coobybook Chapter 218: Marriage (Part )
Chapter 218: Marriage (Part )
Six years later.
This year's spring came exceptionally late.
It is already mid-March, and the crabapples and spring orchids are just beginning to emerge.
The palace servants did not dare to change out of their padded jackets, for fear that another cold snap would come, freezing the North Pond and the South Sea and freezing their skin and flesh.
Despite this, there are a lot of people going to the pond and river to enjoy the scenery.
Looking closely, they are all young and beautiful faces.
The eunuchs who were carrying sundries passed by the Linhu Palace and saw the thinly dressed beauties. However, they did not feel the slightest bit of attraction and instead sneered.
"These newcomers are really persistent! It's so cold, and they wear so little, aren't they afraid of catching a cold?"
"Tsk tsk, they have been in the palace for half a month, but the emperor has not favored them, so they are all getting anxious!"
"Don't you see what time it is now? The border war is at a stalemate, who in the palace wouldn't be worried? The emperor hasn't slept for two days and two nights, how could he have the heart to visit the concubines?"
"Ah, the Queen is too kind-hearted. In my opinion, these people should be beaten and starved for two meals, and then they will stop making trouble."
"Hahaha! Do you think they are servants like us? They are all nobles. If they were beaten up, I think the first ones to suffer would be the palace maids around them. Eh? Xiao Liangzi, do you have a lover with some beauty?"
"You, you, you! Don't talk nonsense! Xiaodie is not my lover!"
"No? Then why are you blushing? Hahaha, we brothers are all family and won't tell anyone. Tell me, how is Xiaodie? Is she white?" The eunuch winked.
The eunuch named Xiao Liangzi blushed so much that blood was about to bleed.
He ignored the group's teasing, suddenly quickened his pace, and ran forward alone.
But I didn't expect that I was so busy running that I didn't look at the road and bumped into someone head-on.
"Ouch!"
Xiao Liangzi managed to stand firmly, holding the box tightly to prevent the things from falling to the ground. As he breathed a sigh of relief, he looked up and saw a lake green dress, and he knelt down in fear.
"I am blind and have offended Aunt Qiongzhi. I beg you to forgive me."
Qiongzhi was helped up by the little palace maid and patted her chest.
"You scared me. Why are you running so fast?"
Xiao Liangzi didn't dare to look up, nor did he dare to tell the truth. He just kept repeating what he had just said.
Qiongzhi shook her handkerchief.
"Alright, alright, get up! You look familiar. Which master do you serve?"
Xiao Liangzi still kept his head down, but he felt relieved in his heart.
Fortunately, I met the easy-to-talk Aunt Qiongzhi!
If I run into Aunt Mier, I'm afraid I'll get a scolding and maybe even lose my dinner.
He thought so in his heart, but he kept talking about it.
"I am a servant of the eldest prince. The eldest prince got two new things yesterday and ordered us to deliver them to the three princesses. We just went to Liufang Palace, and Concubine Rong gave the return gift on behalf of the third princess."
After Xiao Liangzi finished speaking, Qiongzhi looked slightly satisfied.
"Your words are quite clear, but your eyesight is not very good. You must be more vigilant in the future. There are many people in the palace now. If you offend the master, you will be skinned alive if you don't die."
Xiao Liangzi's face turned pale.
He recalled a young palace maid who served in Ningyun Pavilion a few days ago. She accidentally tore a skirt of Lady Gu, and was stripped of her clothes in public and beaten until she was covered in blood. She died within two days.
He didn't know the little palace maid, it was Xiaodie who told her.
Xiaodie originally thought that serving Lady Hu was a good thing, but she didn't expect to encounter such things. She was so scared that she asked for two days off.
Although Concubine Gu was punished by the Queen Mother for this incident and demoted to the lowest rank of Baolin and was moved out of Ningyun Pavilion, the little palace maid did not survive.
Xiao Liangzi nodded and bowed, watched Qiongzhi and the little palace maid leave, and let out a long breath.
He will not come to the harem for work again in the future.
He muttered silently.
Suddenly, he felt a chill on the back of his neck.
I subconsciously touched my neck, but felt two drops of water.
"It's raining?"
He raised his head, looked at the gray sky and muttered to himself. He saw the raindrops becoming more and more numerous, denser and bigger, hitting his eyelids so hard that it hurt.
Xiao Liangzi finally reacted, hurriedly took off his outer clothes, wrapped the box, and ran towards the palace gate as fast as he could.
The rain fell so hard and fast that people outside didn't have time to react and many of them got soaked.
The same is true for Jiang Wanyue.
But only her shoes and sleeves were wet, and she was fine because Xing'er and the others were protecting her.
She was lucky enough to get back to Fenglai Palace before the rain got heavier.
As soon as I stepped into the hall, I saw a fat man flying towards me.
It fell directly into Jiang Wanyue's arms.
"mother!"
Jiang Wanyue was almost knocked to the ground by her son.
Fortunately, she had experience and reached out to hug her son in advance, reducing his momentum.
"Why did Xuer come back so early today?"
Xu'er's eyes dodged.
"Yes, it was the master who asked me to come back early!"
You can tell at a glance that he is lying from his guilty look.
Jiang Wanyue took a deep breath and held Xu'er's hand.
"What have you done wrong? Why would the master ask you to come back early for no reason?"
Xu'er is seven years old.
When he was five years old, Li Ce specially selected several teachers to teach him.
Originally, the teachers were only going to teach him, but because those chosen were all famous scholars, Jiang Wanyue suggested that the other two princes come together.
It’s been almost two years now.
Although Li Chengqi is younger and weaker than Xu'er, it is unexpected that he has shown some intelligence at such a young age and learns things quickly.
Li Chengze, the son of Luo Yudian, is three years older than Xuer. Although he is not as smart as Qier, he is hardworking and has good academic performance.
Only Xuer.
After two years of study, he could barely recognize a few words, and his handwriting was terrible. Every time Jiang Wanyue saw his handwriting, she wondered if this child had been switched.
I saw her birth with my own eyes, so how come she didn’t inherit any of her talent?
The Jiang family can be considered a family of scholars!
My little nephew is only three years old, but he can already recite the "Book of Filial Piety". It's just that his hand bones have not yet grown, so he hasn't started practicing calligraphy.
Even my cousin's nephews and nieces could write quite well when they were seven years old.
That’s fine. If you don’t have talent, you can make up for it with hard work.
But for some reason, Xu'er was not only a poor student, but also very naughty. Every time he went to the study room for class, he would either play tricks on his brothers or talk back to the teacher.
Jiang Wanyue closed her eyes.
"This is the fifth time this month."
Xu'er retracted her hand and put the other hand behind her back.
But he refused to admit defeat.
"It's not Xu'er's fault today. Third Brother did it on purpose! The teacher hasn't even asked about the homework yet, but he jumped up and showed off that he had finished it. He even deliberately told the teacher that I must have written better than him. He was just trying to embarrass me!"
"And then? You didn't hit him, did you?"
Jiang Wanyue's suspicion is not without reason. This child is extremely strong and runs very fast. The young eunuchs following him now have been carefully selected, and the first thing they look at is their speed.
Xu'er pouted.
"Xu'er didn't. Mom taught Xu'er to be filial and respectful, and Xu'er remembers it. Xu'er just, just... well, caught a bug and put it in his shoe."
Jiang Wanyue’s eyes widened.
"Where did the bug come from in the study?!"
Although there are many trees planted outside the study, the palace servants usually take good care of them, and the people around the princes also serve them attentively. How could he catch insects?
Xu'er chuckled.
"I caught it when I went out to play yesterday and kept it in a katydid cage. I wanted to show it to my fifth brother, but before I could take it out, my third brother did this. I got angry and hid the bug in his shoe."
As he spoke, he became more and more delighted.
"Mom, you didn't see it. As soon as he stepped in, his face changed immediately. Oh, it was the first time I saw a person's face change so many colors at once. It was so interesting."
Jiang Wanyue took another deep breath and pulled him inside.
Xu'er was still smiling when he suddenly saw a ruler in his mother's hand.
Now it was his turn to change color.
"Mother... Mother, if you want to hit me, then hit me!"
He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand.