Extra 1
His Royal Highness Prince Liang has been very depressed recently.
It is said that ever since he returned to Shangyang with his husband and a group of bachelor subordinates, apart from sending a letter of greeting to the capital from time to time, or taking a stroll outside the pass with Shao Zheng to scare the barbarians, and then listening expressionlessly to Qi Ziyu's "complaints" about how enjoyable his married life was, he was busy playing with his husband in the boudoir every day, and going on outings from time to time. In short, he lived a very happy life.
A year is about to pass, and Meng Shizhuang is going to take Liu Lang to Daohai City to pay homage to Ju and Hu.
Bian Hongqiu had been planning to go with her. Song Jingyan had just finished handling a matter in Shangyang, and seeing that Bian Hongqiu was capable of managing a family, she excused herself, saying she needed to rest for a while, and had only recently returned. When she returned, Bian Hongqiu had just finished her work and was about to leave with Meng Shizhuang, carrying only a small bag. Before they could even take a step, the imperial envoy arrived.
This was a disaster dragged on by the previous two dynasties. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the court has been busy with various matters, with the greatest focus on dealing with the remaining poison left by the King of Jingxi in the Eighteen Continents of Zuodan. As a result, the bandits and robbers in various states and mountains have been able to catch their breath until today. Now that things have slowed down, Your Majesty has sifted through the memorials and discovered that the banditry has become a serious problem. Coincidentally, the Marquis of Guanjun, who has been appointed Grand General and inherited the title, has been idle in the court for most of the year, and the memorials submitted also state that the King of Liang is in good health.
After a thorough discussion, they ordered Bian Hongqiu and Xi Zhongting to lead their men to suppress the bandits separately.
It was not easy for Bian Hongqiu to persuade Meng Shizhuang to go with her.
Song Jingyan was so happy out there that she didn't want to leave. The chores at home didn't inspire her at all, so she kept pushing them around, and Mr. Liu was also lazy. Meng Shizhuang, who had been listening for a while, decided that since no one was taking care of the house, she should just tell Bian Hongqiu not to run around. Bian Hongqiu refused, threatening that even if Qi Ziyu came to take charge, he would go to Daohai City with Meng Shizhuang.
Then he talked about the day they'd worshipped in front of the tombstones of Old Hu and Old Ju, saying how the sky was clear and cloudless, and how he must be very likable. If Meng Shizhuang didn't bring him along, the two elders would probably be very unhappy. Meng Shizhuang was completely annoyed by his pestering, and seeing Song Jingyan's expression of anticipation, she probably didn't really refuse to take charge, so she nodded in agreement.
Unexpectedly, when the imperial edict came, he was forced to go to a farther place to do business.
Meng Shizhuang was heartless. "In that case, Your Highness, please go about your business. If I return from Daohai City and Your Highness hasn't come back yet, I'll wait here for you."
That night, before Bian Hongqiu could even throw a tantrum, Meng Shizhuang poured her a cup of tranquilizing tea. When she awoke, she found only a scribbled note on the desk: "Return date uncertain." Meng Shizhuang had already left.
Poor Prince Liang, with nowhere to vent his anger, sat in his study, his face sullen, making arrangements for the bandit suppression. In the afternoon, the clueless General Bangchuiqi arrived, delivering his wife's homemade qingtuan (green rice dumplings) and wine. He gleefully boasted to his unmarried brothers, "I told her not to bother, but she insisted that since they weren't married yet, there was no one to take care of them, so she asked me to bring them here specially."
His Royal Highness Prince Liang, his face turning from cyan to gloomy, quietly appeared at the study door. As soon as he grinned, a vicious thought shot into his throat when Shao Zheng stepped forward, covered Qi Ziyu's mouth, and dragged him away. Song Jingyan handed Bian Hongqiu a cup of Qinghuo tea and said, "General Qi is newly married, Your Highness, please don't mess with him."
Bian Hongqiu left without saying a word.
A few days later, the King of Liang led his troops into the mountains of Guanzhong. The terrain was complex and bandits abounded, and even with advance intelligence from the imperial court, Bian Hongqiu's men suffered numerous setbacks. Amidst the open and covert battles, Bian Hongqiu became completely absorbed in this struggle. Upon realizing it, she realized she had been separated from her husband-in-law for months, having been inseparable since their marriage.
And judging from the current situation, it should take even longer.
There was no response from Shangyang. He didn't know where Meng Shizhuang was, and he didn't even have a place to send the letter.
After feeling melancholy and feeling fruitless, he sighed to the moon and prepared to return to the tent to take off his armor, but he saw Song Jingyan smiling meaningfully at him.
What does this mean?
Could it be that Ah Shi’s letter has been delivered?
Prince Liang rushed into the main tent in two steps, crashing into the arms of his lover, whom he had not seen for several months. The lover was exhausted, and without anyone to burden him, he said nothing. He gently embraced him and wiped the blood off his face. "What's the hurry?"
"Why are you here?"
Meng Shizhuang lifted her eyelids, helped him remove his armor, and checked the injuries on his body.
His Royal Highness Prince Liang continued to pretend: "When are you leaving?"
Meng Shizhuang was exhausted, so he resorted to a tried-and-true trick to quickly resolve Bian Hongqiu's entanglement. He grabbed Bian Hongqiu's head, untied her hair, and kissed her lips, who was still trying to pretend to be calm. After finally softening her, he said, "I told Jingyan that I'll stay in the army as a doctor."
"Well, I won't leave until your highness chases me away, okay?"
His Royal Highness Prince Liang was in high spirits again.
Three months later, he successfully put an end to the banditry here and received an imperial edict of praise.
-
Five years after the new emperor ascended the throne, his eldest son was born and named Crown Prince. Peace had settled in Dayu, and the emperor, who had been busy cleaning up the mess of the previous dynasty, suddenly had some free time. He juggled his duties and suddenly fell in love with matchmaking.
He first paired up the Xi family, who had wholeheartedly supported Emperor Xue.
Though called the Xi family, the lineage of the Marquis of Guanjun now only has one remaining member, Xi Zhongting. This still-mature, close minister to the emperor, having already served three dynasties, wields immense power. His reputation for integrity is renowned both within and beyond the court, earning him the trust of the new emperor, who treats him with the respect of a teacher. Of course, most importantly, he remains handsome and elegant.
However, after more than half a month of hard work, the emperor was first defeated by a group of military commanders who trembled at the mere mention of Xi Zhongting's name. General Xi, even in times of peace, maintained his strict self-discipline and discipline for others. Most of the military commanders, regardless of age, were now his subordinates, and they were terrified at the mere mention of "Xi," unable to accept such a son-in-law. Civil officials might not be willing to marry either; these scholars were quite cunning. Considering the current situation, with the foreign threat resolved, the next twenty or thirty years would be filled with intrigue and scheming at court. His Majesty was currently sincere, but who knew when he would start to fear a powerful alliance?
However, His Majesty himself looked down upon him because of his lack of family background or his low official position in the court.
Without waiting for His Majesty to continue to hesitate, he ran to Xizhongting in Minghunzhou as soon as he had time to write a letter, saying that he was grateful for His Majesty's sympathy, but that he had no intention of marrying in this life. In short, the words between the lines were very firm, and the kind-hearted His Majesty had no choice but to give up.
Then, he turned his gaze to the Cui family. The Cui family was a prominent family with deep roots and flourishing branches. Whether they were of marriageable age or widows, there were more than ten of them. His Majesty was very busy and happy to take care of them. The Cui family was also very tactful. As the imperial edicts came down one after another, it was said that the head of the family and the children who were granted marriages were filled with gratitude and their joy was beyond words.
After finishing his busy tour of the capital, His Majesty was still not satisfied and finally turned his attention to the Prince of Liang's Mansion far away in Shangyang.
Although Cui Yue had hinted to His Majesty at the time that the current Prince of Liang had no offspring due to various reasons, at the beginning of his reign, there was so much to be done, and even if he suspected Bian Hongqiu was putting on a show, he had no time to investigate. Now, looking at the memorial submitted to the military supervisor, it states that in all these years, apart from a few female officials who had already been in the Prince of Liang's mansion, no woman, whether respectable or not, had entered.
The emperor was far away, and Bian Hongqiu wasn't exactly low-key, spending his days hanging out with a doctor whose family background was unclear. But firstly, he wasn't forcibly seizing a man, and secondly, it wasn't against the law. After all, the elders of the Liang Palace were deceased, leaving no one to control them. And the military supervisor couldn't possibly have any control over the prince's bed, right? So, he mentioned it in every memorial, and nothing more.
It happened to be the New Year, so His Majesty simply sent an envoy to commend King Liang for his contribution in guarding the border for several years, and to find out the truth of the matter. He also recruited several beautiful boys and girls to go along.
On this day, Bian Hongqiu was pestering Meng Shizhuang to write couplets.
In the heart of the study, Mr. Liu was still admiring his masterpiece. Meanwhile, Qi Ziyu, already quite proficient in his studies after his marriage, grinned naively at his most beautiful piece of calligraphy. However, his wife, adamantly observing etiquette, wouldn't dare enter the Liang Prince's study, despite Song Jingyan's repeated invitations. Over there, Liu Lang, finishing his homework for the day, gazed with a look of disdain at Bian Hongqiu, who was teaching Meng Shizhuang calligraphy.
Others couldn't hear clearly, but he could hear it clearly. All kinds of obscene words and songs came out of his mouth. He took advantage of his brother who had not read these books and said seriously to Meng Shizhuang's doubtful face that this was a poem to celebrate the New Year.
Starting from the study, the atmosphere of the Liang Wang Mansion was thick with the New Year atmosphere. The generals and generals who were nearby had also started families and stayed at the mansion with their children, waiting for dinner. At this moment, Song Jingyan walked in with a strange look on her face. "Your Highness, the envoy from the capital has arrived with the emperor's decree. Please go out and receive it."
Bian Hongqiu hadn't taken it seriously at first, changing his clothes as a matter of routine, thinking he'd be done with the imperial edict. Unexpectedly, upon meeting the envoy, several pretty, handsome boys and girls saluted him in unison, "Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Liang." Three or two of them, struck by his graceful demeanor, instantly smiled, and shyly glanced at him.
With Pansi Cave in front of him, Bian Hongqiu turned around suddenly. Fortunately, there were only Song Jingyan and other subordinates of high rank behind him.
The envoy ignored his "caught in adultery" behavior and extolled the emperor's good intentions. Bian Hongqiu sullenly refused, saying, "I dare not." Song Jingyan then invited the envoy into the palace for tea and food. She was unconcerned, unlike Bian Hongqiu's anxiety. With a few words, she steered the envoy inside, revealing that these people didn't have to stay.
Bian Hongqiu breathed a sigh of relief. When he looked up, Liu Lang was standing in the courtyard with his arms folded, smiling at him with a gloating look.
His alarm bells were ringing as the "spider spirits" around him pressed closer, harassing him with constant barrages of words, leaving Bian Hongqiu unable to escape. His subordinates, either newlyweds or about to be married, kept a respectful distance from this maze, unanimously pushing their Highness to suffer first.
In the end, Song Jingyan and Shao Zheng took action.
One person forced the envoy to drink, and the other talked nonsense about everything from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the moral principles of human relations. In short, they made the envoy faint on the table. Then he was helped to the post station drunk, and the boys and girls behind him also followed him out in a daze. The Prince of Liang's mansion immediately put on their pants and closed the door without recognizing anyone. They no longer received any guests during the entire New Year. After the beginning of the new year, they stuffed a batch of gold and silver jewelry and sent everyone away.
Song Jingyan thought her prince wouldn't be in trouble. Returning home to report, she found Bian Hongqiu standing outside the room, hugging a pillow. Liu Lang sat with his legs bent on a bare old tree in the yard, watching the situation from the other side and making sarcastic remarks: "...I'm not even spreading rumors. My brother doesn't believe them at all. Your Highness's influence is truly effective."
Song Jingyan, unaware of what was going on, walked in and pricked up her ears. It turned out that Meng Shizhuang didn't care about these people at all, and just ate and slept as usual. Unfortunately, Prince Liang was afraid that he would be angry, and when he wasn't angry, he became suspicious, thinking that this man was too generous and unreasonable, and he always complained about hearing sweet words by his pillow.
After days of tossing and turning, he finally got what he wanted and was kicked out of the room.
Song Jingyan could only shake her head.
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