There were still so many people around them. Hsieh Hyun-chen's tone of asking to sleep with her was self-righteous. Mu Mingtang quickly glanced around and said, "I still have things to do. You can go sleep by yourself."
"If you don't accompany me, then I won't sleep. Anyway, I have a headache and can't sleep. "
Heavens, Mu Mingtang was speechless at this person. She wanted to pull away this old coquettish piece of sticky candy, but her shoulders were held by him. She couldn't pull him away, nor could she avoid him. She could only honestly refuse, "No, I just got up."
"So what if you just got up? You can't sleep after just getting up?"
The servant girls lowered their eyes and held back their laughter. Mu Mingtang coughed and sternly said to them, "You don't need to stay here. Go set the table."
"Yes."
After the servant girls left, Mu Mingtang immediately shifted her shoulders and angrily stared at Hsieh Hyun-chen, "Quickly sit down. What are you doing? If the servants see you, how can you act like the head of the household? "
"I don't care what they think. I don't need to act like the head of the household."
"But I do." Mu Mingtang said, "Quickly get up. You're affecting my dignified image."
Hsieh Hyun-chen reluctantly raised his head. When he did, Mu Mingtang discovered that his eyes were red.
Mu Mingtang's heart immediately softened. Her tone changed again and again, and finally became very gentle, "It's not good to sleep on an empty stomach. I'll accompany you to eat first."
Hsieh Hyun-chen finally agreed, feeling wronged. Although Mu Mingtang had just eaten breakfast, she couldn't help but eat some after sitting at the table with Hsieh Hyun-chen. It was almost noon. After eating this meal, lunch would be saved.
After they finished eating, they left the table for the servants to clean up and the two of them walked to the bedroom. As soon as Hsieh Hyun-chen leaned against the bed, he naturally hugged Mu Mingtang and rested his chin on her shoulder.
He hugged her so smoothly that Mu Mingtang suspected that he was a bolster. Hsieh Hyun-chen leaned on her shoulder and closed her eyes to rest. After a while, Mu Mingtang yawned quietly.
Mu Mingtang also felt very embarrassed. Why was she the one who was tired first?
Hsieh Hyun-chen closed his eyes and laughed. He was still leaning on Mu Mingtang's shoulder. When he laughed, his chest vibrated slightly. Mu Mingtang could clearly feel the slight rise and fall of his chest behind him.
Mu Mingtang was embarrassed. He threatened her fiercely, "What are you laughing at?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen said in a lazy voice, "Since you're tired, sleep a little longer. Since you have nothing to do today, why don't you sleep with me for a while? "
"But there are still a lot of invitations waiting to be dealt with outside."
Hsieh Hyun-chen immediately opened his eyes and unwillingly sat up, "Are they more important or am I more important?"
"You're more important, you're more important." Mu Mingtang had no other choice. She decided to play along with Hsieh Hyun-chen for a while and wait for him to fall asleep before she got up. Mu Mingtang's plan was very good. She did not think that after she slept on the bed, she would hear the familiar even breathing next to her pillow and fall asleep without any obstruction.
The two of them slept until the afternoon. The maidservants did not dare to disturb them, but there were guests in the palace and they did not know how to deal with them.
The maidservants hesitated in front of the bedroom door. They did not know if they should go in or not. Before they could come up with an idea, Hsieh Hyun-chen woke up on his own.
The maidservants saw a figure sitting up through the screen and quickly knelt down, "Your Highness."
Hsieh Hyun-chen heard voices at the door in his sleep and quickly woke up. He sat up and felt a resistance halfway through. He turned around and saw Mu Mingtang sleeping soundly with her hand pressed against his sleeve.
Hsieh Hyun-chen immediately stopped moving. Mu Mingtang was pressing against his sleeve. If he pulled it out, it would easily wake her up. Hsieh Hyun-chen carefully tried, but in the end, he did not dare to take the risk. He took off his outer robe and covered her body.
He changed into a new set of black robes and walked out with large strides. The maidservants understood what he meant and did not dare to speak at the door. They followed Hsieh Hyun-chen all the way to the top of the tree before stopping.
Hsieh Hyun-chen sat down on a sandalwood armchair and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Replying to Your Highness, the Vice Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Zhu Yanghong, Zhu Daren, has come with his entire family to give Your Highness a New Year's greeting."
"It's him?" Hsieh Hyun-chen had expected this name and was slightly surprised.
He thought that Zhu Yanghong would come later. He did not expect him to come on the first day of the New Year.
Hsieh Hyun-chen said, "Let them in. Let them go to Qingxin Hall. Don't disturb the Princess Consort. "
"Yes."
Mu Mingtang was sleeping soundly when she suddenly woke up. She was still in a daze when she got up. As she moved, a piece of clothing slid down from her shoulder. Mu Mingtang picked it up and looked. Wasn't it Hsieh Hyun-chen's?
The clothing was there, but the person was gone. Where did he go?
Mu Mingtang quickly put on her shoes and got out of bed. The maidservants outside heard the noise and walked into the hall.
"Your Highness, you're awake."
"Where's the Prince?"
"Official Zhu from the Bureau of Military Affairs came with his family to pay a New Year visit to the Prince. The Prince and Official Zhu went to Qingxin Hall."
Mu Mingtang took a while to understand what had happened. "The Zhu family came to pay a New Year visit? When did this happen? "
"Just now, about a quarter of an hour ago."
After being here for so long, Mu Mingtang felt awkward and confused. She couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't anyone call me when there were guests?"
The maidservant obediently replied, "The Prince didn't want us to disturb the Princess Consort's afternoon rest."
Hsieh Hyun-chen again. Mu Mingtang heard this and gritted her teeth, "He's doing this again. Since he knew that there were guests coming to pay a New Year visit, why did he sneak away like this? "
The maidservants looked at each other and didn't dare to say anything. Mu Mingtang didn't say this to the maidservants. She hurriedly had someone tidy up her hair, changed her outer clothes, and walked to Qingxin Hall.
Mu Mingtang walked to Qingxin Hall. The maidservant at the door saw her and quickly greeted her, "Your Highness."
When the people inside heard her voice, the chatter stopped. Hsieh Hyun-chen abandoned the Zhu Family and walked to the door, "Didn't I tell them not to wake you up? Why did you wake up so quickly?"
Mistress Zhu and the others knew that Mu Mingtang had come and stood up to look at the door. The Zhu Family was sitting in another room and was separated from the hall by a floor-to-ceiling window. After Mu Mingtang entered, she used the fact that the Zhu Family couldn't hear her and gritted her teeth as she whispered to Hsieh Hyun-chen, "You sneaked out of bed again. You knew that someone was coming, why didn't you tell me?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen refused to accept this and said, "What do you mean sneaked out? You were sleeping well. Why would I wake you up for such a small matter? "
Zhu Yanghong, Mistress Zhu, and the others were already looking at them. Mu Mingtang couldn't say anything more and could only glare at Hsieh Hyun-chen. She planned to go back and settle this with him.
Mu Mingtang and Hsieh Hyun-chen walked closer. When the Zhu Family saw Mu Mingtang come in, they greeted her again, "Greetings to Wang Fei. Wang Fei, wish Wang Fei a happy New Year."
Zhu Yuqing and her sisters also came forward to greet her, "This girl greets Wang Fei."
When Mu Mingtang saw that there were so many juniors, she became even more embarrassed. She smiled and said, "Zhu Daren and Zhu Mistress don't need to be so courteous. Please rise. These must be Zhu Daren's sons and daughters. Like father, like son. Your sons and daughters are all dragons and phoenixes among men. "
After Mistress Zhu spoke modestly, the host and guests sat down. Mu Mingtang had to explain why she was late. She endured her embarrassment and said, "I was taking an afternoon nap and didn't know that you were coming, so I came late. I was really rude. "
After Mu Mingtang said this, she felt despair. Since the Zhu Family came to give New Year's greetings, they definitely wouldn't choose an inconvenient time. It was already five in the afternoon. If she was still sleeping at this time, it would be easy for people to misunderstand.
People might not believe it, but she was actually a very hardworking person. She was just sleeping with Hsieh Hyun-chen. In the end, this person woke up at the right time and sneakily got out of bed, causing her to be late.
Thinking of this, Mu Mingtang glared at Hsieh Hyun-chen again.
Everyone in the Zhu Family noticed Mu Mingtang's gaze and no one dared to speak. Hsieh Hyun-chen very calmly opened and said, "It's fine. I took a nap after Chao He came back and dragged her to stay with me. In the end, I didn't call her when I came out, so she was throwing a tantrum with me."
Zhu Yanghong didn't think that there was such a complicated story behind this. He couldn't help but sigh at how young people were. They were so pretentious in the middle of the day. There was also an unmarried daughter present. Zhu Yanghong was too embarrassed to continue asking, so he said, "We came at the wrong time and disturbed Wang Ye and Wang Fei."
Mu Mingtang quickly changed the topic and asked, "I'm really sorry for interrupting everyone's conversation. What were Zhu daren and Wang Ye talking about? "
"We were talking about the Bureau of Military Affairs." Hsieh Hyun-chen turned around and explained to Mu Mingtang, "Zhu Yanghong returned to the capital this time and was transferred to the position of Deputy Envoy of the Bureau of Military Affairs."
It was actually Deputy Envoy of the Bureau of Military Affairs! Right now, the three departments were in charge of finance, the Hall of Governmental Affairs was in charge of government affairs, and the Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of military affairs. However, although the Bureau of Military Affairs was in charge of military affairs, the officials there were all scholars. For Zhu Yanghong to be promoted to Deputy Envoy of the Bureau of Military Affairs was already a very rare exception.
Mu Mingtang immediately said, "Congratulations to daren Zhu for your promotion."
Zhu Yanghong was modest again and again. Hsieh Hyun-chen told Zhu Yanghong some more about the Bureau of Military Affairs, but they were all superficial and didn't talk much about it.
Right now wasn't the place to talk. There were the Emperor's spies both inside and outside. If they talked too much, it wouldn't be good for Zhu Yanghong or Hsieh Hyun-chen.
Slowly, the topic turned to the topic of family affairs. This was the safest topic. Mu Mingtang remembered Zhu Yuqing. This time, Madam Zhu had brought along three other shu daughters. They looked unfamiliar. Madam Zhu turned her head and motioned to her daughter, "Yuqing, why aren't you coming forward to greet Wang Fei?"
Zhu Yuqing went forward alone under the envious gazes of her sisters and bowed to Mu Mingtang. After Mu Mingtang asked a few questions, the remaining three shu daughters stood in a row and greeted Mu Mingtang.
Mu Mingtang noticed that when these girls bowed, although their movements were uniform, there were many small movements. Some of the clothes were clearly put in effort, some deliberately showed their manners, and some looked naive … … in short, it was quite lively.
And they did all this just to get Mu Mingtang to take a few more glances at them. If they could get Mu Mingtang's attention, then they would have a shortcut to their success.
Mu Mingtang clicked her tongue in her heart, but she didn't show it on the surface. She smiled and invited the girls to stand up, giving each of them a greeting gift. She didn't care how the Zhu Family's di daughters and shu daughters competed. Mu Mingtang would definitely treat them all equally. The pouches that the girls received all looked the same on the outside. The shu daughter's pouch was one set, and the di daughter Zhu Yuqing's pouch was more valuable.
When the young girls received their greeting gifts, they were all jubilant. Among the group of girls, Mu Mingtang clearly treated Zhu Yuqing differently. This made Madam Zhu very happy.
Mu Mingtang looked at the hidden undercurrents among the Zhu sisters and felt emotional. She wasn't that much older than these girls, but she was already married. Even the thoughts of these sisters seemed to be far away from her. Mu Mingtang had the self-awareness of a married woman and asked about the marriage of these girls: "The Zhu Family's wives each have their own merits, and people like them. I wonder if the ladies are engaged yet? "
Hearing Mu Mingtang's words, the movements of the girls clearly stilled. Madam Zhu also unconsciously became serious: "They aren't. In the past, we lived with the general in Ya Zhou. At that time, they were still young. I wanted to keep them for a few more years, so I wasn't willing to arrange a marriage for them. Now that we're in Jing, seeing that these girls are all grown up, I can't keep them. I was just thinking about this matter. This concubine has just arrived in Jing and doesn't know many families. Concubine isn't as knowledgeable as Wang Fei. If Wang Fei doesn't find it troublesome, this concubine would like to ask Wang Fei for a favor. If any family has a suitable husband, this concubine would like to trouble Wang Fei to keep an eye out for them. "
Mu Mingtang naturally smiled and agreed. Hearing Mu Mingtang agree, the Zhu Family's young misses, regardless of whether they were di or shu, all showed expectant and shy expressions.
The married woman Mu Mingtang looked at these shy young girls and sighed. Was it because she had been with Hsieh Hyun-chen for too long that she was becoming more and more behind the times? Perhaps, she should interact more with young people.
Mu Mingtang thought this and said: "After I got married, I became lazy and didn't go out to socialize. I don't really know what you young misses like. How about after spring, when the garden parties in Jing are held, I'll take you to the party. At that time, there will be many daughters of officials and officials attending. You can make some good friends. Maybe at some time, marriage will come. "
With the rise of Confucianism, the rules for women were becoming stricter. Unmarried women had to be accompanied by their brothers when they went out. Although these garden parties and flower appreciation parties were nominally held for women, the young misses all brought their brothers and cousins. In the end, it became a great occasion for young people to meet each other.
After Mu Mingtang said this, the Zhu Family's young misses all showed excited expressions. Although Mu Mingtang said that she didn't go out to socialize and that Prince An's position in Jing was very subtle, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Mu Mingtang's position was there. The invitation that was sent to her couldn't be bad.
In the past, Mu Mingtang only refused all the invitations and didn't go out. As long as she wanted, there were many invitations in the gatehouse for her to choose from.
The resources that Mu Mingtang had access to for matchmaking were much better than the Zhu Family, who came from a military background and had just arrived. This was undoubtedly great news. It could be said that it was the biggest gain from this New Year's visit. Although Madam Zhu had thought of having Mu Mingtang introduce a partner for her daughter before she left, she didn't expect that Mu Mingtang would open her mouth to give her such a big favor.
As a mother, Madam Zhu would feel more assured if she personally went to see a son-in-law than if someone else introduced her.
Zhu Yuqing was the di daughter. She didn't think much and directly expressed her surprise. Madam Zhu coughed and Zhu Yuqing forced herself to control her expression. Madam Zhu glared at Zhu Yuqing in disappointment. Then she smiled and thanked Mu Mingtang: "Thank you, Wang Fei. My daughter is naughty and mischievous. This concubine is very grateful that Wang Fei doesn't dislike her. "
Mu Mingtang also smiled and said politely: "Madam Zhu is too polite."
As the womenfolk talked, Hsieh Hyun-chen, Zhu Yanghong, and a few langjuns sat on the side to accompany them. Seeing the womenfolk talking happily and laughing, although the men couldn't join in, they also looked lively.
Especially when Zhu Yanghong knew that Mu Mingtang did this to choose a son-in-law for his daughters. This was a big favor. Zhu Yanghong solemnly cupped his hands and thanked Mu Mingtang: "This general thanks An Wang Fei."
"Official Zhu, please rise. I should be the one thanking you for coming to Xiangyang's rescue."
Zhu Yanghong said: "This general doesn't dare to claim the credit. That year, the rebels in Xiangyang were killed by His Highness. It was also His Highness's order to inform this general to rescue Xiangyang. It was His Highness's credit to pacify Xiangyang. This general just picked up where His Highness left off. "
At this time, Hsieh Hyun-chen added: "If it's your credit, then it's yours. There's no need to refuse. Moreover, even if I did contribute, now that I've accepted the gift, it's meaningless to not let it go. "
Gift? Zhu Yanghong instantly understood and couldn't say anything. He couldn't help but sigh. Young people nowadays.
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