"Oh? He really said that?"
The small courtyard in the southwest corner of the Li Mansion was still dilapidated, but the furnishings were better than before. The warm sunlight poured in through the small windows, giving the mansion the appearance of an official family.
Su Huaijing was leaning on a small couch, reading a chess manual with an endgame next to him. After listening to the report, he paused while turning the pages and stood up with interest: "Did you hear it with your own ears?"
Xingfeng was standing below, and his eyelids twitched uncontrollably when he heard that.
The master would never ask the same question twice; asking like that only means he is interested.
The last person who interested him...
The body should have just been buried in Shu.
Xing Feng said: "I heard it with my own ears, and every word is true."
Su Huaijing curled his lips, his eyes unclear, and he didn't say anything. Xingfeng didn't know what he was thinking, he knelt down and apologized, "I deserve to die. I didn't notice that there were spies around the master. Please punish me, master."
Su Huaijing's thoughts were disrupted. Seeing this, he raised his hand to let him stand up: "From last night to now, this night has passed, have you found any suspicious people?"
Hearing this, Xingfeng showed worry on his face and said honestly, "This is exactly what is suspicious. What the young master said is true, but I haven't found anyone with strange behavior in these days."
"It's right that you didn't notice it." Su Huaijing put down the chess record and placed a piece on the endgame. "He was lying."
"But what he said doesn't seem to be false." Xingfeng frowned.
Su Huaijing raised his hand to interrupt him, stared at the chessboard, and thought for a moment.
In a moment, he held the black and white pieces in his left and right hands, and made a few moves on the chessboard alternately, solving the endgame. He smiled slightly and said, "There are always people better than you. Maybe he has other tricks. It doesn't matter."
Xingfeng wanted to say that this young master must be guarded against, but Su Huaijing skipped the topic and asked, "Is Liuyun back?"
Xing Feng concentrated: "I received a pigeon yesterday, saying that the problem in Shu has been solved and they are on their way to the capital, and will arrive in two days."
"Yes." Su Huaijing nodded, "When Liuyun comes back, ask him to investigate the matter of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You should not show up for the time being."
On the day when the Li father and daughter drugged the woman, Xingfeng was transferred because he saw the seal of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so Su Huaijing had to investigate.
"Yes." Xingfeng said.
Su Huaijing stood up and stretched. It was spring outside. A kite was flying in the sky in the northeast corner of the courtyard, and the laughter of a young girl could be faintly heard.
Su Huaijing asked casually, "How's the situation at the medicine house?"
Xing Feng said: "I have refined a batch of medicine according to the recipe given by the master."
Su Huaijing stared at the kite and said nonchalantly, "Let Bi Xin deliver it to Miss Cousin."
Xingfeng lowered his head and responded respectfully. When he heard the words "cousin", a hint of murderous intent flashed across his eyes.
Su Huaijing saw it but did not say anything. He just waved his hand and asked them to leave, then leaned back on the couch.
This time he didn't look at the chess manual. Instead, he picked up a storybook and started flipping through it, then waved his sleeves and messed up the chessboard.
This move had been holding him up for three days, and he had not found the most suitable way to break the deadlock. However, he had an idea just after a few words.
"Liar..." Su Huaijing whispered, with an ambiguous smile on the corner of his lips.
He suddenly became curious. If someone else asked the question, what witty words could come out of the eloquent mouth of Prince Ningxuan, who was rumored to have been mentally retarded for many years and had just recovered
He was actually somewhat... looking forward to it.
-
Li Panyan was very happy these days. Her father was promoted and moved north to hold an official position. He was anxious to go to Beijing to report on his work. It was impossible for him to wait for the baggage carriage to move slowly. Therefore, Li Changfu traveled light and only brought a few sons who had reached adulthood to the capital in advance.
Li Panyan was a girl, but she was able to go to Beijing with her father, all because of her suggestion.
Cousin Su is so handsome that he is almost evil. Li Panyan has known since she was a child that if she doesn't keep a firm hold on him, he will become a disaster in the future.
As early as in Shu, many sons of merchants had taken a fancy to him. Even when the governor, who was over fifty years old, came to visit his home, he fell in love with him at a glance and even hinted to Li Changfu to send Su Huaijing to his house.
His father was a little hesitant at the time, but Li Panyan felt that since he was handsome and the Li family had raised him for so many years, he should be repaid. However, the governor had countless concubines and was far away from the imperial capital, so what benefit could the Li family get by sending a young man there
She advised her father to wait a little longer. At that time, Su Huaijing was only fifteen years old. Although she was beautiful, she was a little immature. How could she be as charming as she is now, like a water lily that was about to bloom under the morning dew
As it turned out, she made the right bet.
The people of Dayu were open-minded, and it was very common for the nobles in the capital to keep two male concubines in their backyards. Even in the harem of the current emperor, there was a Yutao Pavilion, which housed dozens of maids.
Li Panyan didn't want her father to try to send Su Huaijing into the palace as that would be too uncontrollable. However, it was not difficult to give him to a high-ranking official to seek some protection.
Besides, being the prince of the Marquis of Wukang was the destination she had chosen for herself. If it weren't for the fact that her father's official position was low and his foundation was not stable, she wouldn't have thought of sending a cousin to be a male concubine first and then waiting for an opportunity to marry into the Marquis's mansion to become the prince's consort.
With her cousin as a matchmaker in the harem and her father as an heir in the previous dynasty, it shouldn't be a difficult matter. After all, her cousin has always listened to her since he was a child.
Li Panyan raised her eyebrows happily, her girlish thoughts written all over her face, she looked innocently at the future.
"Oh, I'm tired. You guys fly it and don't let it fall." She held the kite string in her hand and handed it to the side, and a maid immediately took it.
Li Panyan sat on the stone table in the pavilion. A cup of tea had been poured on it and the temperature was just right. Li Panyan drank half a cup and swept his eyes across the yard.
This is a newly bought house that has not been completely taken care of yet. Only this corner in the yard can be considered to have a pleasant scenery.
She suddenly remembered a big house she had seen when she came to Beijing to visit relatives with her father when she was very young.
There are winding corridors, screen walls and rocks, koi swimming in the pond, golden light floating on the surface, summer lotus flowers dotted among the green leaves, and even the maids look like fairies.
Thinking of this, Li Panyan became more and more disgusted with her own small courtyard, and even the maid who was serving her became picky.
"I haven't seen you before, are you new here?" she asked.
Bi Xin bowed her head and answered, respectfully refilling the cup she had put aside: "To answer Miss, I was bought by the butler at the pawnshop the other day to serve you."
Li Panyan's eyes moved slightly, and an indescribable sense of pride surged in her heart.
Their whole family came to the capital in a hurry, so naturally they didn't bring many servants. Moreover, the maids who had served her since childhood, relying on her kindness, regarded themselves as half masters of the Li Mansion and had no manners at all. How could the people trained in the big dental brothels in the capital be sensible and know the limits, even replying respectfully and cautiously, and knowing to call themselves "slave" when talking to the master.
Li Panyan was so happy that she felt that the cup of tea was more fragrant than any she had ever drunk before. She sipped most of it slowly and asked, "What's your name?"
Bi Xin glanced at the teacup calmly and said, "Once I enter the Li Mansion, I belong to you, Miss. Please give me a name."
Li Panyan smiled brightly: "Then you can be called Xiaotao."
Bi Xin also smiled: "Thank you Miss for the name."
Xiao Tao, that’s good. The medicine that the master made is called Peach Blossom Noodle, which in a sense complements each other.
If you take peach blossom noodles continuously for seven days, your complexion will become more and more beautiful day by day in the first half month, just like the peach blossoms blooming on the branches in spring, so beautiful that you can't take your eyes off them. But flowers do not bloom forever, and when the flowering period is over and they wither, they are particularly creepy.
A sixteen-year-old girl loves beauty the most, and her mind is full of jealousy and calculation. Even if she dies directly, it would be worse than giving her inflated hope and then letting her fall into endless despair.
Didn't she have this evil idea because she saw that her master was more beautiful than her
Now that the Li family has offended the prince of Wukangbo, and the unmarried girl is becoming more and more beautiful, I wonder what choice Lord Li Changfu, who is only interested in his official career, will make.
"I'm sleepy, help me go back and rest." Li Panyan ordered.
Bi Xin obediently lifted up the girl's hand and walked slowly along the garden path that was being renovated towards the west wing where the masters lived, feeling a sense of ruthless satisfaction in her heart.
-
Ningxuan Prince's Palace.
The weather had been good recently, and Rong Tang felt a little better after fainting. He asked Shuangshou to move the couch to the yard, and while he was basking in the sun, he directed the servants to repair the house.
He wanted to let Su Huaijing move in, so he should at least spruce up the courtyard to make it more suitable, and he made a lot of preparations.
On this day, Rong Tang was checking the four treasures of the study that Shuangfu had bought in the courtyard when a servant outside the courtyard reported that Si Mo, the head maid in the prince's room, had arrived.
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and heard her say, "Master, Her Royal Highness the Princess invites you to go to the Princess's Mansion."
Princess Duanyi is not of royal blood, but she is the most honorable female elder in the Dayu royal family.
As early as sixty years ago, the third emperor before Emperor Renshou, that is, Emperor Renshou's grandfather, went out on a tour one year. He saw a white tiger with smooth fur of top quality. He was moved and left his entourage behind and rode his horse into the mountains alone.
As a result, they somehow lost their way and not only failed to catch their prey, but were pounced on by a white tiger and almost became the beast's food. Miraculously, the eight-year-old Duan Yi appeared, drew his dagger without saying a word, stepped forward and stabbed it directly into the tiger's eyes, saving the emperor from the tiger's mouth.
The emperor was grateful for Duanyi's life-saving grace and admired the little girl's courage and sharpness. After learning that her parents had both passed away and that she only made a living by hunting in the nearby mountains and forests, he adopted her as his daughter and raised her in the palace.
Family affection is rare in the royal family. When Duanyi was young, she was bullied by the princes and princesses in the palace. Only Emperor Mingzong relied on her sister. When Mingzong ascended the throne, she was only fourteen years old. Duanyi had just been engaged to the eldest son of the mighty general, but because she was worried that her younger brother would be bullied by ministers in the court, she broke off the engagement on the grounds of mourning for her father. As a woman, she mediated for Mingzong and smoothed the way for him.
When Mingzong was 20 years old, he had already established a firm foothold in the court. The emperor's majesty was untouchable. The 25-year-old Princess Duanyi turned around and married the top scholar in the imperial examination. After that, she returned home to take care of her husband and children and never got involved in court affairs again. She was tactful in her actions and retreats and deserved the reputation of a female Zhuge Liang.
It was not until Mingzong was 35 years old that the emperor died of a sudden illness in his bedroom. The previous emperor ascended the throne and the court was in turmoil. The Empress Dowager Zhang went to the Princess's Mansion overnight to have a candlelight talk with her, and only then did she invite the female prime minister to come out again to protect the emperor.
It can be said that Princess Duanyi has made indelible contributions to the prosperity of Dayu today.
But since the new emperor ascended the throne, the eldest princess has been living peacefully in the inner palace to enjoy her old age. In the previous two lives combined, Rong Tang had seen her no more than five times, let alone actively summoning her like this.
He slowly stood up and asked, "Do you know what this is about?"
Si Mo whispered, "I heard it's about your marriage, the prince."
(End of this chapter)