Chapter 133 Yearning
The sun was shining in, the windows were half open, all the people that could be sent out by Jingzhao Prefecture had gone out, and the office was so quiet. Ming Huashang lay on the table, yawning one after another, and trying hard to stay alert to read the gunpowder formula.
Xie Jichuan turned a page of the book, glanced at her, and said, "What did you do last night? Why are you so sleepy?"
Ming Huashang was so distracted yesterday that he went to bed at midnight. When he woke up today, he felt as listless as a mop. Ming Huashang rubbed the tears in his eyes and said, "Nothing. I was thinking about something and couldn't fall asleep for no reason."
The ten-day deadline was like a mountain pressing down on the Jingzhao Prefecture, and was busy and exhausted. Ming Huazhang, Ren Yao, and Jiang Ling each led a team to search the city. Ming Huazhang saw that Ming Huashang was in poor spirits, so he forced her to stay in the government office and left with his men.
As for Xie Jichuan, no one dared to assign work to the Prince's Sheren in the Zhanshi Mansion. Xie Jichuan was also very thick-skinned. While others were busy, he could still sit peacefully in the office and drink tea, under the pretext of solving a mystery.
With his slender white fingers, he held the Yue porcelain cup and blew gently, then asked leisurely, "Do you want to attend the banquet held by Princess Taiping today?"
Ming Huashang choked and said in surprise, "Why would I want to do this?"
"So you knew it." Xie Jichuan said, "Seeing that you were dressed so casually, I thought Princess Taiping didn't invite you."
Ming Huachang was speechless again, and looked at Xie Jichuan silently: "Brother Xie, has anyone ever told you that you are good at offending people?"
"Yeah." Xie Jichuan took a sip of tea and nodded lightly, "Now you tell me."
Xie Jichuan held the tea in one hand, looking elegant and graceful, sitting there like a painting, but his mouth was really irritating. Ming Huashang pouted and said unhappily: "Brother Xie, no girl will like you like this."
"So, the person you were thinking about in the middle of the night was actually your husband?" Xie Jichuan put down the teacup, looked at her, and said, "I thought the most boring thing was just thinking about the case, but I didn't expect it to be more vulgar than I thought."
Ming Huashang was not convinced: "Love between men and women is a natural emotion. Is it vulgar?"
"Not bad?" Xie Jichuan paused subtly and asked, "So, are you really thinking about this?"
Ming Huashang snorted softly, turned around and flipped through the book, refusing to pay any more attention to him. The hall was quiet for a while, with only the rustling of papers. After a while, Xie Jichuan turned a page and asked casually, "Who is it?"
"Do you know that you can't ask questions about a girl's secrets? Go and solve your puzzle, so that I won't contaminate you with vulgarity."
Gunpowder involves alchemy, and even though Ming Huashang read it carefully, she was still confused. She copied many names on the paper, and after reading it for a while, she still felt that she had to accept her fate.
She picked up the book, sneaked up to Xie Jichuan's desk, and asked with a smile, "Brother Xie, are you busy?"
"busy."
His refusal was so ruthless that Ming Huashang choked. She looked at the book in Xie Jichuan's hand and accused him, "You weren't solving the puzzle at all. You were just reading a book. What are you busy with?"
Without even raising his eyelids, Xie Jichuan said quietly, "Do you know that you can't ask about a busy person's thoughts? I'm happy to do so."
Ming Huashang was frustrated and felt helpless. She had known for a long time that Xie Jichuan was eccentric, but today he was particularly eccentric. Ming Huashang still put on a smile and said shamelessly: "Brother Xie is extremely talented and smart. It is not a problem for you to think of several things at the same time. What problem can stump you? Brother Xie, Brother Xie, can you help me see what these pill refining recipes are like?"
Ming Huashang vowed to be humble to the end, spread the scroll in front of the table, and diligently served Xie Jichuan tea and water. Xie Jichuan brushed his long sleeves, glanced at it condescendingly, and asked: "What are you looking at these for?"
Ming Huashang saw that there was a chance, so she quickly handed over the pen and ink and said, "My life experience is far less than that of a detective who has been working among the people for decades, so I can't really help much when it comes to finding someone. I thought about reading some books related to gunpowder, putting myself in the shoes of the murderer and feeling his thoughts, maybe I can refine the portrait."
Xie Jichuan sneered and said, "After all, it's all for the sake of helping him solve the case."
"How can I ask for help?" Ming Huashang had been smiling frivolously, but now he was serious, his eyes dark and serious, and he said, "I also want to find the murderer as soon as possible. I can feel that the murderer is not a bad person, he is just too disappointed. If we can find him earlier, maybe we can save him. Although it is always difficult for good to be rewarded and evil to be punished in this world, I can do my best to make more people willing to believe that evil cannot prevail over good, and evil cannot prevail over virtue. Justice may be late, but it will never be absent. This is not only my second brother's ambition, but also my ambition."
Embrace? Xie Jichuan looked into Ming Huashang's eyes for a long time and said, "What is embrace?"
This question stumped Ming Huashang. She pondered for a moment and said, "Maybe it's a will that transcends power and wealth, and is more important than life?"
Xie Jichuan sneered, his dark eyes flashed with disdain, and he waved his sleeves lightly: "People die for money, birds die for food, people can do anything for themselves. There is nothing more important than life in this world."
Ming Huashang whispered back, "Yes."
Xie Jichuan smiled and asked, "Have you found this person?"
Ming Huachang was stunned, and couldn't think of a convincing example for a moment. Xie Jichuan sneered without any surprise, and said nonchalantly: "Second sister, don't be too naive. The great principles in the books are all deceiving you. When those saints wrote down the warnings, I'm afraid they didn't even believe them themselves."
Ming Huashang felt that Xie Jichuan's words were too pessimistic, but he couldn't think of any rebuttal. At this time, the window of the coffin was hit by the wind, and Ming Huashang turned around subconsciously and exclaimed.
Xie Jichuan looked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Ming Huashang frowned and shook her head slowly: "Why are there so many petals falling outside the window? They were blooming beautifully before."
Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan waited in Jingzhao Prefecture for a whole day. As time approached 3 pm, people who had gone out came back one after another.
The fact that we were able to finish work so early today was all thanks to Princess Taiping. Princess Taiping held a flower viewing banquet, and she always paid attention to the pomp and circumstance when hosting events. All the famous royal relatives, nobles, and literati in Chang'an received invitations. Although the Zhenguogong Mansion has declined in recent years, it still has a title, so Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang were also invited.
Ming Huazhang was busy with his case and was very reluctant to waste time at this juncture, but as the only son of the Duke of Zhenguo, he had to give face to Princess Taiping. He could only bear his reluctance, finish his work early, and go through the motions reluctantly.
Jiang Ling and Ren Yao were also going to represent the family. They were too lazy to go back home, so they found an empty room in Jingzhao Mansion to change clothes. Ming Huachang had changed her clothes when she went out. She and Xie Jichuan stood in the yard waiting. Ming Huazhang came out first. of Wei, the Crown Prince, and the King of Xiang. I heard that the Duke of Heng and the Duke of Ye are also going. Why are you dressed like this?"
"I've given them enough face by not wearing my official uniform." Ming Huazhang straightened his sash and said nonchalantly, "It's just a formality. There's nothing to be fussy about. Let's go."
Ming Huashang was very cooperative and said, "Second brother is handsome and elegant, no matter what he wears, he looks good. Although this outfit is simple, it is dignified and elegant. How can it not be exquisite?"
Xie Jichuan raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ming Huachang. Ming Huachang was so embarrassed to be praised by her in front of so many people that he felt embarrassed. He coughed softly, regretting his rashness and should have tidied himself up before coming out. He tried to pretend that he didn't care and said lightly: "Where are the two of them?"
Speaking of the devil, here comes the devil. Ren Yao pushes the door open and comes out, already wearing a dashing red Hu costume. Jiang Ling, who is inside, hears that they are leaving and hurriedly says, "Wait for me!"
Jiang Ling ran out quickly. Ming Huashang saw his hair and said in disgust, "What's wrong with your hair?"
Jiang Ling touched it casually and found that the crown seemed to be a little loose. He didn't care and waved his hand carelessly: "It's okay, it's a small problem, it won't affect the handsomeness of this prince."
"No!" Ming Huashang couldn't stand it any more. "Don't walk beside me when you're dressed like this. Second brother, is there a mirror in Jingzhao Mansion? Let him tie his hair up again."
Jiang Ling adjusted the jade hairpin by feel. Ren Yao's eyes hurt from watching his clumsy movements. He kicked his leg and said, "Stop moving. Lower your head."
Jiang Ling cried out and bowed his head in grievance. Ren Yao combed his messy hair again, put it into the golden crown, and fixed it with a jade hairpin. Ren Yao's hands were so strong that Jiang Ling grimaced: "Oh, it hurts, it hurts, can you do it or not?"
How could Ren Yao, an unmarried woman, wear her hair in a man's bun? She realized that it was inappropriate, her face turned red, and she was at a loss. She could only use bigger movements to cover up her embarrassment: "Shut up."
Ren Yao was so natural when he started, and Jiang Ling bowed his head so smoothly, that even the three people in the yard were stunned. Ming Huazhang was about to send someone to find Jingzi, but seeing this, he quietly withdrew his hand and changed the topic without making a sound, defusing the awkwardness: "It's almost time, since everyone is here, let's go."
The other four rode horses. Ming Huashang refused to ride in a carriage, so she also rode a docile mare. The five horses stopped on the road, and the situation was quite chaotic. Jiang Ling suddenly shouted, "Look, what is that?"
Chang'an was in a panic because of the explosion. Ming Huashang and the others turned back in a hurry, but they didn't expect Jiang Ling to burst into laughter and rush to the front first: "Hahahaha, I'm the first!"
Ming Huachang reacted and stiffened his fist. Ren Yao could no longer bear it and cursed him as a "fool", and also spurred his horse to catch up.
Seeing the two men disappearing into the distance and racing on horseback on Chang'an Street, Ming Huashang thought that at least she couldn't be the last one, so she was planning to try to run away. Unexpectedly, Xie Jichuan thought the same thing and brushed past her horse and got to the front.
Ming Huachang shouted angrily, "You broke the rules," while struggling to catch up. Only Ming Huazhang was left behind. He sighed and said to the yamen runners behind him, "Give each of them a ticket. No one is allowed to ride a horse from 3:00 to 5:00 in Chang'an."
·
At this moment, the Princess Taiping's residence was brightly lit, and there were a lot of people and cars, making it very lively. The chief secretary was smiling and welcoming guests, when suddenly a gust of wind swept past him, and several horses came running forward and backward. The girl in the front held the reins with one hand, and the horse raised its front hooves and neighed to the sky. She sat steadily on the horse's back, with a dashing and flying posture, and said, "Oh, I knew I would be the first."
A young man in blue followed leisurely in the second place, followed by a young man and a young girl who were pulling each other's reins, trying to make the other one come to the bottom.
The chief official was stunned, not knowing what was going on. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves came, and a man in a white round-necked robe with a brocade pattern dismounted. He had a belt tied around his waist and black leather boots on his feet. When he dismounted, the hem of his robe was blown up by the wind, and the snowflakes embroidered with silver thread on the hem of his robe were flowing, floating like snow in the wind, and falling on him like a grand pear blossom rain.
He stood with his hands behind his back in Chang'an as the dusk deepened. Just standing there, he looked like the spring breeze in March.
The chief official's eyes lit up. He served in the Princess Taiping's mansion and had seen countless dignitaries and talented people. He was still amazed when he saw this young man. The chief official took the initiative to greet him: "Hello, young master. I wonder which family you are from?"
Ming Huazhang nodded to the chief secretary and said, "I am Ming Huazhang from the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion. I wish His Majesty the Great Peace a long life. The one in front is my sister. I am sorry to have embarrassed you, Chief Secretary."
The chief secretary realized that this was the dragon and phoenix of the Zhenguogong Mansion. His brother was indeed a beautiful lady with a graceful figure. The chief secretary smiled and said, "Mrs. Ming is lively and cute, which is her true nature. Mr. Ming, please come in."
Ming Huazhang thanked him, and calmly pushed Jiang Ling away from the man still entangled with Ming Huashang, and said calmly, "Second Mother, we should leave now."
The chief secretary maintained a respectable smile, and only then did he realize that the man in front of him was not the prince of the Marquis of Jiang'an Mansion? After the other people reported their names, the chief secretary's expression became even weirder.
There is the lady of Pingnan Marquis's Mansion and the son of Xie's family. They are all respectable families, so how come the children they raised are so...unexpected?
Changshi silently watched them catch up with the brother and sister in front. The boys and girls, about sixteen or seventeen years old, walked together, with straight backs and slender limbs. The way they played around made people want to sigh.
It’s great to be young.
Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling argued all the way about who should be the last seat until they reached the fork in the road where the male and female guests were seated separately. They were both threatening each other. Their voices startled the flower hall where the female guests rested, and many ladies turned around and looked in their direction.
Ming Huashang felt embarrassed and could only make an appointment with him to fight again another day. She and Ren Yao walked to the flower hall together. The lady inside came over and asked meaningfully: "Those two people just now were Ming Erlang and Jiang Shizi, right? Why are you with them?"
Another lady added softly, "I see, Xie Lang is here too."
Ren Yao was slightly startled. It was the first time he realized that Jiang Ling, that fool, was actually very popular among the ladies. Ming Huashang was much calmer. She had a famous brother, and this kind of thing had happened countless times since she was a child. She was used to it and said, "That was my second brother. My second brother met Brother Xie and Prince Jiang on the road and sent us here."
When the ladies heard that she was Ming Huazhang's sister, they immediately became warm and started talking to her. Ming Huachang heard these ladies' subtle words and kept smiling, but she felt a little lonely.
They were so kind to her because they treated her as a sister-in-law, not a rival in love. If in the future...
But she and he will have no future.
Ming Huashang stopped thinking about this and forced herself to cheer up. She was afraid of neglecting Ren Yao, so when she turned around to talk to Ren Yao, she unexpectedly saw someone.
Su Yu Ji.
The lights were dim, and she stood among the lush flowers and trees, looking at her quietly.
Ming Huashang was stunned. Then someone spoke to her and she finally responded, smiling and agreeing. When she looked back, she found that Su Yuji had disappeared, as if it was just her illusion.
Ming Huashang was stunned for a while, and realized that Su Yuji must have come with Su Xingzhi. Su Xingzhi was the top scholar last year, and now he works in the Procuratorate. He is a promising stock, and Princess Taiping will certainly not give up on him. It is not surprising that Su Xingzhi was invited to attend the banquet held by Princess Taiping with his family.
Ming Huashang was a little distracted after bumping into Su Yuji unexpectedly, and Ren Yao was also quiet for some reason. Neither of them said anything, sitting quietly in the lively flower hall, out of tune with the laughter.
Not long after, there was a commotion outside. It was the two Zhang brothers who had arrived. The distinguished guests arrived and the banquet soon began.
Most of the people present were members of the royal family. Under the marriage arranged by the empress, the Li and Wu families were closely tied together. They were either relatives or husband and wife, and there was no need to strictly pay attention to the separation of men and women. Therefore, Princess Taiping only put a screen in the middle of the hall, with men's seats on the left and women's seats on the right. The two sides could be vaguely seen through the lights.
Watch the sunset in the boat, watch the shadows under the moon, watch the beauties under the lanterns. The young ladies are all laughing and talking sweetly, looking forward to the bright future, and the young men opposite them are also heroic and their figures are moving.
Princess Taiping was used to this kind of scene, and she handled the banquet with ease, chatting and laughing. After she raised her glass and said the opening words, the exquisite dishes were served like water.
Ming Huashang and Ren Yao were sitting at the same table, both of them ate without any psychological burden. But the others at the banquet were not there to eat. As soon as the banquet started, a lady brought her daughter to toast Princess Taiping.
Princess Taiping was wearing a red palace dress with gold embellishments and a light yellow wide-sleeved shirt. She had already changed into gauze in early spring, revealing a large area of her fair and plump skin. After drinking a few glasses of wine, her cheeks were stained red, and her eyes were full of sparkles, and she was so charming that she was truly incomparably beautiful.
Many young men secretly looked at Princess Taiping, and even Ming Huashang couldn't help but sigh at how beautiful Princess Taiping was. This kind of beauty has nothing to do with appearance, but the confident, bold, plump and graceful demeanor of a great beauty, which is what can be called the national beauty peony.
In contrast to her, the slender and delicate ladies beside her seemed to pale in comparison. At her mother's suggestion, Princess Anle stood up and toasted Princess Taiping.
Princess Taiping saw Anle and stared at her for several seconds. She could not help but call her to her side, took her hand and said, "I haven't seen Anle for a long time. Anle has become more and more beautiful. With such a beauty, she can be called the most beautiful woman in Chang'an."
Princess Anle lowered her head and smiled lightly, looking shy, but her eyes and eyebrows were full of pride. When others heard this, they hurriedly complimented her: "Princess, what are you talking about? You are the most beautiful woman."
Princess Taiping waved her hands, her long sleeves falling from her wrists, revealing her white wrists. She leaned lazily on the armrest and said, "If I had fought for it twenty years earlier, I would have been a mother of several children now. Wouldn't it be a joke to compete with the younger generation for the title of the most beautiful woman? I am already old, and the world should be ruled by children from now on."
Although Crown Princess Wei thought what Princess Taiping said was right, she knew her sister-in-law was favored, so she still tried to evade the question, saying, "Children are not good-looking. If Anle and Yongtai could be as good as one of your fingers, I would be so happy that I would burn incense."
All the women echoed, and Princess Taiping smiled under the flattery, saying, "Don't tease me, people will hear my jokes. It's a good thing for Wu Chongxun, he can easily marry Anle, but Chongxun should be punished with a cup of wine."
Judging from her facial features alone, Princess Anle was indeed more beautiful than Princess Taiping when she was young, but before she could enjoy the admiration of the men in the city, she had already been married to the Wu family. In two months, she would marry Wu Chongxun, the legitimate son of King Liang.
The men at the table could easily hear Princess Taiping's words through a screen. The young men watched Wu Chongxun making a scene, but Wu Chongxun was quite happy. He took the wine bottle in front of the table and drank it all, letting Princess Taiping tease him.
Wu Chongxun cooperated so well, and the male guests were joking and making a noise, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall was boiling. Princess Taiping also laughed and scolded: "Anle is the jewel in the crown of the Eastern Palace. She has so many uncles and brothers protecting her. How can you get her easily? There are so many people in our Li family, you must toast to each of them one by one?"
Wu Chongxun heard that drinking one glass would be fine, but toasting everyone one by one, that would be too much? Wu Chongxun begged for mercy, "Your Highness, please spare my life. I can't hold my liquor. Please spare me this time."
Princess Taiping naturally refused, and the King of Wei smiled and said, "Chongxun, your aunt Taiping is very hard-hearted. It's useless for you to plead for her. Why not ask your uncle Ding to step in? Maybe Taiping will soften her heart."
When Wu Chongxun heard this, he immediately begged for mercy from Prince Ding. All eyes in the banquet hall suddenly fell on Prince Ding. Everyone knew that Prince Ding was the consort of Princess Taiping.
Prince Ding still had a gentle smile on his face. Amidst the subtle scrutiny, he picked up the wine jar and gestured to Prince Wei: "Your Highness is doing this for the good of your niece. Prince Wei, please forgive me for once and stop making fun of us."
King Liang smiled at King Wei and said, "Second brother, see, they are of one mind and will not speak in your favor."
There was constant laughter from the men's seats. Princess Taiping was very good at teasing the younger generation, but when it came to herself, the smile on her face was very forced.
She took a sip of wine, her face turned a little cold, and turned to Princess Yongtai and said, "Men like to say these nonsense things, don't pay attention to them. Yongtai, Anle, let's have a drink together."
Princess Yongtai is the eldest daughter of the crown prince. She had just been talking to Princess Anle. Princess Taiping was afraid that her eldest niece would think too much, so she took the initiative to call Yongtai over.
Princess Yongtai was different from her sister. She was quiet and didn't like to be in the spotlight. She didn't mind being ignored. When Princess Taiping suddenly called her, she was stunned for a moment and picked up the wine glass hesitantly: "Okay, thank you, aunt."
The female guests at the banquet today were drinking fruit wine, which even those who could not drink much could drink. But when Wu Yanji, the eldest son of the King of Wei, heard this, he became a little anxious. He could not help but interrupt Princess Taiping and said, "Your Highness, it is late at night, and women should not drink too much. I will drink Yongtai's cup for her."
Princess Taiping said "Oh", looked at Princess Yongtai with a half-smile, and said jokingly: "Yanji, what you said is not very honest. You only drink for Yongtai, but not for me?"
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this. Princess Yongtai and Wu Yanji had just been married for a year. They were both shy and taciturn, and the young couple blushed at the teasing. But even though Wu Yanji's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp, he still insisted on not letting Yongtai drink.
Everyone present had been in the palace, and they probably understood what was going on. Princess Taiping no longer insisted that Princess Yongtai drink. Princess Yongtai sat on her seat with a red face. Her mother leaned over and asked her something. Princess Yongtai blushed and slightly slightly.
Ming Huashang bit her chopsticks and concentrated on eating. The jokes and laughter at the banquet seemed to have nothing to do with her. Although she didn't hear anything, even a fool could guess that Princess Yongtai was probably pregnant.
That's a good thing, Ming Huashang silently wished in her heart, and suddenly thought of the man who carefully caught Princess Yongtai at the grand court banquet last year.
The man seemed to be called Ji Xian, and he was Princess Yongtai's childhood sweetheart. Ji Xian accompanied Princess Yongtai through the most difficult years of exile, and it could be said that they were friends in times of adversity. Ming Huashang still remembered Princess Yongtai's resistance and anger when the empress forcibly separated Princess Yongtai and Ji Xian and betrothed her to Wu Yanji.
It turns out that no matter how deep the love or hate is, it will pass away in less than a year.
Ming Huashang couldn't help but wonder, what would happen to Ming Huazhang if she died?
After a few months of grief, he would return to his normal life. He would still be the handsome man in the capital, and in a few years he would get married and have children. There were many beautiful women in Chang'an and Luoyang who wanted to marry him, and given his personality, he would definitely get along well with his wife.
He would become a good husband and a good father, and would be a gentleman as praised in books all his life. No one would know that he and his sister had had an ambiguous and inappropriate relationship that seemed out of bounds but also non-existent.
Ming Huashang suddenly couldn't eat anymore, but the royal family above were having a great time. Princess Taiping said, "It's boring to just drink, why not find something fun to do. Anle is beautiful, and she deserves to be called the most beautiful woman in Chang'an. If that's the case, there should be the most talented person in Chang'an. In the past, you have always commented on women, but today, let us judge you. Bring the pen and ink, and let each gentleman write a poem, and the ladies present will select it. The ladies will take a red flower and give it to the person whose poem they think is good."
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