Chen Xi, Qi Lan and others stayed with Xie Hao'an at the Duke of Yan's Mansion for a long time that day. They didn't leave until nightfall, after having dinner in Xie Hao'an's small courtyard.
After the two left, it began to rain heavily. Rains in summer are not as common as in spring, but there are no less people looking forward to rain in summer than in spring.
First, because the crops in the fields still cannot lack water, and second, because the summer is hot, and a few rains can really cool people down.
It rained intermittently for several days. It wasn't until the day when Princess Nankang held a tasting party that the dark clouds finally dispersed.
The two little girls Xie Yiyi and Xie Yihua, led by Wei, came to Princess Nankang's house early in the morning with gifts.
The clouds were gone and the rain was coming, and the water level of the lake in the Nankang Princess Mansion that was led down from the mountain increased a bit and added waves.
The pavilions and pavilions in the distance appear taller than usual under the influence of the lake water, and the water makes people feel cooler than usual.
The breeze after the rain is also cooler than other times. Even the melons after the rain that Princess Nankang asked to serve to entertain guests seem to be sweeter than usual, and the shade of the green trees has always provided shade. Going to the eaves, there are rows and rows of wooden shelves and long tables placed under the eaves. On the wooden shelves and long tables are exquisite paintings one after another.
Princess Nankang was sitting on a rattan mat in a gauze tent set up next to the tree. This time Princess Nankang invited several close friends, many ladies from prominent families, and many young girls. , the young and beautiful girls all sat obediently next to their elders, wearing light silk summer clothes and holding fans in their hands, quietly enjoying the pleasant summer time.
"Yihua... Isn't this what tasting is like... so boring... Look at me... I look at you..."
Today is the first time Xie Yi has visited Princess Nankang's house. When Haishi at home knew the news, he almost gave her instructions to abide by the rules. Otherwise, when Haishi finished reading from the temple Thanks for saying that the horoscope was too tough, so when the younger brother who was living under the Buddha's knees came back, he made her feel better.
Therefore, Xie Yihua was wearing a very decent outfit today. She smiled politely and sat next to Xie Yihua, pretending to be a lady. However, the tasting meeting had not started for a long time, which was really tormenting her. Therefore, Xie Yiyi couldn't bear it anymore and covered her mouth with a fan, and whispered to Xie Yihua on the side.
"No, I heard that there are many interesting activities prepared for today's tasting. In addition to looking at paintings, you can also play flower flying, arrange flowers, paint, and recite poems... It's just that it hasn't started yet. We came too early today... "
Xie Yi sighed helplessly and said to Xie Yihua:
"Hey... that's still very boring... just the five buckets of ink in my stomach... taking it out would embarrass my family... If I had known better, I wouldn't have come with you... I would have just gone to ride a horse..."
"That won't work. Sister Yinyin has been claiming to be ill these past few days... If Sister Yinyuan doesn't accompany me, only my mother will accompany me, then I will feel very bored..."
"I mean, sister, just be patient and treat it as an occasional way to cultivate your body... In such a poisonous sun, you will get a lot of sunburn even if you go horseback riding. If you tan your skin, you have to be careful about your aunt looking for you. Settling accounts..."
As soon as Xie Yihua mentioned Haishi, Xie Yiyi sighed helplessly. He was obviously very afraid of his mother's strict control... Fortunately, now that she had Shang Fang's sword, she could just run away~
"You're right, then I'll treat it as an occasional place to cultivate my body. However, I still feel that the cyan clothes my mother picked for me don't match me. I still like bright red clothes, which are elegant and blue. The color still suits you~"
After saying that, Xie Yihua began to look carefully at what Xie Yihua was wearing today. It was obvious to the naked eye that Xie Yihua put a lot of thought into what he was wearing today. He was dressed entirely in light blue Xiangyun gauze. , the clothes were finely embroidered with silver and colored threads to embroider one after another lifelike orchids and several cute butterflies. Even the black hair on the head was made of a few strands of excellent color but not The hosta that would not appear to overwhelm the guest was tied up into a standard pony bun, and a few immortal flowers were tied on the head, making Xie Yihua look very elegant and refined~
What Xie Yiyi likes the most is that Xie Yihua's wrist is actually wearing a series of bracelets made of flowers. Although flowers are not expensive things, they are not as expensive as agate and jade. , however, it is more clever than anything else, making people unable to take their eyes away after seeing it~
"Sister Yihua, you look really good today. Next time, I will take you to have Chuiwan. You must remember to dress up like this and follow me to look stunning~"
When Xie Yihua heard Xie Yihua's compliment, he lowered his head in embarrassment and then said:
"Sister Yiyi will make fun of me. I just look at the flowers blooming in the yard and dress as I please. How can I compare to you, sister Yiyi, who is so charming~"
"Okay, okay, don't be humble to me. You and my father are biological brothers. We are somewhat similar in birth. We are both first-class handsome men. You and I are also cousins." We are sisters, we are both good-looking, so there is nothing to be modest about~"
"Anyway, we both look better than the person sitting across from us, so what if we wear gold and silver..." Xie Yi said immediately as if he saw someone he didn't like.
When Xie Yihua heard his good sister's sudden gnashing of teeth, he followed Xie Yihua's gaze and saw that Yu Ling, who had almost had a fight with them last time, was sitting opposite them with a smile.
Xie Yihua was obviously surprised by Yu Ling, but she was not surprised by Yu Ling's appearance. After all, Yu Ling's identity was there. No matter what she said, she was still the nephew-in-law of Princess Nankang. Here, too, it's to be expected.
What surprised Xie Yihua was Yu Ling's outfit today. Yu Ling had obviously learned the lesson from last time. He no longer appeared at the host's banquet in all white, but instead attended in a full dress... However, this In fact, what she was wearing was too grand, and it even seemed to obscure the host's limelight...
Just look, Yu Ling is wearing a dress made of rose-red flowers today, and the dress is embroidered with a large number of gold and silver threads and colorful threads, one after another, one after another and rich ingots. Not to mention the peony as a pattern, Yu Ling is also wearing a pearl shawl made of excellent white pearls and jade in addition to such a gorgeous outer garment today. It looks very noble. In addition, Yu Ling The set of pure gold gemstones Ling Tian wore on her head and the pair of mandarin duck pure gold bracelets on her hands almost attracted the entire audience's attention to her, making people misunderstand that today's banquet She is the master...
But in fact, even if her extravagant dress originally attracted attention, it would not make everyone think that she was trying to steal the limelight of the host. After all, it is normal for young people to like to dress up, and they should not be let go. Young people, like middle-aged people, should follow the so-called dignified and steady route...
However, Yu Ling and Princess Nankang were wearing clothes of the same color and pattern today. This was not a coincidence of contrasting colors, but Yu Ling's intention. After all, every host who wanted to hold a banquet, They are all afraid of being overtaken by the famous guest and causing embarrassing incidents of conflicting sex and clothing.
Therefore, a few days before the banquet begins, the host will decide on the color or pattern of the clothes he will wear. Then, he will have people tell the news to the people who come to ask, and then send his servants to tell the news. The news was disclosed openly and secretly to those who did not come to inquire...
Therefore, people who know this news, as long as they are discerning, will actively choose to avoid wearing the same color clothes as the owner. Even if they are the same color, they will try to choose relatively simple patterns to avoid such a situation. matter……
No one knows what Yu Ling was thinking. Maybe she was trying to create an illusion of being as close as mother and daughter... But she didn't expect that it would be self-defeating. Moreover, the most shocking thing is that the same clothes are the same. Dress up. Why are the patterns, headwear, and materials used on your clothes more exquisite than those of your master?
People use silver threads and colored threads to make ingots and peonies, but you have to use gold threads. Others wear brocade shawls, but you have to wear pearl shawls. People wear gold headdresses, so you have to wear gold and rubies. What do you think of the finished head and noodles?
As close as mother and daughter, how could they act like this...
Xie Yihua had the same reaction as many guests. After seeing Yu Ling's outfit, he immediately subconsciously looked at today's host, Princess Nankang. Sure enough, as expected, Princess Nankang was still smiling at this moment. , but the smile did not reach his eyes, but the fan in his hand was trembling inexplicably... Looking carefully, he found that veins were popping up on Princess Nankang's hand, and the fan... was almost given to Princess Nankang Crushed...
"Today, I got some good paintings, and I specially invite you to come and taste them. Everyone, you can speak freely today without worrying about me."
"The paintings are hung on the bookshelf under the shade of the trees, and there are several long scrolls on the long table. Some of those paintings are by famous artists, and some are by some unknown painters that I personally like. Hands, feel free to do whatever you want~" Perhaps sensing that more and more eyes were focused on her, Princess Nankang quickly suppressed the anger in her heart, and then adjusted her mood. He said to everyone in a gentle tone.
Naturally, everyone understood Princess Nankang's mood, and they all stood up quickly, thanked Princess Nankang for her kindness, and walked outside in pairs...
But everyone avoided Yu Ling with a tacit understanding. Yu Ling didn't know why, but felt quite embarrassed. So, after scanning around the crowd, he saw the figures of the Xie family sisters and remembered Hearing the conversation between Qi Lan and his father-in-law that he overheard a few days ago, he hurriedly walked in the direction of Xie Yi and Xie Yihua...
"Sister Xie, wait, wait..."
When Xie Yiyi and Xie Yihua heard this unlucky voice, their hearts trembled. They had to pretend not to hear it and continued walking outside. Unexpectedly, Yu Ling took three steps at a time and ran up to them and said:
"Sister Xie, why are you ignoring me~ But I was annoyed by my unintentional mistake last time..."
"Actually... I'm very embarrassed. I really don't mean any harm... If the two sisters are still angry with me... you might as well hit me a few times to vent your anger..."
Xie Yiyi and Xie Yihua both rolled their eyes inwardly. Just as they were about to say something, the two sisters were pulled behind them by Wei on the side. They saw that Wei was blocking the way like an eagle protecting a chick. After thanking Yihua, he immediately said to Yu Ling:
"Mrs. Yu San, what do you mean? My daughter and my niece are both very afraid of strangers. You have only met once and you don't get along very well, so it's better to keep a distance... We are not stingy. My family won’t care about you so much, but Mrs. Yu Sanshao and us are not from the same family, so it’s better to have less contact..."
"Otherwise, the tasting banquet carefully prepared by the Princess and the Queen was accidentally ruined by Mrs. Yu Sanshao. How bad it would be..."
Xie Yiyi and Xie Yihua stood behind Mr. Wei. Apparently they didn't expect that Ms. Wei, who was so bad-tempered at home, could poke people's lungs in such a dignified and decent manner outside. They silently gave Ms. Wei a thumbs up in their hearts. .
When Yu Ling heard these words, she was extremely angry, but she did not dare to get angry because she was concerned about the occasion, so she continued:
"Yes, yes... all the mistakes are my fault... it's all my fault..."
"I didn't know the identities of the girls last time... I didn't expect that the floods washed away the Dragon King Temple, and the whole family no longer recognized each other~"
"Hey... I really didn't expect that Madam Yu, Third Young Master, would be so unscrupulous... so informal... Haha..." The Wei family obviously also understood the relationship between Qi Lan and Prince Shouguang's house... What a big deal. The family that came... In the eyes of the Xie family, Qi Lan is Qi Lan, and Prince Shouguang's Mansion is Prince Shouguang's Mansion... How can they be confused...
Therefore, Wei was almost about to say to Yu Ling: "It smells shameless." When he came, he quickly remembered that he was in public, so he immediately racked his brains, changed a word, and said with gritted teeth. .
Yu Ling obviously understood the meaning of Wei's words, but she had an ulterior motive for saying this at this moment. Therefore, Yu Ling did not stop there at this moment, but continued:
"Yes, yes, what Mrs. Xie Si said is true. I am not a stickler for trivial matters and will say whatever I say. After all, good things are coming for our two families, so... we will no longer speak the same language... …”
"What? Mrs. Yu, Third Young Master, must have had some wine today... What nonsense are you talking about..." Mr. Wei obviously did not expect such a blunder, so she immediately said in confusion.
Seeing that the eyes of the people around him were immediately focused here, Yu Ling immediately smiled proudly, and then pretended to be surprised and said:
"Ah~ Mrs. Xie Si doesn't know yet~ I heard my father-in-law and my second uncle discussing this matter a few days ago~"
"It seems that Mr. Yan Guo found my second uncle two days ago, specifically..."
"What nonsense are you talking about! Could it be that Madam Yu San has misunderstood! Such nonsense! Madam Yu San has no control over her words! Our girls from the Xie family have more dignity!" Wei interrupted Yu Ling angrily. said.
"I heard it right. I heard with my own ears that my second uncle and my father-in-law said that his loyalty..." Before Yu Ling could finish his words, he was interrupted again, but this time it was not someone who interrupted him. The Wei family is the Princess of Nankang who came after hearing the news!
Just looking at it, Princess Nankang came over with a bunch of maids and servants. After hearing what Yu Ling said, she immediately rushed forward and personally rewarded Yu Ling with a big-eared melon seed. Then, Yu Ling and everyone were surprised. Under his eyes, he shouted harshly:
"In my house, I drank so much wine! I dared to talk nonsense about anything!"
"If you dare to say some unfounded words in my house again and insult the lintel of my Qi family and the Duke of Yan's house, don't blame me for not caring about family ties!"
"Aunt... Aunt, please be clear that everything I said is true. It was the Duke of Yan who was rushing to get his grandson..."
"Ah!" Yu Ling wanted to say something more, but Princess Nankang slapped her ears hard again. This time, she slapped Yu Ling to the ground with great force. He cried out in pain.
"The Duke of Yan is a very famous person. Whatever decision he makes, it must have been carefully considered! Can someone like you criticize him?" Princess Nankang obviously knew that the Duke of Yan wanted to marry Qi Lan. It was about extending an olive branch, so he said very angrily at this moment.
Immediately, Princess Nankang looked at the three Xie family members who looked calm, hurriedly stepped forward, took Wei's hand and said:
"Mrs. Xie Fourth, please don't be angry. You are an ignorant person and talk nonsense. Please calm down, Mrs. Xie. I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation for this matter. You must not let the Duke and the Duke Madam has lost her mind for such a villain."
Wei's expression was unkind. Even if she was facing the princess, she didn't want to give her any face. But at this moment, Xie Yihua and Xie Yiyi looked at each other from behind. Then, Xie Yiyi stepped forward first and said:
"Your Majesty, you are so polite. Our Xie family naturally understands what your Majesty means, and we will not have any quarrel just because of Mrs. Yu's words..."
"Yes, although my grandfather didn't want others to know so quickly that he planned to personally hold a grand birthday party for my grandmother this year, and even started sending invitations to various families so early... But since ...Mrs. Yu San made such a fuss today... I had no choice but to let my grandmother know about my grandfather's careful preparations for her as soon as possible..."
"Girl of the Xie family, listen to what you said, what Mrs. Yu Sanshao said just now about rushing up and what the second master Qi did was all talking about Duke Yan's birthday preparation for his wife, Duke Yan? "Someone questioned.
"That's natural. My grandfather has always been concerned about my grandmother's affairs. As the adopted son of my grandparents, the Second Young Master Qi and my uncles and uncles will go to Zhong Nanshan as representatives this time. It is understandable for our Xie family to welcome back the birthday gift prepared by my grandfather..." Xie Yihua turned around, looked at the person who raised the question, and said firmly.
"Yes, my father and grandfather had this intention for a long time, but this has always been a family matter of my Xie family. I didn't expect that everyone would know it today~ I'm really sorry for everyone~" Xie Yiyi continued immediately.
"Yes, yes, my husband has already been preparing to ask for leave from the court at home so that he can go to Zhong Nanshan to welcome my mother-in-law as a birthday gift and express his filial piety. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Yu Sanshao will know about this matter. There has been such a big misunderstanding." Wei immediately agreed.
After finishing speaking, Mr. Wei glanced at Yu Ling on the ground again, straightened his back and continued:
"No matter how poor our Xie family is, we are still a scholarly family. When we invite people to attend my mother-in-law's birthday banquet, we hope that we can share this joy with everyone... but it doesn't mean that we need to rush to invite people. Come and participate…”
Princess Nankang knew she was in the wrong, so she could only give Yu Ling a hard look on the ground, and then said with a smile:
"The Duke of Yan has worked hard for the country, and his hard work has made great achievements. This year, Mrs. Yan's birthday banquet will definitely be crowded with guests~"
"Thank you very much for your kind words, the princess. My mother-in-law will definitely be very happy if she knows about the princess."
"Yes, thank you very much for the princess's good words. This year, for my grandmother's birthday, I will definitely invite the princess to visit~ My grandmother often mentioned the princess's character and style at home, which makes us yearn for it. ~" Xie Yihua looked at his mother, who was a little upset, and hurriedly tugged on Wei's sleeves, and then he stepped forward and spoke.
"Yes, everyone should also come to my grandmother's banquet~" Xie Yi also said to the people around him.
Everyone saw that they had the opportunity to attend the birthday banquet of Duke Yan's mansion and get a chance to get close to Duke Yan and Prime Minister Xie. They hurriedly smiled and said yes, although they are also rich and noble, but who doesn't want their family to have something like this? What an opportunity to get to the next level~
Princess Nankang saw that everyone's attention was no longer focused on what her stupid niece-in-law said, so she quickly changed the subject and invited everyone to see the painting~
Today, Princess Nankang invited people who were on good terms with her family or respected each other. Naturally, there was no one who was ignorant of their ability to cause trouble. Everyone followed Princess Nankang's words and continued to walk outside. Look at the paintings...
Even the Wei family took the two little girls Xie Yi and Xie Yihua to see the paintings, leaving the scene to Princess Nankang and Yu Ling...
After Princess Nankang watched everyone leave, she pointed directly at Yu Ling's nose and said:
"Why don't someone come and stop her mouth! It's not enough to accomplish anything, but it's more than enough to ruin it!"
"Auntie! You misunderstood, I just made an unintentional mistake..."
Princess Nankang looked at Yu Ling who was still trying to quibble, and snorted coldly and said:
"Hmph! I am the legitimate daughter of Prince Shouguang. My father and mother are the same as the late emperor. I have been favored by the late emperor since I was a child. I grew up in a deep palace. I have never seen any conspiracy!"
"What! Do you think you can hide it under my nose with your little tricks?"
"It's just eating from the bowl and looking at the pot. Seeing that your brother is treating you badly, you want to rely on him again. If your brother doesn't agree, you just want to destroy him. Such a good plan... "
"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I won't let you clowns get anything..."
"Take her down! Don't let her come out to see people, and then invite my brother over! I have to talk to him about this matter..."
After saying that, Princess Nankang coldly blocked Yu Ling's mouth and took her away... Then, she put on a decent smile again and slowly walked towards the place where the scroll was...
