On the first day of the Lunar New Year, when the sun sets in the west.
After the Wang family, mother and son, and the Wang family declined to share the dinner, they said goodbye to the Lu family and embarked on the carriage home.
In the swaying carriage, Mrs. Wang Wu asked her son Wang Jian in a low voice what he meant. Wang Jian is the second son in the family. He has been very creative since he was a child and is extremely diligent in his studies.
When he was young, during the cold weather, his brothers and friends were resting at home, but Wang Jian was the only one who continued to study diligently. When he grew up, he entered the court and became an official. He was promoted and promoted along the way, and he was about to be released.
In this way, the elders in the family cannot decide things for him regardless of his wishes. Now, naturally, Wang Jian's own wishes must be taken into consideration when looking at Lu Jiuniang. Mrs. Wang Wu said implicitly, "Qi Lang, in my opinion, Jiu Niangzi is beautiful and gentle. She was born into a noble family and is an excellent noble girl."
At this moment, Wang Jian was still immersed in the shock of seeing his childhood benefactor again. After hearing this, he just said, "What mother said is absolutely true. The Nine Lady is indeed worthy of being a model of noble women in the world." After that, he seemed to have made up his mind. Ban said to Wang.
"Aunt, on the Lantern Festival night, can I have a word with Jiu Niangzi alone?"
The words were a bit sudden, but not out of place.
Nowadays, the new dynasty has only been established for twenty years, and all the rules of the previous dynasty have been wiped out with the flames of war. The same is true for male and female defense. What's more, the Lantern Festival is a recognized day for men and women to go out and have fun, and Qilang and A Rui can be regarded as relatives. If we met on the road, it wouldn't be a big deal if we went to a restaurant or teahouse to sit and talk for a while.
Mrs. Wang was thinking about this secretly in her heart, but after all, A Rui was the young lady of the Lu family, so naturally she had to give a message to the Lu family first. In case Wang Jian suddenly appears and accidentally offends the young lady, causing the two families to become enmity, he will be displeased by both his parents' family.
After thinking about this, Wang agreed readily and planned to send someone to inform the Lu family the next day.
In the East Palace, the maids and eunuchs showed no joy for the New Year. All these changes are due to the fact that His Royal Highness, the master of the East Palace, has not looked happy at all in recent days.
His Highness the Crown Prince was not someone who would irritate the maids and eunuchs at will, but the look of helplessness on his face still made the entire East Palace tremble with fear.
Ever since he knew that his father and mother were interested in choosing a concubine, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had deliberately hinted that Lu Qi would be transferred to the capital, and even deliberately pushed Lu Bingzhen into the scope of the Queen's choice of a wife. Unexpectedly, all these plans were in vain because of the rejection of Fan Yang and the Lu family. , it would be false to say that there is no frustration.
His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to give away all the various things he had collected for Lu Bingzhen as a reward that day, in order to express his feelings. However, the fact that Wang Jian, the seventh son of the Wang family, visited the Lu family with his mother and aunt on the first day of the Lunar New Year could not be hidden from anyone. Ever since the prince learned about it, he had been anxious.
These days, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been tossing and turning every day, fearing that one day there will be news of the marriage between the Fan Yang Lu family and the Taiyuan Wang family. After tossing and turning for more than half a month, His Royal Highness finally decided to go see Lu Bingzhen.
It's just that Lu Bingzhen was well protected by Fan Yang's Lu family. Lu Qi and his wife had been on guard since they knew the Queen's plan, and they really couldn't find a chance.
Until the arrival of the Lantern Festival, the prince was finally given a chance. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince knew that Lu Qi and his wife loved Lu Bingzhen, so it was impossible to restrain her on this day and would definitely let her go out to play. But how to get rid of the Fan Yang Lu family has become a big problem.
At this moment, Lu Bingzhen was completely unaware of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's plans in the East Palace, and she was still looking forward to the arrival of the Lantern Festival with great interest. The Lantern Festival lanterns are what young men and ladies look forward to the most throughout the year, and even the always calm Lu Bingzhen is no exception.
On the Lantern Festival, Lu Bingzhen woke up early from his sleep. Rongxue, who was keeping watch at night, covered her mouth and smiled, "I have never seen a young lady want to get up so much in winter." Lu Bingzhen pretended to be angry and said, "In this case, Rongxue, don't follow me out today."
Rongxue quickly begged for mercy, and the room was full of laughter.
Lu Bingzhen's attire was very festive today. She wore a bright red satin jacket with white butterfly makeup, a water-red densely woven gold thread albizia floral skirt, and an ivory white lynx grandson fur. Because I was going out for fun today, I would inevitably meet familiar elders and relatives on the street, so I wore two extra pieces of jewelry on my head.
There is a long hairpin with thousands of leaves and golden peonies inserted in the bun. On the right side, there is an exquisite flat golden hairpin with dotted green grass and inlaid with beads to hold up the long hair. At the bottom, there is a double-pediced begonia flower Dongzhu, and two strings of rice beads are threaded through it. Her tassels swayed slightly as she walked, and a few magpie-like pearl flowers were pursed on her temples. There is a string of malachite green jade beads on her wrist, a white jade lotus jade pendant with concentric ears hanging on her chest, and several jasper rings on her hands.
When they went to Mrs. Li's house to pay their respects, Lu Bingzhen was pressed down by Mrs. Li and put on a few gold armbands, and her makeup was carefully traced, and then she was ready.
Seeing that her daughter only had lanterns in her heart, Li thought about it but still didn't tell Wang Qilang that he wanted to see her. Forget it, just ask Ah Rui to go see him by himself.
During the meal that day, the young man and the ladies could not help but gather together and chatter about the Lantern Festival in the evening. When the sky gradually darkened, Lu Liuniang, who had the most lively temperament, began to act coquettishly in her grandmother's arms, begging softly to go out early.
Her appearance made the elders laugh. Lu Zhi was also rarely infected by the atmosphere and smiled. Lu Zhi waved his sleeves and said to Lu Chi, "Lu Chi, send a few personal guards to protect them when they go out. There are many people today, so we must protect the safety of the young man and the ladies."
Lu Wuniang, Lu Liuniang, Lu Qiniang and Lu Jiuniang rode together in an eight-treasure canopy carriage, and outside the carriage was a young man riding a horse. The personal guards surrounded the carriage and the young men.
Lanterns of various sizes and shapes have been hung on the long street. The restaurants and teahouses on both sides even hung lanterns on the second and third floors in order to attract business. The lights flicker, adding to the feeling of fireworks.
Lu Liuniang jumped out of the carriage excitedly, "Qiniang, look, this is much more lively than Fan Yang's Lantern Festival." Qiniang, who got out of the car right behind, tightly grabbed her sister's sleeves and said sheepishly Said, "Sixth sister, please lower your voice. People around us are looking at us."
There are indeed many people in the crowded crowd here who have their eyes set on this place. Otherwise, these young ladies who got off the bus are all beautiful. Looking at the guards around them, one can tell that they must also be from a prominent family, and they will naturally arouse curious gazes from the people around them.
When Lu Wuniang got out of the car, she heard what Lu Liuniang and Lu Qiniang said, and a flash of disdain flashed in her eyes. Even if they are both from the Fanyang Lu family, their status will be different due to the differences between their direct branches and side branches. Just now, Lu Liuniang and Lu Qiniang were shocked by the lanterns on the long street and attracted the attention of others, which made Lu Wuniang look down upon them.
Lu Bingzhen's thoughts were similar to Lu Liuniang's. She grew up outside the capital. Although she had seen various places with her parents, she had rarely seen the prosperity of the capital. Lanterns are expensive and easy to get lost. Ordinary state capitals would not rush to decorate a long street with so many lanterns.
Catching a glimpse of a group of Imperial Guards patrolling by, Lu Bingzhen sighed in his heart, "As expected of the capital, the Imperial Guards were dispatched to prevent the lanterns from leaking.
These imperial guards are indeed responsible for preventing the lanterns from leaking. But today, the Imperial Guard patrolled so frequently because the Prince of the East Palace, Bai Arowana, came out of the palace to enjoy the lanterns.
This unparalleled dynastic prince was standing on the only five-story building on the long street, overlooking the bustling crowds and colorful lanterns below. Pei Jian stepped onto the fifth floor and saluted respectfully, "Your Highness, the ninth lady of the Lu family has come to Long Street and is currently enjoying the lanterns with the young ladies and young men of the Lu family. Can someone please invite the ninth lady of the Lu family now? Mom, are you coming to the restaurant?"
Xiao Min stood speechless for a long time by the window. The cold wind in the winter night blew through the window lattice and made his clothes rustle.
After a long while, Xiao Min said calmly, "No, there is no need to invite Ninth Lady of the Lu family to come over. You ask the people in the dark to be careful and don't let anyone rush into Ninth Lady."
Hearing this, Pei Jian raised his head hesitantly. Obviously, after much thought before, His Royal Highness still wanted to see Jiuniang of the Lu family, and wanted to ask Jiuniang of the Lu family face to face what she meant. Now, all the nine ladies of the Lu family are here, why do they suddenly stop seeing each other?
Pei Jian's hesitation happened to miss the flash of loneliness in His Highness the Crown Prince's expression.
But in an instant, Xiao Min put away his lonely look, and it was His Highness the Crown Prince who ordered and prohibited him again. He said coldly, "Hurry up and go." Pei Jian quickly accepted the order and left, cursing himself in his heart for losing his mind and actually starting to question His Highness the Crown Prince's decision.
What Pei Jian doesn't know now is that in the future, he will experience more of the caprices of His Highness the Crown Prince in Jiuniang of the Lu family.
Lu Bingzhen was also very happy tonight. She also rarely let go of the etiquette and rules of a lady from an aristocratic family and followed Lu Liuniang to enjoy the lanterns. The girls were all having fun, but Lu Wuniang remained unmoved. She didn't go far when she said she was tired and asked the Lu family's guards to take her to a teahouse to rest.
Lu Chi hesitated for a moment, then divided into two people to follow Lu Wuniang. But as a result, there are fewer personal guards following the young ladies on the street. Lu Chi whispered to the guards, "The people who came out today are all noble people. There are many people on the street and there are lanterns. Brothers, you must cheer up today. When you get back to the Lu family, I will invite you Brothers eat and drink.”
The personal guards also knew the importance and responded to the situation, and they were extremely vigilant about possible emergencies around them.
After not walking far, Lu Bingzhen was a little tired and wanted to take a rest. Lu Chi thought that there were not many personal guards and it was not appropriate to separate, so he advised, "Ninth lady, why don't you wait a moment and go to rest with Sixth Lady and Seventh Lady later. There are too many people on the street today, so it is not suitable to separate." action."
Lu Bingzhen thought about it, and didn't want to embarrass this bodyguard who had worked so hard in the Lu family, so he agreed.
Turning around the intersection, Wang Jia Qi Lang stood under a tree covered with lanterns, and the bright lights illuminated him. He was already a handsome young man, but now he was even more dazzling.
What followed Lu Bingzhen out today was not cutting ice or melting snow, but agate. Man Nao thought that Jiu Niangzi was also tired, and remembered Madam's instructions this morning, so she persuaded Jiu Niangzi to go to the teahouse to rest.
The seventh man of the Wang family spoke at the right moment, "Ninth lady, why don't you go and rest with my sisters? The ladies of the Wang family are resting in the teahouse over there today. With the protection of the Wang family's personal guards, there must be no danger."
