Chapter 6 Who will pity me when my beauty fades and my fragrance disappears
Two months passed in a flash.
That day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Officials of the third rank and above brought their relatives to the palace to attend the banquet, and Prince Xie's Mansion was among them.
Xie Fei was rushing to the palace in a carriage. When passing by the shops on the street, he somehow asked the driver to stop.
Jin Yu Liang Yuan is a famous jade jewelry shop in the capital, and is also one of the shops run by Xie Fei. It is almost dusk now, and there are not many customers in the shop.
Shopkeeper Lu was calculating today's profit on an abacus when he looked up and saw the prince walking towards him. He immediately put down the account book at hand, smiled and invited Xie Fei to sit in the inner room, and said, "Prince, why did you come here today? I wonder what you want to tell me?"
Xie Fei asked: "Are there any special jade ornaments suitable for girls to play with?"
Shopkeeper Lu's shrewd eyes rolled around, and he said, "Don't be surprised, it really exists. It was just shipped back from Jiangnan the day before yesterday. It is a piece of warm milky white jade, but one side has two red spots. I thought it was a defective product, but Wang De made it into a rabbit-shaped jade ornament with his ingenious hands. It is so beautiful that even a rough man like me can't help but be moved!"
"Bring it to me." Xie Fei raised his eyebrows nonchalantly and ordered.
Shopkeeper Lu responded, turned and left the inner room, and came in with a box after a while: "My Lord, take a look." He opened it and handed it to Xie Fei.
Xie Fei took it and took out the jade ornament from the box. A warmth covered his palm. The front of the jade was shaped like a rabbit, small and exquisite. The two red dots were just like the rabbit's red eyes, very cute. The other side was crystal white, round and delicate. The whole piece of jade exudes a faint spiritual energy and is indeed a rare and top-quality product.
Looking at the jade ornament, Xie Fei inexplicably thought of Xi Wen. Her eyes were red that day, and she smiled and said to Xie Fei, "Believe him." His heart suddenly softened, and Xie Fei blurted out, "I want this jade ornament."
When he left, Xie Fei instructed Shopkeeper Lu again: "If you have similar jade ornaments in the future, send them directly to the palace."
Shopkeeper Lu nodded repeatedly and agreed.
After a delay of such a while, when Xie Fei arrived, the banquet was already full of guests. Men and women sat on both sides, the ladies on one side and the ministers and sons on the other. As for the royal princesses and princes, they all sat on the high platform where the chairman's seat was.
As soon as Xie Fei stepped into the banquet hall, he instantly attracted everyone's attention. There was even a woman who whispered, "Master Xie, it's Master Xie!"
There was astonishment in everyone's eyes. Although Master Xie was famous, he seldom appeared in public. Many people had only seen his portrait circulating in the market, and it was the first time they had seen him in person.
Xie Fei was wearing a plain white brocade robe that was outlined with a few strokes of gold thread, yet it looked unexpectedly refined and luxurious. He had a gold jade belt around his slender waist, and his black hair was simply tied up with a white jade crown.
He has a handsome face, a pair of clear and cold eyes, and his thin lips are slightly pursed, revealing an indifference that is not tainted by the world.
His attire was obviously simple and elegant, but as he walked towards them step by step, he gave everyone a heart-stirring shock. All the young ladies at the banquet blushed, and could not take their eyes away from him. They twirled the silk handkerchiefs in their hands and began to secretly covet the positions of Xie Fei's concubine and other wives.
Xie Fei walked straight to his seat. As soon as he sat down, Tang You, Chen Yuyan and others surrounded him. Tang You looked around Xie Fei and smacked his lips: "Brother Fei, you are really good-looking. If I were as handsome as you, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to chase women."
"Don't think about it." Xie Fei said lightly, "Your temperament can't support this skin."
Tang You: “…”
Chen Yuyan and others who were sitting nearby couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, followed by a series of loud laughter.
Tang You's face turned even greener: "Haha what the hell, you are still my brothers, do you know the meaning of brotherhood and the common hatred of the enemy?"
Chen Yuyan stopped laughing, waved his hand to signal others to stop laughing, then looked at Tang You with a serious face and said, "I'm sorry, I just want to tell you that we are bad friends, where does the brotherhood come from?"
After he finished speaking, Chen Yuyan and the others burst into laughter again. Tang You looked at them and returned to his seat angrily.
Chen Yuyan and the others laughed enough, bowed and returned to their seats. After a while, the eunuch's shrill voice came from the high platform: "The emperor and the queen have arrived--"
Xie Fei looked up when he heard the voice, and saw the emperor and the queen slowly walking towards them, surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs. A graceful and beautiful woman followed beside the queen. She had a pair of sharp eyes and a fierce look in her eyes. She was wearing a crabapple red palace dress that made her skin look whiter than snow. As she walked, her long tasseled necklaces scattered in all directions, which was extremely beautiful.
This graceful woman was Xiwen. She didn't want to attend the banquet today, but her mother dragged her here, saying that she wanted to meet Prince Xie and cultivate their relationship before getting married.
Xie Fei's appearance and temperament are both outstanding. Even in the crowd, he is particularly conspicuous. Xiwen walked along and saw her nominal fiancé from a distance. She had to admit that he was indeed handsome. Even she, who was used to seeing her own beauty, was stunned and couldn't take her eyes off.
Thinking of this, Xiwen looked over again, and met Xie Fei's gentle gaze. His eyes seemed to contain endless affection. Xiwen's heart beat fast and her cheeks felt slightly hot when she was looked at by him. She looked away as if avoiding him.
Xie Fei stared at Xiwen, frowning in confusion. This was the second time he had seen her, but the moment he saw her eyes, an inexplicable sense of intimacy and familiarity surged in his heart, a feeling he had not had when he first met Xiwen.
There's something strange.
Xie Fei made a fist with his hand, pressed it against his thin lips, and smiled with the corners of his lips slightly raised.
The emperor smiled and announced the start of the dinner.
During the banquet, the wine was half drunk, and a young eunuch ran over in a panic. He knelt down and kowtowed, saying tremblingly: "Your Majesty, General Liang... is back! He brought a woman with him. General Liang said she was his wife."
The banquet that had been bustling just a moment ago suddenly became silent. Everyone couldn't help but wonder in their hearts, this Liang Shao is too bold, he is simply slapping the emperor in the face, he asked the emperor's princess to be his fiancée, but he even dared to marry a wife in private, did he think he had lived too long? Fortunately, this time the emperor promised Princess Anping to Prince Xie early on, otherwise the royal family would have lost face!
On the high platform, Xiwen heard the news that Liang Shao had returned, and looked at the kneeling eunuch in surprise. However, the next moment, the corners of her slightly raised mouth froze on her face.
wife……
Liang Shao actually got married. While she was worried about his attack and disappearance, he was sleeping soundly in the arms of his wife. Is this what he called... love?
The rumor in Beijing that she was destined to be unlucky in marriage just passed away not long ago. I wonder what unpleasant words will appear after this banquet? Aren't you used to it? Why are you still so scared?
The queen widened her eyes in disbelief when she heard this. She subconsciously turned her head to look at Xiwen beside her. She lowered her head, her face pale as she sat in her seat. Her bare hands tightly grasped the corners of her clothes, and her whole body was trembling slightly.
A surge of pity surged into the queen's heart. She quietly reached out from under the table and placed her hand on the back of Xiwen's hand. She patted it gently and whispered, "Xiwen, don't cry. Smile."
"Remember, you are the most noble princess of Da Qi. Only the most outstanding man in the world can be worthy of you." The queen said word by word, "And this man is Xie Fei."
Xiwen raised her head slightly, the tears on her face not yet dried, looking at her mother's determined eyes, she suddenly understood what her mother meant - whether Liang Shao got married or not had nothing to do with her, her future was already firmly tied to Xie Fei.
The moment the emperor heard the little eunuch's words, his heart was filled with anger. Liang Shao hit him on the left cheek and now he hit him on the right cheek. Did he really think that he, the emperor, was made of clay?
The emperor was very angry. He had already cursed Liang Shao in his heart, but when he raised his eyes, he saw Xie Fei calmly drinking wine and eating delicious food. In an instant, all his anger disappeared completely.
So what if Liang Shao got married? My son-in-law now is not him, but Xie Fei.
Even if it is embarrassing, it is not embarrassing for me. Even if it is ridiculed, it will only be ridiculed for Liang Shao's blindness and mistaking fish eyes for pearls.
The emperor's mood improved in an instant. He was now particularly eager to see Liang Shao's expression when he knew that he had changed the marriage proposal. So the emperor raised his head with a smile on his face and said in surprise, "Lord Liang is back? Hurry and invite me in!"
The young eunuch climbed up in fear and trepidation, walked out quickly with his back hunched. After a while, a tall and handsome man came in, followed by a petite woman in linen clothes who was timid and cowering.
Liang Shao strode to the front of the high platform, knelt alone, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, long live the emperor." The woman behind him also knelt down, opened her mouth nervously and muttered a few words.
"My dear minister, please stand up." The emperor raised his hand and waited for Liang Shao to stand up. He then said, "It is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the night of family reunion. I am very happy that you have returned safely today. I just don't know who is the woman behind you?"
"This..." Liang Shao looked at Princess Anping guiltily. He was also very ashamed, but after spending more than two months with Bing'er, he found that he had been moved by her gentleness, infatuation, innocence and kindness. The princess not only has a stunning appearance, but also has parents who are the emperor and empress. She can live a good life even if she breaks off the engagement. Bing'er is different. She only has a pretty appearance, and is lonely and helpless. She has no one to rely on except herself.
The balance in Liang Shao's heart gradually tilted towards Chen Bing'er. The guilty look in his eyes was replaced by determination. He said confidently, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This woman saved me by the lake two months ago. I have promised to be with her for the rest of my life. I will never change my mind."
"Oh?" The emperor looked at the two of them in surprise, then laughed and said, "This is good news. My beloved minister has survived a great disaster and found a good man. I am so happy that I have no time to punish you, general."
Liang Shao was stunned when he heard this. He thought that he would have to spend a lot of time and effort, and might even end up in jail. However, he didn't expect that the emperor was not only not angry, but also laughed happily.
Instinctively feeling that something was wrong, Liang Shao looked up at the Queen and Princess Anping and found that they were all smiling. There was no blame, no beating or scolding, and no crying. There were even guests around who congratulated him, but the smiles on their faces looked like mockery.
"Your Majesty, I… bow to you in thanks." Liang Shao bowed blankly to express his gratitude. He frowned and thought for a moment, but couldn't help but asked curiously, "I just don't know whether the marriage between you and Princess Anping is granted…"
The author has something to say:
I... I have been chatting with my friends since 6:30 today, and suddenly I remembered that I haven't updated today [covering my face], you must forgive me~~~
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