Chapter 175 A Small Gift
After bathing and changing clothes, Chen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo took a carriage to the Xiliang Palace together. The two maids Xiao Cui and Xiao Xiang stayed in Jingxin Garden, and Qiu Liming and Song Zhen followed them.
On the way, Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo talked about going to the palace to find Li Wan, and Xiao Zhuo agreed.
When she arrived at the palace, she finally met Mei Cheng, the King of Xiliang, whose name she had heard of for a long time.
The first time she saw Mei Cheng, Shen Yuexi knew what Xiao Zhuo would look like if he ate too much and gained weight.
Mei Cheng was wearing a thick fur coat. He was already fat, and now his neck was invisible. He held his protruding belly with both hands, smiling broadly as he greeted people at the gate of the Xiliang Palace. He looked like a bear no matter how you looked at him.
Behind him was Prince Meipu, wearing a ochre-red robe, with a tall and thin figure. He still wore a mask on his face, but his exposed eyes were clear and bright, not as scary as before.
Further back, on the left, stood a row of military commanders, on the right a group of counselors. Inside the gate, musicians lined up on either side, puffing out their cheeks as they played victory music. It was a lively and bustling scene, like the stars surrounding the moon, surprisingly quite impressive.
Shen Yuexi sighed inwardly: "What a lack of self-discipline, this prince. How can he fight a war if he eats like this?"
She was afraid that Mei Cheng would notice her sigh, so she kept her head down since she got off the car.
Mei Cheng misunderstood, thinking Shen Yuexi was a little shy. He laughed heartily, stepped forward, took Xiao Zhuo's hand, and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince's presence is a great honor to my humble abode."
Xiao Zhuo also smiled and bowed, saying, "Eight years have passed, and Your Majesty is still as elegant as ever."
A counselor nearby, not seeing the opportunity, said, "Your Highness, he has long been deposed by the Emperor and is no longer the Crown Prince."
Mei Cheng raised his foot and kicked him out: "Don't come to spoil the fun."
Mei Pu scolded from the side: "His Royal Highness was framed. Sooner or later, he will be vindicated. What do you people know?"
Seeing their leader being kicked out, the counselors immediately changed their tune, praising the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess as a match made in heaven. They all looked forward to the day when the Crown Prince would return to his former throne, the land would be clear, and the people would pay him homage.
Even the one who had been kicked joined in. He was anxious to regain his favor with the King of Xiliang, and, with his considerable literary talent, he walked while shaking his head, and after only twenty steps he had already composed a fu poem.
The poem is titled "Song of the Exiled Phoenix." The gist of it is: Phoenix, Phoenix, though banished to the mortal realm, it will one day soar above the heavens again. Heaven has sent the phoenix to accompany it, and the two of them will enjoy happiness together, and eventually become the king of all birds.
Shen Yuexi didn't want to listen, she was thinking as she walked:
"No wonder the King of Xiliang was beaten like that by the Western Rong. Even if he had Song Zhen by his side, it would be fine. They are just some scholars who show off their rhetoric and are not worthy of being considered as strategists at all."
When they arrived at the hall, everyone took their seats, divided into host and guest positions, and introduced their staff to each other. The servants took advantage of this opportunity to bring in various exquisite dishes.
This banquet was specially arranged for Xiao Zhuo, but Shen Yuexi had no interest in it. She couldn't eat at all. There were so many rules and regulations that she couldn't eat freely. She would wait until the mountain delicacies Xiao Cui mentioned were served and then she would come back to try them.
She slipped out under the pretext of going to the bathroom and headed towards the backyard.
I promised Li Wan that I would go see her.
Arriving at the backyard, two maids were guarding the door, and there were soldiers holding spears beside them, guarding the place very strictly. Seeing Shen Yuexi coming, the maid recognized her as Xiao Zhuo's wife and stepped forward to greet her, "This servant greets Madam Shen."
"Is Miss Li here? I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with her."
A maid said, "Madam Shen, His Royal Highness has ordered that Miss Li rest and recuperate before the wedding day and not see outsiders."
Shen Yuexi was shocked. Isn't this house arrest?
She had once been held under house arrest by Xiao Beiheng and knew what it felt like. Seeing Li Wan being treated the same way, she couldn't help but feel sympathy.
Now that they were on someone else's territory, barging in by force was definitely not an option. If they sneaked in, they would be caught and there would be no explanation. She thought for a moment and said to the maid, "Can you give Miss Li a message?"
"His Royal Highness simply told Miss Li to rest and recuperate, but didn't instruct her to pass on any message," a maid replied. "Please, Madam Shen, I will deliver the message for you."
We must first know why Li Wan doesn't want to marry Mep and ask her clearly about this matter.
She rolled her eyes and said to the maid, "Go tell Miss Li that I've been here. Ask her if Prince Mei treated her the same way I treated Madam Li when she and Madam Li went to my room that night."
She wanted to know if Meipu had beaten Li Wan in private.
The maid was confused by what she heard, but she didn't dare to ask, so she had to go in and pass on the message.
After waiting until her feet were sore, the maid came out and said to Shen Yuexi, "Madam Shen, this servant has conveyed your original words to Miss Li."
"How did Miss Li respond?"
The maid didn't understand the answer she heard from Li Wan, so she could only repeat the original words: "Miss Li thought for a long time before saying that it would be correct to reverse the positions of Mei Shizi and her in Madam Shen's words."
Shen Yuexi thought about it and realized that Li Wan meant that she would treat Prince Mei the same way that Shen Yuexi treated Madam Li.
According to her understanding, the meaning was twofold: the first was that Mei Pu had never abused her, and the second was that Li Wan wanted to slap Mei Pu in the face and knock out her front teeth.
Mep must have done something to offend Li Wan.
Although I could only get a rough idea this time, at least I knew that Meipu had never abused Li Wan. That was enough. I would go find Madam Li later. She would definitely know what happened.
As Shen Yuexi was walking towards the hall, a maid hurried over and said, "Madam Shen, you have been out for a long time. His Royal Highness ordered us to come out and look for you. We have searched all the dry vassal states..."
"The palace is so huge, it took me a long time to find it."
Shen Yuexi dealt with it vaguely and followed the maid into the hall.
Outside, servants were slicing golden lamb over a charcoal fire, assembling it onto plates and bringing it into the hall. Inside, the atmosphere was hot and noisy. The aroma of wine and meat mingled, leaving many people flushed with alcohol.
Shen Yuexi knelt down beside Xiao Zhuo, picked up the wine jug on his desk and shook it. It was empty. She took another one and shook it, but it was still empty.
"Drinking too much is harmful to your health." She whispered in Xiao Zhuo's ear.
She didn't want him to drink so much alcohol. According to modern sayings, alcohol damages the liver and is bad for the body.
Xiao Zhuo whispered, "I have to drink when entertaining people. As a husband, I know my limits."
The two were whispering to each other when Xiliang King Mei Cheng blushed and said with a smile, "Your Highness, now that you have come to our Xiliang, I cannot do you any honor. I will give you the Pure Heart Garden as a gift. And... someone, come!"
Twenty servants came forward in response, each holding a square tray covered with red silk. No one knew what was inside, but it looked quite heavy.
"Here are a thousand ounces of gold and five carts of silk. This small gift is not enough to express my respect. I hope Your Highness will not despise it."
Mei Cheng said this and waved to the servants. They removed the red silk covering from the tray, revealing a plate full of golden ingots and fine colored silk.
Shen Yuexi's eyes suddenly lit up, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
A thousand taels of gold would be worth ten thousand taels of silver if converted into silver.
The prince's actions were truly different from those of ordinary people. This money was simply falling from the sky. Now that he had discovered the benefits of following Xiao Zhuo, he didn't even have to do anything; the money just came.
No, you can't laugh out loud. Be reserved... Be reserved.
While she was still struggling with her thoughts, Xiao Zhuo stood up and said to Xiliang King Mei Cheng, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Mei Cheng laughed heartily and said, "From now on, we are relatives, we are one family. It's a gift to our own family, why be polite? There is also a great gift here."
After saying this, Mei Cheng winked at Mei Pu beside him. Mei Pu understood and clapped his hands.
Ten young ladies, all dressed in light veils, filed into the hall. They were all strikingly beautiful. They came before Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi and bowed in greeting.
Shen Yuexi's smile froze in an instant.
What's going on? Ten beauties suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It's freezing cold, and they're wearing so little. Are they trying to seduce her husband?
Mei Cheng smiled and said, "These ten women were carefully selected by my son from the Western Liang territory. I hope Your Highness will accept them."
Shen Yuexi glanced at Xiao Zhuo and found that this man was seriously looking at the beauties in front of him one by one before speaking to Mei Cheng.
The lip shape is clearly the beginning of "thank you".
This man usually speaks so sweetly, but once he sees ten beauties coming to his door, his true colors are revealed.
Without saying a word, Shen Yuexi reached out and twisted Xiao Zhuo's thigh hard.
Xiao Zhuo frowned slightly, then a smile returned to his face. He said to Mei Cheng calmly, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Shen Yuexi stood up and walked out.
If you dare to accept these women, you will die.
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