In the end, Duan Changchuan still couldn't figure out why he had this dream even in the Imperial Hospital.
However, if Fang Moyan went to look for Senior Huang, there would be no need to worry too much. Senior Huang was knowledgeable and would surely help them solve their doubts.
The eighth day of April is the height of spring.
Flowers and plants are in full bloom, and green willows have formed shade.
The princes and nobles of the capital organized a grand flower-viewing party at the Prime Minister's residence. The royal family, the ministers who were well-known in the capital, and the generals in the army were all invited.
Of course, such large gatherings of ministers were not allowed, and all participants had to be unmarried young men and women.
It is a way for the young masters and young ladies in the upper circle to accumulate connections.
Duan Changchuan looked at the invitation list for the flower viewing party in front of him... Lin Qing, the top scorer in the Jinke exam, Shu Ze, the second place, Guang Sui, as well as Bai Jinzhi, the real daughter of the Bai family, and Duan Xuyuan, the eldest son of the regent family.
As for the rest of the men and women, their fathers were either loyal to the Regent or were disciples promoted by Prime Minister Bai.
That is to say, except for Lin Qing and Shu Ze, the rest of the people at the flower viewing party were all members of the Bai Xiang Regent Party. The purpose of this banquet was clear at a glance.
"Bai Xiang's flower viewing party? It's quite lively this year." Bai Su also glanced at the list and said lightly, "There weren't so many people in previous years."
Duan Changchuan remembered when he heard her speak: Bai Su came from the Prime Minister's Mansion, so she was naturally just a concubine's daughter, but she knew more than those outsiders.
"Have you ever participated in the flower viewing parties in previous years?"
He tilted his head and asked.
"Me?" Bai Su pointed at herself and chuckled. "I'm not very popular in the Prime Minister's Mansion. How could they invite me to such a gathering? Not only could they not invite me, they also had to send someone to watch over me in the courtyard, fearing that I, who looked poor and didn't know the rules, would bring shame to their Prime Minister's Mansion if I went out."
Duan Changchuan silently withdrew his gaze.
He remembered that when they first met, he seemed to have said something like "she didn't understand the royal etiquette," and he often felt that her behavior was vulgar and she didn't know the limits.
Today, the two have been married for more than two months, and this woman, whom he initially thought had "vulgar behavior," has come to his rescue and spoken for him time and time again.
When he was sick and weak, she took care of him in every detail.
But he seemed to have always owed her the apology she deserved.
At least, it shouldn't have been like that in the first place, and it's reasonable to blame her.
Thinking of this...
The young man, who was sitting upright at the table, turned sideways and looked at her.
The dark eyes reflected the woman’s bright red dress.
"I... didn't mean to say that about you at the beginning."
He spoke carefully.
It was not her fault that she did not know the rules or etiquette...but in the end she had to bear so much blame.
The instigator of all this was still happily holding a flower-viewing party outside the palace.
That's too much.
They and he were both too extreme.
Just as I was blaming myself, my hand was suddenly held...
Looking down, he saw that pair of slender and beautiful hands gently stroking the agarwood beads on his wrist.
"It's okay, it's not your fault."
She said... with a slight smile in her soft voice.
The boy lowered his eyes to look at her fingertips and let her hold his wrist.
The voice was soft and he said, "But I still feel very sorry. When my father was alive, he told me that what I saw with my own eyes is not necessarily true. I should look at everything behind it. I should think about the root cause, process, and result. I should look far and wide to see it clearly... I didn't do it."
When the late emperor was alive, Duan Changchuan was only 6 years old.
If it were put in modern times, many children would still cry and clamor for their mothers because they wanted to go to kindergarten.
But the little Crown Prince, who is the heir to the throne, has already begun to learn the strategies of governing the country under the influence of his father.
The more powerful the king is, the more important he must bear.
Over the past eighteen years, the young man has fully demonstrated these eight words.
Bai Su couldn't help but lower her head and kiss the tips of his fingers.
"Your Majesty has done a great job. In my heart, whether it's the Regent or the Prime Minister, none of their minds, talents, or virtues can surpass your Majesty."
The young man held a high position and heard hundreds, if not a thousand, of compliments every day. But when he suddenly heard words like this, he couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
"I... don't have any."
"I have never fought them... I am not as good as you say."
The boy stammered...
Bai Su smiled, and gently placed her palm on the bun on his head: "Your Majesty is the best in my heart."
…
Duan Changchuan felt embarrassed by the compliment and was silent for a long time before he realized that his wrist was still being held.
He quickly retracted his hand, coughed out of habit, and asked, "Do you want to go to the flower viewing party at the Xiangfu? Yun Xie and Aunt Feng Xian have already asked Bai Xiang for the invitation. If we disguise ourselves, we can pretend to be their disciples and sneak in together."
After saying this, afraid that Bai Su would think too much, he hurriedly explained: "It's a party at the Xiangfu for fun. I can't attend it as the emperor. It would seem... a bit cheap. So, for the time being, I can't let you go back to the Xiangfu as the queen... Without me by your side, if you go back alone as the queen, the Xiangfu will probably make things difficult for you."
"You... just wait a little longer. When I take back this kingdom, I will definitely let you return in glory."
After a few words, there was no reply from the woman.
When he looked up, he found that the other person was staring at him without blinking.
Eyes burning...
His eyes were smiling.
"Is it agreed?"
When a woman speaks, it is extremely indulgent.
"Ah... well, I'm done."
He responded.
The next moment, the fragrance of peony, mixed with a hint of rouge, fell into the nostrils.
The lower jaw was slightly raised, and there was a softness and tenderness at the corner of the lips.
"Understood. Your Majesty, please remember to come to the secret passage to pick me up on the eighth day of this month."
She said.
The boy licked the corner of his lips unconsciously with the tip of his tongue, and then he realized... this action was too ambiguous.
Then she quickly pursed her lips with her ears red.
After a while, he found his voice and said, "Hao... OK."
-
April 8, 5 p.m.
Duan Changchuan and Bai Su, dressed in white robes and disguised themselves into ordinary faces, followed Feng Yan and Yun Xie into the Prime Minister's Mansion together.
In the mansion, the young masters of each family were dressed beautifully and elegantly.
They were the only ones who looked out of place, dressed in plain clothes from head to toe.
Strictly speaking, it was the three of them...
Because, the elegant young man walking in front, holding a folding fan, was wearing the same white clothes, but he added a gold-studded belt very carefully, and his collar was also decorated with several delicate golden flowers. If he was gorgeous, he was dressed in white; if he was low-key, this dress, coupled with his handsome face, really made him stand out from the crowd.
Moreover, almost all the people in this courtyard are prime ministers, regents and the like, and they...
Who doesn’t know that the Imperial Observatory has always been on the emperor’s side
So, from the moment they entered the door, they attracted attention from all sides.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the four of them.
The Prime Minister's wife had known that they would come and had been meeting them all the way.
"Greetings, Madam. The last time we met was at the flower viewing party. A year has passed in a flash, and this party seems to be much more lively. The Prime Minister's Mansion is in its heyday."
Yun Xie took the folding fan back into his hand and gave her a slight greeting.
Feng Yu nodded slightly and said in a cold voice: "Madam Xiang, long time no see."
"You two are honored guests, please come in. I have asked the mansion to prepare tea and snacks today, so let's enjoy the flowers and drink tea together. Jinzhi has recently raised a few rabbits in the Huaiyin Pavilion in the east, you can also come and join in the fun."
Bai Jinzhi is the real daughter of the prime minister.
According to rumors, she was extremely talented at a young age and was a famous talented woman in Shengjing.
Duan Changchuan followed the direction of her finger and saw a group of girls in the small pavilion over there, and at the outermost position... a tall woman, dressed in lake blue brocade, stood under a huge locust tree, her clothes fluttering in the wind, her noble temperament was evident.
As he was talking, he heard the announcement from outside: "The top scholar, Mr. Lin, has arrived! The second place scholar, Mr. Langshu, has arrived! The third place scholar, Mr. Guangda, has arrived!"
When the person who was to be won over came over, the prime minister's wife quickly said "excuse me" and then hurried over to meet him.
As soon as Madam Xiang left, Yun Xie immediately dropped his serious demeanor and rolled his eyes at the woman's back: "Tsk tsk tsk, as soon as they heard that the number one scholar was coming, they immediately went to greet him. Didn't that old fox Bai Xiang tell his wife what they did in the first place? Even after all this, he still wants to win over Lin Qing? Lin Qing gave them face by not making an enemy of them. Otherwise, to be good at dancing with long sleeves, you have to be shameless."
To others, what he said really made no sense.
But the four people present knew everything clearly in their hearts.
"Yun'er, be careful with your words."
Feng Yan scolded in a low voice.
He glanced at the three people who had just entered the room and said, "Let's wait and see. If Lin Qing is a man of character, he will definitely not be lured."
As they talked, they found a secluded place to sit down.
But I didn't expect that the tree wanted to be still but the wind would not stop...
They originally wanted to drink tea and eat snacks quietly, and at the same time stop Lin Qing from getting close to the Xiangfu. Unexpectedly, not long after they sat down, a group of people came from afar.
Another look...
Wow, the top scholar and his classmate who ranked second were actually coming straight towards this side.
"May I ask the adults if there is any vacant seat for the students to sit down?"
The scholar bowed nearly ninety degrees to the few people, politely and gracefully.
However, the prime minister's wife standing behind them had a very gloomy expression on her face.
Duan Changchuan's body stiffened, and he subconsciously wanted to put on the demeanor of an emperor.
After all, it is well known that:
The male's first reaction when facing a love rival is to spread his feathers.
Fortunately, he was held down by someone nearby.
The sudden thorns on his body were finally closed with great difficulty.
Yun Xie was even more interested in watching the fun. He opened his folding fan with a "snap" and uttered a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft: "Oh?"
He just made a gesture of invitation and said, "It's okay to sit down."
So, the Emperor, who originally wanted to come and play with Bai Su, watched his love rival sit next to Bai Su without asking any questions.
It was as if those eyes were glued to her and could not be moved away.
The little flame in Duan Changchuan's heart suddenly jumped up to the height of a three-story building.
But the instigator was still waving his broken fan and winking at him
The author has something to say:
Duan Chuanchuan: Come here, dig out his eyeballs for me! (Very fierce)
Bai Su: (hugs) (stroking hair) Don’t be angry, don’t be angry, be good, be good, I won’t look at it.
Duan Chuanchuan: (glancing over) If you dare to look, I’ll dig out yours too!