Cheng Zhiye thought to himself, not only did you not make things difficult for him, you even rushed to help him. If a brother treats you like this, then as his sister, I would be at a great loss!
"Do you still have Hu Qianshan's ancient sword? Otherwise, you should just follow the old Duke's path. People with preferences have weaknesses and are easier to impress." Cheng Zhiye said, "Anyway, the emperor wants you to make friends with the Duke, not his little brat..."
"Hmm!" Zhao Jingyu cleared his throat heavily.
Cheng Zhiye suddenly realized that he had let the cat out of the bag, so he quickly kept silent and asked Wei Jun to go out and see if there was anyone passing by outside.
If someone heard it, it would be very bad.
Wei Jun went out and took a look around, checking the two neighboring rooms and making sure that no one was eavesdropping. Only then did Cheng Zhiye feel relieved. Even so, he still broke out in a cold sweat.
The matter was not done, and both of them were a little frustrated. Faced with a table full of delicious food, they could not muster any appetite. After paying the bill, they left the restaurant in a huff.
After they left, the back window of the next room opened and a man jumped in. The man dusted himself off, opened the door and left quietly.
Song Jingxing has been in a depressed mood in recent days. Nothing seems to go his way and nothing tastes good. After dealing with state affairs, he goes back to his bedroom and lies down, not allowing anyone to approach him, even the most favored Concubine An.
Except for the strategist Feng Shao.
"I'm really tired of this kind of life where I'm restricted everywhere. Although I'm a prince with unlimited glory, I'm not as free as the common people. How long will my mother control me?" He leaned on the couch and complained angrily to Feng Shao.
"The Queen loves her son dearly and is afraid that Your Highness will go astray." Feng Shao comforted him, "Your Highness should understand the Queen's painstaking efforts. Everything the Queen does is for Your Highness's good."
"Get out if you say that again!" Song Jingxing said angrily, "For my own good, for my own good, these three words are what I hate most in my life. Does doing this for my own good mean that she has to kill all my freedom? She is clearly trying to control me under the pretext of doing this for my own good. It was like this in the past, it is like this now, and she will still be like this when I am in power in the future. What kind of emperor am I? Let her sit on the throne!"
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words!" Feng Shao was frightened, and hurriedly lifted his clothes and knelt down to advise, "Your Highness, you must know that walls have ears, and you must not say such childish words again. The one in Jinghe Palace has been found to be pregnant, and the queen has been upset recently. If your words get to the queen, you and your son will be in a bad mood again."
Song Jingxing also realized that he had gone too far. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said gloomily, "So, don't you think that your mother is too worried? As soon as the girl got pregnant, she couldn't sit still. Over the years..."
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words!" Feng Shao hurriedly stopped him again.
"Are you annoying? Do I have to talk like a thief in my own territory?" Song Jingxing's anger, which he had just suppressed, rose again. "I just don't understand why she is so nervous every day. I am the eldest son and the legitimate son. Even if there are ten or eight princes in this palace, none of them can challenge my position. Isn't she just worrying about nothing
My father has several brothers. Although they are not around, they are still blood relatives. If there is any emergency, the brothers will come to help. But I don’t have any brothers. If this continues, I will really become a lonely person. "
Feng Shao: “…”
Well, His Highness has been harboring resentment for a long time, and the more he tries to persuade him, the more angry he becomes. So he simply stops trying to persuade him and just kneels there with his ears pricked up, waiting for His Highness to vent his resentment and then he will wake up.
The Empress tried her best to clear all obstacles for him, but he envied the Emperor's brothers, not knowing how much effort the Emperor had spent to suppress those brothers.
The brothers in the royal family are flesh and blood relatives when they are on good terms, but when they turn against each other, they become enemies who fight each other.
Song Jingxing talked for a long time, and when Feng Shao didn't respond, he grabbed the teacup and threw it at him: "Are you dumb? Even a dog needs to bark twice!"
“…” Feng Shao didn’t dare to hide and was splashed with water. Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.
Two short beeps and two long beeps are the secret code of the East Palace Shadow Guard.
Feng Shao hurriedly got up and went to open the door, and Song Jingxing also sat up straight.
A man in black followed Feng Shao into the house and knelt on one knee to greet Song Jingxing.
"Get up and speak your mind." Song Jingxing said.
The visitor then repeated the conversation between Zhao Jingyu and Cheng Zhiye in the restaurant.
"What did you say? Zhao Jingyu met the emperor privately, and the emperor asked him to make friends with the Duke of Zhenguo?"
"From what Young Master Cheng said, this should be the case," the shadow guard replied.
Song Jingxing stared at Feng Shao blankly with his eyes wide open, his mind in a mess: "What does father mean? And that Hu Qianshan, father asked him to be my teacher but he refused, how could Zhao Jingyu befriend him?"
Feng Shao rolled his eyes, hesitating to speak, and suggested: "In my opinion, Your Highness should go see the Queen."
The Queen is so sensitive, she should be able to sense something.
Song Jingxing was still angry with his mother the moment before, but now he completely forgot about it. He dressed neatly and hurried to Kunning Palace.
The next day, the weather was fine and Xie Nanjia had nothing to do, so he took Liuyun and Biluo to visit the garden.
There is actually not much scenery in the garden in winter, but the sunshine is bright and warm, which is very comfortable.
After walking around for a while, Xie Nanjia felt tired, so he found a pavilion to sit down and rest.
There was a chessboard on the stone table in the pavilion. It looked like the game was half-finished, but no one knew where the player had gone.
Xie Nanjia became interested and asked Liuyun and Biluo if they knew how to play chess. They both said no, so she started playing by herself.
Holding the black piece in the left hand and the white piece in the right hand, after two cups of tea, the white piece won.
Liuyun and Biluo could not understand what was going on, and were dozing off beside them. They were leaning against the railing and taking a nap when suddenly someone shouted "Aiya!", which scared them so much that they woke up. When they looked closely, they saw that it was the old Duke who was jumping around the chessboard.
"How dare you mess with my chess pieces? I worked so hard to get the endgame, and I haven't studied it carefully yet!"
In addition to collecting, the old Fairie’s favorite thing to do is to study chess games. He just got a set of chess records yesterday, and today he took advantage of the good weather to set them out for study. He went to meet a guest in the middle of the game, but he didn’t expect that when he came back, Xie Nanjia had finished playing with him.
He was only concerned with sighing "Oh my god" and didn't pay attention to the changes in the chessboard. Xie Nanjia smiled and called him: "Grandpa, I didn't mess it up. I've already won. If you want to study it, I'll put it back for you."
The old Duke was stunned, stopped jumping up and down, and looked at the chessboard with wide eyes.
"Yeah, you've finished playing. Who did you play with? Who did you win?"
"My right hand beats my left hand." Xie Nanjia stretched out her hands and waved them in front of him, smiling innocently.
Old Duke: “…”
This is a game of endgame, how come she finished it as if she was joking, and her right hand beat her left hand, how is this possible
My God, this granddaughter is a genius!
"Ah, Xiu'er, tell grandpa, how long have you been learning chess? Who taught you?"
"I didn't learn it for long. The second young master taught me when I was in the Marquis' Mansion." Xie Nanjia said.
Old Duke: “…”
The guest he had just met was the second young master Zhao. Unfortunately, he was still upset about the boy cutting his beard, so he sent the man away with a few words.
He was able to teach a girl like this in just half a year. What kind of genius must that boy be
"Hiss!" The old duke stroked his beard and turned to ask the servant beside him, "Why did that kid come to see me just now?"
He had a really bad impression of the guy, so he sent him away without even asking his purpose.
"My Lord, Mr. Zhao seems to want you to help identify an ancient sword..." the servant said, but was interrupted by the old Duke before he finished speaking, "Ancient sword, he has an ancient sword? Why didn't he tell me earlier? Oh, you little fool, why didn't you remind me?"
Page: “…”
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and chase the person back!" the old duke glared.
"Ah... yes!" The servant boy responded in a daze and hurried after the Second Master Zhao.
Xie Nanjia and Liusu Biluo looked at each other in surprise. This was such a coincidence, just as they mentioned the Second Young Master, he really came.
Xie Nanjia saw that the old duke was a chess fanatic, and originally wanted to help Zhao Jingyu leave a good impression with the old duke so that he would have a better chance of winning when he came to propose marriage. However, she never expected that Zhao Jingyu had already come and was driven away by the old duke, and now he had to be invited back because of her words.
It was a blessing in disguise.
All in all, she hadn't seen Zhao Jingyu for more than ten days. She didn't think anything of it usually, but now that she knew he was coming, she couldn't wait to see him.
Just as I was looking forward to it, I heard the old Duke say, "It's not good for a girl to meet a stranger. You should stay away for now!"
Xie Nanjia: “…”
How could I avoid him after finally meeting him? Xie Nanjia refused to give in and coaxed the old Duke, "Grandpa, the Second Young Master is not someone else. I see him every day in the Marquis' Mansion. He is also my chess teacher. How can you play chess with him without someone watching?"
The old Duke thought about it and it made sense. After all, the two of them used to see each other every day, so it shouldn't matter if they met once. So he nodded and said, "If you don't want to avoid him, then don't avoid him. It's a good opportunity for you to see how I defeat him."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
What a confident old man!
As he was speaking, a bright red light flashed in the distance, and a servant brought Zhao Jingyu over.
Xie Nanjia watched him approaching with big strides, his clothes fluttering, and couldn't help but feel her heart pounding.
Liusu and Biluo also showed happy expressions, just like girls who had married far away and met their family.
On the way here, Zhao Jingyu had already found out from the servant boy the reason why the old duke asked him to come back. Knowing that Xie Nanjia was also there, he wished he could grow wings and fly over.
When he arrived in front of the pavilion, he stopped, exchanged glances with Xie Nanjia calmly, and then bowed and greeted the old Duke.
The old Duke waved his hand to let him off the hook and asked impatiently, "Where's the sword? Bring it here so I can see it."
Zhao Jingyu's eyes flickered, and he bowed and said, "I didn't bring my sword with me today, so I came to ask you if you have time. I will show it to you when you are free."
"Oh, is that so?" The old Duke couldn't help but be disappointed, "So I won't be able to see it today?"
"It doesn't matter if you can't see me!" Xie Nanjia stepped forward and said, "Grandpa will practice chess with the Second Young Master today, and we can arrange a time for him to come back later."
"That's good." The old Duke nodded and said, "Let me teach you how to play chess today!"
Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia looked at each other again, and they understood each other tacitly.
Now that I know the old Duke's hobbies, why should I worry about not having the opportunity to enter the Duke's Mansion in the future
"Sit down and play chess. Why are you looking at my granddaughter?" The old duke knocked on the chessboard.
Zhao Jingyu was startled and hurriedly sat down opposite him, explaining with a smile: "Xiu'er used to dress like a maid in the Marquis' Mansion. Now that she has changed her clothes, I can hardly recognize her."
"Even prettier now, isn't she?" The old Duke was very proud of his granddaughter's appearance. "I dare say there is no prettier girl in the whole capital than my Xiu'er."
"That's true." Zhao Jingyu agreed. While playing chess, he probed, "With such a beautiful granddaughter, would the Duke be reluctant to let her marry?"
"That's right!" The old Duke sighed, "Since she came back, I've been thinking about it. I've gone through all the famous young men in the capital, and none of them is worthy of my Xiu'er."
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
How can there not be one? What about me? Don’t I deserve it
In a hurry, he made a wrong move. The old Duke looked at him suspiciously and said, "How come your level is not as good as Xiu'er's? Are you really her master?"
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
She is my master, okay!
Xie Nanjia almost laughed out loud, and quickly turned around and covered her mouth.
At this time, five or six young men in brocade clothes appeared in the distance, surrounding a girl like stars surrounding the moon, and walked towards this side talking and laughing.
They are Princess Jinping and several young masters of the Duke's Mansion.
"Hey, look, who is grandpa playing chess with?" one of the boys pointed and said.
Everyone looked in the direction of his hand.
"I can't tell who is playing chess. The one next to her should be the second sister." said another boy.
"Oh, my second sister is here too. Let's go and take a look."
As they talked, several people walked towards the pavilion happily.
"Brother, didn't you agree to accompany me to see the plum blossoms?" Princess Jinping pouted, unhappy that her limelight was stolen by Xie Nanjia.
At first, her brothers solemnly assured her that they would ignore their adopted daughter and not take her out to play when she came into the house. However, after she arrived, they rebelled after just one meeting and rushed to her to show their courtesy.
As for the reasons for their rebellion, some said it was strange that she was alone, some said it was unmanly to isolate a girl, some said they were afraid of being punished by the adults if they ignored her, and some said they were simply curious about what kind of person she was. In fact, it all came down to it because they thought she was beautiful. If she was ugly, they would probably try their best to find excuses to stay away from her.
"Big sister, let's go and greet grandfather first before going to see the plum blossoms, otherwise grandfather will say we are impolite." Su Jinchuan, the second son of the third room, said with a smile.
"Yes, yes. Grandfather will scold you if you don't go to pay your respects." Several others echoed.
Princess Jinping rolled her eyes, knowing that her brothers were just coaxing her, but she was always very popular in front of her grandfather, so it would be unreasonable for her not to go, so she had to go with them.
The brothers and sisters came to the pavilion and saluted the old Duke in unison.
The old king was so absorbed in playing chess that he was startled by them. He frowned and said angrily, "You little bastards, are you itching for trouble? Hey, Jinping is here too. Are you cold? Come in and warm yourself up. Here, I'll give you my grandfather's hand warmer."
"Thank you, grandfather!" Princess Jinping bowed obediently and entered the pavilion.
Little bastards: “…”
Isn't it too obvious that grandpa is biased
At this time, Zhao Jingyu turned his head to look at them. When their eyes met, the brothers were all stunned.
"Zhao Jingyu, why is it you?"
"Zhao Jingyu, what are you doing in our house?"
"You were rejected by us yesterday, but you came to our door again today. What are you up to?"
"That's right. We were just about to settle the score with you, but you came to us on your own accord. Are you itching for trouble?"
Zhao Jingyu gradually lost control of his temper after hearing one question after another. He narrowed his eyes and stood up by supporting himself on the table.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, he remembered Cheng Zhiye's earnest warning: Don't mess with your brother-in-law, and don't get angry with him no matter how upset you are.
"…" Thinking of this, he forced himself to smile, clasped his fists and bowed, "Brothers, I held a banquet yesterday to invite you all, just to ask you to ask the old Duke if he had time to help me identify a treasure, but none of you were willing to do so, so I had to come by myself. Fortunately, the old Duke was generous and did not care about my mistakes when I was young. He not only received me, but also invited me to play a game of chess. Such a broad mind and demeanor is really a role model for the younger generation like me."
His polite words and actions left his brothers stunned.
Is this Zhao Jingyu
Is this really the domineering and arrogant Zhao Jingyu
When has he ever been so servile? Isn't he too pretentious
There must be something wrong when things are abnormal. This guy must be up to something bad.
Also, what did he mean when he said that the old Duke’s broad-mindedness is a role model for the younger generation to learn from? Was he implying that they are petty and calculative
Hey, how can this person be so hateful!
The old Duke had no idea of his grandsons' inner thoughts. He just felt that Zhao Jingyu was a pretty good kid. He was much more polite than when he was a child, and not at all as naughty as the rumors said. The most important thing was that he was good at playing chess and looked good. He was truly a handsome and elegant man.
"What's wrong with you little bastards? Everyone here is a guest. You are so aggressive. Is this the way to treat guests? Have you forgotten what your grandfather taught you? If you want to watch the game, be quiet. If you don't want to watch, get out of here and don't get in the way."
Little bastards: “…”
Is the grandfather crazy? It’s okay that he is partial to his granddaughter, but why does he even protect the person he hates the most
"elder brother!"
A few people were sulking when they suddenly heard Xie Nanjia call out in a tender voice.
"Hey!" The brothers immediately became energetic and responded in unison, regardless of which brother the sister was calling.
Xie Nanjia smiled sweetly: "Brothers, where are you from and where are you going?"
"My eldest sister wants to go to the Plum Garden and insisted on taking you with her, so we came to find you." Su Jinpeng, the eldest son of the fourth room, said hurriedly.
"Yes, yes, yes." The others echoed.
Princess Jinping was almost mad with anger. Why did I have to call her? I don't even have time to bother her!
Xie Nanjia didn't want them to disturb Zhao Jingyu and the old Duke playing chess, so she didn't want to go with them to watch the plum blossoms. She smiled and said, "Grandpa asked me to watch the game here, so I won't go today. You guys should go quickly!"
"Ah?" Su Jinpeng was quite disappointed. After thinking for a while, he said, "Actually, it's not good to look at plum blossoms too much. Why don't we watch chess here?"
"Yes, yes, watching chess is more interesting." The others echoed in unison.
Princess Jinping was so angry that her face turned green.
Xie Nanjia, however, had a headache. This group of brothers were so enthusiastic. It was as if they had not been brothers for eight hundred years. They would find all kinds of excuses to visit her several times a day. Fortunately, the older brothers all had their own things to do, otherwise the threshold of Tianxiangju would really be trampled down.
It would have been fine if they went alone, but they always took Princess Jinping with them. However, Princess Jinping obviously did not have such a simple mind as them. Every time they went, she had a fake smile on her face. On one hand, she said affectionate words, but on the other hand, she was jealous that she had snatched her brother's favor.
In fact, Xie Nanjia really didn't intend to compete for favor with Princess Jinping. It was her brothers who insisted on favoring her, and she was helpless.
Just like now, if she doesn't go to the Plum Garden, her brothers won't go there either, and will just quietly accompany her to watch chess. It would be hard for her to chase them away, right
"Xiu'er, are you cold? Brother Qi will give you the cloak." Su Jinchuan asked.
Zhao Jingyu was playing chess. He looked up when he heard the voice and his eyes swept over like a knife.
Xie Nanjia waved her hands and said, "Thank you, Seventh Brother. I'm not cold. I'm wearing quite warm clothes."
"Oh." Su Jinchuan didn't insist, and continued, "We are planning to go out and play tomorrow, do you want to come with us?"
Zhao Jingyu's gaze turned towards him again.
"I can't go." Xie Nanjia said, "My sister and I have to accompany mother to the general's mansion tomorrow."
Zhao Jingyu's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously felt that Xie Nanjia said this deliberately for him to hear.
There are too many people in the Duke's Mansion, with so many eyes watching him eagerly. Even if he sneaks in, he won't be able to find a chance to talk to her. How about going to the General's Mansion tomorrow to meet her by chance
"What are you thinking about? It's your turn." The old Duke started tapping the chessboard again.
Zhao Jingyu quickly withdrew his gaze and continued playing chess.
Among the brothers, Su Jinwen, the ninth brother who was the most meticulous, keenly noticed his abnormality and stepped forward calmly to stand in front of Xie Nanjia.
Now, Zhao Jingyu couldn't even talk to Xie Nanjia, let alone look at her.
If you are not calm, you will certainly lose the game of chess. Therefore, this game did not take too long and ended with the old Duke's great victory.
While Lao Guogong was relieved, he once again questioned Xie Nanjia: "This kid is good at chess, but can he really teach you?"
Xie Nanjia lied calmly, "How could my granddaughter lie to Grandpa? This is the first time that the Second Young Master has played chess with you. I'm sorry that he won against you. Next time when I have time, I'll ask him to play another game and try."
"Really?" The old Duke looked at Zhao Jingyu doubtfully, "Don't let me next time, do you hear me?"
"Yes, I will try my best next time." Zhao Jingyu bowed and replied. Seeing that it was almost noon, if he didn't leave now it would seem like he was trying to get a free meal, so he said goodbye reluctantly.
He felt that this trip was worthwhile after hearing the news that Xie Nanjia would go to the general's mansion tomorrow.
What reason should he come up with to go to the general's mansion tomorrow
He touched his face and felt that his skin had become thicker. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh, "Xiu'er, Xiu'er, for you, is it easy for me?"
The carriage swayed onto the street. There was the sound of firecrackers popping on the street. It should be some family getting married again.
Alas! Zhao Jingyu sighed again. It was the end of the year and people were getting married everywhere. He had already paid seven or eight gifts. Why was it so easy for others to get married, but it was like a war for him. When would he be able to earn back the money he paid
(End of this chapter)