emperor cold concubine

Chapter 67 The Birthday Banquet Disturbance ([-])

The leisurely time always flies by quickly, and in a blink of an eye, the day that the people of Langzhou are most looking forward to and the forces of all parties are eagerly looking forward to.

March 50 is the birthday of Mrs. Su in Langzhou City. Out of respect and admiration for the Su family, every year on March [-], during the busiest tea-picking season, the people of Langzhou will take a day to prepare The program celebrates Madam Su's birthday, and this year is no exception, even more grand, because this year is Madam Su's [-]th birthday.

In addition, in the Su Mansion today, I heard that there is another mysterious happy event to be announced to everyone.

The sky is bright, and the Su Mansion has already put up lanterns and festoons, announcing the beginning of the festive day. On the streets of the city, before dawn, there are people who spontaneously help to fill up all kinds of tables and chairs. Some borrow from inns and restaurants, and some move out their own kitchens. Yes, although the height and size are uneven, they are also placed in an orderly manner.

The sound of firecrackers and cheers were endless, and although the people were busy, they couldn't hide their joy.

Due to the limited space, some seats are reserved in the Su Family Mansion to receive undecided foreign guests. Today, not only is the secret security in the Su Mansion even tighter, but there are also many Su Family troops patrolling the streets and alleys to prevent suspicious persons from infiltrating. , do something wrong.

The main hall of the Su Mansion is very wide and large enough to accommodate a hundred people. The top two seats are naturally prepared for today's birthday star and Mr. Su. Su Che's seat is next to Mrs. Su, and the next ones are for the guests. The seats are divided into two rows on the left and right. Langzhou has been independent from the imperial court for nearly 20 years, and has no contacts with officials in the court. Apart from some tea merchants who are regular customers, the Su Mansion has never had a life-threatening friendship with anyone. Therefore, the seats in the left and right rows are not specially reserved for anyone, and there is no distinction between high and low. They are just reserved for foreign guests who come to celebrate their birthdays just in case.

It was still early at this time, and apart from some maids and guards who were busy making preparations, the mansion seemed quite quiet.

The hour has passed, Madam Su is still helping the maids in the side hall to arrange scented tea and drinks, while Su Yan and his son are discussing important matters in the study.

"Master and Madam, we have a guest!"

The servant's shout brought Su Yan and Su Che out at the same time, and the two of them came out to see that many people from the world had indeed led the servants in one after another with gifts to celebrate Mrs. Su's birthday.

Su Yan and his son returned the gift one by one.

Generally, people in Langzhou City, whether they are martial arts masters or ordinary people, will abide by the unwritten rules of Langzhou. They will wait on the street from the morning, and when everyone is almost gathered, they will pay their respects to his wife on her birthday and go to the mansion to congratulate her. Usually they are from outside the city, or regular customers who do business with Langzhou, or people from Jianghu, or people from other countries.

Su Che greeted the guests into the main hall, sat down casually, went out and ordered a few maids to take care of his mother, and then went to the street outside the mansion with his father to greet the people of Langzhou.

The hour was approaching in the middle of the corner, and dozens of people had already arrived in the main hall. After discussing with his father, Su Che and Mrs. Su went out to accept birthday greetings from the people of Langzhou. The people's faces were filled with blessings to Mrs. Su, gratitude to the Su family father and son, and joy for another year's bumper harvest.

After celebrating the birthday, the common people presented their own melons and fruit cakes for Lord Hou and his wife to taste. In front of the people in the city, Su Che suddenly lifted his clothes, knelt down solemnly in front of Madam Su, and respectfully kowtowed: " The boy respectfully wishes your mother such blessings as the East Sea, and a longer life than Nanshan."

Mrs. Su is fifty years old, but she is still as beautiful as a thirty-year-old woman. At this moment, she looks at her mature and stable son, with tears in her beautiful eyes, which makes her very tender. Su Yan quietly holds her hand, silently comforting her.

Su Che got up, looked at the parents quietly, kowtowed again after a while: "I wish my parents a long life, and my love is as deep as the sea."

Mrs. Su nodded happily, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes, and said with a choked voice, "Thank you for my son's blessing."

Su Che got up, and kowtowed again: "Kneel the loving mother three times for half a lifetime of hard work, kneel the suckling lamb, and repay the present."

Su Yan listened to this sentence quietly, and slowly figured out what he meant between his lips and teeth.

Mrs. Su helped him up lovingly, her voice choked with sobs: "Che'er..."

"Mother, let's go into the mansion." Su Che said softly, and accompanied Mrs. Su into the gate of the mansion along with his father.

After entering the main hall, he greeted all the guests. Near noon, Su Yan announced the start of the banquet, but Qingyue’s shouts came from outside the hall——
"Prince He Yun of Nanyue and his younger sister, Princess Baoqin, wish Mrs. Su a happy birthday, and present a pair of top-quality jade Ruyi!"

All the guests in the hall looked at each other in blank dismay. The Prince Nanyue came all the way to Langzhou just to celebrate Mrs. Su's birthday? The princess who also brought golden branches and jade leaves was probably not a good person.

Su Che and his father looked at each other, and signaled him to be calm with his eyes, and then went out of the living room again to welcome the guests.

He Yun, the crown prince of Nanyue, is about 34 or [-] years old this year. He has gentle and handsome facial features unique to the royal family. He is slightly shorter than Su Che and has a bit of a happy attitude. Therefore, the signature smile on his lips makes him look more attractive. A little more amiable, and less of the deep-rooted fear of ordinary people towards the royal family.

Of course, if his kindness and amiability were really his nature, he would not be able to be the prince for so many years under the watchful eyes of other princes.

Su Che just showed a little gratitude and humility, and more, he was alienated from strangers. He said: "His Royal Highness came from a long way to pay respects to my mother's birthday. Su can't afford it. Please take a seat in the living room."

He Yun smiled heartily and said: "The name of Su Che in Langzhou is resounding all over the world. I have long wanted to make friends, but I regret that I have never had this opportunity. Today coincides with my wife's birthday, so I have the opportunity to meet Marquis Su. It is a gift from God." This good opportunity is indeed my palace's luck." After finishing speaking, she said to the woman beside her, "Baoqin, I have seen Master Su."

A woman in a red gauze dress with a golden belt around her waist covered her face with red gauze of the same color, holding a pipa in her hand, stepped forward, and bowed slowly, with a melodious voice, like pearls falling on a jade plate: "Baoqin has seen Master Su."

It was unheard of for a princess of one country to bow down to a small city lord of another country. The people who came out of the living room to watch the excitement were puzzled, and there were also intelligent people who saw the clue at a glance.

Su Che said indifferently: "Su Mou dare not be a princess with golden branches and jade leaves."

He Yun was accompanied by a rough man of nearly 50 years old. Su Che knew that it was Xue Qian, but since He Yun didn't introduce him, he just pretended not to know, and ordered a few people to be brought into the hall and seated.

"Prince Lan Kingdom has arrived!"

All the guests were in an uproar again. In the past, Mrs. Su's birthday was full of joy and excitement, and she had never seen such a big scene. Are these princes this year too busy and have nothing to do in their own country, so they came to other people's birthday banquets to beg Glass of wine to drink.

He Yun, who had just walked into the hall, heard the sound and looked at Xue Qian beside him, and turned around to watch in unison.

"Prince Lan Kingdom sent thousand-year-old ginseng and thousand-year-old ganoderma to congratulate Mrs. Su on her birthday!"

Another one came with a purpose, and Su Che cupped his hands and said, "The wind in Langzhou is good this year, and distinguished guests from all over the world have come here. Su feels very honored."

Liancheng only brought a few guards with him, and the son of the Shangshu of the Ministry of War of the Lan Kingdom and the imperial princess who were with him had disappeared at this time. Those who had passed by the Liudu River and knew the inside story could not help guessing that the two I don't know where the Merry and Happy went.

Prince Liancheng of the Lan Kingdom is quite young, about 24 or [-] years old, he is much more resolute in appearance than He Yun, tall and tall, dressed in a yellow prince's suit with gold embroidered four-clawed golden python, he looks a bit majestic and fierce, but he is also quite a bit It's just that, attending someone else's birthday banquet, but wearing orthodox royal costumes, do you want everyone to bow down to you?
"The owner of Jiyue Villa has arrived!"

Another clear cry, this time, not only all the guests were surprised, including Su Yan and Su Che, they couldn't help being surprised.

He Yun, the crown prince of Nanyue, and Liancheng, the crown prince of the Lan Kingdom, all turned their eyes to the door together. Ordinary people may not know it, but those with a little power present couldn't be more clear about the strength of Jiyue Villa, whether it is financial power or martial arts power. Jiyue Villa can be ranked first in the world, the owner of Jiyue Villa is mysterious and unpredictable, the dragon can see the head but not the tail, people in the business world or martial arts, very few people have seen his true face.

Perhaps Su Che is right, this year's Langzhou, the wind direction is simply too good.The arrival of this person is even more surprising than the uninvited arrival of the princes of the two countries.

Seeing this, Prince Liancheng of the Lan Kingdom looked downcast. As the crown prince of a country under one man and above ten thousand people, he was admired everywhere he went. No one had dared to ignore him like this before. Now he is in Langzhou Here, Su Che's attitude is lukewarm and let's not talk about it, even a small businessman can easily suppress his limelight, so how can he not make him grit his teeth in anger.

Yue Xiao, who was dressed in a crescent white brocade robe, came with a smile, followed by two beautiful girls, one gentle and elegant, the other delicate and exquisite.

She has a perfect appearance like jade, a warm and faint smile, and her jet-black hair is tied up with a simple white jade hairpin, which looks elegant and luxurious.Everyone can see that this young master's clothes are generous and elegant, and the accessories on his body are extremely simple. Except for a white crescent-shaped jade pendant around his waist, there is nothing else on his body. The white jade hairpins on the top of the head are all from the most prestigious "Qingyue Baozhai" under the name of Jiyue Mountain Villa. The price is expensive, but they are all rare items. Even if the clothes on the body only look beautiful, I'm afraid Ordinary people can only see with their eyes throughout their lives.

"It's Mrs. Su's birthday today, and Yue came here uninvited. He wanted to ask for a glass of water and wine, so he stopped by Mr. Su. I don't know if Mr. Su would think that Mr. Yue is impolite?" With a warm smile in his warm and pleasant voice, Those who hear it are better than Mu Chunfeng.

Someone beside him interjected in an exclamation tone: "It's really the owner of Jiyue Villa..."

The mysterious and disappearing owner of Jiyue Villa is indeed as rumored, he is a rare and handsome young man, no wonder all the women in Yuecheng are eagerly looking forward to marrying.

The maid in pink beside Yue Xiao wrinkled her nose and said, "Of course it's true. Could it be that there are fake young masters of mine?"

Being choked by a beautiful little girl, everyone burst into laughter, the man who spoke just now touched his nose and fell silent.

Su Che had never met this Mr. Yue before, but Jiyue Mountain Villa is the biggest customer of Langzhou tea. Every year when new tea comes out, Lingshan Yunwu is the first to be monopolized by Jiyue Mountain Villa at a high price. It is difficult for other tea merchants to get a piece of the pie.

It was rare for Su Che to show a sincere smile: "It's Su Che's honor that Mr. Yue can come. Please sit in the hall."

Originally, the seats in the main hall were arranged in order, but no seats were specially reserved for anyone. Today, the princes of the two countries came unexpectedly, and everyone thought that Su Che would put the top left and right The seat was reserved for the two of them, but unexpectedly Mr. Yue came again.

I really feel that today is not in vain, I wish my wife a happy birthday, and seeing the owner of Jiyue Villa unexpectedly is an unexpected surprise!
Entering the main hall, Yue Xiao walked up to Mrs. Su and bowed elegantly, and said with a smile: "This junior is congratulating Mrs. Su on her birthday, and here is a small gift. It is not a respect. I hope Master Su and Mrs. Su will accept it with a smile."

Su Yan cupped his hands in return and said, "Young Master, you are too polite."

The girl in pink behind Yue Xiao stepped forward and bowed to Mrs. Su, with a pretty smile, exquisite and cute, holding something in her palm, wrapped in a silk scarf, the girl said in a clear and clear voice with a smile: "My son! Present a mutton-fat white jade Guanyin to congratulate Mrs. Su on her well-being and longevity, and also wish the Su family in Langzhou prosperity and wealth forever.”

After finishing speaking, the white jade fingers twisted the pink silk scarf. Under the silk scarf, there was a square golden box the size of a palm, sparkling and extremely beautiful.

Su Yan's face changed slightly, his eyes looking at the box revealed a little anticipation and nervousness, Su Che seemed to think of something at the same time, and couldn't help turning his eyes to the golden box.

Under the anticipation of everyone, the charming woman seemed to be tempting, but she did not open the box for a long time.Yue Xiao called helplessly: "Lian'er."

Another woman next to her smiled and said, "Master, Lian'er's mischievousness seems to have come up again."

Lian'er wrinkled her nose, then carefully opened the box, put her hands forward, and said with a smile: "Madam, please accept." After a pause, she added sincerely: "Madam, you are so beautiful !"

Mrs. Su looked at this delicate and beautiful girl, and the more she looked at her, the more she liked her, and she smiled kindly: "Thank you. You are also very beautiful."

The moment the box was opened, everyone's eyes lit up. Those who knew the goods recognized that the box contained the highest-quality suet white jade in the box. It may not be an exaggeration to say that it is priceless.

Many years ago, Su Yan exchanged Hetian jade from the family heirloom of the mansion with the emperor of Qianguo to solve the difficulties in Langzhou. At that time, many people had never seen it with their own eyes, and could not imagine how the best jade could exchange so much money. food.Seeing this jade today, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, if I have this jade in my hand, let alone how much food, even if I give it to a city, it will definitely not be exchanged.

Everyone's eyes were different, envious, amazed, admiring, jealous, only Su Yan, the disbelief at the beginning gradually disappeared, his eyes were slightly red, looking at the eyes in the box, there was a faint hint of wetness.

Looking at Yue Xiao, he was not sure and said: "My lord, are you really going to give this...to this old man?"

Yue Xiao smiled slightly: "It's not for you, Master Su, but for Madam."

"Yes yes yes... I see that the old man made a slip of the tongue," Su Lian replied, and reconfirmed, "Master, I am sure, I will give it to my wife? Master, do you know the value of this jade?"

He is really a sincere and lovely person, Yue Xiao still smiled gently: "This junior is very sure that the current value of this top-quality mutton fat white jade Guanyin can be exchanged for another Langzhou City, but since Master Su can buy it in 19 Years ago, this precious jade was exchanged for the food and clothing of the people in Langzhou, saving the lives of 10,000+ people in Langzhou, today, why not give this white jade to my wife again?"

Everyone finally realized that it was so.

However, since the jade had already fallen into the royal family of the Guizhou Kingdom, how did Jiyue Villa get it? Besides, such a precious and rare thing finally got into his hands, so why should he give it away for no reason? Even if it was returned to the original owner, Young Master Yue is too generous this month.

Su Che looked at Yue Xiao thoughtfully, and he seemed to have some understanding in his heart. He had talked with his father a few days ago, and he knew that in these years, his father not only felt guilty for the court and the people, but also for the family inheritance of sheep. The fact that Zhiyu was sent out by himself has always had a knot in his heart that cannot be solved, and he always feels ashamed of the ancestors of the Su family.

Su Che felt a little sour in his heart, but also a little thankful that his father had lived too tired these years, maybe after today was over, it was time for his parents to put down their common things and live the life they wanted.

Su Yan was so grateful that he didn't know what to say. For a man like Yue Xiao, all the rewards he said were false. Jiyue Villa had everything that one could expect, but apart from these, he really had nothing else to repay.

Yue Xiao seemed to be able to see what he was thinking, and said softly: "Master Su, don't think too much, this is just a little thought from this junior, and there is no need for Master Su to return anything."

But the more he said this, the more sorry Su Yan felt in his heart.He dared not reach out to accept this gift that was a hundred times more precious than his own life to him.

Xue Lian wrinkled her nose again, and complained coquettishly: "Master Su, do you want it? If you don't want a little girl, you have to throw it away. I feel so sour."

"Don't, don't throw it away, I want it!" Su Yan hurriedly took it carefully, looked at Xuelian, then at Yuexiao, with all kinds of feelings in his heart, and finally only whispered gratefully: "Thank you."

Without waiting for him to say anything more, Su Che reminded: "Father, Mother, it's almost time, let's arrange the guests to be seated. If there is anything, we will talk about it later."

It was only then that Su Yan remembered that he had left the guests there for quite a while, so he quickly apologized and recruited his reliable subordinates to take the jade and put it away, then returned to the main hall to seat the guests, and served good wine and food.

Yue Xiao was arranged to sit in the first position on the left side of the main seat, but he humbly declined, saying: "I heard that today the princes of two countries came to pay respects to their wife, so the two seats on the left and right should be reserved for them." Let's go." After that, he found a seat at random and sat down.

Then, everyone sat down one by one.

Su Yan raised his wine glass: "Thank you all for coming to Zhuo Jing's birthday today. Su Yan is here to offer a toast to everyone."

"Su Houye," He Yun, the Nanyue prince who had been ignored for a long time, stood up and smiled slightly: "Su Xiaohou is young and promising, with outstanding talents. Sixth, I have never married a wife, I want to marry the Su family, Marquis Su, I wonder if my younger sister, Princess Baoqin, is qualified to be your daughter-in-law?"

(End of this chapter)