concubines

Mrs. Ji is also from a scholarly family. Her father was the number one scholar. Later, she became an official in Taizhong, the imperial censor. Now she is a scholar of the Imperial Academy. It was Wei Jijiu's wife when he was not making a fortune in his early years. The husband and wife got along well for many years, and Wei Jijiu had no concubine in his family.

The two of them are not as good as Mrs. Zhao, and they have never met each other before, so they greeted each other politely. Mrs. Zhao said: "You two are welcome, please sit down."

Mrs. Ji smiled, looked at Qi Niqun's belly and said: "The princess is a blessed person. I often tell our master at home that Ru'er is ignorant and spoiled by our husband and wife. Fortunately, the princess is kind, so we can rest assured." .”

Mrs. Wei's temperament and demeanor are not as good as Mrs. Ji's, and she also said: "The princess is a kind and honest mistress."

Qi Niqun asked someone to invite the two side concubines to meet her mother, Ji side concubine saw her mother with tears in her eyes, Mrs. Ji sighed softly, held her daughter's hand and did not speak.

Mrs. Wei did not seem to be very close to her daughter, her face was embarrassing, and her body was a little stiff.

After Concubine Ji and Concubine Wei greeted Qi Niqun and Mrs. Zhao, Qi Niqun asked them to take their mother to their room to talk and come back after the banquet.

Concubine Ji and Mrs. Ji left hand in hand, Concubine Wei also took Mrs. Wei away, Mrs. Zhao said: "Then Concubine Wei's child..."

Qi Niqun said: "Mother, don't say that I am narrow-minded, but I still look forward to those side concubines and concubines who will have a few girls in the past few years, and I will love them well. When my children grow up..."

Mrs. Zhao patted her hand and said, "You are right."

Concubine Ji and her mother haven't seen each other for a long time, both of them were full of tears, but Madam Ji's face immediately changed when she mentioned Ji Huan, Concubine Ji said coldly: "Back then I wanted to frustrate him and be my favorite, but in the end he was more and more popular. The prince loves it, and the future is boundless!"

Mrs. Ji said: "What I hate is Master, he actually agreed to let him play next year."

"...Could it be that the two younger brothers..."

Mrs. Ji sighed: "Your father was born in the imperial examination, and your grandfather was the number one scholar in the dynasty, and now he is also a bachelor of the Imperial Academy. Why don't those two little bastards have the brains to study?"

Concubine Ji comforted her mother and said, "My brother is young and not yet sensible."

Mrs. Ji sighed: "Ji Huan became famous in his early ten years, and won the exam when he was fifteen. Your younger brother is now seventeen and fifteen. He is not even a scholar."

Concubine Ji asked: "Mother, can I tell my younger brother who he is?"

"Your father said that a man should start a career first and then get married. Your younger brothers must pass the exam before they can get married... Besides, your father said that you have to wait for Ji Huan to get married first."

Concubine Ji's heart tightened. Could it be that father is going to put chips on Ji Huan?

Concubine Wei asked Xiao Qiao to serve tea for her mother, and she sat aside and watched.

Madam Wei couldn't sit still, and after a long time, she smiled and said, "Qiang'er looks pretty good."

Concubine Wei gave a faint "hmm".

Mrs. Wei mustered up her courage and said loudly: "I know Qiang'er, you still blame me and your father, but the palace that your father chose for you is the best. , in full bloom, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

Concubine Wei said: "How can my mother satisfy me? I told you a long time ago that I would rather be a beggar's wife than a royal concubine. What did you and your father do? The emperor wanted to find a side concubine for King Chun in a scholar's house." , you just sent me up, I didn’t know anything, so I was carried to the palace!"

Mrs. Wei blushed and said: "Look at what kind of life you are living? Wearing gold and silver, dozens of people serve you, and now you have a child. If you are a brother, you will have someone to rely on all your life. Although your father I'm a third-rank official, but I don't have many contacts and my foundation is shallow. How can there be such a good family to propose marriage to our family? I would not be willing to ask you to marry a small family to live."

Concubine Ji glanced at her mother indifferently, and said calmly: "It's okay, what you can't give me, I will get it myself."

The banquet was unremarkable, and when everything was ready, Qi Yunruo went back to He Tingzhou for lunch. The kitchen in the front and back yards was busy with the banquet first, Qi Yunruo only wanted one dish, and then ate a plate of bacon brought by the kitchen, laughing. His eyes narrowed.

After a while, he said to Lu Lan, "Is there any more sweet-scented osmanthus wine that brother Ji gave?"

Lu Lan thought for a while, and replied: "Also, shall I heat a pot for you?"

"No need, this wine is delicious cold."

After a while, Lu Lan brought the wine, and Qi Yunruo took the osmanthus wine to eat meat, and it really felt more appropriate. The osmanthus wine was not intoxicating, and every time Qi Yunruo finished drinking it, he would squint for a while.

Lu Lan didn't know why Qi Yunruo was so happy, and said beside him: "Young Master, what do you like?"

Qi Yunruo smiled, "It's nothing, I just feel very happy after completing one thing, and I'm very satisfied when I think about it."

Lu Lan said: "Young Master is an open-minded person."

After Qi Yunruo drank half a pot of wine and ate more than a dozen slices of meat, his eyes became a little hazy, so when Li Chen appeared in front of his eyes, Qi Yunruo didn't immediately recognize him.

Li Chen couldn't help laughing when he saw that his face was a little red and he was still holding the piece of meat in one hand.

It took Qi Yunruo a while to realize, and asked: "My lord, why are you here?"

"Come and see you." Li Chen said.

After the banquet in the front yard, after drinking for three rounds, Li Chen got up and went to the backyard to toast. In Dongmeiyuan, besides his concubine Ji, there were three mother-in-laws, so there was no need to shy away from it.Afterwards, Li Chen went to the Luoxia Courtyard to have a drink with concubines, concubines and others before he was about to walk slowly back to the front yard.

He drank a lot, those brothers poured him water again and again, and drank several cups in the backyard, the lake water was cool, and he walked slowly with the water waves until Guanhe Tingzhou appeared in front of him.There was no room for Qi Yunruo in the front and back yards, Li Chen's heart tightened suddenly, and he came.

He didn't expect Qi Yunruo to pour himself a drink so happily.

Inexplicably, I want to know why he laughs and want to laugh with him.

Qi Yunruo was really happy after drinking, and threw away his chopsticks. He ate meat with his hands. Sitting beside him, Li Chen also stretched out his hand to eat a piece of bacon. Qi Yunruo looked at him with bright eyes, Li Chen He thought it was funny, but it was slightly salty in his mouth, but it was very fragrant. He took a sip of Qi Yunruo's wine, and couldn't help but praise: "It's really good."

"That's right. Brother Ji used to drink this wine with all kinds of exquisite dishes. I think it would be good to eat bacon."

Li Chen said: "Ji Huan is now in the Imperial College."

"Brother Ji will definitely be in high school next year."

Li Chen smiled and drank another glass of sweet-scented osmanthus wine.

After a while, Lu Lan came in and said to Li Chen, "My lord, Eunuch Su Ge is looking for you outside."

Li Chen was taken aback for a moment before he remembered that today was his birthday and he was the protagonist in the front yard.

Qi Yunruo said: "Then you go quickly."

Li Chen stood up and said "Yes".

Qi Yunruo also stood up, walking a little shaky, he sent Li Chen to the door, thought for a while, and said: "My lord, I wish you a long journey and good luck every year."

Li Chen smiled and nodded, "I accept that."

When Li Chen returned to the table, King Qing smiled maliciously and said, "Where did Second Brother get lost?"

Li Chen shook his head with a smile, "If you tell me to force me like this, I can't even find my way back."

King Jing said with a smile: "Second brother is already very generous. Today, he is probably happy. Everyone gets drunk when he is not drunk. Come on, let's have another drink."

Li Chen smiled wryly, and said to Li Xu who was sitting beside him, "Come help Second Brother drink this cup."

Li Chen and his mother's younger brother, the fourth prince Li Xu, smiled, took it and said, "Elder Brother, don't make things difficult for Second Brother, we didn't force you like this during your birthday."

The little princes drank fruit wine and were not intoxicated. They were making a fuss on the sidelines. The rest of the in-laws, Uncle Ziyang, had the highest status. The other two are now one in charge of the Ministry of War and the other in charge of the Imperial College, and their status is not low. King Jing and King Qing accidentally , There is some darkness in the brows.

When the wine was in full swing, King Qing said: "There is no show, and the singing and dancing are really boring. Why don't we come and cast the pot?"

Li Chen said: "There is no joy in throwing a pot, Su Ge, come and find my qin."

Su Ge went down to look for the qin, King Qing rolled his eyes and said with feigned anger, "Second brother is really cunning, we win and lose by throwing pots, but you went to play the qin."

Li Chen laughed loudly, "Today, my two brothers-in-law in Uncle Ziyang's mansion are here, and both of them are good at Yunwen Yunwu. I'm so drunk, I can only get drunker and drunker."

Qi Yunshan and Qi Yunying didn't dare to compete with the princes, but no matter how humble they were during the game, they could tell that they were stronger than King Jing and King Qing. King Qing became more and more courageous in the battle, drinking cup after cup, and King Jing gradually couldn't hold on anymore.

Li Chen was playing "Liu Shang" at the side, after two songs, everyone at the table fell down.

In the afternoon, the little prince was sent back to the palace, King Jing and King Qing were sent back to the mansion, Li Chen was talking to Uncle Ziyang wearily, Uncle Ziyang said: "Those two boys are very proud today, ah, they are really ignorant."

"If it wasn't for my brother-in-law's help, I really wouldn't be able to escape today."

Uncle Ziyang didn't really want to apologize. His second son, Yingwei, hit every shot in the pot, and he was also proud of it.Li Chen said: "Wangfei doesn't drink, I'm afraid it's over early, but Wangfei hasn't seen mother for a long time, so father-in-law should stay for a few more hours."

Uncle Ziyang laughed and said, "Then I will bother you for a while."

Qi Yunruo woke up in the afternoon and went to the front yard to help sort out the congratulatory gifts, sorted them, and sent some to the Qi Niqun warehouse in the backyard. Qi Yunruo followed Su Ge's deputy eunuch Feng Yuan to take care of things. Feng Yuan sorted out the booklets while Said: "You make more money every year."

Qi Yunruo asked curiously, "Why?"

Feng Yuan squinted at him, "Tell you that you don't understand either."

Qi Yunruo was not angry, Feng Yuan spoke a little bitterly, did things neatly, and was not mean to others, Qi Yunruo suddenly found the list of congratulatory gifts in Ziyangbo's residence, and couldn't help being taken aback.

Feng Yuan also came over and said: "How much silver do you think Ziyang Bo's mansion has? The princess married 120 and eight dowry, and the second lady also had [-] dowry when she came out of the court. The two young masters are not married yet, but it is so much for our prince's birthday gift." , Tsk tsk, what a pride."

Qi Yunruo didn't speak.

Feng Yuan smiled, "I heard a few days ago that a servant in Ziyangbo's mansion caused trouble. He was the son of a nanny who was in charge. He asked for grace to let him go. He did some small business by himself and ended up losing a lot of money." , that man is cunning, he said that he was doing business for the uncle's house, and he ran away with a lot of money."

Qi Yunruo didn't know anything about Ziyangbo's mansion, and he didn't know any nanny in charge, so he didn't take this matter to heart.

"...Uncle Ziyang's Mansion is one of the few nobles who can survive from the founding of the country to the present, and have never been demoted." Feng Yuan sighed.

Qi Yunruo said: "It is said that several generations of soldiers have been brought in. Uncle Ziyang's generations have spilled blood on the battlefield."

"It's difficult for this generation." Feng Yuan said.

If Qi Yun was noncommittal, he went to move things by himself. After a while, the things were almost tidied up. Feng Yuan asked him to go out to drink tea, "Tell Mr. Su Ge to see that I'm making you so good, why don't you smoke me?"

Qi Yunruo smiled and said, "Eunuch Su Ge has a good temper."

"Not to us."

Qi Yunruo wiped his hands, left the warehouse, and when he was about to walk around to the front of Molian Courtyard, he suddenly saw Qi Yunshan standing not far away.

Qi Yunshan was sobering up outside, and when he saw Qi Yunruo, he was also taken aback.

The brother was relatively silent, Qi Yunruo avoided him and continued on his own way.

Qi Yunshan stopped him, "What are you doing here?"

If Qi Yun didn't want to speak, he took a few steps aside.

Qi Yunshan didn't stop him this time, Qi Yunruo walked a little fast, this time he directly bumped into someone, Qi Yunying didn't drink well and didn't see the person clearly, Qi Yunruo originally lowered his head, and was suddenly bumped into by the tall and burly Qi Yunying on the ground.

Qi Yunruo: "..."