Fake concubine, real queen

After all, Zhengye is only a half-year-old boy at the moment, even if he has some expectations about getting married and starting a family in the future, he really hasn't even thought about having a child like Lord He Xiaohou, he scratched his head and said: "Should... ...Should it be counted? Since you are going to have a child, you must be married, which family's daughter are you looking for?"

He paused, and suddenly remembered that the son of the world might be dragged to be a son-in-law now, and suddenly realized——

No wonder he always feels that something is wrong with the eldest son these days. It turns out that he already has a woman he likes. If the marriage between him and the eldest princess really happens, the elder son and his sweetheart...are they doomed to miss each other in this life?

In an instant, Zhengye came up with a bittersweet script in which a concubine who is in love has no choice but to play tricks on others.

Looking at He Gu's eyes, he instantly felt a lot of sympathy——

Shizi is so pitiful, it's the first time that Zhengye has seen him care so much about men and women, he doesn't want to be beaten so soon.

I can only hope that two days later, Lord Hou will bring the eldest son into the palace, so that he can really push back his marriage with the eldest princess.

Zhengye's expression was changing, but He Gu didn't notice him at all. His mind was full of what Zhengye affirmed just now, "Since we are going to have children, we must be married."

They were walking in the veranda of the back garden of the Hou Mansion at the moment. He Gu looked up at the courtyard wall of blue bricks and black tiles, and the delicate and pretty red apricots stretched out from the outside. Looking at Princess Chang's beautiful side face——

If you can be her husband, it seems that there is nothing wrong with being a son-in-law...

Those dreams are not disrespectful, are they?

-

Two days later.

To enter the palace to have a face-to-face presentation, Old Master He naturally attached great importance to it, so he deliberately got up early in the morning without saying anything, and ordered his servants to choose a dress with plain colors and low-key patterns, and then put his particularly proud beautiful beard After some trimming, Haosheng finished his clothes and set off.

Unexpectedly, when they reached the gate of the mansion and met He Gu, they realized that the son was more caring than the old man.

Although He Gu usually wears blue clothes, in today's outfit, it can be seen that he has dressed with special care.

He Xiaohou is wearing a pure white cloud pattern on his forehead, and his royal blue brocade jacket is embroidered with asparagus bamboo, and is covered with a light-colored silk cloak, and the tight belt outlines the young man's thin and powerful waist. A piece of pure white mutton fat jade pendant fell down, making him more and more gentle, yet noble.

He Nanfeng froze in place immediately.

Suddenly, he seemed to see the heroic first wife who was disguised as a man when he met him for the first time, He Gu's mother-in-law, Miss Yan.

He lao Hou Ye couldn't help sighing a few times when he thought of his wife Fa who passed away early.

Although Miss Yan passed away for many years, he never forgot his wife, and he would occasionally think of her when he dreamed back at midnight. What substantive punishment.

But He Gu didn't know that he thought of his biological mother, and the father and son got into the carriage. He saw the old man staring at him with a strange expression on his face, and thought that he didn't want to disobey the holy will, and regretted that he didn't want to reject the marriage. If it was before, he would definitely have sneered and ridiculed, but now if old man He repents, it just suits him.

The carriage passed through the bustling market in Bianjing, and soon arrived in front of the first palace gate. Carriages were not allowed in the palace. He Gu followed his father He Laohou and got off the carriage, and saw an official in Tsing Yi waiting in front of the palace gate. , Seeing them, he quickly came up and saluted with a smile, and said: "Our family has been waiting here for a long time under the order of the Holy One. Hey, this is He Shizi, right?"

He Nanfeng served as a military officer in the imperial court, but he was not a vulgar person who didn't know the world. On the contrary, he knew how to talk to people and talk nonsense when he saw people. What's more, this is one of the emperor's personal servants.

The Holy Majesty even specially sent him to pick him up in front of the palace gate, presumably this time he took on the job of calming the chaos in the river, and what he did was very satisfactory to the Holy Majesty. He Nanfeng was very happy, patted He Gu on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "It's exactly Gouzi, Gu'er, this is the palace official next to His Majesty."

He Gu Congshan said hello fluently, but Wang Neiguan raised his hand and bowed, with a deep smile on his face: "Young master will have great fortune in the future, a servant in our family, I dare not say hello as a young master, two Lord, get on the sedan chair quickly."

There is something in Wang Neiguan's words, He Nanfeng is also a good person, he immediately heard something wrong, and thought to himself, His Majesty has already made up his mind to congratulate the eldest princess, right?

The two changed their sedan chairs and entered the palace, and waited for less than a cup of tea in front of the emperor's government-led palace. The king's inner officer came out of the palace and said in a low voice: "My lords, please, The empress is here today, so be careful what you say, don't offend your empress."

He Nanfeng quickly responded and led He Gu into the palace gate.

Lanzheng Palace is the palace where the emperor often reviews memorials and summons ministers. This is not the first time for He Nanfeng to come, but he still feels sweaty palms and is very nervous.

He Gu was on the contrary. In his previous life, for the crown prince's throne, he had a lot to do with forcing the palace and fighting among the princes. However, he fought in and out of this palace, the residence of the ninety-five supreme beings with more than ten thousand people. one time.

Thinking that he is really an unknown person who offended Pei's Royal Heavenly Prestige, no wonder some people gossip with the crown prince, saying, "He Zihuan has repeatedly raised heavy troops to invade the inner court. You must be extra careful", the prince believed it immediately, and later reprimanded him as "a disloyal and disobedient minister who has been born with the eagle and the wolf". Immediately re-supported other confidants, let go of the grind and killed the donkey.

He Gu knelt under his highness, his mind was distracted, and he didn't pay much attention to what Old Master He and the emperor were talking about, until he heard the emperor above suddenly call his name.

"Is this the eldest son of yours who brought down the chaos and captured the traitor this time? Yes, he joined the army with his father at a young age, with filial piety, and he has bravery in capturing the traitor and making such achievements in battle. Look up , let me take a good look."

He Gu was startled, but before he could react, Old Master He whispered in his ear: "Don't you look up soon? Your Majesty is calling you."

It was only then that He Gu calmed down his mind that had been flying out of the sky just now, and raised his head. He was very polite, although he raised his head but still lowered his eyes, never looked directly at Sheng Yan, and did not exceed the rules at all.

The emperor smiled, his voice sounded very pleasant, and said: "Yes, it is indeed a young hero, He Nanfeng, your son is not born like you, but somewhat like your father-in-law, old general Yan."

He Lao Hou Ye hurriedly said: "Father-in-law has fought in the battlefield all his life, with iron bones, and is also loyal to the court. Although the dog is still young and has not yet reached the weak crown, if he can be as loyal and brave as his grandfather in the future, he can be loyal to His Majesty. As a father, I have nothing else to ask for."

He Nanfeng's words followed the emperor's words, but there was something in them. He didn't know if the emperor knew now that the empress was leaving to choose a son-in-law for the eldest princess. Such an insinuation.

But the emperor didn't seem to understand what he meant, just looked at He Gu and smiled, and said: "I heard that your article is under the Hubu Shangshu Wang Ting and Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang was the first emperor Huihe's 34-year Tanhua, he Since you have profound knowledge, since you can get his advice, you must not only be good at martial arts, but also the writing should not be bad, right?"

He Gu paused, he also knew that His Majesty loves talent very much now, if the answer is too good, if the emperor develops a heart of cherishing talent, his marriage with the eldest princess may be ruined... Don't be too showy .

Thinking of this, He Gu showed embarrassment, and said hesitantly: "Caomin is stupid, but he was lucky enough to be enlightened by a teacher when he was young, and his literary talent is only mediocre. He dare not call himself a teacher and student on weekdays, for fear of embarrassing him as an old man."

As soon as he said this, He Nanfeng was stunned beside him——

He Gu has always been straight-tempered. At best, it's youthful spirit, and at worst it's flamboyant. He never knew how to be restrained. He also thought of this, so he came up with this plan. Who knows that he needs to show his talent today, this little brat But I don't know which tendon was wrong, but I became humble?

Hearing He Gu's words, the emperor couldn't help laughing and said: "Marquis Changyang, your son is so young, but he speaks like old officials, why is he so cautious and old-fashioned?"

He Nanfeng laughed dryly, the corners of his mouth under the beard twitched faintly.

"He Gu, I'm here to ask you a question. You have to answer it carefully. If you hide your clumsiness, you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. If I find out, I will never forgive you lightly. Did you hear that?"

He Gu's back stiffened, he had no choice but to kowtow: "Yes, Caomin knows."

The emperor pondered for a moment, took the teacup handed to him by the queen next to him, took a sip, and then slowly said: "You are young, and I will not make things difficult for you, so I will ask you a simple question. Let me ask you, what is the meaning of the word 'Gu'?"

He Gu was taken aback, he was still worried, he guessed that the emperor wanted to ask him about the Four Books and Five Classics, or the way of governing the country, or asked him to write Fu, even though the answer was too good, he was afraid that he would be used as a cow and a horse for Pei in the future. But if it is too bad, the emperor will not find a fool for his beloved daughter. It is really not easy to be accurate.

But he never expected that the emperor would ask such a confusing question.

This question is indeed not difficult, but it is really difficult to guess whether the answer is good or not, how to define it, and what the emperor is thinking.

He Gu hangs his eyes and thinks for a long time, then slowly said: "Cao Min is right, there is a saying in "Shuowen", "Gu", look around, my father named Cao Min with the word "Gu", in the hope that Cao Min would restrain his temper , You need to think twice before acting, think more, and don't act recklessly."

The emperor smiled softly and said, "What else?"

He Gu pursed his lips, and said again: "The word 'Gu' also means to look after, to observe, Cao Min's mother passed away early, leaving only one younger sister, and his father was too busy with military affairs to take care of his younger sister, so she had to be taken care of by my own brother, Cao Min I will also keep in mind the word 'Gu', and always have the heart to be filial to my parents and take care of my younger siblings."

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed and said: "The grassroots are ignorant and have little knowledge. They don't have any profound insights. If you don't answer well, please Your Majesty..."

However, before He Gu finished speaking, the emperor laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? A man stands upright, takes care of his family, supports his younger siblings, filial piety, brotherhood. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. He Shizi is a filial son." good boy."

After saying this, he continued: "In the past, I heard some rumors that the eldest son of the Marquis of Changyang disobeyed his parents, but when I saw you today, it was not the case. It can be seen that the rumors cannot be completely believed. Come here."

He Gu was taken aback, thinking he heard it wrong.

The emperor told him to go, where did he go?

He raised his head slightly, and saw the emperor smiling at him in the hall.

The emperor is not too old now, and he is in his prime. Although he has wrinkles on his face, he can still see the gentleness and elegance of his youth. When he smiles, it makes people feel like a spring breeze. He really has no airs. No wonder the people underneath Everyone said that the emperor was a benevolent emperor.

The queen was wearing a vermilion palace dress, and she was looking at him with a smile, but although she had a smile on her face, the smile didn't reach her eyes. For some reason, her expression seemed to be worried.

"Zhonglu, go and bring me that excellent horn bow that the Department of Internal Affairs made for me during the hunting in the Western Mountains."

The king's official who picked them up just now answered in a low voice, and after a while, he really brought a big bow and presented it respectfully to the emperor.

He Gu was still hesitating whether he should step forward, but the emperor had already taken the big bow, walked up to He Gu who was kneeling, and said, "Your Majesty He, get up, since you are the son of the Marquis of Changyang with a seal, In the future, I will also become a noble, and I will be regarded as my subject, so I don’t have to call myself a grassroots person, I just need to be called a subject.”

He Gu was taken aback for a moment, only to hear the phrase "I'm my subject", and felt his palms go cold for a moment, secretly thinking that it's over, is his marriage with the eldest princess a mess?

Never would I have thought that in my previous life, I tried to put my life on the line but couldn't get rid of it. In this life, I answered a question that was confusing and inexplicable, but it was messed up instead.

He Gu's throat was dry, so he could only stand up, forced a smile and said, "Thank you."

"It's too early to thank you now." The emperor seemed to be in a very good mood, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "This horn bow is as strong as ten stones. How about trying this bow? If you can pull it away, I will give it to you."

He Gu: "..."

He thought to himself that I don't want your bow, I only want your daughter!

But of course he couldn't say that. He Gu had no choice but to take the horned bow. The bow was heavy and weighty as soon as he got it. The bow was covered with some kind of animal skin. It felt very good in the hand. Zhang Haogong.

However, He Gu still held the hope that the emperor would be willing to choose him as his son-in-law. He felt that the emperor had shown a good impression of him just now, and he should not be blamed for his incompetence. On the contrary, if he was too capable——

The eldest princess who has reached her mouth is afraid that she is about to fly.

After much deliberation, he frowned slightly and pulled the bow realistically——

Only pulled it out a little bit.

He Gu pulled it a few more times, pretending to be an image of a very annoyed stunned young man who did not draw the bow despite all his strength, knelt down and said in frustration: "Your Majesty's expectations have failed. Disappointed His Majesty, the minister is guilty!"

Elder He Houye, who has seen this little bastard pull the bow of ten stones more than once, said: "..."

The emperor's expression was a little disappointed, but he didn't criticize him harshly. He still smiled and said, "Forget it, you are only 16 years old, and you are not as weak as a crown. Give it to you."

He Gu kowtowed and said: "Thank you Your Majesty for giving the bow, I will cherish it and strive to draw it as soon as possible, so as to live up to this good bow."

The emperor nodded, turned back to the royal case, sat down, suddenly turned to look at the queen next to him, and nodded slightly.

The empress seemed to have been waiting for his nod, she breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "He Shizi, I have something to ask you."

He Gu's heart moved. It was the queen who chose the son-in-law for the eldest princess. Did she want to ask this?

Today's ups and downs are really exciting, He Gu's heart beat slightly faster, and said: "The minister is here."

"Presumably you also know that I have been choosing a son-in-law for my eldest princess these days. I saw your portrait a few days ago, and I am very..."

Before she finished speaking, the emperor coughed dryly next to him, and the empress had to pause for a moment, and said: "...I think you are very nice, but I heard that two days ago, someone saw the prince haunting those flower streets and willow alleys in Beijing. Do you want to do that?"

The queen couldn't control herself anymore when she said that, she looked at He Gu with a regretful expression, and almost wrote "You are a beautiful woman, how can you be a thief" written on her face.

He Gu was stunned for a moment, and finally understood why the queen frowned just now, and thought to himself, fortunately, the queen has a straight temper and is willing to ask him, otherwise, if he somehow made a scapegoat and caused him to lose his wife, he would definitely make a decision The skin was peeled.

He explained the events of that day in detail. After listening to the empress, the gloom on her face dissipated. She looked at the emperor happily and said, "Let me just say, He Shizi doesn't look like..."

The emperor coughed violently again, and gave her a sharp wink, and the queen finally realized that the second half of the very unreserved words were finally kept silent, barely maintaining the dignity of the royal family.

He Gu was trying to figure out what the empress was thinking, but the emperor suddenly said: "Your Majesty He, the empress and I intend to choose a son-in-law for the princess. Although the empress likes you, the ceremony cannot be broken. Our court has its own regulations and rules for selecting a son-in-law. Would you like to run?"

"There is a rule in this dynasty. Once you become a son-in-law, you can no longer be an official, let alone be in charge of the army. You are a talented young man. If you have your own ambitions, I will never force you."

The queen was obviously a little unhappy when she heard this, and she gave the emperor a wink, but the emperor turned a blind eye and still said this.

He Gu, however, was overjoyed almost immediately, and just as he was about to respond, Old Master He said first: "Your Majesty, the dog's qualifications are mediocre, he is still young, two years younger than the eldest princess, he is still young at heart, and I am afraid. , I’m afraid I’ve wronged Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess!”

The queen said: "It doesn't matter if you are two years older. As the saying goes, a third-year girl holds a gold brick. Although Yu'er wants this gold brick, it is useless, but it can be seen that a woman and a man are not a big deal. I think that although He Shizi is young, he is not a big deal. Knowing how to take care of younger siblings is a responsible person..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a warm and deep female voice came from the gate of the palace.

"Mother, since the Marquis of Changyang is not willing, why bother to make things difficult for others."