"Did she really say that?"
"Yes." The Commander of the Imperial Guards saw that His Majesty's expression was complicated. "Also, my subordinates discovered that the Second Princess Consort and Princess Fule seem to have an old grudge."
"You forgot that the Second Prince of the Xie Family was once engaged to Princess Fule. Later, the Second Prince of the Xie Family eloped with someone else. The engagement between the Xie Family and the Ban Family was annulled, and the two families became enemies." In the beginning, he, as the Emperor, had taken sides in the grudge between the two families. He had secretly protected the Ban Family. Ever since this incident, the Xie Family's reputation in the capital had greatly decreased.
"The Xie Family is not bold enough, but they have many ideas and are even more daring." Emperor Yunqing put his hands behind his back. "If it wasn't for the Second Prince being so absurd, I wouldn't have found him such a family."
He looked down on the Xie Family, but at the same time, he found his son a wife from the Xie Family. This kind of attitude made people feel as if he had picked up the Second Prince from outside the palace.
They said that he favored the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince's days were not very good. He was detained in the Eastern Palace and was criticized from all sides.
The Commander of the Imperial Guards didn't say anything because he knew that His Majesty didn't need talkative subordinates. As the Commander of the Imperial Guards, he had another identity. He was the leader of His Majesty's secret investigation team.
Those things that couldn't be done openly were all done by him.
The people outside gave these secret agents a name: the Black-Clothed Guards. This was because when they appeared, they were often silent. Even if someone saw them, they would wear black clothes and black masks. No one would recognize them.
The Eldest Prince of the Xie Family, Xie Chongjin, had sent people to assassinate Ban Huai. This made him very confused. When did the struggle between nobles become so simple and crude?
What he didn't understand even more was why His Majesty had helped Xie Chongjin deal with the clues. As the Emperor, there were many ways to deal with disobedient officials. Why did he choose this method? This way, he not only dragged the Ban Family and the Shi Family into the water, but also let the real culprit go unpunished.
Didn't His Majesty dote on the Ban Family?
This kind of use of the Ban family to drag the Shi family down but not let the Xie family get any dirty water did not seem like a doting attitude.
"We have so many descendants, but only Princess Fule is to our liking."
That's right, this Junzhu is so much to your liking. When you deceived her father, didn't you do the same?
"Alas," Emperor Yunqing suddenly sighed. His old face was full of fatigue. "It is a pity that he is not my son, nor is he my son. Otherwise, I would have another great general under my command."
"Forget it. The second prince is so preposterous. It's time for me to teach him a lesson." Emperor Yunqing lost interest in talking when he saw that the commander couldn't say a word.
A day later, Emperor Yunqing drafted two imperial edicts and had the officials of the Ministry of Rites read them out in court. He gave the second prince the title of Prince Ning, and Jin Cheng Anbo and Rong Xia the title of Marquis Cheng'an.
After the second prince became regent, everyone expected that he would be given the title of Prince. It was just a matter of time. As for Cheng Anbo … … how did he get beaten up and become Marquis Cheng'an? If there was such a good thing in the world, they would also want to be beaten up.
However, a title was not something that could be obtained just because one wanted to. No one understood what His Majesty was doing. Ten days ago, Rong Xia was beaten up until he couldn't get out of bed. Now, he inexplicably gave someone a title. Could it be that he regretted it and was compensating Rong Xia?
That didn't seem right. It didn't make sense that Yao Shangshu and Rong Xia were both beaten up, but Rong Xia was the only one being compensated. Just because Rong Xia was good-looking, His Majesty couldn't be biased like this, right?
"All of you, stop guessing." The Evergreen King fiddled with a fan in his hand, appearing elegant and graceful. "I've heard something."
"What is it?" The officials all turned their heads curiously. When they saw that the speaker was the Changqing Of Gojoseon, they became even more curious.
No matter what, the Changqing Of Gojoseon was a relative of the imperial family. He definitely knew some imperial secrets that others didn't know.
Seeing the curious expressions on the officials' faces, the Changqing Of Gojoseon put away his fan and gently tapped his palm with a mysterious expression, "According to rumors, His Majesty summoned Princess Fule yesterday."
Summoning Princess Fule, what did it have to do with Cheng Anbo … Marquis Cheng An?
At first, no one reacted. However, when they saw the mysterious smile on the Changqing Of Gojoseon's face, they suddenly remembered that Marquis Cheng An was now Princess Fule's fiancé. If they thought about it carefully, they could be considered half a Ban Family.
In the entire capital, who didn't know that Princess Fule was definitely one of the few juniors that His Majesty doted on the most. Even those Junzhu surnamed Jiang and the illegitimate princesses could not compare to her in terms of status in front of His Majesty. She was even given the same title as His Majesty's most beloved daughter, Princess Anle. Was this the treatment that an ordinary relative of the imperial family could receive?
The Ban Family's current status was already peerless. However, His Majesty liked the Ban Family's Junzhu too much. How could he reward her? In any case, Rong Xia was Princess Fule's fiancé. Then, he would reward Rong Xia. In any case, the husband was honorable and the wife was noble. The higher Rong Xia's title was, the better it was for the Ban Han.
The Earl's status was too low, and he was beaten and lost face. Would he cause Princess Fule to lose face?
No matter, he would be promoted!
When the officials understood this, they were both envious and jealous. If a man married a great wife, he would be able to save ten years of his life.
Seeing the benefits that Rong Xia was receiving, and thinking about the Xie Family that almost married into the Ban Family, everyone couldn't help but feel a bit of ridicule. The only person that the Xie family could bring out right now was the daughter of the Princess. The others were either old, disabled, or useless. Unless the Second Prince ascended the throne and took control of the court, the Xie family could only be like this for the rest of their lives.
Originally, they thought that the two sons of the Xie Family were not bad. Who would have thought that the eldest son would be removed from his position as an official as soon as he returned to the capital. The second son was even more absurd. He eloped, offended the Ban Family, and caused His Majesty to be dissatisfied. From then on, his reputation plummeted. Who would dare to marry into the Xie Family?
As for whether or not the Second Prince could ascend the throne and firmly take control of the court, it would be … … difficult.
In Cheng Anbo fu, Rong Xia found that the doctor who was changing his medicine was a different person. This doctor was younger, and he had never seen him before. If it wasn't for the guards of the Ban Family personally bringing him here, he probably wouldn't have believed that this person was a doctor raised by the Ban Family.
"This one's teacher and Cao Dafu went to Yao Shang Shu fu to treat your injuries. Because the Earl's wounds are recovering well, teacher dared to let this one come down to change your medicine," the doctor who was changing the medicine said in a small voice as he applied medicine to Rong Xia, "Earl, your injuries are almost healed. You can follow the prescription that teacher gave you to replenish your qi and blood."
"Thank you for your trouble," Rong Xia nodded to him.
"I don't dare." The doctor hurriedly returned a bow, and turned his head to put the medicine back into his medicine box. Before he could say goodbye, he heard a servant of the Rong Family say that a ceremonial official had come from the palace to announce the edict.
Rong Xia put on an outer robe, and a servant helped him to the main hall.
The official who announced the edict was from the Ministry of Rites. When he saw Rong Xia come out, he first greeted him and then said, "Lord Rong, let me first congratulate you."
"Don't know … … what is the joy?" When Rong Xia saw the edict in his hand, he was about to kneel, but he was stopped by the official of the Ministry of Rites.
"Lord Rong, His Majesty said that because of your injuries, he will allow you to stand and listen to the edict."
"How can this be," Rong Xia made a posture that he had to kneel. The official of the Ministry of Rites supported him and said, "Lord Rong, this is His Majesty's verbal edict. If you kneel, wouldn't it be a waste of His Majesty's good intentions?"
"Ah," Rong Xia cupped his hands in the direction of the palace, "Many thanks for His Majesty's sympathy."
The official of the Ministry of Rites smiled, and then unfolded the edict in his hand, shook it, and read it out in a rhythmic tone.
In the first half of the edict, he praised Rong Xia's virtue and ability with all kinds of effusive words. In the end, he highlighted the main point, and that was, he, the Emperor, was going to promote Rong Xia to Marquis.
Rong Xia really didn't expect to receive such an edict. He was stunned for a moment, and then he bowed and thanked the official.
"Congratulations, Marquis Rong." The official of the Ministry of Rites bowed to Rong Xia, and the smile on his face was extremely warm.
"Thank you for making this trip." Rong Xia returned the bow. Du Jiu behind him gave the official and the accompanying personnel a pouch, which was glorified as tea money. Generally, no one would refuse this kind of money, and it could be considered as sharing in the auspicious atmosphere.
The official who announced the edict happily left, and was escorted by the Rong manor's servants all the way to the gate. He mounted his horse and said to a high-ranked eunuch accompanying him, "Marquis Rong's grace, even if he is injured, it doesn't diminish much."
"Isn't that so?" This eunuch looked to be in his twenties, and his smile was very pleasing. Almost no one in the palace dared to offend him, because he had a good teacher, the Minister of the Imperial Household, Wang De. People called him Wang Xizi, and it was said that this festive name was personally given by the Empress. "I feel that Marquis Rong's strength of character is admirable."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, and no longer mentioned Rong Xia's previous punishment.
"Aiyo." Wang Xizi suddenly shouted, patted his horse, and retreated to the side. When the eunuchs behind him saw this, they all did the same, even though they didn't know what had happened.
The official who announced the edict looked up in surprise, and only then did he know why Wang Gonggong hurriedly retreated. It turned out that Princess Fule was riding a horse in front of him.
The official who announced the edict was only a fifth-ranked official in the Ministry of Rites, and he didn't see Princess Fule many times. However, when he saw the white horse that Princess Fule was riding, he knew that her status was not low. This was because this type of horse was a tribute horse, and nobles who didn't have high status and weren't favored enough couldn't get one even if they begged for it. Even if they begged for it, they wouldn't dare to ride it on the streets.
"This servant greets Princess Fule." Wang Gonggong jumped off his horse and politely bowed to Ban Han, regardless of whether Ban Han could hear him or not.
"Stop."
Ban Han's horse stopped, and she lowered her head to look at the young man wearing dark blue eunuch robes. She tilted her head in thought, and then said: "You are Wang Xizi, gonggong who serves Her Majesty the Empress."
"Junzhu still remembers this servant, this servant is truly fortunate." Wang Xizi's face was full of surprise, and his eyes were shining as he looked at Ban Han, "I don't dare to use the word gonggong. Junzhu can just call this servant Xiao Xi-zi." To put it bluntly, if Princess Fule remembered his name, then it was the honor of these eunuchs.
Everyone in the palace was observant and alert. They knew which concubines were favored by the Emperor, which princes and princesses had bad temperaments, what taboos the Emperor had, which relatives of the imperial family had the most face in front of the Emperor and Empress. Any eunuch or palace maid who had a bit of knowledge knew all of this information clearly.
For example, this Princess Fule was a master that could not be offended. They would rather offend a concubine-born princess than make this noble master unhappy in the slightest. Two years ago, there was a palace maid who didn't have eyes and criticized Princess Fule's marriage. After being discovered by Princess Fule, Princess Fule only glanced at her and didn't say anything. But from then on, this palace maid, who originally had some face, became a palace maid who did rough work. He saw this palace maid a few days ago. She was old and ugly, how was she as delicate as she was two years ago?
It wasn't that Princess Fule wanted to make things difficult for her, but that someone knew that Princess Fule was unhappy and deliberately complained to Her Majesty the Empress in order to curry favor with Her Majesty the Empress and Princess Fule. It wasn't strange for people in the Inner Palace who couldn't control their mouths to end up like this.
Gossiping and worrying about clothes and jewelry were the lives of noble ladies. If a palace maid dared to do this, then it was the temperament of a young lady. The life of a servant girl was not one to pick a day to court death.
Even his master, Steward Wang, had specially told him about some noble masters that he couldn't offend. Princess Fule was definitely someone that he couldn't offend. Recently, his master had specially reminded him again and said that when he saw Princess Fule, he should be more respectful and attentive.
Although he didn't understand the reason, his master's words naturally wouldn't harm him. He just had to follow his master's instructions.
"In a few years, I should call you Daxizi," Ban Han couldn't help but laugh when he saw Wang Xizi's attentive appearance. "Where did you come from?"
"This servant has been serving in the Great Moon Palace recently and had the honor of accompanying the Minister of Rites to announce Marquis Cheng 'an's edict. We just came out of the Marquis Cheng' an residence." Wang Xizi said as he bowed deeply to Ban Han. "Congratulations, Junzhu."
Ban Han was stunned at first, then realized what this meant: "Marquis Cheng 'an, he was promoted?"
"Junzhu, that's true. Wang Xizi responded with a smile.
"I see," Ban Han took out a pouch and threw it to Wang Xizi, "This is for you to eat tea."
"Thank you for the reward, Junzhu." Wang Xizi held the pouch with both hands and looked up. Princess Fu Le had already gone far away on her horse. Behind her, her bodyguards were riding neatly behind her. She looked very imposing. Wang Xizi
This was a true noble daughter of a noble family. She was so generous.
After returning to the palace, Wang Xizi found Wang De and told Wang De about what he saw and heard today. After he finished speaking, he took out the pouch rewarded by Marquis Cheng 'an and Princess Fule and gave it to Wang De as a show of respect.
"Since it was given by Marquis and Junzhu, you should take good care of it." Wang De didn't accept his gift and just smiled, "It's your good fortune to be recognized by Princess Fule. This … "He said meaningfully," is a noble. "
Wang Xizi thought, born in an aristocratic family, with a noble bloodline, and a world-famous fiancé. Naturally, he was a noble that they couldn't afford to offend.
Rong Xia walked into Marquis Cheng 'an's residence. Although the servants in the residence looked happy, they didn't lose their sense of propriety. Rong Xia nodded in her heart. No wonder they were servants of a scholarly family. Their strength of character was so different from others.
"Junzhu," the housekeeper greeted her and saw that Ban Han was holding an oiled paper bag. The bag seemed to contain … candied fruit?
Ban Han nodded to the housekeeper and walked to Rong Xia's courtyard. Rong Xia could now read and write, but he couldn't move too much for fear of hurting his wound. When Rong Xia went in, he was sitting upright on a stool and reading a book. He did not dare to lean on anything. Ban Kiu looked at him and felt anxious for him.
"There's a joyous occasion today. How can you still read?" Ban Han stepped into the room and opened a half-closed window. "I met Wang Xizi from the palace on the way here. I learned that you were promoted. I didn't have a present with me, but I happened to see candied fruit on the roadside. I bought a few sticks for you to try."
Rong Xia put down his book and looked at Ban Han with a smile.
Ban Han put the paper bag on the table and walked behind Rong Xia. He carefully pulled open his collar and looked inside. "It's good to be young. I heard that the Lord Yao suffered a lot and almost lost his life."
Rong Xia looked at Ban Han. "Why would Huahua let the doctor help the Lord Yao?"
"Our family isn't a meddlesome family. But Miss Yao cried so hard. Plus, you and the Lord Yao were punished together. If you are completely fine and the Lord Yao is fine, no one will talk about it. If someone talks about it in the future, it won't be good for you."
Rong Xia was stunned. He didn't think that he was half the reason why the Ban Family got into trouble.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about people who didn't do anything." Ban Han took out a stick of candied fruit from the paper bag. It was actually seasonal fruit with boiled syrup. Some fruits were very sour, but the syrup was very sweet. Whether it tasted good or not depended on luck.
Ban Han bought this as a present. He bought some snacks for his mother when she went out to the street to coax the children at home.
Rong Xia took the stick of candied fruit. For a moment, he couldn't eat it.
"What's wrong?" Ban Han saw him staring at the candied fruit in a daze. He took out another stick of candied fruit from the paper bag and took a bite. It was so sour that his teeth fell out. "Bah, bah, bah."
Rong Xia put down the candied fruit and poured a cup of tea for her.
After drinking a few mouthfuls of tea, Ban Jin threw the candied fruit into the oiled paper bag. "You'd better not eat it, it doesn't taste good." She poked her face in embarrassment. "Well, I'll give you a new gift tomorrow."
"No, this is good." Rong Xia took a bite of the candied fruit. The fruit was indeed very sour. But after chewing a few more times, the syrup mixed with the fruit and the taste was not so bad.
"Don't eat it." Ban Han took the bamboo stick from his hand. "Are you stupid? I already said it's sour. Why are you still eating it?"
"It's not sour. It's very sweet." Rong Xia swallowed the candied fruit in his mouth and stuck out his tongue to lick the sugar residue around his mouth. "I like it very much."
"Cough!" Ban Han's eyes drifted, but the corner of her eyes unconsciously fell on the corner of Rong Xia's lips.
Sin, sin.
The quiet moment between the two didn't last long. It was interrupted by the servants.
"Count, Prime Minister Yan sent a congratulatory gift."
"Count, the Count Of Zhongping sent a congratulatory gift."
"Count, the Changqing Of Gojoseon sent a congratulatory gift."
The gifts came in a steady stream. One gift list after another was presented in front of Rong Xia. Almost all the influential people in the capital sent gifts.
"Jade toads?" Ban Han looked at a gift list. "Toads bring wealth. This is a blessing to make a fortune."
"And this, the authentic work of a calligrapher from the previous dynasty?" She was puzzled. "Isn't this authentic work in my house? Where did this authentic work come from? "
Rong Xia smiled and said, "Probably bought a fake one."
"That's not necessarily true. Maybe the one in my house is a fake." Ban Han put down the gift list and yawned. "I saw that in the past half a month, the people you often visited were those people. As for these people now …"
Ban Ni sneered, "They're all fence-sitters who sail according to the wind."
"I don't blame them." Rong Xia smiled faintly. "The Emperor's heart is unpredictable. They are also in a difficult position. It has been like this since ancient times. There is nothing to complain about. "
"You are open-minded. Anyway, I am narrow-minded." Ban Han stood up uninterestedly. "You have a lot of guests today. I won't disturb you."
"Okay." Rong Xia reached out and grabbed Ban Han's wrist. Although Ban Han was wearing gauze, it was early summer. Rong Xia could still feel the temperature under the gauze. "Why are you leaving? I am injured now. If you don't help me, I will have to look at these things alone."
"No, I have a housekeeper." Ban Han pulled her hand but didn't break away. "I won't look."
"Okay, I won't look. Can you sit with me for a while?" Rong Xia looked disappointed. "These gift lists are just ordinary things sent by those who are fickle. It doesn't matter whether you look at them or not. Huahua, you are a person who dares to love and hate. How can I bear to see you tired because of these small things? "
"I think you're the one who steers according to the wind," Ban Ti sat back on the stool, "People who steers according to the wind are indeed not likable, but the vulgar things they send are still likable." Ban Ti himself was a person who liked vulgar things, so he never disliked the vulgar things like jade and pearls.
Rong Xia's eyes lit up. "There are a lot of beautiful jewelry in the storeroom at home. If Huahua likes it, you can go ahead and choose. As long as you wear it, it will make these gems even more beautiful. "
Ban Han was a little tempted. However, when he remembered that he was still in mourning, his desire disappeared. "Then keep all the beautiful things for me."
"Okay." Rong Xia nodded repeatedly.
A middle-aged housekeeper who was walking to the door stopped and bowed. "Marquis."
"Wang Qü?" Rong Xia looked at Ban Han and turned to the middle-aged man outside the door. "What do you want?"
"Something happened outside."
"What happened?"
"The eldest son of the Count Of Zhongping was drunk and got into an argument with a local ruffian. Who knew that this ruffian was so daring that he stabbed the Xie Dalang three times."
Ban Han was shocked. Didn't the Count Of Zhongping just give Rong Xia a gift an hour ago? How long had it been since then? How could something happen to his family?
Her dream was too vague. She didn't remember this at all. Perhaps it was because … she didn't care about the Xie Dalang at all?
"Has the ruffian been caught?"
"The place where the incident happened was in the downtown area. There were many people and many people who came to watch the show. The culprit was lost."
"How is the Xie Dalang?"
"The Xie Dalang hurt his thigh …" Wang Qü hesitated. Thinking that Princess Fule was present, he used a more euphemistic way of saying, "The injury is serious. I'm afraid that he won't have any children."
"I know. You can leave." Rong Xia was silent for a moment. She waved at Wang Qü.
"Yes." Wang Qu said softly and retreated.
"That," Ban Han curiously craned his neck and whispered in Rong Xia's ear, "Xie Chongjin became a eunuch?"
"…"
"Why aren't you talking?"
Rong Xia nodded with difficulty. She really didn't want to talk to Ban Han about a man's self-esteem.
"The Xie Family … what kind of bad luck did they have?" Ban Han couldn't help but sympathize with the Xie Family. What was going on?
"Maybe they did something immoral and got retribution." Rong Xia pinched Ban Han's fingertips, "If you care about other men's affairs, I'm going to be jealous."
"What's there to be jealous about a man who became a eunuch?" Ban Han comfortingly patted the back of his hand, "Don't worry. There's no man better looking than you in the entire capital. With you, my standards have become higher. "
Rong Xia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She really didn't know if this was a compliment or something else.
After noon, Rong Xia asked Ban Han to stay for lunch. Only then did he reluctantly send her off. After Ban Han left, Rong Xia summoned his subordinates, "Did you find out why the Emperor promoted me?"
The bodyguard standing in front of him had a subtle expression, "Master, your subordinate is incompetent. We haven't found the exact reason. But … there's a rumor among the courtiers. "
"What rumor?"
"Yesterday, His Majesty summoned Princess Fule. You were promoted because of Princess Fule."
Rong Xia suddenly remembered that Huahua did go to the palace to see His Majesty yesterday. She didn't come to his place until noon. What did Huahua do to make Emperor Yunqing, who was stingy with titles, suddenly promote him?
The bodyguard saw that Rong Xia was silent and thought that the rumor outside made his master unhappy. He hurriedly said, "It's just some gossip outside. Don't take it seriously. How could the Emperor make such a big decision because of a woman's words? Those officials are just talking nonsense. They're just jealous. "
"No," Rong Xia shook his head and said with a deep expression, "If it was someone else, they wouldn't be able to do it. If it was Huahua, she really has the charm."
Bodyguard, "??"
Did the Duke know that the outside world was mocking him for not marrying a wife, but for marrying into her family?
No, it should be said that ever since the news of the Duke and Princess Fule's engagement was spread, these messy rumors had never stopped. It was just that after this time, the rumors became even worse.
They said that when other people marry, the husband will be honored and the wife will be honored. When their Duke marries, the wife will be honored and the husband will be honored.
Who wouldn't be angry after hearing these words?
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