Chapter 380 Chatting
The next morning, Shen Wan came back from strolling in the garden. Just as she was walking up the stairs, Xie Jingyu came over from the study and said, "Come with me to the palace."
Shen Wan, “…???”
Why are you entering the palace again?
Although the emperor was very good to her, she didn't want to go to the palace every now and then to pick vegetables for the emperor.
"Can I not go?"
Shen Wan protested.
Xie Jingyu said, "I definitely can't do without you today."
What's the matter that requires her to go to the palace with him?
She always felt that this guy was hiding something from her, and she couldn't find out even if she asked.
The last time Xie Jingyu brought Chen Wan into the palace, he went there at dinner time, and the emperor was dissatisfied. Today is such a good opportunity for father and son to reunite, does he dare not bring Chen Wan?
Chen Wan had accompanied the emperor to dinner many times. No one would be suspicious if the emperor invited them to dinner, so it was only natural for Pei Huaijin to come along.
Chen Wan only wore two jade hairpins on her head, looking a little plainer. She simply changed her dress and combed her hair into a bun again before following Xie Jingyu into the palace.
When the two of them were leaving the palace, the prince just came back on horseback. It was a day off, so there was nothing busy in the military camp.
When they saw the prince, Xie Jingyu and Shen Wan saluted, and the prince asked, "Where are you going?"
"Enter the palace."
The prince didn't ask any more questions.
Xie Jingyu told the prince the truth about Chen Wan's life experience. The emperor wanted to recognize his daughter but could not get her back. Now that she is not seriously ill, she can go to the palace to accompany the emperor more. When she gets seriously ill in the future, it will be inconvenient for her to go to the palace.
Imperial Garden.
Concubine Zhao was accompanying the emperor to appreciate the flowers.
Queen Song came over from the Empress Dowager and saw Concubine Zhao smiling. She was so angry that her back teeth were about to break.
Princess Shouzhen had no choice but to marry into the Dongliang clan. Because of the agreement concerning the Empress Dowager's safety, Empress Song had not yet figured out a way to break the impasse.
The envoys from Dongliang will arrive in Kyoto soon. If she can't find a way to satisfy both parties, her daughter will really be sent to marry a foreign prince!
Unable to bear the thought of Concubine Zhao's happiness, Empress Song walked over and saluted the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Shouzhen is reluctant to leave you and the princes and princesses in the palace. She hopes Princess Xuanning can embroider a screen for her so that when she returns to Dongliang, she can remember her by looking at it."
As soon as Queen Song said this, Concubine Zhao stopped laughing.
Princess Shouzhen has always bullied her daughter Princess Xuanning since she was a child, relying on the fact that she is a legitimate princess and the favor of the empress dowager. How can there be any sisterly love between them? She is just angry that she is going to marry into a foreign alliance and wants to make her daughter unhappy.
Although Princess Xuanning was not as favored as Princess Shouzhen, she was still a princess. It was already difficult for her to embroider a purse handkerchief, let alone a screen.
If it is brought to Dongliang and the embroidery is not good-looking, it will bring shame to the Ning Dynasty and the emperor.
Seeing that the emperor was about to agree, Concubine Zhao said, "Your Majesty, the screen must be embroidered on both sides to be presentable. Xuan Ning is not good at it yet, and I am afraid that she will not be able to finish it before Princess Shouzhen's marriage. Seeing something reminds me of her, and it doesn't have to be a screen. Let Xuan Ning paint a picture for Princess Shouzhen. As for the screen, take your time to embroider it. Once it is finished, it will not be too late to send it to Dongliang for Princess Shouzhen."
The emperor said, "That's it."
A young eunuch came over and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Jingbei have entered the palace."
Hearing his daughter enter the palace, the emperor was overjoyed and said, "Let them come over."
The joy that was beyond words was so dazzling that Queen Song couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
The young eunuch withdrew, and soon Shen Wan and Xie Jingyu came over.
Xie Jingyu held a painting in his hand and presented it to the emperor.
Eunuch An unfolded the painting and showed it to the emperor.
Concubine Zhao and Queen Song did not leave. Concubine Zhao praised the painting highly, "They say a painting is like its author. This painting is magnificent and has some of the character of the Prince of Jingbei."
Queen Song said, "Before Imperial Concubine Zhao praised you, shouldn't she have clearly seen who signed the inscription?"
Concubine Zhao was startled for a moment, then looked at the signature.
Pei Bozhi.
Concubine Zhao was embarrassed. She thought the painting was painted by the Prince of Jingbei himself, but it was not.
Concubine Zhao said, "Even if this painting wasn't painted by the Prince of Jingbei, it can't be denied that it's a good one. It's this Pei Baizhi, I really don't know who he is."
If she didn’t know that the painting was painted by Pei Huaijin, Shen Wan wouldn’t know either.
Baizhi should be Pei Huaijin's pen name.
The painting was done by Pei Huaijin, but the signature was written by Xie Jingyu.
The emperor looked at Xie Jingyu, who said, "Your Majesty asked me to paint a landscape painting. I've been working on it for a few days but haven't been able to find a satisfactory result. Yesterday, Pei Huaijin came to your house. He's Old Master Pei's grandson and is an expert painter, so I asked him for help. I dare not lie to Your Majesty, so I added the signature."
The Emperor said, "This painting is indeed good. Pei Huaijin is young, but he has such accomplishments. It is truly rare."
"What place is this picture showing?"
Xie Jingyu said, "I didn't ask..."
Just now, Queen Song had upset Concubine Zhao, and now it was Concubine Zhao's turn to upset Queen Song. Concubine Zhao smiled and said, "If the emperor wants to know, he can summon Pei Huaijin to the palace and ask him in person.
The grandson of the old Imperial Censor Pei almost died this time, and was detained for so many days, suffering so much injustice, but his mood for painting has not been affected at all. This kind of mentality is the most rare. I really want to meet him. "
The emperor was just waiting to see his son. Concubine Zhao had already put the words to the emperor's lips, so how could the emperor not continue:
"Pei Huaijin is summoned to the palace."
Queen Song was furious.
The Wang family could not kill Pei Huaijin, and after he entered the capital, Duke Song and the Marquis of Wucheng could not do anything to him. He was just the grandson of Old Master Pei, but he made the Prince of Jingbei ask for permission for him twice. Not to mention Concubine Zhao, even Queen Song wanted to see him.
However, neither Concubine Zhao nor Queen Song had seen Pei Huaijin.
Eunuch An sent someone to summon Pei Huaijin from the Pei Mansion. By the time Pei Huaijin entered the palace, it was already lunchtime.
Shen Wan and Xie Jingyu accompanied the emperor to visit the imperial garden for a while. Before Pei Huaijin entered the palace, the emperor returned to the imperial study.
The emperor asked Chen Wan and Xie Jingyu to accompany her for dinner, but did not let Concubine Zhao. Concubine Zhao was also tactful and would not go with them, so naturally she would not be able to see Pei Huaijin.
When Pei Huaijin arrived, Shen Wan was playing chess with the emperor, and Xie Jingyu was standing by and watching.
Pei Huaijin walked into the imperial study with a nervous look on his face, not knowing why the emperor summoned him. He felt a little dazed these days. He just had a fight with Young Master Wang and was escorted to Beijing, but he met so many noble people.
When he met the emperor for the first time, Pei Huaijin knelt down to salute him. The emperor had already known from eunuch An that Pei Huaijin's eyebrows and eyes resembled his, and indeed they did.
Fearing that Pei Huaijin would be frightened, the Emperor did not help him up, "Get up."
Pei Huaijin stood up, and the emperor asked, "How is your chess skill?"
Pei Huaijin, “…???”
Before Pei Huaijin could think of a response, Xie Jingyu said, "Wan'er is pregnant and shouldn't sit for long. Let Pei Huaijin play the remaining half of the game with Your Majesty."
Before Shen Wan and Pei Huaijin could react, one stood up and the other sat down.
A certain gentleman has very good eyesight today.
Pei Huaijin, “…”
no.
He met the emperor for the first time today, and he was asked to play chess with the emperor?
Isn't this the treatment only given to favored officials?
His grandfather only played chess with the emperor once.
Shen Wan also looked at Xie Jingyu.
Xie Jingyu stood for a long time, then took Chen Wan to sit on the small couch over there, took a fruit and handed it to Chen Wan, and took one to eat himself, "Be casual, just treat it as if you are in the mansion..."
Shen Wan, “…”
Should this bastard listen to what he is saying?
This is the imperial palace, the imperial study. Even the princes and princesses cannot treat it as their own home. How can they?
This bastard could, but that was after he rebelled in his previous life.
Afraid of being tricked, Shen Wan glared at Xie Jingyu, and then heard the emperor ask Pei Huaijin, "What place is depicted in the painting?"
Pei Huaijin was very reserved and shook his head, "I don't know..."
The emperor said, "You painted it, don't you know?"
Pei Huaijin said, "I saw this while sitting in the prison van while being escorted to Beijing..."
emperor,"……"
Shen Wan, “…”
Xie Jingyu, “…”
Eunuch An, “…”
The emperor frowned, "You have a good attitude. You can still enjoy the scenery while sitting in a prison car."
Did he say the wrong thing?
Pei Huaijin felt even more uneasy.
The emperor wanted to know how Pei Huaijin had been doing in the Pei family over the years, so he asked.
Pei Huaijin, “…”
I was so confused.
It is said that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Why did the emperor chat with him when they met for the first time?
He thought of his grandfather's instructions to him before entering the palace: answer whatever the emperor asked and don't hide anything.
Pei Huaijin answered them one by one.
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