"Is Second Brother unhappy?" Sima Lian tilted her head to look at Sima Hong and asked with a smile, "Did you have a quarrel with Second Sister-in-law?"
Sima Hong stepped forward and patted Sima Lian on the shoulder, saying with a smile: "What nonsense are you talking about? Have you finished embroidering your wedding dress?"
It seems that they really had a quarrel, Sima Lian thought to herself, and moved closer to Sima Hong and said, "Second brother, do you want to marry my second sister-in-law? If you do, why not find a matchmaker to propose marriage?"
Sima Hong was stunned. Subconsciously, he had never thought about this. Firstly, he felt that his life was in danger on the battlefield. Secondly, he was worried that if he went to ask for marriage, he would be beaten out by the Xu family... Now that Sima Lian said this, it ignited some hope in him.
He knew in his heart that even though he kept saying Mingyu was his wife, it was not the case anymore. He could not control the Xu family from finding a husband for Mingyu. Thinking of that villain Lu Hao, and the Prince of Qin who he had never met but coveted his wife and was definitely not a good person, there might be something he didn't know. Mingyu was still young before and not old enough to get married. Now Mingyu is fifteen years old and has reached the age for marriage. It is very likely that when he comes back next time, he will find that his wife has married someone else. That would be a bolt from the blue. If he could book her in advance, wouldn't he have no such worries
"Then... who should I ask to propose marriage?" Sima Hong asked shamelessly.
Sima Lian thought for a long time. She didn't know anyone in the capital, so she said, "I don't know either. We have to find someone who has a good relationship with the Xu family, right?" In this way, even if they couldn't reach an agreement, they would not be beaten out by the Xu family.
After night fell, Sima Hong sneaked out of the house with gifts under the cover of darkness. There were people coming and going during the day, and he was too embarrassed to show his pig-like face to see anyone. He waited anxiously until night before he dared to go out. He got in the car and drove straight to a large mansion in the east of the city.
Poor Lord Qi, who was already old, had just fallen asleep after drinking a tranquilizing medicine with the help of his grandson Qi Su. He heard the concierge come to report that Lord Anxi had sent a letter to ask for an audience. The concierge described Lord Anxi in a black robe that blended into the night, with his head and face wrapped in a black scarf, revealing only his two eyes, like a ninja.
Lord Qi thought that General Sima, who held half of the military power in the northwest, had some secrets to discuss with him. Now the court was in a tense stage of tug-of-war and peace. Lord Qi, who had already lain down, ignored his grandson's advice and was still strong. He got up, washed his face with cold water, and made countless mental drafts, ready to have a good talk with this young marquis. Tell him that the road of life is still long, and as a minister, he must be loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and not be so pessimistic...
As a result, he was supported by Qi Su and walked to the reception room. Under the dim candlelight, the elderly Lord Qi took a lot of effort to recognize the outline of the once elegant Marquis of Anxi from the bruised and swollen face of Old Gao.
Sima Hong bowed respectfully to Master Qi. He smiled flatteringly, "Master Qi, I want to go to Master Xu Changqian's house to propose marriage. You see, you are the most respected person I know in the capital. I want to ask you to be a matchmaker for me."
Qi Su couldn't help but turn his head and laugh. He had heard Xu Mingye complain that Anxi Hou was still clinging to his sister even after the divorce. Now that the real person came to the door, it was true. The idea was aimed at his grandfather.
Sima Hong poured cold water on Lord Qi's enthusiasm, and he regretted why he got up to see him just now. He looked at his grandson, who winked at him until his eyelids were cramping. He couldn't help but glare at him, "You bastard, do you think I'm really old and useless? Do I need you to teach me what to do?"
"What? What did you say? I didn't hear it!" Lord Qi raised his hand and touched it in front of his ears, looking like an old man with poor hearing.
Sima Hong looked at Master Qi suspiciously. That was impossible. The old man's face had changed several times just now, so it was impossible that he had not heard it. However, he was the one asking others to do something. He could only repeat it respectfully.
Master Qi shook his head and sighed, "What did you say? I still didn't hear you!"
Sima Hong was dumbfounded. He was sure that Lord Qi was playing dumb. Just think about how terrible it was. Old Qi, who was famous in the capital, talented, and had taught countless noble children, and whose students were all over the world, was actually playing rogue with him? ! He thought he was already rogue enough, but he didn't expect to gain more experience today. What's more terrible than a rogue is an old and famous rogue!
Qi Su sent Sima Hong out with a guilty look on his face, rubbing his hands and apologizing, "I'm so sorry, Marquis An. Grandfather is old and his hearing is getting worse. He can hardly hear anything recently. He has seen so many doctors and taken so many medicines, but nothing works. I'm really worried."
Sima Hong looked at Qi Su with a forced smile, "Don't worry, Lord Qi. I believe your grandfather's deafness will be cured soon." It will be fine as soon as he leaves!
Qi Su was a good man. He knew that Sima Hong was mocking him. His face turned slightly red. He bowed to Sima Hong and said with a sincere smile: "Marquis An is a hero of the Great Chu. Qi Su has always admired him. May Marquis An get all his wishes come true in the future!" It's just that they were powerless to do anything about this matter and were determined not to get involved in this muddy water. If the Xu family was determined not to agree, wouldn't Mingye be angry if they came forward to propose marriage
Sima Hong was naturally anxious and angry at the failure, but fortunately he had many years of experience on the battlefield and was able to keep his composure. In addition, the wound on his face was too shameful to look at, so he stayed indoors for the next few days. All the visitors were rejected by Miao on the grounds that Marquis Anxi was unwell.
Even Miao Shu came to see him, but was turned away, which made Miao Shu very dissatisfied. He believed that Sima Hong must have been stimulated by something and hurt by a woman on the night he sent Xu Mingyu home, which caused his temperament to change drastically. He was so depressed and sad that he dared not go out. In Miao Shu's opinion, this was simply unforgivable! In order to arouse his cousin's will, the tattered nobleman Miao Shu jumped and shouted outside Sima Hong's yard, "Cousin, are you still a man? Are you pregnant? Are you staying at home to take care of the baby?"
Everyone in the mansion was in a state of confusion after hearing this. The "warm-hearted" Miao Shu was also dragged out by the ear by his third aunt Miao and kicked out of the Anxi Marquis' mansion.
May 27th was the day Sima Hong was originally scheduled to leave Beijing. When he woke up early on the morning of May 26th, after three difficult days, the bruises on Sima Hong's face had basically subsided. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw that he was a handsome young man again!
In the morning, Miao dragged him to talk about the daughters of various families. The implication was that her son really didn't like Deng Zhenzhu, Wang Zhenzhu, and Li Zhenzhu. Zhang Zhenzhu was waiting in line. No matter what Sima Hong said, it was useless. Miao was stubborn and refused to listen to anyone's opinions. She refused to let Sima Hong go. She insisted that Sima Hong pick one he liked and get married quickly to leave a descendant. Sima Hong could only sit there and listen to his mother happily enumerating the daughters of various families. Sima Hong's ears were callused from listening to her.
In the afternoon, when Sima Hong was about to go out to have a good talk with his wife, he received an invitation from the third prince. The elegant cursive script filled two pages, but it was condensed into just a few sentences. Knowing that Lord Anxi would leave Beijing tomorrow, he specially booked the entire Shuixie Yunting tonight and invited some friends to see Lord Anxi off.
Shuixie Yunting is a famous restaurant in the capital city. It is famous for its elegance. Although Sima Hong had never been there, he had heard of it.
After receiving the invitation, Sima Hong could not help but become serious. He had heard about the fierce quarrel between the second and third princes from the northwest, but he did not take it seriously. The Tartars destroyed his family and indirectly led to Mingyu's divorce. He only wanted to kill the Tartars to avenge his father and had no interest in the court in the capital. Subconsciously, he felt that it was far away from him. As long as he could drive the Tartars out of Da Chu and bring glory to the Sima family, he would have completed his mission. He never thought of supporting a certain prince and getting promoted and rich after the prince ascended the throne.
But the last time the Second Prince invited him to the painted boat, it reminded him that if his cousin Miao Shu had not been there, he would have no idea what the situation was like and how to act. He also didn't know what the Third Prince's personality was like. He also didn't know how he acted. Many people knew about his visit to the Second Prince last time. Since the Third Prince was fighting with the Second Prince, he must have known about it. Now that he formally invited him and wanted to see him off, it must be an attempt to win him over.
He could not go to the Third Prince in the dark like last time. Moreover, Miao Shu, who could give him advice, might not appear at the Third Prince's banquet. Sima Hong thought about it and immediately took a carriage to the Miao Mansion to meet his grandfather and uncle. The four of them, Miao Shu, talked secretly in the study for the whole afternoon. In the evening, Sima Hong went directly to the Waterside Pavilion.
Sima Hong thought that Shuixie Yunting was a restaurant. When he arrived there, he realized that Shuixie Yunting was actually a unique courtyard house with winding corridors, meandering water, arch bridges and rockery. There was an exquisite palace lantern hanging under the eaves every three steps. When he got closer and took a closer look, he found that the paintings and poems on the lantern and screen were all masterpieces of famous artists.
Seeing this, the first thought in Sima Hong's mind was that if Mingyu were here, she would definitely like it.
The waiter lifted the bamboo curtain of the room and Sima Hong entered. Sitting in the main seat was the third prince in a scarlet brocade robe. Sitting on the left was Sima Hong's old enemy Lu Hao. Sima Hong didn't recognize many of the remaining people, but he did recognize one of them: Fu Lesin, the eldest son of the Fu family, who was also the eldest brother of Sima Lian's fiancé. In fact, the two were related by marriage.
After Sima Hong entered, he first bowed to the Third Prince who was sitting in the main seat. The Third Prince was dressed in scarlet, with handsome features, and looked more like the Queen. The Third Prince quickly stood up, helped Sima Hong up, and said with a smile, "Marquis An, there is no need to be so polite. Today's gathering among friends is also to see you off. There is no need to pay attention to these empty formalities."
The waterside pavilions and cloud pavilions were decorated in a refreshing and elegant style, which was quite different from the Second Prince's decadent pleasure boat. Sima Hong thanked him humbly, looked at the Third Prince calmly, and then moved his gaze to Lu Hao on the side. It seemed that, like him, Lu Hao's "black eyes" had also disappeared, and now Lu Hao looked like a gentle and elegant scholar again.
There is a saying that enemies are particularly jealous of each other when they meet, and it is very appropriate to use this to describe Sima Hong and Lu Hao. Sima Hong believes that there are three kinds of hatred in the world that are most irreconcilable. The first is the pain of destroying a son, which he has no son, so he will not mention it. The second is the revenge for killing his father, and he has to find the Tartars to avenge him. The third is the hatred for having his wife stolen, and Lu Hao is a villain who covets his wife!
Sima Hong only thought about it for a moment, and then smiled at Lu Hao in a friendly manner, "I didn't expect that Lord Lu was here. I haven't seen you for a few days, and I miss you very much." What made him more concerned was that Lu Hao was actually here. Did this mean that he supported the Third Prince? Or was he here because he couldn't refuse the Third Prince's invitation, just like him
In a flash, Sima Hong's thoughts had turned several times. After greeting the guests one by one, he sat down next to Fu Lesin. He and Fu Lesin were relatives by marriage, so it was normal for them to sit together.
The room was very large, divided in the middle by a screen painted with flowers, birds and peonies. The lights were on the other side of the screen, and a few graceful figures were reflected on the screen. Between the interplay of light and shadow, there seemed to be the sound of girls whispering, but it was not clear.
Seeing Sima Hong looking at the screen in confusion, Fu Lesin explained with a smile: "Those are the female relatives who are accompanying us." For example, Fu Lemei, when she heard that he was going to the famous Shuixie Yunting, also clamored to come and broaden her horizons. Later, he heard that some of the visitors also brought their daughters with them. He guessed that they had ulterior motives and wanted to take the opportunity to let the third prince see their daughters, so he brought Fu Lemei with him as well.
Fu Lesin moved his lips, wanting to say something to Sima Hong, but after thinking for a moment, he closed his mouth again.
The Third Prince never mentioned the affairs of the court, but he was quite interested in the military life in the Northwest. He asked about many things about the Northwest Army in detail. When he heard that the Northwest Army often went up the mountain to hunt for game to supplement their rations, he sighed emotionally and said that he must find a way to get enough food for the soldiers. Whether he was sincere or just pretending, Sima Hong was slightly moved. He had been in the capital for so long, and no one had ever asked him whether the Northwest Army had enough to eat.
After Sima Hong arrived, and several officials and young ladies came, the banquet began. As everyone was toasting and in high spirits, a slim woman in light red gauze came into the room holding a pipa. She sat in the middle with a graceful figure, placed the pipa on her crossed legs, and began to play the pipa and sing a song.
The sound of the pipa was clear and passionate, and the singing was gentle and soft, with some sweetness of Wu dialect. However, the most eye-catching thing was not these, but the feet of the pipa girl. Her bare, snow-white and tender feet were exposed under the candlelight, and her ten toes were painted with bright red nail polish. As the music sounded, they were slightly raised. Many men on the field looked at the pair of attractive beautiful feet with fire in their eyes.
Lu Hao laughed, and everyone looked at him for a moment. Lu Hao smiled at the Third Prince and said, "Your Highness, you can see that Marquis An is staring at her intently. I think this woman has caught Marquis An's eye. Why don't you help her and send this woman to Marquis An?"