The originally lively scene immediately became quiet. Even the beautiful pipa player in the hall stopped playing the pipa and glanced at Sima Hong nervously and expectantly.
The Third Prince looked at Lu Hao with a smile, raised the wine bottle, nodded to Sima Hong and said with a smile: "Marquis An has always been picky, it is rare for a woman to catch Marquis An's eye. I heard that there is no considerate person around Marquis An. Since Marquis An likes her, then this woman will be given to him."
Sima Hong also smiled and looked at Lu Hao with contempt. Did Lu Hao think that just giving him a woman would make him give up Mingyu? How could this woman be comparable to Mingyu's finger
Everyone in the hall looked nonchalant on the surface, but in fact, they all stared at Sima Hong with wide eyes, afraid of missing his reaction, and the women on the other side of the screen also quieted down at this time.
Sima Hong raised the wine bottle on the table, held the cup with both hands and smiled at the Third Prince, saying: "Your Highness is kind, Hong respectfully obeys your command, and toasts Your Highness a glass to express his gratitude."
The Third Prince laughed, seeming to be very happy, and he and Sima Hong raised their glasses in the air from a distance, both raised their heads and drank the wine in the glass, then ordered someone to take the woman away and send her to the Anhou Mansion.
There is probably nothing that can bring men closer together than wine and women. After this incident, the atmosphere on the scene was obviously much more harmonious than when Sima Hong first came in. Amidst the clinking of glasses, several graceful dancers came in and danced to liven up the atmosphere.
Sima Hong always felt uneasy. Lu Hao looked at him with a smile that made him feel uneasy. However, he could not figure it out no matter how hard he tried. There were too many people he did not recognize, and the Third Prince was also there. He could only pretend to be indifferent and listen to them talking about the court. When they talked about irrelevant gossip about the capital, he would interject a few words. But because he was in a state of confusion, he could not remember a single word of what he had said.
After three rounds of drinking, Sima Hong used the excuse of going to the bathroom and stood outside in the dark corridor for a long time. The room was surrounded by flowers and plants, and the refreshing night breeze blew in. The air was full of the fragrance of flowers and plants. Sima Hong took a few deep breaths and was about to go back when he saw the bamboo curtain of the side door of the room was lifted from the inside, and seven or eight girls came out one after another. The shadow of the hairpins and the tinkling of the rings and pendants brought a gust of fragrant wind.
Judging from the way they are dressed, I think they are the wives of the officials behind the screen. It’s getting late, so they have to go home first.
Out of consideration for avoiding suspicion, Sima Hong took two steps back into the darkness until the last girl came out. Under the illumination of the palace lanterns in the corridor, the girl had a slender figure, a light apricot-colored thin shirt, a white high-waisted skirt, a slender waist that was less than a hand's width, and a few strands of hair on her temples were blown by the night breeze. Her hair fluttered playfully on her face, her black hair, her skin as white as cream, and her face had a heart-moving softness in the light. Her beautiful big eyes seemed to be intoxicated with shining stars. At the age of fifteen, she was at the most beautiful age for a girl to be like a flower.
"Ming Yu?!" Sima Hong cried out in surprise and joy, and took two steps forward.
Mingyu turned around and saw Sima Hong walking towards her. There was no expression on his delicate face. He just hid behind Fu Lemei and gave him a cold and distant salute. Without saying a word, he and Fu Lemei left together.
For a moment, Sima Hong's throat seemed to be blocked, and he could not speak. He watched the beautiful figure disappear into the night. Sima Hong suddenly understood Lu Hao's malicious smile. Lu Hao must have known that Mingyu was here, but there was a hazy screen between them. He did it on purpose!
But even if he knew Mingyu was here, what could he do? Sima Hong raised a bitter smile. The Third Prince wanted to give him a woman, could he refuse? His mother and sister were both in the capital, and he was just a fourth-rank general with an empty title of Marquis. The night was falling and the stars were shining, but he felt depressed. In just a few days in the capital, he felt that he had aged a few years.
The main purpose of the banquet was to see Sima Hong off, so it was not appropriate to hold it too late. When Sima Hong got home, he saw his mother Miao sitting in the hall, and the woman sent by the Third Prince kneeling in the yard. It was almost midnight, and it was very cold. The woman was still dressed in a cool outfit, kneeling on the bluestone slabs, her face was pale from the cold. When she saw Sima Hong, her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, and she called out aggrievedly: "My Lord..."
Sima Hong sighed, called Bai Hao over, gave him a few instructions, and Bai Hao took her downstairs.
Miao's face was a little worried, "That woman said that she was given to you by the Third Prince, but is that true?"
"That's right." Sima Hong hesitated for a moment, and said hesitantly: "Don't be angry, mother. Your son was also plotted against." He knew that Miao hated women with unclean backgrounds and seductive looks the most.
Miao sighed, patted her son's shoulder and said, "If we can bring Tianshui under control sooner, we can go back home. In this capital, all day long either I'm scheming against you or you're setting traps for me, which makes people feel uneasy." After saying that, Miao shook her head and sighed again. Baoger was a kind-hearted man without so many cunning schemes, and she was afraid that her son would suffer.
Sima Hong smiled and comforted Miao, saying, "Don't worry, mother. She's just a girl. She can't cause any trouble." He paused and said, "Let Baihao send her to my cousin tomorrow morning." He didn't keep the second prince's woman, and he wouldn't want the third prince's woman either. Since he didn't plan to take sides, he took the opportunity to express his attitude.
On the way back in the carriage, Fu Lemei glanced at Mingyu and said with a smile, "Are you angry?"
Mingyu was just thinking about something when she was suddenly interrupted by Fu Lemei. She came back to her senses and smiled, "Why would I be angry?"
Fu Lemei shook her head and said, "Don't be angry. I can see that such situations are unavoidable. Some people also sent women to my father and brother, and after taking them home, they were handed over to my mother and sister-in-law to deal with. No one would take them seriously." Such women are just like playthings. Men can play with them when they are happy, and throw them into a corner to live with the servants when they are unhappy, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Mingyu pulled up the corners of her mouth and smiled, then suddenly raised her head and said sincerely to Fu Lemei: "Thank you." She thought that she had not really integrated into this society after all, and had not yet considered herself a member of this place. She always habitually thought with modern people's thinking, which was childish and ridiculous.
Fu Lemei also smiled and whispered into Mingyu's ear, "I heard that the Second Prince also invited Lord Anxi to a banquet a few days ago, saying that it was to welcome him and gave him a dancer."
Mingyu couldn't tell what she felt, so she asked, "How do you know?"
"In a few months, my second brother will marry Miss Sima, and the two families will become in-laws. Naturally, my father and brother will pay more attention to him." Fu Lemei said. Relatives are of the same blood, and they share the same fate.
Mingyu had also heard about the fierce fight between the two adult princes, but she thought it was a bit too hasty. The emperor was now in his prime, and if nothing unexpected happened, he could live another 10 to 20 years. Which emperor would like to see his son eager to grab the throne from under him while he was still capable
Before Mingyu went to sleep at night, she was a little absent-minded thinking about the fool who would jump onto the stage with a red face and shout, "Mingyu, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you", the fool who tried his best to please her... Those pure and touching feelings were getting farther and farther away from her. He had his sunny road, with the stars surrounding him in the spotlight, climbing higher and higher, while she was quietly admiring herself in the cold, but they were just walking on different sides of the road.
The next morning, Mingyu just got up, picked up the cage containing the starling and hung it under the eaves, and uncovered the black cloth covering the cage. After waking up from a night's sleep, the starling stretched out its wings and habitually opened its mouth to call out, "Mingyu likes..."
Halfway, Mingyu's eyes reached into the cage quickly, and he played a finger of Bai Geer. By the way, he took Xiaomi in the cage. The natal head of the Belle was stunned. Poorly blinked the mung beans and looked at Mingyu, meaning that she dared to put her mouth and put the small bowl of Xiaomi back into the cage.
Just like someone else, he deserves a beating! Mingyu thought viciously.
"Hey, the starling is not dead!" A surprised cry came from the courtyard wall of Mingyu's house, and Mingyu was so scared that his hands trembled.
Turning back, he saw Sima Hong lying on the wall, looking at the myna in the cage with surprise. After seeing Mingyu, Sima Hong angrily accused, "You lied! The myna is alive and well!" This girl has always been bad and is a liar! However, he couldn't help but smile triumphantly. Mingyu took such good care of the myna he gave her. Does it mean that she likes his... gift
Mingyu was shocked and angry. She looked around and saw that some of the family members had gone out, and some were working in the house. There was no one in the yard so early in the morning. So she walked over quickly and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
Sima Hong said confidently, "This is my house, why can't I be here?" This is his wall, he can climb it however he likes.
"You..." Mingyu didn't expect that he actually bought Cheyuan next door, and she was at a loss for words for a moment.
Looking at Mingyu's flushed face, Sima Hong's heart slowly softened. Thinking that he was about to leave, he squeezed out a few words after a long while and said, "That night, in the palace... it was me... that, I was wrong, I shouldn't have hit anyone."
It was rare for this proud and overbearing fool to apologize, and Mingyu was stunned for a moment.
"But you can't blame me entirely. Stay away from Lu Hao in the future. That bastard has bad intentions!" Sima Hong immediately warned with a worried look on his face.
Mingyu's mouth twitched for a long while, and he took a deep breath. How dare this guy say that others have bad intentions