The day Rong Tang met Sheng Chengli for the first time was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the ninth year of Qingzheng, the Lantern Festival.
The carriage from Ningxuan Prince's Mansion to the Imperial Palace was filled with burning charcoal. The temperature was so high that Shuangfu began to sweat as soon as he got in. However, Rongtang tightened his cloak again and again but still felt cold.
He actually... didn't really want to save the hero.
When I first traveled through time, my second year syndrome struck and I was deceived by the system. Then I felt that I was the savior and had the highest responsibility and mission for this fictional world.
But the pain was so severe and the symptoms were unbearable that Rong Tang lay in bed for more than ten days in a state of half-death. She herself didn't want to live anymore, let alone save the male protagonist.
But whether it was a system task or the desire to play games from an omniscient perspective, Rong Tang still went.
The palace during the Lantern Festival was the most prosperous place in the entire Yujing.
Delicacies, beauties and fine wines, emperors and generals sitting high on the stage, beautiful women walking around the gardens, lanterns hanging on the treetops, and winter plum blossoms blooming all over the palace.
It was very beautiful. When he put himself in the other person's shoes, Rong Tang felt that the costume drama he had watched in his previous life had come true, and the paper man also had life.
He matched the living people in front of him with the three or two character names in the e-book one by one, and saw their reality, rather than the illusion fabricated in a novel of hundreds of thousands of words.
He carried a palace lantern and walked along the stone path, coughing after every step and stopping every three steps, bypassing all the prosperous and misty halls and arriving at a dark and gloomy cold palace.
Someone was running a high fever, feeling confused, curled up in a cold quilt, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye seemed to be lit with candle wax, glowing brightly under the firelight.
'How pitiful.'
Rong Tang’s first thought at that time.
He may or may not have made a sound. The teenager with a high fever was already sleeping uneasily. Rong Tang wanted to go out to find a doctor for him, but as soon as he turned around, the fingers hanging by his side were grabbed by someone.
She held him tightly like she was grabbing a piece of driftwood, using all her strength, afraid that he would run away, and she squeezed him so hard that it hurt.
The teardrops were stained with crystal water drops. The boy huddled in bed. On a night when the whole palace was bustling and even the eunuchs and palace maids could enjoy a delicious meal, he cried out hoarsely, "Mother..."
Rong Tang thought to himself, you are blackmailing me.
Then he was blackmailed for two lifetimes.
From mother, to husband, to Rong Tang...
He himself couldn't remember when the change happened, nor could he explain when the male protagonist, whom he regarded as a child, had other ideas.
Suspicion, fear, anger, resentment... until finally, in a dilapidated temple, beneath a compassionate Buddha statue, she stabbed the sword into his chest with such determination.
Rong Tang thought that he had raised an ungrateful person.
He spent seven years raising a white-eyed wolf that was blessed by heaven and was the center of the world from birth.
-
Lanyue Pavilion is located on a small island in the middle of the central lake in Songyuan, and you need to take a boat to enter and exit.
Rong Tang didn't arrive particularly late. Lanterns were lit at the ferry and there were still many people coming and going. Su Huaijing led him onto a small boat docked at the shore and took Shuangfu across by water, while Shuangshou stayed in the yard to continue cleaning up.
Every few meters on the lake, a long wooden stake is erected with lights on it. The shadows of the lights and the moon are scattered on the water, as if to tear down the Milky Way.
Rong Tang watched for a while, and couldn't help but bend down and put his hand into the lake to disturb the water curtain. Shuangfu's heart trembled when he saw it, and he reminded him: "Master, the lake water is cold."
Rong Tang shook his hand lightly, looking a little stunned. Su Huaijing asked him, "Are you cold?"
Rong Tang shook his head: "Not bad."
If Shuangfu hadn't reminded him, Rong Tang would have even ignored it. He seldom felt cold these days. If it rained, Su Huaijing wouldn't let him go out. He couldn't feel the temperature difference in the room. He seldom used the hand warmer at night. But now in Songyuan, he put his hands in the lake water on a spring night and didn't feel that cold.
Rong Tang poked the system: "Am I feeling better?"
The system ruthlessly shattered his fantasy: [Impossible, this body can only live for another four years at most.]
So Rong Tang attributed this to the fact that the weather was getting warmer and the lake water was getting warmer, and he didn't notice that Su Huaijing's brows relaxed after hearing his answer.
There are banquets everywhere on the island in the middle of the lake, some are set up by the water, some are climbed up to drink, or perhaps you just find a tree with spring flowers in bloom, sit on the ground, spread a blanket, serve a few plates of cakes and cold dishes, play the piano or the flute, and a few passers-by are enough to enjoy the scenery of the spring night.
Rong Tang used to attend the flower-folding party to build connections for Sheng Chengli, but now with a different mood, he felt that the Third Prince really knew how to have fun and was really cool.
Concubine Hui forced such a bad fate on her youngest son, but allowed her eldest son to grow up to be a wealthy prince who lived a life of debauchery and playing with the world. If it weren't for him falling into the vortex of the fight for the throne, Rong Tang, from another perspective, would occasionally wonder what these people's lives would have been like.
Su Huaijing led him to the Lanyue Pavilion.
The pavilion has four floors and is hollow inside. On the first floor, there is a red stage covered with red silk. Actors perform on the stage and spectators drink on the high platform. All around are freshly picked seasonal flowers, and the air is filled with rich fragrance.
Rong Tang wanted to go to Ke Hongxue's table, but after taking two steps, he hesitated, not wanting to see Sheng Chengli. While he was hesitating, Su Huaijing nodded to Mu Jingxu from a distance, turned around, took Rong Tang's hand, and changed his position.
Rong Tang saw the group of rich kids who were in Liujin Building at a glance.
He frowned subconsciously, but Su Huaijing's expression did not change. He led his people over with ease. Rong Zheng hurriedly stood up to greet him. Su Huaijing smiled at him, and the two of them were welcomed to the two chairs below the main seat.
This table was full of playboys, and Rong Tang sat among them. For a moment, he didn't know who felt more uncomfortable.
But Su Huaijing didn't care. The banquet at the flower-picking party was scheduled to change. Anyone could gather a table at any time and eat. There were no so many rules. He was worried that Rong Tang hadn't eaten properly all day, so he served him a bowl of yam and pigeon soup as soon as he sat down.
There were stringed instruments and orchestras downstairs, and clinking of glasses and noisy music upstairs. Outside the pavilion, the water was rippling and the waxing moon was hanging high in the sky. Rong Tang suddenly thought of the night when he first met Su Huaijing in Fengyue Tower.
He raised his eyes and looked at the person who spoke, it was Qin Pengxuan.
Rong Tang looked at him and said, "Why? Are you jealous?"
Qin Pengxuan's voice stopped and he looked over with wide eyes in disbelief, as if he had heard a ghost.
Rong Tang just glanced at his side and asked, "Speaking of which, we are brothers-in-law. Where is my Huai Jing's cousin? You didn't bring her with you?"
Rong Zheng couldn't sit still when Qin Pengxuan started talking, and frowned to refute him, but Rong Tang spoke before him. Rong Zheng knew from the first sentence that Qin Pengxuan would make a fool of himself tonight, so he sat back quietly and listened attentively to his brother's criticism.
Rong Tang was in a bad mood to begin with, and he and Su Huaijing did not reach a consensus. Even though he really didn't want to meet Sheng Chengli, it was something he couldn't avoid.
Whether it was a royal banquet or horseback riding and archery in the paddock, as the prince of Ning Xuan, it was impossible for him to never see Sheng Chengli in his life.
Rong Tang felt it was a pity that Su Huaijing had given up this opportunity because of his unconscious overflowing emotions. He hadn't thought of a way to persuade Su Huaijing to change his mind again, but Qin Pengxuan came to run into his trap. Would Rong Tang let him go if he didn't use him as a scapegoat
Rong Tang turned his head and asked Su Huaijing as if he had just remembered something: "By the way, I think I heard Lord Li say on the day of the wedding that my cousin was pregnant? Huaijing, have you prepared a gift?"
Su Huaijing knew what he was planning, and smiled dotingly, saying, "You're only a month pregnant, so it's not a good idea to prepare gifts too early. Can you prepare them with me when you're about to give birth?"
His voice sounded close to his face, unspeakably gentle, and his face was as beautiful and elegant as spring flowers and the bright moon. Rong Tang forced himself not to flicker.
But when he heard the word "Master", he couldn't help but trembled slightly. Su Huaijing took the opportunity to grab his hand and put it on his knee, looking obedient and decent, but in fact he was casually playing with his fingers under the table.
Rong Tang felt a little tingling, but Su Huaijing suppressed it. Then he accepted his fate, nodded, looked at Qin Pengxuan and said, "I don't know what gift my brother-in-law wants. Since she is Huaijing's cousin and Lord Li's legitimate daughter, I will definitely not be stingy. If there is anything missing in the palace, you can come to my palace and ask for it directly, ok?"
Su Huaijing lowered his eyes with a smile in his eyes.
He had long known that the young master was very sharp-tongued, but Rong Tang always acted unusually cute in front of him, and Su Huaijing occasionally forgot what he looked like when he was right and unreasonable.
It has only been a few moments since Qin Pengxuan started looking for trouble, and Rong Tang has already assumed a condescending attitude and generously and calmly given favors, putting Qin Pengxuan under his feet.
Since you say we are not worthy, then who are you
Su Huaijing liked Rong Tang more and more. He sat quietly by the side and let him stand up for him, occasionally massaging his tendons with his fingers.
Rong Tang was getting excited when he was talking. He put his right hand under the table, rested his left hand on his cheek, and glanced around the table casually. He saw that Rong Zheng seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
He narrowed his eyes, looked over from a distance, and asked, "What do you want to say, second brother?"
Rong Zheng was so depressed that his lungs ached. As soon as he heard his voice, he said, "If you want to prepare a gift for Miss Li, you don't have to prepare a birth gift. Instead, you should send some supplements for the body."
Rong Tang raised his eyebrows slightly: "Why is this?"
Before Rong Zheng could say anything, a young man at the table who had long disliked Qin Pengxuan spoke up with disdain: "Because his concubine had a miscarriage."
Rong Tang was slightly stunned and subconsciously turned his eyes to look at Su Huaijing. The latter was still sitting steadily in his seat with a distant expression. When he saw him looking at him, he even smiled slightly.
Rong Tang's heart trembled, and he quickly looked away, restrained his expression, slapped the table with his free hand, and said angrily: "How could this be!"
Qin Pengxuan looked at Rong Tang in astonishment. Rong Tang said angrily, "My cousin came all the way from Shu to marry into your Wukang Marquis's mansion as a concubine. It was already a grievance. She finally got pregnant with your child, but you didn't show her enough love and care, causing her to miscarry! After the miscarriage, you didn't even stay with her in the mansion and came to attend the banquet?!"
"A man should get married first and then start a career. With your behavior, how can you make contributions to His Majesty and Dayu in the future? Wu Kangbo worked hard all his life and made great achievements in battle, but you are protected by your father and do not think about bringing glory to the family or becoming famous. You only know how to spend your days in debauchery and pleasure. How can you be worthy of being Wu Kangbo's son! How can you be worthy of enjoying the royal grace!"
There were melodious singing voices in the Lanyue Pavilion. Outside the pavilion, the moonlight was cool. Small pleasure boats were coming and going one by one along the river. Rong Tang was not strong enough, so the volume was very shallow, but it was resounding. Su Huaijing lowered his head and grabbed his hand and squeezed it repeatedly before he suppressed the smile that was about to come out.
Rong Tang held his temper and stern face, not looking at him, but glaring at Qin Pengxuan with eyes wide open and a look of indignation and indignation, which frightened Qin Pengxuan so much that he stood still and the whole table was silent.
The system was not asleep tonight. After watching the whole show, it sighed twice and was genuinely curious: [Host, how do you manage to speak so... eloquently every time? ]
"You don't have to praise me if you don't want to." Rong Tang said.
The system remained silent.
Rong Tang asked: "Have you received nine years of compulsory education?"
system:[?]
Rong Tang continued to ask, "Have you ever taken an exam, written a Chinese paper, done a reading comprehension, do you know what is the value of education?"
This is.
Never mind anything, I'll put a hat on you first before I say anything.
Stupid Qin Pengxuan, I give you face.
(End of this chapter)