small gathering
What for?
When the two sisters heard Zheng's question, they looked at each other angrily and spoke their own words...
"Why? Even after we get married, I can't even see you?"
"Exactly! Do I need a reason to see you?"
The translucent colored glass is decorated on the partition in the courtyard. The mottled and brilliant skylight passes through here, just like stars falling on the earth.
This is the scene that only the first royal palace of Yuanliang in Bianjing can have.
Even the Taishi Residence that had amazed Yu Yuelan seemed dim in comparison to the Prince of Bei's Palace.
Qi Jiami and Yi Zishi stopped and threw the person forward. Taishi Zheng's small body stumbled and clung to the railing of the courtyard, like a dried fish. She turned around forcefully, but saw the person behind her deflate again.
Zheng quickly greeted him with a smile, "Sure, sure! Why do I need a reason? Of course not. I just..."
Just asking.
But before Tai Shi Zheng could finish her words, Qi Jiami clenched her fists and interrupted with a fierce look, "Neither of those? Could it be that... the Cui family is bullying you, controlling you, and oppressing you? Is your nosy mother-in-law deliberately picking on you? Or is it that 'pretentious' pretty boy in your family? Or is it their rude relatives who are stirring up trouble! God, I was wondering what's so good about this family... so many people, and such a small house."
"Zheng, tell me now! I'll see who dares to bully you—I'll tear the roof off their mansion."
Qi Jiami grew increasingly excited as she spoke. She grabbed Taishi Zheng's shoulders and shook them eagerly. "Zheng, speak! Speak! Why are you so mute now? Weren't you always so talkative? Speak! I'm so anxious!"
Ke Zheng was dizzy from her shaking, and her round head moved back and forth, and she refused to obey anything she did.
There was no chance to answer Qi Jiami's suspicions.
Taishi Zheng hurriedly struggled to break free from his restraints, then without saying a word, turned around and lay down on the railing and began to retch.
This is good. Seeing Zheng like this, Qi Jiami was so scared that she stepped back repeatedly, leaning against the wall and said in shock: "Zheng, you, you, this... this could be that you are pregnant——"
After Qi Jiami said this, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and gasped.
Hearing this, Zheng ignored the churning in her stomach and hurriedly stood up, waving her hands behind her to deny it. "Impossible, absolutely impossible. And Cui Zhijun is very good to me, and everyone in the Bo Mansion is very good to me. Eleventh Lady, stop guessing..."
Qi Jiami didn't believe it. She retorted, "Impossible? How do you know it's impossible? What if it's true? Do you want to ask a doctor to take a look?"
Zheng's face turned red and she stammered and dared not say anything.
How could she tell them that she had been married for half a month and hadn't even kissed Cui Zhijun on the lips, let alone done anything intimate between husband and wife? So, Tai Shizheng held it in for a long time before finally coming up with something that would be hard to convince Qi Jiami.
"No, no need! I...I...just know—"
The two of them started arguing with each other.
Fortunately, Yi Zishi was clever. She saw the clues and spoke to Taishi Zheng's rescue, "Go away, Qi Shiyi, look at your ability. You're a doctor? How can you tell if Zheng is pregnant? And it takes more than forty days of pregnancy for vomiting to occur. It looks like you probably made her vomit. Come on, this is Zheng's own private matter. If she is pregnant, we'll happily prepare to become her aunt. If not, let Zheng keep trying. Stop worrying about it."
But as soon as Yi Zishi opened her mouth, Zheng's already red face turned completely red.
Tai Shi Zheng simply turned his head and hid beside the partition.
Qi Jiami nodded doubtfully after hearing what Yi Zishi said, but didn't pursue the matter any further. She simply said, "You have a point. As for Zheng, remember to ask Cui Zhiyun to work hard and try to be great—give birth to a little Zheng for us to play with."
As the words fell, gusts of hot air rose in the glass light and shadow.
Yi Zishi sneered and pushed Qi Jiami to the right side of the corridor. "Stop talking! Zheng's head is about to boil if you keep talking. Qi Shiyi, didn't you invite us to your house for a hot pot today? Come on, come on, I got up early but didn't eat before coming here. I'm starving."
"Stewpot—" The boiling head instantly calmed down after hearing the word stewpot. Tai Shi Zheng looked in the direction they left and asked in surprise, "What stewpot?"
Yi Zishi stopped and looked back, "Zheng, you don't know? Didn't Qi Shiyi tell you?"
Qi Jiami shook her head beside her, "Oh no, I forgot to tell Aunt Meng to tell Zheng..."
Yi Zishi sighed helplessly, wondering if she could remember anything, so he told her: "It was the day before yesterday when the old prince went hunting in the garden and brought back a deer. The other rooms were selling it by the piece, but the old prince doted on her, so she took the whole fan of deer steaks. I guess Qi Shiyi couldn't finish it, so she asked us to help her finish it. Come on, Zheng, it's almost noon, let's go eat--"
It turned out that she was invited to eat deer chops today!
Tai Shi Zheng was overjoyed at the response and took a few steps forward happily, leaving all her shyness and embarrassment behind. She happily took Qi Jiami's arm and smiled, "Big Daddy is so kind! This New Year, I will definitely ask my father to give Big Daddy a generous gift!"
Qi Jiami felt something was wrong when she heard this, "Tai Shi Zheng, I was the one who asked you to eat deer chops!?"
Zheng shook her arm off without saying a word, snorted, and walked away with her head held high.
"Eh? Bad Zheng, that's not right. How dare you play tricks on me—" When Qi Jiami came to her senses and stepped forward to pursue him, Yi Zishi smiled and shook his head, wondering when these two would grow up. But then he changed his mind and realized that it was actually not that bad either.
-
Just like that, the three of them came to Yanxi Pavilion in Prince Bei's Mansion, arguing as usual.
Taishi Zheng took in the brightly carved windows, the porch draped in gauze curtains, the neatly arranged collection of valuables, and a priceless juniper bonsai in the center of the house. Everything here was too dazzling. Even the plaque above, inscribed in golden ink, read "Yan Xi."
Feast and have fun, feast and have fun.
Qi Jiami had led Zheng and Yi Zishi here, and they couldn't help but look at each other in surprise. Zheng said, "Isn't this the banquet hall used by the eldest uncle? Shiyi Niang, why did you bring us here?"
Yi Zishi said nothing.
Qi Jiami strode forward, "What else can I do? Didn't she just tell you? Eat the stew pot——"
"Here?" Tai Shi Zheng looked at the plaque of Yan Xi Pavilion and was deterred.
Qi Jiami turned her head in front of the fluttering veil. "Yes, where else do you want to go? To my Wushuang Hall? The scenery there is not as good as here. You know that it's too inconvenient for me and Eighth Sister to live together. We can eat and chat here, it's quiet and peaceful. Don't worry, I told the eldest uncle yesterday, and when he heard you were coming, he lent it to me without saying anything. Even if the eldest uncle doesn't give me face, he should at least give face to the Saint and the young lady."
"Come quickly, I'm hungry too." Qi Jiami urged.
Tai Shi Zheng and Qi Jiami had no more excuses and followed him into Yan Xi Pavilion.
-
In the pavilion, Qi Jiami had already asked the servants to move a round table so that the three of them could sit together and appear intimate. She then raised her hand to invite everyone to sit down, and then she busily ordered the servants to serve tea and food. After the servants followed her orders and filed forward one by one, she herself took a seat, smoothing her skirt.
Qi Jiami propped up her head and looked at her best friend sitting at the table, smiling contentedly.
"Zheng, Sister Yi, how long have we sat together like this? I've noticed that we haven't been together since we left the palace... Although I was extremely reluctant when the late Emperor chose me to study with him at Zishan Hall, now that I think about meeting you all, I'd be willing to spend another ten years reading that crappy book. Sigh, I really miss the old days—"
Yi Zishi took the tea served by the messenger and expressed his gratitude.
She touched the warm cups and rubbed her fingertips, sighing with Qi Jiami, "Yeah, actually, we're all fine. If we want to see each other, we can just call and we'll see each other. But it's really been a long time since we last saw each other, Big Sister... For example, the last time I went to the palace to see the young empress, I said I wanted to go to the Jade Pavilion to see Big Sister, but she was in the Six Departments handling memorials, so she didn't even have time to see me. Sigh, I really miss her a little..."
"Now that you mention it...I feel a little bit..." Qi Jiami sighed along with Yi Zishi.
Zheng was optimistic when she saw this, and broke their sadness with one word, "That's easy. When we have time, we can send a letter and go see Big Sister."
The two sisters looked up and saw Taishi Zheng holding up her chopsticks, her eyes fixed on the stew pot on the table. Sniffing the aroma rising from the pot with the smoke, Zheng thought how happy it was to be able to eat such a hot stew in such a cold winter.
So, on such a beautiful day, do whatever you want and see whoever you want to see.
Why should we regret?
Qi Jiami was the first to agree, "Yeah, Zheng is right. If we can't meet him once, we can send invitations twice. If we can't meet him twice, we can do it three times. We'll eventually meet him! Okay, okay, let's not talk about this before dinner. Let's eat, Xia Laowu isn't here today, so you two have to eat his share together."
No one would mention Xia Bu Yu at all.
At his mention, Taishi Zheng and Yi Zishi finally remembered him. Zheng asked, "Is that so? I was just saying something was missing. Eleventh Lady, you're usually close to Old Five, so why didn't you invite Old Five along today?"
Zheng picked up the deer steak from the stew pot and placed it in a bowl and blew on it. Yi Zishi was also a little confused.
But before she could ask, Qi Jiami answered, "You don't know? You don't know either? Xia Laowu was sent to the Imperial Academy by Xia Shibo to be retrained. Today is his first day of school. Xia Shibo said that if Xia Laowu didn't choose to rely on his own efforts to obtain a good reputation, he would be thrown into your brother's army to fight. Xia Laowu had no choice, he couldn't bear the hardship, so he chose to study. But since Xia Laowu went to the Imperial Academy, he will probably run into the one from your family soon."
"What?" Zheng was surprised.
"Xia Laowu went to the Imperial College?" Yi Zishi was at a loss.
Qi Jiami laughed heartily. "Yes, that's exactly my reaction. I was just like you. I felt that if Xia Laowu were to study and take the imperial examinations, he'd probably spend the rest of his life stuck in the Imperial Academy. I thought he was doomed."
After hearing this, Tai Shi Zheng and Yi Zi Shi shook their heads with regret.
But seeing Qi Jiami finished speaking, she raised her cup and passed it to the center of the table. She said, "Come on, everyone, we can only wish Xia Laowu good luck together——"
Then, cups and glasses were placed against each other, smashing all the injustices.
All the wishes that were fulfilled were hidden in the tea and wine, and everyone drank it all in one gulp and enjoyed it with relish.
However, when the lotus root thread was pulled apart between her lips and chopsticks, Qi Jiami stood up as if she had thought of something. Tai Shi Zheng looked at her while chewing the remaining lotus root, but her mouth and chopsticks in her hand never stopped.
She lowered her eyes, but was quickly called back by Qi Jiami, "I almost forgot. Zheng, I have something for you."
How can I come to the palace to eat and get gifts?
Zheng was a little embarrassed, but she still took a peek out of curiosity. Yi Zishi then started to tease her, "Giving Zheng a gift? Qi Shiyi, I'm still here. You're being so blatant, so don't be so partial. What about me? Do I get a share of the things?"
Qi Shiyi turned around and walked towards the crowd with a tightly wrapped book. She came to Yi Zishi and waved it casually, "This is for you, do you want it?"
Yi Zishi saw that it was a book and shook her head, saying no. But she couldn't help but pull Qi Jiami's arm, wanting to open it and take a look. "But, let me take a look first. After I've taken a look, I can decide whether I really want it or not."
"You are the one who has too many things to do." Qi Jiami curled her lips.
She only looked around cautiously, and after confirming that there was no one behind her, she secretly lifted a corner of the book to reveal a name in front of Yi Zishi and asked her to read it. Unexpectedly, Yi Zishi slapped Qi Jiami after seeing the title, "Qi Jiami, you——"
"How shameless."
Zheng was spitting out the bone and eating it with great relish, not even thinking about anything else.
Until she suddenly looked up and saw the two people in front of her, one shy, the other proud, she couldn't help but wonder: "Sister Yi, Shiyi Niang, what's wrong with you? Is that book a gift for me..."
Unexpectedly, Qi Jiami had just opened her mouth to say "yes" when Yi Zishi grabbed her arm and warned her, "Qi Shiyi, I'm telling you... you are not allowed to send me off."
How could Qi Jiami, such a stubborn guy, listen to her?
Qi Jiami frowned and tried to pull her hand away, but Yi Zishi exerted her strength to control her. The two of them continued to tug at each other across from Zheng.
But the more they did this, the more restless Zheng became.
Zheng gently put down her chopsticks, quietly walked up to the two of them, and snatched the book from Qi Jiami's hand.
After such a commotion, Yi Zishi dared not speak anymore. Qi Jiami wanted to see Zheng's reaction, so the two sisters stopped moving and looked at Zheng. But they saw that the first page of the book had been opened by Zheng. After her eyes settled on it, a cry of extreme shame and anger exploded in the pavilion, "Su, Su...Su Nu Jing——"
Unexpected...
This time, Zheng's head was really on fire...
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