"Niangniang!" The palace maid beside the Empress saw that her expression was not right and hurriedly reached out to support her, "You have to take care of your body. "Take care of yourself."
The Empress looked at Jiang Luo. A moment later, she said bitterly, "Luo'er, you have disappointed ben gong to the core."
"Muhou," Jiang Luo, who had been slapped twice, seemed to wake up. He knelt in front of the Empress, "Muhou, erchen, I …"
"Your personality has been absurd since you were young. I thought that you were still young and didn't understand. Even if something happened, the Crown Prince would take care of it for you. Right now, the Crown Prince is under house arrest in the Eastern Palace for His Majesty. You are still so immature in your work. Do you want ben gong to die?" These days, His Majesty had been neither warm nor cold to her. They had been husband and wife for decades, but now they had come to this point. It wasn't that the Empress didn't feel pain, but she didn't show it in front of her two sons.
Although His Majesty didn't care about the illegitimate sons, this didn't mean that her two sons could do whatever they wanted.
"It's my fault," the Empress said tearfully, "It's all my fault."
If she hadn't been worried that her two sons would fight over power, so she deliberately allowed her younger son to have no right to fight for the throne, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
She looked at her second son kneeling in front of her and said to Xie Wanyu standing to the side, "Consort Prince Ning, come with ben gong."
Xie Wanyu walked past Prince Ning and followed beside the Empress, but he didn't reach out to help her. The Empress smiled bitterly in her heart. Consort Prince Ning's temper was too big. In the past, she had been the Crown Princess, but she had been bullied by Consort Prince Hui. She had endured this for many years. It wasn't until the death of the previous Emperor that she straightened her back. At that time, she could endure even more than Consort Prince Ning.
But in the end, this matter was her son's fault. She couldn't say any words of reproach.
"Niang niang, Princess Fule is too arrogant," said the female official beside the Empress in a small voice, "His Highness Prince Ning is a prince. His Majesty and niang niang will decide who is right and who is wrong. What right does she have to say such things?"
"Huahua and Luo 'er have never gotten along since they were young. When they were young, the two of them would bicker. Luo' er often bullied Huahua because she was older. So, even now, the two of them still don't get along." Speaking of this, the Empress sighed in her heart. She did like this girl from the Ban Family, but her mouth was a bit unforgiving.
It was fine to pamper such a young lady as a junior, but it would be inappropriate to marry her as a daughter-in-law.
"I think she's just taking advantage of the fact that the Princess Royal Family is indebted to His Majesty."
"Shut up." The Empress's face darkened. "Is it something you can talk about?"
"This servant knows her mistake!"
Xie Wanyu, who was following behind, raised her head to look at the Empress. The Empress's expression was not very good, but although she was dissatisfied with the female official's words, she did not truly punish her.
Seeing this, Xie Wanyu couldn't help but sneer. The people in the palace were all like this. They were so fake that it was disgusting. Even if the Empress kept saying how much she liked Ban Han, how much could she really like her? Her liking definitely couldn't compare to His Majesty's.
Thinking of what Ban Han had just said to her, Xie Wanyu's feelings were very complicated.
She didn't think that at this time, Ban Han still dared to say that Jiang Luo was scum in front of Jiang Luo and the Empress.
Did Ban Han really think that the Empress wouldn't be dissatisfied with her? Or … she didn't care how the Empress thought of her?
Ban Han and Rong Xia walked along the high palace walls. Ban Han pointed at a garden and said, "When I was young, I played here. Jiang Luo pushed me from behind and I fell into the grass."
"And then?"
"Then I kicked Jiang Luo hard. After I kicked him, I cried and rubbed the grass on my body. When His Majesty and the Empress found out, they punished Jiang Luo to kneel for two hours. They also rewarded me with many things. "Ban Han looked away. Her eyes were slightly indifferent." That was the first time I understood that crying was useful. "
"From then on, Jiang Luo often made trouble for me. But if he touched me, I would cry. Not only did I cry, I also let everyone know that he bullied me." Ban Han's eyelids drooped to hide her emotions. "Once, His Majesty asked me if Jiang Luo had anything better than the Crown Prince."
Rong Xia suddenly remembered that nine years ago, His Majesty had also asked her. At that time, she was only 15 years old. She had said that she liked the Crown Prince more, so she didn't know much about the Second Prince.
"I said that I didn't like the Second Prince and only liked to play with the Crown Prince. In my eyes, the Second Prince couldn't compare to the Crown Prince in any way." Ban Han held Rong Xia's hand. Each step was slow and casual. Because there was someone holding her hand, she didn't have to worry about falling. "After His Majesty heard this, not only was he not angry at me, he even praised me for my straightforward personality."
Perhaps when His Majesty was young, he also hoped that someone would say that they only liked the Crown Prince and didn't want to play with the Second Prince.
But at that time, no one had said it so straightforwardly. Her words made him feel satisfied.
"What a coincidence." Rong Xia smiled. "His Majesty also asked me that in the past."
"Then what did you say?"
"I said that I didn't know the Second Prince well."
"Hee hee." Ban Han covered her mouth and laughed. "That's a good answer."
The two left the palace and saw that the streets were filled with red lanterns and crowded with people. Ban Han said: "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve."
Rong Xia saw that Ban Han's expression was a bit lonely. She asked the driver to stop the carriage and hurriedly jumped off.
"This is for you." Rong Xia returned to the carriage with a beautiful red lantern in her hand. The lantern had a large "fu" character written on it and a pair of magpies on the other side. Magpies reporting spring was a good sign.
"Isn't this just for children?" Ban Han took the lantern. Although she said that she didn't like it, she couldn't help but poke the magpies on the lantern.
"Yes." Rong Xia kissed her gently on the cheek and said in a small voice, "In my heart, you are my most precious daughter. I treat you like a pearl and treasure. I can't bear to let you suffer any grievances."
"Hmph." Ban Han whispered to him, "I don't believe you." But this didn't mean that she didn't like to hear it.
A handsome man who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting was saying sweet words with a gentle face. How could she not be moved?
Rong Xia pulled her into his arms and whispered: "You will believe it."
The carriage slowly moved forward, leaving deep wheel marks on the snow. In this noisy world, the warmth in the carriage was like early spring in the snow. It was too beautiful to be real.
The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the third day of Ban Han's marriage. It was supposed to be the day of the married daughter's return home. But according to custom, the married daughter's New Year's Eve couldn't go back to her mother's home.
When Ban Han woke up, the snow outside hadn't stopped. She put on her clothes and washed herself. Facing the servant girl who was holding a basin, she asked: "Where is your Marquis?"
"Madame, Marquis just went out."
Ban Han threw the handkerchief back into the basin. She got up and walked to the bronze mirror. It was so cold, why did Rong Xia go out so early in the morning?
"Junzhu, what kind of hairstyle do you want to wear today?" Yu Zhu and Ruyi walked behind Ban Han. The two saw that the junzhu's expression was a bit lonely, so they were careful when they asked.
"Anything." Ban Han wasn't interested, "Just do as you like."
"How can it be anything?" Rong Xia strode in, his cloak still stained with snow, "Today is a good day to go back home. I don't want my in-laws to think that I don't treat you well."
He put a wooden box on the dressing table, "Take a look at the things inside. See if there's anything you like."
Ban Han didn't look at the wooden box. She looked at Rong Xia with surprise: "You said you're going back to my home today?"
When Rong Xia heard the words "my home," he knew that in Ban Han's heart, there was only one home, and that was Jingting Gongfu. He smiled, "Of course we should go back today. The Summer Palace is so big. What's the point of just the two of us staying here? When we go back to your in-laws' place, not only will there be more people, but you'll also be happy. "
"Rong Xia," Ban Han reached out and hugged Rong Xia's waist, "You're so good. I like you a bit."
"Only a bit?"
"Then … a bit more?"
Wang Qü walked out of the study and said to the manservant standing guard outside: "I have something to discuss with Marquis. Go and inform him."
"Sir Wang," the manservant looked at Wang Qü in surprise, "Marquis accompanied the Princess back to her parents' home. You didn't know?"
"What did you say?" Wang Qü frowned, "Today is New Year's Eve."
The manservant nodded: "Today is Madam's day to go back to her parents' home. Marquis was worried that Madam wouldn't be able to find any jewelry to her liking. Early in the morning, he sent Guard Du back to the Marquis fu to retrieve a large box of jewelry for Madam to choose from. They've been gone for almost half an hour now. This little one thought that Sir Wang already knew about this. "
Wang Qü's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but recently, Marquis didn't seem willing to see him. There were many things that he wasn't willing to discuss with him. Could it be that he had done something to displease Marquis? Was he using this opportunity to beat him up?
He walked out of the study absentmindedly. He saw the servants of the main courtyard moving out boxes. These boxes even had the Ban Family's insignia. It was clear that the Marquis Furen had brought these items from her parents' home.
"Where are you moving these to?"
"Sir Wang," the manservant moving the boxes bowed to Wang Qü, "Marquis said that Madam isn't used to living in the temporary imperial residence here. Therefore, Madam is moving these things to the Marquis fu and will return to the Marquis fu in a few days."
Wang Qü frowned when he heard this. For Marquis, living in the temporary imperial residence that was bestowed by the Emperor was definitely better than living in the Marquis fu. But just because the Princess Fule wasn't used to living in the temporary imperial residence, she wanted to move out of the temporary imperial residence?
What not used to living here? She clearly wanted to be closer to her parents' home. As a married woman, she didn't want to take good care of her husband. What was she doing thinking about her parents' home every day? She even tempted Marquis to accompany her to her parents' home to celebrate the New Year. If this was spread out, what would people say?
Would they say that Marquis was henpecked, or that Marquis was afraid of the Ban Family's power and couldn't raise his head?
In the carriage, Ban Han was lying on Rong Xia's knees, resting with her eyes closed. Rong Xia was telling her the story of the Jianghu heroine's battle with the Nian beast.
"What happened afterwards?" After Ban Han heard that the heroine saved the Nian beast, she couldn't help but raise her head and ask, "The Nian beast turned into a human. Should I give myself to her, or should I bite the hand that feeds me and kill the heroine?"
Rong Xia pointed at her lips and said, "Kiss me and I'll tell you."
In order to hear the rest of the story, Ban Han didn't hesitate to sacrifice her body.
Rong Xia was immediately satisfied. He continued to tell the story while observing Ban Han's expression. He didn't decide the direction of the story based on Ban Han's expression.
"Marquis," the coachman outside gently knocked on the window of the carriage and said, "Have we arrived at the Duke's Mansion?"
Ban Han's face lit up. She lifted the curtain and jumped out. Rong Xia behind her looked at her empty palms and smiled helplessly.
In the Jingting Gongfu, Ban Huai and Ban Heng were lying on the table. The father and son looked at each other and sighed.
"It's the New Year, why are you sighing?" Yin Clan came in wearing a purple dress. Seeing the father and son like this, she couldn't help but say, "You look so unlucky."
"Mother," Ban Heng sat up straight and said, "Today is the third day of my sister's marriage. According to the rules, this is the day to return home. Maybe Marquis Cheng 'an will send my sister back."
"Don't think about it," Yin Clan's face darkened, "Although there are no elders in the Rong family, there is no reason for a son-in-law to accompany his daughter back to her parents' home for the New Year. You …"
"Marquis, Madam, Heir!" A steward ran in with a happy face, "The Princess and the son-in-law are back."
"What did you say?" Yin Clan was overjoyed, "Are you sure?"
"It's true. They are almost at the second gate."
"I'll go and see!" Ban Heng jumped up from the stool and ran out of the door in the blink of an eye.
Ban Huai looked at Yin Clan in disbelief, "They, they are back?"
Yin Clan wiped the corners of her eyes and hurriedly walked out. Ban Huai hurriedly followed, as if his daughter would fly away if he was late.
"Sister! Sister! "
Ban Han was near the lotus pond when she heard Ban Heng's voice. She stood on her tiptoes and saw Ban Heng jumping and waving at her from behind the rockery.
"Little Brother Heng," Ban Yu immediately showed a bright smile on his face and waved his hand at Ban Heng.
Ban Heng turned around and ran over. He stumbled and fell to the ground, but he quickly got up and ran to Ban Han.
"Sister!" Ban Heng circled around Ban Han a few times. He saw that the jewelry on her head didn't seem to be from the Ban Family. He turned to Rong Xia and saluted, "Brother-in-law."
"Brother Heng." Rong Xia smiled and returned the salute.
"Why didn't you be more careful?" Ban Han patted Ban Heng's robe that was stained with snow. "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Ban Heng patted his hands that were stained with snow. He turned around and wanted to lift Ban Han's skirt, but Rong Xia had already grabbed it. He had no choice but to walk side by side with Ban Han. "Sister, father and mother are waiting for you in the main courtyard. They made your favorite dishes. You must eat more later."
"Okay." Ban Han nodded. She thought for a while and said, "Add a bowl of sour bamboo shoot soup. Your brother-in-law likes it."
Ban Heng nodded, "Okay." He turned to look at Rong Xia. Rong Xia smiled gently at him.
When they walked into the main courtyard, the Yin Clan and Ban Huai were already waiting at the door. After seeing Ban Han, Ban Huai didn't wait for Ban Han to salute him. He went forward and asked if Ban Han ate well, slept well, and if the servants were satisfactory.
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law." Rong Xia went forward and saluted the two.
"It's snowing outside. Let's talk inside." The Yin Clan's eyes were red, but she still smiled. She nodded at Rong Xia, "It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
There were still red lanterns and red silk hanging in the courtyard, just like the day Ban Han got married.
Rong Xia walked into the room and sat next to Ban Heng. He looked at Ban Han, who was talking to his father-in-law, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.
The Yin Clan saw his expression and felt relieved. "Son-in-law, please have some tea."
"Thank you, Mother-in-law." Rong Xia drank tea and chatted with the Ban Family. As they chatted, they mentioned the future arrangements.
"You mean moving out of the Summer Palace?" The Yin Clan thought for a moment. "You're very thoughtful. Although the Summer Palace was given to you by His Majesty, it's not appropriate for you to live there for a long time. At least, it's not appropriate now."
"Son-in-law, that's what I mean." Rong Xia smiled at Ban Han. Ban Han also turned and smiled at him. "Huahua also supports my decision."
The Yin Clan heard this and smiled. "Huahua is a child. She's muddle-headed when it comes to important matters. If you have a decision, you should tell her clearly. Don't let her do everything."
"Huahua is very good." Rong Xia immediately retorted. "She's not muddle-headed."
The Yin Clan didn't expect that the first time her son-in-law rebutted her was because she criticized her daughter. She was stunned at first, then smiled. "You haven't spent much time with her. You'll know in the future."
"I can't understand some people even if I spend a hundred years with them. But Huahua is different." Rong Xia slowly shook his head. His expression was unprecedentedly serious. "I just need to look at her and I know she's the best woman in the world."
Ban Huai took his daughter's hand. He saw that her hairpins and jewelry were all priceless and her clothes were also in the style that his daughter liked. He whispered, "After marrying into the Rong family, don't let yourself suffer. Wear whatever you want. Eat whatever you want. I think Rong Xia is also a good man. So when you eat, think of him. This is the way for a husband and wife to get along with each other. "
His words seemed a bit childish, but they were reasonable.
When a person had another person in his or her heart, even if he or she ate something delicious or saw something interesting, he or she would want to share it with the person he or she loved.
This had nothing to do with the value of the food, but with the intention.
"Everything about him is good, but his style of dressing is not like mine," Ban Han said. "His clothes are too plain."
So when he put on the red groom's robe, he was so handsome that she couldn't help but want to eat him. Thinking about the magnificent scene of the red groom with white skin, it was delicious.
"Scholars pay attention to the word elegant when they wear clothes," Ban Huai advised. "You have to be more tolerant. You can't have conflicts with him on these things."
"Don't worry, father," Ban Han laughed. "I'm not such a petty person."
At most, she would ask the embroiderer to make a few more clothes of different colors and find a way to let Rong Xia change into them.
The lunch was very sumptuous. The Ban family not only prepared the food that Ban Tai liked to eat, but also prepared a bunch of "rumored" dishes that Rongxia liked, or those dishes that were highly recommended by scholars. Although Rong Xia didn't really like these dishes, his heart was softened by the Ban Family's kindness.
"We don't know what you like," Ban Huai and Rong Xia clinked glasses, and the father-son-in-law took a small sip. "In the future, when you and Huahua come over again, send someone to inform us. Tell us what you want to eat, and we'll ask the kitchen to prepare it. There aren't many people in the family, and we don't care about the rules outside. We should eat happily. "
"Thank you, father-in-law," Rong Xia knew that Ban Huai wasn't being polite, so he agreed.
After a harmonious and happy lunch, Rong Xia and Ban Han walked to the Ban Family's two elders and knelt down in front of them.
"What are you doing?" Ban Huai wanted to help Rong Xia up, but he had been a playboy for decades. How could he help a young man like Rong Xia up?
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law," Rong Xia kowtowed to the two elders, and said in a serious tone, "This son-in-law's parents and elder brother passed away early. Other than this son-in-law, I don't have any other family members. Now that I'm the son-in-law of the Ban Family, Huahua's parents are my parents. This is something that this son-in-law must do. "
After he finished speaking, he raised the teacup in front of Ban Huai.
"You child." Ban Huai took the teacup, tilted his head back, and gulped down the entire cup of tea. Then he took out a stack of banknotes and stuffed them all into Rong Xia's hands. "I didn't prepare a red envelope, so I hope you don't mind."
Ban Huai secretly glanced at the banknotes. The banknote on the top had a denomination of 500 taels. This stack of banknotes was at least 3,000 to 5,000 taels. Between him and Rong Xia, who was the real son of the Ban Family?
"Thank you, Father-in-law." Rong Xia didn't refuse and stuffed all the banknotes into his clothes.
"Mother-in-law, please have some tea."
The Yin Clan didn't expect that Rong Xia would kneel down and kowtow to her like a real son or grandchild. She took the tea from Rong Xia and drank it all. Then she took out two red envelopes and placed them in Rong Xia's hands. This was originally prepared for Ban Han and Ban Heng, but since her son-in-law was so likable, she gave him the red envelopes first.
"Where's mine?" Ban Han knelt on the cushion and watched his parents give the banknotes and red envelopes to Rong Xia. Only his hands were still empty. He curled his lips and said, "As parents, you can't be so biased."
"You've been receiving New Year's money for more than ten years." The Yin Clan reached out to support Rong Xia. "This year, I'll give it to Junpo first. Later, I'll give it to you and your brother."
Ban Han and Ban Heng: … …
Were they both picked up from the streets?
Rong Xia helped Ban Han up and gave the banknotes and red envelopes to Ban Han. "What's mine is yours."
Ban Han patted his chest. "Good boy."
Ban Heng: Haha, in this family, he's the only one who isn't his biological son.
After coming to the Ban Family, Rong Xia realized that New Year's Eve could be spent like this.
They didn't have to spend time accepting the servants' kowtows, nor did they have to kneel and listen to the elders' admonishments. The family sat together, ate fruits and snacks, and watched the performances of the musicians, singers, storytellers, and dancers. They didn't have to pay attention to the rules of seniority. They could joke around without restraint. It wasn't a big deal even if their children went over their parents' heads and rewarded the dancers.
When night came, fireworks lit up the entire capital. Ban Han looked at his parents' kind faces under the fireworks and reluctantly looked away. "Let's go."
Today, Rong Xia accompanied her to the Duke Of Jingting to celebrate New Year's Eve. She didn't want him to stay with the Ban Family for another night. Fortunately, there was no curfew tonight, so it didn't matter if they went out later.
"Where are we going?" Rong Xia took her hand and smiled. "We have to stay up for the New Year together."
Ban Han's fingertips trembled. "You …"
"We'll stay in your courtyard tonight," Rong Xia said with a smile. "When I married you, I didn't even have time to see what your courtyard looked like."
Ban Han raised the corners of his mouth and smiled. "Okay."
The flowers bloomed, illuminating Rong Xia's face. Ban Han blinked and bent his fingers, allowing Rong Xia to wrap his hand around hers.
"Duke, His Majesty has rewarded the dishes and the character 'Fu'."
"Quickly bring them to the ancestors. This is His Majesty's kindness. We can't waste it." Ban Huai looked at the two cold dishes and spoke without hesitation.
"This is …" The Yin Clan looked at the two 'Fu' characters. The handwriting of the two characters was different. One looked like His Majesty's handwriting, the other was the Crown Prince's. "The Crown Prince's handwriting?"
Wasn't the Crown Prince under house arrest in the Eastern Palace?
Rong Xia picked up one of the 'Fu' characters and looked at it. "It really is the Crown Prince's handwriting."
"The Crown Prince was released?" Ban Han felt that the Crown Prince was more reliable.
"I'm not sure." Rong Xia smiled. "It should be so. It's New Year's Eve. His Majesty won't keep the Crown Prince locked up."
His Majesty couldn't stand Prince Ning anymore.
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