proud wife and concubine

As far as the season is concerned, it is almost late autumn, but the bustling capital city does not match the word "bleak" at all.The autumn grains are harvested everywhere, the warehouses are full, and the once fierce war in the north of the border has subsided. Such a good year is enough to be gratifying, and the three princes are married on the same day. Foreign countries come to congratulate and foreign guests gather. It is really the establishment of a new dynasty. It was the first big happy event since then, which made the people in the capital even more rejoiced.

Naturally, royal weddings are different from those of ordinary people, even ordinary dignitaries.After welcoming the bride, the bridegroom officials did not go to their respective mansions, but went to the palace to meet the emperor and the elders of the royal family, and completed the ceremony amidst the blessings of civil and military officials.

This is a palace between the front and back dynasties, Li Ji still sits on the high throne, but compared to the majesty and coldness in the court hall, at this moment he shows some tenderness as a father.Sitting beside him were a group of concubines, and in front of him were the boys and girls of the royal family.These children were still young, and Li Ji coaxed them to lose their restraint and awe with a few words, chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was very happy and harmonious.At this moment, those who are qualified to sit in this hall are not only the relatives of the emperor, but also the emperor's confidants and important officials of the court.Of course, for some people, it's a bit of both.Other civil and military officials and foreign envoys waited outside the court. When the time came, the emperor would bring the princesses and grandchildren there.

On such an occasion, as General Xiao Xueqiong's concubine, she should have no qualifications to enter the palace, but for some reason, maybe it was because of some kinship relationship, maybe it was to show his favor to the concubine's mansion, the emperor treated her as "" "The remnants of the previous dynasty" was particularly concerned. When Xiao Xueqiong entered the consort's mansion, she issued the Taoist edict in earnest, and it was a good talk in the capital for a while.Now that the prince is getting married, Xiao Xueqiong has received grace again, and in the name of the royal family, she accompanied Li Yuerong into the palace to watch the ceremony.

Not far away, Li Yuerong was dragged to talk by several girls in costumes, and couldn't get away for a while.Xiao Xueqiong sat alone beside a table, looking around, but did not see Li Yuyao and Li Xu.

"What are you talking about, I'm so happy... Come here quickly knowing that I'm sitting here alone." Bored, Xiao Xueqiong picked up the oranges on the table and began to peel them, while secretly looking at the place where the concubine was sitting out of curiosity.

"Concubine Li's complexion is much better than before. It seems that the emperor has been more considerate to her recently, as Sister Yuerong said. The one next to her must be Concubine Wei. She is alluring and her mouth is still crooked. You can tell her intentions just by looking at her." No, no wonder Li Zhi is such an asshole. Then again, she is over [-] years old and has just given birth, but she looks like a young girl, no wonder she is favored... Well, that should be Concubine Liang, she really looks like that It’s not as good, but her temperament is much more dignified. The person talking to her should be Sister Yuerong’s younger sister, the second princess who just returned to Beijing with her husband’s family recently..." Xiao Xueqiong speculated on the identities of each person while paying attention You can tell something by looking at their expressions and demeanor.

Just when Xiao Xueqiong was about to look away, she suddenly felt that a line of sight, if real, was staring at herself sullenly.A strong sense of discomfort and crisis made her turn her head abruptly, following the owner of her gaze.Those were a pair of pitch-black eyes with icy cold eyes, and the palace people they met with from a long distance still made people shudder.

What kind of look is this, hatred?Disdain?

Xiao Xueqiong's scalp was numb, but after looking at each other, she lowered her head and picked up the teacup to hide the turmoil in her heart, until she felt that the man looked elsewhere, Xiao Xueqiong was slightly relieved.But who is this person?He was obviously someone he had never met before, but he was full of hostility.Seeing him standing next to the emperor, he should be a bodyguard. By the way, his clothes are a little different from ordinary official clothes, but very similar to Lu Weishuang's... Could it be that he is also from Lijingmen?This makes sense, but where have I offended him, maybe sister Yuerong or the general's deadly enemy?

Xiao Xueqiong guessed wildly. At this time, there was a small commotion at the entrance of the main hall, and it was unknown which dignitary came in again.Xiao Xueqiong craned her neck to look at the door, and finally saw clearly that it was none other than Li Yuyao and Li Xu she had been looking for all along.

It seemed that Li Xu received much more attention than Li Yuyao, and people kept saluting him, or pulling him into his small group of people respectfully or affectionately.This is understandable, after all, one is the legitimate son of the late empress, and the other is an unfavored princess.

Li Xu was held back, Li Yuyao didn't go to join in the fun, and simply walked through the crowd to salute Li Ji.After Li Ji said a few words to her, he told her not to be restrained, but to go down and play with her brothers and sisters.

Xiao Xueqiong stood up from her seat and waved to Li Yuyao.

"Xueqiong! Are you here too?" Li Yuyao happily walked over and sat down with Xiao Xueqiong.

"Yes, the emperor is kind enough to ask my sister to take me to have a look." Xiao Xueqiong was also very excited after not seeing her for several months.

"Really?" Li Yuyao was a little surprised, she didn't expect her father to be a delicate person.

"Well, but Sister Yuerong told me that even if the emperor doesn't open her mouth, she can still bring me in." Xiao Xueqiong said proudly, she is the same age as Li Yuyao, so she has less scruples when chatting.

Li Yuyao teased: "Yes, yes, yes, your sister Yuerong is omnipotent, and she is "responsive" to you! Pity me, a serious sister, who is trapped in the palace all day complaining, and I have never seen her say to take me. go out."

"Hey, how could it be?" Xiao Xueqiong said so on the lips, but it was very useful in her heart.

Li Yuyao curled her lips and said casually: "It's a pity that my brother-in-law can't come. It must be a pity that he and the fourth brother have such a good relationship. It's not good to pick someone to go to the peace talks, but let him go, so far away."

Xiao Xueqiong silently ate a mouthful of candied fruit, and thought: The general took the initiative to invite Ying to go to northern Xinjiang, and the expression on receiving the transfer order was simply "relieved".

"What are you talking about?" Li Yuerong came back and sat down next to Xiao Xueqiong.

"Tell me about brother-in-law," Li Yuyao replied, and then asked in a low voice but seriously: "Is brother-in-law looking for a concubine again?"

Xiao Xueqiong choked on the word "again", poor general...

"Where did you hear that?" Li Yuerong asked.

"Father is afraid that you won't be able to figure it out, so I asked Concubine Li to comfort you. I overheard it by accident." Li Yuyao said this, even though Concubine Li took the initiative to tell her.

"Oh, I didn't expect Royal Father to be interested in me." Li Yuerong said half-truthfully, with a tone of irony and surprise.

Li Yuyao pursed her lips, she was a little sad: if the emperor asked someone to comfort her, she would probably feel flattered.

There was a brief silence.

"Why didn't you see Turan?" Xiao Xueqiong cleared her throat and asked, she didn't understand why Li Yuyao suddenly stopped talking.

"This hall is already overcrowded, where is the time to let the maids and eunuchs come in." Li Yuyao took a breath and had already replied.

"Didn't you say that you can bring a maid?" Xiao Xueqiong looked at Li Yuerong, because she originally planned to enter the palace with Li Yuerong's maid.

"Because I can only bring one, so I didn't bring it out." Li Yuerong said to the point, Li Yuyao was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.

"Eh?" Xiao Xueqiong didn't understand why.

"The palms and backs of the hands are full of meat. If you bring Turan out, what should you do if Yun'er is not happy, right?" Li Yuerong said coldly, and she would get angry when she mentioned Yun'er, who was "a young lady with a temper and a maid's life". , She has taught this idiot who is not big or small a long time ago.But fortunately, Turan was still there, so he could hold her down.

"No... Turan said she didn't want to come." Li Yuyao was a little guilty, thinking of Turan's disappointed expression, she even felt a little restless.

"Then why didn't you bring that Yun'er out?" Xiao Xueqiong asked.

"Because... because of this, Turan will be unhappy..." I'm afraid he is already unhappy. He clearly said that he would bring her with him to see what the Han family's wedding would be like, but Yun'er made a fuss and said that he "" Prefer one over another, like the new and dislike the old", she hesitated again...

"I don't understand this. You said that Turan didn't want to come, so why is she unhappy when others come?" Xiao Xueqiong regretted after asking, because Li Yuyao's face was obviously more ugly.

"Okay, you can handle things in the palace yourself, and we won't get involved." Li Yuerong smoothed things over, "Where's Zhang Mengqi? How is she doing with you?"

Li Yuyao slowed down a little, and replied in a low voice: "I have been with me for almost a month, and I have done a good job, but I have never had a chance to see the father. I wanted to bring her here today, but I was afraid of alarming Concubine Wei and the others first." , so wait for another time.”

"Yes." Li Yuerong nodded approvingly, "Yuyao has grown up and is much more sensible."

Li Yuyao smiled and said nothing.

"Don't tell Xu'er that Zhao Xu wants to take a concubine, he has a hot temper, he doesn't know the heights of the heavens and the earth, so if anything happens, I will explain to him." Li Yuerong instructed.

"En." Li Yuyao nodded, and asked again: "Brother-in-law, is it because my sister hasn't given birth yet?"

"That's right, there are three kinds of unfilial piety, and having no offspring is the greatest. Even if I am a princess, I don't have the right to let my husband have no offspring." What Li Yuerong said was true.

"But... how can it be concluded that it's my sister's problem if she doesn't have a child? You see Xueqiong is not pregnant, maybe it's his own problem." Li Yuyao held back for a long time, and finally said the question that she had been puzzled for a long time.

"This... cough, cough, so I have to give it a try. Let's go to a few rooms to see if there is any result." Li Yuerong wanted to laugh a little.

"I don't want to marry a man who takes a concubine in the future." Li Yuyao said sullenly.

"Then you have to keep your eyes open and find a "lover". Although such men are rare, it's not like you can't find them. Besides, you are still a princess. It's completely reasonable not to let the son-in-law take a concubine." Li Yuerong looked at her younger sister with a smile, this girl has grown up, and she is starting to think about these things.

Xiao Xueqiong was a little surprised, because Li Yuyao didn't like to talk about marriage, and if someone made fun of her about it, she would even get angry, and I don't know why she took the initiative to talk about it today.

"But, maybe I don't have a choice at all." Li Yuyao lowered her eyebrows, and this expression made her deep facial features unexpectedly soft, or rather, fragile.

Li Yuerong frowned slightly, and asked, "Why do you say that, what happened?"

Li Yuyao struggled for a while, and finally said truthfully: "When the elder brother returned to Beijing last month, he told Father that he had a fancy for someone who is very suitable for me. I hope that Father can propose marriage."

"What?" Xiao Xueqiong lost her composure for a moment and called out.Fortunately, they were sitting in the corner, and there was no one around them.Li Yuyao was the same age as her, only fifteen in the coming year, so she didn't know why the eldest prince was so eager to propose marriage to his half-sister.

"And then?" Li Yuerong's expression was also not very good-looking.

"Then Father said that he already had plans for my marriage, so don't worry about it." Li Yuyao said calmly.

"Didn't the eldest prince ask the emperor what his plan is?" Xiao Xueqiong lowered her voice and asked eagerly.

Li Yuyao shook her head: "I asked, but Father didn't say anything."

Xiao Xueqiong looked at Li Yuerong, she hoped that sister Yuerong could say something to make Li Yuyao feel relieved.

"I..." Li Yuyao's voice trembled, revealing the turmoil in her heart, "What I can't accept is that no matter whether it's the elder brother or the emperor, they are talking about my marriage, but no one has asked me about it. They didn't even tell me. If it wasn't for Concubine Li's slip of the tongue, I...I don't know..."

"No no, Yuyao, don't worry, there must be something we don't know about this. Besides, they are just talking, they have neither issued an order nor asked you what you mean. If you don't want to, they will I will definitely consider it..." Xiao Xueqiong held Li Yuyao's hand, racking her brains to think of comforting words.Li Yuerong on the side didn't say a word, she looked serious, she didn't know what she was thinking about.

"Xueqiong is right, don't think about it, and scare yourself. The men's college will get married, and the female college will get married. You will be fifteen next year. Now it's too early to talk about marriage. They are just looking for candidates now. , so I didn't ask you, if you really want to hit a family, you will definitely ask what you mean." Li Yuerong finally spoke.

"That's right, that's right." Xiao Xueqiong hurriedly responded.

"In a few days, I will directly ask Father what he means, please be at ease." Li Yuerong patted Li Yuyao's head and comforted her.

"However, Yuyao," Li Yuerong asked very seriously as if thinking of something, "don't be shy, tell sister, if you have a favorite candidate in your heart, it's fine if you like it, so I can get along with you Father said."

"Favorite? Good impression?" Li Yuyao said angrily, "When I was in the cloud, I told me that every lady wants to stay out of the door, and the men I see every day are either brothers or cousins, let alone in the capital." Having said that, getting out of the second palace is harder than going to heaven, if eunuchs are considered men, then I really have a few favorites!"