As the end of the year approached, the defense of the palace was strengthened. Yang Fan patrolled around again and told Dugu Huizhi, who was on duty today, to be extra cautious and not make any mistakes. Only then did he find an excuse to leave the palace. As soon as Yang Fan left the palace, Ren Wei, who was waiting at the Black Tortoise Gate, draped a fox fur cloak over him.
Yang Fan asked in a low voice, "Has Shen Mu returned to the capital?"
After the Heir Hall and the Obvious and Hidden Sects got rid of the aristocratic families' control and became partners, there were many relations that needed to be clarified. Shen Mu was better at these kinds of things than Yang Fan. Moreover, he was more familiar with the aristocratic families than Yang Fan. In addition, he did not have an official identity and could move freely. Therefore, these days, he had been running between the aristocratic families to coordinate and discuss.
Now that it was snowing heavily and the end of the year was approaching, Shen Mu had to return to the capital for the New Year. Yang Fan had asked Ren Wei to inquire about Shen Mu's return date in advance. The two had not seen each other for a long time. There were many things between the Obvious and Hidden Sects that needed their two leaders to discuss. Shen Mu's participation in this important matter was even more important.
Ren Wei said, "I have received news that Young Master Shen will return to the capital tomorrow."
Yang Fan looked up at the gloomy sky and sighed, "The snowstorm in Guanzhong this year is too heavy. I hope there will be no heavy snowstorm tomorrow to hinder his journey."
Ren Wei grinned and said, "General, rest assured. No matter how heavy the snowstorm is, it can only stop thousands of troops and horses. If Young Master Shen wants to return to the capital, he will definitely not be delayed."
Yang Fan nodded. At this time, a subordinate brought him a horse. Yang Fan fastened his cloak, adjusted the saddle, and mounted the war horse.
By the Longqing Pool, the five Jun Wang mansions on the right side of the Yang family mansion were already half completed. Li Chengqi's and Li Chengyi's mansions had already been officially completed, and Li Longji's mansion only had one last place left that needed to be completed. Due to the cold weather, they had temporarily stopped work.
The completion of Li Chengqi and Li Chengyi's new residence naturally necessitated a celebration, and the banquet was held today at Li Chengqi's estate. Compared to Princess Anle's housewarming banquet, which had lasted for several days and invited all the nobles of the capital, the Prince of Xiang's five sons were much more low-key. Besides their own siblings, they had only invited a few members of the imperial family.
The four young ladies of Shouchang, Jing Shan, Huaiyang, and Liang were already engaged, and their future husbands were also invited today. The four young ladies could only accompany the noble ladies of the imperial family in the rear residence. It was not good for them to walk around, lest they bumped into their fiancés and embarrass them.
The other seven young ladies were still young and were not treated as women. They were all treated as naughty children. The girls were lively and extremely active, so it was uncomfortable for them to stay in the rear residence, but it was not good for them to go to the front residence and mingle with the male guests. As a result, the seven of them walked around the Jun Wang Residence and soon arrived at the secluded left gable.
Of these seven girls, the oldest was only twelve and the youngest was only six. Each of them wore a coat made of snow fox fur, and two or three of the older ones even wore a coat made of marten fur. All of them were beautiful, some clean and elegant, some gentle and tranquil, and some bright and beautiful. Although not all of them were exceptionally beautiful, their clothes and elegance made them look the most beautiful.
The twelve-year-old Shouguang County Magistrate, Li Huawan, had a gentle and delicate appearance. She had been fond of calligraphy and musical instruments since childhood, so she was the most gentle and virtuous of the seven sisters.
The seven sisters stopped under a large tree with withered leaves. Li Huawan rubbed her hands, which were red from the cold, and said to her sisters, "I heard that the Tibetan envoy still refuses to leave the Four Quarters Embassy. Every day, he comes to the palace to pester Imperial Grandmother, insisting on choosing one of us sisters to marry to the Tibetans."
The Qingyang County Magistrate was the same age as her, but her birthday was slightly younger. Qingyang's looks were slightly mediocre, but her skin was extremely fair and tender. Hearing her sister's words, Qingyang timidly said, "I don't want to marry to the Tibetans. I heard that it's very hard there. They use carpet as their rooms and the ground as their beds. Moreover, the highlands are closer to the sky, the sun is blazing, and the wind is strong. It won't be long before I become charcoal black. "
The Xicheng County Magistrate, who was also twelve years old, said, "You only know how to cherish your skin. This small matter is nothing. I heard that for those who marry there, if their husband dies, they will have to marry their son, and if their son dies, they will have to marry their grandson. Back then, when Princess Yicheng of the Great Sui married to the Tibetans, she married four times in her lifetime!"
"Heavens! This is too scary! This kind of thing that goes against the moral principles, even if you beat me to death, I won't do it! "
"That's right, I also heard that the people there don't take many baths in their lifetime. Their bodies are so smelly …"
A few young girls covered their mouths and noses at the same time, their delicate eyebrows also wrinkled, as if they had already seen a very smelly, very dirty, very, very smelly man.
The nine-year-old Chongchang County Magistrate, Li Chiying, was the most outstanding beauty among her sisters. She had a pair of big and bright eyes, red lips, white teeth, and delicate facial features. Although she was still young, the special bright and beautiful temperament of a beautiful girl could not be concealed.
Li Chiying angrily said, "I really don't understand, why does Imperial Grandmother have to be so tolerant to the Tibetans? Could it be that she is willing to let her own granddaughter marry to the Tibetans and suffer? Thinking about how powerful our Tang dynasty was under the rule of Emperor Taizong, didn't Wen Cheng receive a cold reception when he entered Tibet?
The attendants she brought with her didn't even have anyone to take care of their meals. After she got married, she lived in a simple small room, with only a bed and a cupboard in the room, not even enough room for a few people to stand. Wen Cheng brought such a generous dowry, but she received a cold reception, and was even bullied by the Princess Consort. After getting married for more than a month, she didn't even assign a servant to serve her.
The Tibetans thought that Wen Cheng's marriage was because the Tang dynasty was afraid of their military power, so they begged for peace with the Tibetans. Our Tang dynasty was obviously humiliated to the point of losing face, but the historian still tried his best to blow his own trumpet, saying that the Tibetans admired our Tang dynasty, and how they bathed in the grace of the Heavenly Kingdom. They were deceiving themselves and others!
Princess Wen Cheng married to the West, and when she arrived in the Tibetans, she was only a secondary consort, not even the legal wife. The Tibetan king built the Jokhang Temple for the legal wife, and enshrined the eight-year-old statue of Sakyamuni brought from Nepal. But for Wen Cheng, he only built a much smaller Jokhang Temple, and enshrined the twelve-year-old statue of Sakyamuni brought from our Tang dynasty!
The difference in status between the two princesses was obvious. Moreover, Princess Wen Cheng and the Tibetan king were husband and wife for ten years, but Wen Cheng only saw her for less than three years. She had no children, no love, and was like a servant! Let me ask you, as the daughter of the Xiang Prince, do you think I am more respected than Wen Cheng? "
The more Li Huawan heard, the more scared she became. She couldn't help but ask, "Chiying, where did you hear this? How come I don't know about it?"
Li Chiying said, "I heard it from Third Brother. The court officials only know how to blow their own trumpet, to make themselves look fat at their own cost. Will they tell you the truth?"
Li Huawan knew that this little sister was smart and quick-witted, and Sanlang Longji was the most mature and steady of the siblings. He was usually the most concerned about the affairs of the world. Since it was him who said it, it must be true, so she was even more scared.
The Princess of Huo was only six years old, so she didn't know much, but she could understand whether the words of her sisters were good or bad. She couldn't help but be scared, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "I … I don't want to go to Tibet."
Li Chiying rolled her eyes at her and said unhappily, "Alright, what are you crying for? You have six older sisters above you, so it won't be your turn."
Hearing Li Chiying say this, the twelve year old sisters of Shouguang, Qingyang, and Xicheng couldn't help but panic. They were the oldest of the seven girls, so once the Emperor agreed to the marriage, the one to be married to Tibet would most likely be one of them. Li Huawan clenched her fists and loudly said, "I won't marry! I'd rather die than marry!"
The Qingyang County Magistrate bit her little finger and thought for a while. Suddenly, her eyes brightened and she excitedly said, "That's right! Back then, Tibet proposed marriage to our Tang dynasty, wanting to marry Taiping Aunt. Didn't Imperial Grandmother build a Taoist temple for Taiping Aunt so that she could become a monk? In the end, Tibet could only return empty-handed. Why don't we also become monks? "
The Princess of Huo applauded, "Good, good! Then let's become monks together. Everyone will live in the same temple in the future, so it won't be boring. "
The Xicheng County Magistrate dejectedly said, "Forget it, this is really wishful thinking. Seven imperial daughters becoming monks together, do you think this reason can deceive the Tibetan people? Do you think they are stupid? "
The girls looked at each other and slowly lowered their heads. Li Chiying bit her thin and tender lips, her big watery eyes looked around a few times. Suddenly she said, "Today the Emperor's relatives have come to congratulate our Da Xiong on his housewarming. Why don't we take this opportunity to make a big fuss and let Imperial Grandmother know that we would rather die than marry? Maybe the Tibetan people will retreat. "
Li Huawan hurriedly asked, "Tell me, how do we make a big fuss?"
Li Chiying was in high spirits as she said, "We hang ourselves!"
"Ah?"
Li Huawan's mouth opened wide in shock, but she immediately understood Li Chiying's meaning. She couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "You mean, we pretend to die to show our sincerity?"
Li Chiying proudly said, "That's right! There are so many people going in and out of the Prince's mansion, we can't really hang ourselves. As long as we are willing to hang ourselves, the news will certainly reach Imperial Grandmother's ears. Imperial Grandmother can't force her granddaughter to hang herself and then force her to marry, right? "
Prince Xiang had five sons and eleven daughters. Among the five sons, Third Son Li Longji was the wisest, and had always been respected by his brothers. Among her daughters, Li Chiying, who was only nine years old, was the most intelligent and quick-witted. Her sisters had always listened to her. The six sisters listened to Li Chiying's words, looked at each other, and couldn't help feeling excited.
"Little brother, you have to be careful, don't fall down."
"I know, I know, Sister, you're really annoying, just help me look out, tell me if someone comes!"
Yang Nianzu, like a monkey, nimbly climbed up a branch of an old plum tree, and then continued to climb higher. Wherever his hands and feet touched, the snow on the tree rustled down. Yang Shinian avoided the falling snow, stood under the tree, and nervously stared at her little brother.
The weather was cold, and the siblings really had nowhere to play. Seeing that the old plum tree was gorgeous, Yang Sirong took a fancy to the fragrant plum blossom tree. Yang Nianzu, who had too much energy but had nowhere to go, immediately volunteered to climb up the tree. Yang Sirong was worried that her mother would see, but she also wanted to break off the plum blossom branches. She was very conflicted.
Yang Nianzu was on the first branch, he could reach out and break off the plum blossom, but he was playful. Since he had climbed up the tree, he wanted to climb to a higher place. Fortunately, his body was light, and the trunk could support him. As he climbed up, the old plum tree did not sway much.
"Ah Lang, you're back!"
In the distance suddenly came the solicitous voice of Mo Xuanfei. Yang Sirong hurriedly shouted, "Oh, no, Father is back, Nianzu, come down quickly."
"Sister, don't be noisy, I'm afraid Father doesn't know I'm here, how can I go down so quickly!"
Yang Nianzu, like a little adult, impatiently interrupted his sister's words, rolled his eyes, and an idea came to his mind, "Sister, I'll hide in the tree and not move, Father will pass under the tree, he won't look up."
Yang Sirong hurriedly said, "Then what should I do?"
Yang Nianzu said, "Sister, you're so stupid, you hide behind the tree, wait for Father to pass then we'll come out!"
"Oh, oh, oh!" Yang Sirong happily agreed, and tiptoed to the back of the tree.
Yang Fan, wearing a military uniform and a cloak, strode along the clean gravel path to the old plum tree. The white snow on the roadside was not cleared, and Yang Fan suddenly saw a clear line of small footprints leading to the back of the plum tree. He looked up and saw a corner of a dress behind the tree. Yang Fan couldn't help but laugh.
The little girl was so focused on her head that a part of her dress was exposed, but she didn't notice it at all. Yang Fan only thought that his daughter knew he was home and was playing hide and seek with him. He was about to sneak up and catch her when a wisp of snow suddenly fell from the tree. It was because Yang Nianzu was nervous that he moved his feet and touched some snow.
Yang Fan was startled, and his figure suddenly floated away like a ghost. Yang Fan suddenly looked up and saw his son hugging the trunk and lying on the top of the tree, looking at him with an embarrassed face. Yang Fan's face turned serious and he shouted in a deep voice, "You little bastard, why did you climb so high? Are you going to see the hanging ghosts? "
Yang Nianzu was not afraid of the heavens or the earth, but he was afraid of being scolded by his father. Yang Nianzu embarrassedly replied, "Father, I … I want to help my sister …"
Yang Nianzu was about to confess, but suddenly saw the situation of the neighbors outside the wall, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Father, you're so right! Standing here, there really are hanging ghosts! A group of hanging ghosts, it's so spectacular! "
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