Chapter 8 His wife shouldn't have been her...
Marquis of Dingbei?
An Xiangru felt the pain on his face intensify, and he could no longer hold the wine cup steady, his clothes stained with wine.
Everyone in the hall turned their gaze toward the maid in the center, seemingly doubting the veracity of her words.
Despite the puzzled looks from the crowd, the maid remained completely calm.
With a slight smile, Grand Princess Yongqing put down her wine cup.
She straightened her posture slightly and said with a light smile, "Since the Marquis of Dingbei has arrived, why don't you come in?"
Upon hearing these words from the Grand Princess Yongqing, everyone seemed to awaken from a dream.
The heir of the Marquis of Dingbei has passed away, and now only Pei Lin and Pei Ning remain as the direct descendants of the Marquis of Dingbei.
The answer to who this Marquis of Dingbei is is obvious.
Everyone sat up straight, their expressions becoming slightly solemn.
He looked down at the ground.
Wen Lingzheng's tightly furrowed brows trembled.
She clearly remembered that Pei Lin Cheng Jue was supposed to arrive half a month later, but now it's happening earlier?
besides……
Princess Yongqing was the Emperor's aunt and, due to the late Emperor's dying wish, enjoyed the Emperor's great trust.
She must have known about Pei Lin inheriting the title of Marquis of Dingbei long ago. Was she letting Luo Xu and An Xiangru make such a scene to test the various families?
Wen Lingzheng's heart sank.
The way to govern is nothing more than the two words "balance and control".
The downfall of a subject is nothing more than the phrase "too much merit."
In the warm spring sunshine of March, the peach branches sway gently, and several clusters of blossoms fall to the ground.
The bells under the eaves rang out crisply, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps coming from outside the hall.
Wen Lingzheng's clasped hands tightened involuntarily.
Despite being in a noisy environment, she could still clearly distinguish his footsteps.
That was the sound she often heard when she woke up from her dreams countless days and nights.
The slight stinging sensation as her fingertips brushed against her palm brought Wen Lingzheng back to a moment of clarity.
The steady footsteps grew closer, and her turbulent thoughts made her involuntarily look towards the door.
Purple robe, gold belt.
Just as she remembered.
The gentle spring light came from behind him and spread around him.
The golden light outlined his silhouette, and even the fallen flowers clinging to the corridor seemed to serve as his backdrop.
The wind chimes under the eaves seemed to freeze for a moment at that instant.
until--
"Your Majesty, Pei Lin."
"Greetings to Grand Princess Yongqing."
Wen Lingzheng snapped out of her daze.
She lowered her eyes slightly, as if to look away, but when she caught a glimpse of his slightly unsteady steps out of the corner of her eye, her heart suddenly tightened.
His knee is probably injured.
Various speculations swirled in her mind.
Her rationality seemed to have been compressed into a thin sheet of paper in an instant, yet she stubbornly persisted in the biting cold wind.
Damn it!
Wen Lingzheng lowered her eyes and stared intently at the teacup.
A gentle breeze swept through the room, creating ripples that spread across the teacup.
"Lord Dingbei, there's no need for such formalities."
Grand Princess Yongqing smiled slightly and instructed, "Please take a seat."
The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments rang out again, drifting from the edge of the pond.
The crowd returned to its noisy state, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, and the earlier incident seemed to be gradually forgotten.
Men and women do not sit at the same table at the banquet.
Unfortunately, Luo Xu had caused trouble, so Madam Wu had no choice but to ask Princess Yongqing to keep him by her side.
Luo Xu still looked like a clueless young man, and as soon as he saw Pei Lin, he wanted to rush over to her.
Unexpectedly, Madam Wu pushed him back to his original spot.
The tea in the teacup had long since lost its warmth under the gentle spring breeze.
Wen Lingzheng, however, never dared to look away.
Those ripples seemed to sway in her heart, making her feel flustered and helpless.
A series of noises came from beside me.
Slightly annoyed, Wen Lingzheng suddenly came to her senses.
She turned her head slightly and saw Luo Xu leaning over: "Wen Si, it seems that Brother Pei is looking at you."
Wen Lingzheng's heart skipped a beat.
In her panic and confusion, she only glanced up slightly and saw that the person's gaze coming from across the screen.
A gentle breeze rustled through the corridor, and the wind chimes tinkled incessantly.
She felt like a taut string, her heart pounding like a drum.
"Second Brother Pei should punish himself by drinking a few cups!"
“Your father invited you three times before, but you refused to come. You are really disrespectful.”
The voice coming from beside me was clear and playful.
Wen Lingzheng looked in the direction of the sound and then caught sight of the person beside Pei Lin.
The pear-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) reached to the ankles, and its surface was embroidered with clusters of flowers, making it both luxurious and bright.
Her smiling eyes, curved in the spring sunshine, were vivid and lively, and the ribbons adorning her bun swayed gently with her cheerful steps.
Princess Mingzhu?
With her emotions in turmoil, Wen Lingzheng gently looked away.
How could she have forgotten? If it weren't for that spring banquet, his wife should have been this precious little princess standing before him!
She took a sip of the already cold tea, seemingly unintentionally.
The icy tea went down her throat, and she lowered her voice to Luo Xu, saying, "I don't seem to know Fifth Young Master Luo very well."
Luo Xu took a sip of his wine, still maintaining his nonchalant attitude.
Whether I know you or not is not important.
"It's enough that you're familiar with Brother Pei."
Luo Xucan's bright, star-like eyes made Wen Lingzheng's thoughts wander.
She couldn't answer, but then Luo Xu said, "A Ning has a peaceful nature and rarely causes trouble."
"I have never seen Second Brother Pei protect any young girl, except for you."
Luo Xu's words left Wen Lingzheng stunned.
Maintenance? When was that?
Perhaps sensing what Wen Lingzheng was thinking, Luo Xu shrugged and pointed slightly upwards with his hand hidden behind his back.
The Emperor?
Wen Lingzheng trembled involuntarily.
The banquet hall was noisy, but the atmosphere became a little more relaxed after Princess Yongqing left.
The ladies of noble families mostly gathered together, and their conversations revolved around trivial matters of daily life.
Under the guidance of Madam Wu, Xiang Shi became increasingly familiar with everyone.
Wen Lingzheng hid in the shadows behind, lost in thought.
Wen Lingsheng sat gracefully beside Xiang Shi, every smile and gesture perfectly poised.
As they chatted and laughed, everyone's gaze seemed to fall on Wen Lingsheng unintentionally. They noticed that the young lady was elegant and composed, and their praises were endless.
Even Madam Qian from the Pingjiang Marquis's mansion glanced at her a few more times.
Look.
"No wonder she's a girl trained by Madam Xiang!"
Madam Xiang laughed heartily, and Madam Wu joined in the teasing.
"That's why I say the girl is wonderful!"
"Unlike my son! He's always causing me trouble."
"He was so angry he almost made himself sick!"
Seeing Luo Xu looking around absentmindedly and behaving inappropriately, Madam Wu's face darkened.
She doesn't know what kind of spell Pei Lin has cast on her precious son!
What's wrong with you today, child?
"Are there mountains of gold and silver outside?"
Luo Xu was suddenly grabbed by Madam Wu, and turned around, covering his ears.
"mother!"
"You shouldn't hit someone in the face!"
Luo Xu pouted, looking slightly aggrieved.
It was rare to see this side of the mischievous devil, and Madam Wu found it rather amusing.
"Yo!"
"So you know you shouldn't hit someone in the face?"
"I've really learned something new as a mother."
Luo Xu lowered his eyes. Although he was very resentful, he didn't dare to talk back to his mother after causing trouble.
The back-and-forth banter between the Luo mother and son drew laughter from everyone.
Madam Cui of the Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion couldn't help but laugh and say, "Everyone says your Luo Wu is unreliable, but I think this child is probably destined for great things!"
Madam Cui's compliments made Madam Wu beam with joy.
Although the Luo family was small, it had three concubines and two children born out of wedlock.
She had four sons.
The eldest son was weak; the second son was mediocre; and the third son was addicted to brothels and had been beaten by Luo Zhongcheng countless times without changing his ways. On the other hand, the fourth son, Luo Ci, who was born out of wedlock, was intelligent and was usually favored by Luo Zhongcheng.
Madam Wu sighed inwardly, her gaze towards Luo Xu filled with expectation.
She was not a person who mistreated her illegitimate children, but as a mother, how could she want her own children to fall behind others for the rest of their lives?
"Greetings to Mother."
"Greetings to all the ladies."
The visitor was Zheng Kaique, the eldest grandson of the Minister of Personnel.
His gentle and refined manners and impeccable manners made Madam Wu envious, and she couldn't help but admire how well his mother, Madam Lü, had raised him.
"Luo Congping!"
"Would you like to come play polo with us at Jinghua Garden?"
"Princess Mingzhu is going too!"
Princess Yongqing loved polo in her youth, so after the late emperor ascended the throne, he granted her a special field next to her residence, which he named Jinghua Garden.
Luo Xu's eyes lit up.
He turned his head dejectedly and looked at Madam Wu: "Mother..."
Luo Xu's drawn-out "Mother" revealed his obvious thoughts, which made Madam Wu chuckle.
She turned to look at the Xiang family and smiled.
"Should we let Sister Sheng and Sister Zheng go and see for themselves?"
Before Xiang could respond, Luo Xu chimed in, "Yes, yes! Let Miss Wen come with us!"
Madam Wu glanced at Luo Xu with some suspicion.
Why are you being so attentive to this girl when it's the first time you've met her?
Recalling Wen Lingzheng's act of spilling wine earlier, Madam Wu's mind raced with thoughts.
This brat doesn't even listen to his mother, how could he...
With the example of Young Master Luo before her, Madam Wu had no choice but to be vigilant.
Xiang's smile eased the awkward atmosphere: "In that case, Sheng'er and Zheng'er should go and take a look too!"
"But I'll have to ask my cousin to bring my sons Zhen and Rui along too."
Xiang's address of "cousin" lowered Wu's guard slightly.
Yes.
Logically speaking, Luo Xu and Xiang Shi are cousins, but Luo Xu is a generation younger than Zheng Jie'er!
While inwardly lamenting her own suspicious nature, Madam Wu did not forget to warn Luo Xu: "You mustn't cause any trouble!"
Luo Xu readily agreed, and as he stood up, he asked, "Will Second Brother Pei be coming with us?"
Zheng Kaique: "Of course."
She wanted to refuse, but when Wen Lingzheng heard Zheng Kaique's words, she couldn't help but get up with Wen Lingsheng.
I couldn't refuse either way, so I decided to go anyway!
Wen Lingzheng's excuse was so plausible that she even fooled herself for a moment.
Jinghua Garden is located on the east side of the Grand Princess's Mansion, separated only by a wall.
From afar, Wen Lingzheng could hear the sound of horses' hooves.
Luo Xu was a very outgoing person.
At this moment, he was holding Zheng Kaique with one hand and Wen Shizhen with the other, while also chatting with Wen Shirui from time to time.
The Wen sisters followed behind at a leisurely pace.
Wen Lingsheng walked beside Wen Lingzheng, and the usually dignified woman seemed somewhat uneasy at this moment.
The literary style flourished in Jiangnan.
Although there were many banquets, they mainly consisted of appreciating flowers and scenery, and reciting poems and songs.
Therefore, the polo club was both novel and extremely unfamiliar to Wen Lingsheng.
Fourth Sister.
Do you know how to play polo?
Turning her head, she met Wen Lingsheng's eyes, which were reflecting the morning light, and Wen Lingzheng's drifting thoughts were pulled back a little.
Having guessed Wen Lingsheng's thoughts, she leaned slightly closer to Wen Lingsheng and said softly, "I know a little."
Wen Lingsheng was somewhat surprised, but after the surprise came a helpless sigh: "But I don't know how at all..."
Wen Lingzheng shook her head slightly and said, "It's alright."
"We'll just observe today, and I'll teach you later."
The whispers of the Wen sisters did not reach the ears of the four young masters in front.
The crowd was noisy at the racecourse.
Princess Mingzhu, Chen Lingwen, and Meng Yuanqi, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Jianguo, split into two teams, and many noblemen vied to serve the two noble ladies.
Luo Xu and Zheng Kaique undoubtedly joined Princess Mingzhu's ranks, and even Wen Shizhen and Wen Shirui were lured away.
Wen Lingsheng doesn't play polo.
She had no choice but to sit down to the side and chat with the other young women who had also come to watch the game.
The crowd was noisy.
Wen Lingzheng seemed uninterested after not seeing the person she wanted to see.
Wen Lingzheng approached Wen Lingsheng and said, "I'm going to get some fresh air."
He chatted happily with the young lady of the same age, and Wen Lingsheng only nodded slightly in response to Wen Lingzheng's words.
Jinghua Garden is extremely large, with winding covered walkways stretching forward.
The fluttering blossoms covered the eaves and fell in the wind, obscuring the outline of the layered artificial mountains in the distance.
"Young lady, don't go too far."
Yao Guang reminded her in time, and Wen Lingzheng stopped walking.
Sitting on the veranda, she gazed into the distance.
The polo match there seems to have already begun.
Yao Guang scrutinized Wen Lingzheng, unable to fathom her thoughts: "Aren't you going to watch the competition, Miss?"
Wen Lingzheng shook her head slightly: "I'm not going."
"Isn't Miss Wen curious about who will win?"
Suddenly, a figure emerged from behind the artificial hill, but there was a hint of hesitation in the movements that should have been swift.
The familiar voice startled Wen Lingzheng.
She immediately stood up, greeted him, and performed the proper greetings with grace and poise.
Pei Lin inexplicably recalled the sharp-tongued little girl from Yuqing Temple.
She seemed angry.
But why?
A note from the author:
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Happy 520 everyone!
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