Chapter 155 Going to Watch the Dragon Boat Race
Su Ruojin shrugged her shoulders and said, "He insisted on giving it to us, so we had no choice but to accept it."
"You kid." Cheng Yingzhen patted her money-obsessed daughter, "You have to return this gift later."
"Then let's talk about it later."
Cheng Yingzhen doesn't want to hang out with the Su family, but... it seems she can't avoid them, which is so annoying!
In the evening, Su Yanli came back and Su Ruojin told his father that Su Yanzu wanted to go watch the dragon boat race together.
Su Yanli frowned slightly: "We are already the guests of Prince Zhao."
As the saying goes, guests should not bring guests home; this is the most basic courtesy.
Of course Su Ruojin also understood this truth. Moreover, she knew better than others that Princess Yuehua was fond of Su Yanzu. No matter where Su Yanzu watched the dragon boat race, he would probably be brought to Princess Yuehua's side.
"So I told him, and when he heard that we were invited by Prince Zhao, he said he would not go with us."
"He won the championship at the Dongshan Academy Literary Conference. People from the Dongshan Academy will definitely bring him along when they come to Beijing to watch the dragon boat race. He came to us because he probably didn't want to be in the spotlight anymore. He didn't expect us to be with the young prince."
"It should be like this."
The father and daughter analyzed Su Yanzu's thoughts and said pretty much what they thought.
Someone delivered the news to the princess's mansion.
"Princess, I have heard that Master Su refused to participate in the Dragon Boat Festival of Dongshan Academy. He has been looking for houses recently, but he has not found any that he likes."
"Look at the house?" Yuehua asked, "Are you going to live in it yourself, or give it to someone else?" For some reason, she vaguely felt that this house might be for his sweetheart to live in.
The old woman shook her head and said, "The broker said that he is very tight-lipped and nothing can be found out. If you ask, he will say that he lives alone. But our people found out that he is the only legitimate son of the Su family. Su Qianshi keeps a close eye on him and asks him to go home every day, so it is unlikely that he lives outside."
Yuehua narrowed her eyes slightly, "Then build a house that will satisfy him."
"Yes, Princess."
After the old woman left, the nanny approached the princess and whispered, "Your Highness, why not take advantage of his opportunity to find a house and get him."
Dayin was a prosperous city with many intellectuals. Not only were the customs relatively open, common women could divorce and remarry, but even aristocratic widows or noble ladies in the capital could keep lovers. Although it was criticized, as long as one was thick-skinned enough and felt happy, who would care?
The representative figure of keeping a lover in the capital is Princess Yunzhu. Her father, the Prince of Wu, died after blocking a sword for the late emperor during the palace coup that occurred when the previous emperor ascended to the throne. He had the merit of following the emperor, so the late emperor doted on this princess more than on his own daughter. Princess Yunzhu lived a very comfortable life. Not only did she divorce her useless son-in-law, but she also kept a lover after the divorce. Few handsome men could escape from her grasp as long as she took a fancy to them.
Therefore, if beauty is only beautiful but does not have the status and position to protect itself, it is actually a disaster.
Su Yanli's appearance was also very handsome in the capital, and many noble ladies had envied him. However, he was a successful candidate in two imperial examinations and a pillar of the court. As long as he did not degenerate and did not have obvious bad habits that allowed others to take advantage of him, those noble ladies could only envy him. If they laid their hands on a successful candidate in the imperial examination and a doctor of the Imperial Academy, it would be a blasphemy to the court. No matter how ridiculous these noble ladies were, they had to think twice.
This is also the reason why Su Yanli is unwilling to socialize and prefers to stay at home. Society is too complicated, and if you go out, you may fall into someone else's trap if you are not careful.
Although Su Ruojin has the heart of an adult, she really doesn't understand the upper class society of the Dayin Dynasty. It can only be said that when encountering problems, she is more alert than a real child and has more ability to solve problems.
Su Ruojin didn't know whether Su Yanzu went to watch the dragon boat race later.
On the fifth day of May, Zhao Lan had a horse-drawn carriage come and take the Su family to a good spot on the moat to watch the dragon boat race. There was a shed for shade, and they had snacks if they were hungry and drinks if they were thirsty.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence or what, but this time the stands of Prince Jin’s Mansion were very close to the stands of Duke Zheng’s Mansion, and Yang Si Niang finally had the opportunity to play with Su Ruojin.
The two young ladies clung together, head to head, leaning on the railing, whispering to each other while looking at the dozen dragon boats rowing side by side in the river, wondering which boat was the prettiest and which would win. Even Su Sanlang couldn't get a word in.
"A lot of people have placed bets, my mother has also placed some bets, have you placed any bets?"
Su Ruojin thought to herself that this was her first time participating in the Dayin Dynasty's dragon boat race, and she didn't even know that she could gamble openly.
When she traveled back to the Dayin Dynasty, her mother was either giving birth or on the way to giving birth, so she didn't dare to come and squeeze in with the crowd. If it weren't for the invitation from the young prince this year and the special stands, her family wouldn't have planned to join in the fun.
His father even said, "There's nothing interesting to read. You might as well read some books at home."
Su Ruojin didn’t know why his father didn’t like watching dragon boat races. Anyway, he hadn’t come to join in the fun in the seven years since he came to Dayin.
Su Yanli, who did not like watching dragon boat races, was supporting his wife and standing obediently behind the stands of Prince Jin's Mansion. It was impossible for him to walk around like a child and run to the fence. He could only avoid the glances of the noble ladies. He felt like a thorn in his back. Cheng Yingzhen also felt it and quietly squeezed her husband's hand to calm his restless heart.
Zhao Lan followed his brother to deal with the group of young men from aristocratic families who came to greet him. His eyes fell on the young lady who was clinging to the railing and chattering, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Princess Jin seemed to sense that someone was looking at Dr. Su's family. She then looked at the little lady of Dr. Su's family. She was eight years old, and except for being with her younger brother and the illegitimate granddaughter of Duke Zheng's mansion, she didn't squeeze in front of anyone. She seemed to be ignorant of wealth and prosperity. She just looked at the dragon boats in the water that had not yet raced, chattering like a child.
She liked innocent children who were not blinded by wealth and prosperity. She nodded secretly and looked at the youngest son. However, she frowned. Her youngest son looked absent-minded. If the eldest son had not held him back, he would have slipped away long ago and would not have bothered to deal with all these interpersonal relationships.
This child...
It was estimated that the dragon boat race was about to start. Su Ruojin and Yang Si Niang were both thirsty from talking so much that the two little people held hands and took Su Sanlang to find the maid of Prince Jin's Mansion, "Sister Lingchun, we are thirsty, please pour us a glass of water."
The maid sent by the palace was Ling Chun, who had taken care of Su Ruojin last time. They had dealt with each other before, so they were relatively familiar with each other. Ling Chun smiled and poured a glass for each of the three people.
Su Yanli and his wife stood in an inconspicuous place behind the crowd. It was hot this time, so they didn't bring Su Silang out. Su Dalang was in Dongshan Academy, so there were four people from the Su family.
Su Ruojin asked Ling Chun to help her parents pour some water over. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go right over."
Su Sanlang couldn't sit still, so he and Ling Chun walked through the alley to where Su Yanli and his wife were. Su Ruojin watched Su Yanli pick up Su Sanlang before she dared to move her eyes. There were so many people around, and she was used to being on guard against human traffickers.
Just as Su Ruojin finished drinking a glass of water, the crowded moat suddenly became quiet. She panicked subconsciously and reached out to grab Yang Si Niang's hand, but she touched a big hand and subconsciously retracted her hand.
Turn your head.
Zhao Lan stood beside her at some point. When he saw her looking over, he tilted his head and bent over, saying softly, "It'll start soon."
"Oh." Su Ruojin pretended to move towards Yang Siniang casually, stretched out her hand and pulled Yang Siniang, turned her head and smiled at her, and said in a low voice, "It's about to start."
She looked so naive, not knowing the difference between men and women. In fact, she felt as if her back was being stared at.
Zhao Lan, Zhao Lan, why are you standing next to me? Don't you know you are popular? Even though I am only eight years old, if you stand so close to me, I will become a target.
Yang Si Niang also turned around and smiled, "I know." She participated every year, so she knew the procedure.
Su Ruojin: ...
Well, she's a bumpkin.
The Jade Belt Bridge was solemn and dignified with heavy guards of ceremony; the wind was blocked by the huge crowds of people, leaving only the warm warmth shining in the sky.
In the silence, Su Ruojin's forehead and back were covered with sweat, but she dared not move. Zhao Lan told her that the official would be out soon.
Of course, Prince Jin's Mansion is very close to the emperor. Su Ruojin looked at the guards on the Jade Belt Bridge and it seemed that she could basically see their faces. Does that mean that when the emperor comes, she will also be able to see what he looks like?
Oh my God, she was about to see the emperor!
A true emperor!
Yang Si Niang was obviously a little excited. The grandstand of Duke Zheng's Mansion was two or three seats away at the back, and the view was not as good as here. If Su Ruojin had not been at Prince Jin's Mansion, it would have been difficult for Yang Si Niang, a daughter of a concubine, to move around freely. She would have been like Su Yanli and his wife, behind the grandstand of Duke Zheng's Mansion, blocked by the crowd and unable to see what the emperor looked like.
In the silence, Emperor Chengxi, supported by his sons, walked slowly onto the Yudai Bridge with his hands behind his back. He stopped in the middle of the bridge, glanced at the dragon boats ready to go on the river, and smiled as if he was pleased.
The moment the emperor stepped onto the Jade Belt Bridge, everyone knelt down and kowtowed, shouting, "Long live the emperor."
Before Su Ruojin could even see what the emperor looked like, Zhao Lan pulled her down to kneel and kowtow with everyone else. No one looked up, and she didn't dare to either.
How can I look upon the emperor like this?
She didn't know when the emperor shouted to her to stand up, but when she stood up and looked up, the emperor was no longer on the Jade Belt Bridge. Zhao Lan bent down and gently told her that the people on the bridge were princes.
Their chronological order was briefly introduced one by one, starting with the oldest.
The oldest middle-aged man is the crown prince, born to the late queen and named Zhao Qian. Even Su Ruojin from the folk had heard of him. The crown prince was mediocre, so mediocre that he couldn't even solve the flood in the south of the Yangtze River, which was not a serious problem.
Following him is the second prince, born to Concubine De, named Zhao Long. Compared with the mediocre crown prince, he is said to be very capable and now works for the Ministry of Revenue.
The Ministry of Revenue, that’s where the country’s financial power lies!
Not ordinary.
The third one is Luo Shizi's aunt, the third prince Zhao Jiong, born to Concubine Shu. He works in the Ministry of Rites and is said to be a capable person. It is said that he especially likes to make friends with literati, which is why Luo Shizi wants to snatch Su Yanzu.
The fourth prince, Zhao Jing, who was born to Concubine Xian, was in his early twenties. He was in charge of the Ministry of Works and was said to have found some spies from Liaoxia. It didn't seem good.
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