Tanhualang

It wasn't until Xiaoyou came to visit the next day that Shen Jing knew that at the palace banquet the night before, Zhao Heng rejected the marriage offer from the Holy Majesty.

When Xiao You came, Shen Jing had just washed up and had breakfast, and was reading in the small study.He didn't let Xiaomeng say anything, so he stood quietly at the door of the small study and pushed the door open.

Seeing that Shen Jing was still unaware, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Shen Jing raised her head when she heard the sound, saw that it was Xiao You, hurriedly dropped the book, stood up with a smile and greeted her: "You're here!"

Xiao You walked in with a smile, raised his eyes to look around the room, and said with a smile: "Could it be that I can't come?"

"Why can't you come?" Shen Jing turned around and called Xiao Meng to make tea, then turned around and smiled, "Don't say you can't come, even if you tear this place down, what can I do to you?"

After hearing this, Xiao You smiled and pointed at Shen Jing: "You are talking like I am the bandit who demolished the house. Although I am not a scholar, I am still a gentleman, right?"

Just as he was talking, Xiao Meng brought tea.

Shen Jing personally poured tea for Xiao You: "You are very gentle. But seeing that you have lost weight, it can be seen that this trip to the Northwest is too exhausting."

After a pause, he said again: "Last night, Your Highness...seems to have reduced a lot."

"That's not it. I'm fine. When I was in Gansu, I suffered from the wind and cold, and I lost weight after being ill. Your Highness is the one who worked hard, and I was really tired and thin. But fortunately, I was not injured this time, and it can be regarded as the blessing of the Bodhisattva." It's gone." Xiaoyou took a sip of tea, looked at Shen Jing again, and carefully sized him up, "I see that you have lost a lot of weight. Your chin is sharp. You must have been worrying and worrying a lot all day long. You are also troubled."

Shen Jing laughed: "The capital is Anyi. I am sitting here comfortably, how can I compare with your hard work in that bitter cold place?"

Xiao You said with a smile: "You don't have to be too modest. I don't believe that you were not in a hurry when Gansu ran out of food and grass? But thanks to your idea, Xi Wei got so much food and sent it to Gansu in time. Otherwise, His Highness would be in Gansu , and didn't have the confidence to deal with the Tartars for three or four months, and finally had enough energy to kill them happily. I'm afraid they would have sent someone to sue for peace. Last night at the palace banquet, His Majesty gave wine, and His Highness specially mentioned Credit to you and Xi Wei. Didn't tell you last night?"

Shen Jing was stunned for a moment, then changed the topic: "...In fact, it's all thanks to Xi Wei. I'm just offering a little suggestion, and it's not worth mentioning."

"Of course, Xi Wei has merit, but it can't bury you—well, let's not talk about those boring things. I haven't looked at your room carefully since the time I came here for a drink." Xiao You put down the tea bowl, stood up, took a closer look in the middle of the room, and deliberately opened the window, looked into the yard, and said with a smile, "There is a tea table in the corridor, lanterns are hung under the eaves, and on the windows I pasted couplets with the word "Fu", and planted these flowers and plants in the yard. As expected of a scholar full of poetry and books, he is really much more elegant than when he first moved here. It also looks much more popular than at that time."

After finishing speaking, Xiao You sat down opposite Shen Jing again, held up the tea bowl, and still smiled, but there was a lot of meaning in his words: "It seems that your yard is clean and well-organized. No wonder you dislike my narrow and simple house. The Xiaoxi Courtyard is gone, and they don’t even want to live in the mansion.”

"..."

Xiao You took a sip of tea slowly and raised her head: "Why don't you talk? Have I wronged you?"

Shen Jing took a look at Xiao You, and said helplessly: "What's the point of you running on me like this. Don't you know me? I have my own difficulties."

Xiaoyou put down the tea bowl: "Shen Jing. You and I are not outsiders, and I won't be around the corner anymore. There are some things I can't vomit now. If you say something bad, please bear with me."

Shen Jing also put down the tea bowl: "...If you have anything to say, just say it. I will listen carefully."

"His Royal Highness returned to the mansion last night, and stood alone in the middle of the yard for half the night. He entered the house when it was almost dawn, and his clothes were wet from the cold."

He lowered his eyes quietly and listened silently.

Xiao You sighed: "You said you have your difficulties, so your Highness doesn't have any difficulties? Even if His Highness is high and powerful, and his status is noble, isn't his heart long? It will hurt if you touch it."

Listening quietly, without making a sound for a long time, he said in a shy voice for a long time, "Then tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Xiao You got up, walked up to Shen Jing, and asked him directly on the face: "Your Highness's character and talent, is it really not in your eyes at all?"

Shen Jing stepped back, and looked at Xiao You in surprise: "Take a step back... You shouldn't ask me that. Don't you think about His Highness's reputation?"

Xiao You sighed: "Fame is something, of course it's best if you have it... No, that's all. After all, Your Highness doesn't rely on fame for a living. To be honest, I also feel that His Highness is very deviant this time out of selfishness." But for so many years, I have been by His Highness's side, and I know that it is not easy for him. Seeing him in Gansu for the past few months, I feel uncomfortable. For a person who can speak freely and quickly, isn’t it more important than any reputation?”

"But I have to think about it." Shen Jing lowered his eyes and said, "Whether it is for His Highness or for myself... I have to think about it."

Xiao You heard the words, sighed, and didn't know what to say: "Oh."

After a pause, he explained: "I don't want to blame you, you are also very embarrassed. It's just that since Gansu, seeing His Highness suffer so much every day, I feel very uncomfortable."

Shen Jing picked up the teapot, slowly filled the teacup with water, and said softly, "Wait...it will get better after a while."

"You think so?" Xiao You shook his head, "I'm not going to hide it from you. After the palace banquet last night, the Holy Majesty left His Highness behind and urged him to choose the princess as soon as possible. In the past, His Highness always refused with excuses. But last night, His Highness Tell the sage directly that there is no plan to marry the princess again."

Shen Jing looked up in surprise.

"Unexpected, right?" Xiaoyou smiled wryly, "I have followed His Highness since I was a child, and have come here for so many years. I never thought that His Highness would have such a side."

Send Xiaoyou away, it's almost noon.

Sitting quietly in the study, thinking about what Xiao You said, he didn't have the heart to read for a while.

Sighing over and over again, he heard Xiaomeng knock on the door, opened the door and came in, and asked in a low voice, "Sir. That Mr. Mu... is here again. He is waiting at the door."

Shen Jing was silent, then waved his hand: "Just say I'm not at home."

"……Yes."

Xiao Meng went lightly.

When the door was closed, I sat quietly at the table, closed my eyes and settled down, opened my eyes for a moment, opened the book and began to read in a low voice.

He concentrated on reading the book, like an old monk in meditation, he even skipped lunch, and after more than an hour, he put down the book, stood up and walked out of the study.

Only then did I realize that at some point outside there was a thin drizzle of rain, pattering like smoke and mist.

Tuberose and rose leaves in the yard.It is moistened by rain, and it is extraordinarily bright.

Shen Jing stood under the eaves for a while, looking at the fresh green eyes, and then felt that his gloomy mood was relieved.

Just as he was about to go to the kitchen to have something to eat, he saw Xiao Meng coming forward with an umbrella in his hand, and whispered, "Sir...that Mr. Mu is still waiting at the door."

Hearing the words, Shen Jing looked at the screen wall at the entrance of the courtyard: "...are you still there?"

"Yeah. I've been standing at the entrance of the alley for more than an hour." Xiaomeng looked rather embarrassed, "I told him you weren't here, and he wasn't annoyed. He said he would wait for you to come back. I told him to stand by the door. To avoid the rain, he politely thanked him, but he refused to come in... I had to give him an umbrella to save myself from getting wet."

Shen Jing stood under the eaves for a while, sighed, and took the umbrella from Xiaomeng: "You should be busy. I'll go out and have a look."

He opened the green umbrella, walked around the screen wall and came out to the door. Sure enough, he saw Mu Junhuai standing at the entrance of Hudong holding an umbrella. Seeing Shen Jing came out, he turned around and Yaoyao showed a sad smile: "... .”

This situation is all too familiar.

For a moment, Shen Jing felt as if time went back to the past few years, when Mu Junhuai was waiting for him at Hudongkou in Hangzhou in the rain.