Attending a banquet
That night, He Lin went to the palace to meet Emperor Liang. What exactly they talked about remains unknown.
However, judging from Emperor Liang's attitude, one can guess that he must know about He Lin's background, otherwise he would not have sent so many rare treasures to the General's Mansion.
These days, many people come and go from the General's mansion, mostly just to watch the spectacle. But almost no one knows that these gifts are specifically for He Lin. They just feel that His Majesty has misunderstood General He and is giving gifts to his subject out of guilt to comfort him. After all, General He has fought on the frontier for many years and has made great contributions to protecting the Liang Dynasty. No matter what, we cannot let our old ministers feel disheartened...
In other words, no one in the world knows He Lin's true identity yet.
After returning from southern Xinjiang, he personally made a swing for Jiang Yi in Luoying Courtyard.
Spring has arrived, and all things are beginning to revive.
Jiang Yi sat on the swing, swaying back and forth, and shifted her gaze from the study doorway to the apricot tree next to it. The crabapple trees were also beginning to sprout tender green buds, creating a vibrant scene.
Xia Zhi would occasionally nudge her from behind, chatting about the latest gossip circulating in the capital.
Not long after, He Lin came out and walked towards Jiang Yi and the others.
"Hey, you finally decided to come out. Are you finished drawing?"
He Lin had promised to paint a picture for her when he was in the southern border region. Now, whenever he has free time, he buries himself in his study and paints without letting anyone see, making it all very mysterious. The more he tries to hide it from Jiang Yi, the more curious she becomes.
"No, it's almost finished with just a little finishing touches. I guarantee it will be delivered to you tonight."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
He Lin slowly walked to Jiang Yi and pressed her down onto the swing. He then went around to the back to take Xia Zhi's place and helped Jiang Yi push the swing.
“He Lin.”
"Um?"
Jiang Yi gripped the swing ropes with both hands, turned to look at him, and smiled, "Shall I sing you a song? Would you like to hear it?"
He Lin raised one eyebrow and asked, "You can sing?"
"Of course, I can do more than just sing. I can also dance. I have a lot of skills. You'll have plenty of time to get to know me later."
He Lin smiled faintly, "Sing, I'll listen."
Jiang Yi cleared her throat. She hadn't hummed a song in a long time since she transmigrated here, let alone sang one. She hoped she still remembered the lyrics so as not to embarrass herself in front of He Lin.
Soon, a modern love song floated from Jiang Yi's lips. Her voice was melodious and graceful, with its own vibrato and trills. Although she was not as good as a professional singer, at least she was not off-key and her pitch was always on point.
To He Lin, Jiang Yi's humming was pleasant enough, but the lyrics were too straightforward.
Besides, he had never heard such a song before, and he didn't know where Jiang Yi had learned it from.
Jiang Yi stumbled while singing, so she coughed twice to cover it up, and then cleared her throat.
"Why did you stop singing?"
Jiang Yi blushed inexplicably: "Um, I... I forgot my lines."
With her memory, she's lucky if she can even hum the climax of a song. If you want to hear the full version, that's a different price; it's something professionals do, and she's just an amateur at best!
After finishing speaking, Jiang Yi shamelessly asked, "Did it sound good?"
Before He Lin could speak, Xia Zhi, who was carrying fruit, laughed first: "What a lovely song, Miss! How come I didn't know you could sing this kind of song? I've never heard it before."
Jiang Yi laughed twice and muttered a few words under her breath, managing to steer the conversation away from the topic.
"He Lin, what do you think?"
He Lin said, "Although I had never heard it before, the melody is okay. The only flaw is that the lyrics are too straightforward and bold. How can you say 'I love you' or 'you love me' so often, especially in the form of a song? Isn't that decadent music? If it were to spread among the common people, it would be too absurd."
Jiang Yi chuckled. As expected of He Lin, his standards are always higher than others.
You have to understand that she is a modern woman living in the 21st century, not in the feudal society of their time, nor in an era where travel was slow and one could only love one person in a lifetime. So what if the lyrics are a little unrestrained and explicit? It is perfectly normal that He Lin cannot understand.
"why are you laughing?"
"No, I just think what you said makes sense. Fortunately, so far only you and Xia Zhi have heard this song. Don't worry, I will never spread it, and I will never let it become a decadent song."
Jiang Yi touched the tips of her thumb and forefinger together and gave him an OK sign.
Just then, the Crown Prince and Wu Yuan arrived, and it was He Yu who led them in.
The crown prince was dressed in ordinary clothes and did not make a big fuss when he entered. There were no guards with him, so it was obvious that he had sneaked out of the palace.
As soon as Qi Junyuan arrived, Jiang Yi immediately steadied the swing, got off, and stood properly. Although she still didn't know how to greet him after all this time, it was still more prudent to stand up at this moment. After all, his status was there, and even if she disregarded his position as crown prince, she still had to give He Lin some face.
He Lin was the first to bow to him: "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Jiang Yi followed closely behind, imitating He Lin's gesture and bowing to Qi Junyuan: "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
A few soft laughs came from ahead, not mocking, but seemingly finding it amusing.
Xia Zhi secretly tugged at Jiang Yi's clothes and frantically winked at her young mistress.
Jiang Yi looked up and saw He Lin glancing sideways with a helpless expression. He Yu and Wu Yuan also had tense smiles. Only then did she realize that she had performed the same greeting as He Lin, and it was a male greeting!
faint!
Realizing this, Jiang Yi closed her eyes and then suddenly opened them again, quickly switching back to a lady's greeting: "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Qi Junyuan stepped forward and personally helped the two of them up: "Young Master Lin and Miss Jiang, there's no need for such formalities, please rise."
"Your Highness, is there something you need today?"
Qi Junyuan nodded: "Yes, I have come here today to see Young Master Lin, despite my impertinence."
He Lin looked up at He Yu and Wu Yuan, and both of them nodded at him.
"Your Highness, please come in."
Qi Junyuan took two steps, then stopped and turned back to look at Jiang Yi, politely smiling, "Miss Jiang, please come along too."
Jiang Yi pointed to herself: "Me?"
"Well, there are no outsiders here today, why don't we come together?"
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer?"
She also wanted to know what the Crown Prince wanted with He Lin.
"please."
Jiang Yi grinned as she walked up the steps, but accidentally walked too fast and ran ahead of Qi Junyuan. She was the first to step into the room, sat down casually, and didn't realize that there was anything wrong with her behavior.
She didn't understand these things, but He Lin couldn't pretend not to see, so he apologized to Qi Junyuan, saying, "Your Highness, she..."
Qi Junxu smiled and said, "It's alright. Miss Jiang is frank, and I won't blame her."
Xia Zhi served each person in the room a cup of hot tea, then quietly withdrew.
"Young Master Lin, I heard from Wu Yuan that you recently returned from the Southern Frontier. How are your injuries? If you need a royal physician, I can—"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. My injuries are not serious."
Qi Junyuan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to interrupt him. After regaining his senses, he simply smiled and said, "It's good that you're alright."
He Yu gave He Lin a reproachful look, signaling him to control his temper.
But He Lin's next sentence was an even bigger bombshell, and He Yu almost spat out his tea after hearing it.
"Your Highness, please speak frankly. I only have the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. I have arranged to have dinner with Jiang Yi at Zuixianlou later."
Jiang Yi's mouth dropped open: "Huh?"
When was this appointment made? How come she, the person involved, didn't know?
He Yu glanced at Jiang Yi, then shifted his gaze to He Lin. This kid is impervious to reason! He's clearly determined to make trouble for Qi Junyuan.
Wu Yuan sat calmly to the side, sipping his tea, as if nothing that happened concerned him.
Qi Junyuan sighed resignedly, "Since that's the case, I'll be frank. He Lin, I'm here on the orders of my father to invite you to the palace banquet tomorrow night at 3:45 PM."
He said "the Emperor's command" instead of "Your Majesty's command," and although there is only a two-word difference, the meanings are worlds apart.
Qi Junyuan's words clearly meant that he was acting as an intermediary for Emperor Liang, inviting him to the palace for a family reunion, which also meant that he already knew that He Lin was Qi Junheng...
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It was so embarrassing, Jiang Yi couldn't bear to look at it, she was practically digging her toes into a castle.
He Lin didn't say whether he would go or not, he just sat there quietly.
Finally, He Yu couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Second brother, if you don't want to go, then don't go. It's not a big deal. I'll take care of anything that happens."
Jiang Yi raised her hand, indicating that she had something to say.
"Your Highness, may I ask you a few questions?"
Qi Junyuan nodded: "Of course, Miss Jiang, please feel free to speak your mind."
Since he had already said that, Jiang Yi stopped being polite and asked directly, "May I ask who was present at the palace banquet?"
“Naturally, they are people from the palace.”
Jiang Yi nodded with a pursed lip: "People from the palace... May I ask again, is this a palace banquet or a family banquet? He Lin is the second young master of the General's Mansion. It doesn't make sense for an outsider like him to attend a banquet in the palace alone, does it?"
“Miss Jiang, you know perfectly well what He Lin is like… so why say such things?”
"If He Lin doesn't go, what will His Majesty do? Will disobey the imperial edict and be executed without mercy?"
I had long heard that Madam He Lin was very sharp-tongued, and that the entire General's Mansion was privately very protective of its own. Now it seems that the rumors were indeed true, and I have witnessed it for myself today.
“Miss Jiang, you…”
Jiang Yi continued aggressively: "Your Highness, please answer my question directly."
“It’s fine if Young Master Lin doesn’t have to go, but General He and Madam Tong will probably have to go to the palace to ‘attend the banquet’ in his place.”
Now it was He Yu's turn to be furious. He grabbed Qi Junyuan's collar and roared, "Qi Junyuan! You've gone too far! What crimes have my father and Aunt Tong committed?!"
Qi Junyuan sighed helplessly, "It is a crime to deceive the emperor."
He Yu clenched his fist and swung it in mid-air: "You..."
Seeing this, Wu Yuan quickly stopped him: "Young Master, please calm down. His Highness came here today with no other intention than to ask He Lin's opinion. Whether he goes or not is entirely up to him."
Jiang Yi retorted sarcastically: "What do you mean by 'simple inquiry'? It's more like they're issuing a threatening notice!"
He Lin, who had been silent all along, stood up and forcibly separated the three people who were tangled together.
"Brother, I'll go."
It's unclear whether He Lin's use of "brother" was directed at He Yu or Qi Junyuan.
"However, I have one condition. Please have Your Highness convey this to His Majesty."
"you say."
"..."
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