early morning.
Princess Yanghua sent someone to Chengyuan to deliver a message: "Today, Prince Xiang's son, Young Master Songhua, visited Old Madam Mu and specially invited Miss Chenyu to return to the Mu family."
This young master Songhua was the only son of King Xiang, yet he was not by his side. This matter must be traced back to the late emperor:
The late emperor had no son and wished to adopt a son of his own clan, but then the Zhao family's sons were assassinated one after another. Fearing that his young son would be implicated, the Prince of Xiang sent his newborn son, Songhua, to be raised by the Kong family in Jiangnan.
To repay the kindness of the Kong family, the Prince of Xiang sent Kong Que'er, the Kong family's eldest daughter, to the palace to serve the emperor, but she failed to gain favor. Unexpectedly, after the empress was executed, Kong Que'er gained the emperor's exclusive favor and was promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine. Master Kong used his daughter to rise in rank, becoming the prime minister, and moved his entire family to the capital.
Now that Song Hua had returned, the King of Xiang took him back to his residence.
When this news spread, everyone was shocked. "We thought Princess Yanghua was an only child."
"No, Young Master Songhua is Princess Yanghua's younger brother from the same mother, and the only legitimate son of the Prince of Xiang's mansion."
"How old is Young Master Songhua? Is he handsome and unmarried?"
"..."
Hongyu knew all this perfectly. Because she devoted herself to assisting Prince Yan, she was intimately familiar with everything about the Zhao family. Zhao Songhua was just reaching adulthood and was still unmarried; Prince Xiang intended to arrange a marriage between their families.
This is why Hongyu stayed at Chengyuan. As the saying goes, "being near the water tower, one gets the moon first," she wanted to follow Chenyu into the Mu family and get close to Young Master Songhua.
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After paying her respects to Madam Mu, Songhua sat in the pavilion with Princess Yanghua and drank tea.
The pavilion is surrounded by water on all sides, with wooden walkways on the north and south sides extending across the water to the pavilion. The water ripples gently, and a breeze blows through the pavilion, bringing a refreshing coolness.
Yang Hua beamed with joy, while Song Hua wore a solemn expression, as if burdened with many worries.
The Kong family treated him well, especially Kong Que'er, who was inseparable from him since childhood. If it weren't for the Prince of Xiang sending Que'er to the palace, he would have married her. Now, the Emperor is getting old, and Kong Que'er wants a son to prevent herself from being alone in her old age. However, the Emperor gives her a potion to prevent her from having children every day.
As a result, Kong Que'er was depressed in the palace and often wrote letters to Song Hua to complain.
Song Hua naturally wanted to bring Que'er out of the palace, but he was just a mere civil official, how could he possibly stand up to the emperor?
Seeing that Song Hua looked unwell, Yang Hua already knew the reason: Master Kong had already told King Xiang the truth, and for the sake of Que'er's safety and Song Hua's, he earnestly requested King Xiang to keep the matter a secret and to arrange a marriage for Song Hua as soon as possible.
Therefore, at the request of the King of Xiang, Yang Hua invited Bao Qianqiu, the sister of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to his residence as a guest, in order to select a wife for Song Hua.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. Yang Hua looked in the direction of the sound and saw it was Chen Yu, followed by Hong Yu. Hong Yu was now a notorious abandoned woman; wouldn't it be a disappointment for Chen Yu to bring her along?
Yang Hua looked displeased and went to greet her, pulling Chen Yu aside to whisper, "Yu'er, why did you bring her here? If outsiders see this, won't they laugh at my Mu family for being close to an abandoned woman and offending Prince Yan?"
"Why should sister-in-law be afraid of Prince Yan? The one who is favored now is the Sixth Prince, Prince Lu. Besides, Hongyu and I are like sisters. How can I kick her when she is down if outsiders abandon her?"
"Even if Prince Yan is not the best, he is still a prince."
Chen Yu ignored Yang Hua and pulled Hong Yu to the pavilion.
Although Hongyu forced a smile, she was furious inside. She first bowed to Yanghua, then to Songhua, and said softly, "Hongyu greets Young Master Songhua."
Song Hua stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Greetings, ladies." He then sat down again, his eyes never once looking at Chen Yu and Hong Yu.
Shen Yu stared intently at Song Hua. She had heard that Song Hua was kind-hearted and had adopted two abandoned children in Jiangnan, raising them by his side and even bringing them to the capital. This kind-hearted man, however, had a stern face, rarely smiled, and seemed unapproachable.
Shen Yu sat down with a cold face, while Hong Yu made an excuse to leave temporarily.
A moment later, Hongyu came over with tea and stopped beside Songhua. She poured a cup of tea for him and said, “I heard that you have a hoarse voice, so I prepared a pot of loquat flower tea for you to drink.”
Loquat flower tea? Songhua looked at the teacup and quickly took it. This was Que'er's favorite flower tea, and also his. He hadn't drunk this tea since Que'er entered the palace.
He picked up his teacup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then, when he looked up, he was startled to see a petite woman standing before him. Her fair face was like a white jade bead, smooth and delicate; her bright, round eyes were clear and lively, full of smiles; and especially her thin, red, and tender lips seemed as if they could be broken with a touch.
"cough!"
Yang Hua coughed lightly, and Song Hua came to his senses. He stood up and thanked Hong Yu, "Thank you... I wonder how I should address you, Miss?"
“Just call me Hongyu.” As soon as Hongyu finished speaking, Yang Hua said, “She was originally the Princess Consort of Yan, and had a son with Yan. She was divorced by Yan yesterday.”
"Sister-in-law, let's not bring up the past anymore. Please sit down," Chen Yu said, pulling Hong Yu to sit down.
Hongyu covered her face with a round fan, beneath which lay a face contorted with rage. The reason she had come to the Mu family despite the gossip was to plot her remarriage and become Songhua's wife. Therefore, she had thoroughly investigated Songhua's preferences.
Song Hua felt a little embarrassed and looked down at his teacup. He had thought Hong Yu was the woman he was to meet on a blind date, but it turned out she was the abandoned woman in everyone's eyes. It seemed he had been too hasty. He would wait a little longer. He hadn't come here for a blind date out of genuine affection; it was merely to avoid arousing the Emperor's suspicion.
"Tap tap tap..." Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Shen Jing and Bao Qianqiu walked slowly towards them, both dressed in striking red and green dresses. Shen Jing was poised and elegant, with a gentle smile. Bao Qianqiu was even more striking, with a dignified appearance, tall figure, slightly pursed lips, and smiling eyes; she appeared to be a kind and gentle woman.
Before the two even reached the pavilion, Yang Hua led Song Hua to greet them, with Chen Yu and Hong Yu following closely behind.
Yang Hua grasped Bao Qianqiu's hand with one hand and pulled Song Hua closer with the other, saying with a smile, "I've finally met Miss Qianqiu. The other day, when General Mu and I visited your residence, your elder brother said you went to the orphanage, which shows that Miss Qianqiu is a kind-hearted person."
"Princess Yanghua, you flatter me. Qianqiu simply enjoys spending time with children. Compared to Young Master Songhua, I am ashamed of myself."
Upon seeing this, Songhua couldn't help but praise, "Miss Qianqiu is too modest. I grew up in Jiangnan and vowed to go to the orphanage on official business, but unfortunately, my father Kong wouldn't allow it. So, I want to go to the orphanage in the capital to visit and bring books and food for the children."
"Qianqiu thanks Young Master Songhua on behalf of the children."
Although Hongyu felt a pang of jealousy as she watched Songhua and Bao Qianqiu chatting animatedly, she still wore a faint smile on her face.
Bao Qianqiu is the younger sister of Bao Qianshan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Bao Qianshan and Mu Nanfeng are also classmates and close friends. It is likely that Bao Qianqiu will take the position of Songhua's wife.
Hongyu knew she was no longer a young maiden, and if she openly competed with Bao Qianqiu for Songhua, she would be ridiculed. Therefore, she could only compete with Bao Qianqiu in secret.
She stepped forward and stood between Song Hua and Bao Qianqiu, interjecting, "It's the height of summer now, so I'll prepare some refreshing herbal tea to send to the orphanage tomorrow, along with some fruits that the children love."
Bao Qianqiu looked at Hongyu and asked in surprise, "Who is this young lady?"
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