Chapter 31 Act wantonly
Chongning didn't know what happened that night in Xiuling.
Zidong's drinking was really strong, and even she felt a little drunk. After she went to take a rest, she fell into a deep sleep. She was not woken up in the middle of the night. When she woke up, she only heard the palace servant say that Chen Min, who was in charge of the ceremony yesterday. The father-in-law came to the palace and killed some troublemaking slaves with his stick.
This matter sounds quite strange. Even though Chen Min is the Supervisor of Ceremonies, what on earth did those palace people commit? They were punished at night before Queen Mother Shengyi could say anything.
Another thing that was not normal was that she asked to see Yan Qing several times the next day but failed to see him. Fuying said that Yan Qing was not feeling well, but she just felt uncomfortable and it was okay to go and visit her. She always felt that Yan Qing was not feeling well. I don’t want to see myself.
On the way back to Beijing from the palace, Chongning repeatedly wondered if he had made Yan Qing unhappy due to some impoliteness on his part.
A few days later, news came that Queen Mother Shengyi was also driving back to the palace from Xiuling Palace, which made Chongning even more suspicious.
But she also understands Yan Qing's temperament. She has always been gentle and tolerant, and she shouldn't care about little things.
After some time, an eunuch from the palace came to deliver the order, saying that Queen Mother Shengyi had summoned him.
Chongning entered the palace with anxiety and saw Yan Qing. He carefully observed Yan Qing's expression as he spoke.
Yan Qing exchanged greetings with her, and seeing that Chongning was cautious, he said, "It's not that I asked you to come here for any reason. It's just that you mentioned to Ai Jia last time that the young lady from your Duke's mansion has not yet left the cabinet. ..."
When she said this, Chongning became even more confused. The last time he mentioned this matter, Yan Qing obviously didn't want to pay attention to it. Could it be that it was because of this that Yan Qing was unhappy?
"Aijia thought about it for a while, and what you said is not unreasonable."
Chongning was startled, looked at Yan Qing and asked: "Queen Mother, what do you mean..."
Yan Qing did not look at her, his expression was calm, but the emotion in his eyes was a bit disturbing Unable to see clearly, "Let your sister-in-law come to the palace in a few days to show the Ai family. If she is really talented and beautiful, she may become a good friend with Mr. Jiang, and the Ai family will naturally be happy with the beauty of the adult."
Although he was surprised by Yan's beauty . Qing suddenly changed his attitude, but since Yan Qing said this, Chongning was naturally happy.
The title of Duke Guo is a hereditary title, a first-class duke. Even the princesses who are the direct descendants of the late emperor have descended to the Duke's Palace. If there is endless wealth and honor, the two elders of Qi Guogong want to marry their biological daughter to Jiang Weiren to fill their house. , there is naturally their plan behind this.
The Duke of Qi had two sons. The eldest son had an accident while riding a horse and hunting. He injured his leg and was unable to walk. He was unable to serve as an official. Even if he could inherit the title in the future, it would be difficult for him to achieve anything great.
Although the second son Mu Xiulin is talented, he is still a princess. After becoming the prince-in-law of this dynasty, according to the Yu ancestral system, the prince-in-law could not hold important power in the court. Now, even if Mu Xiulin no longer guards Zidong, his post after returning to Beijing must be a false position.
From the outside, one looks at the scenery of the Duke's mansion, but in the future, after the old Duke has passed away, there will be nothing left in the mansion to rely on. It can still be considered a first-class family based on its lintel, but if it really depends on its strength, I'm afraid it will be... Reduced to second class. When it comes to holding real power, of course the most powerful person is the chief minister.
After hearing Yan Qing's words, the Duke's wife naturally asked her daughter to enter the palace for an audience. Then Miss Mu went to Renshou Palace, and Yan Qing also saw it. Chongning was not lying. Her sister-in-law's talent and beauty were ranked among the best in the aristocratic family in the capital. She is indeed a standout among the ladies.
The sixth lady of the Mu family, whose nickname is Wenling, is about the same age as Xue Shiying. Xue Shiying is better in appearance, but in terms of appearance and demeanor, Mu Wenling is the most worthy lady.
Yan Qing and Mu Wenling were chatting quite speculatively. She called the palace servants and asked, "Send someone to ask. His Majesty is in the Wenhua Palace at the moment."
Counting the time, Zhao Yuan should be in the Wenhua Palace at the moment . Huadian, with Jiang Weiren.
After a while, the palace man came back and reported, "Your Majesty, your Majesty is not in the Wenhua Hall, but in the Qingsi Hall."
The Qingsi Hall is where the emperor and ministers usually hold discussions. Yan Qing nodded. The palace man added, "However, Mr. Jiang is indeed with Your Majesty at this moment."
"That's just right," Yan Qing said to Mu Wenling, "let's go to Qingsi Palace too..."
Jiang Weiren was captured by Zhao Yuan The person who went to Qingsi Hall was just trying to explain his doubts when he heard Huangmen coming in to report that Queen Mother Shengyi had arrived.
Yan Qing entered the palace with Mu Wenling. Zhao Yuan had not seen her. Mu Wenling stepped forward to salute, and Yan Qing said to him: "Your Majesty, this is the sixth young lady of the Duke of Qi."
Zhao Yuanbu said Understanding why Yan Qing came here with the daughter of the Mu family, Yan Qing had already looked at Jiang Weiren.
He was standing next to Zhao Yuan, wearing a Li-colored robe. He was thin and slender, with cold brows and an indifferent expression. His gaze only fluctuated a little when Yan Qing looked over.
"Wen Ling," Yan Qing gestured to Mu Wenling, "this is Mr. Yuan Fu Jiang."
Upon hearing this, Mu Wenling saluted Jiang Weiren, "My little girl has met Mr. Jiang."
She said . He glanced at Jiang Weiren shyly and hurriedly, and Yan Qing saw that look.
"Your Majesty, when the Ai family came over, they just brought some snacks." Yan Qing said, and the palace servants brought up the food box.
"My queen still loves her son." Zhao Yuan said with a smile.
"Wen Ling," Yan Qing looked at Mu Wenling and pointed at the dessert plate on the table, "Here, give it to Mr. Jiang to have a taste."
Mu Wenling followed the words and was about to follow the instructions. Yan Qing intended to bring the snacks on the table to Jiang Weiren, but he suddenly stepped forward and said: "I am on duty at Wenyuan Pavilion today, and there are still state affairs to discuss, so I won't disturb the Queen Mother and Your Majesty's family talk. Please excuse yourself."
He said this, and Zhao Yuan had no choice but to stay. He looked at Mr. Jiang's majestic back and disappeared outside the palace. When he turned around, he found that Yan Qing was looking straight at the door of the palace, as if he was lost. The look in his eyes was very strange, like a struggle, but also seemed to be more of a suppressed sadness.
In June, Jixia is the Qianqiu Festival of Empress Dowager Ciyi. According to Zhao Yuan's intention, she definitely wants to make it grand. In the past, such as the Emperor's Halloween and the Queen Mother's Thousand Autumn Festival, monasteries would be built in various states and counties one month in advance to celebrate. But this time this year, Cao Dingzhen refuted the emperor's intention to celebrate his birthday.
After all, the turmoil in spring, the floods in Lingnan and the earthquake in Zhili, the rumors spread were all about her bad moral character, how could she dare to celebrate her birthday now?
On the day of her birthday, she would go to Xiangguo Temple in the morning to see the Taoist temple. In the afternoon, she would receive congratulations from the envoys of various vassals at the Zichen Hall. In the evening, she would hold a banquet in the Yaohua Palace in Yichun Garden. They will all go to the palace for a banquet.
There are many palaces in the Yaohua Palace, and the seats are arranged according to rank. In the inner hall, together with His Majesty and the two queen mothers, are the chief ministers and other royal relatives. The seats for the generals are outside. Further down, there are seats. In the verandah of the palace.
On the way, the wives would come to the inner hall one by one to toast the Empress Dowager Ciyi. This time, because the Duke of Qi was ill, Princess Chongning led Mu Wenling.
Mu Wenling was very generous. After the toast, he was supposed to say a few auspicious words to wish the Queen Mother a long life. Those in front of them all followed the rules, but Mu Wenling was unique and said that he had written a poem for the Queen Mother Ciyi.
When she finished reciting the poem, the whole hall was naturally cheering. Cao Dingzhen also nodded frequently, and finally praised: "Our Duke of Qi is really lucky. This pearl in the palm of his hand is truly unparalleled!"
After that, he asked Mu Wenling's age again. , knowing that she had already grown hair, he said: "I'm afraid that in the future, the threshold of the Duke's palace will be stepped down by people seeking marriage..."
Yan Qing on the side said with a smile: "Such an outstanding talent and appearance can only be matched by the first-class talents and heroes in the capital."
When Chongning and Mu Wenling retreated, the fateful woman behind also After they came in one by one to toast and congratulate each other, Yan Qing suddenly said: "There are so many talented and beautiful ladies from aristocratic families in Beijing, but our Mr. Yuan Fu has been a widower until now. Mr. Yuan Fu serves the country, and he was ordered to turn the tide when it fell..."
She As soon as she opened her mouth, everyone in the hall lowered their heads and listened. Only Jiang Weiren, who was sitting closest to the banquet seat, ignored everyone in the hall, slowly raised his head, and looked directly at her quietly, as if waiting for her to answer. If you come down.
Yan Qing knew that he was looking at her, but turned a blind eye and continued: "Now that you are alone, there is no one around you who knows how to live. Speaking of which, the Ai family, the Empress Dowager Ciyi, and Your Majesty are not considerate of you."
She finished speaking . Afterwards, the clan members in the palace all agreed, saying that Jiang Weiren worked hard and achieved great results, and his side was indeed deserted. Which important minister in the capital was like him, with no children and an empty back home.
Cao Dingzhen had no choice but to say: "Sir, for delaying the state affairs so far, I feel guilty for calling the Ai family."
Yan Qing smiled and said slowly: "Sir, even if he misses my late wife, he should think about his death... ..."
No one noticed that when Yan Qing said these words, Jiang Weiren's brows furrowed and his eyes were heavy and unfathomable.
"The Ai family looks at the young ladies from the aristocratic families just now. They seem to be a good match for the husband. The Ai family can take the initiative and find a beautiful companion for the husband, or a pair of gods and gods."
Yan Qing thought at first . Jiang Weiren's reaction, thinking that he would refuse or find excuses to refuse, she had already thought of how to deal with these, but Jiang Weiren just sat quietly without saying a word.
After the banquet, the officials went down to the palace to retire. Cao Dingzhen's Funing Palace was close to Zhao Yuan's dormitory, so they left together to announce their wishes. When Yan Qing stood up, Chen Min stopped her.
"What's the matter?" Yan Qing asked with a frown.
Chen Min looked at the palace people in the palace, then leaned into Yan Qing's ear and whispered to her.
Yan Qing's brows furrowed more and more tightly, and she said coldly: "No."
After saying that, she looked at Chen Min and sneered in a low voice, "When did you, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, start working for the cabinet?"
Chen Min listened. He immediately knelt down and said, "I don't dare..."
Although Chen Min did not serve Yan Qing, he had been working in the palace for so long, so he still had some sense of the Queen Mother Shengyi's temper. He had never seen her get angry at all. I don't know what happened today, but Chen Min always felt like she was angry for something. This anger was definitely not directed at him, he just hit the wound.
Yan Qing's tone was exasperated. After speaking, he felt that his emotions were not suppressed, so he sat for a while before standing up again.
But when she walked outside the palace, in the night, in the clear silver light cast by the crescent moon, the man stood alone on the jade steps, with his hands behind his back.
He already has a good skin, and he is wearing a fashionable suit of fairy flower brocade. At this moment, his whole body is enveloped by the moonlight, his posture is clear, his eyebrows are bright, his clothes are fluttering in the night wind, and his whole body is like this at this moment. Walking on Jade Mountain.
Yan Qing was in a daze for a moment, but Jiang Weiren looked straight at her and said softly, "I knew you didn't want to see me, so I waited and came myself."
"Jiang Weiren, you are so presumptuous!" she said angrily.
I don't know what happened to him today. He was usually the most polite among officials, and he was even more respectful to the two queen mothers. But at this moment, he was standing in front of her, looking unruly, his eyes filled with moonlight, and under the moonlight, there was suppressed anger.
A faint smile appeared on the corners of his lips. This was the expression he only had when he was extremely angry, but when ordinary people saw his smile, they would probably only feel excited.
He spoke slowly: "This is not the only time when I have been arrogant..."