Chapter 273 274. We are only fifteen every week!
Lin Zhong.
The youngest son of Duke Su's family.
His father was the Duke of Su, a first-rank official, and his mother was the wife of the Duke of Su, Princess Henghuan, the younger sister of the late emperor and the aunt of the current emperor.
His half-brother Lin Qing was the commander of the Kyoto Guards and married the Seventh Princess, who was much-loved by the late Emperor. The Seventh Princess was gentle and docile in nature and had a very good personal relationship with the Emperor when he was still a prince, which also contributed to her husband's success in following the Emperor.
Compared to the high-rise Changning Marquis Mansion, the Suguo Duke Mansion is a truly profound and prominent family with four generations of emperors. It is one of the most prominent families in Beijing.
The three generations of Duke Su all married princesses, and each had only one wife, the Duke's wife. The family motto of the Duke Su's mansion prohibited taking concubines, so their network of contacts was relatively thin, but each generation had outstanding talents.
Lin Zhong's grandfather, the late Duke Su, had followed the late emperor in expanding the territory. His father, Duke Su, worked in the Ministry of War and was a true right-hand man.
"His brother Lin Qing doesn't need to say much."
After Lei Li knew that Zhou Zhou had a good friend named Lin Shiqi, he investigated him thoroughly.
"The commander of the Kyoto Guard commands half of Kyoto's military forces and reports directly to the emperor, making him a close minister to the emperor. Rumor has it in Kyoto that his brother is the next Duke of Su."
"Lin Zhong is a young man of exceptional talent and good looks. He is a renowned nobleman in Kyoto, a flower of the highest order, and the most sought-after son-in-law by the noble families of Kyoto."
As he spoke, he smiled and said, "Lin Zhong is indeed good-looking. No wonder the noble ladies in Kyoto like him. It's a good thing that Lin Zhong was born in Kyoto and not in Xiling. Otherwise, he would be inundated with bouquets of flowers from girls and boys every time he went out."
Lin Zhong's appearance is so good that anyone who sees him can't help but say "what a handsome young man".
"We're fine too, Zhou Zhou."
Zhou Yi replied to him subconsciously, and then he felt a little annoyed. Why did he drag Zhou Zhou and this kid together? They had nothing to do with each other.
There can be no relationship other than friendship!
Zhou Yi got angry whenever he thought of Lin Zhong, especially the look in Lin Zhong's eyes, which seemed very subtle yet unconcealed. He stared at Zhou Zhou intently, and anyone with a discerning eye could see what he was thinking of Zhou Zhou.
His Zhou Zhou is only fifteen years old!
This is a crime!
"Why are you so irritable?"
Lei Li smiled and touched Zhou Yi's face. He spoke softly, but in a playful tone, "He didn't do anything to make you so angry. If he really catches up with our Zhou Zhou, won't you kill him with a knife?"
"If the Duke of Su's Mansion and the Marquis of Changning's Mansion were to form an alliance, those people in Kyoto would be as if their parents had died. If a fight broke out, they would definitely applaud."
If the Duke Su's Mansion were to marry the Marquis Changning's Mansion, it would be like adding wings to a tiger, making it even stronger. The former has soldiers, power and background, while the latter has wealth, talent and courage. Putting these two together, even the emperor would have to be wary of them.
If the Duke Su's Mansion and the Marquis Changning's Mansion were to confront each other, hey, that would be a good show to watch. The emperor would also be happy to see the two competing against each other.
——It’s just that the current emperor’s brain may be different from that of other emperors.
After all, other emperors would not marry a general as their queen, nor would they stop reviewing memorials in the middle of the night to arrest the Marquis of Changning and his wife who ran away from a banquet.
So it is not certain whether he will try to divide power and sow discord, or force the Duke of Suguo and the Marquis of Changning to marry and just watch the fun.
“…”
Zhou Yi looked at Lei Li silently, with a hint of resentment in his eyes.
He didn't know what Wanqi Xia would think, but he knew that Lei Li was obsessed with looks and had a cold-faced but soft-hearted personality, and both children followed him very much.
Lei Shengjiang has been obsessed with looks since he was a child. He has loved Miao Yurui since he was a baby and would giggle whenever he saw her. Lei Zhouzhou appears to be indifferent to beauty and ugliness and seems very righteous, but he is always more patient with beautiful people.
Lei Zhouzhou met Lin Zhong only after he came to Kyoto. The first time they met was three years ago when the Changning Marquis' Mansion hosted its first banquet.
The guests at the banquet included wealthy families and minor officials with little influence. They all brought their children. Some were younger than Lei Zhouzhou, some were the same age as him, and very few were older than him.
Lin Zhong is a young man and a man, and he and Lei Zhouzhou are not in the same room at all.
The reason why Lin Zhong was able to break through the siege of so many children and become Lei Zhouzhou's good friend was not only because this kid was scheming, but also because Lei Zhouzhou was obsessed with looks.
"We're only fifteen every week..."
Seeing that Lei Li was very satisfied with Lin Zhong's face, Zhou Yi reminded him quietly.
"What's wrong with fifteen?"
Lei Li knew what he meant and asked deliberately, "Fifteen is so good, so young. You can study and practice martial arts, make friends and have fun, and even get married..."
"no!"
Zhou Yi said firmly and righteously, "I don't agree. Zhou Zhou is only fifteen years old. How can he get married? He is still a child. He can't even take care of himself. How can he get married and have children?"
Zhou Zhou, who was fifteen or sixteen years old, had her hair styled for marriage, held a child in her arms, and held Lin Zhong or some other man's hand and said to him, Dad, this is my husband and baby.
Zhou Yi felt furious just thinking about it, and he wanted to kill Lin Zhong.
"Sheng Jiang also got married at the age of fifteen. In Kyoto, many noble ladies start looking for husbands at the age of twelve or thirteen, and get married at the age of fifteen or sixteen."
"How is this different?"
"What's the difference?"
"Didn't you guys disobey me when Sheng Jiang got married? The whole family agreed, Xiao Bao was willing too, but Sheng Jiang kept crying, acting like I was some evil person."
Zhou Yi became angrier as he spoke.
He originally thought it was too early for Sheng Jiang to get married, but his whole family thought it was a good idea. Xiao Bao was already 23 years old at that time, and if he didn't get married, he would probably be criticized to death by the villagers.
Moreover, he was also within his acceptance range for a girl or boy to get married and have children at the age of 23, so he agreed reluctantly.
"alright."
Lei Li said with a smile, "Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Why should we think so much? Whether Zhou Zhou wants to marry that Seventeenth of the Lin family is still uncertain."
"Even if Zhou Zhou wants to get married, he can't."
Zhou Yi's brows furrowed even deeper. If he and Lei Li had not been with Zhou Zhou in the past few years, the kid from the Lin family would not have taken advantage of the situation.
In the back hall, Marquis Changning and his wife were chirping crickets, and the front hall was bustling with Lei Jingsheng, Lin Zhong, Lei Zhouzhou, and Sister Huaer's two children.
"I remember there was a rumor that His Majesty wanted to arrange marriages for Princesses Seventeen and Thirteen?"
Lei Jingsheng said with a smile, his eyes wandering between Lei Zhouzhou and Lin Zhong, "The Thirteenth Princess seems to like Young Master Lin very much. From time to time, she would run into Young Master Lin in the Prince's Garden under the pretext of delivering gifts to her brother."
The Prince's Garden is where the princes and the children of royal family and nobles study, while the Baifang Garden is for princesses, nobles, and noble ladies and brothers in Kyoto to study. They are very close to each other.
There are some courses, such as horse riding and archery, that the princes and princesses will take together, so the children of clan nobles can also interact with the princes and princesses.
certainly.
It is limited to the emotion that comes from etiquette.
If there was any scandal of seducing the prince to desecrate the princess, not only would the person's reputation be ruined, but it would also affect his father and family of the previous dynasty. Sometimes the emperor would even use it to punish the family.
On the contrary, the princes and princesses are proud of their status and will not easily provoke the children of aristocrats, unless they are truly favored by the emperor. In this way, they become arrogant and domineering and do not care about their reputation.
Lei Jingsheng's teasing tone was exactly the same as Lei Li's. He squinted his eyes and smiled, seeming to be regretful but actually mischievous. "It's a pity that Young Master Lin doesn't like the girl. The Thirteenth Princess's deep affection must have been misplaced."
"I dare not."
Lin Zhong shook his head slightly and said, "The Thirteenth Princess and I were just students in the palace together. We've met a few times, so we can be considered classmates. There's no other affection between us. The rumors are just empty talk and shouldn't be trusted."
"So that's how it is."
Lei Jingsheng nodded with a smile and added, "I'm just a little curious. I wonder which noble young man will be able to catch Young Master Lin's eye in the future."
"Oh right, I remember that the only one in the palace who is still studying and unmarried is the Third Noble Lord, right? The Third Noble Lord just turned fifteen this year. The eldest son Lin is marrying the princess, and the youngest son Lin is also a good match for the Third Noble Lord."
Lei Jingsheng loves gossip.
But they were in a hurry all the way, and Qingzhi accidentally caught a cold and had difficulty acclimatizing to the climate. She was taking care of Qingzhi and had no time to tease Zhou Zhou, the flower-guarding messenger.
Moreover, Lin Zhong is the young master of the Duke of Suguo's Mansion. He is rather cold and quiet. Lei Jingsheng takes into account the reputation of the Marquis of Changning's Mansion and holds himself as an elder, so he is too embarrassed to be curious about the private affairs of the younger generation.
When they arrived in Qingyuan, Qingzhi's health improved, and with Lei Li's support, she regained her lively nature and started thinking about the affairs of Lin Zhong and Zhou Zhou.
"I'm not familiar with Sangui-kun."
Lin Zhong answered in a serious tone, his eyes fixed on Zhou Zhou. "After I turned fifteen, I was getting older, and it was no longer suitable for me to study in the palace. Besides, Zhou Zhou didn't want to go to the palace school either, so I asked to leave the palace and study at home."
"Zhou Zhou knows all this."
"Um?"
Lei Zhouzhou was chatting with his two nephews, Aya and Aqi. When he heard Lin Zhong mention him, he nodded and said,
"Yes, Seventeen asked me at that time if I wanted to go to the Prince's Garden with him to study, but my father and grandpa thought that the palace had too many rules, and I didn't like the palace either, so I didn't go."
"Later, Seventeen said he didn't like the palace either, and wanted to study at home, just like me. But Seventeen was very knowledgeable, and good at riding and shooting, even better than my riding and shooting master."
"Zhou Zhou is also good."
The two praised each other, and the two children, Aya and Aqi, also competed to say,
"We might as well ride horses!"
"My father and mother are even better at riding horses. My father also has many, many horses! Uncle, do you want to come to our house to see the horses? Our horses are so big and tall!"
The two little guys chattered back and forth, just like two little sparrows.
Lei Zhouzhou laughed, "Okay, I also want to see Aya Aqi's horses. Daddy even said he would give me a foal and I would raise it myself. Does Aya Aqi have a foal too?"
"certainly!"
"My little pony is white!"
"Mine is jujube red! Just as pretty as jujubes, and it runs really, really fast! Much faster than my brother's little white horse!"
"My little white horse runs fast too. Last time, it beat my sister's little red horse!"
"His name is Yunxia, not Little Red Horse!"
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