"Xie Changgeng, what are you doing here?"
"If it weren't for my father, I would never allow you to set foot in Changsha again today!"
The echo of Mu Xuanqing's words seemed to reverberate on the tall and vast roof of the temple.
Xie Changgeng looked calm and bowed to him as a foreign minister would to a king. After the ceremony, he said, "Your Majesty only said it, but did not explain why. Can you tell me why?"
Mu Xuanqing's eyes, like angry arrows, pierced towards Xie Changgeng opposite him.
"You were originally a great bandit. Back then, my father, regardless of your status, favored you and betrothed my sister to you. My Changsha Kingdom fulfilled the promise and married my sister to you at the beginning of the year. Not to mention that she traveled across mountains and rivers to marry you in the miasma of Kuizhou, you left her alone on the wedding night. After she came to your Xie family, she served the elders, managed the household, and took care of the servants. Has she ever been disrespectful or complained?"
"My dear sister, what have you done wrong? I have only been in your Xie family for half a year, yet you have been humiliated like this? How powerful is your Xie family? How dare you treat my Changsha princess so disrespectfully?"
Mu Xuanqing clenched his fists, and veins crisscrossed and bulged on the back of his hands.
"Thank you Chang Geng!"
He called out the name of the person opposite him with gritted teeth in a tone of extreme disgust.
"What do you mean by a beast in human clothing, with an owl's heart and a crane's appearance? It's you who are such a shameless person!"
"You have been scheming and doing all you can to be filthy! Three years ago, you came to Changsha to ask for marriage, with the sole intention of currying favor with me. If my father had not been deceived by you and helped you, how could you have entered the officialdom and achieved such success?"
"You are such an ungrateful, heartless villain! You treat my sister so badly. Are you kidding me that there is no one in Changsha?"
"Thank you, Jiedushi. Although you are now in a high position and are arrogant, my Changsha Kingdom is just a small country. However, the ancestors of the Mu family were heroes. Even if I am incompetent, I will never sit idly by and watch my sister be humiliated by you!"
"You have come to pay homage to the late king, and I will not make it difficult for you. Now that you have finished worshipping, please do as you please! My Changsha State Temple is small, and it cannot accommodate a huge Buddha like you!"
He paused and threw a document to the ground.
"Listen carefully, from today on, my Mu family and your Xie family will no longer have any connection! My sister has nothing to do with you either! Marriage is up to you!"
After he finished speaking, he turned around and left.
"Wait a minute!"
Xie Changgeng, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
Mu Xuanqing stopped but did not turn around.
Xie Changgeng didn't look at the things on the ground, but walked past.
"I understand what Your Highness meant. Every word of Your Highness's rebuke is very true. I have no intention of defending myself, and there is no way to defend myself. However, there are indeed some misunderstandings in the middle. If I don't explain them, I will hurt the harmony. I am afraid that I will fail the teachings of my father-in-law when he granted me the marriage."
Mu Xuanqing slowly turned his head and looked at him coldly.
"To be honest, as soon as I came back, I immediately set out here, not only to pay homage to the ancestors and former kings of the Mu family in Changsha, but also to bring back the princess..."
"Why take him back?" Mu Xuanqing was furious.
"Isn't that humiliation enough for you?"
Xie Changgeng looked calm.
"If what I think is correct, the reason why Your Highness is so angry should be that my mother mentioned taking a concubine in front of the princess. But Your Highness only knows one side of the story. It is precisely because of some misunderstandings that I need to explain."
Mu Xuanqing sneered and said nothing.
"When I returned home last month, I learned that the princess had returned to Changsha. From what the servants said, in the past six months or so, the princess has condescended to serve my mother on my behalf morning and night. She is also virtuous and dignified, a model for a lady from a noble family, and all the neighbors praise her. Although her return home was a little sudden, I believe it must be understandable."
"The cause of the incident lies with my mother. In his early years, Mr. Xie was unfilial, causing my mother to suffer a lot. In difficult times, she was greatly favored by someone. Now that the other person's parents have passed away and the situation is difficult, my mother was obsessed with the old relationship and was not thoughtful enough at the time. That's why she rashly mentioned to the princess that she wanted to bring that girl here. According to my mother, the princess agreed immediately at that time."
Xie Changgeng paused.
"My mother is illiterate, trapped in the back hall of the family, and has little knowledge. Moreover, she is a straightforward person. When she saw that the princess agreed, she was just happy and grateful for the princess's generosity. How could she consider whether this move was prudent?"
"On the day Xie returned home, I learned about this from my mother. I am not defending myself, I felt it was inappropriate at the time. I just couldn't bear to disappoint my mother, and I heard that the princess had generously agreed, so I thought of taking the princess back first and discussing it later."
"This matter has angered His Highness, and the fault lies with me, Xie. I am so lucky to have such a wife, not to mention my father-in-law's kindness in the past. I have not yet repaid even one ten-thousandth of it."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I know what to do in the future. When I bring the princess back, I will apologize to her on behalf of my mother."
He looked at Mu Xuanqing with a calm expression.
Mu Xuanqing said word by word: "Xie Changgeng, you are not a good match for the princess! Since the princess has returned on her own, no matter how eloquent you are today, you can never let the princess follow you into the Xie family again!"
"Your Highness, I don't understand what you said. Marriage is a good relationship between two families, and it is not a joke."
He looked around the Mu family temple and his eyes fell on the tablet of the old King of Changsha.
"No matter how Your Highness thinks of me, the marriage between me and your sister was arranged by my father-in-law, with three matchmakers and six witnesses, and nothing is missing. It is child's play to just say so. My mother is indeed wrong and has offended the princess, but she only said something inappropriate and did not do anything out of the ordinary. No one is perfect, and who can be without fault? Besides, she is just an old country woman. Your Highness is so aggressive, isn't it inhumane?"
He still had a smile on his face, but his tone became heavier and contained a hint of authority.
Mu Xuanqing's face became extremely stiff. He stared at the man in blue standing opposite him with a solemn look. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Xie Changgeng! For the sake of success, you shamelessly flatter others, but you even colluded with others and did evil things together! You are clinging to..."
"My Lord!"
Just then, a woman's voice came from outside the temple, interrupting Mu Xuanqing's words.
Xie Changgeng raised his eyes.
On the steps outside the temple, a young woman in gorgeous clothes stood up. She had a beautiful face and was graceful. She was the Queen of Changsha, Lu.
Mrs. Lu stopped her husband's angry words in time, stepped forward, cast a wink at her husband, then stepped over the temple threshold, came to Xie Changgeng, and said with a smile: "Thank you for coming from afar, the governor of Changsha is not well-mannered, if I have offended you, please forgive me."
Xie Changgeng smiled slightly and saluted Lu.
"It is a great honor for me to have the honor of meeting the Queen of Changsha. How can you say that I am being disrespectful?"
Lu returned the greeting with half a gesture.
"Thank you for your generosity, Governor. I admire you. You must be tired after the long journey. Please come to the inn to rest for a while. My king will prepare a dinner in the palace to welcome you."
"As for the matter of the princess..."
She paused.
"Please be patient, Governor. We will discuss this later. What do you think?"
Xie Changgeng smiled: "Thank you very much. Sorry for bothering me then."
He put away the smile on his face, his expression turned solemn, and he turned around. Under the two gloomy gazes from Mu Xuanqing behind him, he once again respectfully saluted towards the tablet of the old King of Changsha. After kneeling, he stood up, stepped out of the temple threshold, and strode away.
…
As soon as Lu returned to the palace, she didn't even have time to take off her clothes. She immediately hurried to Mu Fulan's boudoir, dismissed her attendants, and closed the door.
"Lan'er, luckily I listened to you and rushed to the ancestral temple in time, which prevented your brother from speaking out of anger. His temper is still too impulsive! If Xie Changgeng heard his disrespectful words to Empress Liu and reported it to the treacherous Empress, the situation of our Changsha Kingdom would probably be even worse in the future."
Mu Fulan remained silent.
"This Xie Changgeng, when he came to ask for marriage three years ago, I only saw him from afar. At that time, I only felt that he was heroic and different from ordinary people. Today, when I met him, I finally understood why he became a governor at such a young age. He should be the same age as your brother, but in terms of cunningness, he is far from your brother's."
She frowned and looked worried.
"From what I heard from him, he doesn't want to let you go home. You've already married, and his words are watertight, completely clearing you of the matter of taking a concubine. If he insists on not letting you go and keeps pestering you, I'm afraid your wish will be difficult to achieve for the time being."
Mu Fulan said: "Sister-in-law, after the night banquet, please let him come to my place."
Mrs. Lu hurriedly said, "Lan'er, don't misunderstand. Since my sister-in-law promised to help you, she will not break her promise. My sister-in-law meant that this person is not easy to deal with, and she wants you to be on guard, so as not to be disappointed if things cannot be resolved quickly. Don't worry, even if he doesn't agree, you are back. As long as your brother catches the fact that the Xie family took a concubine rudely and doesn't let you go, this is Changsha State. How dare he do something like forcibly snatching people away?"
"Xie Changgeng is indeed not easy to deal with. That's right. If things drag on, it won't be a good thing for my brother and my Changsha country."
"This matter was originally caused by me, and it is also a matter between me and him. No matter how much my brother and sister-in-law talk to him, it is like scratching an itch through a shoe. It is better for me to talk things out with him myself and get it over with as soon as possible."
Lu was stunned.
"Lan'er, this Xie Changgeng is really not an easy person to deal with... Auntie is afraid that you can't handle it..."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law!"
"He and I are considered husband and wife. It is necessary to make things clear. Regardless of whether it works or not, I will give it a try."
Mrs. Lu looked at her aunt.
Her eyes were clear and she looked at him with a smile.
Lu hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay. Then I'll go talk to your brother. If you have anything to say, you can tell him clearly in person. If he can listen to you, that would be the best."
Mu Fulan smiled and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"
…
As night fell, a banquet was being held in the banquet hall of the Changsha Palace.
The huge candles were lined up in the east and west wings of the hall, like two fire dragons, emitting brilliant light, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day. Musical instruments were hung high under the eaves on the left and right sides of the hall. The southern pillar of the hall was equipped with bells and drums. In front of the huge candles, the gilded wine cups on the jade tables sparkled under the light.
All regulations are only second to those of the emperor.
Such grandeur can only be seen in the homes of kings and princes.
In front of the east-facing seat, there is a bronze turtle on the left and a bronze crane on the right. Wisps of ambergris smoke come out of the mouths of the turtle and the crane.
Mu Xuanqing sits here.
Xie Changgeng, the governor of Hexi, sat in the seat of host and guest.
Officials of all ranks from Changsha who came to entertain the guests took their seats in order of seniority.
The front hall of the palace is brightly lit tonight with drums and music playing, but the backyard is quiet and silent.
The night darkened the trees and flowers, and the shadows of the eaves were like a trace. A few lanterns, emitting dim light, illuminated the winding path leading to the princess's bedroom.
It was very quiet all around, not a single sound could be heard.
Mu Fulan closed her eyes tightly and completely covered her body in the hot water.
It was as if countless pairs of gentle hands were competing to caress her, sending warmth into every pore of her body, comforting her curled-up body.
Finally, she slowly stretched out her limbs and completely relaxed.
She opened her eyes, stood up from the hot water, climbed out of the bathtub, dried herself, wrapped herself in clothes, walked to the door and opened the bolt.
Mother Mu was the only one in the room.
She was waiting outside the bathroom door, her brows furrowed and her eyes worried. When she saw Mu Fulan finally coming out, she hurried over to her and held her arm.
"Princess, you..."
"I'm fine."
Mu Fulan stood there steadily and smiled at her.
"Tell them to come in and help me change my clothes."
Mother Mu suppressed her worries, glanced at her, turned around, opened the door and called the maid outside in.
The maids came in and surrounded her to help her change her clothes.
After changing clothes, Mu Fulan did not stand up. She still sat in front of the mirror, looking at herself in the mirror, her figure motionless for a long time.
She seemed to be in a trance, with a cold expression.
The maids usually had a close relationship with her, but at this moment, they all stood aside and dared not speak.
After a long time, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside the door.
The door was pushed open and Danzhu stepped in.
Mother Mu hurried out.
Danzhu whispered something. Mother Mu went into the inner room, came back behind Mu Fulan, leaned over, put her mouth close to her ear, and whispered, "The banquet is over. He should be here soon."
The night wind followed the door, passed through a piece of gauze curtain hanging in the compartment, and poured in silently.
Mu Fulan turned her head and looked at the nearby lights swaying in the wind. She said, "I know. All of you go out."