Chapter 572 Matchmaker
Yan Xue was locked up in Yan Zheng's house and was not allowed to go out for several days.
Unexpectedly, early that morning, when Yan Zheng was about to go to the palace to be on duty, he was stunned when he opened the door.
A middle-aged woman dressed quite elegantly stood there, with more than a dozen boxes of various sizes piled up behind her, all tied with red silk.
As soon as the woman saw Yan Zheng, she immediately smiled flatteringly:
"Oh, this must be General Yan, right? Wow, he is indeed a handsome man."
"Who are you?" Yan Zheng asked with a frown.
"My name is Xu Sanniang, and I'm the most famous matchmaker on this street. I wonder if General Yan has heard of me?"
Yan Zheng frowned even more tightly.
"I haven't heard of it, and I don't need a matchmaker!"
As soon as Yan Zheng said this, he realized that someone who brought so many things to his house could definitely not be here to propose marriage to him.
Sure enough, Xu Sanniang chuckled and said:
"General Yan's words are really humorous. To be honest, today I am here to suggest a good marriage for your sister."
"No, no!" Yan Zheng wanted to ask his servants to kick her out, but when he turned around, he saw Yan Xue sticking her head out.
"What's going on with all the noise?"
When Xu Sanniang saw her, she was even happier. She walked around Yan Zheng and took Yan Xue's hand, praising her for her beauty and intelligence, saying that seeing is believing.
"Miss Yan really looks like a wonderful person. No wonder the Minister of Rites is so obsessed with her and tossing and turning."
Yan Xue took a look at the scene at the door, her heartbeat started to speed up, and she asked anxiously:
"These are what Li Lang...Mr. Li asked you to deliver?"
"Exactly! My, I, Xu Sanniang, have been a matchmaker for so many years, but I have never seen such a perfect match... Hey, what are you doing? Let go!"
Yan Zheng didn't care about etiquette, he grabbed Xu Sanniang's arm and pulled her out, warning her:
"Go back and tell him not to try to get my sister's attention. Tell him to give up on this idea!"
"Brother!" Yan Xue was shocked and angry, but she couldn't resist Yan Zheng.
She could only watch Yan Zheng warn the matchmaker that if she dared to come again, she would be in trouble.
The matchmaker knew Yan Zheng's identity, so she dared not offend him. In the end, she could only leave with an indignant but helpless look on her face.
Yan Xue stomped her feet in anger, turned around and ran back into the house, and soon she heard sobbing.
Yan Zheng looked at the closed door, feeling conflicted.
I have only this one sister, and I have cherished her since she was young.
Before they died, my parents also told me to take good care of her.
There were people who proposed marriage to Yan Xue before, but she didn't like any of them. Now that she finally found her ideal man, she wanted to break up the relationship. Was she too arbitrary?
Besides... Minister Li is indeed a handsome man, and judging from Yan Xue's reaction, Minister Li is also very attentive to her. What if the two of them are really in love...
Yan Zheng scratched his hair in annoyance, unable to make up his mind for a moment. Seeing that he was about to miss his shift, he had no choice but to walk towards the palace.
After Yan Zheng left, an old vendor selling sesame cakes opposite the gate of Yan's mansion slowly squatted down and hid his entire body behind the cart.
If someone passed by at this time, they would definitely see the old man holding a small wolf-hair brush in his hand, carefully drawing something on a palm-sized wooden sign.
…
On the first day of September, the emperor led the royal family to the Taimiao to offer sacrifices according to the auspicious day and time calculated by Xu Shiming.
The weather was indeed as Xu Shiming said, a little gloomy.
Xu Shiming, dressed in a red and black official robe and a tall crown, stood on a high platform and presided over the entire sacrificial ceremony.
Yan Ning followed the Queen Mother Qin Yuwei who was dressed in gorgeous attire, and behind her were a group of former concubines and imperial concubines of the previous emperor.
Although the name contains the word "Tai", they are just young girls in their twenties. Such beautiful ladies will be trapped in the palace for their whole lives and can only keep each other company.
Below the high platform were other clan relatives in the capital.
This time the sacrifice was limited to the royal family, so civil and military officials were not present.
Everyone followed the process that Xu Shiming had designed long ago and completed the sacrifice step by step. The process of the sacrificial ceremony was complicated and lengthy, and it was only halfway through the process at noon.
Many people had tired looks on their faces.
Fortunately, Xu Shiming had already considered this and divided the sacrificial ceremony into two sessions, morning and afternoon. After the morning activities, everyone was asked to return to the palace prepared in advance to rest for a while.
Yan Ning has been interacting less and less with the Empress Dowager and the concubines recently, so he took Ma Yan to another side hall on the pretext that he had government affairs to deal with, and did not stay with Qin Yuwei.
Qin Yuwei was chatting with Concubine Zheng and others, while Yan Jing sat aside, quiet and well-behaved.
Some people noticed that Biyu behind Qin Yuwei actually covered her face with a veil today, and they couldn't help but feel curious.
Concubine Zheng was innocent and said with a smile, "What's wrong with Biyu? If you are sick, take a leave and rest. Be careful not to pass your illness on to the Empress Dowager."
Qin Yuwei smiled with her hands covering her lips. Yan Jing, who was standing beside her, spoke in a childish voice, saying in a serious tone:
"Don't blame me, Madam Grand Concubine. It's Jing'er's fault. I was playing around in the palace a few days ago and accidentally hurt Aunt Biyu's face, so..."
After Yan Jing finished speaking, he pursed his lips slightly and looked at Biyu with some guilt.
Biyu also gently lifted her veil, and sure enough, there was a wound of neither deep nor shallow on the right cheekbone, as if it was scratched by a tree branch.
Biyu put down her veil and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam Taipin. It was my own carelessness. Madam Taipin has given me ointment, and I will be able to recover in a few days."
Concubine Zheng nodded without thinking any more.
Qin Yuwei said to Biyu in front of everyone:
"I didn't sleep well last night, so I want to light some agarwood to calm my mind. Go ask Lord Xu if he has the spices I often use."
"Yes, I will go right away."
After Biyu left, Qin Yuwei said that she was a little sleepy, and everyone tactfully left.
Concubine Zheng was walking at the end, and was about to step out of the door when Qin Yuwei suddenly called her.
When the late emperor was alive, she had been taken care of by Qin Yuwei, and the two had always had a good relationship.
Qin Yuwei said softly, "My sister is a master of painting and calligraphy, and Jing'er has recently shown some interest in painting and calligraphy. Can you let her stay with my sister for a while and learn some techniques from her?"
Concubine Zheng smiled and extended her hand to Yan Jing.
Yan Jing looked back at Qin Yuwei, as if he understood his mother's gaze, and obediently followed Concubine Zheng away.
At this time, Qin Yuwei was the only one left in the hall.
Not far outside, Biyu, wearing a veil and holding a perfume box in her hand, was walking through the corridor towards Qin Yuwei.
The palace maids and guards nearby saw the green figure from afar and recognized it as Biyu, so no one thought much about it.
Biyu entered the room, turned around and gently closed the door.
Qin Yuwei heard the noise and came over. The two of them faced each other and Biyu took off her veil.
Zhu Lan's elegant face was revealed.
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