King Chen, King Zhan and the fifth princess were all born from the same mother. If they were united, the other princes would hardly be able to compete with each other. But why are they talking like this...
"Old Madam." A mammy's joyful voice sounded outside the hall, "Prince Qi also sent a generous gift, and I sincerely wish that Madam will live longer than the everlasting pine in Nanshan Mountain."
The old lady frowned: "Prince Qi?"
The servant explained: "It's Qi Jin, the son of the eldest princess who guards the border."
The old lady of the Duke of Guo looked slightly calm and said, "Let the Duke make good arrangements, and we will definitely entertain this distinguished guest."
Despite such instructions, there was not much joy on the old lady's face. After all, as we all know, when the Duke Protector's Mansion was in charge of the army, he was always outnumbered by Marquis Zhongyi.
If they hadn't saved him, their Zhao family would never have been crowned Dukes.
What's more, Marquis Zhongyi's wife is the eldest princess and has a direct blood relationship with the current emperor. As long as they are around, the Zhao family will always be defeated by them.
This always made the old lady feel unhappy, even mentioning Qi Jin made her feel uncomfortable.
"I heard that Prince Qi has an outstanding appearance and unparalleled elegance. He likes to wear red clothes. He was a frequent visitor to brothels when he was at the border. When the women saw him, they were like bees to flowers, and they couldn't wait to stick to him."
The old lady frowned: "His father guards the border and his mother is a woman, but she raised such a romantic and lustful son. It is not something to be proud of."
The fifth princess nodded: "The old lady is right, there are only two ways out for men who want to shine for their family members. One is to become an official, and the other is to protect the family and the country. The prince of Qi is so romantic, how can he compare to the prince and the prince?" Uncle Shangshu? Both martial arts and literature are the humerus of the court, and the old lady is the lucky star."
When the old lady heard this, she immediately beamed with joy.
The thing she was most proud of in her life was raising two outstanding sons. The eldest son became the Duke of the country, and the second son also became an important minister in charge of the Ministry of War.
If there is a chance in the future, she might be able to rise even higher and give the Zhao family a prime minister. That would truly be a matter of honor for the family and her ancestors, and she would die without regrets.
The two daughters-in-law of the old lady were sitting at the bottom. They all responded with a few words of flattery at the right time. The other young women naturally agreed. For a while, the only sounds in the room were laughter and joy.
Zhao Yunrou, who was sitting aside, pinched the lips of the handkerchief in her hand, and Qi Jin's handsome and dazzling face appeared in his mind. His face was slightly red, and he was ashamed and angry, but he didn't know why.
The Duke's wife Zhao Xu said in a casual manner: "I don't know how many days Prince Qi will stay in the capital when he comes back this time."
In previous years, he only stayed for ten days and a half each time, and it was always during the New Year. He came back with his parents and returned to the border in the first month of the New Year.
Why did you come back so early this year?
"I would say that this Prince Qi is really favored by heaven." Mrs. Zhao Li, the wife of Shangshu, sighed, "his father holds military power, his mother is the eldest princess, and he is deeply favored by the emperor. I don't know which high-ranking noblewoman will be able to do so in the future." Get this marriage."
"What is there to envy?" The old lady looked displeased when she saw her daughter-in-law praising Qi Jinduo, "So what about high position and power? Marquis Zhongyi and the eldest princess have such an only son. If something goes wrong, Marquis Zhongyi There is no successor to the mansion, not even a person to take care of him until his death."
As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became slightly tense.
Everyone looked strange, knowing that the old lady's words were too harsh to listen to. If it reached the ears of the emperor or Qi Jin, they would be furious.
Isn't this a curse for Qi Jin to die prematurely, leaving Marquis Zhongyi and the eldest princess to have no heirs?
Today is her birthday. To say such words on her birthday is really not the magnanimity an old lady should have.
But the people present did not say anything to refute. Most of them were giving the old lady face, but they just wisely stopped mentioning the Qi family.
Mrs. Shangshu said sarcastically: "What mother said is true. We, the descendants of the Zhao family, are blessed with great fortunes and a great family. This is all due to mother's merits."
The old lady didn't realize that she had said something wrong, and turned to look at Rong Jinyue: "The fifth princess should visit her often when she is free. I asked Yunrou to entertain the princess well. Your daughters are of similar age and have the same hobbies. Stay here There will definitely be endless things to talk about together.”
Rong Jinyue smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, old lady. My father has asked me to come often to chat with the old lady. He said that your Duke Protector's Palace is his benefactor, so I should be more grateful and not be an ungrateful princess."
After saying that, the topic changed and the corners of his mouth began to curl up again: "Who is as ignorant as Chu Yunfei, with a supercilious attitude?"
As these words fell, there was naturally another burst of agreement in the Shou'an Hall, and a new round of Tumo Xingzi started to attack Princess Zhan again.
Princess Chen looked down at her hands, secretly thinking that the less visible Chu Yunfei was, the better. In this comparison, others would be able to see the virtuous and virtuous nature of Princess Chen.
Having a good reputation will also help King Chen in his future plans.
Mrs. Zhao would not know that what they said in Shou'an Hall had been relayed to Qi Jin's ears.
Qi Jin was sitting in the front hall at the same table with several princes and young nobles, adjacent to the table of important officials in the court.
After listening to the narration, Qi Jin raised his eyebrows, with a hint of ridicule in his eyes.
The Qi family has few heirs? Fuhou, a descendant of the Zhao family?
He looked at the turbulent scene at the guest table in front of him and thought to himself, wondering how many days Fuhou, a descendant of the Zhao family, could survive.
I just hope that when something happens, the old lady will stop wailing and crying shamelessly to see the ancestors of the Zhao family.
"Please forgive me, Lord Protector. My ninth brother is injured and it is inconvenient to come today." King Chen suddenly stood up and held up a cup of wine to apologize to the Lord Protector. "I will fine him three drinks."
The Protector didn't even dare to say anything.
Although he was unhappy in his heart, it was a fact that King Zhan was injured. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't accuse Princess Zhan of being ignorant in front of many distinguished guests.
However, a guest at the banquet said: "Although Princess Zhan is a prince, she is also the daughter of the Minister of Tobe Chu. The Minister has never taught his daughter how to socialize with others before."
Chu Yuanzhong's expression couldn't stand it on the spot.
Although he is a member of the noble concubine's party, the Minister of Household Affairs is only of the third rank. Many people present have higher status and better family background than him. If he really wants to break up, the only one who will suffer is himself.
Chu Yuanzhong picked up the wine cup and said with an apologetic smile: "Since my daughter has married into the royal family, she will naturally be taught by the royal family in the future. I don't dare to overstep her authority."
"Your Majesty the Minister is right." King Chen spoke up to help him out. "Ninth brother has been feeling unwell recently. As a woman, I have to take care of my husband and manage the palace. It is inevitable that I will be overwhelmed. Sir, please forgive me."
The Protector heard this and said with a smile: "Prince Zhan is taking care of the palace alone, so it's normal that she can't leave. You don't have to worry about such trivial details. Besides, Prince Zhan's palace has not lost etiquette. She even specially ordered people to send congratulatory gifts. Come on. Come, drink, drink!”
Qi Jin clicked his tongue, looking away from King Chen's face, and there was a cool arc at the corner of his mouth.
