Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The Wedding
The ninth day of the first month of the 21st year of the Yongjia reign
The people all said that today was a happy day.
The winter in Longlin this year is extremely cold. Heavy snow has been falling since the end of the month of Hai. Until today, the heavy snow has finally stopped after many days of continuous snowfall.
The first sunny day after the snow is a happy day.
But today's joy is not only because the heavy snow has stopped, but also because today is the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince Heng'an, who has led them to offer sacrifices to the sky and pray for clear weather for many days.
Chen Qingchen, the Prince of Heng'an, is the only younger brother of the current emperor. He has an exquisite skill in divination and can calculate everything in the world.
He is as his name suggests, a minister in white, untainted by dust, as bright as the moon in the clouds, and as cold as the snow on the branches of plum trees.
Because of his infallible fortune-telling skills, rumors spread in the capital that he was truly a banished immortal from the Ninth Heaven.
Which noble lady could be worthy of such an unattainable person?
"She must be Prime Minister Jiang's legitimate daughter, with a fairy-like appearance and a miraculous healing touch!"
"I think the daughter of Grand Tutor Cui is also worthy of this man. She is kind and talented!"
The people looked at each other and immediately started arguing with each other. Each of them thought he was right.
"Neither!" A loud shout suddenly rang out from the crowd.
"All the most noble ladies in the capital have spoken, but none of them are hers. So who is she?" the interrupted woman asked in a tone of surprise. "Is she a fairy from the Ninth Heaven?"
"A god and a fairy, they are truly made for each other!" She said it as a joke, but immediately won a lot of approval.
"Shut up!" The man who had just shouted loudly saw the noise coming back and shouted again. "I saw that no one went into the mansions of dukes, marquises or earls! No one went to the nobles in the west of the city!"
"Don't keep me in suspense. Where did it go? Tell me!"
The big man took a deep breath and said word by word, "North Third Street, Qianxiangfang."
The crowd was strangely silent for a moment, and then, as if a bucket of oil had been poured into a pot that was not yet dry, it exploded.
"How could it be? Madam Jiang from Qianxiangfang? A commoner?"
"It's so unreasonable to treat ordinary women like this, but why her? She has so many lovers that you can't even count them on your hands and feet!"
"More than that! It's no exaggeration to say they're lined up from the south to the north of the city! There's no other place in the capital that operates as a brothel under the name of a brothel!"
The people who had been arguing fiercely just now were surprisingly harmonious this time, and they all condemned her seductive tactics.
"But don't you think that Madam Jiang is really as beautiful as a fairy..."
This tiny, mosquito-like complaint was instantly drowned out by the noise of the crowd.
The wedding procession circled the entire capital and headed towards the Heng'an Palace in the west of the city.
In the wedding sedan, Jiang Hexue, who was criticized by everyone, yawned lazily and slumped down on the soft chair in a completely unruly manner.
She had heard so much gossip that her ears were callused.
But...her husband has such a good reputation? Is he worthy of a fairy?
Jiang Hexue casually fiddled with the scented beads on her wrist, with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
If they knew that her marriage with Shen Qingchen was just a marriage of convenience for their own benefit, would they be shocked?
Alas, it is a pity that she is definitely not a fairy from the Ninth Heaven. In the eyes of others, she is probably a fox demon reincarnated.
Jiang Hexue chuckled when she recalled the marriage.
-
Ten days ago
At noon, Jiang Hexue was so cold from the heavy snow that he lost all desire to sleep.
She simply wrapped herself in a thin cloak and opened the door of Qianxiangfang to receive customers.
As soon as the door curtain was half-lifted, a luxurious golden nanmu carriage came into view at the corner of the street.
The carriage curtains are brocaded with white moon and clouds, crane patterns are embroidered with gold thread, and the white jade flowers and golden bells reflect the new snow on the treetops, giving off a cool and moist luster in the early winter morning light.
Breakfast shops opened one after another in the streets and alleys, and the shouts of street vendors were heard incessantly in the blue-white smoke.
However, no one got off the carriage to buy breakfast, only the golden bells were blown by the morning breeze, making clear sounds.
Jiang Hexue rolled up the other half of the door curtain and lit the incense burner. Seeing that the carriage was still parked at the corner of the street, he couldn't help but mutter, "A nobleman with unique tastes..."
The layout of Kyoto City is that the east is rich and the west is noble, while the south is humble and the north is poor. At a glance at the car, you can tell that the owner must live in the west of the city. To get to her place on North Third Street, you have to go around half of the city.
The breakfast on North Third Street was well-known in the capital, and servants from prominent families often came to buy it, but this was the first time she had seen the master come in person—and not get out of the car to eat.
A flower farmer passed by with his load on his shoulder. As usual, Jiang Hexue took out a copper coin and bought a purple morning glory, which she pinned in her hair.
Ordinary people also have the interest to add color to their lives.
"Hey, Madam Jiang, who are you waiting for so early in the morning, Zanhua?" Li Po, the roujiamo vendor next door, said sarcastically, interrupting her good mood. "Mr. Zhou from the Ministry of Revenue hasn't been to your Qianxiangfang for three or five days, right? What a pity! You can't just have a concubine whenever you want!"
Jiang Hexue was sweeping the snow in front of the door and didn't respond.
Li Po kept on babbling: "If you ask me, if you want to find your brother, instead of relying on this incense shop to curry favor with the nobles and get information, you might as well go to a brothel to pick up customers! After all, they are doing the same thing. Going directly to the brothel can save you the money of the incense shop..."
"Yes, with Madam Jiang's looks, she is more than qualified to be the top performer!" A customer at the breakfast shop looked at Jiang Hexue and agreed.
The girl sweeping the snow in front of the door is already in her prime, with curved eyebrows, a pair of purple phoenix eyes with upturned corners, fair skin and red lips. Her black hair is loosely tied up with a silver hairpin, revealing a neck as delicate as sheep fat.
A blooming purple morning glory by her temples makes her face even more charming and bright.
Jiang Hexue swept the snow in front of the door and put the broom aside. He still didn't answer, but his eyes drifted back to the carriage on the corner.
This person should be more powerful than her previous target, Zhou Yiheng, the son of the Minister of Revenue.
Zhou Yiheng can’t find his brother, what about him?
"Don't force it. After all, your brother was young when they got separated, and your father is a very powerful man. If he finds out that you are still alive, it will bring him trouble, which is not worth it." Sister Liu from the tofu shop opposite was setting up her stall and comforting her softly.
"I've been on the run for five years. If the Marquis of Zhenbei wanted to find me, he would have found me long ago." Jiang Hexue went to Mrs. Liu's stall and bought a bowl of sweet tofu. "I can't give up."
"My brother is my only relative in this world."
Mrs. Liu did not persuade her any further. Jiang Hexue ate the tofu slowly and leisurely, while secretly glancing at the luxurious carriage out of the corner of his eye.
Four snow-white horses pulled the carriage, and the front of the carriage was decorated with a white jade token inlaid with gold, engraved with the words "Heng'an".
Jiang Hexue was sorting out his identity when the curtain of the carriage was suddenly opened by a white jade folding fan.
A pair of black boots embroidered with cloud patterns stepped on the ground first. Above him was a moon-white brocade robe with ink-and-wash green bamboo painted on it, and a white jade belt with gold edges, outlining the tall and thin figure of the young man.
Jiang Hexue's eyes continued to move upwards and he paused with the spoon in his hand.
The young man who walked towards him had a clear and extraordinary appearance, amber peach blossom eyes, a gentle eye shape, but a distant expression, crimson lips, cold white skin, and black hair that was half scattered on his shoulders.
A figure cleaner than the fresh snow on the treetops.
In the bustling streets, it appears even more quiet and noble, as if a banished immortal has descended to earth.
But... why does this person look familiar?
Before Jiang Hexue could recall clearly, Liu Sao's daughter Ah Huan pulled the edge of her sleeve and made her follow the others in paying her respects.
"No need to be so polite." His voice was clear, like a cold spring hitting broken jade.
When Jiang Hexue stood up, the man was already standing three steps in front of her, his thick black eyelashes slightly drooping, looking at her carefully.
"Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Heng'an." She had no choice but to bow again.
His wrist was held against the white jade folding fan.
"No need to be so polite." Shen Qingchen's tone seemed a little gentler than before.
Jiang Hexue looked up in surprise and met his clear peach blossom eyes.
The vague figure in my memory gradually overlapped with the young man in front of me.
When he was young, the prince who stayed in the mansion of Marquis Zhenbei in Liangzhou for more than a month was actually him?
"Little fairy?" she murmured.
"I hope you are well."
-
"You were the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei, why did you end up in this situation?" After taking a seat in Qianxiangfang, Shen Qingchen got straight to the point.
"After so many years, Your Highness has never come to Liangzhou to find me again?" Jiang Hexue asked back.
"Yes." Shen Qingchen followed her words and answered. "Four years ago. Zhenbei Hou told me that you went to Beixuan to visit relatives."
"Remembering that the Marquis' wife was the princess of Beixuan, I believed it to be true."
"As you know, I've been traveling extensively to study. Before I left, I told you to send all my replies to the Heng'an Palace. It wasn't until I returned a few days ago and saw that the mailbox had been empty for years that I realized something was amiss."
Shen Qingchen could hardly explain patiently. Perhaps because he rarely spoke so much in one breath, he spoke slowly, and his cold voice had a touch of gentleness.
Jiang Hexue was shocked by the shameless selfishness of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but even more shocked by Shen Qingchen's years of concern for her. Her eyelashes trembled slightly: "I have no relatives to visit."
He had old feelings in his heart, so she went along with it, squeezing out a few tears and explaining with a choked voice: "My mother damaged her body when she gave birth to my brother, and the Marquis of Zhenbei favored his concubine over his wife. After my mother passed away, he drove us siblings out of the mansion."
"The Beixuan Rebellion, the former Crown Prince's uncle's life and death are unknown, I..."
She didn’t finish her words, but just lowered her head, leaving Shen Qingchen with a trembling figure.
"He is gone now. The Marquis' spirit in heaven would surely not want to see you shed tears."
Jiang Hexue raised her tearful eyes and looked at him: "I know, you rarely cry normally... I'm afraid that after meeting His Highness today, I couldn't help but feel sad when I recalled the past."
The beauty shed tears, like pear blossoms in the rain, looking so pitiful.
But crying in front of Shen Qingchen was a bit like playing the lute to a cow.
Jiang Hexue squeezed out all her tears, but she never got a word of comfort from him.
She glanced hesitantly at the peep show on the table, and then glanced hesitantly at Shen Qingchen.
Was it because she didn't cry enough for him to feel sympathy for her?
Or is it that this weak and helpless method doesn't work on him?
Is he attracted to the cheerful and generous type?
Jiang Hexue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with an embroidered handkerchief while thinking.
"Do you want to go to the restaurant for lunch together?" Shen Qingchen, who had been watching her cry in silence for the whole time, suddenly asked.
Jiang Hexue opened her eyes in surprise and looked at him.
But after a moment, she smiled and said, "Your Highness didn't have breakfast, so he needs someone to eat with him..."
"Or do you want to coax me?"
Shen Qingchen didn't answer, she curled her lips with interest.
"There are many people who rush to please me. Your Highness has probably heard that Madam Jiang's lovers can be lined up from the south to the north of the city."
"Your Highness, if you want to coax me, what identity do you want to use?"
"Old friend—" She suddenly leaned forward and tapped his shoulder. "Or, lover?"
The author has something to say:
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First book, welcome to grow up [pat head]
A lot of revisions have been made, please refer to the latest version [kiss]
The next book is a sister book, "Why Does My Foster Brother Keep Making Sounds?" The copy is as follows:
"Fake Bone" "Cute Cook x Green Tea Prince"
Zhu Yuan's adoptive brother died when she was thirteen, and his body was never found.
But in the year she came of age, Zhu Yuan went to Kyoto with her father and happened to encounter the princess's carriage.
The wind blew the carriage curtains aside, and she saw a noble and elegant young man sitting next to the princess.
Her eyes were like ink, and the smile on her lips was gentle and shallow, exactly like her deceased adoptive brother.
But before she could even utter the word "brother", she heard the princess calling him -
The eldest brother.
Zhu Yuan then realized that he was the emperor's eldest son, Shen Zeqian.
Never her adopted brother.
From the beginning to the end, she was the one who stole someone else's brother.
-
When he was young, Kyoto was in turmoil and Shen Zeqian was sent to Yangzhou, where he lived as the adopted son of Zhu Zhizhou.
The biggest change in An Ning's life is Zhu Zhizhou's youngest daughter, Zhu Yuan.
Playful and spoiled, she sticks to him like malt sugar all day long.
Dealing with this kind of young lady should have been an easy and perfunctory matter for Chen Zeqian.
However, for some reason, as they spent more and more time together, he became more and more afraid to look her in the eye.
Until that day, Zhu Yuan suddenly had a high fever and kissed him in a half-asleep state.
From then on, her bright almond eyes, round dimples, and sweet soft words frequently appeared in his dreams.
Only then did Shen Zeqian realize that he had never considered her a sister.
Since she's not my sister...it doesn't matter how many times I kiss her.
-
Mini-theater 1:
Shen Zeqian had a high fever, and Zhu Yuan was worried and went to visit him.
Her adoptive brother, who was usually clear-headed and upright, leaned weakly on her shoulder this time, his face pale, and low, hoarse sounds kept coming out of his throat, making her neck tingle.
She asked in confusion: "Brother, why are you making noises all the time?"
Shen Zeqian, who was deliberately teasing her: ...
-
Mini-theater 2:
Maybe it was too cold in Kyoto, and Shen Zeqian fell ill again.
Zhu Yuan made him some ginger and black chicken soup to dispel the cold and fed it to him personally.
But after drinking the poison, Shen Zeqian still held her tightly and refused to let go, rubbing the top of his head against her shoulders, which was even more itchy than last time, and it made her ears burn.
Shen Zeqian secretly glanced at her reaction, thinking that it was effective.
But Zhu Yuan only asked seriously, "Brother, is your head itchy?"
-
Mini-theater 3:
Shen Zeqian finally recovered from his illness, and Zhu Yuan happily took him to see a play.
The handsome young actor on the stage winked at her with one eye, then the other, with such humor and joy that Zhu Yuan laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.
But after a few days, Shen Zeqian actually started making the same expression towards her.
Zhu Yuan was puzzled. He wasn't performing an opera, so it could only be—
"Brother," she asked with concern, "Do you want Yuan to put eye drops on you?"
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