During dinner time, Xia Chu was eating glutinous rice balls with the Marquis in Hengwu Courtyard.
When the Marquis saw some sesame filling on the corners of Xia Chu's mouth, he wiped it with a handkerchief.
"Dad, why don't you eat?"
Xia Chu saw a lot of glutinous rice balls in Mr. Hou's bowl and felt that he was the only one who could eat them with all his heart.
"After tomorrow, my father will have to eat alone again." Mr. Hou said sadly as he put down his handkerchief.
"Dad, didn't you promise not to be sad?"
Although Xia Chu was also very reluctant to leave, he couldn't bear to go back to eat in the past few days. The Marquis looked like he was about to leave.
"We agreed, but as a father I just can't let go!"
Mr. Hou knew that Xia Chu's visit must be extremely important. From the incident of Lu Mingxi, he was impressed by Xia Chu's ability.
He knew he couldn't stop him and couldn't stop him.
But he just couldn't bear it.
Seeing Xia Chu's troubled expression, the Marquis forced a smile and began to eat glutinous rice balls.
"I made an appointment with Zi Mu and the Ninth Princess to visit the lantern market in Xushi." Xia Chu quickly changed his words when he saw the Marquis starting to eat.
"When did your relationship with His Majesty the Seventh Prince get so close? They started calling each other by their first names." The Marquis frowned.
"I will find an opportunity to make it clear to the Ninth Princess in the evening." Xia Chu did not answer the Marquis's words and went off the topic again.
"Well, think about it carefully. Don't hurt the Ninth Princess's heart, she is such a lovely girl." The Marquis ordered.
"That's natural. I treat her like a sister and care for her."
"Yes. Now that you are doing things, your father is quite relieved." The Marquis paused for a moment when he said this. He asked again: "Do you know what the emperor was saying to me in the Imperial Garden yesterday before Lu Mingxi came?"
"It's just that he was angry with Du Hanfei's dictatorship, and you comforted his young heart, which was suffocated in the morning. Or else, tell me how brave you were back then?"
The Marquis shook his head.
"The emperor will discuss with me who will stand opposite Du Hanfei and reverse the case for Lu Mingxi."
"What do you say?"
The Marquis glared at Xia Chu.
"How dare I say that? I just listened to what he said all the time. After analyzing this, analyze that."
Xia Chu was glared at by the Marquis, and said with a smile: "Then the Emperor has something to suspect in his heart."
The Marquis shook his head.
"The emperor looked around, mentioned several people, and rejected them one by one. Finally, he found that no one in the court could do this. He was very angry, and his father could only comfort him. After all, this person is on errands for the emperor, so let him not take it too seriously."
"Father, are you proud?" Xia Chu saw a smile on Mr. Hou's lips.
"I'm a little proud." The Marquis laughed loudly and then continued: "The emperor has been praising this person as a talent since then. It would be great if he could use it for himself."
After a pause, the Marquis reprimanded with a hint of dissatisfaction: "You really want to arrange for Mr. Lu to enter the palace in person. At that time, he was still wearing a white robe, and the robe was covered with blood stains. The tragedy is unbearable to look at.”
"Well, I have to give the emperor something serious. I asked Bingwen to give him a medicine. It should not be a problem."
The Marquis nodded.
"That's good."
When Xia Chu saw that Mr. Hou had finished eating, he asked people to pick up the bowls and chopsticks, put on the tea sets and go to the study.
But the Marquis pulled him.
"No need to make tea, it's getting late. Go back, change your clothes, and go out to have some fun."
Seeing that Xia Chu couldn't defeat him, he had no choice but to leave.
"Tomorrow morning, be careful all the way..."
After the Marquis finished speaking, he stopped looking at him and went out first to the study.
Xia Chu watched Master Hou's back disappear and said softly: "Yes."
Xia Chu returned to Yunqiyuan and saw Su Qian'an waiting at the door. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and asked, "Why did you come back so early today?"
Su Qian'an lowered her head and glanced at Xia Chu from the corner of her eye.
"I knew the young master was going out at night, so I came back early to wait."
Xia Chu nodded without saying anything and went back to the house to change clothes.
Seeing that he didn't accuse him, Su Qian'an felt a little relieved.
About half an hour later, Mo Xiang came in from outside the hospital in a panic.
"Young Master, please hurry up and get out quickly. Someone is coming from the palace."
"Why are you panicking? It's the young master who I made an appointment with."
Xia Chu's voice came from inside the house.
"Ah? All of them were arranged by the young master?"
Xia Chu thought, could it be that Zi Mu and Ninth Princess bumped into each other? He opened the door and walked out while saying, "Well, I made the appointment."
Mo Xiang swallowed hard, looking frightened.
"Don't the Ninth Princess come here often? It's not your first time meeting the royal family, why are you so uncontrollable?"
"yes."
Mo Xiang looked at the backs of Xia Chu and Su Qian'an and pursed her lips.
You can't blame her for not seeing the world, right
When this news spreads, not to mention the Hou Mansion, the whole capital will be shaken, right?
As Xia Chu walked along, he looked at the people in the house with indescribably weird expressions on their faces.
He couldn't help but wonder whether Xiao Zimu was not so shocking.
When he left the house, he was shocked.
Standing outside the gate of the Hou Mansion were Xu Wenlan, the son of the Minister of Revenue, Xiao Mubai, the Mo King, Xiao Muhong, the ninth princess, Xiao Zimu, the seventh prince, Xiao Yanjun, the fourth prince, and Xiao Xuqing, the eighth prince.
Xia Chu suddenly realized why Mo Xiang was in a panic and why the people in the house were so weird.
"The four great lords in the capital gathered at the gate of my palace. It's really brilliant."
"Does the young prince still know about the four young masters?" Xu Wenlan couldn't help but asked.
"The reputation spreads far and wide." Xia Chu nodded and said to Xu Wenlan: "Mr. Xu is good at the piano. He heard a song from Yayue Pavilion and broke all the flowers in Chang'an. He was very romantic."
Xu Wenlan was quite proud, but with a humble look on his face, he declined and said, "Where is it?"
Xia Chu smiled and turned to Xiao Mubai.
"His Royal Highness King Mo has been a master of chess since he was a child. He has no rivals since he was a student. For the rest of his life, he can only play by himself, which is very boring."
Xiao Mubai exuded an air of distance and distance, and replied coldly: "It's okay."
Xiao Yanjun thought that Xia Chu was going to talk about him, so he leaned forward slightly and was about to go up and greet him after he finished speaking. Unexpectedly, Xia Chu faced Xiao Zimu and spoke in a warm tone: "His Seventh Prince's paintings have always been excellent. It is said that in the capital, a painting by Zimu is worth a thousand dollars..."
At first, Xiao Zimu frowned without knowing it when Xia Chu called him His Highness Seventh Prince. After he finished speaking, a smile appeared on his lips, and he was very happy in his heart.
What made him happy was not Xia Chu's praise, but Xia Chu's calling him Zi Mu in public. He remembered the last time they met in the palace, in the deep corridor under the dappled sunlight in early summer. Tell him that you are different from them.
"If you like it in Xia Chu, Zi Mu will paint a picture for you."
"Okay. When I come down from the mountain, Zi Mumo must not forget to draw a picture for me."
"Of course. Never forget it." Xiao Zimu agreed with a smile.
Xiao Yanjun looked at their smiling faces and their cheerful words, and felt it was very dazzling. Thinking, it must be his turn now, right
Sure enough, Xia Chu glanced at him. But he snorted, with a cold face and a ruthless tone: "The remaining one just read too many books..."
As soon as these words came out, Xu Wenlan burst into laughter. He smiled and realized that he was the only one laughing among the crowd. The remaining people looked a little solemn. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and his smile became smaller and smaller until he stopped.
Xiao Yanjun had a livid face, but His Highness the Eighth Prince next to him snorted coldly.
"Young Master, you have such a big air that you have kept us here for so long."
Xia Chu didn't even look at Xiao Xuqing and said sarcastically: "Did I make a date with you?"
Xiao Xuqing was embarrassed and was about to step forward to scold him when he was stopped by a sullen Xiao Yanjun.
Xia Chu frowned and looked at Xiao Zimu and asked, "Did you bring him two here?"
Xiao Yanjun's expression returned to normal, and he managed to hold his hand and smiled and said: "My father asked me to ask my seventh brother for advice. When I see him coming out of the palace to see the young marquis, I should follow him to see him."
Xia Chu ignored him and looked at Xiao Mubai.
In the Lantern Festival Lantern Market in the previous life, there were no Xiao Mubai and Xiao Muhong.
Now, he has made an appointment with these nine princesses. But according to Xiao Mubai's character, he shouldn't join in the fun.
Xiao Muhong saw Xia Chu looking at Xiao Mubai and said hurriedly: "I had to drag my brother out. It's rare that he agreed."
Xia Chu nodded politely to Xiao Mubai.
Xiao Mubai was not someone to be trifled with, and he and Xiao Yanjun were not on the same journey. Xia Chu didn't want to cling to him, nor did she want to get into trouble with him.
Xu Wenlan saw Xia Chu nodding and quickly added: "I followed Mu Bai."
Xia Chu looked up at him with a cold and distant expression. He wiped his eyes open and smiled at Xiao Zimu.
"Then let's go, shall we?"
Xiao Zimu smiled and nodded when he heard this.
When Xiao Muhong heard that she was leaving, she immediately took Xia Chu with her left hand and Xiao Mubai with her right hand.
So the group of people was divided into three columns.
Xiao Yanjun and Xiao Xuqing walked in the front, and Xiao Muhong walked in the middle holding Xia Chu and Xiao Mubai. Xiao Zimu walked on the left with Xia Chu, and Xu Wenlan walked on the right alongside Xiao Mubai. Su Qian'an and some attendants followed in the back row.
The three groups of people headed towards the lantern market in the eyes of passers-by.
(End of chapter)