When Du Wentian heard that Princess An Le wanted to see him, he felt rather perturbed. He already knew that the fuma, Wu Chongxun, had returned to the fu and that he would not have the chance to get intimate with her. Also, he felt somewhat fearful in front of Wu Chongxun. However, he did not dare to disobey Princess An Le's summons.
Du Wentian braced himself and hurried to Princess An Le's residence. Princess An Le was still carelessly lying on the couch, allowing Wu Chongxun to massage her feet. She did not care about the arrival of a guest, and a male at that.
Du Wentian walked into the hall and quickly glanced at Wu Chongxun before lowering his head. He did not feel that there was anything wrong with a dignified fuma, who also had the status of a junwang, massaging his wife's feet in front of a guest. Instead, he felt a bit of envy. If possible, he also wanted to hold that pair of beautiful and cute feet in his arms.
Du Wentian quickly walked forward and bowed, saying: "Du Wentian greets Junwang, Princess!"
Princess An Le acted as if she had never done anything ambiguous with him before. Her expression was extremely calm. She lazily said: "Young Master Du, go and find out if there is any reason for Wan 'er to celebrate recently. For example, her birthday or her mother Zheng's birthday. As long as it can be used to make a big deal out of it, it's fine."
Du Wentian was dazed when he heard this. He did not know what An Le's intentions were. Did she want to find a reason to celebrate Wan 'er? Du Wentian was not an ordinary person, especially when it came to matters that involved swindling and harming people. After thinking for a bit, he understood Princess An Le's intentions.
Du Wentian cheerfully replied: "This one understands, this one will do it now."
In front of Wu Chongxun, Du Wentian did not dare to look at Princess An Le for too long. He was afraid that Wu Chongxun would notice something so he followed the rules. After saying this, he bowed and retreated. Once Du Wentian left, Wu Chongxun immediately asked curiously: "Wife, why are you asking about Shangguan Daizhi's birthday? Do we need to curry favor with her? "
"You don't know shit!" Li Guo 'er glared at him in annoyance. She closed her eyes and said: "Use more force."
Wu Chongxun was furious. Du Wentian obviously knew something, but as her husband, he was kept in the dark. Wu Chongxun was depressed and exerted a little more force. Li Guo 'er cried out in pain and raised her leg to kick his face.
Wu Chongxun also cried out in pain. His nose was sore and painful, and tears came out.
Wu Chongxun covered his nose and said angrily, "Wife, what are you doing?"
"What happened to me?" Li Guo 'er sat up and said angrily, "You're really useless, you can't do anything well. Get lost, I'm sick of seeing you. "
Wu Chongxun was furious but under Li Guo 'er's pressure, he did not dare to retort, he stood up angrily and was about to leave when Li Guo' er suddenly called him back, her eyes moved slightly and said, "Let me ask you, where should we build our house, have you decided?"
Wu Chongxun covered his nose and said, "Not yet. We just arrived yesterday, and today we went to welcome the Prince of Xiang's Five Sons, so we haven't had time. Tomorrow I'll go pick a suitable place." At this point, he was afraid that Li Guo 'er would scold him for not doing his job, so he quickly asked, "What does wife think of Fan Chuan? Wei Du and the other great clans of Guanlong all chose their houses there. "
Li Guo 'er lay back down and beckoned to the two palace maids, telling one to massage her shoulders and the other to massage her feet. Her beautiful eyes were half-closed as she said, "There's no need to choose. Today I'm going to see Shangguan Daizhi. I see that Longqing Pool has beautiful scenery and is not far from the Three Great Inner Cities. It's a good place to build a house. I've already chosen the place. Tomorrow, find some craftsmen and bring them back. "
After receiving Wan 'er's' closed door treatment ', Li Guo' er left the island in the center of Longqing Pool and happened to see the Yang clan's mansion being built by the lake. Li Guo 'er saw that Longqing Square had beautiful scenery and that a mansion was built right next to the lake. As soon as she stepped out, she saw the boundless blue waves. She immediately decided to build a mansion by the lake.
She had casually asked and found out that the mansion being built was Yang Fan's. This made her even more excited. She planned to buy the land next to Yang Fan's and become a pair of 'good neighbors' with Yang Fan.
Wu Chongxun had no idea that his beloved wife, who he viewed as a treasure, was actually scheming to give him a fresh and tender green hat. This mansion was not the Liang Palace, but rather the couple's mansion, so he naturally had to listen to An Le's instructions as to where to build it. He immediately agreed without hesitation.
… …
After the welcoming banquet, the Prince of Xiang's Five Sons were escorted by Marquis Chang Ninghu back to the large mansion where they had been temporarily settled. After Chang Ninghu took his leave, the five brothers sat down in the reception hall. When Li Chengqi saw that the second brother, Li Chengyi, was dead drunk, he hurriedly had someone bring him a pot of sour plum soup.
Perhaps it was because they had finally left Wu Zetian's side that they felt relieved, or perhaps it was because the Chang 'an officials still treated them with the respect that members of the imperial family should have. The five brothers were in a very good mood, so they drank a little too much today.
The fourth brother, Li Longye, waved the maids away and personally poured a bowl of sour plum soup for the drunken second brother. He then poured a bowl for himself and sat cross-legged on the bed. Grinning, he said, "We brothers are really happy today. Look at the fifth brother. He usually doesn't touch a drop of wine, but he's drunk today."
The eldest brother, Li Chengqi, smiled and said nothing. He knew why his brothers were so happy today. It was not because this welcoming banquet was more delicious and luxurious than the food and wine in Luoyang, but because they felt a long-lost respect from the Chang 'an officials.
After all, Chang 'an was the capital of the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty. Li Yuan, Li Shimin, and Li Zhi — three generations of sovereigns — had used it to command the world. But Wu Zetian's supremacy had happened after she arrived in Luoyang. Thus, the Li family's prestige in Chang' an far surpassed that of Luoyang. The Chang 'an officials truly did feel respect for the Li imperial family from the bottom of their hearts.
The fifth brother, Li Longfan, said, "The mansion we're living in was lent to us. Living here is not a long-term solution. Didn't Imperial Grandmother say that she would allow us to choose a place to build the Fifth Prince's Mansion in Chang 'an? Shouldn't we settle this first? Otherwise, when Imperial Grandmother moves to Chang' an, we won't have our own mansion yet. "
Li Longji nodded and said, "That's right. Tomorrow, let's ask Chang Ninghou for help and show us around. He's lived in Chang 'an for a long time and is familiar with the area. He should know where to build a mansion. In short, let's try to choose a place close to the Three Great Inner Cities."
Li Chengqi took a sip of sour plum juice and said, "At today's banquet, I happened to hear that Duke Qi's brother-in-law is building a mansion. After choosing a place, let's ask Duke Qi for help."
Li Longfan said worriedly, "Will the mansion built by his brother-in-law be okay? We five brothers don't have a mansion in Luoyang, nor do we have one in Chang 'an. This is our first mansion, so we can't be careless. "
Li Chengqi said, "Don't worry. He won't be careless when building a mansion for us five brothers."
Li Longji smiled faintly. He understood what his elder brother meant. Friendship couldn't be established by paying a formal visit. If he did that, it would be easy for him to make a fool of himself. By asking Duke Qi's brother-in-law to build a mansion, regardless of whether they helped Duke Qi's business or if Duke Qi asked for less wages and more wood, the five brothers would owe him a favor. Unknowingly, this friendship would be established.
The drunken Li Chengyi shouted, "Alright, this is my first time in Chang 'an, and I want to take a look around. While we're choosing a place, let Chang Ninghou show us around. Let me say this first: no matter where this mansion is built, we five brothers' mansions must be next to each other. We can't be separated. "
Li Longfan smiled and said, "That's true. If we're separated, even if you agree, I won't agree."
Most of the sons and daughters of the imperial family were indifferent to kinship, but because the five sons of the Prince of Xiang had been under house arrest in the Eastern Palace since childhood, they had a deep brotherly bond with each other. It was like this in times of crisis, and it was also like this after they became rich. Even the throne of the emperor could not compare to the deep brotherly bond. In the imperial family for thousands of years, the five sons of the Prince of Xiang were a rare exception.
Li Chengqi carried the plum juice and walked out of the reception hall. When he reached Li Longji's side, he secretly gave him a look. Li Longji understood and followed him out.
The scenery in the garden was extremely elegant. There were pavilions, trees, flowers, and grass. There was a bay of gurgling water that formed a winding stream. Li Chengqi leaned against the railing and gazed at the reflections in the water, the swimming fish, and the falling flowers. In a low voice, he said, "Sanlang, do you remember what Chang Ninghou said today about Yang Fan and An Le competing for wealth and women?"
It wasn't that Li Chengqi wanted to hide it from his other brothers, but his second brother, Chengyi, had a boorish temperament and was chivalrous and righteous. When it came to charging and breaking through enemy lines, it was useless to ask him for help. His fourth and fifth brothers were too young and not very shrewd, so it was easy for them to leak secrets.
Li Longji also leaned against the railing and slowly said, "What does Big Brother mean?"
Li Chengqi took a sip of the reddish-purple plum juice and leisurely said, "Do you think Yang Fan's actions are out of personal feelings, or does he have other motives?"
Li Longji took the bowl from his big brother's hands and took a sip. He muttered to himself, "Big Brother, do you think a person who could topple Lai Junchen, destroy the censorate, repeatedly oppose Wu Yizong, and walk between the Wu clan, the second Zhang clan, and our Li clan unscathed? In the end, he's even valued by the imperial grandmother. Do you think he's someone who likes to fight for personal feelings?"
Li Chengqi took the bowl from Li Longji and took a sip of the sweet and sour plum juice. He didn't say anything for a long time.
Li Longji said, "Big Brother, you also think that Yang Fan has other motives?"
Li Chengqi said in a low voice, "It's just a feeling, but I can't be sure. Yang Fan is on good terms with Aunt Taiping and King Liang. Now, he's on good terms with the second Zhang clan. This person leaves some leeway in all aspects, and he's too slick in handling matters. I don't feel too reassured. "
Li Longji said, "Being slick and slick in handling matters in the officialdom can be considered a way to protect oneself, but that's only under normal circumstances. Ever since the imperial grandmother decided to move the capital, the situation has become clearer with each passing day. The political changes in the future are no different from changing the sky. Under these circumstances, if you still want to maintain a close relationship with all sides that are absolutely irreconcilable, you'll only be abandoned by all sides in the end.
Big Brother, things are different now. Looking at Yang Fan's actions in the past, he's an extremely intelligent person. Would a smart person do something like this out of personal feelings? It's time for him to make his position clear. That's why I feel that this is very likely a signal he's sending out! "
Li Chengqi turned to Li Longji and said with bright eyes, "You're saying that we should fight for him?"
Li Longji smiled. "Why not give it a try?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
