Qu Qing Ju felt that she didn't understand the situation in front of her. This era wasn't as strict towards women as the previous dynasties, but Qu Yue Su was a woman that had just reached marriageable age. Following a wang ye that already had a wife on the streets, wasn't that inappropriate?
She looked at the veil the other was wearing. Her features couldn't be seen but it made one's imagination wander. She was too lazy to care about the affairs of Chang De Gong Fu and in the end, didn't say anything.
"It's meimei, me," Qu Yue Su's voice was as sweet as usual, and even had a thread of gentleness. She curtsied slightly to Qu Qing Ju, "I didn't think that I would meet jiejie here."
Originally, she had called her Duan Wang Fei, but when she called her san mei, the other changed her form of address. Her tone didn't show any dissatisfaction at the relationship between Qu Qing Ju and Chang De Gong Fu, as though Qu Qing Ju was just her jiejie.
"Such a festive occasion, so I came out for a walk," Qu Qing Ju didn't have the mind to speak more in front of two wang ye and a woman she wasn't familiar with. She lightly opened her mouth and didn't say anything else.
Qu Yue Su saw that she didn't want to speak more and casually responded. She didn't speak again. Clearly, she was a woman that knew when to advance and when to retreat. This action made Qu Qing Ju feel that it was a miracle that Liang shi could raise such a daughter.
The four of them instantly became silent. No one spoke. Suddenly, a brilliant firework exploded in the sky. Qu Qing Ju raised her head to look. She only saw the blinding light of the firework as it spread. She could hear the cheers of many people.
Qu Yue Su also raised her head but only saw the dimming of the firework. She didn't have the heart to watch. She lowered her head to look at Rui Wang beside her. The other's handsome features caused her to blush slightly.
"Didi has a pleasure boat by the river. Why don't er ge and er sao come on the boat to admire the river lanterns," He Yuan calmly suggested, "I heard that there will be fireworks for more than an hour tonight. It won't be too noisy on the boat. Er ge, don't disdain didi's boat for being crude." Finishing, a proud smile appeared on his face.
Hearing the other mention the pleasure boat, He Heng knew that fuhuang had specially ordered the people of the Ministry of Works to make this boat for lao san. He might not have been on it before, but he had heard other people say that this boat was exquisitely carved. Since the other party wanted to show off, it was not appropriate for him to directly refuse.
"That's very good. Er ge hasn't had a chance to see didi's boat. It's rare to encounter it tonight, I'll have to disturb you," Finishing, he turned and held Qu Qing Ju's hand, smiling faintly as he commented: "Admiring the lanterns on the river, it's a special taste."
Qu Qing Ju's index finger scratched his palm and lightly nodded.
He Yuan looked at the lovey-dovey couple and put his hands behind his back, averting his gaze.
At the side, Qu Yue Su was slightly moved. Da jie was such a wooden person but she managed to gain Duan Wang's friendship. Even her personality was much stronger than before. It could be seen how much influence Duan Wang had on her. A feeling of envy arose in his heart, and it was a little sour and bitter.
Chang De Gong Fu was declining day by day so they wanted her to enter Rui Wang Fu. Even if she couldn't be the zheng fei now, but after Rui Wang ascended to the throne, she could at least be the imperial fei. If she gave birth to a son, maybe there would be even greater good fortune in the future.
Even though she had accepted this path a long time ago, but when she saw da jie walking hand in hand with Duan Wang, her heart still hurt.
Which woman in the world didn't want to wear a phoenix coronet and robes when they married? Why wear a green waist skirt to become another man's qieshi, and that man, she couldn't even call him husband.
The guards on both sides of the road quickly pushed aside the crowd, leaving enough space for their masters to walk. Qu Qing Ju and He Heng walked at the front, giving off the feeling of important people coming out and other people leaving.
There were people selling snacks on both sides of the road, such as yuanxiao, sesame balls, sesame candy, and so on, attracting many people to buy them. She even saw a chubby child holding a bowl of hot sesame paste, eating it with relish.
Such a lively scene, it made her smile. She pointed at a little stall selling glutinous cakes and commented to He Heng: "Wang ye, that glutinous cake has sesame and peanuts on it. It looks very interesting."
He Heng looked at the nondescript stall. The sellers were a normal couple. Both of them were over sixty but they looked very energetic.
"The food outside isn't very clean, you can't eat too much," Finishing, he motioned for Qian Chang Xin to go buy it.
Qian Chang Xin hurriedly walked in front of the little stall and gave a handful of copper to the stall owner. He even bought the bowl and spoon. He carefully carried the glutinous cake in front of He Heng, "Wang ye, nucai had them add more peanuts."
He Heng nodded and took the bowl to have a taste. The taste was average, but it was more interesting. He handed the bowl to Qu Qing Ju, "Here, don't blame me if you have a stomachache at night."
"I'm not that delicate," Qu Qing Ju didn't take the bowl. Instead, she reached out with her left hand to pick up the spoon to eat the glutinous cake. Her right hand slightly lifted the veil at the front of the gauze hat, clearly treating He Heng as her servant.
Qian Chang Xin saw the two mistresses walk slower and slower. He silently lowered his head. He didn't see wang ye's expression of pleasure.
After a few pieces of glutinous cake, Qu Qing Ju put down the spoon and took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth. She remarked: "The taste isn't bad. I just saw someone selling tofu pudding. It's a pity it's not elegant to eat it on the road."
"Let the chefs in the fu make it for you," He Heng threw the bowl to Qian Chang Xin and wiped his hands, "These little things might just be for a taste, but it should be made more intricately."
Qu Qing Ju obediently nodded, her expression saying "wang ye, you are right, I will listen to you."
Following behind the two, He Yuan was silent. Just now, when he saw He Heng carry the bowl for Qu shi, he had been slightly surprised. They, the imperial sons and grandsons, had never served anyone before. This Qu shi did have skill, to be able to make er ge so happy to serve others.
No wonder mufei would say that she was a fox. To be able to seduce lao er, she wasn't ordinary.
People said to marry a virtuous wife. Lao er married such a di wife, he probably wouldn't be able to rest easy. Thinking about it, he raised his head to look at the backs of the two. This kind of woman would be very good to be a beautiful qie.
After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the side of the pleasure boat. He Yuan's pleasure boat was the only one at the pier, and it was even guarded by imperial guards. The other pleasure boats were all parked far away, clearly not daring to collide with it.
He Yuan ignored the guards that bowed to him and led He Heng and his wife onto the boat. As he led them inside, he said: "This pleasure boat has two levels. Let's go up."
Qu Qing Ju found that even the handrails of the stairs were carved with landscape paintings. The stairs under her feet were made from fine red wood. Stepping on it was as steady as stepping on flat ground.
He Heng walked at the front, carefully pulling Qu Qing Ju's hand as they walked up. When they reached the top floor, he let go of her hand.
The windows of the pleasure boat were open. Next to the window was a set of tables and chairs. He Yuan led the two to sit down. He also sat on the side before saying to Qu Yue Su who was still standing: "Qu san xiaojie, please sit." He knew what Chang De Hou Fu was planning. He didn't have much interest in this san xiaojie. But if he took Duan Wang Fei's meimei as a qie, what would lao er's expression be like?
Wasn't his good er ge deeply in love with wang fei? He probably wouldn't take his anger out on her.
Qu Qing Ju sat by the window. She looked at the surface of the river being dyed red by the lanterns on both sides of the river. She propped her chin on her hand and admired the scenery. Occasionally, lotus lanterns floated over. The candles on the stamens were bright and dim, creating a different kind of beauty in the night.
"On a cold night, the guests come with tea as wine, the bamboo soup boiling and the first red." He Yuan raised a teacup, "Er ge, er sao, why don't you try the tea on this boat?"
When Qu Qing Ju heard this, she felt that Rui Wang and his wife both had the hobby of letting people taste tea leaves. For someone like her who didn't know much about the tea ceremony, what she hated the most was listening to this kind of question. Raising her veil, revealing her white chin, Qu Qing Ju smiled as she took a small sip. Then she put down her veil and elegantly put the cup back on the table.
"Quiet and elegant, leaving a fragrance on the lips and teeth," He Heng put down the teacup, smiling as he commented, "San di's days are so leisurely. Er ge, I, can't find such good things."
"Recently, I don't have to go to court. Naturally, I've put more effort into these things," He Yuan sardonically remarked, "Er ge is busy, I don't have the time to think about these worldly things."
Hearing the other mention the court, He Heng tilted his head to look out the window. He turned back to look at He Yuan, remarking, "San di is joking. Fuhuang is just momentarily angry. After si di finds out the truth, san di will most likely be busy with the matters of the court."
"I hope that si di can return to Jing as soon as possible and wash away this injustice," He Yuan pretended to sigh helplessly. He turned to the silent Qu Yue Su beside him, "I've heard that san xiaojie's zither skills are exceptional. Would xiao wang have the honor of being a first-grade player?"
Under the veil, Qu Yue Su's face froze. She paused slightly before putting down the teacup in her hand. Her voice carried a smile as she replied: "A clumsy song, I hope everyone won't laugh at it." Finishing, she stood and walked to sit in front of the zither. Plucking the strings produced a tinkling sound.
The smile on He Heng's face didn't change. Inside, he looked down on the people of Chang De Gong Fu even more. Right now, Qing Ju was Duan Wang Fei. Qu Yue Su, as her meimei, was willing to play a song for Rui Wang. A di daughter of a duke's fu was rushing to become a qieshi. He didn't know if it was a loss of face for Qing Ju or the reputation of Chang De Gong Fu.
Qu Yue Su's zither skills were really not bad. Qu Qing Ju tilted her head to listen. Inside, she had a deeper understanding of He Yuan's arrogance. He could let Qu Yue Su play the zither for him in front of her, his er sao. It meant that he didn't think much of He Heng and his er sao.
Arrogant people usually died early. Qu Qing Ju smiled coldly. With this skill, he wanted to be the Emperor, he was dreaming. And this Chang De Gong Fu, they really didn't care about face. Luckily, everyone in Jing knew that she, as Duan Wang Fei, wasn't close to Chang De Gong Fu. Otherwise, they could lose face, but she couldn't.
What Qu Yue Su played was a very famous song. Some people thought that this was a song that reminisced about the past and hurt the present, but others felt that this was a song that described mountains and rivers. No matter what, this song had very strict requirements for the zither. If there was the slightest mistake, the meaning couldn't be played out.
Qu Qing Ju wasn't an expert on the zither, but as a former dancer, she was sensitive to music. At least, she could hear that when Qu Yue Su played this song, her mood wasn't as good as she had imagined.
"San xiaojie's skills are really extraordinary," He Yuan listened for a while before continuing to drink tea. He suddenly said, "Er sao's skills must also be extraordinary."
The words crossed the line. Qu Qing Ju didn't get angry, but smiled. Her action of putting down the teacup was heavier than before. She coldly said: "San shu is really leisurely and carefree. Otherwise, why would you care about such insignificant matters."
The words were extremely impolite, not leaving any face for He Yuan. Sitting beside her, He Heng didn't make a sound. Clearly, he didn't feel that Qu Qing Ju's words were bad.
A hint of shock appeared on He Yuan's face. In reality, when the words left his mouth, he had detected that they weren't appropriate. But he was used to being arrogant and hadn't expected that this er sao would speak so impolitely.
Suppressing his anger, he looked at He Heng. Seeing the other's expression wasn't very good, he could only raise the teacup, "Didi has crossed the line, er sao, please forgive."
Qu Qing Ju lazily raised the teacup, "San shu is too polite." However, she didn't drink the tea.
A trace of a smile appeared on He Heng's face. He raised the teacup and said to He Yuan: "San di, this tea isn't wine. Don't let the wine get you drunk." He, He Heng's woman, should have this kind of temperament. If she had to endure this kind of thing, as a husband, how could he endure it?
He Yuan forced out a smile and took a sip. He felt that the tea in his mouth was astringent and hard to endure. The fire in his heart couldn't be suppressed.
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