Chapter 105: Are you here to borrow money?
Before dawn on the first day of the New Year, the rumbling sound of firecrackers could be heard from one end of the street to the other, making the scene extremely lively.
When Jiang Lan woke up in Qi Wuhan's arms, she heard the sound of firecrackers coming from outside the gate.
Steward Shi also had people set off firecrackers to ward off evil spirits and welcome good fortune, hoping that the new year would be prosperous and everything would be auspicious.
Jiang Lan knew that she had to go to the palace to pay New Year's greetings to the Emperor and the Empress today, so she prepared to get up as soon as she woke up, without staying in his arms for a while as usual.
"It's still early, sleep a little longer." Qi Wuhan gently pressed her back into his arms, resting his chin on her head and rubbing it affectionately for a few times. Jiang Lan pulled her head off his chest again and kissed him on the cheek, "It will be late if you sleep any longer."
Qi Wuhan raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows, looking like he didn't want to get up. Jiang Lan lowered her head and kissed him on the face again, then called Qing'er and Gui'er in.
After washing and dressing up, Jiang Lan was afraid that it was getting late and prepared to go out directly. Qi Wuhan couldn't persuade her, so he asked someone to pack breakfast into a lunch box for her to eat on the way.
The carriage stopped as soon as it reached the street; someone blocked its way.
"My lord, it's Lord Ji." Ling Feng reported from outside.
Jiang Lan pulled aside the car curtain and looked out. It was indeed him.
I don't know what he wants to do by stopping people's carriages so early in the morning. Could it be that he wants to ask for red envelopes? . . .
"My Lord, may I have a word with you for a moment?" Ji Quan said, bowing from outside.
Jiang Lan put her hands to her mouth and whispered, "Did he come to borrow money from you?"
Qi Wuhan smiled dotingly, there was nothing he could do about her cute look~
Ji Quan twitched the corners of his mouth, with a strange look of half-smile, as if he had heard Jiang Lan's whisper.
When Qi Wuhan lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, Ji Quan just glanced into the carriage, but was forced back by the sharpness in those peach blossom eyes. His seemingly submissive eyelids concealed a cold and fierce look like a vicious dog.
After a while, Jiang Lan quietly opened a crack in the curtain and looked out. She saw the two people walking four or five steps away and talking. Ji Quan's voice was very low, and no one knew what they were whispering about.
She didn't put her ear to the window to eavesdrop. After taking a look, she lowered the car curtain and continued eating buns.
When the curtain was opened again, Qi Wuhan returned to the carriage and the carriage was on the road again. Jiang Lan handed him a bun and asked him to eat it while it was hot to fill his stomach.
"He didn't borrow money from you, did he?" Jiang Lan asked casually.
"He wanted to borrow some manpower from me, saying that he found traces of the Beimo people in the city, but unfortunately he lost them." Qi Wuhan said while eating buns.
Another person from Beimo, why is he like a haunted ghost...
Jiang Lan was lost in thought. When she came to her senses, she saw Qi Wuhan supporting his head with one hand, looking at her leisurely, as if he could look at her all day long.
Whether she was happy or angry, in a daze or lost in thought, she was particularly interesting in his eyes. He never got tired of looking at her. She became more and more beautiful, and the more he looked at her, the more vivid and charming she became.
"He didn't lie to you, did he?" Jiang Lan turned her head slightly and asked casually.
Qi Wuhan also answered her in a serious tone: "It may be true, or it may be an attempt to divert my attention."
Jiang Lan felt that the latter possibility was more likely. To be honest, Ji Quan was not a trustworthy person in her heart. She always suspected that he was the masked man in black that night.
She hadn't decided whether to tell Qi Wuhan about this matter. It felt like she was talking bad about someone behind their back. After all, she had no real evidence, and it was a bit arbitrary to just guess. If the other person was not her, she would just be causing trouble by telling him...
"Xiao Lan'er, are you hiding something from me?" Jiang Lan looked up and met those gentle and smiling peach blossom eyes. Qi Wuhan asked in a half-joking tone, trying to create a relaxed atmosphere and not make it sound like he was interrogating a prisoner.
Jiang Lan neither shook her head nor nodded, but she didn't avoid his gaze either. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk, but she didn't know how to start.
"Tell me when Xiaolan wants to talk."
He held her in his arms and placed a kiss on her hair.
It doesn't matter if she hides it from him now. He will do better in the future so that she can tell him without any worries.
"I'll be the first to tell you." Jiang Lan said, leaning in his arms.
Qi Wuhan smiled knowingly, thinking that his little Lan'er was like a flower that could talk and speak to his heart easily. It was not an exaggeration for him to spoil her to the sky.
…
After entering the palace, Qi Wuhan and other ministers went to pay New Year's greetings to the emperor, while Jiang Lan and other ladies went to pay New Year's greetings to the queen.
The Queen rewarded each person with a calligraphy piece with auspicious words of great meaning written on it. Everyone exchanged their calligraphy pieces to see what each other had written. Only Jiang Lan seemed to be excluded. No one looked at hers. Instead, they all looked at Princess Pingyang's calligraphy piece and gathered around her to compliment her.
Maybe it was because she was in front of the Queen, but the wife of the Marquis of Changxing was not as friendly to her as she was yesterday, and Madam Zheng did not approach Princess Pingyang as before, but tried to show her goodwill to the wife of the Marquis of Changxing.
Seeing that no one was talking to Jiang Lan, the Queen came to talk to her, and the other ladies also showed their goodwill to her.
A hint of displeasure flashed across the face of the Pingyang County Resident. The wife of the Marquis of Changxing came up to her and said, "Your second daughter will soon be the prince's consort. She must learn her temperament from the wife of the Marquis of Qi." Then she asked, "By the way, how is your second daughter's zither lessons going?"
The last sentence made Princess Pingyang's face suddenly turn cold. "Your third daughter is at least the daughter of a marquis, how can she not be compared to the daughter of a fourth-rank official?"
Princess Pingyang sneered, and the wife of Marquis Changxing also sneered.
"Although my daughter is not the most talented girl in the capital, she has been studying in a private school since she was young. She has specially hired teachers to teach her in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She is no worse than others." If Madam Zheng had pretended not to hear it before, but Zheng Qian'er almost died at the hands of Cui Jingshu and suffered such a great crime, it would be really cowardly for her as a mother to swallow her anger. Now that the marriage has been decided and the emperor has made his promise, she will be the mother-in-law of the prince in the future. There is no need for her to be so humble and subservient.
"Yes, they are all ladies from noble families who are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. They are pure and innocent girls. How could they be fake?" The wife of Marquis Changxing said the last two sentences with obvious sarcasm.
Princess Pingyang warned with a stern expression, "Don't let me tell your Dalang's good deeds in front of so many people."
The wife of Marquis Changxing's expression changed, she snorted coldly and fell silent.
Jiang Lan saw that the two of them ignored each other and seemed to have broken up. She thought that the friendship between these noble ladies was as fragile as tofu and could be broken at any time.
Afterwards, the Queen asked Princess Pingyang and the wife of Marquis Changxing to stay and talk for a while, and Jiang Lan and the other ladies took their leave first.
Jiang Lan thought the Queen had probably kept the two of them to reconcile. Previously, Cui Jingshu and Gu Xuan'er had always been equally attired at banquets. Now that one was set to become the Crown Prince's consort and the other had been passed over, the Marquis of Changxing must be feeling somewhat unhappy. If the Emperor had arranged for Gu Xuan'er to marry Prince An, the two would surely have been as close as sisters again...
Thinking of Prince An's marriage, Jiang Lan felt a little strange. It seemed that the emperor was confident in letting Prince Fu marry the general's mansion, but was not confident in letting Prince An marry the marquis's mansion, so the marriage chosen for Prince An was neither high nor low.
Could it be that His Majesty is afraid of Prince An?
Is it because Prince An and Prince Rui have a good relationship, and His Majesty is afraid that if they join forces they will threaten the Crown Prince's position, or is there another reason?
As Jiang Lan was thinking this, a lively and innocent "Sister Jiang" interrupted her thoughts.
Changle ran over quickly and grabbed Jiang Lan's hand, "Sister Jiang, come sit with me. I have something to tell you." Before Jiang Lan could answer, she pulled her away.
"When I was a kid, Brother Wu Han climbed up there to pick fruit for me and even picked up a kite for me." On the way, Chang Le pointed to a tall jujube tree and pointed to the rockery in front. "One time, I climbed up there and couldn't get down. Brother Wu Han found me and carried me down."
"The princess must have loved the marquis very much when she was a child." Jiang Lan said with a smile.
Changle quickly explained, "Sister Jiang, please don't misunderstand me. I won't steal Brother Wuhan from you. You're both married, and Sister Jiang is the wife that Brother Wuhan is officially marrying." At this point, she quietly asked, "Has Brother Wuhan gone out to drink at the wine shop after getting married?"
Jiang Lan feigned anger and said, "He dares!"
Changle covered her mouth and smiled, "Sister Jiang should take good care of him and stop him from going out and messing around with other girls." She then quietly reminded, "Sister Jiang, you have to be careful with that courtesan. Women like that are very resourceful. Don't let Brother Wu Han take her back to the mansion."
Jiang Lan nodded and said "hmm".
"Sister Jiang, are you pregnant?" Changle asked quietly again.
Jiang Lan blushed slightly and shook her head.
"It's right in front." Changle pointed ahead, "I have a gift for Sister Jiang~"
When Qi Wuhan learned that Jiang Lan was invited by Changle, he went to pick her up.
A palace maid came over and reported to Changle, and Changle personally sent Jiang Lan over.
"Brother Wu Han is really worried about Sister Jiang and can't stand being away from her for even a moment." Changle joked.
Qi Wuhan smiled gently at Jiang Lan, who was blushing slightly, and reached out to hold her hand, "Are you cold?" Jiang Lan shook her head.
"Okay, you guys go quickly and go home to be intimate." Changle waved his hand to drive them away.
Qi Wuhan bowed and took his leave, taking Jiang Lan away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
