"Marquis Shi, you must be joking. Princess Fule is still in mourning. How can I talk about this when she is grieving?" Rong Xia laughed. "I like the princess, so how can I bear to let her be wronged? This article is written by … " "First."
Shi Chonghai laughed. "Yes, yes. I forgot that Princess Fule is still in mourning. Cheng Anbo will have to suffer. He has waited for a long time. "
"To be able to marry Princess Fule is already a blessing of three lifetimes. No matter how long I have to wait, I will gladly endure it."
Shi Chonghai heard this and felt goosebumps all over his body. These words sounded nice. He had taken the moral high ground, yet others still had to praise him.
Originally, everyone wanted to use Rong Xia to make fun of Princess Fule. However, when they remembered that Princess Fule was still in mourning, they, who were well-versed in poetry and etiquette, couldn't use this as a joke. Otherwise, it would be considered unruly.
As a result, Shi Chonghai, who brought up this topic at the beginning, seemed a little embarrassed. Fortunately, the people at the same table changed the topic, so the atmosphere was quite good.
However, Rong Xia didn't seem to want to let Shi Chonghai off the hook. He said casually, "Marquis Shi has a pair of outstanding children. I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry into the Marquis Shi's family?"
Shi Jin was about the same age as Rong Xia. He hadn't married in all these years. Second Miss Shi was also seventeen or eighteen years old. It wasn't too early to talk about marriage.
Shi Chonghai chuckled. "Marriage is important. We can't be careless. Take it slow. There's no rush."
Rong Xia said thoughtfully, "Lord Shi is right."
The people at the same table suddenly understood. It was rumored that Shi Chonghai wanted his eldest son to marry Princess Fule. However, it didn't happen for some reason. Looking at Shi Chonghai's expression, it was likely that this wasn't a rumor.
Although His Majesty had a few daughters, the only one who was truly valued by the Emperor and Empress was Princess Anle, the daughter of the Empress. Although Princess Anle once had a husband, the Emperor's daughter did not have to worry about marriage. Although Princess An Le was older than Shi Jin by a few years, a woman who was three years older than Shi Jin was a golden diamond. Not to mention that she was older by a few years, even if she was older by ten years, it would still be a good thing if he could marry her.
At this moment, the way everyone looked at Shi Chonghai became a bit subtle. Buying a son or daughter for glory was indeed not a matter of high or low status.
Outside the palace, the group of hedonistic sons who had finished watching the show were no longer in the mood to enjoy the spring scenery. The first thing they did when they returned to the capital was to share this shocking secret with their friends and family. But for things like secrets, if too many people knew about it, it would no longer be a secret. It would become a rumor that everyone knew.
Within a day, the news of the second prince meeting Marquis Shi's second daughter in private on the day of his wedding spread throughout the upper circle of the capital. Hedonistic sons of rich families weren't like those gentlemen who didn't care about speaking ill of others. Besides, they weren't speaking ill of others, they were speaking the truth.
Once this matter spread, the second prince, the Shi Family, and the Xie Family were all affected. Especially for the Shi Feixian, this matter was simply trampling on her face. But she still couldn't stand up and explain.
If she explained, people would say that she flew into a rage out of humiliation. If she didn't explain, people would think that she was admitting it. Originally, the best source of this matter should have been the second prince, Jiang Luo. But Jiang Luo had never been a considerate person. After he returned to the palace, he felt that his feelings had been hurt by the Shi Feixian. He didn't care about the flood outside, or the consequences of the Shi Feixian falling into the rumors.
If this matter spread unpleasantly, at most the Emperor and Empress would punish him, and he would accompany his Xie Wanyu to a few more important occasions. The topic of him would naturally become a man who didn't know any better before marriage. As long as he turned over a new leaf after marriage, he would be a good man.
Moreover, he was a prince and didn't lack women at all. Why should he care about what others thought of him?
Things like rumors always spread more and more fiercely. By the time Ban Han heard about it, it had already become that the Shi Feixian had seduced many men in the capital. But she still had to pretend to be cold and noble, and those silly scholars wrote poems and paintings for her, as if she was an idiot.
Ban Han had also been surrounded by all kinds of rumors. But at that time, she didn't care about it. But whether the Shi Feixian could be as indifferent as she was, Ban Han didn't know. What Ban Han could be sure of was that from now on, the words "noble and noble" could no longer be used on the Shi Feixian.
All kinds of rumors about the Shi Feixian spread like wildfire, but very few people paid attention to the murder case of the Zhao Jia. Even Ban Han didn't hear about it. It wasn't until the officials of the Supreme Court came to his door that Ban Han found out that someone from the Zhao family had been killed.
The Vice Minister of the Supreme Court was a gentle man in his thirties. Although he came to inquire about the case, his attitude towards Ban Han was very respectful. Every word he said was carefully considered, for fear that Ban Han would be dissatisfied.
In fact, he didn't want to come to Jingting Duke's Mansion at all. He had long heard of the Princess Fule's fame of flogging the heartless man. He, who didn't even have the strength to truss a chicken, was very afraid of this kind of fierce woman. But the status of the other people in the Supreme Court wasn't high enough. If he rashly came to Jingting Duke's Mansion to inquire, he would be suspected of offending them. It wasn't suitable for his superior, the Supreme Court Chancellor, to come because it would be too serious. Originally, he only wanted to ask a few simple questions, but if he alarmed the Supreme Court Chancellor, then no matter how simple it was, it wouldn't be so simple anymore.
He didn't sleep the whole night. He tossed and turned in bed for a few hours before he mustered up the courage to visit the legendary and unreasonable Ban Family.
What he didn't expect was that the Ban Family's gatekeeper was very ordinary. He didn't look at him from the corner of his eyes, nor did he attack him with malicious words. Instead, he politely led him in. The inside of the mansion was indeed more exquisite and tasteful. But this was a Duke's Mansion, so it was normal to be a little more particular.
The servants and maids were all very well-behaved. None of them poked their heads out and ran around. In fact, they looked more spirited than the servants. Even the clothes on their bodies were better than the servants'.
"Lord Liu, please come this way." The gatekeeper led Lord Liu into the main hall and bowed to him. "Please."
Lord Liu saw that the Duke Of Jingting and his wife were sitting at the head of the table, while the Crown Prince and the Princess were sitting on either side. The four of them didn't look arrogant, but more curious and puzzled.
"Greetings to the Duke, Madam, Crown Prince and the Princess." Lord Liu bowed to Ban Huai. Ban Huai smiled and asked him to sit down. Seeing this bright smile, Lord Liu felt even more uneasy.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ban Huai finally asked about serious matters. "Lord Liu, may I know why you have come to my humble abode today?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'm here because of the murder of the Minister of Works, Zhao Jia."
"Who, who?" Ban Huai almost thought that there was something wrong with his ears. "Who was killed?"
"The Duke, it was the Minister of Works, Zhao Jia, Lord Zhao." Lord Liu observed Ban Huai's expression. The other party's eyes were slightly open, and he looked dumbfounded. It didn't seem like he was pretending. It seemed like he really didn't know about this. He turned to look at Princess Fule. She looked even more confused. It seemed like she didn't even know who Zhao Jia was.
Ban Huai was stunned for a while. Then, he said in disbelief, "Who did he offend outside?"
Otherwise, why would he be killed? Zhao Jia didn't have a high status in the Zhao family. He lived a life of eating and waiting for death in the Ministry of Works. He wasn't good at literature, nor was he good at martial arts. All he did was drink and gamble. What was the point of killing someone like him?
The disdain in Ban Huai's eyes was too obvious. Lord Liu couldn't pretend that he didn't see it. He explained in a low voice, "Lord Zhao's body was found outside a brothel alley. The person who found it was a scholar who failed the imperial examination."
Hearing this explanation, Ban Huai suddenly understood. Could it be that he was jealous of a courtesan and was killed in the end?
"According to the scholar's confession, we learned that your family's guards passed by with knives. So, as a matter of routine, I came to your residence to ask about it." Lord Liu had already found out that the two guards who happened to pass by were Princess Fule's people. His main target today was Ban Han.
"Madam, I've never been to such places." Ban Huai quickly turned to look at the Yin Clan. "You have to believe me."
In front of outsiders, the Yin Clan would never embarrass Ban Huai. She smiled gently and said, "I believe in my husband."
Ban Huai twisted his butt, feeling uncomfortable. But in front of the smiling faces of the Yin Clan, he didn't dare to say a word.
"You're talking about the night before yesterday?" Ban Han saw his father's restless appearance and didn't want him to be the scapegoat. He said, "Lord Liu, the two guards you mentioned should have been sent by me."
Lord Liu complained in his heart. You're a princess, why did you send guards to such a place? He couldn't ask, but he also couldn't not ask. It was really difficult.
"That day, I met a girl called Yunniang. I was worried that she would have an accident on her way back, so I sent guards to escort her." Ban Han thought for a moment. "Cheng Anbo and his guards were also there that day."
Hearing Cheng Anbo's name, Lord Liu believed a little. He also saw that Ban Han wasn't as mean and unreasonable as the rumors said. Instead, he was very reasonable. He relaxed and said, "Princess, please forgive this humble one for offending you. May I ask who this Yunniang is and what is her relationship with you?"
"She …" Ban Han thought for a moment. He didn't know how to describe her relationship with Yunniang. "She's the person that the second son of the Xie family eloped with."
Lord Liu, "???"
The person that the second son of the Xie family eloped with? In other words, the woman who stole Princess Fule's man and seduced the second son of the Xie family to elope with her was the Yunniang that the Princess Fule mentioned? If that was the case, why was the Princess Fule worried that she would have an accident and specially sent guards to escort her back? Wasn't she supposed to be enemies with that Yunniang?
Shen Yu was whipped by the Princess Fule because she broke off the engagement with the Princess Fule. That Yunniang caused the Princess Fule to lose so much face, but she didn't take revenge?
Seeing that Lord Liu was obviously very conflicted but still pretended that nothing was wrong, Ban Han couldn't help but laugh out loud. She said, "Lord Liu, Yunniang is just a prostitute. She's in deep trouble. If someone offers her a hand, she will naturally grab it tightly. I won't lower myself to her level. "
Lord Liu laughed dryly. "Princess, you have a Bodhisattva's heart. This humble official admires you."
Ban Han rolled his eyes. What Bodhisattva's heart? It was just that the Ban Family always believed that every wrong had its perpetrator and every debt had its debtor. What was the use of venting his anger on a prostitute? The one who was truly immoral was Xie Qilin.
"Princess, this humble official still has one thing that I don't understand. Please enlighten this humble official."
"Lord Liu, please speak frankly." Ban Han nodded slightly. "I will tell you everything I know."
"This humble official heard that Princess has been by General Ban's side for many years and has dabbled in riding and shooting weapons. Do you know if the sharp blade that caused this wound was a knife or a sword?" Lord Liu had never thought of Ban Han as the murderer. Not to mention that the Ban Family and the Zhao Family had a good relationship, just based on the Ban Family's identity and status, what was the use of killing the Zhao Family? Was it for fun? Was it to bring bad luck to the Second Prince's wedding?
Even if they wanted to bring bad luck, they wouldn't use such a stupid method.
He took out two pieces of paper. One of the pieces of paper had several types of weapons that the Supreme Court had drawn. The other piece of paper had the front and back of a man's upper body, with the location and shape of the wound drawn on it.
Ban Han took the paper and carefully looked at the weapons on it. He then looked at the wound and slowly shook his head. "I haven't seen the real wound, so I can't be sure. I'm not afraid that Lord Liu will laugh at me. Although I have learned a lot from my grandfather, I'm only an armchair strategist. If I say something wrong, Lord Liu, please don't laugh at me. "
When Lord Liu heard this, his impression of Ban Han became even better. Who was the one who smeared Princess Fule's reputation? Wasn't she a good girl?
"Princess, please speak. This humble official is all ears." Lord Liu looked at Ban Han expectantly.
Ban Han asked him a few more questions, such as how did the blood splatter, the color of the wound, and whether it was turned inside out. In the end, Ban Han shook his head. "Lord Liu, I'm afraid none of these weapons is the real one."
Lord Liu immediately became spirited. "What do you think, Princess?"
Ban Han asked the servant to bring a pen and paper. He then drew a picture of the weapon. "I think it looks a bit like the weapons used by foreign tribes."
Lord Liu took the paper and looked at the crooked picture. He couldn't tell if it was a knife, a sword, or a whip. He asked politely, "What's the name of this weapon?"
"Name?" Ban Han looked at Lord Liu in confusion. "This is a type of knife commonly used by the Aipo people. It doesn't have a name. Isn't that Aipo prince still shamelessly staying in Daye? You should know when you ask him. "
Lord Liu suddenly understood. He stood up and bowed to Ban Han. "Thank you for answering my question, Princess. I'll take my leave now."
Ban Han hurriedly said, "This is just my guess. It's not accurate. If it's wrong, don't blame me."
Lord Liu saw Princess Ban's expression that said, "I helped you, but don't screw me over." He said solemnly, "Please don't worry, Princess."
"That's good." Ban Han had always remembered one of the rules that her grandmother had taught her. She didn't want to take responsibility blindly for no reason. Seeing that Lord Liu was so tactful, Ban Han asked, "What's your name?"
"Princess, my surname is Liu, my name is Banshan, and my courtesy name is Qingfeng." Lord Liu bowed respectfully to Ban Han.
Ban Han nodded. "I'll remember it. You can go back to your work."
He was only in his early thirties, but he was already the Vice Minister of the Supreme Court. He was also very particular about his words and actions. Even if there was a change of dynasty in the future, his life wouldn't be too bad.
Liu Banshan didn't understand why Princess Fule was looking at him with a gratified and admiring expression. However, he still respectfully bowed to her before leaving, thinking that she was Lord Liu's fiancée and his future wife.
After Liu Banshan left, the solemn expressions on the faces of the four members of the Ban Family collapsed. Ban Heng said with a shocked expression, "The Zhao Family was actually killed with a foreign weapon on the eve of the Second Prince's wedding. Is someone deliberately trying to sow discord between Daye and the affiliated countries?"
"I told you that eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling is not a good thing." Yin Clan glanced at her husband and son. "Look at what's so good about this. He died with no glory. When people talk about him in the future, they will think that he died in a brothel. It was a disgrace even to his death. "
"He's already dead. Who cares if he's disgraced or not?" Ban Heng whispered. "Besides, Zhao Jia wasn't a famous person. How many people in the capital would know him?"
"Based on what you said, you still think that he didn't do anything wrong?" Yin Clan raised her eyebrows. A pair of beautiful phoenix eyes swept over Ban Heng. Ban Heng couldn't help but tremble. "No, no, I'm saying that there's no meaning in living for such a person. He died without a reason. We should be vigilant."
"If people die without a good death, then they won't be able to rest in peace." Ban Han sighed. "Brother Heng, you're still too young."
"Don't scold your brother. You should use your brain more." Yin Clan stared at Ban Han. "You're a girl. Even if you don't trust others, you should let the guards in the mansion send them off. If you send your personal guards over, other people will see them and gossip about you. Do you think it'll be nice? "
"Anyway, people outside always like to gossip about me. If they want to gossip about me, then talk about me alone. Why should I implicate the whole family?" Ban Han felt that it was a good deal for him to do this. "How can I implicate my family over such a small matter?"
"You and your brother have done many things that implicate the whole family since you were young." Yin Clan said indifferently. "Don't talk nonsense. The next time you do something without thinking, you and your brother will go kneel in front of the ancestral tablets."
Ban Han and Ban Heng both fell silent. They secretly glanced at Ban Huai. As the head of the family and the father of two children, Ban Huai silently lowered his head. He adhered to the excellent style of not saying a word even if he was beaten to death. He was determined not to speak up for his children.
For such a small matter in the family, if Madam said it was fine, then it was better for him not to meddle.
Ban Han and Ban Heng were speechless.
The rumors outside the palace eventually reached the palace. After Xie Wanyu heard the story from the servants, she bent a silver hairpin. Especially when she heard that her second older brother's eyes were damaged because he fell while delivering a poetry collection to the Shi Feixian, Xie Wanyu's expression became even more gloomy.
So it turned out that her second older brother was involved with the Shi Feixian. She was the only one who foolishly worried about her second older brother and even hated Ban Han.
She felt betrayed. Betrayed by her best friend, betrayed by her biological older brother. This kind of blow was somewhat unbearable. Looking at her pale face in the mirror, Xie Wanyu threw the bent silver hairpin on the dressing table. With trembling hands, she opened the lipstick box and put some lipstick on her lips.
In this world, no one treated her sincerely. She could only rely on herself.
The bright red lipstick, pink rouge, and ink-like eyebrows concealed the emotions in her heart layer by layer.
Not only was she Xie Wanyu, but she was also the Second Prince's wife.
After the flowers fell and spring passed, the weather in the capital became strange. It suddenly became warm and cold. In the morning, one had to wear thick clothes, but in the afternoon, it would be unbearably hot. Therefore, at this time of the year, the nobles would be extra careful in case they caught a cold.
Every day, the Ban Family boiled medicine to prevent colds. Regardless of whether Ban Han and Ban Heng liked it or not, they had to be watched by the Yin Clan and forced to drink a bowl of medicine every day. Otherwise, they couldn't even go out.
After swallowing a large bowl of medicine with great difficulty, Ban Han almost covered his mouth and vomited. Even though he rinsed his mouth several times, the smell of medicine still lingered in his mouth.
Although the mourning period had long passed, ever since the Princess Royal passed away, Ban Han had never worn red or purple clothes again. Today, when she went out, she wore a bluish-green dress. She also avoided wearing a bright hairpin in her hair, but her beauty wasn't hidden in the slightest.
Bright and beautiful, light and gentle. The most important thing was to look at the face.
Prince A Keqi, who had just come out of the restaurant, saw Ban Han from afar. Although he had only seen Ban Han a few times, he had a very deep impression of her. This was because this was the woman who let him know that the nobles of Daye had a different aesthetic from the Aipo people.
After coming to Daye for almost half a year, he still felt that this princess was more beautiful than the Marquis Shi's daughter. However, he was afraid of being laughed at, so he had always kept this thought to himself. But today, when he saw Ban Han, he was still a little excited. He couldn't help but run in front of Ban Han.
"Princess, I am Tu Aqi. Do you still remember me?"
Seeing the curly-haired young man address himself as "I" and "Your Highness", Ban Koei tilted his head and looked at him for a moment. He asked with a smile, "Are you the Prince of Aipo?"
"Princess, you have a good memory. We haven't seen each other for a long time, but you still remember me." Tu Aqi scratched his head in embarrassment. His curly hair also bounced. "Did you also come out to watch the cuju?"
"Cuju?" Ban Han was stunned for a moment. Only then did she remember that every four or five months, some of the noble children in the capital would go to cuju or play polo. It often attracted the attention of the common people. Hearing Tu Aqi's words, she was afraid that some of the noble children were playing polo today.
"No, I just came out to take a look." Ban Han shook her head. "The Prince wants to watch the game?"
Tu Aqi said embarrassedly: "Yes, I just couldn't find the place."
Aipo was a small country that wasn't very rich. In order to gain the trust of the Emperor of Daye and to learn the advanced knowledge of Daye, he had to thicken his skin and think of ways to stay in the capital. But in order to not offend the Emperor of Daye, he didn't dare to keep too many people by his side. Now, all the people accompanying him added up to less than 20 people.
He heard people say that nobles with high status in Daye had dozens of people serving them, not to mention the servants and various guards at home. When he heard this, he was envious. In Aipo, even his father didn't have such a luxurious life.
For example, the princess he saw now had more than 10 people following behind her. They were probably all her followers.
After staying here for a long time, he found that there were too many cultures in Daye. Even if he stayed here for 10 years, he wouldn't be able to learn everything. Also, he didn't understand the various entertainment methods of the nobles. He couldn't even find a way to watch the fun.
"Okay, then I'll take you there." Ban Han saw Tu Aqi's pitiful appearance and felt a rare kindness. "Come, follow me."
Tu Aqi's face lit up. He thanked the princess repeatedly. "Thank you, princess."
The two guards behind him also bowed. But the way they bowed was a little strange. It seemed that they weren't used to Daye's etiquette.
"Minister, the case at the Supreme Court has been closed," an official from the Ministry of Personnel said. "Lord Zhao Jia had a dispute with someone. The murderer had a grudge and hired two foreigners who didn't have a household registration in the capital to assassinate Zhao Jia."
There were many loopholes in this case. But since the Emperor said to close the case, then the Supreme Court could only find a reason to close the case.
Everyone knew that the two foreigners who didn't even have a household registration didn't know the shift schedule of the patrolling army. It was impossible for them to avoid the patrolling army. But the Emperor wanted to protect the person behind the scenes. As officials, they could only pretend not to know.
The official from the Ministry of Personnel still wanted to say something. Suddenly, he paused and couldn't help but ask, "In front … is that Princess Fule?"
After saying this, he realized that this princess was the fiancée of the Minister and immediately shut his mouth.
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