Ling Shumo took the gold hairpin out of the box and inserted it into Pei Jiusheng's bun. "Scholars say gold is vulgar, but I think a gold hairpin matches a beautiful woman. This plum blossom hairpin seems to be made especially for you."
Pei Jiusheng didn't dare to look at Ling Shumo. His voice was respectful and gentle, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. I am very happy to be praised as a 'beautiful woman' by Your Highness."
Ling Shumo took Pei Jiusheng's hand and said, "The Shangshu Mansion is a little far from the Imperial Palace. It's freezing outside. I think the curtains on your carriage are too thin. When we go out, take the six-horse carriage parked by Donghua Gate. I will personally take you back to the Shangshu Mansion."
The carriage that the Crown Princess rode in was called "Wang Qinggai Carriage" and was pulled by six reddish-brown horses. The "six-horse carriage parked by Donghua Gate" mentioned by Ling Shumo was the special car she usually took to enter and exit the Eastern Palace.
Ling Shumo was no longer praising Pei Jiusheng; she was practically announcing to the world that she loved and valued Mr. Pei, the son of the Minister of Personnel.
The position of the Princess of the Eastern Palace must belong to Pei Jiusheng.
How could the Queen not see that although her daughter was standing in the territory of Fengyi Palace and in front of her father, the Queen, her heart had already drifted to Pei Jiusheng.
The Queen originally wanted Ling Shumo to meet the three young masters and choose the best one, two, and three. However, Ling Shumo was obviously not interested in either Chen He'an or Si Jiangzhi. He was happy to give the box with shimmering water on the side to Si Jiangzhi according to his own wishes, and the remaining most ordinary one to Chen He'an.
Chen Hean's right eyelid twitched twice. He held the small and exquisite rosewood jewelry box in his hand and felt that the object in his hand seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
He didn't even need to wait until he got home to imagine how furious his mother and father would be when they heard the news.
His mother would point at his nose and scold him for being a good-for-nothing, saying that all her investments in him over the years had gone to waste.
His father would look at him with disappointment and indirectly condemn him as the sinner of the whole family.
Chen He'an tried very hard to remain calm, but because he was in a state of anxiety, the tassels on both sides of his hair collided uncontrollably.
The sound was not loud, and could even be described as crisp and pleasant, but to Shen Hean's ears, it sounded like thunder, causing him to stagger. Fortunately, his servant Tingyu helped him in time, otherwise, he didn't know how embarrassing he would be in this palace.
Si Jiangzhi walked past him without even glancing at him, as if he was some disgusting trash.
Chen Hean wanted to say, "If he was the one who responded to the Lord first in Fengyi Palace, his answer might not be worse than Si Jiang's.
If Si Jiangzhi were in his position, he would definitely be interrupted by Pei Jiusheng's beauty, just like him.
But Shen Hean said nothing in the end.
He forced himself to be dignified and calm as he boarded the Shen family's carriage. Before the carriage curtain was completely lowered, his eyes could no longer suppress the moisture.
Two lines of tears fell from the corners of He An's eyes. Tingyu hurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe her son's tears.
The carriage sped all the way to the general's mansion.
Tingyu whispered, "Sir, please stop crying. If the general and his wife see you like this, they'll be even more furious."
Seeing that Chen Hean's face was still full of depression, Tingyu had no choice but to put a veil on him.
Shen Hean walked into the mansion.
The housekeeper was waiting for Shen Hean at the second gate, "Second Master, the general and his wife are waiting for you in the main courtyard."
Shen Hean took several deep breaths before stepping into Guanlan Courtyard.
Before he could say anything, the great general, Shen Qiaoxi, slapped him in the face. "Who are you showing this mournful expression to? Your behavior in Fengyi Palace today really embarrassed your father and me. I'm going to the morning court tomorrow and I won't be able to raise my head when I see my colleagues. Do you know that?"
Mrs. Li sighed deeply. "He An, your father doesn't want to scold you, but what you said and did today was truly outrageous."
By the end of her speech, Li's voice, soft on the surface, could no longer be maintained, becoming shrill. "Your mother and I have repeatedly urged you to behave well in front of the Lord, the Empress, and Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Even if you can't come out on top, at least you can't be last."
Shen Hean knelt on the ground listening to the lecture, his head lowered, not daring to defend himself.
Tingyu knelt behind Shen Hean, feeling really unfair.
The wife said, "What the young master said and did today was truly outrageous." However, the general and the wife had no way of knowing what had happened in Fengyi Palace. They only knew from the attendant who had followed the young master into the palace that he had taken the ordinary box.
The general and his wife didn't care what happened in the middle. They only saw the result and then scolded the young master.
The Great General's voice was extremely cold. "Come here, lock the Second Young Master in the ancestral hall and make him kneel. If he still has any shame, he should be unable to eat or sleep in front of the tablets of our ancestors."
"Unable to swallow food" means that no food or water is allowed to be delivered to Shen He'an, and "unable to sleep all night" also has a literal meaning, which means that the servants are required to watch over Shen He'an and prevent him from sleeping.
After the Great General of the Nation said this, no one, whether it was Li, Shen Hean, or the servants in the room, showed the slightest shock.
In the past, if Chen Hean's piano scores were not remembered correctly or his pictures were not realistic, he would be locked up in the ancestral hall and forced to reflect on himself in front of his ancestors.
Kneeling in the ancestral hall has long been a common occurrence for Shen Hean.
…
Imperial Palace.
Donghuamen.
Shi Qi lifted the curtain of the six-horse carriage.
Pei Jiusheng originally thought that Ling Shumo would help him onto the carriage herself. He had already stretched out his hand, but Ling Shumo went around his left hand and directly picked him up sideways.
Even until Ling Shumo carried him into the carriage and his feet stepped on the soft carpet, his mind was still in a daze. In his entire life, he had never spoken more than three sentences to a woman outside his family.
Although he was determined to marry Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess, the official status had not yet been confirmed. For Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess to be so close to him was really... really against etiquette and too embarrassing.
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