"Commandery Princess, Son-in-law, please come this way."
The servant girl with a lantern led the way. Rong Xia held Ban Han's hand, walked around the winding corridors, and arrived at Ban Han's courtyard.
The courtyard was exquisitely built. Even though it was covered in snow, one could still see that the owner of the house had spent a lot of effort in designing this courtyard.
The servant girl pushed open the door. The room was very clean, and the red gauze curtain was embroidered with pomegranate and other auspicious patterns. Ban Han turned to look at the servant girl behind him: "Leave a few people to serve. The rest can leave."
"Yes."
The servant girls lit the candles in the room, bowed to Ban Han and Rong Xia, and then left.
"It's my first time entering a woman's boudoir." Rong Xia walked to the bed and found a small lattice at the head of the bed. He pulled it open and saw some snacks inside. He turned to Ban Han and said, "It's very interesting. When I go back, I'll ask them to make it like this."
"It's okay. It's a mandarin duck bed that I used as my dowry. There's a lattice at the top." Ban Han washed off the makeup on his face and changed into a comfortable nightgown. "Wash up and go to sleep."
Rong Xia saw that she was soaking her feet, so he went over and squeezed his feet into the same big basin.
"Don't squeeze with me." Ban Han stepped on his feet. "We don't lack water."
"Save water." Rong Xia said righteously. "It's so cold. It's not easy for the servants to run around."
"Son-in-law, there's still warm water on the stove in the side room." A little servant girl said honestly. "It's no trouble."
"It's okay. I can squeeze with your Commandery Princess." Rong Xia was exposed, but he didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he used his toes to gently scratch Ban Han's feet. Ban Han couldn't help but step on his feet again.
After soaking his feet, Rong Xia carried Ban Han to the bed. The bed had already been warmed up by the hot water. Benji curled up in the quilt and yawned. "It's already past midnight. Let's sleep."
Rong Xia took her into his arms. Seeing that she was really sleepy, he kissed her gently between her eyebrows: "have a good dream."
Ban Han snuggled against his chest, listened to his heartbeat, and fell asleep.
"Even if you're as beautiful as a celestial fairy, you can't force your feelings. Let me go, and let yourself go. "
"Who do you think you are? Are you worthy of me letting you go?" The woman in red rode on the horse's back, her chin slightly raised proudly. She looked at him as if she was looking at an unrelated passerby. "If you want to scram, then scram. Don't talk about your feelings in front of me. Back then, I was willing to marry you, Xie Lin, but I saw that you had some good looks. I won't stop you from eloping with someone else today, but I hope the two of you won't regret it. "
"Many thanks for the princess's magnanimity. I won't regret it."
"Pfft," the woman on the horse laughed, her eyes full of ridicule, "I've seen many men like you in novels."
She tossed a small bundle to the woman standing beside him. "This is my gift to you as a token of my gratitude. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know what kind of person this man is. "
In the faint light of dawn, her face was rosy and her lips were smiling. Her pair of bright eyes were full of coldness.
"Second young master, second young master, eldest young master has a fever again. The doctor said the situation is not good. You should go take a look."
Xie Qilin opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was not yet bright. He heard the servant's anxious voice and hurriedly put on a cloak. He didn't even have time to put on his outer robe before opening the door and walking out.
"How is eldest brother?"
"He ate some porridge last night, so he's still in good spirits. Who knew he would get hot now." The manservant carried a lantern and trudged through the snow. The sky had not yet brightened, and the servants in the manor were all asleep, so no one came to shovel the snow away.
"Where are the doctors?"
"Several taiyi and the doctors invited from outside are all here," the servant ran back and forth a few times. He was panting when he spoke, "They said the situation is not good."
Xie Qilin's expression changed, and his steps quickened. Walking into his eldest brother's courtyard, he heard his mother's cries and his father's angry scolding.
"We spent a lot of money to hire you. Is this how you repay us? You call yourselves divine doctors. Why can't you even cure my son?! "
"Father!" Xie Qilin was worried that his father would be too sad and speak impulsively without thinking of the consequences. If they offended these doctors, it would not be good for his eldest brother. Now, his eldest brother still needed their treatment. They couldn't afford to offend these people.
"Count Of Zhongping," the two doctors stood out. One of them said coldly, "Even though the two of us are not skilled, we are still doctors raised by Princess Fule. We are not people of the Count Of Zhongping. As the saying goes, you have to look at the owner before beating the dog. The two of us may not even be as good as dogs in the Count's eyes, but only the Princess Fule has the right to scold us, not the Count. "
"The Count came to visit on the day of the imperial daughter's wedding. The imperial daughter was soft-hearted and let the two of us come to treat your son. But that doesn't mean that the two of us will be scolded by you," the other doctor added, "Since the Count Of Zhongping doesn't like our medical skills, then we will take our leave now."
"Two doctors, please stay," Xie Qilin walked in front of the two and bowed to them, "My father was anxious and offended you with his words. Please forgive him."
"Apologies, Xie er Gongzi. The two of us brothers are not good-natured people. The Count Of Zhongping scolding us is the same as not caring about our imperial daughter. As the saying goes, if the monarch is humiliated, the officials will die. If the master is humiliated, the servants will be ashamed. Xie er Gongzi, no need to say more. Goodbye! "
After the two doctors finished speaking, they didn't care about Xie Qilin's crying and begging.
Xie Qilin stared at the backs of the two in a daze. He couldn't say a word. The members of the Ban Family had always been like this. If they spoke nicely, they would give some face. But if someone slapped them in the face, they would trample that person's face to the ground. Even the servants were very protective of their masters. They had the style of a military family.
"Father," Xie Qilin walked in front of the Count Of Zhongping, "How is eldest brother?"
The Count Of Zhongping shook his head with a face full of vicissitudes. After a while, he said, "Qilin, what father regrets the most in this life is letting your younger sister marry Prince Ning. It has tied our family to Prince Ning's boat."
Xie Qilin looked at Xie Zhongjin who was lying on the bed and didn't know whether he was alive or dead. He suddenly said, "Then our family will get off his boat."
The Count Of Zhongping's expression changed greatly. His lips trembled and his entire body curled up in the chair. The dusk was heavy and there was no vitality.
It was a dreamless night. When Rong Xia woke up, the sky was already bright. He saw that Ban Han was still sleeping and carefully pulled out his arm. After putting on his outer robe, he quietly walked to the outer room and let the maidservants help him wash up.
Ban Heng came in and saw Rong Xia neatly dressed and sitting on a chair in the outer room. He lowered his voice and asked, "Brother-in-law, is my older sister still sleeping?"
Rong Xia nodded. He got up and walked to the door, "Brother Heng, can you take me for a walk in the courtyard?"
Ban Heng nodded, "It's still snowing outside. After breakfast, I'll take you around."
"Thank you."
Ban Heng scratched the back of his hand uncomfortably, "That, you don't have to be so polite with me. Our family doesn't care about these things. You'll understand when you get along with us. Rules are for others to see. In private, you can do whatever you want. "
Rong Xia laughed, "No wonder Huahua is so cute."
Ban Han shook his shoulders. What kind of eyes did he have to think that his older sister was cute? It was true that he praised his older sister's beauty, but to say that she was cute …
This was probably the legendary "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Anyway, as her younger brother, he couldn't say such untrue words. He always felt that his conscience couldn't get over this hurdle.
When it was time for breakfast, Ban Han still hadn't gotten up. The Yin Clan was a little embarrassed, "Son-in-law, I've let you see a joke."
"Mother-in-law, it's a blessing to be able to sleep," Rong Xia said to the Yin Clan, "There's no harm in letting Huahua sleep a little longer."
The Yin Clan laughed dryly and didn't say anything more. If Rong Xia was just being polite, she could take the opportunity to scold Ban Han. However, looking at Rong Xia's expression, she really didn't think that Huahua was sleeping in. If this continued, how lazy would that girl be?
After breakfast, Ban Heng took Rong Xia to stroll around the Ban Family's courtyard.
"These small courtyards are all empty. Our family doesn't have many women, so these small courtyards are not used. Therefore, two of the courtyards have been turned into a study and an orchard, and the other courtyards have been locked." Ban Heng took Rong Xia into the orchard. There were orange trees planted inside, and a few oranges were scattered on the branches. These oranges didn't grow very well, but they were pleasing to look at because of their red color. No one picked these fruits, so most of them were ripe and fell to the ground. Even if the remaining ones were hanging on the branches, upon closer inspection, these fruits weren't very good. They were withered and lacked vitality.
"Grandmother's Princess Fu has an orchard. Supposedly, Grandfather liked it. Later, after our family moved into the Marquis fu, we also made a garden like this according to the Princess fu. Unfortunately, Grandmother rarely comes to this garden. " Ban Heng plucked an orange from the branch and peeled off the skin. The orange meat didn't have much moisture left and had become dry and white.
"I originally wanted to give it to you to try, but it seems that it can't be eaten." Ban Heng regretfully threw the orange into the snow. He turned his head and said, "My sister is about to wake up. Let's go back."
Rong Xia looked at the orange grove, "Does Huahua like this grove?"
"She used to take me to the grove to play. She even caught summer cicadas to scare me." Ban Heng took Rong Xia out of the orchard with a smile on his face, "My sister's personality is a bit straightforward. She doesn't know how to be gentle and roundabout, but her heart is very good."
Ban Heng changed the topic to Ban Han in a few sentences. His main idea was, "Although my sister has many shortcomings, she is a good girl." He didn't mention that Rong Xia should treat his sister well, but the meaning of every sentence was that he didn't want Rong Xia to disappoint Ban Han.
"I really envy you." Rong Xia thought back to her childhood, but couldn't find anything particularly interesting.
The only memory she had was when she was eleven years old. He secretly took a five or six year old child to play on the frozen ice. Later, his mother found his robe wet and was so angry that she ignored him for several days.
Later, he learned that the frozen ice was very dangerous. Fortunately, nothing happened that day. Otherwise, he and the child would have drowned in the water.
He still remembered that the child found a wooden board and sat on the ice, asking him to pull her along. He didn't agree. He didn't remember what the child looked like, but he clearly remembered the way the child pouted.
His mother never allowed him to do this because it was not elegant enough.
Ban Heng waved his hand, "What's there to envy?"
Rong Xia smiled, "It's good to have someone to accompany me when I grow up."
"Don't you have an elder brother? How can there be no one to accompany you?" After saying this, Ban Heng realized that he had said something wrong. The eldest son of the Rong family had died of illness a few years ago. If he brought up the past, wouldn't it be like stabbing a knife into Rong Xia's sad heart?
"I'm sorry …" Ban Heng felt that he had said something wrong.
"It doesn't matter," Rong Xia shook his head, "It's all in the past. There's nothing that can't be mentioned."
He and his eldest brother didn't have a very good relationship. Although they were brothers, because of the Rong family's tradition, they were not close. They respected and loved each other more than they were intimate. Their words and deeds couldn't be separated from the word "rules".
"It's snowing so heavily. What are you doing here?" Ban Han stood in the corridor with a hand warmer and waved to the two, "Come here."
Ban Heng ran to Ban Heng, "Sister, you're finally up."
Ban Han's cheeks were flushed after getting up, "I slept too well last night, so I got up late."
"Are you cold?" Rong Xia touched her face. It was soft and smooth. He couldn't help but touch it again.
"My hands are cold. Hold this," Ban Han stuffed the hand warmer into Rong Xia's hand and covered her face with both hands, "Don't touch it. What if my face is squashed?"
Rong Xia squeezed her hand and put the hand warmer back in her hand, "Okay, okay, I won't touch it."
"Your Highness," Ruyi hurried over, "The two doctors you borrowed from the Count Of Zhongping's residence have come back. They want to see you."
"The eldest son of the Xie family doesn't need a doctor?" Ban Han raised her eyebrows, "Let them see me in the front hall."
Xie Chongjin was stabbed. It's only been a few days, but he doesn't need a doctor?
Could it be that … he's gone?
Ban Han came to the front hall. After listening to the two doctors, she nodded and said, "You did the right thing. The two of you have been wronged. Please go to the backyard and rest."
"Your Highness is too serious. The Xie family was rude. There's no reason to blame Your Highness," the two doctors said, "We'll leave first."
After the two doctors left, Ban Han snorted, "The Xie Family really doesn't know how to appreciate kindness. In the future, no matter who in the family is dead or alive, even if they kneel on the ground and kowtow to me, I won't lend them a doctor."
"Okay, we won't lend them." Rong Xia nodded on the side.
Outside White Head Garden, Xie Chongjin, who had come to apologize, stood outside the door for a moment. A servant in green came out and bowed to him, "Young Master Xie, unfortunately, our family's Marquis and madame are not in the garden."
"Not here? Did they go back to Marquis Cheng 'an's residence?" Xie Chongjin patted the snow on his shoulder and exhaled a breath of hot air.
The servant shook his head, "Yesterday was the day madame came back. Yesterday, our family's Marquis and madame went to Jingting Gongfu. They haven't come back yet."
"Jingting Gongfu?" Xie Chongjin thought he heard wrong, "You said they went back yesterday?"
"Yes," the servant said with a smile, "If you want to see the two masters, I'm afraid you'll have to go to madame's family's Jingting Gongfu."
"Thank you."
"I don't dare."
Xie Chongjin mounted the horse and took the large cloak from the servant and tied it. Rong Xia accompanied Ban Han to Jingting Gongfu on New Year's Eve. He didn't expect this at all.
"Young Master, are we going to Jingting Gongfu?" The manservant leading the horse looked at Xie Zhongjin. In fact, he didn't really want to go to Jingting Duke's Mansion, because not only did the masters of the two families not see eye to eye with each other, even the servants didn't like each other.
"No need," Xie Chongjin slowly shook his head, "Today is the first day of the New Year. It's not good to disturb them. Just leave our gifts and invitations here. "
"Yes."
Xie Chongjin was a little absent-minded. He didn't expect that Rong Xia would go to this extent for Ban Han. Celebrating the New Year at a woman's family's home, and even staying at his in-laws' home on the first day of the New Year. What was the difference between this and a son-in-law?
Rong Xia and Ban Han stayed at the Ban Family's home until the third day of the New Year. Then, they packed their bags and returned to the Summer Palace.
"Oh right," Ban Han leaned on the table and looked at Rong Xia with his head tilted, "Are we going to burn incense for your parents-in-law?"
Rong Xia gave him a cup of water mixed with honey, "You can go whenever you want."
Ban Han saw that his expression was distant, as if he didn't have deep feelings for his parents, so he didn't mention it again.
Three days later, the snow stopped. Rong Xia took her to a room in the backyard, where the memorial tablets of the two elders and the eldest son of the Rong family were placed. Rong Xia gave Ban Han the lit incense and said, "It's cold. We don't need to go to the tombs to pray. Let's pray here."
This room was a little cold and cheerless. The room was empty. Other than the two memorial tablets, there were no other decorations. Behind the memorial tablets, there were two paintings, a man on the left and a woman on the right. They were probably Rong Xia's parents.
Ban Han didn't know what to say to the cold memorial tablets. She took the incense and bowed three times. After pouring the incense into the incense burner, she lifted her skirt and prepared to kneel when Rong Xia pulled her back.
"No need, the ground is cold," Rong Xia looked expressionlessly at the memorial tablets, "Let's just leave it like this."
"Oh," Ban Han took his hand and gently pulled, "Are you in a bad mood?"
"It's fine, I'm fine." Rong Xia reached out and touched her forehead, showing a gentle smile.
"Don't smile if you don't want to," Ban Han dragged him out, "Come, let's walk around the garden." This Summer Palace was theirs, but she hadn't appreciated it yet.
"Wang Fei, Wang Ye is drunk and can't get up now."
Xie Wanyu stood by the bed and looked at the man sleeping soundly on the bed. She turned and saw the palace servants in the room looking at her in terror. She couldn't help but laugh coldly. Did these people think that she would use this chance to kill Jiang Luo?
She turned around and left the room expressionlessly.
She and Jiang Luo were husband and wife in name, but they didn't have any feelings of being husband and wife. In the beginning, she had thought that after marrying Jiang Luo, she would be able to suppress Ban Han and make her bow her head. She hadn't thought that she had married a fire pit.
She returned to her room and took out a very normal looking box of face cream from the dressing table. The scent of this box of face cream was fragrant, like the scent of osmanthus blooming in August.
"Wang Fei," A palace maid came forward, "Do you want to wash?"
"No need," Xie Wanyu put the box of face cream that was a third used back on the dressing table and said sarcastically, "Have someone serve Wang Ye well. I heard that people who are drunk sometimes choke to death in their sleep."
The palace maid's shoulders trembled in fear and she didn't dare to speak.
Seeing the palace maid so frightened, Xie Wanyu laughed coldly, "What, you are all afraid of my words?"
The palace servants all fell silent.
Describing wang fei and wang ye as "like strangers" was already a polite way of saying it. It would be more appropriate to say that they were "enemies whom they frequently meet." Wang Ye had caused Wang Fei's elder brother's life to be in danger. How could this kind of hatred be resolved?
In their opinion, His Highness had indeed gone too far. Xie Dalang was his brother-in-law. What kind of deep hatred did the two of them have that he had to use a knife to vent it?
"Leave," Xie Wanyu's smile slowly disappeared, "I want to be alone."
"Yes."
The room became silent again. Xie Wanyu took out a slip of paper from a hairpin. There was a short sentence written on it.
"Break Ning near the Eastern Palace."
She grimaced. In the future, even if Prince Ning ascended the throne, with Prince Ning's attitude towards her, the Xie Family would not have a good end. But if the Eastern Palace ascended the throne, what good end would she, Prince Ning's consort, have? She was in a dilemma. She had fallen into such a predicament.
What other way was there for her to break Prince Ning and ensure that she would not have to worry about food and clothing in the future?
On the seventh day of the first month, the court reopened. The officials attended court for the first time in the new year. When they saw that the Second Prince and the Crown Prince were standing in the hall, they knew that the Eastern Palace had been lifted.
The Crown Prince's personality was slightly weak, but at least he could be called benevolent. Prince Ning's tyrannical nature made people tremble in fear.
In reality, Prince Ning was even more shocked than the officials. Before the Crown Prince appeared, he did not know that the Eastern Palace had been lifted. He looked at the Crown Prince, who was standing to his left, and bowed to the Crown Prince with a solemn expression.
Imperial Father had secretly released the Crown Prince behind his back.
What did he want to do?
"His Majesty has decreed that His Highness the Crown Prince's health has recovered. He can help us with our worries …"
When the Crown Prince was placed under house arrest, his excuse was that he was not feeling well. Now that he was well, he would naturally continue to govern the country. As for Prince Ning, he would obediently continue to be his Prince Ning.
On the ninth day of the first month, Emperor Yunqing granted Prince Ning a mansion and told him that he would move in a month.
After the officials learned of this imperial edict, they finally calmed down.
It seemed that the Crown Prince would inherit the country.
"I don't accept this, I don't accept this!" Jiang Luo smashed everything in the room, "The Crown Prince was only born a few years before me. Why should the country belong to him?"
"Your Highness, please calm down!" A eunuch brought a cup of tea to Prince Ning, "The situation is not hopeless yet. You must not panic."
Jiang Luo took the teacup and drank a few mouthfuls of tea. After the tea entered his stomach, he felt that his mind was much clearer, "I schemed to make the Crown Prince make such a big mistake. Imperial Father only locked him up for a few months. What chance does this prince have?"
The eunuch took the half-empty teacup and smiled, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince only has the support of a few civil officials. He does not have any military power."
"Do you mean this prince has it?" Jiang Luo sat down on a chair and said impatiently, "But that Rong Xia has a lot of weight among the civil officials. He also likes the Crown Prince. If I don't get rid of him, I will not be at ease."
"But the assassination attempt last time …"
"I won't touch him. I will touch his woman." Jiang Luo sneered, "Everyone has a weakness. If something happens to Ban Han in his house, I want to see if the Ban Family will forgive him."
"You mean to say that you will send someone to assassinate Princess Fule?" The eunuch's eyes flashed and he quickly lowered his head, "Princess Fule died in an assassination attempt. Why would the Ban Family hate Marquis Cheng'an? This servant is stupid and does not understand this reasoning. "
"You are a castrated goods. Of course you don't understand," Prince Ning snorted, "The Ban Family is the most unreasonable. It is normal for them to vent their anger on others. As long as something happens to Ban Han, we don't need to deal with Rong Xia. With the Ban Family, Rong Xia will not be able to take care of himself. "
"Your Highness's plan is good. This servant is too stupid."
"What did you say?" Xie Wanyu turned to look at the eunuch in front of him, "Prince Ning wants to kill Ban Han?"
"Yes."
"Has he gone crazy?"
Xie Wanyu squeezed the handkerchief in his hand and took a few deep breaths, "You go out. I need to think about it."
The eunuch silently retreated.
Xie Wanyu hated Ban Han very much. Sometimes he wanted her to die.
But …
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