Chapter 030 Chapter 30

"Big sister, what were you doing just now? Why haven't you come back for so long?" Yao Niang was talking to someone else when she happened to see Yan Ningxin coming over.

In fact, she just asked casually, and Yan Ningxin laughed it off to hide her guilty conscience.

This actually made Yaoniang see some clues. When she was in Jinling, she found that her elder sister didn't care much about the separation of men and women. Hearing Yingniang complain that Wu Shangshu's youngest son and her elder sister could play together, she wondered if her elder sister had gone out to meet this person.

But no matter whether she saw it or not, everyone was a girl from the Yan family in public, and Yao Niang did not expose her.

After playing two rounds of Feihualing, Miss Gong invited them to listen to an opera. Yao Niang also went with her sisters. Ying Niang and Miss Gong Si sat not far away, chattering and making the place very lively.

Zhen said to Madam Gong with a slightly apologetic tone: "My little daughter is very noisy and ignorant."

Madam Gong waved her hands and said, "Ying Niang is the youngest, so it's only right that everyone should give in to her."

Yao Niang, who was standing by, heard this but felt that it was not the case. Although Xie doted on her, she was quite strict with her outside. The fourth girl always relied on her young age and was always tolerated no matter what mistakes she made. I don't know if this is good or bad?

But she only thought about it for a moment and continued to watch the show. Yingniang did it on purpose. She found that Yaoniang was very happy to be isolated today. Usually, her father only went to the third room at home. She always thought that her mother didn't care. But one time, she saw her mother crying, and she immediately understood that her mother actually cared a lot.

After the show, a lady present invited the girls from the Yan family to go to the polo club, either to play polo or chuiwan.

Zhen agreed with a smile, because Yan Yingqi had told her that Yan Ningxin and her sisters had reached the right age and should be taken out more often to help them find a husband.

On the way back, Yingniang and Yaoniang complained: "We have never learned to ride a horse, how can we play polo?"

"If you don't know how to play, just watch. Besides, can't we still go play chuiwan?" Yao Niang was not worried.

Seeing her indifferent attitude, Yingniang couldn't help but ask, "Third sister, why didn't you make any friends today?"

It is so difficult to make close friends. Yao Niang did not make any close friends. She only joked with those ladies to fit in with the group. But she would not show weakness to Ying Niang. She had never lost a verbal battle: "Fourth sister, you always say that you have made friends. You always said so when you were in Jinling. But when we left, the handkerchiefs that I was in love with gave me some snacks and perfume. The friends you mentioned did not give me anything. So please stop saying these ridiculous words."

When she said this, Ying Niang's face turned red with anger. Ying Niang had been showing off this and that every day these days. When she saw that Yao Niang remained silent, she became a little more arrogant and was immediately rebuked.

Yao Niang continued, "This is just my first time going out since I came to Beijing. What are you always comparing yourself with me for? Why don't you compare yourself with others? I think the eldest sister and the second sister are better than you. They have more friends than you, but they are not like you."

Yingniang always said that she couldn't beat Yaoniang, and she was very angry and didn't want to talk to her anymore.

The two sisters got off the carriage and parted on bad terms.

The next day, the Prince of Qi came to visit, and he brought with him a stream of gifts, all of which were sent to Yan Ningxin. Yan Yingqi was not at home, as he was currently the Minister of Personnel and an important official in the court. It was inconvenient for him to interact with the prince of a vassal king, so he asked his eldest son Yan Jingzhao to come forward to entertain him.

This was often the time that Zhen hated the most, because her husband really treated Yan Jingzhao as his eldest son.

Yan Jingzhao was preparing for the provincial examination. He was not the kind of person who would study hard to get by, so he did not look dull at all. Instead, he behaved in a graceful manner. When the Prince of Qi saw Yan Jingzhao like this, he could not help but admire him.

The two chatted for a while, and Yan Jingzhao couldn't help asking, "I wonder what the prince is talking about when he came to the capital this time? If you have any instructions, just tell me."

The Prince of Qi smiled and said, "It was the Emperor who promised that the Qi Palace would be passed down from generation to generation, so my father specially sent me to the capital to express his gratitude."

"That's great. I've prepared some wine and water at home. I hope you won't mind." Yan Jingzhao said.

Unexpectedly, Prince Qi said, "I have something else to do today, so I won't bother you anymore. To be honest, Ning Xin and I grew up together, and I came here this time to meet her, so that the old concubine would not let me down."

Yan Jingzhao naturally understood the intention of the conversation and asked Yan Ningxin to come over. After Yan Ningxin arrived, he left space for the two cousins ​​to talk.

"Cousin." Yan Ningxin was very excited when she saw Prince Wei Chi of Qi.

The normally calm face of the Prince of Qi also looked joyful: "Ning Xiner, it's great to see you."

Yan Ningxin smiled and said, "I just heard Yan Jingzhao say that the Prince of Qi's Palace has a hereditary title. Is that true?"

The prince of Qi nodded, but then said: "It is because of this that I narrowly escaped death. If I hadn't met Commander Liu on the way, those people would have chased me and killed me."

"Commander Liu?" Although Yan Ningxin had participated in many flower banquets and birthday banquets, she was not familiar with the complicated relationships in the capital.

The Prince of Qi said, "The commander of the Jinyi Guard is Liu Ji."

Yan Ningxin was relieved: "That's good, that's good." But then she said: "No, Liu Ji is the emperor's childhood friend. He usually protects the emperor in the capital. Can he protect you?"

The Prince of Qi smiled and said, "The Emperor is eager for us vassal kings to collapse. This time he is rewarding my father for his contribution during the Ning Wang Rebellion."

He took advantage of the situation to bully others, but this was not a long-term solution.

Yan Ningxin sighed and couldn't help but said, "Otherwise I'll tell my dad that he's the Minister of Personnel."

"If Lord Yan wanted to help me, he would not have let only Young Master Yan receive me today. It is obviously to avoid suspicion. In this case, I have no choice but to ask for help from another lord. Do you know the Shen family of Zuodu Yushi?" asked the Prince of Qi.

Yan Ningxin shook her head: "Even if I have seen him, I may have forgotten it. Why did my cousin ask him for help?"

The Prince of Qi said, "Originally, it was my father who should have come to the capital to express his gratitude, but it was this Lord Shen who asked me to go to the capital, and I thought I should also establish a relationship with him for this reason. Cousin, you may not know Mr. Shen, but you must know the Wuxing Shen family, right?"

Yan Ningxin said: "How could I not know this? I heard from my third sister that it was a wealthy family in Jiangnan."

"That's right. The Shen family may not have as high an official position as your Yan family now, but there are many children in the family. In the previous Southern Dynasty, it was the peak of the Wuxing Shen family, especially in the Chen Dynasty. The Shen family produced two empresses and five princes-in-law, and was glorious for a time. The Jie family, the maiden family of your second wife, is considered a famous family in Wuzhong, but it is still incomparable with the wealthy families in Wuzhong. If I can ask the Shen family for protection, I will be safe." said the Prince of Qi.

Apparently Yan Ningxin wasn't stupid. "Cousin, what can you do to attract the Shen family?"

The Prince of Qi smiled and said, "As for the future position of the Princess, our Qi Palace is now a palace that will last for generations, and Miss Shen and I just happened to meet. From now on, all the Qi Princes have the blood of the Shen family. Even the current one has a bad health, and his offspring are not many, and many of them die young. We are close relatives of the royal family, and we have the opportunity to go further. Isn't it worth a try?"

The following words were almost whispered.

Yan Ningxin thought of her cousin and her life together, so she didn't ask any more questions, but just said, "What can I do to help my cousin?"

The Prince of Qi said, "No need for anything. I've asked someone to organize the polo match in a few days. Miss Shen and I will go there. Just have fun."

Seeing that her cousin had arranged everything, Yan Ningxin felt relieved.

Prince Qi looked at Yan Ningxin deeply, and in his heart he felt great pain as he looked at his cousin.

But he still said in a joking tone: "When you meet Miss Shen at the polo match, you don't have to be too intimate, and don't reveal anything in advance. Just treat her as a stranger."

The goal can only be achieved by letting Miss Shen take the initiative herself.

…

Because the Prince of Qi left after he finished speaking, Yan Jingzhao used the banquet table with Guan and his wife. Guan stood and placed a few chopsticks of food, and Yan Jingzhao asked her to sit down and eat.

"I heard that you lent the painting to Yao Niang a few days ago?" Yan Jingzhao hoped that his wife could change.

Guan smiled and said, "It's not worth anything."

"Well, the Prince of Qi's Palace is about to become a hereditary palace. I see that the Prince of Qi is very caring towards my elder sister. I wonder if he has that intention?" As a man, Yan Jingzhao could see that although the Prince of Qi tried his best to hide his feelings when he looked at Yan Ningxin, he was definitely looking at his beloved woman with the eyes.

"Really? I thought you would say Yao Niang." Guan said.

Hearing Guan mention Yao Niang, Yan Jingzhao frowned, "Shandong is far away from home, and if a vassal king does not obey the imperial edict, he will never be able to return to the capital. What good is that? If my sister gets married, she will not be able to go beyond Jiangnan."

Guan thought that there was really a distinction between relatives and strangers in this family. If it was Yan Ningxin, Yan Jingzhao would not have considered these things, but when it came to his own sister, he considered it so thoroughly.

At dinner time, Xie accompanied Yan Yingqi to eat. Xie was wearing a milky white casual shirt with only a pearl headband on her head. She looked like a pearl, glowing under the lamp.

Yan Yingqi's eyes widened a little, and Xie turned away: "Hurry up and eat."

"Lan You, are you feeling better today?" Yan Yingqi had been enduring his pain since Xie's childhood. He didn't go to the study and stayed with Xie every day.

I calculated that the time was almost up, so I had some idea.

Xie was speechless: "Aren't you very busy?"

"You can't have sex when you're busy. I'm just a little tired from being busy, not exhausted." Yan Yingqi said unhappily.

Xie took a bite of the food and was thankful that the servants had been sent away. She then said, "It's time for you to find someone younger to bother with. I'm old enough—"

“解蘭憂，膽子越來越大了，你是不是變相說我老？”顏應祁指着她道。

解氏笑了，又靜靜的看着丈夫：“有時候感覺你坐在我的對面，有時候又覺得你馬上就要消失了。”

這句話大概也只有她們夫妻懂是什麽意思？顏應祁對她這麽多年還宛若新婚似的，總對她迷戀感興趣，可是這個丈夫又不屬于她。

顏應祁卻是忍不住握住她的手：“無論如何，有我在的一日，總歸護着你的，我永遠都不會消失。”

解氏見他表情過于真摯，又岔開話題道：“窈娘馬上要去參加馬球會，我就想起當年你教我騎馬的事情，你的性子怎麽就那麽急呢？沒把我教會就算了，還搞的我現在聽到騎馬就頭疼。”

“呵呵。”顏應祁想到以前的事情也覺得好笑。

她們夫妻又說起六月二十八是女兒的生辰，解氏感嘆起來：“眨眼的功夫，窈娘也十二歲了。再過幾年，不，我都不敢想。”

顏應祁安撫她道：“放心，我一定會為咱們女兒找一個最好的夫婿，讓她夫榮妻貴，永遠不要知道人間疾苦是什麽。”

“我也希望。”解氏不覺得苦難是什麽好東西，她覺得女兒一輩子甜甜蜜蜜的才好。

不過，解氏也趁機問起：“當年郡主嫂嫂還同說肚子裏若是懷的是女兒，說王府想親上加親？現下是不是也準備如此的？我聽景昭說齊王世子送了好些東西給大姑娘的，看起來不像是王府準備的，像是他自己準備的。”

顏應祁對別人，甚至是甄氏也沒說過，但解氏問起，他卻說了實話：“和這種王室打交道未必是好事，我們家已經是顯宦士族，不能什麽都要。再說了，齊王世子的位置還不知道能不能坐的穩，我何必為了他冒險。”

的确，顏寧馨嫁給齊王世子，日後可能是王妃，生下來的孩子也可能是王爺……

但是和他顏應祁沒什麽太大的關系。

顏寧馨明年及笄，這兩年齊王世子不會繼位，可這兩年他才剛任吏部侍郎。無論他當不當王爺，自己都是部堂高官。

況且，齊王府的人對長女也并不是很好。

**

馬球會當日，窈娘換上了簇新的窄袖騎裝，騎裝一穿，整個人就莫名的英姿飒爽起來。瑩娘前幾日和窈娘鬧別扭了，二人互不說話有好幾天了，因此，瑩娘跑去和倩娘一輛馬車，讓窈娘和顏寧馨一輛馬車。

“你們這氣生的夠久的。”顏寧馨上馬車就道。

窈娘不置可否，有時候她不想再聽那種你是姐姐就要讓着妹妹的鬼話了？她也不過只是比瑩娘大一歲而已，憑什麽就得讓着她，大家不都是人嗎？

顏寧馨見窈娘不說話，她聳肩也不說話，但想起表哥說起的吳興沈氏，她也只有找窈娘打聽了，畢竟窈娘消息非常靈通。

“三妹妹，我那日聽說沈姑娘也要來？這個沈氏就是你說的吳興沈氏嗎？”顏寧馨還怕窈娘看出端倪。

窈娘聽了之後點頭：“是，吳興沈氏出身。其實現在随着科舉出仕，所謂的名門士族早已大不如前，若是三代之內，沒有進士中第之人，也不過是普通鄉紳。”

“那現在京裏的沈家的官員多嗎？”顏寧馨佯裝好奇。

窈娘想了想：“我聽人提起現在的左都禦史沈大人不就是吳興沈氏的，與我們家還有鄉誼呢！但論及官位，還是我父親更高，六部之中，唯獨有吏部稱為天官。”

顏寧馨心想這位三妹妹真的是顏氏千金小姐的做派，驕矜且目下無塵。

這個毛病連二妹妹倩娘都沾在身上，她們即便表現和氣，但和人相處也始終端着架子，自诩吏部侍郎的千金，似乎天生就該衆星捧月。

二人一路無話，很快到了鎮國公府，這次的馬球就是在鎮國公府舉辦的。場地十分開闊，幾乎一下馬車，走進來，都能感受到風的氣息。

鎮國公夫人很快迎了出來，見着甄氏說了好一會兒的話，甄氏又讓她們姐妹上前行禮，行禮完之後，她們姐妹跟着甄氏去了看臺。

鎮國公府的仆從上了不少點心茶水果子，窈娘看了一眼桌上的點心，似乎是京樣的棗泥核桃酥，她嘗了一口，實在是甜的發齁，默默放下。

“三妹妹，茶味兒不錯。”倩娘提醒。

窈娘笑着道好，心想二姐姐時不時的态度一直都和大家表現的不錯，不像瑩娘那般。因此，她吃了一口茶，便見一位看起來直率的少年過來，他面容頗為清秀，先對甄氏行禮，複而才看向顏寧馨：“顏夫人，我們這隊正好差一個人，所以想請顏大姑娘同我們一起。”

甄氏還不知道顏寧馨會打馬球，只是看着顏寧馨道：“你以前學過嗎？”

顏寧馨笑着點頭：“我在齊王府的時候時常打馬球。”

但甄氏還是不放心，她對顏寧馨盡管是面子情，可顏寧馨真的出了什麽事情，她也難辭其咎。可那少年又說人都等着雲雲，還說齊王世子也在那兒，如此甄氏才放人。

原來來喊顏寧馨的少年叫吳羨，是吏部尚書的小兒子，據說和大姐姐是朋友。

方才一直不說話的瑩娘忽然和窈娘說起了話：“三姐姐，爹不是常說男女大防嗎？怎麽大姐姐總和男孩子在一起玩兒。”

“你問我，我也不知道。”窈娘可不願意說這些得罪人的話，她又不傻。

還是倩娘看了甄氏一眼，主動出來充當好姐姐調停：“三妹，四妹，外頭有人看着呢，你們倆總這麽鬧，也不是法子啊。”

倩娘這是各打五十大板，以前她可不敢這麽說話，尤其是對瑩娘。盡管甄氏很好，但瑩娘自恃長房長女，驕傲的很，公主一般的待遇。現下倩娘這麽說，也是怕兩位妹妹鬧起來，甄氏不拿她們撒氣，卻拿自己撒氣。

若是以前窈娘還在金陵時，她和倩娘關系不錯，興許委屈求全，現在卻不可能了。

瑩娘更不可能認錯，她們姐妹都看着場上的馬球賽。

場上的一抹紅色劃破了此時的僵局，瑩娘失聲：“大姐姐，那是大姐姐。”

紅隊出場的先是顏寧馨和吳羨，還有幾位不認識的男男女女們幾位，藍隊領頭的則是個姿容秀麗的女子，她旁邊也同樣有一位女子，看起來英姿飒爽。

別看平日大姐姐讀書寫字甚至是吟詩作賦不大行，打馬球卻是快準狠，窈娘看的心驚肉跳的。莫說是她了，就是倩娘也以帕子掩口：“塵土都吹到咱們這兒來了。”

甄氏卻若有所思道：“你們也好好看看，京裏的閨秀們大多都會打馬球，你爹說了日後讓你們也去學騎馬。”

“娘，我們也要學嗎？”瑩娘有些怕。

甄氏點頭：“總不能每次都這樣幹坐着吧。”

窈娘則問道：“可是大娘，咱們家裏沒有這麽大的場地啊？如何學呢？”

甄氏莞爾：“這就是大人們要操心的事情了，你們幾個小姑娘好好地學就行了，你們都有兄弟，讓你們哥哥教就好。”

男女授受不親，讓親哥哥教導最好了，正好，這三姐妹都有兄長。

不時，又有人喊甄氏去那邊說話，窈娘則才回神看場上的情況，她才發現紅隊勢頭雖然很猛，但藍隊也不弱，甚至那位打頭看起來纖細的姑娘卻進了兩個球。

只是顏寧馨打的太猛了，第一局紅隊勝。

窈娘忍不住鼓掌：“大姐姐太厲害了。”

“只可惜沈陌肯定要讓她哥哥上了。”

不料此時有話語傳來，窈娘一看，見是一位圓臉少女，她連忙起身斂祍問好，那少女笑道：“顏三姑娘，我們在金陵有一面之緣，當時你彈的箜篌十分好聽。”

原來是故人，這姑娘是順天府尹的女兒，名叫阮梨，她外家在金陵，去歲在金陵随外祖去顏家參加過婚宴。

窈娘和她聊了幾句，果然藍隊再出現時，出現了一位年青男子，甚至窈娘能察覺到自己周圍的女子們騷動了起來。

阮梨笑道：“喏，那位就是沈陌的親哥哥沈臨風。”

定睛一看，這男子還的确是容貌整麗，笑若朗月，即便獨自坐在馬上，都一頭擁有捕捉力量的雪豹似的。

果然這一局翻轉，藍隊勝了。

一貫愛奚落的瑩娘此時卻是臉頰泛紅，一動不動的盯着場上沈臨風的方向，窈娘心道這個沈臨風看起來也是個藍顏禍水啊。

紅藍兩隊，雙方各自贏了一次，最後一局定勝負。

即便是沈陌也覺得自己贏定了，目帶挑釁的看着顏寧馨，顏寧馨雖然知曉這沈陌很有可能是表嫂，但這位嫂嫂出招淩厲，倒是引起了好勝心，偏偏沈臨風上場，她這一隊開始怯戰。

“大家重整旗鼓……”顏寧馨對吳羨道。

吳羨有些怯意：“寧馨，要不算了吧。”

"How can I just give up?" She was not as good at studying as her three younger sisters, but she was a first-rate polo player. She couldn't afford to lose to others in this aspect.

At this moment, the prince of Qi came over and said with a smile, "Cousin, I'm here."

Yan Ningxin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew her cousin's abilities, which were absolutely outstanding. Looking at Shen Mo opposite her, she also understood the intention of the Prince of Qi.

A girl like Shen Mo who thinks highly of herself must be defeated and made to admire her.

The fighting on the polo field was fierce, and Yao Niang saw it clearly. The Prince of Qi seemed to stand up for his elder sister and snatched several balls from Shen Mo. Shen Mo was very angry, but fortunately Shen Linfeng also protected his sister all the time, and in the end the third game was still a draw.

Ruan Li explained: "This Prince Qi is really not a simple person. Few people can fight Shen Linfeng to a draw."

"Will you continue?" asked Yao Niang.

Ruan Li shook her head and said only one sentence: "The prince of Qi is a member of the royal family."

Yao Niang thought that Shen Linfeng seemed to be a man without principles, and he would not dare to really win if he met the Prince of Qi.

On the polo field, Shen Linfeng saluted gracefully: "I'm sorry, Prince."

The Prince of Qi said warmly: "It's just like the saying goes, no fighting, no acquaintance!" After saying that, he glanced at Shen Mo again, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shen Mo's flushed cheeks.