Rong Ting's voice couldn't be any fainter.

If his voice was any quieter, even Huai Qing, who was closest to him, wouldn't be able to hear it.

Mr. Yan turned around from the north window with an annoyed look on his face.

Huai Qing heard Rong Ting say, "I didn't hear clearly what you said just now."

Huai Qing: “?”

I've answered it, but you didn't hear clearly?

"Sir, your study is a quiet place. If you have any important matters, please leave and talk about them later."

Rong Ting said softly. Although Huai Qing was confused, he responded with a "yes".

Although Yan Nanxun had many eccentricities, he was extremely tolerant of students except for schoolwork. He waved his sleeves and said, "No need. If it's an important matter, just say it here."

He brushed his sleeves and sat back in his chair, took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.

He was busy yelling at the window just now. He didn't hear what Huai Qing and Rong Ting said to each other, and he didn't have eyes behind him, so he didn't see their conversation.

Yan Nanxun put down the teacup and looked at Huai Qing, "What's the matter?"

Rong Ting also raised his eyes and looked at Huai Qing.

He had a similar expression to Yan Nanxun, waiting to listen.

Only the clear and lingering gaze seemed to contain some kind of hint.

Huai Qing: “…”

If Rong Ting had not answered him just now, he would have really thought that Rong Ting did not hear him.

He was completely confused.

But although he was confused, he repeated the last sentence he had just said, "Your Highness, you are the only one in the academy who has not received an invitation from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion."

Rong Ting had a look of sadness on his face, as if he had just heard about this for the first time.

Yan Nanxun frowned, "What's going on?"

He looked at his invitation on the table.

He will definitely go to the birthday party and bring two gifts.

One was for the old lady's birthday, and the other was a gift for Jiang Xingzhou when he returned to Beijing.

He had thought of the gift for Jiang Xingzhou long ago.

A fine wolf-hair brush with flower and bird pattern and small calligraphy, a unique wolf-hair brush in the world.

He has treasured it for a long time, and it is just right to give it to Jiang Xingzhou

It's just a satire that he can't produce good calligraphy or painting even though he has a good pen.

Very happy.

Rong Ting lowered his head, looking at him helplessly, "Master Jiang Si has never liked me very much."

Huai Qing behind him felt a little strange.

If the Ninth Prince wants to show that his relationship with the Jiang family is very important, shouldn't he show others that he has a good relationship with all members of the Jiang family?

Yan Nanxun also found it strange. "It was Jiang Xingzhou who wrote the recommendation letter and recommended you to me. This shouldn't be the case..."

"But." He frowned as if he remembered something, "He didn't praise you much in the letter."

"The Fourth Master has always thought that I am a bad person."

"What's wrong with my disciple?" As an enemy of Jiang Xingzhou, Yan Nanxun instinctively wanted to argue with Jiang Siye, "Jiang Siye is full of nonsense."

Rong Ting lowered his brows, "I think I did something wrong, which made the Fourth Master unhappy with me."

He took all the blame on himself.

The sadness and loss could not be hidden in his eyes, and whatever was on his mind was visible on his face. There seemed to be a clear spring at the bottom of his eyes, and all his worries could be seen clearly.

So obedient.

Yan Nanxun glanced at him and asked, "Want to go?"

Rong Ting seemed to want to say something but didn't dare to, and a dilemma appeared on his face.

Yan Nanxun couldn't help feeling a little grateful.

It was the first time for him to teach such a young student, so he unconsciously became more tolerant. He thought that Rong Ting was frightened by the way he scolded Yu Yinxue just now, so he didn't dare to say anything even if he wanted to go.

It’s just that children are naive, and their thoughts are written on their faces, so others can see through them at a glance.

I couldn't help feeling pity in my heart.

"Since you have memorized the history books you were supposed to learn in the past half month, it is not a bad idea for you to attend the birthday banquet."

"But I don't have an invitation. Fourth Master Jiang will definitely be unhappy every time he sees me. If I go there rashly..." Rong Ting acted sensible and considerate, "I don't want to upset Fourth Master."

Can it make Jiang Xingzhou unhappy?

Yan Nanxun blurted out subconsciously, "Why not provoke?"

Yan Nanxun had an idea, and slammed the table and said, "On the day of the birthday banquet, I will take you in. Give Jiang Lao Si a gift."

He smiled, as if he was very satisfied with the decision, "It will also add some trouble."

Rong Ting was stunned, "Sir, this is not good..."

"You are just too sensible."

Yan Nanxun was afraid that he would not want to go, so he issued a death order, "No matter what, on the day of the birthday banquet, you must go with your master."

…

Huai Qing finally figured it out.

It was common knowledge throughout Jinling that Yan Nanxun and Jiang Xingzhou were not on good terms.

This is what His Highness the Ninth Prince took advantage of...

Yan Nanxun is so prestigious, who would dare to stop the guests he brings?

Look at Rong Ting again.

There was a hint of worry in the Ninth Prince's eyes.

But she nodded slowly, "Everything is up to you, sir."

It seemed as if the master's orders were difficult to disobey and I had no choice but to obey.

Be serious and stay clean in the mud.

…

Jiang Rao was called into the palace by Concubine Yun today, and now she is accompanying her to feed the fish by the pond.

"It's your grandmother's birthday.

It is inconvenient for me to leave the palace, so I will give you the birthday gift later. You can help me give it to your grandmother to celebrate her birthday. ”

Concubine Yun stood leisurely by the pond, leaning against the railing, throwing fish food to tease the red and green carp in the pond, and said, "It's a tasseled hairpin, which looks best on a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl."

"Thirteen or fourteen years old...my grandmother..."

"I know it's your grandmother's birthday." Concubine Yun raised her eyebrows lazily, "But the gift I gave her is for her, but it's actually for you."

"Your grandmother is a successor and she is not partial to your family, so why should I send her something useful? Giving her a pair of tassel hairpins and putting on a show in front of outsiders is already giving her a great deal of face."

Concubine Yun snorted, "If she doesn't understand what I mean and doesn't give this hairpin to you as a reward, but keeps it for herself or gives it to someone else, I won't even give her this little bit of superficial respect in the future."

"Come to think of it, the old uncle let my cousin take charge of the household. Wouldn't the woman in the first room be mad to death?"

Concubine Yun smiled and said, "I heard that woman is distributing rice to the temple in the mountains to help with disaster relief, right? She lives as hard as a nun with her hair cut off. If I were not in the palace now and it were not easy to leave, I would really like to take this opportunity to go to the temple to burn incense and see the excitement."

"My aunt just likes to watch the fun."

Concubine Yun squinted at her and said, "It's a waste not to watch the excitement. Although I can't leave the palace, you and your mother can always go and take a look, right?"

"I can't go." Jiang Rao shook her head.

Not to mention that her mother is not as spoiled as her aunt, who does things without considering the consequences and only cares about her own happiness.

"The household expenses suddenly fell into my mother's hands. She has been so busy this month that she has been busy all the time." Jiang Rao threw away the fish food in her hand and took a new one from the little palace maid. "I have to help her with the birthday banquet. How can I have time to go to the temple to burn incense?"

"You know how to help your mother. You are a good boy." Concubine Yun smiled and glanced at Jiang Rao. The more she looked, the happier she became. "Who knows, in the end, the Ning'an Marquis' Mansion may fall into the hands of your father. Then your cousin will be very busy."

"My father would definitely not want to."

Just as Concubine Yun was about to say something, a group of people came over from the other side of the pond.

It was Empress Jiahe, surrounded by palace maids, walking towards this side.

She said in a coquettish voice: "Noble Concubine Yun is so leisurely and leisurely, watching the fish here."

Concubine Yun had never liked giving face to Empress Jiahe. Her face fell and she reluctantly pulled Jiang Rao and bowed to Empress Jiahe according to palace rules.

Jiang Rao's previous visits to the palace

I had only seen Empress Jiahe from afar a few times during the palace banquet, and today was the first time I was so close to her.

Seeing this hypocritical woman smiling in front of her, she felt terrified. Thinking of the viciousness of this woman and the suffering Rong Ting had gone through, she felt a sense of blockage in her heart.

Empress Jiahe looked at Jiang Rao for a long time and slowly spoke, "Noble Concubine Yun, this is your little niece, right? Look at her exquisite figure, she is such a pretty girl."

But I felt a little sour in my heart.

It's all reincarnation, why are some people born with looks that are so much better than others?

Qin Yun was, and so was her niece.

A good color that confuses people.

By then, it will be easy for her to marry into a good family, and she will become a help to the Qin and Jiang families.

"Is this the fourth Miss Jiang from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion?" she asked again.

Concubine Yun looked at Empress Jiahe warily, thinking that she seemed to have some hidden meaning in her words, and gently pulled Jiang Rao behind her, "Yes."

"As expected, the little girl has a good figure, but judging from her manners... I know she hasn't stayed in Jinling for a long time." Empress Jiahe said in a gentle and instructive tone, "Since Concubine Yun is good at feeding fish, why not teach her a little more?"

If word got out that she was criticized for her manners by the queen of a country, she would be laughed at by other noble ladies in Jinling.

If people exaggerate the story and spread it for too long, your marriage may be delayed.

Concubine Yun chuckled, "My niece's manners were taught by her mother Qin Qingshan. I was also taught by my cousin Qingshan. Is the Queen dissatisfied?"

"Even the Emperor says that my manners are the most dignified in the palace. What, Queen, is trying to criticize the Emperor's taste?"

Of course, Empress Jiahe could not admit that something like criticizing Emperor Zhaowu's taste was wrong.

"The Queen was dazzled just now, wasn't she?" Concubine Yun said, not wanting to give up until she got an explanation. "Please take a closer look. Is there anything wrong with my niece's manners?"

Seeing that Empress Jiahe was silent, she said disdainfully, "The Empress can't see it, how about I ask the Emperor to judge for me?"

Empress Jiahe was just finding fault with everything.

Even if Jiang Rao was not in Jinling, she had Jiang Qinshi to teach her, so her manners were impeccable.

She traveled around and saw different scenery. Her eyes had a rare clarity and brightness. Her pretty face was so attractive that people couldn't take their eyes off her as long as she put on a little makeup.

When Empress Jiahe heard that Concubine Yun wanted to invite Emperor Zhaowu, she hesitated a little.

Other concubines may not have

Although he had the ability to invite Emperor Zhaowu, Qin Yun was different!

She could only grit her teeth and admit her mistake: "I was wrong."

Concubine Yun was slightly satisfied.

However, it's too early for her to give up.

Just now, Concubine Yun was just a beautiful woman who was enjoying a peaceful life feeding fish. Now, she was arrogant, with bright red lips and cold eyes. "Then take a closer look. Is she just pretty?"

"She is very pretty, isn't she?" Concubine Yun said with a smile, "She is prettier than I was when I was young."

"Oh, I forgot." Concubine Yun paused, then suddenly smiled more coquettishly, "In front of the Empress, I am also young, how could I say what I just said and make you unhappy."

Pretending to blame herself, she shrank her head artificially, "The Queen will not punish me, will she?"

How dare Empress Jiahe punish her?

If she was punished, she would definitely whimper and whisper in Emperor Zhaowu's ear again, trying to get back every bit of the injustice she had suffered.

She didn't know how many times she had suffered such a loss.

Empress Jiahe was irritated by her few words, but she could not vent her anger. She smiled faintly, pinched her palms, and swallowed her hatred. "It was unintentional for Concubine Yun to make a mistake. It's nothing. How could I be the kind of unreasonable person?"

"The Queen is truly magnanimous." Concubine Yun smiled with narrowed eyes.

Just as Empress Jiahe had stared at Jiang Rao just now, she stared at Empress Jiahe closely, looking her up and down, then pursed her lips and smiled, praising: "Empress, your plain blue dress is really beautiful."

Empress Jiahe was a little proud, and her smile deepened. "The cloth was given by the Emperor, and the clothes were made by the most skilled dressmaker in the palace, so they are naturally beautiful."

Concubine Yun nodded frequently, without any envy or jealousy in her eyes as Empress Jiahe expected.

On the contrary, the deepening smile on the queen's face made her realize that the queen cared about her appearance.

She curled her lips and smiled wickedly.

Since Queen Jiahe cares, she knows what to say.

"Yes, the maid who made the dress is very skillful. The dress she made can just cover up the flaws in your figure. The emperor also has a good eye. The color of the material is plain and most suitable for your age."

Queen Jiahe: “…”

She said that it was impossible for Qin Yun to say anything good.

This is a mockery of her poor figure and age.

The smile on Empress Jiahe's face faded and she looked at Concubine Yun.

Concubine Yun showed no fear at all and raised her chin slightly.

Let your face, which can easily outshine all the beauties in the harem,

Everything was revealed before Empress Jiahe's eyes.

She has a charming smile, and looks like she is relying on her beauty to commit a crime, with an expression that says "what can you do to me?"

Empress Jiahe touched her chest.

After only a few moments with Concubine Yun, she was already unable to control her temper.

Originally, he wanted to get some information out of Concubine Yun, but now he was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be pissed off to death.

Empress Jiahe said in a slightly cold voice, "I have to go back to take care of the affairs of the harem, so I will not stay here to accompany you to appreciate the flowers and feed the fish."

As soon as Concubine Yun heard this, she knew that Empress Jiahe wanted to show off to her the power to control the harem, which she had and she didn't.

But she doesn't care about those.

How nice it would be to be a favored concubine who does nothing but act capriciously and do whatever she wants and say whatever she wants.

She blinked her eyes, stared at Empress Jiahe's back, and sighed sadly, "Empress, listen to your sister's advice. You have worked so hard for the entire harem, you should take better care of yourself. Look at your back, your hair has turned gray."

"Unlike me, I don't have anything to worry about every day. I spend a lot of time enjoying flowers and feeding fish. I am in a good mood and I don't age very well. The emperor treats me like a young and ignorant girl. It's so annoying."

The voice sounded so sincere that Empress Jiahe slipped and almost fell.

I cursed in my heart: Shameless

Another voice came from behind, "Empress, please be careful with your manners."

Empress Jiahe was so embarrassed that she couldn't speak. She raised her hand with the pointed gold finger guard, stroked the hair behind her head, and walked away with slightly untidy steps.

After the queen left, Concubine Yun was so happy that she couldn't help herself. "What's the point of being dignified and virtuous? You can't even lose your temper. Sooner or later, you will get angry to death."

However, when Concubine Yun saw Jiang Rao frowning slightly, she asked worriedly, "Does Niannian feel that my aunt is a little rude?"

Jiang Rao shook her head, "No."

Her aunt's bold and reckless behavior was entirely due to the protection of someone behind her. Since her life was not in danger, she was able to embarrass the queen just now...

Jiang Rao lowered her eyes, and she felt refreshed.

It was as if she was letting out a sigh of relief for the child hiding behind the tree in her dream, and the boy who grew up to have scars on his body.

But, it’s not enough.

She looked in the direction where Empress Jiahe had left, with a hint of worry between her brows, "Why did the Empress come here on purpose?"

Concubine Yun threw some fish food into the pond and raised her mouth, "You are just asking for trouble."

Jiang Rao frowned and recalled the look Queen Jiahe gave her just now, but she felt something was wrong.

When her aunt criticized Lao Huan in person, she was able to maintain a decent smile and not get angry at all. A woman with such deep scheming would never come here just to make herself unhappy as her aunt said.

She had a keen intuition in her heart, "Why do I feel... like she knows something?"