Xie Wanyu sat quietly in her boudoir, listening to the sounds of firecrackers outside. She tightened her grip on her wedding robe. Le – Wen
Time passed so quickly, but also so slowly.
The day she had looked forward to and feared for a long time had finally arrived. Her mind was in a mess. She didn't know whether she was happy or sad.
"The bridegroom has arrived!"
When she heard the words "bridal escort", her heart trembled. It was as if a cold needle had pierced her heart. Her heart suddenly became empty. She didn't know if she was disappointed or sad. Strangely, she didn't feel angry.
She clenched her fists. Her fingertips were cold, but her mind was clearer than ever.
"Sister," Xie Dachang's voice was filled with suppressed anger. He bent down and carried Xie Wanyu on his back. He whispered to her, "Everything in the palace is complicated. Sister, you have to be careful. If you need anything, send someone home to tell us. Don't be too hard on yourself. "
Xie Wanyu tightened her grip on her brother's clothes and agreed in a low voice.
The Xie family had agreed to this marriage. Even though they knew that the Second Prince might not be a good match, the Xie family didn't have the courage to break off the marriage. If an ordinary family had an unfortunate marriage, as long as the family supported it, the daughter could still propose a divorce. But if she married into the royal family, she could only live as a member of the royal family and die as a ghost of the royal family.
Leaving the inner yard, Xie Wanyu heard voices of congratulations all around, but she felt particularly embarrassed at the moment. Everyone in the world knew that the Second Prince didn't like her, the consort of the Second Prince. He couldn't even welcome her in person.
This was supposed to be the most important moment in her life, but it became the moment she hated the most.
In fact, the Second Prince didn't come to pick up Xie Wanyu, but he wasn't in the palace either.
The auspicious time for the wedding was in the evening. He changed out of his bridegroom's clothes and went to the bamboo forest that the Shi Feixian often visited. He just didn't want to give up, so he came out to relieve his boredom. He didn't expect the Shi Feixian to really be in the forest.
"Your Highness the Second Prince?" Shi Feixian stood up from the pavilion and looked at the man in surprise. "Isn't today your big day? Why are you here?"
Jiang Luo looked at the desolate woman in front of him and couldn't help but take a few steps towards her. "The person I'm marrying isn't the one I like. What's there to be happy about?"
"You …" Shi Feixian avoided Jiang Luo's gaze and sighed. "You shouldn't have said that. How sad would Wanyu be if she knew?"
"You're always thinking for others. Why can't you think for yourself? Why don't you think for me?" Jiang Luo strode forward and grabbed Shi Feixian's wrist. "Don't you know who I like? If she's your friend, then what am I? "
The eunuch behind the Second Prince was so scared that he knelt outside the pavilion. If something went wrong with the wedding today, he, who had followed the Second Prince out of the palace, would not be able to keep his life.
"Then your brain is not very good." Ban Yu, who was wearing a light colored riding outfit, walked out of the forest with a smile that was not a smile. Behind her were several famous hedonistic young masters. There were both men and women among these people, and they were all people who were not stingy in the capital. Their faces were all filled with surprise. Who would have thought that the Second Prince, who was getting married today, would have such an ambiguous relationship with Shi Xiang's daughter?
Weren't Xie Wanyu and Shi Feixian good friends?
Originally, they were all idlers who didn't want to go to the wedding banquet. Today, they had agreed to ride horses and enjoy the spring scenery. Who would have thought that they would see such a good show as soon as they came out?
Ban Han would have forgotten that she had agreed to enjoy the spring scenery with others if Ban Heng hadn't reminded her. They saw the Second Prince enter the bamboo forest and followed him in out of curiosity. They didn't expect to see such a thing.
The groom didn't go to welcome the groom, but came to confess his feelings to the bride's close friend. It was embarrassing to write such a thing in a storybook, but the Second Prince and Shi Feixian did it.
Jiang Luo looked back at Ban Han and the others. He stood in front of Shi Feixian and said with a serious face, "Why are you here?"
Shi Feixian's face was even worse than Jiang Luo's. If what happened today was spread out, it wouldn't do her any good. But looking at the people behind Ban Han, there were people from the Zhou family, the Wang family, and people from the royal family who shared the same surname, she and the Second Prince couldn't order them around casually.
The more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable Shi Feixian became. Especially when the Second Prince stood in front of her. She couldn't help but curse the Second Prince in her heart. Did he have a brain? Wasn't he telling these people that the relationship between them was beyond the normal relationship between a man and a woman?
She thought for a while and walked out from behind Jiang Luo as if nothing had happened. She bowed to Ban Han and the others and said, "What a coincidence today. Are you all here to enjoy the spring scenery? Why did you come here right after the Second Prince? "
"Ban Han, you brought these people to follow me?" Hearing Shi Feixian's words, Jiang Luo suddenly realized that there couldn't be such a coincidence in the world. He had just talked to Miss Shi, and these people had appeared. Obviously, they had followed him here.
"Your Highness, please forgive us. We saw that you only brought a few eunuchs into the mountain. We were worried that something might happen to you, so we followed you here." Zhou Changxiao had heard the rumor that the Second Prince had broken Ban Han's arm. He was worried that the Second Prince would go crazy again, so he said, "Your Highness, please investigate."
With so many young masters and young ladies present, it would be too much to say that they followed the Second Prince. They wouldn't take the blame, and the Second Prince didn't have the ability to force them to take the blame. They were playboys, not idiots. The Second Prince wasn't the Emperor or the Crown Prince. He didn't have the ability to turn a deer into a horse.
Besides, one of them was a bridegroom who was about to get married, and the other was an unmarried woman. What could they not do in the wilderness? What couldn't they see? This forest wasn't a forbidden area for the Imperial Family. Why couldn't they come here?
"Hmph." The Second Prince snorted and pointed at Ban Han. "Zhou Changxiao, get out of my way. Ban Han, tell me clearly. What do you mean by I'm crazy? How dare you offend your superior? Do you have any respect for the Imperial Family? "
"Today is the wedding day of Your Highness, but you have a rendezvous with another woman in the forest. Normal people wouldn't do such a thing." Ban Han raised his chin and pointed at his head. "If you think I'm wrong, you can report what happened today to the Emperor or the Empress. I'm willing to be punished."
"You!" Jiang Luo didn't dare to let the Emperor Yunqing know about this, and he didn't dare to let his mother know. If his mother knew what he had done, not only would he be punished, but she would also hate Fei Xian. Therefore, he didn't dare to take the risk, so he could only swallow his anger.
"Your Highness, I think you might have misunderstood." Shi Feixian forced a smile. "I just happened to meet the Second Prince."
"Miss Shi, you don't have to explain such a trivial matter to us." Ban Han shook his index finger and seemed to be very easygoing. "As long as the Second Princess believes you, it's fine."
Shi Feixian's expression changed slightly, and then he smiled apologetically. "As long as you don't misunderstand me, the Second Princess won't have any misunderstandings."
Did he mean that they shouldn't talk nonsense?
The playboys raised their eyebrows. When had they ever been reasonable in their lives? When had they ever listened to what others said?
"A fair lady is a gentleman's dream. Miss Shi is the most beautiful woman in Daye, so it's normal for others to fall in love with you." A noble lady who had a grudge with Shi Feixian covered her mouth and laughed. "It's not your fault. We all understand."
Ever since the Prince of Aipo mistook Ban Han as the most beautiful woman, Shi Feixian's title as the most beautiful woman in Daye became a joke. Shi Feixian didn't want others to call her that anymore. As long as she heard "the most beautiful woman," she would remember the great shame she had suffered outside the palace that day.
The playboys laughed in unison. Their laughter was like a slap to Shi Feixian's face.
Shi Feixian didn't have much of a friendship with these playboys. She felt that these people were degenerate and looked down on them. However, the playboys also felt that Shi Feixian and Shi Jin were hypocrites and were just hypocrites. They didn't like each other and didn't usually hang out together.
In their eyes, what Shi Feixian had done was like stealing their good friend's woman. It was something they disdained to do the most.
"Shut up!" The second prince couldn't stand by and watch these playboys bully Shi Feixian. He said with a sullen face, "You don't have to be so sarcastic when you talk."
The playboys rolled their eyes. Although they didn't quarrel with the second prince directly, they still expressed their unyielding spirit with their eyes.
"Your Highness," Ban Han glanced at Shi Feixian indifferently. "Miss Xie is your bride today. You should go back to the palace now."
"Who do you think you are? I don't need you to tell me what to do," the second prince said with disgust. "You're an engaged woman. You should stay at home and wait for a man to marry you. Don't break off the engagement again. This time, no one will help you find a good man to marry."
Shi Feixian subconsciously felt that these words were inappropriate. With Ban Han's temper, the second prince's words might cause trouble.
Ban Han looked at the second prince faintly. "Yes, my grandmother was assassinated. Your Highness, I guess you're very disappointed with this result."
The second prince didn't understand what Ban Han meant, but Shi Feixian understood.
Ban Han was implying that the second prince was dissatisfied with Princess Royal De Ning for helping His Majesty block the assassins. As a prince, why would he be dissatisfied with this? Was he looking forward to His Majesty's death?
No one could bear this accusation, especially the princes.
Shi Feixian turned to look at the second prince. Seeing that he still hadn't reacted, he opened his mouth. Then he remembered that he supported the crown prince's ascension, so he pretended that he didn't understand and silently lowered his head.
"Your Highness!" The little eunuch serving Jiang Luo anxiously looked at him. If you don't speak at this time, it means you're admitting it!
Jiang Luo looked at the anxious eunuch in confusion. He stared at Ban Han and said, "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything. Your Highness, it's fine as long as you understand." Ban Han lightly bowed to the second prince. "Since Your Highness has something to discuss with Miss Shi and isn't alone, I'm relieved. Goodbye."
Jiang Luo never understood. Ban Han was good-looking, so why was she so unlikable?
She had been like this since they were children. He was closer to Ban Han in age, but she liked to stick to the crown prince. Later, when the crown prince got married, Ban Han didn't like to come to the harem. Even if she did go to the palace, she would only see his father and mother. She didn't interact with them in private anymore.
As a result, he always felt that women like Ban Han knew who to please and who to ignore. As long as he and the crown prince were together, Ban Han knew how to please the crown prince. This was because she knew from childhood that the crown prince was more honorable than him.
Jiang Luo hated Ban Han since he was a child. Later, when he grew up and could leave the palace, he met many women. Only then did he realize that not all women in the world were like Ban Han. The Shi Family's daughter was gentle and considerate. Even a little beggar on the side of the road could arouse her pity. She was like the warmest spring water, softening his entire body.
He liked the Shi Feixian as much as he hated Ban Han. Because what the Shi Feixian had was something that Ban Han didn't have.
Seeing that Ban Han wanted to leave, Jiang Luo sneered, "You're a meddlesome person. You should get out of here."
Everyone frowned when they heard this. They were all of noble birth. Even the most ungentlemanly dandy would have to maintain a certain degree of politeness in front of a lady. The Second Prince actually dared to speak to a lady in such a manner. It was really …
Originally, they thought that the second prince was exaggerating when he broke Princess Fule's arm. Now, it seemed that the rumor wasn't false.
"Your Highness, I won't get out of here." Ban Han looked at the Shi Feixian with a faint smile. "There's a saying that a turtledove occupies a magpie's nest. What's Miss Shi?"
The Shi Feixian's expression changed. "Princess, please pay attention to your words."
"Miss Shi's words are really strange. Did I say something wrong?" Ban Han clapped with a smile. "I've always thought that Miss Shi is a rare woman. She can speak freely with the second son of the Xie Family and become close friends. She can also … appreciate the second prince. That's right, how many people in this world are able to have so many knots in their hearts towards Uncle Cheng An, to be speechless? "
"Second Son of the Xie Family?" Everyone looked at Ban Han in surprise. Was Second Son of the Xie Family involved in this?
Ban Li was a lively person who loved to play, but everyone knew that she had a special characteristic, which was that she would never easily speak ill of any girl. If she didn't like someone, she would directly say that her personality didn't match with that person's, but she wouldn't speak carelessly.
Now that she could say this in front of the Shi Feixian, it was obvious that it really happened.
"Don't, don't talk nonsense," the Shi Feixian said in a shrill voice. "Ban Han, don't force me."
"Miss Shi is really interesting. Last year, Second Son of the Xie Family fell and hurt his eyes on the way back from delivering a poetry collection to you. Then, a few days later, the rumor became that I was a jinx to him." Ban Han spread her hands. "Xie Qilin and I broke off our engagement two years ago. What kind of jinx is this? What kind of husband is he? Don't you think it makes sense?"
The Shi Feixian trembled with anger at Ban Han. She said stubbornly, "You're talking nonsense. I don't know what poetry collection is."
"God knows whether you know it or not. You know it, and Second Son of the Xie Family, who delivered the poetry collection, knows it." Ban Han chuckled. "By the way, did Second Son of the Xie Family tell you that the handwritten poetry collection he gave you was originally from my Ban Family?"
The Shi Feixian was stunned. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"Your Highness," Xie Qilin walked in from outside the forest. He glanced at the Shi Feixian and bowed to the Second Prince and Ban Han. "The past has already become a thing of the past. Please don't mention it again."
"Who do you think you are? You think you can just tell my sister not to mention it?" Ban Han rolled her eyes. "Your face is so big that three masks can't fit it."
Ban Han smiled. "Today is really a good day. Even a secluded bamboo forest is so lively."
"Xie Qilin, did you really hurt your eyes on the way back from delivering the poetry collection to Miss Shi?" Jiang Luo was a man. Even though he was about to get married, he didn't want the woman he liked to have an ambiguous relationship with another man.
Xie Qilin cupped his hands to Jiang Luo and said, "Your Highness, you should go back to the palace."
He didn't come here to quarrel with Jiang Luo over a woman. He came here to complain about the injustice his sister suffered. He glanced at the Shi Feixian beside Jiang Luo calmly, as if he was looking at a stranger.
"Why are you in such a hurry? The auspicious hour hasn't arrived yet." Jiang Luo said impatiently. "Tell me first. Did you deliver the poetry collection to Miss Shi or not?"
The Shi Feixian looked at Xie Qilin with a pale face and a pleading look in her eyes.
Xie Qilin moved his eyes away and said slowly, "No."
Jiang Luo breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head to look at Ban Han. "Why do you want to smear Miss Shi's reputation?"
"Your Highness, how can I smear her reputation as a woman?" Ban Han sighed. "You're the groom-to-be. If you meet her in this dense forest, you'll smear Miss Shi's reputation. Miss Shi is as pure as the moon in the sky. How can she have a tryst with her good sister's husband? Don't you think so? "
Hearing this, the Shi Feixian gnashed her teeth in hatred towards Ban Han. However, she knew that the more she spoke, the easier it would be for her to be caught. She didn't understand. Only she and Xie Qilin knew that Xie Qilin had sent her poetry collection. Where did Ban Han find out about it?
Could it be that their servants couldn't keep their mouths shut?
Ban Han's words made many people laugh. Yes, Miss Shi was so beautiful, so otherworldly, and so well-mannered. How could she be so intimate with a man who was about to get married today? Especially when the bride was her good sister.
"Your Highness …"
"Shut up!" Ban Han's smile faded. She looked at Xie Qilin mockingly. "I feel disgusted when I see you. Don't talk to me."
Xie Qilin's lips trembled. He didn't say anything.
"As a man, you're incompetent. As a son, you're unfilial. As an elder brother, you … "Ban Han waved her hand." Forget it. I don't want to talk to you. Anyway, if my brother was a man like you, I would have kicked him out long ago. I don't want him to embarrass himself outside. "
Ban Heng: "?"
"Sister," Ban Heng ingratiatingly moved to Ban Han's side. "I've always been obedient."
Ban Han patted his head. "Yes. That's why I didn't kick you."
Xie Qilin was silent for a long time. Then, he bowed deeply to Ban Han and said, "Your Highness, I'm sorry."
After all, he had wronged her. This was a fact that couldn't be changed.
Jiang Luo felt that today's matter was a little strange. He had just come out to relax and coincidentally met the Shi Feixian. However, the development of the situation didn't seem right.
Xie Qilin didn't talk back despite being ridiculed by Ban Han. No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like nothing had happened. Also, what Ban Han had said about Miss Shi, Xie Qilin, and Cheng Anbo. Was she really lying?
Cheng Anbo was Ban Han's fiancé. Ban Han shouldn't have lied about her future husband.
But didn't Miss Shi say that the rumor that she liked Cheng Anbo was just a rumor? She wasn't interested in love. She was only interested in landscapes, poems, and paintings.
Although he didn't like Ban Han, every time she said something, he couldn't help but think about it. What if … what she said was true?
"You …" Jiang Luo turned around to look at the Shi Feixian. Seeing her teary eyes and wanting to say something, he suddenly felt irritated. He said to the eunuch beside him, "Forget it. Let's go back to the palace." Anyway, she was a woman that he wasn't destined to marry. What was the point of thinking about it? She was the daughter of the Prime Minister. It was impossible for her to marry him as a concubine.
"Farewell, Your Highness." The Shi Feixian curtsied to the Second Prince. However, this time, Jiang Luo didn't look back. He directly left the bamboo forest.
"The show is over. We should go." Ban Han lazily said to the Shi Feixian. "Miss Shi, take care of yourself."
"Your Highness," the Shi Feixian called out to Ban Han. "I don't understand. Why are you always against me?"
Ban Han raised her eyebrows. "Just take it that I'm jealous of your beauty."
"Pfft!"
Someone couldn't help but laugh. The Shi Feixian's face suddenly became very ugly.
When Ban Han appeared, she was always surrounded by people. When she left, she was also surrounded by people. After she left with those rich playboys, the bamboo forest quieted down.
Xie Qilin said to the Shi Feixian, "Goodbye."
"Wait." The Shi Feixian called out to Xie Qilin. Her eyes were slightly red. "Are you secretly laughing at me like them?"
"Miss Shi," Xie Qilin looked at the dried bamboo leaves on the ground and said calmly, "I don't have any thoughts. Please don't misunderstand."
"It's not that you don't have any thoughts. You're just blaming me, right?" The Shi Feixian couldn't help crying and laughing at the same time. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have quarreled with Ban Han. The Xie Family and the Ban Family wouldn't have become enemies. The Ban Family is narrow-minded and likes to hold grudges. If it weren't for their revenge, the Xie Family wouldn't have encountered so many problems. Therefore, I'm the cause of all these problems. It's reasonable for you to blame me. "
"I can only blame myself." Xie Qilin interrupted the Shi Feixian. "I was young and ignorant. The mistakes I made can't be made up for."
"If Miss Shi really feels sorry for me, please stay away from the Second Prince. He's my sister's husband. I only have one sister. I can't bear to see her being betrayed by her good friend and her husband." Xie Qilin raised his head and looked at the Shi Feixian. "Can you do that?"
The Shi Feixian awkwardly avoided Xie Qilin's eyes. "Am I such a person in your eyes?"
Xie Qilin didn't say anything. The only answer to the Shi Feixian was silence.
"Okay, I understand!" The Shi Feixian said self-mockingly. "You're blaming me after all."
The wind blew and the bamboo forest rustled. Xie Qilin stood there like an emotionless puppet.
"Xie Qilin, back then … did you really love me that much? Did you really not have any feelings for Ban Han?" The Shi Feixian suddenly asked. "You said you didn't blame me, but in your heart, you did. Just now, your eyes were fixed on Ban Han. I'm afraid you didn't even notice it. "
Xie Qilin moved his shoulders. He touched his silver mask and said lightly, "Miss Shi, you can think whatever you want. Goodbye."
The Shi Feixian looked at Xie Qilin's back and laughed self-mockingly.
Xie Qilin had given her a portrait years ago. In the portrait, she was standing under a willow tree like an immortal. However, she didn't like the portrait at all. In the portrait, there were large peonies embroidered on her skirt. They were very beautiful and gorgeous.
But she never wore dresses with peonies, and she didn't like gorgeous and complicated hairstyles. The person in the portrait was her, not her.
Xie Qilin had told her that he loved her, but did he really love her as much as he said he did?
"Duke," Du Jiu approached Rong Xia, who was drinking and chatting with other officials, and whispered a few words to him.
The smile on Rong Xia's face didn't change. He just nodded silently.
Du Jiu clasped his hands in salute to the officials at the same table, and then retreated outside.
After the Second Prince's wedding, Rong Xia would officially take up a post in the Ministry of Personnel. Therefore, the Six Ministers and the two Prime Ministers were sitting at the same table. These eight people had different thoughts and even different standpoints. However, on the surface, they all looked harmonious, as if they had never had any political conflicts.
When the wedding procession left the palace, the eight people at the table all knew that the Second Prince didn't personally go to welcome the bride. However, no one brought it up. They only talked about unrelated topics to pass the time.
"Taking advantage of this auspicious day, this old man would like to take the liberty to ask Duke Rong, when will we be able to drink your wedding wine?" Shi Chonghai smiled gently, as if he didn't know that Yan Hui's second son was making a fuss over Rong Xia's fiancée.
Yan Hui heard Shi Chonghai's words and didn't even bat an eyelid.
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