Jiang Changning was already eye-catching, and when she exclaimed, everyone's eyes, except the little emperor, fell on her face.
A flawless face, delicate, beautiful, and charming.
Is this called disfigurement
If this is called disfigurement, then they are willing to do it.
People who knew the situation, such as the Princess Consort of Prince De, looked at the stunned expressions of others and smiled secretly with their hands covering their mouths. It was really funny!
"How come your face is okay?" The Princess Consort of Prince Qing was so surprised that she asked the question on the spot.
Jiang Changning turned to look at her, "My face is fine, is my cousin disappointed?"
"No, I didn't." The Princess Consort of Prince Qing quickly denied it.
Jiang Changning smiled faintly and ignored her, "Your Majesty, what is the answer to this riddle?"
"Tu, 委委彗彗, like a mountain or a river, Xiangfu is the character for Tuo in Yi."
"If he is guilty, I will punish him."
"Yes."
The couple smiled at each other with deep affection, which made several noble ladies who were not favored by men feel itchy and cursed inwardly, saying, "She is really a vixen."
Jiang Changning led the King of Jin to guess riddles along the way, "Two shapes in one, four arms and eight heads, four eights and one eight, a flying spring flowing upwards. Guess a word too, what is it?"
"This character is very simple, with only a few strokes." Prince Jin did not directly tell the answer, but enlightened Jiang Changning.
Jiang Changning thought for a moment and said, "It's a well-shaped pattern, with a ten-mile long street connected to the market."
"Watching fairies on the moonlit bridge." The King of Jin changed the poem with a meaningful meaning.
"Fairies love the mortal world, and envy the mandarin ducks who grow old together." Jiang Changning saw those people eavesdropping out of the corner of his eye and said deliberately.
When Prince Jin saw that those people were not guessing the riddles but were staring at the couple, he felt unhappy, but he couldn't scold them, so he pretended not to see it and continued to talk about love with his little princess.
"The man and the moon are both full, the flute and the phoenix are a perfect couple, they are a fairy couple." Prince Jin said softly.
Jiang Changning smiled, "Your Highness, let's continue guessing the riddles. If we come out on top, we'll get the Queen Mother's generous reward."
"Okay, let's continue guessing." Prince Jin reached out and untied the thin hemp rope. "The peonies are in full bloom, and the night sky is bright. Princess, guess which idiom it is."
"The peony is a flower, and it is bright when the moon is bright. Flowers are in full bloom when the moon is full. Did you guess it right?"
"The princess is still so smart."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
The couple guessed riddles affectionately, which disappointed those who were expecting a quarrel between them.
The lantern-watching and riddle-guessing contest in the palace lasted for an hour, and the ones who guessed the most riddles correctly were the Prince of Jin and his wife.
The Queen Mother kept her promise and generously rewarded him with 100,000 taels of gold.
Jiang Changning was a little dazed by the reward. Was it necessary to reward so much gold for guessing a riddle
Jiang Changning was still happy that he had received the reward.
It was still early when they came out of the palace. They got on the carriage and Jiang Changning said with a smile, "You've made a fortune, my dear. Madam will take you to eat something delicious."
Seeing her smiling face with curved eyebrows and lovely look, the King of Jin also smiled and said, "Madam is so nice."
"My dear, you are handsome. Madam likes you at first sight." Jiang Changning reached out and touched his face.
"So the lady is after my beauty!"
"You just found out."
The couple were playing fancy fighting in the carriage as it headed toward the long street.
When they arrived at Changjie, the two men got off the carriage. Chang Youzhong, Cao Jiang, Xiaochun and Banqin followed behind. The other guards dispersed to separate the bustling crowd to avoid bumping into the two men.
On the street, children were running around in groups of three or five, holding lanterns in the shapes of various animals.
Jiang Changning said, "Buy a carp lantern to comfort my son."
As he said this, he pulled the King of Jin to the stall to ask for the price, but the stall owner said, "The lanterns are not for sale. If you want one, please guess the riddle. If you guess it right, you can take the carp lantern."
"Okay, how many coins does it cost for one guess?" Jiang Changning asked.
Chang Youzhong stepped forward and gave the stall owner a copper coin, and the stall owner unfolded the riddle and asked them to guess.
It is a very simple riddle: it has a head but no neck, it has eyes but no eyebrows, it can walk without feet, but it cannot fly with wings.
"Fish, did I guess right?" Jiang Changning asked with a smile.
"Madam, you guessed right. This carp lantern is yours now." The stall owner handed over the lantern with both hands with a smile.
Prince Jin took it and handed it to Jiang Changning.
Jiang Changning carried the carp lantern and took the King of Jin to a shop selling Yuanxiao. "The candied Yuanxiao and yellow rice Yuanxiao in this shop are both delicious."
"Cook a few more bowls so that everyone can taste them together. Your wife is treating us." Prince Jin said with a smile.
Chang Youzhong and the others said in unison: "Thank you, Madam, for the reward."
The shop is not big, with only three compartments. Today is the Lantern Festival, and in addition to the two tables of guests sitting in the shop, the other two compartments are also occupied.
Chang Youzhong and three other men followed the couple into the empty inner room, while the other guards took their seats in the store.
Soon, the sugar-coated Yuanxiao and yellow rice Yuanxiao were served on the table. The sugar-coated Yuanxiao sparkled under the crystal clear sugar coating, like golden beads wrapped in silk, tempting the appetite and having a unique flavor just by looking at it.
"Try it quickly." Jiang Changning picked up one with chopsticks and put it in Prince Jin's bowl.
Prince Jin picked up the Yuanxiao, took a bite, and nodded with a smile under Jiang Changning's expectant gaze: "Not bad."
"Of course." Jiang Changning raised his eyebrows proudly.
While eating, he heard Jiang Nan's voice, "Old slave Jiang Nan, begging to see the two masters."
"Yes, Uncle Nan, Your Majesty, could you please let Uncle Nan in and talk?" Jiang Changning asked what Prince Jin meant.
"Please welcome Uncle Nan." Prince Jin gestured to Chang Youzhong to lift the curtain.
Chang Youzhong lifted the curtain and said, "Uncle Nan, please come in."
Jiang Nan walked in with his body bowed, and saluted to the two people, "Old servant Jiang Nan, I pay my respects to the prince and the princess."
"Uncle Nan, there's no need to be so polite." Prince Jin said with a false support.
Jiang Changning asked with a smile, "Uncle Nan, are you here to eat Yuanxiao too?"
"I am next door. I just came out after dinner and saw the palace's car. Then I realized that the prince and princess were here, so I came to pay my respects to them." Jiang Nan explained to avoid Prince Jin's misunderstanding.
Knowing that Jiang Nan had already eaten, Jiang Changning did not order any more Yuanxiao for him and asked him to sit aside.
Jiang Nan watched the two of them eating Yuanxiao. When Jiang Changning bit into the yellow rice Yuanxiao, the sesame filling flowed out from the corner of her mouth. Prince Jin took out a handkerchief to help her wipe it, his movements were skillful and natural.
Jiang Nan looked at them, his eyes twinkling. After the two had finished eating, he asked, "I wonder if the prince will be free tomorrow? This old servant has something important to report."
King Jin stared at him and pondered for a moment. "I will go to Yu Shi Lou for dinner at noon tomorrow. Come over and have a few drinks with me."
He is an old and loyal servant of the Jiang family, so he must give him some face.
"I will be waiting for Your Majesty at the Yu Shi Lou tomorrow." Jiang Nan did not stay and got up and left.
After he left, the King of Jin asked, "Ningning, what important matter did he have that he couldn't report to you in person?"
Jiang Changning smiled and said, "It should be something that you must confirm before you tell me."
"If I knew and couldn't tell you, would you be angry?"
"I never seek trouble."
"Remember what you said." Prince Jin took her hand.
Chang Youzhong had already paid the bill, and the group left the Yuanxiao shop and continued to watch the bustling market on the long street.
(End of this chapter)