"Your Majesty," the Empress put down the list of gifts, "this kind of rumor is not good for you or Marquis Cheng'an. Qie thinks that it should be clarified. = "
Emperor Yunqing felt that only by treating Rong Xia as his own son could he escape from this nightmare. Being in a high position but unable to have a healthy body, Emperor Yunqing was like many absurd emperors in history. He was afraid of death, afraid of aging, and his ambitions when he was young turned to nothing. His only obsession was to have a strong body and live a long life.
"What's the use of clarifying? These people will only think that zhen is trying to hide it," Emperor Yunqing said unconcernedly, "The innocent will be innocent. Empress, don't worry."
The Empress pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, "Qie understands."
In the past, the Lin Clan was as beautiful as orchids in an empty valley. Even when women saw them, they couldn't help but feel pity. The Lin Clan was supposed to be His Majesty's cousin, but because of the previous generation's grudges, she suffered a lot when she was young.
It was rumored that before His Majesty married her, there was a woman he liked. Even though His Majesty never mentioned this woman after they married, the Empress couldn't help but think, was that woman from the Lin Clan? Was that why His Majesty couldn't marry her and couldn't even express his feelings?
"Empress," the Emperor thought that he had made it clear enough that the Empress wouldn't misunderstand, "Marquis Cheng'an and Rong girl's marriage is very important to zhen. Zhen's body can't handle it, so everything depends on you."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty," the Empress lowered her head and helped Emperor Yunqing organize the list on the table, "this marriage won't go wrong."
With how much the Ban Family doted on their daughter, they wouldn't let this marriage go wrong.
The princess of the Ban Family who had four fiancés was finally going to get married.
After the news spread throughout the capital, some men envied Marquis Cheng'an for his good luck, some women envied Ban Han for his good luck, and some people who had nothing better to do, with a strange mentality, envied Rong Xia for having two fathers.
Although some people were speculating about the erotic past that might have existed, they still wore serious expressions on their faces. In the name of being concerned about the state affairs, they calculated the possibility that the Emperor would recognize this "illegitimate child." If the Emperor really did recognize this son, would the throne be Rong Xia's?
Thinking about Prince Ning, who did things indiscriminately, and the Crown Prince, who had a weak personality, many officials who truly cared about the world suddenly felt that if Marquis Cheng'an really was of the Jiang family's bloodline, it would be the best choice for him to be the Emperor. At least they didn't have to worry that the Emperor would be easily swayed and listen to the slanderous words of the traitorous officials. They also didn't have to worry about the Emperor doing things according to his heart, scolding and beating the officials, and not caring about the lives of the common people.
"How is that possible?" After hearing Ban Heng's gossip, Ban Han couldn't help but laugh. "What kind of nonsense is this? He can't be the Emperor's child."
"That's not necessarily true. Look at how well the Emperor treats Marquis Cheng'an. These years, he has been promoting him. After his biological brothers passed away, not only did he not demote him and inherit the title, but he also let the Empress's family take care of him." Ban Han originally thought this rumor was very absurd, but as the rumors became more and more intense, and these people said it with a nose and eyes, because of the past, he couldn't help but believe it. "If he isn't his biological father, why would he treat the son of a court official so well?"
"Did you forget that Rong Xia's father was the Emperor's study companion when he was the Crown Prince?" Ban Han thought. "Maybe because of this relationship, he specially took care of Rong Xia."
"You believe it?" Ban Heng raised his eyebrows and looked at Ban Han. He didn't believe her words at all. If His Majesty was really such a sentimental person, when Rong Xia's brother was still alive, he even used the reason that the mourning period was not over to prevent Rong Xia from inheriting the title. In the end, when Rong Xia died, before seven days had passed, the edict for Rong Xia to inherit the title came down. And it was the same as his father, an earl.
According to the rules of the Great Ye Dynasty, if a descendant inherited the title of an elder, they would be demoted. If this family wasn't liked by the Imperial Family, it was possible to demote them by two or three ranks. As an Emperor, he was more narrow-minded. How could he be so generous with something as rare as a title?
Ban Heng even felt that half of the reason for Rong Dalang's early death was because Emperor Yunqing didn't give him the title.
"It's not a matter of whether you believe it or not. It's a matter of whether Rong Xia is Emperor Yunqing's illegitimate child." Ban Han didn't want to reason with Ban Heng. She stood up and said, "Don't listen to the rumors outside. You're already stupid. If you listen to them, you'll be even more stupid."
Ban Heng: "…"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see the Emperor's illegitimate child." Ban Han picked up the fox-fur cloak on the shelf and was about to go out.
"Sister," Ban Heng called out to Ban Han. "Are you and Rong Xia really going to get married before New Year's Eve?"
"Hasn't the date already been set?" Ban Han stood in front of the big bronze mirror and tied the rope of her cloak in front of the mirror. She didn't seem to be against this marriage. "His Majesty wants us to get married in a hurry. How can we delay it?"
"Previously, we said that February was a good date. Now it's two months early. Why is His Majesty in such a hurry?" Ban Heng sounded a little dissatisfied.
"Maybe he wants to chase away the bad luck?" Ban Han joked. "Isn't it common among the people? When the elder in the family is sick, they want the younger generation to get married and bring happiness to wash away the illness. "
"That's only if the younger generation gets married. You and Rong Xia aren't His Majesty's son or daughter. What kind of happiness are you trying to chase away?" Ban Heng snorted at his sister's unreliable joke. "It's still snowing outside. Don't ride a horse."
"I know." Ban Han opened the door and turned to Ban Heng. "By the way, don't forget to practice your boxing skills."
"Okay, okay, okay. Hurry and go see your fiancé." Ban Heng waved her hand. Clearly, she wasn't interested in practicing her boxing skills. After all, Rong Xia was just a weak scholar. If he dared to do anything to hurt his sister in the future, with his boxing skills, how could he beat Rong Xia?
The snow in the capital was often very heavy, and it would fall for a few days at a time. There were fewer people on the road than usual. Ban Han sat in the soft and warm carriage, holding a hand warmer in her hand. Hearing the tinkling of the wheels, she impatiently lifted the curtain of the carriage.
The pedestrians on the street all had their hands in their pockets. Some were selling charcoal, some were selling oil, and some were selling New Year's pictures, fur, and meat. She exhaled a white breath and suddenly realized that another year was about to pass.
In the corner, there were young boys and girls with grass labels on their heads. They were being sold. Ban Han looked away and lowered the curtain.
Recently, more and more people in the capital began to sell children. She frowned. If even the capital was like this, how difficult would it be in other places?
The Marquis Cheng'an Mansion was not far from the Jingting Gongfu. When the carriage was about to reach the Marquis Cheng'an Mansion, it stopped. Ban Han lifted the curtain and looked. "Why did we stop here?"
"Princess, there are several carriages parked in front. This place is blocked."
Ban Han lifted the curtain and walked out of the carriage. There were several carriages parked in front of it. Looking at the style of these carriages, the people riding them were probably not low. She handed the hand warmer to the guard next to the carriage and took another hand warmer from the servant girl. She stepped on the stool and walked down the carriage. Looking at the dirty snow on the ground, it seemed that there were many people coming to the Marquis Cheng'an Mansion.
"Forget it. Let's go back." Ban Han didn't like to deal with these people. She turned around and planned to go back.
"This little one greets Princess." A servant dressed in blue ran in front of Ban Han and respectfully bowed to her. "This way, please."
Ban Han stood on the stool and lifted her chin towards the carriages. "Does your Marquis have time now?"
"At this time, other people may not have the time, but if you come, then there will definitely be time." The manservant had an ingratiating smile on his face. "Marquis has already ordered that if Junzhu comes, you must be welcomed in at the first moment. If there is any slack, we will pack our bags and leave the marquis fu."
"Nonsense." Ban Han laughed. "Is your Marquis such an unreasonable person?"
"Marquis is usually very reasonable. But when it comes to you, there is no reason to be reasonable." The servant rubbed his head and smiled embarrassedly. He turned his head and looked at the servant girl holding the umbrella for Ban Han. He quickly lowered his head and didn't dare to look. The servant girls at the princess' side were all so beautiful that people would be dazzled by them.
Rong Xia sat in the main hall and chatted with these officials. These people in front of him were those who supported the Crown Prince. After the Crown Prince was placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, these officials had been running around for the Crown Prince. It was only when Prince Ning wantonly suppressed the officials in the Crown Prince's faction that they stopped.
Rong Xia knew the purpose of these people's visit without needing to say anything. They had heard the rumors outside and wanted him, the "illegitimate son," to help the legitimate Crown Prince put in a good word for him in front of the Emperor. Rong Xia felt that these people were a bit ridiculous. No wonder the Crown Prince had developed this kind of personality. It was all because of the influence of the people around him.
Prince Ning was now very powerful, but they didn't think about how to deal with Prince Ning. They only knew how to find people to plead for the Crown Prince. What kind of brain did they have? Shouldn't the best method be to pull Prince Ning down from his position, or find a way to make the Emperor disappointed in Prince Ning so that they could plead for the Crown Prince? Only then would it be easier for the Emperor to let the Crown Prince out?
No matter how he looked at it, the person in the Crown Prince's line who was the best at scheming was still Shi Chonghai. Unfortunately, he was too complacent and angered the Emperor Yunqing. Now, he wanted to help the Crown Prince, but he didn't have enough power. He could only watch as Prince Ning showed off his power in court.
"Marquis Cheng'an has a dignified appearance and has the bearing of a gentleman. The Crown Prince often praises Marquis in front of officials," an official said. "He also admires Marquis's literary talent."
These people kept talking about the Crown Prince. Although Rong Xia was moved by their loyalty to the Crown Prince, he was determined not to be moved in the slightest.
"Marquis," the steward walked in, "the Princess Fule has arrived."
Hearing this, Rong Xia put down the teacup in his hand and stood to say to the officials present: "Daren, this one's fiancée has arrived. Daren, please wait for a moment. This one will be back soon."
No matter how thick-skinned the officials were, they didn't want to interrupt the time between an engaged couple. They saw that although Rong Xia didn't say anything to plead for the Crown Prince, at least he didn't refuse. This gave them some hope in their hearts.
"We will take our leave."
"Daren, please don't be so courteous."
After saying their goodbyes and urging them to stay, the officials finally walked out of the door. They didn't walk far before they saw a group of people coming in from the main entrance. The woman in the lead was no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. She wore a snow-white cloak that blended in with the snow. A group of beautiful maids clustered around her. She looked like a celestial concubine on a journey.
"That is …" The official in the lead stopped and turned around to say to the people behind him, "We will wait for a while."
They were waiting for Ban Han to pass by before they went out. The steward who sent them out bowed his head and stood respectfully behind them.
Unexpectedly, Ban Han, who was about to pass by, saw them. She stopped, took off the cloak and hat on her head, and nodded slightly to the officials. The officials were flattered and cupped their hands in return. It wasn't until Ban Han passed by that they slowly came back to their senses.
They looked over again and saw that Marquis Rong had already received Princess Fule. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. It was really enviable.
"Daren, please." The steward smiled and gestured for them to leave.
The officials came back to their senses and hurriedly walked out of the Rong family's door with a smile. After they left, they smiled bitterly and said their goodbyes. There was no other way.
The entire capital knew that His Majesty had taken a liking to this wedding. Therefore, all the families that had dealings with the Ban Family spent a lot of money when sending dowry gifts. Jewelry, ancient books, and picture books were all sent to the Ban Family one after another.
There were still ten days until the wedding between the two families, but there were already people guessing how much Princess Fule's dowry would be. How much betrothal gifts would be sent by Marquis Cheng'an?
There were even some debauchees who had a good relationship with Ban Huai who began to bet that when Ban Han was married, Ban Huai would cry and hug his daughter to prevent her from getting married. Originally, it was an ordinary noble family's wedding. However, Emperor Yunqing had given the two unmarried newlyweds a side palace. In addition, there were rumors that Marquis Cheng'an was the Emperor's illegitimate son. As a result, this wedding attracted a lot of attention.
The Yan Family and the Shi Family didn't have much of a reaction to this wedding. However, the Xie Family was a bit surprised. They specially prepared a generous gift and sent it to the Jingting Gongfu. Everyone knew that the Ban Family and the Xie Family didn't get along well. However, it was unexpected that the Xie Family would send such a generous gift to the Ban Family.
Later, some people remembered that the Ban Family had forgiven the Xie Family a while ago and borrowed a doctor from the Xie Family. Although the doctor only saved the life of the Xie Family's eldest son and didn't save his family jewels, in this kind of situation, no one could save his family jewels. Therefore, the Ban Family couldn't be blamed.
With the extent of the Xie Family's eldest son's injuries, the Ban Family's doctor was already very skilled to be able to save his life.
After thinking about it this way, everyone understood that it was because of this matter that the Xie Family acted like this.
Strangely, no one thought that the Xie Family did this to help the Second Prince win over the Ban Family and Marquis Cheng'an. It could be seen how complicated the relationship was.
"When the Crown Princess got married from the Shi Family, she only had 188 dowries. Our family's dowry is too much." After the Yin Family finished sorting out the list of dowries, she felt a headache coming on. She thought for a moment and then said to Ban Huai, "Why don't we send some things to the Rong Family first? With Marquis Cheng'an's character, he won't be greedy for our daughter's dowry."
"You're right. As for those ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings, if we can bring them to the Rong Family, then bring them to the Rong Family." Ban Huai shook his head, "So that they won't be ruined at home."
What would happen in a few years, and whether things would change, none of them could be sure. In the past, their plan was that if someone really came to confiscate their property, they would find a way to send these books out in advance. Now that they found a son-in-law with literary talent, it was better to give these books to his son-in-law than to give them to an outsider. It was also better than having them all taken away during the confiscation.
Ban Huai thought very clearly. If the Ban Family could be saved in four years, then all the ancient books would be made in duplicate. The original and handwritten copies would be split equally between the children and the children. No one would take more, and no one would suffer a loss.
Although he didn't care about these things, they were still left behind by the elders of the Ban Family. He wanted to leave something for his descendants.
"I know what you mean," Yin Family nodded, but suddenly her expression became a bit lonely, "I raised my daughter for so many years, but in the blink of an eye, she is going to marry someone. My heart is a bit empty."
She knew that Rong Xia was a very good son-in-law candidate, and she also knew that her daughter was very satisfied with this marriage. But as a parent, she was always worried about her daughter and was reluctant to part with her.
Ban Huai held her hand and smiled, "Children will grow up one day. You still have me by your side."
Yin Family suddenly smiled and put her other hand on the back of his hand, patting it lightly, "Master, since you can say these words, I'm sure you won't be too sad when Huahua gets married."
Ban Huai was speechless.
No, he couldn't be sure.
"White snow, red clay stove," Ban Han took a sip of the tea that Ban Huai personally brewed and said with a smile, "Although I can't tell what's so good about this tea, the taste is really good."
"It's good that you like it." Rong Xia put down the tea stove, "Tea is to be drunk. There's nothing wrong with describing it as good or bad."
Ban Han heard this and laughed, "You have a good personality. No wonder girls like you."
"I don't have a good personality to everyone," Rong Xia looked at Ban Han with an aggrieved face, "When have you ever seen me curry favor with other girls? What does it have to do with me whether they like me or not?"
Seeing that he deliberately put on a pitiful look, Ban Han reached out and pinched his cheeks, pulling him to the side, "You're pretending to be pitiful again. Don't think that I won't dare to teach you a lesson just because you're good-looking."
"How does Huahua want to teach me a lesson?" Rong Xia stretched his head in front of Ban Huai. His deep eyes were like a quiet spring, looking into the bottom of Ban Han's heart, "I'll do whatever you want."
"Don't use a honey trap on me," Ban Han patted his chest, which was beating fast, and fed the teacup to Rong Xia, "Come, drink some tea."
Rong Xia grabbed her wrist and drank the tea from her hand, then licked the moist corners of his lips, "It's very sweet."
"Sweet?" Ban Han looked at Rong Xia's lips and couldn't control himself. He leaned forward and licked Rong Xia's lips.
The soft tip of his tongue met with the warm and soft lips. It was a little sweet, a little hot, and a little breathless. Ban Han blinked and felt that the touch was not good, so he stuck out his tongue and licked it again. Then he quickly sat back and pretended to be serious, "Well, it's really sweet."
Rong Xia touched his mouth and smiled, "It seems that Huahua is very satisfied with what you saw?"
"Hmph," Ban Han played with the teacup in his hand, "So all gentlemen are like this?"
"I'm not a gentleman, and I don't know what a gentleman is like," Rong Xia held Ban Han's hand, "I only know that as long as Huahua likes it, it's fine."
Ban Han looked down at his hand, then turned to look at the snowflakes outside the window. A year ago, at this time, she would not have thought that she would be with this man. She thought of the things that happened in her dream and asked, "Rong Xia, what do you think of the Da Ye Dynasty now?"
Rong Xia looked up at her and suddenly smiled, "The people have no way to make a living, the government is in chaos, the clan is lazy and inactive, and there is no successor."
"You dare to say that? Aren't you afraid that I will report you to His Majesty?" Ban Han looked at Rong Xia with a smile, "My family is also a member of the inactive clan."
"The Ban Family is different."
"How is it different?"
"In my eyes, it's different from others."
"It seems that you are not a fair person either." Ban Han rested her chin on one hand, and Rong Xia held the other hand behind her back, "I thought you would say that our Ban Family should learn to make progress and so on."
"I am a biased person," Rong Xia lowered his head and kissed the back of Ban Han's hand, "As long as you are human, you will be biased. In my eyes, the Ban Family is not inactive, but open-minded and inactive. "
"Doesn't that mean inactive?"
"Other people's inactivity is hateful, but the inactivity of the Ban Family is cute," Rong Xia said with a smile, "Is that right?"
"Yes..." Ban Han nodded with a deep expression, "This is a very suitable way of saying it."
Rong Xia finally could not help but laugh out loud. He got up and walked to Ban Han's side, and took her into his arms. How could there be such a cute girl in the world? Even if he rubbed her into his bones, it would not be enough.
"Du Jiu," Wang Qü pushed open the door and walked into the room. When he saw Du Jiu sitting by the window, he asked, "How is your injury?"
"It's a lot better," Du Jiu turned to look at him, got up, and asked him to sit by the table, "How come you have time to come to my room today?"
Wang Qü put down the basket of fruits in his hand, "I just came to see you."
Du Jiu looked up at him, "If you have something to say, just say it. We have worked together for so many years, you don't have to be so polite with me."
"There are some things that I don't understand," Wang Qü took out an orange from the basket and peeled it himself, "According to the original plan, we should be observing mourning for the nation."
"Marquis has his own plan. We just need to follow it. You don't have to worry about anything else." Du Jiu saw that Wang Qü was eating first, so he pulled the basket towards him, "Even if you ask me, I don't have any answers."
"Didn't you think that Princess Fule's appearance was too coincidental when Marquis was assassinated?" Wang Qü narrowed his eyes, "She seems to have saved Marquis, but who can guarantee that this incident was originally related to her? She just wants to use this incident to win Marquis's favor?"
"But what is she after?" Du Jiu asked, "Is she after Marquis's power? Status? Or appearance? "
Wang Qu choked for a moment. He held the half-peeled orange and said, "Maybe it's … appearance?"
"So she spent so much effort to hire a bunch of assassins, and her hands were stained with a bunch of people's lives, just to get Marquis's appearance?" Du Jiu peeled the orange and threw a piece directly into his mouth, "Wang Qü, you scholars are smart, but you also make the most mistakes, and that is being too smart for your own cleverness."
Wang Qü was a little embarrassed, "Aren't I just guessing?"
"I don't think you're guessing. You have a problem with Princess Fule," Du Jiu threw the orange back on the table and wiped his hands on his clothes, "I think Princess Fule is quite good. She's agile and beautiful, and she even gave Marquis a lot of ancient books that are priceless. Such a wife is hard to find. More importantly, Marquis likes her. "
Wang Qü said, "I always thought that Marquis married the princess because of the military power behind the Ban Family."
"It turns out that you thought too much," Du Jiu's tone was a little indifferent, "Wang Qü, don't blame me for not reminding you. There are some things that you shouldn't worry about. When the time comes, no one will be able to protect you."
Wang Qü: "I also did it for Marquis..."
He looked up and saw Du Jiu's expression. He actually saw a bit of ridicule in his eyes, so he was speechless.
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