choose, but saw the young man put the portrait back on the table with both hands and shook his head at him.
Emperor Xuande's face sank. In fact, he could have made his own choice to choose a marriage for his son, but he wanted to give him a woman his son liked. Emperor Xuande was very dissatisfied, but since he had assumed a fatherly attitude, since he first hinted that the matter could be negotiated, he could not be angry because his son refused.
"These ten are the best in appearance among the beautiful girls. Let's take a look at them again?" Emperor Xuande showed a loving smile.
Zhao Heng lowered his eyes and said bluntly, "I don't like it."
Simple and straightforward, no euphemism.
Emperor Xuande choked in one breath. His son didn't know how to praise him, and he didn't want to pretend to be a loving father. He said coldly, "You don't like the empress and concubines that you choose from thousands of times, so what do you like?"
Zhao Heng said calmly, "I don't know."
Emperor Xuande understood that his son stuttered and did not like to talk, but usually the courtiers, concubines and concubines scrambled to please him first. Now his son said two words, arrogant and rude. , suddenly stood up, walked out with a sullen face, and said angrily: "Then wait for you to know, and I will give you a marriage."
These words were somewhat impulsive. Emperor Xuande slowed down after bypassing his son. He thought that as long as his son confessed his mistake and begged him, he would not care about it. After all, it was a major life event. Taking care of him, his father and emperor don't need to be distracted by the third child. But Emperor Xuande never expected...
"Thank you, Father and Emperor, it's done."
In the corner of the light, the young man wearing a azure robe bowed his head and bowed his thanks.
The evil son was obsessed, and Emperor Xuande's face was ashen, and he left without looking back.
At the beginning of September, Emperor Xuande's decree to grant marriage came down. In April, it was announced that the world would choose concubines for the three kings, but now only the kings of Chu and Rui were given concubines, and there was no mention of King Shou in the first half of the edict. Baiguan was in an uproar, knowing that the emperor usually does not like seeing the third prince, King Shou, no one dared to question, the king of Chu was impulsive and irritable, and reluctantly endured the next court, and immediately chased after the Chongzheng Hall to ask: "Father, why did you forget the third brother? ?"
Emperor Xuande was estranged from his third son, and he would not easily reprimand him if he did not favor him, but he also lost a layer of scruples about the eldest son, King Chu, whom he favored the most. Angrily reprimanded: "Who said I forgot about him? I first sent you to find out what he likes, and then I called him over to let him pick a beauty, because he doesn't know how to look down on the person I picked for him! "
The King of Chu widened his eyes in disbelief.
"Go away!" Emperor Xuande grabbed a memorial and threw it out.
The King of Chu wronged his father and left the Chongzheng Palace to find his younger brother. He rushed into Jingping Palace, and saw that his younger brother ordered someone to move the table to the courtyard, and he was painting a plum tree in front of him, very leisurely. Seeing his brother, Zhao Heng put down his brush and handed over to his brother from afar: "Congratulations, eldest brother, I got what I wanted."
As expected of a brother with a good relationship, Prince Shou, who only said two words to Emperor Xuande, said eight words in one breath.
The King of Chu didn't feel honored at all, glared at his younger brother and said, "You don't want to get married?"
Zhao Heng said indifferently, "I haven't met a beautiful woman."
Chu Wangran was speechless, the four words fluttering, he probably wouldn't understand before he met Feng Zheng, but now, he seems to understand his brother's mood. Princess Wangfei, a woman who has been together for a lifetime, if you don't find someone you like, then you would rather be short of one, and you can't just find one, even if it is to please the father and emperor.
After a long silence, the King of Chu sighed, patted his younger brother on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "When did you meet me, tell my eldest brother that he will decide for you."
Zhao Heng nodded.
~
In Duke Wei's mansion, it was a ten-day holiday, Song Jianing slept in comfortably, and then went to the front yard to see his mother.
Lin Shi will give birth in one month, and her belly is bulging. Because her appetite has increased after pregnancy, she is more plump than when she first married into the mansion last year, her eyes are like autumn water, and her cheeks are rosy. , more charming and enchanting, so fascinated by Guo Boyan that he rushes to the house next morning. He will never go to the entertainment that can be turned off.
When Song Jianing came over, Guo Boyan was squatting in front of Mrs. Lin, with her ears pressed against Mrs. Lin's belly, listening to the movement of the children inside. The maids outside greeted the Fourth Young Lady, and he reluctantly moved to the chair opposite Mrs. Lin and sat down. When Lin looked at him, she felt unprecedented stability in her heart. According to Guo Boyan's expectations for this child, as long as she and the children did not make big mistakes, they would be able to live peacefully in the future.
"Mother, did you sleep well last night?" Song Jianing stepped into the main room, greeted her stepfather first, and then smiled and cared about her mother.
Lin Shi nodded, his eyes gentle.
Song Jianing approached her mother, patted her belly, and talked to her soon-to-be-born younger siblings, and went to Changxinyuan alone. Every ten-day holiday, the three rooms of the Duke's Mansion would gather together. After the mother became heavy, Mrs. Tai instructed her not to go first, and her stepfather would stay in Linyuntang to accompany her for dinner.
The autumn was high and the air was refreshing. Thinking back on his stepfather's consideration for his mother, Song Jianing was very happy for his mother. Although he was a little sorry for his biological father who died early, compared with his unhappy mother in his previous life, Song Jianing liked his current mother more, like a flower that bloomed just right. Moisturize and comfort.
"An An!"
Someone called her in the distance, Song Jianing turned her head, and saw three young men with zhilan and jade trees, Guo Fu and Guo Shu, wearing the same color robes, and speeding up towards her, Guo Xiao continued to walk unhurriedly, looking blankly at her. She glanced. Song Jianing quickly looked away and smiled at the twins: "Second brother and third brother."
Guo Fu and Guo Shu surrounded her from left to right. The three brothers and sisters walked and chatted, and in a blink of an eye, they arrived at Changxin Courtyard. After the whole family had breakfast, the elders gathered together. Song Jianing and three sisters were going for a walk in the garden. The twins didn't go out today, so they had to rely on them. Guo Xiao also followed for some reason.
The autumn light was warm, and the brothers and sisters sat by the lake to enjoy the scenery and feed the fish.
"By the way, the princesses of King Chu and King Rui have already been decided, do you know?" Guo Fu asked proudly, sitting on a stone.
Neither Song Jianing nor Sanfang knew about it, all four pairs of eyes looked at him curiously, the girls didn't go out easily, they liked to hear new things the most.
Guo Shu hurriedly said: "Princess Chu is a girl from the Feng family in the Taiyuan Hospital..."
Before he could finish speaking, the four girls took a breath at the same time. Yun Fang was the most shocked: "Sister Feng is actually going to be a princess!"
Song Jianing likes Feng Zheng, who also loves shepherd's purse. Hearing this news, he really doesn't know whether to be happy or worried for Feng Zheng. The princess is naturally noble, but looking at Feng Zheng's expression that day, it seems that he doesn't like the king of Chu.
The four sisters whispered for a while, and the freshness passed, and urged the elder brother to continue. Guo Fu said: "Princess Rui is a girl from Li's house in Yangzhou magistrate. It is said that she is the most beautiful among these beautiful girls... Of course, no matter how beautiful she is, it can't compare to the four of you."
Tingfang and Lanfang bowed their heads and laughed, Song Jianing also smiled reservedly, only Yunfang looked like it was a matter of course, and excitedly asked, "Where is Princess Shou? We are next to Shouwang's mansion, and maybe we will deal more often in the future."
Song Jianing looked at her cousin with a pair of watery almond eyes. She was very curious. In her previous life, when she happened to hear that King Shou "murdered her brother to win the throne", she also learned from the people that the new emperor did not marry. Wife, now that I have chosen a concubine, is it that the two lives of King Shou are different
She waited intently for the answer, Guo Xiao squinted at her secretly, and pursed her thin lips.
Guo Fu sighed: "Our poor His Royal Highness King Shou, there is no princess."
Song Jianing opened his mouth in surprise, how could this be
Sanfang was also shocked by each other, and they asked each other. Guo Fu gloated and said: "You ask me who I am asking? The eldest uncle may not know it, and the imperial edict does not mention the birthday of the prince. Anyway, it is the wedding of King Chu and Prince Rui next year. We are pitiful. Lord Shou wants to move in alone."
Song Jianing bowed his head, feeling a little uncomfortable in his mind, with the immortal appearance of Zhao Heng, the king of longevity, appearing in his mind. After the three kings chose their concubine, why did Emperor Xuande only give marriage to two favored princes? King Shou does not have a concubine, is Emperor Xuande too partial, or are the beautiful girls unwilling to marry him
Song Jianing racked his brains and couldn't figure it out.
She can't see through it, neither can Guo Xiao, he only knows that the position of Princess Shouwang is vacant, so his sisters who are closest to Shouwang may be in danger, especially...
His eyes turned around Song Jianing's face, only to see the step-sister who had been pleasing to the eye for half a year, and suddenly realized that the step-sister didn't seem to be as cute as the first half of the year.
~
King Shou does not have a concubine. This fact has been rumored for a while in the streets of Beijing. Even the four or five-year-old children playing in the streets know that the emperor does not like his stuttering third son. The little friends laughed at him: "If you don't obey, I won't marry you when you grow up..."
Somehow, this word reached the ears of the King of Chu, and he personally led people to patrol the streets for a day. Anyone who was disrespectful to King Shou was arrested, locked in a cell for a few days, and then released. Under the prestige, the rumors and rumors in the streets and alleys were stopped.
Song Jianing didn't know anything about the outside world. Seeing the day when her mother gave birth was getting closer and closer, Song Jianing became more and more nervous. Several times she woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares, dreaming that her mother was hard to give birth. She didn't dare to tell her mother, she was worried secretly, and spent half a month uneasy. On the eighth day of October, Song Jianing was studying with her sisters to become popular with girls, and Shuang'er rushed over in a panic: "Miss , girl, madam is about to give birth!"