Ji Mingyang was almost forty years old, but he had been in the army for many years and was in good health, not inferior to those young men. Even though he had lost some weight due to a serious illness, his eyes were still extremely bright.
"Princess." Ji Mingyang bowed to Jingle, and then said to Sheng Xiyan, "Miss Sheng, thank you for saving my life."
He bowed and Sheng Xiyan quickly moved aside: "No need to be so polite."
"Ji Mingyang." Jingle said with a smile, "You have been in the army since my father's time, which means you are half the elder of Achen and Yan Jie'er. There is no need to perform such a grand ceremony."
She was in a very good mood today, and her smile was bright and charming, as gorgeous as a red rose. However, unlike a rose, she did not need to be carefully decorated. Instead, she bloomed in the wind, with a bit of willfulness in her decoration.
Ji Mingyang couldn't help but look at Jingle, but for a moment he looked away.
Jingle smiled and asked, "Why are you here?"
"The prince has asked me to escort you and Miss Shengda to the palace." Ji Mingyang replied, "If you go out in the next few days, the prince has asked me to follow you."
His lung disease has recovered, and he will recover after a good rest. Now his voice is still a little hoarse, he speaks with shortness of breath, and you can hear that he is still a little weak.
Chu Yuanchen originally wanted to let him rest for a few more days, but he couldn't sit still, so he insisted on taking over the task, saying that Han Qianzhi was too young and worked rashly. Han Qianzhi was speechless.
Jingle smiled slightly and without saying anything more stepped onto the carriage. Sheng Xiyan followed, and then Nanny Lan and Xigui.
In addition to Ji Mingyang, Han Qianzhi was also present. They and a group of seven or eight guards escorted the carriage out of the mansion.
Ji Mingyang and Han Qianzhi rode their horses side by side with the carriage.
The streets of the capital were as busy as New Year's Day today, but the common people passing by saw the regulations of the carriage and knew that there were nobles inside, so they made way for it.
"Old Ji." Han Qianzhi moved a little closer to him and whispered, "I heard that the prince actually wanted to marry you as his son-in-law?" The prince he was referring to was the old King Chushen of Zhenbei.
Han Qianzhi had occasionally heard some soldiers talk about this, saying that Ji Mingyang was very happy and agreed on the spot, but the prince was afraid that the princess might think he was vulgar and might not be satisfied, so he specially asked him to come to the capital to show the princess.
The result is...
While the people were still on the way, the emperor suddenly granted them a marriage.
Ji Mingyang glanced at him and said, "Don't talk nonsense." He lowered his voice and said, "The princess has already found a son-in-law."
Not many people in the Northern Frontier knew about this, and even fewer people in the capital knew about it. Talking about it casually would only give people something to talk about and embarrass the princess.
Han Qianzhi shrugged and shut up tactfully.
Ji Mingyang gave another warning: "The prince asked us to guard here. He must be afraid that someone will attack the princess. We must be careful."
Han Qianzhi nodded slightly.
They were all elites of the Northern Frontier Army, and Ji Mingyang had long been a third-rank general. The guards in the Zhenbei Palace were originally retired from the Northern Frontier Army. They had all seen blood and fought in battles, so it was no problem for them to fight ten with one. It was usually not their turn to do such a small thing as guarding, unless the prince thought it was extremely necessary.
"The emperor is extremely angry with the prince today." Ji Mingyang said, his tiger eyes narrowed, his pupils dark and deep.
They had also heard about the emperor's character. Today, the Crown Prince had caused the emperor such a great loss, and he was forced to issue an edict of self-blame. The emperor could not touch the Crown Prince for the time being, and he might look for someone else to vent his anger.
"I understand." Han Qianzhi changed his address, and his demeanor also changed subtly at this moment, becoming more aggressive.
The two stopped talking.
There were no accidents along the way until the carriage stopped in front of the imperial palace.
After meeting Chu Yuanyi in front of the palace gate, they separated again and went directly into the inner palace.
Sheng Xiyan had never entered the palace. She walked closely beside Jingle. Jingle occasionally turned her head to look at her and saw that she was calm and composed, not at all embarrassed, and her eyes became even gentler.
The empress passed away the year before last, and there was no new empress for the time being, so the palace maids led them all the way to the empress dowager's Cining Palace.
There were already seven or eight people in Cining Palace, all of them were officials from various prefectures. When Jingle and Sheng Xiyan walked in, several gazes were immediately cast over them, most of which fell on Sheng Xiyan.
The Sheng family is nothing in the powerful and wealthy capital. To be honest, with the family background of the Sheng family, Sheng Xiyan is not worthy of the Prince of Zhenbei. After all, everyone knows that the old prince has been gone for so many years, and Chu Yuanchen will soon be promoted to the title. At that time, she will no longer be the prince's consort, but the princess of a vassal king, more noble than the princess of a real prince.
How could this grand girl be so lucky!
Only Yong'an, who was sitting below the Empress Dowager, stared at Jingle with an unhappy look on his face.
The two of them bowed without looking at each other. As soon as they sat down, before the palace maids served tea, the Queen Mother couldn't wait to ask, "Jingle, did Brother Yi go to the front with the guests?"
When they heard the mention of guests of honor, many people pricked up their ears.
There are many eyes and ears in the capital, and Jingle did not deliberately avoid others. The news that she and Yibin were going to divorce had already spread, and many people did not agree with it. After all, it was the right thing for a woman to marry and take care of her husband and children. How could she just get a divorce? It was ridiculous.
Jingle smiled faintly and said, "Brother Yi is old now and doesn't need anyone to accompany him."
The word "accompany" made the Queen Mother feel very uncomfortable, as it was as if she was saying that the guest of honor was just a servant accompanying the master.
Jingle forgot that the wedding was a gift from the late emperor?
The Queen Mother asked calmly: "Jingle, I heard that you want to divorce Jiang Ting?"
"No." Jingle shook her head.
The Queen Mother nodded slightly and thought: Not too inappropriate.
Jingle smiled and said, "It's to divorce her husband. Jiang Ting was married into the palace. Since a husband can divorce a woman after she gets married, then if a woman marries, she can also divorce her husband."
This statement not only confirmed the rumors of Jingle's divorce, but also shocked many people.
Husband?!
Jingle is simply too arrogant.
Sheng Xiyan's eyes curved with smile, she liked quietness, she liked it so, so much!
The Queen Mother frowned, put the teacup down heavily, took the Buddhist beads, and said disapprovingly: "Jingle, marriage is not a trivial matter."
"Empress Dowager." Jingle smiled, "Her Royal Highness the Princess has been married four times, and I have only divorced one, so I am still far behind her."
Princess Yong'an recently fell in love with a young and handsome groom and was planning to recruit him as her fourth son-in-law.
Puff. Sheng Xiyan almost couldn't hold it in, and quickly covered her mouth and coughed twice.
The people in Cining Palace were either serving tea, wiping their mouths with handkerchiefs, or adjusting their sleeves, pretending they didn't hear anything.
Yongan's face darkened. She had been married several times, so what did it have to do with Jingle? She was the eldest princess, so who was Jingle!
Yong'an was about to slam the table, but the empress dowager glared at him. She withdrew her hand unhappily and snorted.
The Queen Mother patiently advised: "...Jingle, you have to think about Achen and Yuanyi. Achen is about to get married, and Yuanyi is not engaged yet. You are..." She seemed to struggle with the words before saying, "Not good."
Jingle said with a smile: "I remember that Qingping was born to the eldest princess and her second husband."
Yongan: “…”
I just divorced my husband! I didn't divorce him!
She glanced at the Queen Mother's face cautiously, not daring to say anything, for fear that she would get angry and not allow her to marry the handsome boy she had recently fallen in love with.
The Queen Mother was upset and tightened her grip on the Buddhist beads. But Yong'an was her own daughter and she had scolded her before but couldn't bear to beat her. Now, she gave Jingle something to talk about.
The others were even more afraid to speak. Those who were adjusting their sleeves spent a long time adjusting them, those who were wiping their mouths almost wiped off all their lip balm, and those who were holding the teacups had sore hands.
The Queen Mother had no expression on her face.
The late emperor had no choice but to allow Jingle to marry a concubine to inherit the title, but he did not want the King of Zhenbei to take the opportunity to marry a son of a famous and noble family for her, so he specially chose Jiang Ting.
Jiang Ting was born in a peasant family, which meant that he could not provide any help to the Zhenbei Palace. Moreover, the late emperor thought that Jiang Ting was rather conceited and narrow-minded. Although he had some talent, most of it was just the ability to talk about military affairs on paper. He just looked good. The late emperor specially selected him as the third place in the imperial examination so that he could at least be worthy of Jingle.
Over the years, Jiang Ting has indeed not achieved much and has always been quiet and obedient, which is exactly what the late emperor intended.
They were all fine for more than 20 years, but Jingle now wants to divorce her husband over a disagreement. She simply doesn't take the late emperor seriously!
Jingle was afraid that she was not angry enough, so he added: "Don't worry, the next one will be better."
There was no trace of gloom on her face, and her bright smile made her look even more radiant.
Then she asked Yong'an, "Your Highness, what do you think?"
Yongan: “…”
Yongan never thought that this fire would burn him.
If she said it was not good, then she might not be able to divorce again next time! She did not dare to look at the Queen Mother, and just said, "Yes." As soon as she said this, she felt relieved, "The next one will definitely be better than this one."
"Yongan!"
The Queen Mother was almost pissed off by this close relative.
Yongan curled his lips in disapproval. That's how it is. No matter how handsome the prince consort is, he will grow old. No matter how considerate he is, he will become troublesome!
The queen mother, who was held back by her own daughter, was no longer as confident as she had been at the beginning. She could only persuade her daughter kindly: "Jingle, you should also think about Chen. Chen is getting married soon. You can't leave your father alone when the couple worships heaven and earth."
Someone nodded secretly.
If the guests of honor do not show up, it would be a disgrace to the Prince of Zhenbei and this Miss Shengda.
It is not easy for a woman to be born. Even if she has a conflict with Yibin, she should consider her own son. Why can't she bear it? After all, Yibin has neither concubines nor illegitimate children, and the Princess is the head of the Zhenbei Palace.
Jingle smiled and said, "There are many children raised by widows."
What does it matter if one person is missing from the wedding ceremony?
She added, "If it really makes the auditorium look ugly if a seat is left empty, I will quickly find another one."
Queen Mother: “…”
Absurd! Arrogant! So unruly.
The Queen Mother could only ask Sheng Xiyan: "Miss Sheng, what do you think?"
She spoke in a low voice, but anyone who knew their stuff would have listened to her at this point.
Sheng Xiyan smiled slightly, and said gently and obediently: "I think what the princess said is right."
Queen Mother: “…”
She almost tore the Buddhist beads in her hand apart.
She came from a prominent family, and as soon as she got married she became the Crown Princess, and then the Empress. Her son was the eldest son, and her position as Crown Prince was secure. The concubines in the palace were also well-behaved. It can be said that she had a glorious life, but she never expected that when she got old she would be slapped in the face frequently.
Jingle is fine, she has been lawless since she was a child, but Sheng Xiyan... How did the Sheng family raise her to be like this?!
Previously, the Queen Mother wanted Yong'an to discipline her and make her obedient, so that she could become a good chess piece when she married into the Sheng family in the future. But she was stubborn and could not tell the difference between good and bad!
The Cining Palace suddenly became quiet.
Jingle picked up the teacup and sipped the tea leisurely, occasionally saying to Sheng Xiyan beside her, "This tea is good, these snacks are delicious," and so on, in a harmonious and harmonious atmosphere.
She thought Jingle was just pretending.
The Queen Mother cleared her throat and said in a somewhat sinister tone, "Jingle, it seems that you and Miss Shengda are getting along quite well."
Jingle smiled and said with satisfaction: "I would like to thank the Queen Mother for this good marriage. Our sister Yan, the more I see her, the more I like her."
The Queen Mother held her breath and said, "As long as you like it, it's good. As long as you like it, it's good."
Jingle smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't say it, Sister Yan and Achen are really a perfect match. Well, you may have heard that when Achen was missing, I went to Huangjue Temple to ask for a fortune. At that time, Zen Master Mingkong said that Achen...well, I'm afraid he will not be able to escape the disaster. He must find a girl with great fortune to be reborn after death. I was worried and scared at that time. I am so grateful that you gave me Sister Yan."
Jingle smiled at Sheng Xiyan, and Sheng Xiyan cooperated very well by half lowering her head with a shy and timid look. She was good-looking, with slightly drooping eyelids and slightly curved mouth corners, looking obedient and soft. Anyone who saw her would think that she was a gentle and obedient lady from a wealthy family.
Jingle added, "Look, as soon as you gave Sister Yan to A-Chen, A-Chen sent back news. Isn't this exactly what Master Mingkong predicted?! After A-Chen gets married, I will have him come in person to thank you for saving his life."
When she spoke, she added a slight emphasis, which others could not hear, but the Queen Mother heard it clearly.
The Queen Mother really didn't want to say a word to them anymore. She felt very suffocated after saying this.
Jingle was simply poking at her heart. If what Zen Master Mingkong said was true, that it was because she had given Chu Yuanchen this marriage that he survived, the Queen Mother would be choking to death.
Jingle nonchalantly lifted the tea lid and winked at Sheng Xiyan without disguising herself. When it comes to making people angry, she is an expert.
Jingle really believed that Sheng Xiyan was the one that Zen Master Mingkong mentioned as having great fortune. Her son even told her that if he hadn't met Sheng Xiyan and been saved by her, he would have been dead. This was not just fate, but an opportunity bestowed upon them by God because he saw that the Zhenbei Palace was pitiful.
Sheng Xiyan covered her mouth and laughed.
Since the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, it was natural for others to say nothing either. The Cining Palace was quiet.
Jingle was sipping tea leisurely. Gradually, more people came over. Seeing that no one else was talking and not knowing what was going on, he also kept silent to keep safe.
Until Princess Qingping came. She was lively and tenderly called the Queen Mother "Grandma" a few times, which made the Queen Mother smile.
There were some sounds coming out of Cining Palace again.
Cining Palace couldn't accommodate so many people. After the young people came to pay their respects, they went to Yu Garden to watch a play and have fun. Sheng Xiyan didn't leave, but sat obediently next to Jingle.
Today there were locusts and a solar eclipse, a series of incredible things that happened, which messed up the original ceremonies. In particular, the emperor and Chu Yuanchen went to Huangjue Temple. The auspicious time for the banquet was moved back and forth again, and the Minister of Rites had several hairs turned white because of this.
Finally, a eunuch came and said that the banquet was about to begin.
Then a group of female relatives surrounded the Queen Mother and walked towards the Guangying Hall where the banquet was set.
Sheng Xiyan's seat was next to Jingle.
When the auspicious time came, the bell rang, and the emperor and the prince of Zhenbei, Chu Yuanchen, came in together.
Everyone saluted until the emperor sat down, then raised his hand and said, "No need to salute, Ah Chen. Today's palace banquet is for you. You should sit next to me."
When we say "beside the emperor", of course we are not really sitting next to him, but the most honorable seat below him. This seat has been vacant for a long time, waiting for Chu Yuanchen.
Chu Yuanchen thanked him and sat down, looking like a harmonious couple.
Everyone sat down one by one.
Just as the chief eunuch was about to order the music and dancing to be played in the hall, the emperor raised his hand.
The Minister of Rites felt a pang in his heart, thinking that the ceremony he had managed to put together with great difficulty might be ruined again. If he had been a little braver, he should have asked the Emperor to talk about it tomorrow.
The emperor said cheerfully, "Achen, I have something I want to talk to you about."
Chu Yuanchen raised his eyebrows when he heard this, and with a smile in his peach blossom eyes, he said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
"Today, when I saw the coffin of Lord Xue, I felt a little emotional. I still remember that there was a prince in the Lingnan Palace. He was only five or six years old at the time. If he could grow up, he would not be much older than you, Achen."
The prince of Lingnan Palace was born late. Xue Chongzhi was over 30 years old when he had his only son. He was so happy that he immediately submitted a memorial requesting that he be named the prince.
Chu Yuanchen's eyes were gloomy and he said nothing.
"When I look at you, I think of the young prince." The emperor's mind was in a trance for a moment. He still remembered that Princess Lingnan was a rare beauty. Although he had only seen her from a distance, those charming eyes made him unforgettable for many years.
"If the young master and Lord Xue were still alive, perhaps the Lingnan Palace would even have a great-grandson by now."
The emperor heaved a long sigh and said, "The King of Lingnan is gone, and the late emperor is also gone. I can't see him even if I want to."
The emperor looked extremely sad.
Chu Yuanchen smiled nonchalantly and said nothing, wanting to hear what the emperor wanted to say.
After the emperor had done his best, he slowly said, "As the saying goes, a son wants to raise his parents but they are no longer around. Ah Chen, your father and mother have been married for more than 20 years..."
Jingle's expression changed immediately, and she clenched her hands into fists and placed them on her knees.
From the Empress Dowager to the Emperor, how come this mother and son never let anyone have a day of peace!
Once the emperor said this, there was no doubt that he was going to put Chu Yuanchen on the rack.
No matter what, Jiang Ting is the father and Chu Yuanchen is the son. This is filial piety.
The emperor wanted Chu Yuanchen to make the choice! If Chu Yuanchen agreed, he would be very angry. But if Chu Yuanchen did not agree. As the saying goes, the son should take the blame for the father's mistakes. Chu Yuanchen not only refused to take the blame, but also refused to plead for his father. This is unfilial.
"Your Majesty." Chu Yuanchen interrupted the emperor before he could finish his words. He smiled and slowly turned the empty wine glass in his hand. He said slowly, "When you mentioned King Lingnan, I thought of my grandfather."
The grandfather Chu Yuanchen mentioned was King Zhenbei Chu Shen.
The emperor frowned, but since he was the one who mentioned the King of Lingnan first, of course he couldn't stop him from speaking.
Chu Yuanchen continued, "I remember that a few years ago, my grandfather took me back to the capital and lived there for half a year. He personally arranged a study for me. The bookcase in the study was built by him. There is actually a secret compartment on the second layer of the bookcase. Do you know what I put in the secret compartment?"
Everyone was confused and had no idea what Chu Yuanchen was talking about, but there was a subtle change on the emperor's face.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Chu Yuanchen.
Chu Yuanchen smiled brightly: "Your Majesty, do you know?"
The emperor was silent for a moment, picked up the wine cup, and said: "Achen, you have made great contributions to Darong's expansion of territory. I would like to toast you first."
A eunuch immediately filled Chu Yuanchen's glass with wine. He stood up, raised the glass, and drank it all in one gulp.
After these two people spoke, the others became more and more confused, but Jingle understood everything.
Just now, the emperor clearly wanted to use filial piety to control Chu Yuanchen, but when Chu Yuanchen mentioned the secret code, he fell silent.
Jingle knew about this secret compartment. In the past few years, letters would be sent from the northern border to the capital from time to time. If there were confidential matters, someone would be sent back to the capital directly unless it was too urgent.
Jingle burned most of the books she read, but there were some that could not be burned, so she put them in the secret compartment of Chu Yuanchen's study.
It has always been this way.
This matter was kept secret from the outside world, but she and Yibin had been married for more than 20 years and had two children. Jingle couldn't be on guard against Yibin day and night, otherwise she would have been unable to live like this.
Even if I didn't tell him, and I didn't hide it from him, he would know where I put things if he paid a little attention...
No wonder, even though the situation in the northern border was gradually improving, Achen suddenly met with misfortune and almost lost his life!
No wonder, when I said I wanted to divorce my husband, Achen agreed so readily.
No wonder the Queen Mother knew the fate that Master Kongming had predicted for A-Chen...
When I think about it this way, everything makes sense.
Her Achen has never been a cold-hearted person. Even though he didn't spend much time with her and Jiang Ting, he wouldn't be so indifferent to Jiang Ting.
She should have thought of it earlier.
Achen was just as badly hurt as himself.
But unlike himself, the most he could lose was only his life, while Achen had hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command, and he had to consider them.
The back of her hand, which was trembling with coldness, was gently covered by a warm palm. She turned her head and saw Sheng Xiyan's smiling face.
Jingle's heart was instantly at peace. So what if she met the wrong person? At least God gave her such a good daughter-in-law, and that was enough.
You can't give all the good things to yourself.
Jingle suddenly became clear-headed, and a smile appeared on her face, a faint smile that came from the heart.
After Chu Yuanchen put down his wine glass, he looked in their direction. Seeing Jingle's calm expression, he felt relieved. He blinked his beautiful peach eyes at Sheng Xiyan, moved his lips, and silently said two words: purse.