Chapter 34: Birthday, let me try it and see if it is really sweet
"Sweet." Jiang Yueying blurted out.
Xie Yuting chuckled: "Really? I don't believe it."
"What do you want to say?"
"Kiss me and let me taste if it's really sweet."
Jiang Yueying couldn't hold it back, and her ears turned red again. No matter how many times she heard it, Xie Yuting's words were always shameful, as if this man was born shameless.
"Don't be silly, you don't want to watch a show."
Xie Yuting yawned, leaned lazily on the sandalwood chair, raised his eyelids and continued to watch the dispute in the distance.
Qin Wangyou, the fourth prince's consort, stood with her hands on her hips, pressing hard and insisting that Minister Meng produce evidence, as if she would not give up.
Xie Yufan was calmer than Qin Wangyou. He knew Minister Meng's abilities. He was indeed an expert in authenticating calligraphy and paintings. However, he had carefully examined this "Blue Bird and White Mountain Preface" and even compared it with other authentic works of Master Mingzhen. He could not see any trace of imitation.
He has always loved collecting calligraphy and paintings and antiques. He is not like a three-year-old child who doesn't know how to identify them. Could it be that he made a mistake?
It is impossible for a fake to be so similar. His brows were furrowed tightly, as if there were ravines running through them.
To save face, he could only cling to a glimmer of hope: "Minister Meng, you must have seen it wrong. This is a gift my wife personally bought for me from a wealthy merchant. There's no way it can be fake."
Xie Yufan immediately pushed the blame onto Qin Wangyou, clearing himself of all charges, as if the matter had nothing to do with him from the beginning to the end.
Qin Wangyou's legs were stiff and he felt dizzy and dazed with anxiety.
"Your Highness, please look."
Minister Meng stepped forward and pointed at a character in the preface, saying, "There's a dot missing at the bottom of the character 'Yan'."
Xie Yufan took a closer look and found that there was indeed a little bit missing.
"So what if it's a little missing? Can't Master Mingzhen just forget to write it down?" Qin Wangyou felt that Minister Meng was just making trouble on purpose.
The calligraphy words were clearly identical to those of Master Mingzhen, but Minister Meng chose to find fault with them and tried to deceive people by saying something was a little more or a little less.
It's totally sinister!
"Shut up." Xie Yufan immediately scolded her.
"Your Highness..." Qin Wangyou bit her lip, "I just don't understand..."
Xie Yufan's face was gloomy and he didn't bother to pay any more attention to her.
A kind-hearted official explained to the Fourth Prince's wife that Master Mingzhen was notoriously picky and would never allow a single stroke of his handwriting to be modified. If he made a mistake, he would tear up the manuscript and rewrite it. Therefore, the authentic works that have been handed down would definitely not contain any mistakes.
It is indeed difficult to detect that the character "燕" has a missing bottom, and the person who forged it is very skilled, so it is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish it, let alone an amateur like Qin Wangyou.
After hearing the explanation, Qin Wangyou turned pale. It was over. The favor he had waited so hard for was wasted again. He even angered His Highness. How could he have a good life in the future?
How could she be so stupid.
Xie Yufan ordered his men to take the fake away with a cold face. In order to avoid embarrassment, he quickly summoned singers and dancers. A group of gorgeous dancers came to the banquet and danced gracefully.
No one expected things to turn out like this. All the officials looked at the Fourth Prince covertly, retreated to their seats awkwardly, pretended nothing had happened, and continued to sing, laugh and drink.
The sound of stringed instruments and the aroma of wine.
The banquet was lively again, but the Fourth Prince, who was celebrating his birthday, looked ashamed as the bottom of a pot. He had lost face today. After the banquet, I wonder how many people would talk about this matter after dinner.
He had always cared about his reputation, but now that it was completely gone, he had become the laughing stock of those who didn't know his worth. He was also worried about being ridiculed by the other princes when he went to court tomorrow. The thought of it made him furious.
Xie Yufan raised his wine glass and drank it hard, holding back his anger.
Qin Wangyou sat down next to the cold Xie Yufan and tried to shirk responsibility: "Your Highness, the person who sold me the painting must have bad intentions. I will definitely capture him and make amends to Your Highness."
How dare you come closer?
Xie Yufan mocked: "It's all because you're stupid. In a while, I will marry a concubine who is both virtuous and talented. Then you should learn from her and avoid embarrassing me."
"Your Highness...you are still young, why do you want to marry a concubine?" She suddenly panicked.
Qin Wangyou has been a powerful lady in Kyoto for many years. Whenever others complained that their husbands favored concubines over their wives, she would secretly be glad that the Fourth Prince had a clean backyard. Many people envied her for having no worries.
A concubine is not a concubine or a maid, and cannot be manipulated at will. She has held the power in the inner house for many years. How can she tolerate someone competing with her for power?
This is going to destroy her!
"Your Highness, please think twice..."
"Do I need your permission to do anything?"
"From now on, you should go out less and stay at home."
The blood drained from Qin Wangyou's face.
What does that mean? Are you going to ground her?
On the other side, Xie Yuting was eating with gusto.
Jiang Yueying glanced at Xie Yuting who had started eating as soon as he entered the door, and felt a little amused. No matter how turbulent the situation was outside, a certain prince was only concerned about whether his grapes were sweet.
Is it so delicious?
Xie Yuting saw through her thoughts and said pointedly, "See? What's the point of those elegant hobbies? You lose money and buy fakes. You're really being taken advantage of."
"I'm different. I love eating, drinking and having fun. I've never tasted fake grapes."
Hearing this, Jiang Yueying's lips curled up slightly.
I whispered in my heart, you are the best.
…
The next day, rumors about the fourth prince Xie Yufan really spread throughout the court and Kyoto.
Xie Yufan was ridiculed by the Third Prince throughout the morning court, and his face turned blue with anger. He was even more angry with Qin Wangyou and decided to marry him as a concubine immediately.
With time, it would not be a bad idea to depose Qin Wangyou and make the concubine the main wife.
Xie Yufan winked secretly and made plans in his mind.
After watching the excitement, Xie Yuting slowly went to the Ministry of Justice to deal with the files.
Yu Lang followed behind his master and reported: "Your Highness guessed correctly. The fake painting was indeed forged by the Crown Princess."
His tone was full of admiration. You know, Master Mingzhen's calligraphy and paintings are extremely difficult to imitate. Many people who have been immersed in this art for many years may not be able to imitate them so closely. The Crown Princess actually reached such a level in a short period of time. She is truly gifted.
It's really amazing.
"Well, it seems I don't need to take action."
Yu Lang was curious: "Your Highness, I am increasingly confused about the Crown Princess. I thought someone as kind as her would never seek revenge against the Fourth Prince's wife."
"Kindness is a good thing, but we can't just tolerate it blindly," Xie Yuting said, his eyes gleaming with a sharp edge. "I'm glad that the Crown Princess has a kind heart, but she can also take the initiative to fight back against bullying and won't let herself be bullied."
After all, she is a princess from Jiang Kingdom, and she will face many storms. She should learn to protect herself early so that she will suffer less in the future.
Xie Yuting sighed silently, it must be painful when a little sparrow bites someone.
Yu Lang nodded: "Your Highness, what you said makes sense."
"Clean up the mess for her and don't let Qin Wangyou find any clues."
"As you command."
"By the way, Your Highness, Senior Brother Zhou has sent someone to deliver the things you requested to the East Palace."
Xie Yuting raised his eyebrows. It was just the right time.
"I'm not going to the Ministry of Justice. I'm going home." As he was about to step into the gate of the Ministry of Justice, he turned around and left without a trace of nostalgia.
Yu Lang was bewildered: "Ah?"
At least walk around and pretend.
It's getting dark, and the afterglow shines on the eaves.
East Palace, Jingshu Hall.
There was a hazy snow outside the window, and a charcoal fire was burning in the study, making crackling sounds.
The girl was wearing an autumn-colored coat and leaning over the desk with her chin in her hand. In front of her was a piece of snow-white, clean rice paper. The ink in the inkstone next to her had dried up, and a brush was placed alone on the pen holder.
Jiang Yueying looked worried.
Recently, Master Bai taught poetry and songs, but Xie Yuting was not interested. Although she was interested, she could only read from the book, but writing it herself was almost impossible.
After a long time of struggling to write a single sentence, she finally understood why Xie Yuting liked to go out and play. She wanted to go out and practice swordplay right now...
Suddenly, footsteps were heard at the door.
Jiang Yueying raised her head and someone just pushed the door open and walked in.
"I found you, little princess."
Xie Yuting had a smile on his face, and the gold-sprinkled folding fan spun around between his fingers, like a flying swallow.
Their eyes met, Jiang Yueying was slightly surprised and looked him up and down.
Today, Xie Yuting wore a royal blue robe with a moon-white gauze on the outside, a jade belt around his waist, and a two-color Hetian jade pendant on it. The hair crown on his head was replaced with a ginkgo white jade hairpin. Compared with the extravagance in the past, today's dress gave a feeling of both nobility and elegance.
Although I have long been accustomed to the appearance of this guy with a peacock spreading its tail, it seems a little different today.
She looked at him strangely: "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Xie Yuting didn't say much, but pulled her to Nanyuan, then took out a gorgeous dress and forced her to change into it.
Jiang Yueying lowered her head to take a look and saw that it was a cinnabar-colored pomegranate skirt, which was made with great craftsmanship. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with gold thread, outlining clusters of osmanthus flowers. When she got close to it and sniffed it, she could smell the light and pleasant fragrance of osmanthus.
This dress, even its buttons, are made of tribute pearls.
She seldom wore such brightly colored dresses, and she stared at it in a daze, not understanding why Xie Yuting suddenly gave her such an expensive dress. It seemed that there was no palace banquet recently?
Besides, it’s almost time for dinner, why would I need to change into new clothes?
Xie Yuting said to her coquettishly: "Try it on, dear Ying."
The prince is shameless...
Jiang Yueying seemed to be bewitched and actually changed into the pomegranate skirt. When she stepped out of the room, Xie Yuting, who had been waiting for a long time, widened his peach blossom eyes slightly and stared at her intently.
Someone's gaze was too scorching. Jiang Yueying bit her lip uncomfortably, feeling a little at a loss as to what to do.
She has a petite figure and a beautiful face. The beautiful pomegranate skirt makes her look rosy and her temperament shines like pearls and jade.
Out of shyness, she subconsciously lowered her head, and a touch of blush passed across her fair cheeks, like white jade stained with rouge, and moonlight soaking in lotus.
She is graceful and elegant, and her beauty is beyond words.
Xie Yuting's eyes were not concealed. Jiang Yueying was so embarrassed that she had to pretend to be fierce: "What are you looking at!"
"Look at my wife, she is as beautiful as a fairy." A smile flashed in his eyes.
"Smooth talk."
It was getting late, and Xie Yuting hurriedly pulled her to have dinner. When they arrived at the flower hall, Jiang Yueying found that a full banquet of Manchu and Han cuisine was served today, which was even more grand than the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet.
Jiang Yueying was very suspicious. What was this guy up to?
During dinner, Xie Yuting was in a very happy mood and hummed a little tune.
She finished the meal full of doubts and finally came to the conclusion that if someone was being so attentive without any reason, he must have something to ask for.
"Are you trying to bribe me?"
Giving expensive dresses and delicious food as gifts, no one would believe that there is no purpose.
Xie Yuting admitted frankly: "Yes, I want you to go somewhere with me."
You've been so mysterious for so long, just to accompany him to a place?
Where is the place I must go? Maybe it's a place called Longtan and Huxue.
Jiang Yueying became more and more curious and simply agreed.
She just didn't believe that Xie Yuting would sell her out.
It wasn't until Xie Yuting stood behind her and covered her eyes with his hands that she asked doubtfully, "Are you going to kidnap me?"
Xie Yuting didn't say anything. He covered her eyes and walked forward, step by step out of the flower hall.
The last time she was kidnapped, she was also blindfolded, but her feelings were completely different from now. Back then, she was trembling with fear, fearing that the criminals would kill her. Now that Xie Yuting had blindfolded her, she was only curious about where they were going, and her heart was not at all uneasy.
I don't know when it started, but I feel safe when I'm with him.
It was dark in front of her eyes and she walked slowly forward. The wind was cool tonight and made her ears red.
She had no sense of direction and didn't know where she was in the East Palace. She could only hear the sound of the wind in her ears and the man's low laugh.
In an instant, I felt that the other person's low laughing voice was somewhat familiar, as if I had heard it somewhere before. It was like an illusion, fleeting and could never be caught again.
After walking for a long time, Jiang Yueying's legs felt a little sore. She couldn't help but wonder, was Xie Yuting afraid that she had eaten too much, so he brought her out to help digest the food?
Just as I was muttering to myself, the man behind me suddenly stopped.
arrive?
Jiang Yueying held her breath as the other person's hot palm pressed against her eyelids. After a few breaths, the warmth gradually faded away and his hand left her eyes.
The pitch-black vision suddenly reflected a little warm light. She did not open her eyes immediately, but only relied on her feeling to guess that she had come to a bright place and was outside the house.
Xie Yuting smiled and said, "Open your eyes, little princess."
Jiang Yueying slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was a familiar corridor. However, the two sides of the corridor were filled with fragrant flowers. Gorgeous peonies covered the ground, and the pillars were wrapped with brilliant peach blossoms. There were also osmanthus, peonies, pear blossoms, and autumn chrysanthemums. There was everything, and it stretched as far as the eye could see.
Flowers of different seasons bloom in the cold winter, decorating the corridor like a fairy palace. A palace lantern is hung every five steps on the top of the corridor. The bright candlelight illuminates the night and makes the petals look as transparent as glass.
The fragrance of flowers lured Jiang Yueying forward. She was wearing a bright red pomegranate skirt and walked through the corridor step by step, like a fairy among flowers.
Suddenly, her foot hit a bump, her beautiful eyes slightly opened, and she quickly retracted her foot.
The moment she retracted her foot, it was as if some mechanism was triggered. Suddenly, there was a "bang" sound above her head, and petals fell from the sky, covering the girl with colorful petals.
It's like being showered by a rain of flowers.
She couldn't believe it, her eyes widened, and she turned her head awkwardly to look for Xie Yuting.
On the other side of the corridor, through the falling petals, Xie Yuting's handsome brows were softened, and the young Crown Prince raised the corners of his lips and smiled ostentatiously.
The lights cast a hazy golden glow around him.
Amidst the flowers, she heard him say, "Happy birthday, Ying."
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