Chapter 156 Qiao Qian

March 12th is a good day to move into new home or relocate.

Today was the day when Prince Yong Qiao moved to the palace, and Chang'an was bustling early in the morning. In the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Madam Ming II seemed to be 20 years younger, with an irrepressible smile on her face, especially when she saw her daughter dressed up and looking so radiant, she felt even more refreshed.

Today, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is going to the Prince of Yong's Mansion for a banquet. After the women of each room have packed up, they will go to the old lady's courtyard to meet. Madam Ming Er walked with Ming Yu on the corridor, smiling and greeting everyone along the way, and the words "people are in high spirits when they are happy" were almost engraved on her face.

When they arrived at Yanshou Hall, it was no surprise that the mother and daughter of the third wife had already arrived. Madam Ming II entered the room, greeted the old lady with a smile, and then took Ming Yu to find a seat. The maid brought the teacup to Madam II, and Madam Ming II took it and took a sip.

Mrs. Ming San smiled and said politely: "Second sister-in-law is in good spirits today."

Madam Ming Er put down her teacup and asked, "How do you know that A-yu is engaged to Rong Jia Erlang?"

Mrs. Ming San was slightly stunned. Did anyone ask? Isn't it just that her daughter has found a good marriage? Is it worth her to tell everyone about it?

Madam Ming San tried to smile, not wanting to listen, but Madam Ming Er ignored her and said happily, "We didn't dare to marry into the Rong family. A-yu is naturally good in everything, but we are concubines after all, and we were afraid that her in-laws would find fault with her. Unexpectedly, the Rong family took the initiative to ask A-yu. In the past, we couldn't even imagine that our A-yu could marry the second son of the Rong family."

Ming Yu smiled with her eyes downcast, a shy new bride. The Third Lady of Ming looked down on the Second Lady's petty appearance, and looked at her coldly without saying a word. As a grandmother, Old Lady Ming couldn't help but ask, "Is the date set?"

"No, but the engagement letter has been exchanged. I thought that the Rong family is a wealthy family, so they would not regret it after asking for the engagement letter from the woman, don't you think?"

What could Mrs. Ming San say? She smiled with a fake smile, "Yes, congratulations, sister-in-law, you have found a husband for me as I wished."

Madam Ming Er did not think this was a mockery and happily replied, "Of course not."

Ming Yu worked hard for many years because of her status as a concubine, and now she finally got what she wanted, and she relaxed. She glanced at the indifferent face of Madam Ming. If it were usual, she would definitely rack her brains to come up with witty words to make the old lady happy, but now she felt that she could say whatever she wanted to whoever she liked, anyway, Madam Ming didn't care about her the most.

Mingyu knew that the Rong family chose her not because of her skills in music, chess, calligraphy, or housekeeping, but because they wanted to use her to get in touch with Prince Yong. But so what? As long as the other party had some intentions towards her, she would never have to worry about losing power.

Mingyu knew her own value and who she should please in the future, so she said calmly, "Aunt, we have separated from my uncle, and the current mistress of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is Sister Yuji. You shouldn't call me Auntie."

Madam Ming San's expression changed slightly, and she said with a half-smile: "The elder is the elder, and the younger is the younger. What's the matter? After the family was divided, can't even the order of the clan be called anymore?"

Mingyu had just been engaged to a good husband and her future was bright, so she didn't want to mess with the third house. She said calmly, "Third Aunt, you're overthinking. That's not what I meant. If my grandfather were still alive, we would naturally follow the order of seniority in the family. But now that my eldest uncle is in charge, if you call me Aunt, people will easily misunderstand me."

As they were talking, a maid's voice came from outside the house: "Hello, ladies."

Ming Yu thought that if she had mentioned the devil, he would have shown up. She smiled and looked towards the door, saying, "Auntie and I were just talking about you. It's a coincidence that you've arrived. Auntie, this is the eldest lady of the Ming family."

Ming Yu knew that she would offend the Third Lady and the Old Lady by saying these things, but so what? Her future depended on the relationship between the Ming family and Prince Yong, and Prince Yong was clearly trying to get closer to the First House. Did the Old Lady's likes and dislikes matter?

unimportant.

She more or less said this on purpose for the visitor to hear, but when she turned around and saw two people coming in one after another, she was still startled for a moment.

At the beginning of the month, the Duke of Zhenguo went to the Dazhao Temple to burn incense, and Su Yuji moved back to the mansion on the same day. A few days later, the Duke of Zhenguo opened the ancestral temple. The first thing they did was to bring the tablet of Madam Su into the temple and enshrine it next to the late wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, Wang Yulan. The second thing they did was to write Su Yuji into the family tree, and Su Yuji was officially renamed Ming Yuji.

It was shocking to offer a person of a different surname, or even a slave, to one's own ancestral hall. But the Duke of Zhenguo ignored the advice of others and insisted on doing so. He seemed to be doing a favor to the Su family, but in fact, he was using the promotion of Su Ma to support Ming Yuji.

Because Su Ma was Wang Yulan's wet nurse and raised Ming Yuji, she could be enshrined in the Ming family's ancestral temple. From then on, who would dare to question the Ming lady who was raised in the countryside and just returned to the mansion? The Duke of Zhenguo's move was not only a warning to the Ming family, but also a signal to the outside world that Ming Yuji was his eldest daughter and should be treated the same as Ming Huashang. She must not be looked down upon just because she grew up in the countryside.

It is easy for sisters to argue about who is better, and the situation in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is even more delicate. One daughter is raised by her side, while the other is fostered in another place. Now that the two are living under the same roof, both of them will feel that they have been wronged.

Everyone was waiting to see the fight between the sisters, but unexpectedly, they were so friendly with each other. Ming Huashang took the initiative to introduce the staff of the Duke of Zhen's Mansion to Ming Yuji. The embroidery room delivered the new season's clothes and jewelry. Ming Huashang said in front of everyone that they would be sent to Chunhuayuan first, and then sent to Ming Yuji after she had finished choosing.

For example, today, the Yongwang Mansion held a banquet. It was clear that there would be a lot of flowers blooming and it was very lively. In such occasions, it was taboo to wear the same clothes as Ming Huashang, but Ming Yuji wore the same skirt, Ming Yuji wore green and Ming Huashang wore yellow, which would make sure that people could tell at a glance that they were twins, so that no one would ask again.

When Mingyu first heard Ming Huashang's idea, she thought she was crazy, but now Mingyu looked at the two people standing together, one wearing a white jacket and green skirt, with jade as the main jewelry; the other wearing a purple jacket and yellow skirt, with gemstones on her hair. One is like a blue orchid hanging on a cliff after the rain, and the other is like a sleepless crabapple flower in the dead of night. Although you can clearly see the similarities in their eyebrows and clothes, you can't ignore their differences.

Mingyu suddenly felt that it wouldn't be bad to have a sister.

There are so many gorgeous clothes in the world, but only sisters can wear the same clothes without any scruples.

Mingyu didn't know whether Ming Huashang really accepted a sister who always outshined her or was just pretending. If she was pretending, she admired her for being able to do so. Ming Huashang heard the words in the room, took off her cloak, and asked with a smile: "Greetings to grandmother and aunt. What were you talking about just now? What happened to my elder sister?"

Ming Yu secretly raised her eyebrows. Why didn't she notice it before? Ming Huashang was the one who was pretending to be a pig but actually ate the tiger. She looked soft and harmless on the outside, but in fact, she knew everything in her heart. Ming Huashang must have understood, but she didn't want to leave any room for criticism. She was just playing dumb with them.

Mingyu understood what he meant and stopped talking about this topic. She smiled and said, "Your dress is really beautiful. If I had known this earlier, I would have asked the embroidery studio to make this skirt for me as well."

Ming Huashang sat down and said, "If you like it, I will have someone send the remaining fabrics to your room. I have not yet congratulated you on your engagement. I wish you and your husband a long and happy marriage."

Madam Ming Er was relieved when she heard this. She smiled so hard that she couldn't stop, and pretended to say, "It's not even a wedding yet. Erlang has been looking for a house these days and saw a three-story house in Xuanpingfang. The house has a good environment and is close to Ayu's in-laws' home. Erlang wants to settle down as soon as possible, so let me talk to my mother."

Ming Huashang exclaimed, and asked hurriedly, "Auntie, are you moving out now?"

"Yes." Mrs. Ming smiled, "We have already separated, so it is not right for her to live in my uncle's house. It just so happens that A-yu's marriage has been decided. This is the only chance a woman has in her life, and I want A-yu to marry out of the family."

No matter how good the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is, it is not their own home. Mrs. Ming was surprisingly open-minded about this point. After the Duke of Zhenguo proposed to divide the family, he did not explicitly ask them to move out, but people know their own limitations. Who would be willing to live with relatives for a long time?

The second branch has nothing to do with the title, and is not Madam Ming's biological child. Sooner or later, it will have to move out of the mansion. It is better to propose it myself and get some practical benefits.

Moreover, as a mother, Mrs. Ming II hoped that her daughter would leave her parents' home with dignity, rather than staying in someone else's house or using her uncle's mansion to save face. No matter how good the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was, it belonged to Ming Huashang and Ming Yuji. Sooner or later, the Rong family would want to know what the second house was like. It would be better to be open and honest from the beginning and let Ming Yu straighten her back and marry into the Rong family.

Ming Huashang said congratulations with a big smile, and asked Madam Ming Er what the location of the yard was like and how she planned to settle it in the future. Madam Ming Er was just trying to tell others what she said at first, but then she became more and more excited, and said excitedly: "When the new house is ready, I will invite you sisters to visit my second aunt. In the future, I will have to trouble you to send my daughter off to marry."

"Of course." Ming Huashang smiled, "Eldest sister has been studying hard since she was young, and is proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Now she has found a good husband, and we are all happy for her."

Ming Huashang's words touched the heart of the Second Madam, and Ming Yuji congratulated her. The Second Madam smiled widely, and Ming Yu blushed and lowered her eyes. The room was filled with joy, and the Third Madam kept smiling, but when she lowered her head, a cold look flashed across her eyes.

It was really like everyone pushed the wall down, and now even the second wife dared to ridicule them. When the second wife mentioned moving in front of everyone, wasn't she just pointing a finger at them?

Mrs. Ming San was very angry, but she could do nothing about it. After the second wife moved out, it would be too embarrassing for them to stay in the mansion. It was just that Prince Yong showed some strangeness towards Ming Huashang, and these people came over eagerly to please him. It was really disgusting.

明三夫人忿忿不平地想，她倒要看看，鎮國公沒有兒子，日後要如何承爵，她不信他們真的舍得讓國公爵位打了水漂。

只要下一任國公是她兒子，就算明華裳、明雨霁兩人高嫁，也不過是給她的兒子鋪路罷了。

女眷們在延壽堂說了會話，就要套車去雍王府赴宴了。此刻雍王府門前已是車水馬龍，明雨霁下車，看到這樣的場面，本能感到緊張。

明華裳從後方下來，不動聲色挽住明雨霁胳膊，笑吟吟說：“姐姐，我們走吧。”

雍王府的管家得知來的是鎮國公府，對他們非常熱情，尤其對明華裳。管家派了專人接待明華裳，明華裳婉拒無果，只能讓侍女在前引路，她帶着明雨霁去給交好的人家請安。

明雨霁被動跟着明華裳走。一路走來，明華裳笑着和來往女眷問好，一旦有人注意到她們的裙子，明華裳就炫耀般說這是她和姐姐定制的衣裙，以一種春風化雨卻又不容忽視的方式，将明雨霁拉入社交場中。

明雨霁這時候才真正明白明華裳為什麽非要和她穿一樣的裙子。明華裳知道明雨霁心裏的症結，但明華裳沒有點破，而是主動和她穿一樣的衣服，主動帶着她認識人，将那個截然不同的世界展現在蘇雨霁面前，卻不會刺傷她的尊嚴。

像一場春雨，無聲無息，澤被萬物。

明雨霁心裏暗暗嘆了口氣，對鎮國公府最後一絲芥蒂也慢慢消融。

作為一個一出生就被送走的孩子，她很難不去責備抛棄她的父親，但是等她見到那個男人時，卻無法真正厭惡他。

明雨霁無法指責他做錯了什麽，在那個關頭，要想保全最多人，仿佛只能那麽做。而頂替了她的位置，被鎮國公養大的兩個孩子，一個行勝于言質勝于華，一個通透善良外柔內剛，明雨霁連遷怒于他們都做不到。

明雨霁想，她能這麽順暢地回到鎮國公府，多虧了李華章和明華裳。尤其是明華裳，她的行為就像春風細雨，看似不引人注目，卻至關重要。如果沒有明華裳在各方之間轉圜，在背後為她化解矛盾，明雨霁在鎮國公府裏肯定寸步難行。

明華裳帶着明雨霁在場中走了一圈，相熟的臉認了個七七八八，這時她聽到侍女說平南侯府來了。明華裳許久沒有見任遙了，忙讓侍女去請任遙，她和明雨霁坐在涼亭裏等。

明華裳見明雨霁身體緊繃，默默用餘光觀察旁人的樣子，不着聲色說：“姐姐，不用緊張，這種場合大家都是面上平靜，心裏時刻提防自己出醜，這樣一來，其實誰都只能看到自己，不會注意別人。你該怎麽樣就怎麽樣，以後這種場合還多着呢，多來幾次就習慣了。”

明雨霁發覺好像确實沒多少人關注她，悄悄松了口氣。上次去太平公主府參宴的感覺非常差，她像一只一無所知的野雞誤入鶴群，簡直左右掣肘，寸步難行。這次她以鎮國公府的身份出席，她本以為那些不懷好意的打量目光會很多，沒想到，卻比上次友善多了。

這樣的友善，九成都要歸功于明華裳，另一成歸功于李華章。明雨霁別扭了一會，真心對明華裳道：“多謝你。”

明華裳怔了下，唇邊露出笑：“謝什麽，我還要感謝你呢。以前出來參加宴會，別人都有姐妹陪同，唯獨我是一個人，連個說話的人都沒有，久而久之，我就不願意出來了。這次有你在，我也自在多了。”

明華裳總是不吝于表達對周圍人的贊美，以前明雨霁覺得和身邊人道謝很難為情，但在明華裳的帶動下，她漸漸覺得其實坦白自己的感受沒什麽可怕的。

高興也好，不高興也罷，說出來才能知道自己想要什麽。道謝之後，明雨霁心裏果然輕松多了，自然而然就帶到了臉上。

她們兩人随意說着話，這會哪怕冷場明雨霁也不覺得緊張了。沒一會，路上傳來一陣腳步聲，明華裳擡頭，看到來人先是一喜，随後凝固：“任姐姐……江陵，你們怎麽也來了？”

江陵理所應當跟在任遙身旁，道：“不是你叫我們來的嗎？”

明華裳默然不語，她記得，她讓侍女請的是平南侯。江陵這厮越來越像牛皮糖了，無論任遙在哪裏，總會跟着他。

至于李華章和謝濟川為什麽也在這裏，就不得而知了。

明華裳心裏暗暗嫌棄，面上笑盈盈道：“沒想到你們來的這麽齊，有失遠迎。雍王、謝兄、江世子、平南侯萬福。”

明雨霁和這些人臉熟但又沒那麽熟，微微點頭示好。明華裳自認說話藝術把握得非常到位，沒想到好幾個人都不樂意了。

江陵不滿：“為什麽叫她侯爺卻叫我世子？那我不就差她一輩了嗎？”

李華章也不滿：“為什麽叫他謝兄卻叫我雍王？”

謝濟川憑什麽超過他？

他們兩人同時說話，明華裳被吵得不知道該聽哪邊，忍無可忍道：“好好，是我思慮不周。李少尹，任将軍，江将軍，謝洗馬，給您幾位請安，行了吧？”

花朝節之變後，參與救駕的幾人都得到了不同程度的賞賜。李華章不用說，腳下這座府邸就是他的功勞之一，接下來他可能還要升為京兆尹；謝濟川被升為從五品下太子洗馬，掌東宮經史子集、四庫圖書的刊輯貯藏；任遙被封為平南侯，官職升為羽林軍從五品上游騎将軍；江陵是江安侯府世子，江家已沒什麽可封的，女皇便破格提拔江陵為從四品上宣威将軍。

明華裳和明雨霁兩人是臣女，無官職可封，分別得到了一封聖旨和一大筆財物，但背地裏，她們兩人在玄枭衛中的級別跨了一大階，相應的退休俸祿也高了不少。

明華裳對此很滿意。外界都覺得花朝節那天，明華裳會出現在燈樓是跟着李華章去的，她得賞賜也全是蹭了李華章的功勞。人人皆羨明華裳好運，躺着天上就會掉餡餅，沒人懷疑她背地裏另有一重身份。

這樣很好，明華裳喜歡這種悶聲發大財的感覺。

明華裳以為全用官職稱呼總該消停了，不料謝濟川冷不丁道：“你為什麽把我放在最後？”

明華裳還沒來得及狡辯，江陵就看熱鬧不嫌事大道：“因為你官職最低。也虧我們不和你計較，要是平時在路上遇到，你要主動下馬給我們問好呢。”

明華裳張嘴試圖補救，謝濟川冷笑道：“江世子好大的官威，那世子可要小心，別在外面碰到平南侯。她現在和你的父親平級，你當喊她一聲世姑呢。”

“倒也不用。”任遙設想了一下那個畫面，深深起了層雞皮疙瘩，“我不需要這麽蠢的侄兒。”

江陵這個炮仗一點就炸，抓着任遙問他哪裏蠢了，謝濟川搖着扇子站在旁邊，悠悠煽風點火。明華裳沒想到她只是随口排了個序就引起這麽多麻煩，明雨霁站在一旁揉了揉耳朵，真心發問：“你們平時說話就這麽吵嗎？”

嘈雜，幼稚，且無用。

明華裳有點尴尬，實在忍無可忍，怒吼道：“差不多行了，我本來只請了任姐姐，你們不想聽就出去。”

關鍵時分路上走來一群人，總算把明華裳從幾百只鴨子中拯救了出來。

李華章看到來人，臉色微微收斂，其他人也不約而同停下說話。那行人走近了，太平公主率先上前，嗔道：“二郎，你怎麽在這裏，叫我們好找。”

李華章回歸李家後，在皇室中重排序齒，正好也行二，親近的人都稱他為二郎。

明華裳就站在李華章身邊，不經意和太平公主的視線對上。她不知為何心裏冷了一下，垂下眸子，恭敬給來人行禮：“臣女見過太子、相王、太平殿下。”

現在雍王和鎮國公府是長安熱門話題，鎮國公用自己的孩子救幼主的事也在貴族圈裏傳遍了。太平公主笑着叫她們起來，掃過明華裳和明雨霁身上相似的裙子，問：“你們就是鎮國公府那對姐妹花？我原以為雙胞胎都是一樣的，沒想到還能似而不同，各有千秋，鎮國公可真是好福氣。”

明華裳道謝，表現出恰到好處的恭順羞怯，言辭間卻沒有多少親近之意。明雨霁初來乍到，對情緒最敏感，她感覺到太平公主只是客套而已，并沒那麽想認識她們，便學着明華裳的樣子問好，不再有多餘動作。

太平公主當然不會在意一個公府小姐，她今日來這裏，主要是促進他們李家人的感情。太子、相王看到李華章，都感慨萬千，相王更是險些落淚。

等太子、相王說完話後，太子妃、相王妃帶着兒女們上前，明華裳原本站在李華章身邊，被郡王、郡主們擠得越來越靠後，最後，只能站到欄杆角落。

Ming Yuji noticed that Ming Huashang was in a bad mood and looked at her inquiringly. Ming Huashang smiled at Ming Yuji and shook her head to indicate that she was fine. Ming Yuji looked at Princess Taiping who was carrying a lot of bags, and seemed to understand something, and secretly squeezed Ming Huashang's arm.

At this time, Ming Huashang was suddenly glad that he still had a sister. No matter how close brothers are, there are some emotions that they are naturally unable to understand.

Ming Huashang was in a low mood, not entirely because these princesses and princesses ignored her as a matter of course, but because of that dream.

She had been wondering who wanted to kill her, but later she gradually realized that she was discarded as a cover for Li Huazhang. It was ridiculous that she didn't know what happened until she died.

If nothing unexpected happens, the murderer who killed her in the dream is in this pavilion. Although Li Huazhang has been recognized by the Queen and the things in the dream did not happen, but if someone can kill her once, why worry about not being able to kill her a second time?

As long as they think she is blocking Li Huazhang's way, they will eliminate her without hesitation.

She couldn't face her murderer without any reservations, but she didn't want to embarrass Li Huazhang, so she stood quietly in the corner and listened to Princess Anle, Prince Linzi and others reminiscing about the past with Li Huazhang.

Li Huazhang suddenly went from being a minister to being a relative. Not only did the royal family, who had been lukewarm towards him, feel awkward, but Li Huazhang also did not adapt to this change. The Crown Prince, the Prince of Xiang and others expressed their longing for Crown Prince Zhang, but Li Huazhang still felt that the Crown Prince did not like him that much, especially the Crown Princess Wei, whose hostility towards him was almost written on her face.

Obviously, the Eastern Palace had also heard the rumors that the empress was going to bypass the crown prince and pass the throne back to the line of Crown Prince Zhang Huai. The crown prince's family had been imprisoned in Luling for more than ten years, and finally they had finally gotten their wish, but suddenly an orphan of the former crown prince appeared. It was no wonder that they were sensitive.

Especially since Li Chongrun, the only legitimate son of the Eastern Palace, had died, the appearance of Li Huazhang was like adding insult to injury for the prince's family.

The Prince of Xiang had no concerns about the right of succession and was very enthusiastic towards Li Huazhang. He called his sons to Li Huazhang and said, "The second brother is the smartest among us brothers. He took care of us when we were young, but I was powerless when the second brother died. When Guangshun died, I couldn't save him either. Fortunately, you are still here. From now on, you are my biological son, and Dalang and Sanlang are your brothers. If you have any problems, come to me. Your problems are the problems of the Prince of Xiang's mansion."

Prince Linzi warmly changed his words and called Li Huazhang "Second Brother". Li Huazhang was not used to such a distance and tried his best to cope with it. After a while, he felt exhausted.

He sighed silently in his heart, and instinctively thought of Ming Huashang. He realized that he had unintentionally ignored her for a long time, and hurried to look for Ming Huashang, but found her huddled by the pillar, with a dull expression, one arm folded, as if in a trance.

Hugging oneself with arms is a sign of uneasiness. Li Huazhang can understand that she doesn't like this kind of occasion, but why does she feel uneasy?

Li Huazhang recalled in his mind that she gradually became silent after seeing Princess Taiping. Li Huazhang knew that Princess Taiping had thought about giving up Ming Huashang to save him, so it was normal for him to be on guard against Princess Taiping, but why did Ming Huashang do so?

Moreover, she accepted Su Yuji too smoothly, as if she had known that there would be such a person. When the child swap was revealed, she did not need any adjustment and was able to immediately devote herself to the new role.

It's like a prophet.

For the first time, Li Huazhang began to doubt Ming Huashang. Has she experienced something?