I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

Yu He was startled when he heard this, and his expression suddenly became serious.

Young Master Mo's eyes flashed slightly, and he leaned against Luo Qianhuai, letting her support him. He was led by Yu He all the way to the cabin on the top floor of the painting studio.

The entire top floor is opened up, with an area of ​​more than 200 square meters, which is already a fairly large banquet hall.

A woman in her thirties, with gorgeous clothes and a pretty face, was sitting in the main seat at the top. There were four tables on each side below, with several young girls sitting on them, talking shyly to the woman above them.

Seeing them come in, the woman at the head of the table immediately smiled and said, "He'er, why have you been out for so long? The ladies are all eager to show off their talents. If you're not here, wouldn't it be like playing the lute to a cow?"

As she spoke, she turned to the young ladies who followed Luo Qianhuai and the others in and said, "It's all thanks to you that you went out and brought back my son who didn't understand romance. Otherwise, he might have stayed outside all day and forgotten all about today's business!"

She thought what she said was humorous, and she laughed even more happily after she finished speaking, totally unaware of the embarrassment and awkwardness in the eyes of the young ladies around her.

They are all wives from official families in Xijing. Some are legitimate wives whose fathers or brothers are of the rank of 1,000 stones, and some are concubines or side branches of officials of the rank of 2,000 stones. They all came here today to meet the Prince of Changzhou and seek the position of the Prince's Consort.

If he were an ordinary prince of a foreign king, he would not be able to make such a big scene. Not to mention the legitimate daughter of an official with a salary of 1,000 stones, even a small official in the capital with a salary of 400 stones might not marry his legitimate daughter to him. But the one in front of him was different.

The Prince of Changzhou was the late emperor's favorite youngest brother. He was still in his infancy when the late emperor ascended the throne, and was brought up by the late emperor himself, so the affection between them was naturally extraordinary. So when he came of age, the late emperor generously gave him Changzhou, one of the thirteen states of Dayu, as a fief. Compared with other princes who were granted a county or a city, his power was much greater.

Of course, there are always other things like this, for example, the late emperor later gave Jizhou to his third prince. But Jizhou is a cold and bitter place at the border, and cannot be compared with Changzhou, which is rich in resources and has a prosperous population. Not to mention, the King of Jizhou rebelled in the late emperor's later years and died, and his country was destroyed.

Therefore, the Prince of Changzhou was now the one with the highest status among all the feudal states. His prince's visit to the capital to choose a concubine had become a major event that worthy of the attention of the officials and officials of Xijing.

Of course, a true high-ranking official would not consider marrying off his legitimate daughter, so as not to arouse the suspicion of His Majesty, but in the eyes of others, the position of the Crown Prince's Consort is a popular one - you have to know that the Prince of Changzhou is already over 60 years old, and he has only one precious son! Even the current successor princess was promoted to the position of legitimate wife because she gave birth to Yu He!

If I marry my daughter there, she will definitely be the Princess of Changzhou in the future. There is no such a good thing as you could hope for even with a lantern!

But as soon as this person opened his mouth, the young ladies all understood that this princess was confused, and they couldn't help feeling worried.

Nowadays, getting married is not just a matter for two people. A woman spends more time serving her mother-in-law than her husband every day. If she meets a man who doesn't know how to behave but feels good about himself, how will she live her life in the future?

At that moment, a few people who understood the situation began to back out.

Yu He didn't think there was anything wrong with what his mother said.

"Mother, these two are my nephew and his wife, and they are also your juniors. When I heard that you were coming in person, I had to come aboard to pay them a visit."

While he was speaking, a capable-looking female official sitting behind Princess Changzhou whispered in her ear and introduced the identities of Mr. Mo and Luo Qianhuai.

As the princess listened, she looked up at Mr. Mo's face. She saw that although he was handsome and fair, he was very weak and could only stand with the support of his wife. She was afraid that he was just good-looking but useless. In addition, she had heard her own prince mention this man before. He was just an empty marquis who didn't even have a fiefdom. She couldn't help but despise him.

"This time I came to the capital mainly for He'er's marriage. I don't have that much time to meet with other people one by one." The princess was not a scheming person. She immediately showed a haughty look on her face: "But since you are here, then sit down and appreciate the elegance of the ladies with me."

Young Master Mo and Luo Qianhuai were too lazy to get angry at this kind of person who always made a big deal about everything. They bowed politely and sat down at the first table on the right side.

Dayu regards the right as the most respected. Except for the Princess of Changzhou, no one present has a higher status than them. Therefore, Tong Lianniang, the concubine's daughter of the Youfufengwei, whose seat was occupied, could only suppress the resentment in her heart and honestly step aside.

Although the princess and the prince were not getting along, the servants around them were very observant. Someone immediately cleared away the leftover wine and cold dishes on the table for them, replaced them with new tableware and dishes, and even brought a new table and placed it below them, inviting Tong Lianniang to take a seat.

Yu He sat down next to his mother, and all the young ladies also took their seats, and the banquet began again.

"You are all ladies from prominent families in the capital. No matter your family background or appearance, you are not comparable to those in a small place like Changzhou." The princess said with a smile: "After seeing you today, I like every one of you. However, the matter of choosing a concubine depends on He'er's own opinion."

What she said was not at all subtle, which made the young ladies feel extremely uncomfortable.

But now the arrow is on the string and it has come, so we can only continue to endure it.

The princess was completely unaware of this and continued, "So I came up with an idea. Let's play the game of passing the flower. Whoever gets the flower, I'll ask her to perform a talent she's good at, whether it's playing the piano or the flute, whatever, and then my son will comment on it. How do you think?"

Yu He was more knowledgeable than his mother, and he felt a little embarrassed when he heard this. He looked at Luo Qianhuai, who was sitting there leisurely, stuffing a piece of roasted meat into his mouth, eating with his eyes curved with smiles, and suddenly he had an idea.

"When I was still in Changzhou, I heard about the reputation of the wife of Marquis Xiang. It is said that she is very talented, otherwise she would not have caught the eye of His Majesty and was specially granted marriage. Speaking of which, your fate is really enviable. Even my father had repeatedly requested His Majesty to grant me marriage, but His Majesty always evaded the question. After seeing her today, I found that my niece-in-law is indeed beautiful and intelligent. It is a good thing for you, my nephew..."

As Master Mo heard him talking more and more nonsense, he picked up his wine glass and interrupted him: "Your Majesty's kindness, Chu is always grateful in my heart. However, the prince has been allowed by Your Majesty to choose his own concubine in the capital, which is also a great favor from the emperor. You should always remember to be grateful."