Rong Tang had been eating at Yong'an Lane for more than half a month. It was not until February 29 that he told Su Huaijing that he would not come for the next few days.
Su Huaijing showed no expression at the time. He just poured him a cup of tea and asked why. Rong Tang said, "My mother is going to take the women in the family to worship Buddha. She will stay in the temple for a while."
"Why does Brother Tangtang want to go too?" Su Huaijing tilted his head, very confused.
Rong Tang thought to himself, am I not leaving you some time? Otherwise, if I were to come to you every day, how would you have the time to contact your subordinates and arrange the plan
But there was a legitimate reason. Rong Tang said, "I have been ill for many years. I gradually got better in the spring of this year. My mother said that the Buddha was blessing me and wanted to take me to fulfill my wish."
Su Huaijing didn't get to the bottom of the matter, but he was in a bad mood the whole afternoon. Rong Tang secretly told the system that he really deserved to be the future villain, he got into the role so quickly, and his acting skills were worthy of winning an Oscar.
Rong Tang stayed until it was almost dark that day. Before getting on the carriage, Su Huaijing handed him a small can of tea leaves. Rong Tang opened the lid and smelled it, his face full of joy: "You are willing to give it to me?"
Su Huaijing said: "Don't be greedy, drink at most one cup a day. I've told Shuangfu, he will keep an eye on you."
Rong Tang immediately felt a little annoyed, and turned his head to look at Shuangfu, only to see the servant who had been loyal to him for several lifetimes nodded seriously: "Yes, Master Su told me."
Rong Tang felt helpless, and looked at Su Huaijing with a bit of resentment in his eyes: "You haven't even entered the mansion yet, and they've already turned their elbows outward."
Su Huaijing's mood suddenly became even worse: "It turns out that Brother Tangtang doesn't treat me as his wife."
Rong Tang: “?”
Rong Tang's scalp was numb. Shuangfu took two steps back with great tact, lowering his head and staring at the tip of his shoes. Rong Tang looked at Su Huaijing, then at the sky, and really didn't know how to respond. After a few seconds, he softened his voice and said, "Can I get you a lucky charm this time?"
The topic was changed abruptly. A hint of darkness flashed across Su Huaijing's lowered eyes, but it quickly disappeared. When he raised his eyes again, he still had a spring-like smile on his face: "Okay, thank you."
Rong Tang was about to get in the carriage, but before leaving, he caught a glimpse of the palace guards following behind the carriage and paused.
"What's wrong?" Su Huaijing asked.
"… Something." Rong Tang frowned slightly.
These days, almost everything that should be bought in this house has been bought, including furniture, garden ponds, and gatehouses. Rong Tang prepared everything he could think of for Su Huaijing, except for the housekeeper, personal servants, and guards.
The first two must be together day and night, and they must be trustworthy confidants, and the second one must be highly skilled in martial arts and have no second thoughts about his master.
It is possible to find them at the pawnshop, but Su Huaijing has a special status, so he must arrange these people himself, but...
Rong Tang couldn't be the only one to forget these.
Thinking of this, he asked Shuangfu for a few banknotes and handed them to Su Huaijing: "I have been coming to your place these days, and Shuangfu and the others followed me. I forgot that I should hire some servants to serve you. Can you go to the pawnshop to choose when you are free?"
Su Huaijing lowered his head and looked at the silver notes, the value of each of them was at least one hundred taels.
For the Prince of Ningxuan, the amount was not too large, but in the past few days, Rong Tang had been giving him some money and gifts every now and then, and anyone who saw it would be jealous.
Su Huaijing had a subtle feeling of being supported by someone, but it was not as uncomfortable as he had imagined.
And he had to say that Rong Tang really suited his taste. Apart from those confusing and elusive mysteries that only added to his annoyance, everything the young master did just happened to be in line with his thoughts.
He was originally thinking about how to plant some people in the mansion under Rong Tang's nose. Seeing this, he did not refuse, took the banknote, and said gently, "Okay."
Rong Tang then felt relieved, stood up, got into the sedan chair and left.
Su Huaijing looked at the entrance of the alley for a while, until the gilded carriage completely disappeared from his sight, then he turned around and walked into the house.
The door closed behind him, and Xingfeng appeared from the darkness and said respectfully, "Master, everything has been arranged."
"Did Shen Feiyi agree?" Su Huaijing said in a contemptuous tone. His right hand unconsciously took out the nanmu waist badge again and walked forward while stroking it.
Xing Feng's expression changed slightly: "Fei Yi swears to be loyal to his master until death, I dare not disobey."
"Really?" Su Huaijing paused, turned his head and glanced at him lightly: "Then let him keep his head for me."
Xingfeng looked reluctant, but still gritted his teeth and agreed.
The moon was rising in the evening, and it was completely dark not long after Rong Tang left. The house became quiet. Su Huaijing stood under the newly planted pear tree in the yard and looked up.
As the season passes, all the petals have fallen, and new green is gradually showing through.
He looked for a moment and asked, "Where is the Wukangbo Mansion?"
Xing Feng: "Li Panyan is 'pregnant'. The news will be revealed to Qin Pengxuan tomorrow."
Su Huaijing raised his eyebrows, and he actually looked interested: "Are you pregnant?"
Xing Feng said: "It's just that the menstrual period is delayed. The doctor's pulse shows that you are pregnant. Bi Xin has been with the master for many years and knows how to do things."
Su Huaijing smiled and said, "Let her come back after she finishes this time. I am in need of a housekeeper."
"yes."
-
Wukang Marquis's Mansion, West Garden.
"pregnant!?"
The porcelain cup was thrown to the ground in anger, and the scalding hot tea splashed out and splashed all over the face of the maid who was kneeling on the ground, and red spots instantly appeared on her cheeks.
Madam Wu Kangbo was still not satisfied. She smashed everything she could get her hands on. The broken porcelain was scattered all over the floor. Her face was ashen. “You serve the young master every day, how could you get another vixen pregnant?!”
Wu Kangbo is fifty-three years old this year. His wife passed away a few years ago. The current wife of Wu Kangbo, Chen, is the stepmother of Qin Pengxuan. She has a son and a daughter, and she wants her biological son to become the heir of Wu Kangbo and inherit the title.
There are countless secrets in the mansion. Qin Pengxuan is lustful, so Chen has "kindly" arranged several maids with clean family backgrounds to be the prince's concubines over the years, and secretly instructed them to add medicine that would make people weak to Qin Pengxuan's daily diet.
Qin Pengxuan is not ambitious and is known as a playboy throughout the capital, but the eldest son is still the eldest son. In the eyes of Wu Kangbo, Qin Pengxuan will always be the heir to his title. He even met several noble ladies for this purpose, hoping to find a good in-law for Qin Pengxuan and pave the way for his future career.
Originally, when Chen knew that Li Changfu, who had just arrived in Beijing, was trying to curry favor with Qin Pengxuan with his own daughter, she was very disdainful. However, she also planned to take advantage of the situation and marry the legitimate daughter of this fourth-rank official into the Earl's Mansion as the eldest daughter-in-law, so as to stop her master from thinking of marrying into the powerful.
But Li Panyan was a shameless person. She actually took the initiative to climb into bed and lost her virginity before marriage.
These days, Qin Pengxuan seemed to be bewitched by Li Panyan. Chen had been secretly torturing Li Panyan and acting like a wicked mother-in-law. However, despite all her precautions, she still couldn't predict that Li Panyan would get pregnant.
The uncle originally favored his eldest son, if he gave birth to a grandson...
Chen didn't dare to think about it, a hint of viciousness flashed across her face, and she ordered the nanny beside her: "Go, cook a bowl of soup and send it to the eldest young master's courtyard. Say it's for Li's pregnancy, and cook it carefully."
-
East Garden Wing.
Someone was putting on makeup in front of the mirror, her face was bright and beautiful like a peach blossom, and her girlish demeanor was replaced by another kind of budding and mature charm. Li Panyan looked more gentle than ever before, lowering her head and gently stroking her belly, her tone was soft, still in disbelief: "Xiao Tao, am I really pregnant?"
Bi Xin combed her hair and said with a smile, "Yes, miss. The doctor said that you are already half a month pregnant."
"Half a month..." Bi Xin murmured, "That was the first time the prince came home."
Bi Xin lowered her head, a hint of contempt flashed across her eyes, and she did not respond.
Li Panyan suddenly became excited, turned around and grabbed Bi Xin's hand, looking dazed: "Xiao Tao, tell me, is this a son or a daughter?"
Bi Xin bent down and held her hand, saying softly, "Master and Miss are all good. The prince loves you and doesn't care about these things."
"Yes, yes... Pengxuan loves me." Li Panyan's voice was shallow, and she didn't know whether she was lying to herself or to others. "If he knew I was pregnant, he would definitely make me his principal wife!"
As she said this, she pushed Bi Xin hurriedly: "Go, ask the prince to come to my room, and tell him that I have something important to tell him, go quickly!"
Bi Xin staggered after being pushed by her. She dodged and put the ox-horn comb on the dressing table, saying, "Miss, please wait a little longer. The master has an appointment with Minister He today, and the prince has gone to the banquet and will be back in a while."
The Minister of War’s surname was He. He was Li Changfu’s immediate superior, and Li Panyan knew him.
I also know that he has a fifteen-year-old daughter.
Thinking of this, Li Panyan's face flashed with hatred. She knew what the uncle was thinking, and she also knew that her family background was not worthy of the prince's wife, but if...
If the original plan had succeeded, if Su Huaijing had entered the mansion before her, why would her father have thought of letting her get married to the prince without any status to prevent him from questioning her!
"Su, Huai, Jing..." Li Panyan said hatefully.
Bi Xin's heart suddenly surged with murderous intent, but she suppressed it with all her strength and advised gently, "Miss, your health is important now, you shouldn't worry about this kind of thing."
Li Panyan felt a little helpless: "But Master Bo went to Minister He's house, he must want to propose marriage to the prince."
The Bo Mansion doesn’t have a Crown Prince’s Consort yet, and she’s already living an unhappy life. If there’s another mistress… Li Panyan clenched her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
Bi Xin: "It's fine as long as the prince doesn't agree."
Li Panyan frowned, and there was a sense of confusion in her voice that she herself did not realize: "But will the prince really not agree?"
Bi Xin held her hand, squeezed it gently, and said firmly: "Yes, Miss."
Li Panyan looked at her in astonishment. Bi Xin was a few years older than her, and when she consoled her in a gentle voice, people felt convinced for no reason.
Then she said, "Lord Bo wants to marry Minister He because he is attracted by his family's power and wants to make the career of the Crown Prince easier. But is our Lord Bo's Mansion just an ordinary family? Why do we need to rely on others' power?"
Li Panyan looked at her as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw: "Xiao Tao, please tell me carefully."
Bi Xin: "Yesterday I heard from the servant in the front yard that the prince has been very worried about the second prince's affairs these days."
"The second prince?" Li Panyan frowned.
Emperor Renshou had a total of seven sons. Except for the eldest prince born to the empress who died young, the second prince was the oldest son still alive.
Moreover, the Second Prince had just entered the court this spring, and his future was bright. Although it was not easy for the civil and military officials to take sides openly, many of the young masters from aristocratic families had come into contact with the Second Prince in recent days.
Qin Pengxuan is openly a member of the Second Prince's party.
"What's wrong with the second prince?" Li Panyan asked.
Bi Xin whispered, "His Majesty has assigned the Second Prince a mission that is related to the rebels from five years ago."
"Ah!" Li Panyan exclaimed softly. Five years ago, the rebel group started from the south and passed through Shu on the way. Li Changfu also worked hard for this for a long time, so she knew about this.
"It is said that the rebels still have some remnants left and are now causing trouble outside the city. I went out to do some shopping this morning and heard that a group of foreigners had moved into the Shangyang Inn in the west of the city—" Bi Xin stopped talking.
Li Panyan's mind raced: "You mean..."
Bi Xin shook her head: "I'm not sure either, but Miss is pregnant now. If you ask the prince to accompany you to go shopping, I think the prince will not refuse. What if?"
Li Panyan lowered his eyes and thought: "What if... What if it is really that group of thieves, I will definitely be appreciated by the Second Prince. If it is not-"
"Even if not, Miss has never known any traitors, right?" Bi Xin said.
Li Panyan gritted her teeth, as if struggling. After a moment, she nodded firmly: "You are right."
Bi Xin smiled at her gently, like an older sister.
Just at this moment, a maid came outside the house to report that pregnancy-preserving medicine had been sent from the lady's room. Li Panyan's expression changed, and she looked at Bi Xin in panic, shaking her head continuously.
After all, she wasn't that stupid and wouldn't drink what Chen gave her.
Bi Xin patted her hands, motioning her to be at ease, and went out to take the bowl of medicine. The maid wanted to follow her in, but she sent her away with a few words. The medicine was then poured into the flowerpot in the corner of the room.
Bi Xin smiled and said, "Miss, go to sleep first. I'll give the prince a surprise tomorrow morning."
Also give her master a big gift.
-
In Ningxuan Palace, Rong Tang was packing up with Shuangfu. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard the system calling him:
[Host, the male protagonist has come out from the cold palace. ]
(End of this chapter)