Chapter 41 Chapter 41 The Bride Will Become a Widow
After sending the eunuch away, the old lady pondered for a moment: "I'll go the day after tomorrow. It will be the day you return home. This..."
Wu Jingxun shook her head. "Grandmother, as subjects, we can't afford to offend the royal family. Besides, I also want my husband to come home with me."
Husband.
There seemed to be no sense of incongruity when this word came out of her mouth. Pei Huaiguang turned his head slightly. After drinking a cup of cold tea, his head hurt even more.
The old lady nodded with satisfaction: "Well, that's what we should do. Ask Jin Ge'er to accompany you back to your parents' home to apologize to your mother and the others. I'll ask Xiu Gu to go over and tell them later. You don't have to worry."
Without having to go back home and seeing fewer cold faces, Wu Jingxun felt more at ease.
After talking for a while, it was time for the old lady to take her medicine, so she simply asked Wu Jingxun to go back by himself and come back tomorrow to have dinner and talk with her.
Wu Jingxun's posture was gentle and graceful, and her back was as graceful as an orchid. Madam Qiong withdrew her gaze and called out to Pei Huaiguang who was about to leave.
"Erlang, come here, I have something to tell you."
Pei Huai's bald head still ached dully. He followed Madam Qiong to her Guanya Courtyard. When he heard she was actually trying to arrange a marriage for him, he immediately shook his head and refused, "I have no interest in that."
He doesn't want those innocent girls, but is interested in his sister-in-law?
Madam Qiong was both anxious and angry, but the child who had just returned home had the same temperament as him and was very stubborn. Madam Qiong did not want to openly upset him, so she could only suppress the matter for the time being. She planned to wait for a few days until Wu Jingxun was free, and then ask her to hold a lotus viewing banquet and invite other unmarried girls in Jinling City to come to her house to view the lotus. With so many beautiful ladies, Erlang would always be able to find one that suits his taste better.
Back at Luyun Garden, Mantou was buried in the grass with his butt sticking up. There was a pile of dirt around him, and his white fluffy fur was stained with a lot of gray stains.
.
Wu Jingxun, feeling both amused and helpless, pulled Mantou out of the haystack with Ziping and the others. Mantou whimpered a few times and shook its plump little body quickly. Cuiping quickly made two "pooh" sounds - all the grass and dirt on Mantou flew into her mouth!
Mantou didn't know why Cuiping was trying to catch him, he just thought it was fun. The man and the dog surrounded Wu Jingxun and started playing chase with each other.
Wu Jingxun smiled.
She seemed to come alive, just like the vibrant creatures in the yard.
·
Wu Jingxun had been worried for the past two days whether Pei Huaiguang would get drunk and crazy again in the middle of the night, but he never showed up.
When she was about to go to the palace to pay her respects to the old lady, she heard from her that Pei Huaiguang had gone out for something.
Going out for something.
While sitting in the carriage, Wu Jingxun was still thinking about the second time he saw him, at the Biyou Manor of Princess Changyi. At that time, he was clearly dressed as a guard, but when he unexpectedly met him on the street later, Pei Huaiguang was dressed strangely and selling prey furs.
Wu Jingxun couldn't see through Pei Huaiguang, so he was naturally wary and resistant to the emotions he expressed.
He was like a cloud of fog, coming and going as he pleased. Wu Jingxun was not even sure which of his words came out of his spur of the moment.
The carriage occasionally bumped, and some broken sunlight squeezed in through the gaps in the curtains. Some of it fell on the back of Wu Jingxun's tense hands, making the taut blue veins on his delicate, jade-like skin even more eye-catching.
Cuiping looked at her several times. Why did her wife suddenly become in a bad mood?
The carriage would stop at Taining Gate, and no matter whether they were princes, nobles or the wives of high-ranking officials, they had to walk the rest of the way by themselves.
Cuiping helped Wu Jingxun get off the carriage. The red mud palace walls were tall and silent, and the palace buildings were majestic and magnificent. The palace maids who came to pick them up walked in front. Cuiping felt that they looked very small in the shadow cast by the palace walls.
She was a little nervous and whispered, "My lady, this palace is so quiet."
The palace maids and eunuchs walked in an orderly manner, their footsteps so light that they were almost inaudible. In the huge palace, the only noticeable sounds were the whistling of swallows flying through the air and the dull sound of the guards' scabbards colliding with their armor not far away.
The bright sunlight fell on the girl's black bun and snow-white cheeks. She smiled gently, as if to comfort the maid beside her: "We are only able to come here as guests because of the summons of the Empress Dowager. This is probably the majesty of the royal family."
Cuiping nodded. She couldn't bring shame to her wife.
The palace maid leading the way heard what the master and servant said, smiled silently, and pointed the way forward in a more respectful manner: "Madam, please."
The three figures quickly disappeared under the palace wall, turned a corner and entered another door.
Two people emerged from the corner of the palace wall. One had a majestic figure and a cold demeanor. It was Pei Huaiguang. The eunuch standing beside him bowed and complimented him, "Oh, what a coincidence! Deputy Envoy Pei is entering the palace today, and so is the Crown Prince's wife. If it were by chance, you and your uncle could return home together."
She was willing to put in some superficial effort, but he wanted more than just superficial effort.
Pei Huaiguang retracted his gaze: "Didn't you say that His Majesty wanted to see me?"
The eunuch patted his head and said flatteringly, "Look at my mouth, it's really unnecessary. Deputy Envoy Pei, please come this way."
Although no one knew what the emperor was interested in, as he had brought out the previously unheard-of Queming Guard, this Deputy Envoy Pei was clearly a favored minister that the emperor valued very much, so the eunuchs naturally treated him with the utmost respect.
On the other side, Weiyang Palace.
The Queen Mother seemed to be in a bad mood and not in high spirits. She just talked slowly to Wu Jingxun, but her eyes glanced outwards intentionally or unintentionally, as if she was waiting for someone to come over.
Wu Jingxun suppressed her doubts. She knew that as the Queen Mother, it was impossible for her to truly like a minister with whom she had no connection. But no matter what her purpose was, the Queen Mother had shown her a lot of favors, so Wu Jingxun could only cater to her.
"I've arrived at the wrong time. My mother is entertaining distinguished guests." A beautiful woman wearing a peony pearl crown and gorgeous clothes walked in. As the palace maids and eunuchs in the hall bowed and called out "Your Majesty," Wu Jingxun stood up and saluted, "Your Majesty, your majesty."
The Queen already knew that the Queen Mother had summoned the new bride from the Pingning Marquisate to the palace today, and she knew even more about her hidden agenda. She kept it a secret, smiled, and raised her hand, "She's the wife of the Crown Prince of the Pingning Marquisate. The Crown Prince is not in Jinling now, so if you have nothing to do, you can come to the palace more often and keep the Queen Mother company."
Wu Jingxun lowered her head, and the neck that stretched out from her light green clothes was slender and long, so white that it was a little dazzling.
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Madam."
The Queen nodded, but the Queen Mother suddenly said, "As a wife, it is natural for her to manage the household, serve her parents-in-law, and bear children. She is so young and doesn't understand this. Queen, as the Queen Mother, don't you know this? Wu was very diligent and filial when she was in her boudoir. Don't let a few words from you make her lose her manners after marriage. You can bear the blame for this, but I can't."
The Queen Mother's words were so aggressive that the Queen's smile froze slightly.
Wu Jingxun was still half-kneeling on the ground. The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall all smelled the tension between the most noble mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the world. They lowered their heads in silence, as if they were lifeless wooden figures.
The phoenix-beaded hairpin on the empress's bun swayed slightly. "Of course I know, but the Crown Prince's wife is only newlywed. How can your mother be so cruel as to make such a beautiful and lovable young woman toil every day? In my opinion, it would be better for her to have a relaxing life."
The reason why the Queen Mother first summoned the girl from the Wu family, whom she had praised for her chastity and integrity, into the palace, and then spoke so harshly in front of so many people, was simply because she felt that Emperor Zhou Qing had gone too far in recent days, hurting the power of the Queen Mother's family and causing her dissatisfaction. That was why she used Wu Jingxun to bring up again the importance of filial piety in the eyes of the subjects of the world.
The Queen Mother was so aggressive, and the Empress was no pushover either. She immediately bowed her head in shame, "I'm unlucky. When I first married Your Majesty as a new bride, I was still in my fiefdom. At that time, you, Your Majesty, were still in the palace, and there was no one in my fiefdom who could help and guide me. I ended up living this way. Fortunately, I now hold the Phoenix Seal and serve as the mother of the country, so I haven't made any major mistakes. Otherwise, I would be truly ashamed of the trust Your Majesty has placed in me."
The Queen Mother's face twitched.
Aren't these words of the Empress simply exposing her past past, saying that she wasn't the Emperor's biological mother and that if she wanted to lose her temper, she should be more careful and not go too far?!
After all, they are not biological children, so they will only become alienated.
A trace of fatigue appeared on the Queen Mother's face. "Yes, you are in your prime, and you are busy with everything in and outside the palace... Well, I am a little tired, please entertain Wu Shi for me."
Wu Jingxun spoke up at the right time: "Thank you very much, Her Majesty the Queen, for your kindness. The Queen is the mother of the country and is already very hard-working. I dare not add to the trouble for Her Majesty."
"How could it be a nuisance? Come on, Jincheng saw you at the Flower Goddess Festival and has wanted to meet you for a long time." The Queen was also fed up with the Queen Mother always picking on Wu Jingxun. Wasn't it just because she had praised her a few times that she gained some favor? No matter how precious this honor was, it was not worth it for the old woman like the Queen Mother to use it as a brick to stimulate jade every time.
Wu Jingxun had no choice but to bid farewell to the Queen Mother and followed the Queen out.
On the way to the Queen's Daxin Palace, he unexpectedly met two uninvited guests.
It was Prince Rong and Princess Changyi.
That night... Prince Rong spoke to her face to face!
Wu Jingxun suddenly felt a chill, but she was a lowly person in the palace, so she had to bow her head.
Princess Changyi looked at the girl behind the queen, who was dressed in light green but still had a natural beauty. Her eyes fell on her bun, and there was a hint of mockery in her eyes.
She didn't say anything, but Prince Rong smiled and said, "Since the Empress Dowager has guests, I won't disturb you."
He was obese and bloated, but his voice was so soft that one could hear the sound of a swimming fish. This sense of disconnection was too abrupt, and Wu Jingxun lowered his eyes to hide the discomfort in his heart.
Prince Rong seemed to have paid no attention to her, but just as Wu Jingxun straightened up, she saw Prince Rong turn around, a smile on his face, which was made even more grotesque by the fat. "Madam, please come to Prince Rong's mansion more often when you have free time. I apologize for my poor hospitality earlier. Changyi is a lively place, maybe you two can have fun together."
Wu Jingxun knew exactly what Prince Rong was hinting at, but she didn't show any sign of surprise. She bowed and nodded again, "Yes, thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."
Princess Changyi's low sneer fell into the air as she turned around.
The bride will soon become a widow. By then, will she still have the mind to socialize around the city like a butterfly?
·
The moon was at its zenith, and its cold light fell on the soldiers galloping on the ground, illuminating their dusty armor and determined and tired faces.
"There is a forest ahead. Let's stop and rest for a night." After traveling almost non-stop for two days and nights, the North City was already near.
At Pei Jinguang's command, the huge army behind him immediately moved quickly and began to set up camp.
The soldiers began to make a fire and cook. A faint smell of smoke could be smelled. Pei Jinguang leaned against a big rock and silently looked at the full moon hanging in the night sky.
Deputy General Jiang Zong handed him a hot pancake and asked, "Do you miss your sister-in-law?"
Pei Jinguang was stunned for a moment, then he laughed.
Such a smile appeared on his face very rarely. Jiang Zong wanted to laugh but also felt sad when he saw it. What's so great about getting married?
"I wonder if your sister-in-law will be angry if you come out with us on your wedding day without going through the formalities." Jiang Zong took a bite of the pancake. "When the brothers return home after a victorious battle, it will be fun if you, a great general, are kicked out by your sister-in-law."
Pei Jinguang subconsciously held the peace pendant on his chest through his armor.
"I am a military general, and it is my duty to defend my country." Pei Jinguang said lightly, "She is very considerate and will not get angry." But he would feel guilty.
Pei Jinguang looked at the cool and gentle full moon, and seemed to see the girl holding the puppy and smiling happily at him, with her eyebrows curved and her face very lively.
He misses her very much.
What is she doing now?
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The author has something to say: Today’s diary mini-theater——
Wu Panpan: The palace is so scary, get some poisonous needles for self-defense
Pei Da: I miss you in the morning and in the evening
Pei Er: Now that I have a position, will she look up to me more?
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