The original general has become the left prime minister of a country, and people's way of addressing Chu Feiyang has naturally changed. But the only thing that remains unchanged is Chu Feiyang's status and weight in everyone's hearts. How can the brotherhood that has been formed over more than ten years of getting along and fighting on the battlefield be erased by Emperor Yu Gan simply by replacing the general?
Chu Feiyang didn't even say a word, but just raised his right hand slightly, and saw that the people kneeling behind General Hu Wei suddenly stood up in an orderly manner, and then got on their horses in high spirits. The coldness in their eyes was completely different from before, as if they were two armies!
Jiang Muchen and Hai Chenxi looked at Chu Feiyang like this. Although they were surprised, they knew that Chu Feiyang's military life for more than ten years was not a joke!
Chu Feiyang was an extremely tough opponent, as he could make everyone still obey his former general's orders so many years after he left. Even Qi Jingyuan beside him couldn't help but narrow his eyes and stare intently at the situation here!
The one with the ugliest expression at this moment was General Hu Wei. In his opinion, Chu Feiyang was trying to intimidate him. How could he lead the troops in the future and how could he intimidate the Northern Qi army at the border?
Since Chu Feiyang did this, he naturally thought about all the consequences, and he also knew that what happened today would be heard by Emperor Yugan!
Chu Feiyang did not take General Huwei seriously. He just wanted to use this opportunity to tell Emperor Yugan that he was not a blindly loyal person and would not remain silent after being suppressed!
This action tells Bei Qi and others not to dream of causing chaos at any time and any place. Even if Chu Feiyang is not at the border, these generals are not useless. They are united and their combat capability will not be reduced due to the replacement of generals!
"What does Prime Minister Chu mean? Have you forgotten that at this moment, I am the commander of the border garrison! Isn't Prime Minister Chu afraid of the emperor's punishment for his actions?" General Hu Wei finally couldn't help it and began to question Chu Feiyang in front of everyone. The sword at his waist had already been tightly grasped in his hand. If it weren't for Bei Qi and others, I'm afraid he would have already swung his sword and fought with Chu Feiyang!
Warriors have always had a pride that refuses to admit defeat!
While his family wasn't as prominent as the Chu Palace, it wasn't to be bullied! Furthermore, he'd been sent to the border by imperial order. He'd normally worked well with his generals and soldiers, but with the appearance of Chu Feiyang, everything had changed. Where would he put his dignity as a mighty general? No wonder the emperor had ordered him here. If things continued like this, wouldn't the garrison at this border become the Chu family's private property?
"I have remained silent from the beginning to the end. I don't know how I have offended the general!" Looking at the nearly fifty-year-old General Hu Wei, Chu Feiyang's mind instantly recalled the major and minor battles in his life, but his eyes were as calm as water, and people could not see the slightest abnormality!
"Is Prime Minister Chu trying to intimidate me?" Even the calmest person would be filled with rage if teased like this! General Hu Wei had been fighting outside for years. Although he admired the fighting methods and tactics of Chu Feiyang and others, he had never actually fought against Chu Feiyang himself. How could he have appreciated his verbal sparring skills?
“General, you won’t forget that you have a more important mission today! If you delay the affairs of the two countries, even if the emperor favors you, I’m afraid the ministers in the court will not let it go! What’s more, this will be recorded in the history books by the historians. If you delay time because of your unwillingness, you will become the eternal sinner of Western Chu!” Facing the murderous aura of General Hu Wei, Chu Feiyang turned a blind eye. His gaze gradually turned to the General Huoqi and others who were also suppressed by Qi Jingyuan opposite, and he spoke with a sneer on his lips!
Hearing this, not to mention General Hu Wei, even the General Huoqi's body trembled suddenly. He frowned and raised his eyes to shoot at Chu Feiyang, with deep anger in his eyes!
"Since the two countries have signed a treaty, and the Crown Prince and Princess Heshun are about to get married, then please ask the Crown Prince to hand over our King Rui!" Upon seeing this, Prince Chen spoke in a slightly cold voice, his eyes fixed on Qi Jingyuan, to see where he would take King Rui out!
The journey to the border seemed calm, but it was also a bit weird. Although there was no conflict between the two groups, they were still making small moves in private!
Qi Jingyuan and others secretly sent people to look for the whereabouts of General Weiwu, while Chu Feiyang, Jiang Muchen, Hai Chenxi and the other two went to explore the hiding place of King Rui separately. However, both sides were foxes who had cultivated to become immortals, and neither of them found the person they were looking for!
"Don't worry, Prince Chen. Since I have signed a treaty with your country, I will naturally abide by every word written in it! But I don't know where our mighty general is now? If I hadn't seen him, how could I hand over Prince Rui?" Qi Jingyuan was also a cunning man. How could he hand over someone just because of Jiang Muchen's words!
"In this case, I have to doubt the Crown Prince's sincerity! Princess Heshun has now married far away in Northern Qi. Doesn't the Crown Prince still want to delay time? Isn't the Crown Prince afraid that other countries will laugh at Northern Qi for not abiding by the treaty and lacking integrity?" Seeing Qi Jingyuan's hesitation in handing over Prince Rui, Jiang Muchen's expression suddenly turned cold, his voice became colder, and the horror in his body was inadvertently revealed. Born in an imperial family, this kind of violent temperament that he had developed since childhood, no matter how he hid it in normal times, would still be revealed unconsciously at the critical moment!
"Why should Your Highness be angry? I know that Your Highness is eager to save my brother! But the treaty was signed by both countries. How can I be the only one to hand over the hostages? On the contrary, Western Chu is breaking its promise! In this case, why not have someone bring out the hostages together and exchange them after thorough inspection! I wonder if Prime Minister Chu and Prince Hai have any objections?" Qi Jingyuan said with a sneer, his eyes quickly sweeping towards Chu Feiyang and Hai Chenxi. Seeing the two nodded slightly, he turned sideways and whispered a few words to the guard behind him, and saw that the guard immediately rode his horse towards the military camp on the border of Northern Qi!
At the same time, Chu Feiyang nodded to the guard behind him, and saw that the guard was also running towards the military camp on the border of Western Chu!
"It seems that Prime Minister Chu and I have the same idea!" Looking at the actions of the guards on both sides, Qi Jingyuan said in a cold voice, and there was a hint of more vigilance in his eyes when he looked at Chu Feiyang!
But Chu Feiyang smiled indifferently, and was extremely cautious about Qi Jingyuan's care!
After a while, the two guards brought King Rui and General Weiwu to the camps of both sides respectively!
"Brother, please take King Rui to exchange hostages!" Qi Jingyuan actually spoke to Qi Jingxuan at this time!
Upon hearing this, Qi Jingxuan and the General of the Cavalry immediately turned their eyes to Qi Jingyuan. They probably didn't expect that Qi Jingyuan would dare to order his own royal brother in public!
What's more, Qi Jingxuan is the prince of Northern Qi. How could he be allowed to do such a dangerous thing?
"Prince, what do you mean? The eldest prince is of noble status, how can he be allowed to take risks? If something happens, isn't the prince afraid of being blamed by the emperor?" The cavalry general was filled with anger, and his eyes were full of hatred as he glared at Qi Jingyuan!
"Only by sending the prince can we show the importance and sincerity of Northern Qi towards this marriage!" Qi Jingyuan said this in a lukewarm tone!
"In that case, why don't you go there yourself, Prince? This way, Western Chu will feel the sincerity of Northern Qi!" Qi Jingxuan's eyes were sinister, and he rushed towards Qi Jingyuan with murderous intent without reservation. At this time, the tens of thousands of troops on the border were all his uncle's confidants. Even if Qi Jingyuan had extraordinary abilities, he would probably be unable to escape. He didn't believe that Qi Jingyuan would have the courage to threaten and force himself when the enemy was numerous and he was few!
"My royal brother, you are confused! I am the crown prince, the heir apparent of Northern Qi and the foundation of the country! When have you ever seen the crown prince go to exchange hostages? Besides, it is easy to hide from a spear but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark. It is possible that someone has already sent archers to a secret location, waiting for me to go there alone to shoot me! I also have to share my father's worries, how can I fall into someone else's trap so easily?" Glancing coldly at the obviously angry nephew, Qi Jingyuan smiled calmly, not taking the Northern Qi army lined up in front of him seriously at all. He spoke loudly with his unique arrogance, warning Qi Jingxuan and the General of the Cavalry with every sentence, and suppressing the two men in front of him with sullen faces with every word!
"Hmph! Among the princes present, there is the Tenth Prince! Why didn't the Crown Prince send the Tenth Prince? Is it because the Eldest Prince and the Crown Prince are not born of the same mother, so he plans to use this incident to eliminate dissidents?" The cavalry general has been involved in the fights between the various princes' factions for many years, so he naturally knows what words to use to fight back against Qi Jingyuan!
What's more, Emperor Ling Xiao is now in his prime and in good health. If the princes kill their own brothers and sisters in order to fight for the throne, even if that person is the crown prince whom Emperor Ling Xiao has always loved, he will not be able to escape the blame. By then, even the queen may be implicated!
If the Crown Prince's party is overthrown, judging by the eldest prince's behavior in the court over the years and his ranking among the other princes, the position of Crown Prince will be in his pocket sooner or later!
After such analysis, the General of Cavalry immediately changed the battle plan he had formulated before. A strange gleam appeared in his slightly lowered eyes. He quickly exchanged glances with Qi Jingxuan and was about to hint to the deputy general behind him, but he didn't expect Qi Jingyuan to speak at this moment!
"My royal brother and the General of Cavalry are not planning to stage a self-torture tactic! Don't you two find this old-fashioned drama boring? Why not let me shoot the arrow, so that the acting will be more realistic!" Qi Jingyuan stared at the deputy general and spoke slowly. His tone was full of sarcasm and prophecy, which made Qi Jingxuan's heart tighten, and a trace of murderous intent flashed in the eyes of the General of Cavalry!
"Since I was able to shoot this arrow, I must have an explanation to my father and all the officials! Today the situation was chaotic. I wanted to rescue my royal brother, so I shot arrows at the enemy, but I didn't expect that my royal brother insisted on not coming back, which led to his injury! So, do you two think that everyone believes me or that you are the ones who made the mistake?" Qi Jingyuan rode his horse and gradually approached the two people in front of him. He slowly told his plan in a voice that only the three of them could hear. The sneer on the corner of his mouth became more and more cold. Such insight makes people shudder, but there is no way to refute it!
"Of course, it's not impossible for me to go! But, if I die by then, my royal brother will naturally be responsible. Then my royal brother will be making wedding dresses for others. I wonder if my royal brother will be willing to accept this?" Seeing that the two of them were silent at the same time, Qi Jingyuan continued to speak!
Emperor Ling Xiao had many descendants, including more than twenty princes. He and Qi Jingxuan were only two of them, and they were also the two strongest factions. If they fell, I'm afraid the others would be happy!
Qi Jingyuan believed that with Qi Jingxuan's intelligence and narrow-mindedness, he would never do such a stupid thing as to make wedding dresses for others!
"What will you do if I go?" Qi Jingxuan was always shrewd, so how could he do something that would lose him money? If Qi Jingyuan's words were just to appease him, and he changed his mind after he went to exchange hostages, wouldn't he lose more than he gained?
"Humph! This palace is naturally waiting for my royal brother to bring back the mighty general! As long as the general can clearly distinguish the priorities, this palace will naturally not do anything to my royal brother!" Qi Jingyuan looked at the Western Chu army that was on high alert across from them. Especially after Chu Feiyang appeared, they suddenly showed a different state, which made people feel unhappy and had to be vigilant at the same time. So he said in a cold voice, "With the civil unrest in Northern Qi and the unity of Western Chu, what will happen then? My royal brother must know better than anyone else!"
Following Qi Jingyuan's words, he saw that the Western Chu army was in high spirits, and the entire army was in high spirits. Every general and soldier had bright eyes, which made people afraid. It was obvious that if they had internal strife at this time, even if he got rid of Qi Jingyuan and Qi Jinghan today, Chu Feiyang and others would not let him go!
"Okay! This prince will trust you just this once!" Instead of killing Qi Jingyuan and putting himself in a desperate situation, Qi Jingxuan chose a temporary compromise!
"Grand Prince, how can you believe it..." When the General of the Cavalry saw that Qi Jingxuan actually agreed to Qi Jingyuan's proposal, he was immediately upset and started yelling at Qi Jingxuan!
"Uncle, you just need to send someone to protect this prince in secret! As for the rest, we can discuss it after this matter is over!" But Qi Jingxuan did not give General Hu Wei a chance to speak. Looking at Qi Jingyuan's sneering face, Qi Jingxuan knew in his heart that this was a person who would never let his opponent make the slightest mistake. If General Huoqi said something offensive to Qi Jingyuan again at this time, he would be one arm short when he returned to the palace!
After he finished speaking, Qi Jingxuan took King Rui from the horse from the guard, placed him on his own horse, placed him in front of himself, and slowly walked towards the dividing line between the two countries with King Rui!
"The prince and the duke are waiting here, I will go to exchange for King Rui!" Seeing that the other party sent Qi Jingxuan, Chu Feiyang pulled the burly and mighty general over, placed him on the horse, and rode the warhorse towards Qi Jingxuan!
Jiang Muchen and Hai Chenxi saw Chu Feiyang going there alone on his own initiative, and they both frowned and glared at Chu Feiyang's back, while General Hu Wei revealed a vicious look!
"I didn't expect that the eldest prince would come in person!" Chu Feiyang smiled faintly as he looked at Qi Jingxuan, whose face was ashen. However, his eyes, which contained a glimmer of wisdom, carefully examined Prince Rui in front of him. He slowly said, "Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness!"
Prince Rui is young, but he is a man of integrity. Being captured by Northern Qi and taken prisoner has left him speechless in front of everyone. When he saw Chu Feiyang coming, his face became even more dull. Facing Chu Feiyang's greeting, he just glanced at Chu Feiyang coldly and refused to communicate with others!
"It seems that Prime Minister Chu is not perfect either! There are still people in this world who can't stand Prime Minister Chu!" Seeing Chu Feiyang hit a snag in front of King Rui, Qi Jingxuan sneered and mocked, while at the same time looking at the mighty general sitting in front of Chu Feiyang with a cold gaze. The mighty general, who was usually so glorious, still stood straight with a solemn expression. Qi Jingxuan suddenly smiled and said, "General, how are you these days? The Third Princess has been very worried about you!"
The mighty general was actually the Third Princess's father-in-law. After all, the Third Princess was the apple of Emperor Ling Xiao's eye. Although she was his daughter-in-law, they still had to be between the monarch and his subjects. Hearing Qi Jingxuan's words, General Weiwu couldn't help but feel ashamed. He could only apologize, "When we return to the palace, I will personally apologize to the Emperor! Thank you, First Prince!"
Hearing General Weiwu say this, Qi Jingxuan sneered in his heart. He thought that Qi Jingyuan had made all kinds of calculations but had overlooked General Weiwu. Now he just wanted him to show his concern. In addition, he took the risk to come here to exchange him. Even if the third princess did not get along with him, General Weiwu would not target him too much in the future!
Little did they know that Qi Jingyuan, who was in the distance, was staring at the situation here with sarcasm in his eyes!
A country's crown prince sacrificed his position as crown princess for a general. This is much more meaningful than Qi Jingxuan's small favors, and it can also make the mighty general devoted to him!
"Since it's confirmed, let's get started!" Seeing that both parties had confirmed that the hostages being exchanged were not someone else in disguise, Chu Feiyang looked at Qi Jingxuan with solemn eyes, to prevent the other party from cheating secretly!
Qi Jingxuan nodded slightly, and both sides dismounted at the same time. Each of them held the other hostage's hands tied behind his back with one hand, and gradually moved closer to his own people with the other hand. The two armies facing each other behind him stared intently at every move here, fearing that there would be any accidents halfway!
At this time, the wind and snow suddenly became stronger, but no one felt the chill in the wind at all. Everyone's eyes were focused on the four people in the distance. They felt cold sweat in their palms and their expressions were as nervous as if they were going to the battlefield for the first time!
The two generals on both sides had already prepared their archers, with their longbows drawn and aimed at each other. If there was anything unusual in front, they would immediately shoot!
However, the subordinates of the General of the Northern Qi Cavalry aimed their arrows at Chu Feiyang and Prince Rui, while the confidants of the General of the Western Chu Huwei aimed their arrows at the four people in the distance!
Jiang Muchen and Hai Chenxi saw the purpose of General Hu Wei, but remained silent. They wanted to see how Chu Feiyang could save his life in this life-and-death battle!
Little did they know that the army of 10,000 people had already received Chu Feiyang's hint, and a team of more than a thousand people holding shields immediately surrounded the army of 10,000 people and protected all the archers. They did not block the archers' view of Qi Jingxuan and the others, but cleverly blocked their aim at Chu Feiyang and the others, which immediately caused dissatisfaction among the people. However, because this was a secret order from General Hu Wei, everyone dared not speak out and could only maintain their original posture and dared not be negligent, otherwise it would cause a melee between the two countries. I am afraid that if Emperor Yu Gan was furious, even General Hu Wei would not be able to escape the blame!
General Hu Wei never expected that someone would dare to disobey his orders and send other soldiers to support Chu Feiyang without authorization. He was furious and was about to shout, but he found that Chu Feiyang and Qi Jingxuan's hands had touched his man's sleeves at the same time. Both sides exerted force at the same time to pull the two people who had been exchanged back to their side!
Chu Feiyang glanced at the dejected King Rui, then placed him between himself and the horse, while Qi Jingxuan also placed General Weiwu between them. The two looked at each other again, then rode their respective horses without saying a word and returned to their respective camps as quickly as possible!
Compared to the mighty general who immediately knelt on one knee to apologize after seeing Qi Jingyuan, King Rui's expression became even uglier after returning to the safe area. His thin and pale cheeks showed the mental torture he had suffered today. After seeing Hai Chenxi's smug face, King Rui felt even more angry. Especially since Hai Chenxi had actually seen him being exchanged as a prisoner by Chu Feiyang today, King Rui's expression became even uglier!
"Your Highness is tired. Let's take him down to rest!" Chu Feiyang saw that Prince Rui was holding a grudge against Hai Chenxi, so he asked his subordinates to take Prince Rui back to the barracks to rest for a while, but they still needed them to deal with the aftermath of the enemy troops lined up behind them!
The wind and snow rolled up in the air, blurring people's vision, but making people's hearts clearer. Hai Chenxi looked at Prince Rui, who had suffered a loss but still had not learned his lesson, and a sneer flashed through his heart, but he no longer paid attention to this arrogant but not humble prince, and focused all his attention on the enemy in front of him!
"Now that everything has been done, please ask the Crown Prince to take our treaty back to Emperor Ling Xiao to show the friendship between the two countries!" Although Qi Jingxuan and the General of the Cavalry were eyeing everyone covetously, Chu Feiyang believed that with Qi Jingyuan's wisdom, he would never engage in internal strife or head-on confrontation with his army at this time, otherwise the one who would suffer the most would be Qi Jingyuan himself!
"Of course!" After passing through the wind and snow, Qi Jingyuan saw Chu Feiyang and the other two riding on their horses with upright postures, and the indestructible soldiers behind them were protecting them. He replied loudly, then turned his horse's head and led Qi Jinghan and others to evacuate the border first!
"Chu Xiang is really brave. At such a tense moment just now, he went alone without consulting us. If something goes wrong, won't the emperor and all the officials blame us?" Seeing the army on the border of Northern Qi retreat in an instant, Jiang Muchen spoke in a cold voice, looking at Chu Feiyang with eyes full of reproach. "Even if Chu Xiang wanted to take credit, he shouldn't have done this!"
"Why do you say that, Your Highness? The Emperor sent me, Your Highness, and the Duke to exchange hostages. Naturally, this credit does not belong to me alone! I just didn't expect that Your Highness, who is in a high position, still cares about this little credit. It's really shocking!" After speaking, Chu Feiyang's eyes lightly swept towards General Hu Wei who was standing beside him. The life-and-death contest just now made Chu Feiyang see clearly who the confidants of General Hu Wei were!
General Hu Wei wanted to show off his power, but he didn't know that he was taking advantage of his psychology, winning in danger and finding out the strength of his opponent!
General Hu Wei also did not expect that Chu Feiyang had not only prepared everything in advance, but also hid the mighty general of Northern Qi in the military camp. After such a long time, he did not notice anything at all. He could not help but feel a chill in his heart, and there was an imperceptible fear in his eyes when he looked at Chu Feiyang!
Jiang Muchen rode his horse directly to the military camp. Hai Chenxi glanced at the silent and mighty general and said slowly, "General, you've worked really hard today! It's just that you've been planning for half a day, but it hasn't come into play. What a pity!"
Hai Chenxi and Jiang Muchen both saw through the mighty general's intentions. Although they did not speak out to stop him, they did not expect Chu Feiyang to be more skilled and suppress the mighty general. This made the two of them, who were watching coldly, become clowns. Being laughed at by Chu Feiyang, how could Jiang Muchen and Hai Chenxi not be angry? They took out their anger on the mighty general without mercy!
The Lantern Festival is approaching, and after seeing off Bei Qi and others, everyone in the capital breathed a sigh of relief!
Especially the ministers who had daughters, they let out a deep sigh of relief. After all, three princes came to Northern Qi this time. Although Hai Tian was chosen as the Crown Princess of Northern Qi, there was no guarantee that the eldest prince and the tenth prince would not take a fancy to their own daughters. Now that they were finally sent away, how could everyone not be excited?
Although the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is the day when businesses open for business, it is also the day when Master Wen was buried. The custom of setting off firecrackers to attract the God of Wealth for business in the coming year was not followed out of respect for Master Wen!
Thinking back to the funeral scene that day, Confucian scholars automatically joined the funeral procession on the long street, and the common people on both sides also bid farewell to the great Confucian scholar with tears in their eyes. The crying in Kyoto was deafening, and it was truly a ten-mile-long street to bid farewell to the Grand Tutor. The scene was unforgettable for everyone who saw it!
"Miss, the Prime Minister has been gone for more than ten days. I wonder if he can come back by the Lantern Festival!" Mu Chun added some hot water to the teacup and placed it next to Yun Qianmeng's hand. He calculated the days when Chu Feiyang left Beijing in his mind and asked in a low voice!
Yun Qianmeng was checking the account book in her hand, converting the complicated uppercase numbers into Arabic numerals in her mind, then adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing them in her mind. She wrote the final result with charcoal on rice paper and compared it with the number on the last page of the account book. This made the maids beside her curiously look at the rice paper with the strange numbers written on it, their eyes full of confusion!
"The Northern Qi border is very far away from Kyoto, and we are going there with a heavy responsibility. How can we talk about the date of our return?" Yun Qianmeng looked at the curious expressions of the girls, smiled lightly and spoke slowly. Seeing that the number on the last line of the account book was exactly the same as the one he had calculated, Yun Qianmeng closed the account book, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, then cast his eyes on the cedar in the yard, letting his eyes relax for a moment!
"Miss, what are these patterns? I have never seen them before!" Yingxia blinked her big watery eyes and asked in confusion!
Yun Qianmeng looked away, and seeing that the four girls were about to bang their heads together, she chuckled and picked up the piece of rice paper on the table. Pointing at the Arabic numerals on it, she said, "This is a note! It has the same meaning as the amounts recorded in the account books we usually look at! But it simplifies those cumbersome words and improves the speed and efficiency of our accounting!"
After saying this, Yun Qianmeng picked up a charcoal pencil wrapped in white silk and wrote the ten Arabic numerals from zero to nine on the rice paper, explaining them one by one, "These are numbers, representing the Chinese characters for zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine! But compared to the complicated writing of Chinese characters, these numbers are much easier to write and read!"
As she spoke, Yun Qianmeng took out four pieces of rice paper and asked the four girls to practice writing these Arabic numerals according to their own writing methods!
The girls are quite serious and are always curious about new things. They learn in an orderly manner!
But Yun Qianmeng was thinking about more than that. Mu Chun and the other girls had been with her for quite some time. Although they were still children in their teens in modern times, they were already of marriageable age in ancient times. She couldn't keep them locked up by her side forever!
Moreover, looking at the account books sent by Rong Yunhe recently, Yun Qianmeng had a premonition that the pharmacy they cooperated with would definitely open many branches in Xichu. By then, there would be more than just these few account books delivered to her. Even if she had excellent abilities, she might not be able to calculate all the account books. It would be better to teach Mu Chun and the others and let them learn to manage accounts. Then she would be able to relax a little!
On the other hand, when we have branches in the future, we will always hire a manager. If there is a suitable candidate, we can help match these four girls together and find a way out for them!
"Miss, where did you learn this? You're really amazing!" After practicing a few times, Mu Chun felt that the numbers were much simpler and looked at Yun Qianmeng with admiration. However, he served her personally all day long, so where did her young lady learn this?
Yun Qianmeng hadn't expected Mu Chun to be so clever one day, actually asking the most important question. She then said seriously, "I just learned this occasionally. Practice well and don't overthink things. Look at Yuan Dong, her handwriting is much more beautiful than yours!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Chun immediately looked down and saw that Yuan Dong had already written on half a page of rice paper. He immediately sat down again, picked up the brush and practiced seriously!
At this time, Aunt Mi walked quickly into Mengxin Cottage, lifted the curtain of the main room and walked in. Seeing Yun Qianmeng looking down at the words written by the maids, she immediately bowed and said, "Miss, the master and the second wife, the second young master, and the two young ladies of the Xie family are here!"
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng immediately raised her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, then she smiled elegantly and said slowly, "What a rare guest!"
Even the four maids who had been concentrating on practicing calligraphy raised their heads in unison, looking at Madam Mi with puzzled eyes. Yingxia couldn't help but ask, "Madam, why did the Master come with the Second Madam? Why did the Second Young Master come instead of Miss Chu?"
Aunt Mi was given a headache by Yingxia's question, but a trace of worry appeared on her face. She couldn't help but look at Yun Qianmeng, and saw that she just stood up slowly, took Mu Chun into the inner room to change out of her usual home clothes, and put on a more festive rose-red double-breasted long dress, then walked out of Mengxin Cottage with a faint smile on her face and cautious eyes!
Nanny Shangguan was waiting at the gate of Mengxin Cottage. When she saw Yun Qianmeng come out, she bowed and immediately led the way to the main hall of Prime Minister Chu's Mansion!
The snow along the way began to melt, bringing with it the impending spring. Little by little, green plants gradually emerged from under the pressure of the white snow. The fresh fragrance of fragrant grass in the air filled the air, which instantly refreshed people's spirits, unlike the laziness they had just felt when sitting in the house!
Butler Hong had been waiting outside the door of the main hall for a long time. Upon seeing Yun Qianmeng's arrival, he immediately bowed and then personally lifted the curtain for Yun Qianmeng and welcomed the hostess of the Prime Minister's Mansion into the main hall!
As soon as she entered the main hall, Yun Qianmeng saw Chu Pei and Xie sitting at the head seats, Chu Qingyang sitting below Chu Pei, and the two Xie sisters sitting below Xie, but they had reserved the seat closest to Xie for herself. The five of them looked up at the same time when they saw Yun Qianmeng come in. Chu Pei still had a serious expression, Xie smiled faintly, and Chu Qingyang had an elegant smile on his face. He then stood up, bowed to Yun Qianmeng, and said loudly, "Qingyang greets sister-in-law!"
Xie Wanwan and Xie Yuanyuan immediately stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings, sister-in-law!"
Yun Qianmeng walked towards the three people with a flawless smile on her face. Seeing Chu Qingyang bow to her, she returned the greeting and said, "Greetings, Second Uncle and my two cousins!"
Then she turned sideways to face Chu Pei and Xie, bowed in a proper manner, and said softly, "I greet you, father-in-law and second mother! I'm late, so please don't be offended, father-in-law and second mother!"
"Hurry up and sit down!" It was naturally Mrs. Xie who spoke, as gentle and warm as always. After Yun Qianmeng sat down below her, Mrs. Xie smiled and said, "We were abrupt today, how can we blame you? It's been more than half a month since the master returned to the capital. He has been busy with state affairs and has not come to visit you. Now Feiyang is not in the capital, and our carriage happened to pass by today, so we suddenly decided to come and take a look!"
Yun Qianmeng looked at Xie as she explained herself from the beginning, her smiling eyes showing no trace of impatience. However, after Xie finished speaking, she stood up with a look of panic on her face, lowering her head and reflecting on her situation. "This is all my fault! I should have been the one to visit my father-in-law and Second Mother more often, but today I let them come to the Prime Minister's residence. I was so inconsiderate!"
"You are too particular about etiquette! We are all family, why should we be so formal?" Seeing Yun Qianmeng stood up again, Xie smiled and waved her hand to let her sit down!
"Did Feiyang send anyone to inform you when you will be back?" At this time, Chu Pei, who had never spoken to Yun Qianmeng, actually asked. His voice was full of majesty and command. Even though he was just asking ordinary questions at home, he gave people a feeling of superiority!
Yun Qianmeng lowered her eyes, a polite smile on her lips, and slowly replied, "I haven't sent anyone back! I guess my husband must be busy with official business!"
Hearing this, Xie sighed slightly, then looked at Yun Qianmeng with some heartache. "It's really hard for you to stay alone in this huge prime minister's residence! Come with us back to the palace for dinner today! It will be more lively with more people. Jie'er has missed you terribly these past few days, but unfortunately she's not feeling well, so I didn't let her go out!"
Although Chu Pei's face remained solemn regarding Xie's presumptuous decision-making, he did not show any impatience, as if it was natural for Xie to handle these matters. It can be seen that this second wife was very important in Chu Pei's heart!
Yun Qianmeng smiled and politely replied, "How can I not invite my parents-in-law to dinner when they come home? I hope my father-in-law and Second Madam will do me the honor of this!"
As Yun Qianmeng was about to tell Nanny Mi to go down and prepare for tonight, she saw Nanny Shangguan walk in respectfully, bowed to everyone in the main hall, and then looked at Yun Qianmeng and said, "Madam, the Second Madam of the Wen family comes to pay her respects to you!"
Listening to Nanny Shangguan's report, Yun Qianmeng's eyes vaguely swept over the guests in the hall, and she gradually understood why they came to Prime Minister Chu's residence today!
Without waiting for Yun Qianmeng to speak, Chu Pei and Chu Qingyang stood up at the same time. Chu Qingyang politely said, "Since my sister-in-law has a female guest, my second brother and father will return to the palace first!"
Chu Qingyang and Chu Pei left the main hall together. Xie and the Xie sisters sat in the main hall and said to Shangguan Madam with a smile, "Please invite Madam Wen Er into the main hall. Don't neglect our distinguished guest!"
After hearing what Mrs. Xie said, Nanny Shangguan did not turn around and leave immediately. Instead, she glanced at Yun Qianmeng and saw her nod before she stepped back and invited someone else!
"After the Second Madam goes back, Meng'er will go to the palace with Second Madam for dinner! A few days ago, I sent people to invite you many times, but you are too formal. Today, I will not let you escape again!" Xie's words were reasonable. If a simple-minded person, he would think that she stayed because she cared about Yun Qianmeng!
Yun Qianmeng just smiled without saying anything. She picked up the teacup to moisten her throat and glanced at the Xie sisters sitting next to her. She saw that the two of them had been silent except for the greeting since she entered the main hall. This was in stark contrast to their aunt's liveliness, which made people curious!
Less than half a cup of tea later, the thick cotton curtain of the main hall was lifted, and Madam Wen walked in in plain clothes. When she saw Xie sitting in the hall, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she smiled gently and said, "I didn't expect Madam Chu to be here too. I am sorry for being rude today!"
"Why do you say that, Madam? You are a distinguished guest that we cannot even invite!" Yun Qianmeng smiled and stood up to greet the Second Madam of the Wen family.
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