No. 1 Girl in the Imperial City

Chapter 203 Infatuated? +The Return of the Prince of Wei (two chapters in one)
The mother and son entered the side hall on the other side, which was originally a small study room, but now it is used as an account room for the stewards of the palace who are responsible for organizing the wedding.

Seeing Xie Yan coming over, the three stewards who were still busy in the study hurriedly got up to salute.

Xie Yan waved his hand to signal them to go out first, and the three stewards naturally didn't dare to ask any more questions, and hurriedly bowed to leave.

It's just that when he saw Princess Mu who came in behind Xie Yan, he couldn't help being stunned.

Princess Mu's appearance, even if she is obviously not a young woman, is still amazing.

"What's the matter? Come on." Xie Yan sat down on the main seat and said calmly.

Seeing this, Princess Mu frowned slightly, with a sad expression on her face, "Zhifei, are you still angry? You must be like this?"

After all, she is also a mother. Although she has almost never fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother, she still feels sad when she sees her son being so indifferent and rude to her.

Xie Yan didn't answer.

Everyone in the study was dismissed by him, and there was no one who served tea. Of course, the two of them didn't care whether there was tea at this time.

Concubine Mu looked at Xie Yan and said in a low voice: "Concubine Mu knows... we are not good these years, but... Zhifei, you can't treat your father like this, he is your biological father after all..."

"What did I do to him?" Xie Yan asked, "Is he being treated harshly by the second elder brother and his wife, and he is bedridden with no medical treatment or medicine, or is he being bullied by his servants and life would be better than death?"

"No..." Although the Duke Mu'an and his wife didn't want to see their father, they still didn't dare to treat him so harshly.As for her, he was even more polite, and Yi Ying's daily life was even a little better than before.

Xie Yan said: "Since this is the case, there is no need to talk about it."

"But..." Princess Mu was a little anxious.

A faint smile suddenly appeared on Xie Yan's lips, and he looked at the woman in front of him with a half-smile, "Mother."

For some reason, Princess Mu suddenly couldn't help trembling.

I only heard Xie Yan say: "You have such a bad memory, why can't you always forget to trouble me for him?"

Princess Mu said, "I don't want to trouble you, I just..."

Xie Yan didn't want to hear her explain, "Since you have a bad memory, then... I'll say it now, I hope you won't forget it at least until tomorrow."

"What?" Princess Mu was stunned.

Xie Yan said: "Tomorrow's wedding, if there is any accident because of him or anyone around him, your family will live in Jinshuizhuang outside the city, and you will never go back to Shangyong in this life."

"No!" Princess Mu cried out in a daze as if she had heard something terrible.

Xie Yan looked at her calmly, his eyes that were deep in the past seemed flat and unwavering.

Jinshuizhuang is not an ordinary royal courtyard, but a courtyard built in the middle of a lake dozens of miles away from Shangyong.

All that can be seen around is the lake and the mountains in the distance. The island in the middle of the lake is not large, and the Zhuangzi on the island is not like ordinary royal courtyards, either majestic or elegant, just a few ordinary ones. courtyard.It must be said that there is something special, that is, the wall is very high.

That was originally the place where the royal family detained royal family members who committed serious crimes but could not die or were inconvenient to kill.

In order to prevent the detainees from escaping, there are military guards stationed around the place, and the guards are heavily guarded. It is not easy for even masters to get in and out, let alone those pampered and respected clan nobles.

Concubine Mu and King Mu happened to be one of the very few people who were lucky enough to go to Jinshuizhuang and come back.

Many years ago, some enemies of Gaozu also existed there, and they once followed Gaozu and the empress dowager to the island.

Princess Mu still remembers that the small courtyard is not as big as her bedroom, and the high walls are mottled and old.Because of the high wall, the entire courtyard is almost impenetrable except for some light from the patio in the courtyard.

So much so that even though it was sunny outside, the yard was still dark and gloomy.

It happened to be midsummer when they went, and the yard was not only dark and gloomy, but also suffocatingly hot.

All these left a deep impression on Princess Mu, who has been pampered since she was a child and has never suffered any hardships.

Xie Yan said: "If you don't want to go, just remember what I said."

Princess Mu's face was pale, and she looked tremblingly at the tall and handsome man in front of her, "Zhifei, you can't do this, we..."

"I know who you are, so there is no need to say any more." Xie Yan stood up and said calmly, "Remember my words."

After finishing speaking, he ignored Princess Mu and strolled past her.

Concubine Mu slumped in the chair helplessly, watching Xie Yan leave without stopping.

After an unknown amount of time, another figure appeared at the door.

Concubine Mu thought Xie Yan had left and returned, she looked up with some joy, but quickly lowered her head in disappointment.

It was not Xie Yan who came in, but Shi Zhu Siming, the head of the palace.

Princess Mu didn't know Zhu Siming, and Zhu Siming didn't care. He walked up to Princess Mu and put an inconspicuous medicine bottle in front of Princess Mu.

Concubine Mu took another look at him, and Zhu Siming said politely: "Ms. Taifei, our lord said that we don't want to see Prince Mu tomorrow."

Concubine Mu looked at the medicine bottle on the table in astonishment, and then at Zhu Siming, startled and angry, "You...what are you trying to do?!"

Did Zhifei actually want her to poison the prince?How could he, how dare he? !

But Zhu Siming was not in a hurry or angry, and said: "Don't worry, Concubine, this is not something bad, it can't kill anyone."

"He, he wants me..." Princess Mu's eyes widened in disbelief.

Her son really wanted her to drug her husband, or had someone tell her in such an aboveboard way.He didn't even discuss it with her in private, he wasn't afraid of her...

Zhu Siming smiled softly and humbly, "If the concubine doesn't like this, she can think of other ways. In short, the prince will not be able to step out of Prince Mu'an's mansion all day tomorrow. After all, the prince is the only son of the concubine, and the concubine is also You have to love him. Tomorrow is the prince's big day, if you make him unhappy, the consequences..." Very serious.

Princess Mu instantly remembered Xie Yan's words before, she turned pale and did not speak.

Zhu Siming didn't try to persuade him any more, he just said: "The concubine should think about it carefully, if you want to go back, I will send someone to take you back. In addition..."

Zhu Siming hesitated for a moment, and hesitated to speak.

Princess Mu looked at him with a cold face, as if to say: What else do you want to say?
Zhu Siming smiled and said: "Someone asked me to remind the concubine, in fact... right now is the most favorable situation for the concubine. The more stable our prince's power and position, the better it is for the concubine. What to do, isn't it up to you? As long as the prince is alive, no one will dare to do anything to you. So... What good does it do for the concubine to displease the prince?"

Princess Mu's complexion changed slightly, her slender fingers clenched her sleeves involuntarily, "You... know what, I..."

Zhu Siming's smile was still gentle, but with a hint of sarcasm, he said lightly: "Of course I don't understand, but... the concubine has understood it for decades, isn't it useless? You might as well try another method."

After saying this, Zhu Siming ignored Princess Mu and bowed respectfully and retreated.

Princess Mu leaned back in the chair slumped, her face pale.

She fixed her eyes on the small medicine bottle in her hand, but she seemed a little crazy.

Zhu Siming came out of the small courtyard, and when he passed the garden, he saw Luo Jinyan standing in the newly repaired rockery pavilion with his hands up and down.

There are all kinds of flowers outside the gazebo, which seems to be full of flowers in spring.

Zhu Siming went up, cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Mr. Luo."

Luo Jinyan glanced back at him and said, "The Prince Regent's Mansion is really powerful. It's only been less than half a month. It's not an exaggeration to say that this mansion has changed."

Zhu Siming said with a smile: "Young master, you are absurd. After all, you don't have enough time. It's just adding some color. What will happen in the future... I have to trouble the princess."

Luo Jinyan raised his hand and lightly touched a pot of chrysanthemums in front of him and said, "In this season, it is not easy to find so many flowers in the imperial city at once."

Naturally, Shangyong also has all kinds of flowers specially cultivated for the rich and powerful to enjoy in autumn and winter, but it is not an easy task to supply so many in a short time.

Zhu Siming nodded and said with a smile: "Indeed, fortunately, the masters of Huguo Chan Temple were generous enough to solve our urgent needs."

Luo Jinyan nodded, but did not continue to ask.

Zhu Siming didn't say anything more, he just glanced at Luo Jinyan and quickly lowered his eyes, hiding the seriousness in them.

The eldest son of the Luo family... he is a military commander, but he has the potential to be a powerful minister.

Originally, he just came to the Prince Regent's Mansion to see how the arrangement was going, but because he accidentally saw Princess Mu passing by in the garden, he could think of such a sinister strategy to restrain King Mu and Princess Mu in a blink of an eye.

Zhu Siming even felt that he didn't think seriously at all, and just said it casually.

Thinking of this, Zhu Siming couldn't help asking: "Master, do you really think that Concubine Mu will...act according to what you think?"

Luo Jinyan glanced sideways at him, then smiled lightly and said, "Concubine Mu is a paranoid person."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Siming was puzzled.

Luo Jinyan said: "If you can't get what you want, you will never live in peace for the rest of your life. It's just... I don't know how the Yao family taught her daughter back then. She seems to regard love as the only thing. She doesn't bother to use conspiracy and tricks, and hopes to rely on her own infatuation. It can move people.”

Zhu Siming looked at Luo Jinyan in surprise, he had never heard of such a statement.

But...it's not surprising that the girl's family can't see the relationship.Not to mention far away, didn't the second daughter of the Luo family not give way earlier?

But one obsession lasts for 30 years, is this a natural infatuation?
Luo Jinyan glanced at him sideways, with a hint of a half-smile on his lips.

Zhu Siming couldn't help being excited, and quickly confessed in his heart that he had arranged for the princess.

Luo Jinyan quickly looked away, and continued: "For more than 30 years, she has been obsessed. Is she really so infatuated, or is she used to it or refuses to admit her failure? If you give her another way at this time, how do you know she won't go? "

Zhu Siming frowned and said: "But Young Master said just now that she doesn't...do not want to use conspiracy."

Luo Jinyan smiled and said: "Is the current King Mu still the former King Mu? Is the current Princess Mu still the former Princess Mu? Even if she doesn't think so, the current situation is still dominated by her. And people... Once they find out that they are The one with the stronger background and tougher background will find it difficult not to vent all the grievances she has suffered. Perhaps, she will soon find out that the person she has been obsessed with for a lifetime is not worth her effort at all, and she It's not as crazy as she thought."

"So what?" Zhu Siming said.

Luo Jinyan said: "Either torture King Mu, or torture herself, at least... there is a high probability that they don't have time to torment others."

"..." Zhu Siming was silent for a long time before he couldn't help sighing: "Why is Concubine Mu so infatuated with King Mu that she doesn't even care about her only son?"

Whether it is a commoner or a noble woman, in fact, most of them regard their sons as more important than their husbands.It's not that they don't have feelings for their husbands, it's just that the husband may belong to someone else, but the son is always their own.Husbands may not be reliable, but sons will be their reliance.

After all, the unforgivable sins of rebellion and unfilial piety are almost reserved for children and grandchildren, but there is no law that stipulates that a husband must treat his wife wholeheartedly.

"Then who knows?" Luo Jinyan chuckled, turned around and walked out of the pavilion to the rockery.

Standing on the rockery, Zhu Siming heard Luo Jinyan's voice coming from the foot of the mountain, "It's only because I look back at you that I miss you in the morning and evening. My soul goes with you and I don't regret it. My lovesickness is suffering for you..."

It is clearly an infatuated verse, but when he reads it, there is always a bit of coldness.

"..." Mr. Luo, you still read this kind of poem?
Xie Yan didn't have the time to pay attention to what Princess Mu would do after she went back.What Zhu Siming did and said to Princess Mu naturally couldn't hide it from Xie Yan.

In fact, Zhu Siming had Xie Yan's consent when he went to see Princess Mu.

Tomorrow is the wedding day, Xie Yan doesn't have that much time to manage the people in the Mu Palace.Even if Luo Jinyan doesn't do anything, he still won't let King Mu step out of Prince Mu's mansion tomorrow.

At this time, sitting in front of Xie Yan was Wei Changting with a disheveled face.

Although Wei Shizi was still well-dressed and personable.But under the eyes are dark shadows visible to the naked eye, and the whole person is thinner than before.

Seeing his appearance, Xie Yan rarely felt apologetic, "I just returned to Beijing and didn't rest at home, what did I run out for?"

Wei Changting sneered, "If I come back a few days later, will I only be able to catch up with the congratulatory prince and concubine and get Lin'er?"

Xie Yan said: "It happened suddenly."

Of course Wei Changting knew that it happened suddenly, but as a person who was ordered to go all the way to Jiazhou to work hard, he still couldn't help being a little irritable.

Don't talk about traveling with a beautiful woman on this trip, they received news that His Royal Highness the Prince Regent was about to get married before they arrived in Jiazhou.

Looking at the distance to Jiazhou, Wei Shizi felt that he couldn't make the trip in vain, so he rushed to get his things, and then rushed back all the way without stopping.

This journey alternated between land and water, so that Wei Shizi was so anxious that he was afraid of missing Xie Yan's wedding.

Even marching on the battlefield, he has never worked so hard.

Xie Yan said: "Thank you for your hard work."

Wei Changting gave up with a soft snort, tapped the long wooden box on the table, and asked, "This... it seems that it is not needed now, I heard that the Yangxin Gu family took the initiative to come to help ?”

Xie Yan nodded slightly.

Wei Changting raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "The Qi family in Jiazhou took the initiative to send Liu Guangjin, and the Yangxin Gu family took the initiative to come to the door to make wedding dresses for the future princess. These people...have they finally remembered their family's little property or are they going to make it bigger?"

Xie Yan said: "Dasheng has been established for more than 30 years. If those people still want to hide their strengths and bide their time, I'm afraid there will really be no place for them in the future."

"That's true." Wei Changting nodded in agreement, "Take the silk industry as an example, the Gu family and the Qi family have not been as good as before these years, but the new families in the south are quite willing to replace them."

Xie Yan said: "Silk has been hugely profitable since ancient times, and most of those few have close ties to people in power in the court."

Wei Changting was stunned, and after a long while couldn't help cursing in a low voice: "We were born and died on the battlefield, and they made a lot of money by sitting firmly in Yong. Those freshmen are backed by the dignitaries in the court, so it's no wonder they are in a hurry But... why did they come to you? They should know that even if you are willing to protect them as a person, you will not help them suppress others."

Xie Yan said: "Because the people they originally wanted to rely on only wanted to use them as gold and silver mountains that can be taken at any time. These old people who hold a lot of wealth in their hands, although they are not courageous, they are not fools."

Wei Changting thought for a while, and smiled gloatingly: "No wonder the surname Qi took the initiative to show favor to you at the beginning. Think about it, too. The foundation of the new students is so shallow that they are even funded by those people behind them. Trees like the Qi family and the Gu family have big roots and deep roots. Instead, it’s hard to control, so it’s more convenient to simply replace it.”

Xie Yan said: "It seems that you are not ignorant of this aspect, you should report to the household department in a few days."

Wei Changting was startled, and almost jumped out of his chair, "Wait! Why am I going to the Ministry of Household Affairs?!" Xie, do you remember that he is a general?
Xie Yan said: "It is enough to have Gu Jue in the army. You are not needed. You have been back to the capital for so long and you can't hang around all day without doing business. When you look back, the Marquis of Lingchuan will treat you like I restricted you and snubbed you."

Wei Changting pointed at Xie Yan and was speechless for a while, he just wandered around all day not doing business? !He's almost busy, okay?
Xie Yan threw it to him when no one did it, yet he still had the nerve to say...huh?

Wei Changting suddenly became quiet, "After taking over the affairs of the household department, do I not have to do chores?"

Anyway, it is impossible for Xie Yan to directly let him be the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs. If there is any important matter, he will be the tall one, so he can relax a little bit.

Xie Yan cast a glance at him and said, "Of course, these days are just to let you get acquainted with the environment of the imperial city." He is not someone who orders his subordinates around without restraint.

"That's fine." Wei Changting was satisfied now, and said: "I'll go, what rank is it? I was originally a second-rank general anyway, so I can't be too low even if I abandon martial arts and follow literature?"

Xie Yan nodded and said: "The old gentleman from the household department is about to retire early, and the right servant of the household department has already been appointed to take over. You go to fill his vacant position."

The right servant of Hubu is also the second grade, Wei Changting is quite satisfied, but...

"Didn't you say that the old man will work until next year?"

Xie Yan cast him a glance and said nothing, Wei Changting soon understood.

He couldn't help but clicked his tongue, and said: "It seems that the old guy knew that there would be no peace in the future, and he didn't want to get involved, so he left early. He is also an old fox!"

Xie Yan said: "The one who is about to take office is King Ning."

Wei Changting sighed, "I knew that if something good happened, it wouldn't be my turn. You want me to keep an eye on him?"

Xie Yan said: "I want you to master the household department as much as possible."

Wei Changting said unhappily: "He is a minister, from the first rank. I am a servant, from the second rank. He is a civil servant, and he has been in the officialdom of Shangyong all the year round. I am a general. I just came back from the battlefield, and I can't even recognize the officials in the court. .”

Although there is only a half level difference, is this a huge difference?What's more, there is King Ning as a backer behind him, do you really think he is a soft persimmon?

Xie Yan said: "This is your problem. If you overthrow him, you will be given the title of Minister."

"..." Wei Changting didn't know for a moment whether to thank the prince for his promotion or scold Xie Yan for his uncle.

Xie Yan said solemnly: "Find out the real situation of the treasury as soon as possible."

Wei Changting was taken aback, and then he became serious, "What happened?"

Xie Yan shook his head slightly and said: "It's okay for the time being, but the state treasury has been empty after years of fighting. Qin Tianjian told me that there may be a severe drought next year. It's not sure yet, he just reminded me privately."

Wei Changting's expression was serious, he pondered for a moment before he nodded and said: "I see, don't worry."

Seeing the solemn atmosphere, Wei Changting said with a smile: "It's hard to say what will happen next year. Tomorrow will be your big wedding. Congratulations to the prince in advance for his new marriage and early birth of a son. How about it?"

Xie Yan's eyes also softened a bit, nodded slightly and said: "Thank you."

(End of this chapter)