Chapter 113
If Dongfang Heng's melon is related to Chu Huan, it would not be convenient to eat it on the spot. But other melons should be okay, right?
The fifth prince reminded: "Tong'er, where are the others?"
System: [This is the most expensive melon on him.]
After reading this incredible news, it rushed to tell Chu Huan without even looking at what was happening with the other melons.
Everyone can understand.
If they were in his place, they would not remain calm if they suddenly found out who has always been in love with their brothers and sisters.
Wait, isn’t it just that Dongfang Heng loves Chu Huan?
In this day and age, how could such an outstanding girl lack admirers? How could a Dongfang Heng be so surprising to the system?
Everyone chose to forget that when they first heard the news, they praised Dongfang Heng as a warrior.
They think that they are so surprised because they have not eaten enough melons and have little experience, and that the system that eats melons on a daily basis should not have such an extreme reaction.
Yes, extreme.
Such an unusual reaction made many people suspicious.
"Tong'er, he's just an admirer. At most, he has some talent and fame. There's no need to make such a fuss, right?"
If this was said by a man, he could also say "You are not a woman", but this was said by Concubine Wu, who was also a woman.
Moreover, women such as the Second Prince's wife also expressed their approval.
"Tong'er, you don't have to worry too much. When our mother was young, she had many admirers and suitors. Some even wrote poems, essays, and paintings for her. Don't worry, this won't affect her reputation. It will only make people know how outstanding Chu Huan is and how worthy she is."
Although there were women's reading materials such as "Nu Xun" and "Nu Jie" in the Dasheng period, they were handed down from previous dynasties and were not compiled during the reigns of these emperors.
Some people are more stubborn and insist on following the old system, using these reading materials to regulate women's words and deeds. Some people are more open-minded and believe that dynasties are changing, customs are changing, and women should not be bound by them as in the past.
The current queen was famous when she was still in the boudoir, and the favored concubine Shu was also a famous beauty. During the reign of the late emperor, some troubles were caused by Bai Yueguang, so there is no need to be so paranoid.
[What's going on?] The system smelled something big.
Everyone: “…”
I had brought up a lot of things to talk about so that the system wouldn't have too many concerns, but I didn't expect that this fire almost burned me.
Several people looked at each other, and no one wanted to say anything.
The system felt that there was something fishy as it looked at it. I bet a pine nut candy that this was quite a trick!
"What's wrong? The late emperor has been gone for so many years, and his romantic affairs are still not allowed to be told?"
It just wants to save some melon energy to save more pocket money for the future, and also wants to experience the pleasant feeling of eating melons while others expose the secrets to it - the people sent by the court expose the secrets to it just to save melon energy and obtain intelligence, which is different from the feeling of just eating melons.
Fifteen seconds passed, and the box was completely silent. Everyone lowered their heads, drinking tea, eating melon seeds, and snacks, but no one spoke.
Chu Huan secretly shook her head and pointed out the key point: "It's not that they can't say it, it's just that they don't have the courage to say it."
The system disdains: [Tsk tsk tsk, you're as timid as a mouse.]
Everyone continued to drink tea and eat. It was just a rat. What was the big deal?
If they were just chatting about gossip in private, they wouldn't be so scared. The main reason was that Chu Huan was accompanied by the Jinyiwei and the secret guards. Their conversation today would definitely be reported to the emperor and all the officials. How could they have the courage to talk nonsense?
As long as Dongfang Heng didn't mention his love for Chu Huan, Shang Lu didn't care about anything else. He continued, "Did the Emperor issue an order not to allow the people to talk about the late Emperor?"
There was no specific premise for this statement, but his eyes were fixed on Chu Huan, and Chu Huan replied, "No."
Before Shang Lu could speak, the system answered first: [Then you can say it!]
[Okay, who's coming? If you don't tell me, I'll find it myself.]
This is not a threat, but it is worse than a threat.
If they were the ones to speak, they could still speak in a slightly more decent manner, but if the system were to search on its own, it would really be like digging out all the old trousers of the late emperor and exposing them to the sun.
They said that only the people in this room heard it, and most people already knew it. If they let the system speak, everyone within a radius of 50 meters would know it, including the grooms, waiters, vendors, etc.
These years, when I go home tonight, I will definitely share the hot melon I eat with my family, and then my family will share it with my neighbors, and the neighbors will share it with their family and neighbors. In a few days, most of the capital will know about it.
By then, the late emperor's personal dignity would be completely lost, and perhaps the reputation of the royal family would also be affected.
Everyone's breath was held, could they still be saved?
"There's nothing to hide." The Fifth Prince had an innocent look on his face, as if he didn't know the impact of this incident on the royal family. "It's just that my grandfather married a minister's wife."
System: […That’s it?]
It thought it was some huge news and was looking forward to it, but it turned out that the emperor married a divorced woman.
In other dynasties that placed a high value on chastity, this might not be acceptable. The Dasheng Dynasty strongly encouraged widows to remarry, but the emperor was simply setting an example for the people by marrying widows. What was there to hide? Everyone seemed to be keeping it a secret.
Yes, it’s just marrying a widow, what’s wrong with that?
Unless she wasn't a widow.
That means the emperor has fallen in love with my wife. This is a huge scandal in the royal family!
The system was so excited that its whole body was twisting and trembling. It had never eaten such a melon before!
【Let’s talk about it in detail! 】
This is really shooting oneself in the foot.
Everyone looked at each other, wondering who should bring it up so that they wouldn't be held accountable later.
They looked at the Fifth Prince, who smiled shyly. He had already started talking, so did they expect him to finish it all?
They looked at the Second Prince's wife again, and she silently looked away. The late emperor was also her grandfather. Wasn't it a bit excessive for the younger generation to gossip about the elders?
They finally looked at Chu Huan and asked, "You should be okay, right?"
Chu Huan: “…”
She really didn't care whether she said it or not. After all, what she knew was known to everyone else. If she said a few words in private, the emperor would not do anything to her. The problem was that she had already eaten this melon and there was no need to eat it again.
"Tong'er, I don't know much information, you'd better read the whole thing yourself." What she said might not be correct.
Everyone:!!!
No no no no no! This won’t work!
Once the big news of "a few things between the late emperor and Bai Yueguang" spreads throughout the capital, how should they explain it to the emperor?
They were still thinking about the consequences of this matter being exposed, but the system was already impatient.
Isn't it just a melon? Why is it so reluctant? It's so annoying that it doesn't even want to save the melon.
The system waved its hand: [No need for you, I can do it myself.]
"Wait!" Everyone tried to stop them in unison, looking panicked, but it was too late.
Chu Huan secretly shook her head. After knowing each other for so long, didn’t they know that the system was not a very patient system?
Shang Lu just sat there quietly listening without saying a word. Although he was the most handsome person in the room, he seemed like an invisible person who was ignored.
Nangong Ling originally went to see Chu Huan, but unexpectedly discovered that Shang Lu's eyes were always focused on Chu Huan. No matter what others said or did, he only had Chu Huan in his eyes.
Chu Huan would also look back at him, and the two of them smiled at each other, with an unspoken understanding in the room full of people.
Nangong Ling's eyes slowly widened. These two people...are they really that bad?!
She wanted to sort out her thoughts again and find evidence to verify whether it was really as she thought. The system came back after eating the melon.
[Wow—I was wondering why you were trying to stop me. It turns out the late emperor did something this outrageous.]
[You all finished eating the melons long ago, secretly enjoying yourself, but not wanting to share with me. Are we still good friends? I always share the melons with you!]
Of course, after eating the melon of the late emperor and Bai Yueguang, it also knew why these people didn't want it to eat it on the spot - they didn't want this matter to be known to everyone.
This incident caused quite a big stir back then, but gossip is time-sensitive. Decades have passed, and the people involved have passed away one after another and no one mentions it anymore. Now many people don’t know about it, and no one wants many people to know about it.
Chu Hua: "If you can't vent your desire, we can talk about it later when we get back."
If he talked a few words within the Chu family, at most the Chu family members and the Embroidered Uniform Guard would know about it. They had heard so many melons in the past two years that they didn't care about having to keep this one more secret.
The system actually wanted to share it and let it spread throughout the capital to accumulate more melon energy, but since Chu Huan had asked for it, it had to give face to the host.
【All right. 】
Fortunately! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Chu Huan with gratitude.
"Then let's eat another melon."
"Isn't there another one of the Four Heroes of the Capital?"
"What's the remaining one called?"
"I think his name is Guo Chen."
The system exclaimed in surprise: [The Four Heroes of the Capital are Dongfang Heng, Nangong Ling, and Ximen Jie. The last one should be Bei's double surname, right?]
This is also the question many uninformed people have.
Guo Chen's presence among the West Gate of Dongfang Nangong is out of place no matter how you look at him, and is very unfriendly to people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Someone who knew the situation immediately explained, "Actually, among the Four Heroes of the Capital, Guo Chen was the first to gain fame, followed by Dongfang Heng and Nangong Ling."
Someone asked: "Is Ximen Jie the last one?"
At the same time, a similar conversation was taking place in the box, and the system asked the same question.
The person involved, Nangong Ling, is here, so there is no need for others to bother with this. Let her speak for herself.
"I don't know when the term 'Four Heroes of the Capital' came about. Initially, they only selected a few young men with both talent and reputation to compete with the Three Heroes of Jiangnan. Later, Ximen Jie joined the group, and the term 'Four Heroes of the Capital' became more widely known."
Chu Hua summarized, "In other words, while Ximen Jie was promoting his own reputation, he also helped the three of you."
"You three are the beneficiaries of this successful marketing case, so it's not easy for you to expose him."
Nangong Ling nodded helplessly. That was pretty much what she meant, but… "Guo Chen is a rather aloof person. Although he benefits from this, he doesn't like Ximen Jie."
"I also heard someone once asked Guo Chen what he thought of Ximen Jie, and he walked away on the spot, saying he disdained to associate with people who cheat and deceive."
Chu Huan: "What about Dongfang Heng?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the gaze from the side that had been on her suddenly become sharp.
Chu Huan: "..." Is that so? I just said a name.
Now Nangong Ling was certain that Shang Lu really had different thoughts about Chu Huan.
"Dongfang Heng is the young master of the Dongfang Tea House. He has been surrounded by tea and literature since he was a child. He is good at both business and writing. He is smooth and talented. Everyone who knows him speaks highly of him."
As Nangong Ling praised Dongfang Heng more and more, Chu Huan noticed that the gaze on her became sharper and a little worried.
The system banged its head against the wall in the private chat channel: [Ahhhh, Shanglu Beauty is jealous!]
It got the sweet moments at the scene, hahaha! Is this the joy of being a CP fan? So happy!
In light of someone's unusual reaction, Chu Hua didn't call out the name: "...What about him towards Ximen Jie?"
Nangong Ling: "I've never heard him praise him, nor have I heard him belittle or slander him. Guo Chen and he have a pretty good relationship."
Be tactful and don't offend anyone.
People like Dongfang Heng are quite suitable for the business and government circles.
Chu Huan had never met Guo Chen and Dongfang Heng, so it was difficult for her to comment on them, but the system did not have this concern.
[You said Guo Chen is aloof? Then why is he so close to Dongfang Heng, who comes from a businessman background?]
Even if Dongfang Heng is talented and knowledgeable, there is a fixed hierarchy of contempt between scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. Guo Chen is a poor student who studied hard for more than ten years before achieving fame. How could he have a good relationship with Dongfang Heng, who has no worries about food and clothing?
Is this a touching cross-class friendship, or a deliberate approach with ill intentions? Take a break and come back later.
Everyone: “…”
Their curiosity was aroused to the extreme, but then something like this happened in the middle of the journey, which really made them angry.
Everyone within a fifty-meter radius who could hear the noise wanted to catch the person who had put the melons halfway and then ran away and beat him up.
Dongfang Heng, Guo Chen and Ximen Jie were all in the Dongfang Teahouse. When they heard someone mention the Four Heroes of Beijing, they didn't take it seriously.
The reputation of the Four Heroes of Beijing was growing. They were easily recognized wherever they went. What could a few words mean? But the more they talked, the stranger it became. They couldn't help but pay some attention to listen.
Especially Ximen Jie. Last year during the Lantern Festival, someone mentioned his melon, and he benefited from it for the whole year.
When he heard the same voice from last year, he became excited and wanted to replicate last year's popularity this year.
Only Guo Chen frowned slightly, drank tea frequently and changed his sitting position, seeming a little irritable.
Dongfang Heng glanced at him and smiled without saying anything.
At this moment, that little baby voice appeared again: [Dengdengdengdeng, I’m back! ]
Guo Chen was born into a poor family, a scholar supported by his entire family. He had suffered from hunger many times since childhood. Now an official, he would buy rice whenever his salary came in. He would become anxious if the family had less than 100 kilograms of rice.
Once, we had several guests at home, including a big eater. He was already in bed that night when he suddenly remembered he'd eaten a lot of rice. He got up in the middle of the night and realized he'd eaten less than 100 kilograms. He paced around the kitchen anxiously, staying awake all night. The next morning, he rushed out to buy rice.
Guo Chen: ???
How did this person know?!
Dongfang Heng and Ximen Jie heard for the first time that Guo Chen had such a habit. They were surprised and found it a little funny.
The little voice continued, "Do you know what's the most outrageous thing? Guo Chen is a master of micro-carving. He carves words on each grain of rice, arranges them, and composes them into poems, songs, and essays. He believes that eating these will make him more talented."
Everyone: “…”
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