Chapter 86: He's good looking
Two days later, the emperor's oral order arrived at the Shangshu Mansion, summoning Jiang Lan to the palace for an audience.
And only Jiang Lan was summoned into the palace.
Jiang Cheng quickly reviewed the palace rules and etiquette with Jiang Lan, telling her to be careful with her words and actions, to think carefully before answering any questions the emperor asked, and not to be rude in front of the emperor.
On the way, Jiang Lan's heart was filled with anxiety and joy, worried about gains and losses, afraid that if she said the wrong thing, the whole thing would be ruined...
When the carriage was about to reach the palace gate, she pulled aside the curtain and looked forward. She saw another carriage parked at the palace gate, and Ling Fenghou standing beside the carriage. Thinking of what Ling Feng had told her before, that Qi Wuhan would also accompany her to the palace, she felt relieved immediately.
When the carriage Jiang Lan was riding in stopped, a bone fan lifted the curtain.
Qi Wuhan smiled at her, his peach blossom eyes looking at her gently and smiling, telling her not to worry, he would take care of everything.
Jiang Lan felt more at ease.
After the carriage entered the palace gate, she gently pulled aside the curtain and looked outside. This was her first time entering the palace, so she was naturally curious about what it looked like inside.
The glazed golden tiles, carved beams and painted buildings are indeed magnificent, majestic and solemn.
When the carriage stopped, Qi Wuhan got off first, then went to Jiang Lan and told her that if His Majesty asked her any questions later, she should answer truthfully. Jiang Lan nodded, her clear eyes looking at him seriously and obediently, like a little bird, which aroused his desire to protect her infinitely...
At this moment, he had a deeper understanding of the saying "Heroes are often tempted by beautiful women"~
After the palace servant who led the way brought the two into the hall, Jiang Lan first noticed the emperor and the queen in front of her.
The emperor was pretty much the same as she had imagined him to be, the supreme ruler, majestic without even getting angry.
The queen was a little more majestic than usual, but still amiable and had a tolerant and friendly temperament.
When Qi Wuhan saluted, he seemed to deliberately slow down his speech so that Jiang Lan could pay her respects to the Emperor and the Queen according to his instructions.
"I heard that you broke off the engagement with the Duke's Mansion, and then went to the wedding and made a scene. Is that true?" the emperor asked, his voice intimidating without anger, and with an oppressive feeling that he didn't show his emotions.
Jiang Lan nodded truthfully, and wondered if she should explain. But how should she explain? If she said she was making a scene because she couldn't swallow her anger, it would be better not to explain at all...
"Then why did you make trouble?" the emperor asked again.
Now Jiang Lan had no choice but to explain. Just as she was thinking about how to explain, Qi Wuhan spoke up and answered for her.
"Your Majesty, please understand. It was Second Young Master Pei who betrayed us and fabricated rumors to slander Second Young Lady. This is intolerable."
The emperor said, "A woman should follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues. How can she marry someone if she behaves so arrogantly?"
Jiang Lan's heart sank. She was afraid that this marriage was going to fall through... She was just about to speak up to argue for herself when Qi Wuhan spoke up for her, "The second young lady is courageous, intelligent, and innocent. In my heart, she is the best woman in the world. Wuhan will marry no one else in this life. I beg Your Majesty to grant your wish."
Jiang Lan stared at him blankly, feeling both happy and touched. It turned out that she was so good to him, the best person in the world.
"What about you? Will you marry him too?"
Jiang Lan was momentarily lost in thought and didn't pay attention to what the emperor said. It was the empress who amiably reminded her and repeated the emperor's question to her. Jiang Lan was deeply grateful and mustered up the courage to honestly express her feelings, "This subject feels the same way about the marquis. I will not marry anyone but him."
Qi Wuhan smiled slightly, feeling very relieved. The little girl finally got it.
"People outside say this guy is a playboy among women," the emperor pointed at Qi Wuhan and asked, "So what do you like about him?"
Jiang Lan replied without hesitation: "It looks good."
"Beautiful?" The emperor seemed a little confused.
Jiang Lan nodded and replied, "She's pretty."
Qi Wuhan looked doting and a little helpless. It turned out that he was attracted by my face.
The queen was also amused by Jiang Lan's honest answer.
Jiang Lan felt a little embarrassed and awkward, and quickly praised Qi Wuhan to avoid letting the emperor and the queen think that she was a superficial person who "craved beauty".
"It's rare that both of them have feelings for each other. Your Majesty, why don't you help them achieve their goal?" said the Queen with a smile.
The emperor looked at the two of them, considered for a while, and said, "It's rare that this boy wants to get married. Then let the Imperial Observatory choose a good date first, and then I will grant the marriage."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qi Wuhan kowtowed to express his gratitude, his voice louder and firmer than ever, as if he was swearing an oath that would never change.
Jiang Lan also kowtowed in thanks, her heart beating wildly, her head feeling dizzy and hazy, a sense of unreality, like a beautiful dream...
Seeing that the Queen liked Jiang Lan, the Emperor asked her to stay and talk to her for a while, and then left with Qi Wuhan.
Jiang Lan heard a voice of "Father" coming from outside the door, and turned her head to take a look outside. The Queen told her that it must be Changle who came, and the smile on her face became even more loving.
She had heard Qi Wuhan mention the other person before in Sangcheng, saying that Cui Yan and the princess were childhood sweethearts and had a good relationship. He also said that Cui Yan had someone in his heart, and that person should be Princess Changle.
Jiang Lan was also a little curious about what the princess looked like. Judging from her voice alone, she should be a lively girl...
After a while, that lively and innocent voice came from the door again.
"Mother~"
When Jiang Lan turned her head, she saw a young girl running towards her with a smile on her face, holding up her complicated skirt. She looked just like what she had imagined when she heard the voice, lively and cheerful.
She has a pretty face, as beautiful as a flower, but the most eye-catching thing is her snow-white skin... It is so white that it seems to reflect light, making the colors of the clothes she wears even brighter.
When Jiang Lan saluted her, those cat-like cunning and smart eyes looked at Jiang Lan once, and then moved back to Jiang Lan's face.
"Are you the second daughter of the Jiang family?" Changle had just asked a question when people from Rongfei's palace came over.
Concubine Rong also wanted to see Jiang Lan. Changle offered to take Jiang Lan over. The Queen said that this was Jiang Lan's first time in the palace and asked Changle to take better care of her.
On the way, Changle first asked Jiang Lan about her age. After learning that Jiang Lan was the same age as her, she asked Jiang Lan about her birthday. After learning that Jiang Lan was two months older than her, she said, "From now on, I will call you Sister Jiang." Then she asked curiously, "How did Sister Jiang and Brother Wuhan know each other?"
When Jiang Lan heard the word "Brother Wu Han", her first reaction was a little surprise. But then she thought, Qi Wu Han used to be the prince's companion in the palace, and Princess Changle was the prince's sister. The two should have known each other since childhood, so it was not surprising that they had a close relationship.
But when it came to how she and Qi Wuhan met, Jiang Lan really didn't know what to say for a moment. After all, the first time they met was when she made a scene at the wedding at the Duke's Mansion... No, it should have been even earlier.
He had told her before in the medicine house that they had met when they were children, and she had promised him that she would marry him when she grew up.
But she still couldn't recall this memory. Fortunately, the two of them were about to achieve a happy ending. However, it would be even more perfect if she could remember it...
Seeing that Jiang Lan seemed to be lost in thought, Changle raised her hand and waved it in front of her, asking her what she was thinking about so intently. Jiang Lan cleverly changed the subject, but she was indeed very curious about the answer to this question.
"Princess, do you know what the Marquis was like when he was a child?"
"Sister Jiang, do you really want to know?" Changle smiled slyly, holding her chin in her hand and thinking for a moment, as if trying to figure out where to start. "Brother Wuhan was very interesting when he was little. He loved playing tricks on people. My fifth brother was so scared of him that he would hide whenever he saw him. But Brother Wuhan never played tricks on me. He even taught me to climb trees and fly kites. Later, when he came back from the battlefield, he was like a completely different person. He had a stern face all day long, and he didn't talk or smile. I was quite afraid of him then, but I'm not afraid of him anymore."
At this point, she sighed again, "But Brother Wu Han is too playboy now. I've heard it all in the palace. He drinks and drinks with prostitutes every day and spends a fortune on the most beautiful girls. Sister Jiang, you have to keep an eye on him in the future and stop him from flirting with other girls."
"I also like having beautiful women to drink and chat with." Jiang Lan said.
Changle smiled, and when her eyes swept in one direction, she raised her hand and pointed to Jiang Lan, saying that was Concubine Zhen's bedroom.
Jiang Lan glanced at her and then looked away. Changle then quietly told her that Concubine Zhen was in favor now and had a bad temper. She had punished a palace maid two days ago just because she hurt her when combing her hair.
…..
When they were almost at Concubine Rong's bedroom, Changle said she had something else to do and left first.
Jiang Lan felt like she didn't want to go in, but after thinking about it for a while, she gave up. Things in the palace were complicated, and no matter how much she thought about it, she might be wrong in the end.
Just like when Changle showed her Concubine Zhen's bedroom, she felt that the other party did it on purpose, but she hoped that she was just overthinking it.
When she arrived at Concubine Rong's bedroom, Jiang Lan couldn't help but think of the royal secret that Qi Wuhan had told her before.
Prince Ning is the fourth son of the emperor. He and Prince Rui are born of the same mother, Concubine Rong. Because he was born blind, it was considered unlucky and he was sent away when he was young. Unlike other princes, he did not grow up in the palace and never showed his face to outsiders.
Jiang Lan couldn't imagine what life was like for a person who was born blind, but as soon as she imagined herself suddenly becoming blind one day, she felt fear and all she could feel was deep despair and helplessness.
But what that prince had experienced must have been far more cruel than she could have imagined...
When she saw Concubine Rong, Jiang Lan felt a little sympathy for this queen.
The other person was completely different from what she had imagined.
Changle had previously told her that Concubine Rong had a good temper, but she hadn't quite believed it. After all, she was Prince Rui's biological mother, and Prince Rui's vicious mouth was like someone who had been fed arsenic. She had thought this Concubine Rong must be quite formidable. Even if she appeared good-tempered, she was actually a dagger hidden within her smile...
When she saw the real person, Jiang Lan found that she was wrong. It seemed that the problem of this lady's good temper was not whether she had a good temper or not, but whether she was in good health or not.
Concubine Rong was dressed very simply and elegantly, and the smile on her face looked pale, as if it was there and not there, and she did not seem to be in good health.
When talking to her, Jiang Lan could feel her softness and kindness. She really didn't know who Prince Rui had learned his vicious mouth from. Thinking of what His Majesty had said before, she suddenly understood a little.
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