Concubine like a house

Chapter 122: Picking the Stars Night Banquet at the Cheng Palace (1)
Tonight's small banquet was held in the Zhaixing Building.This is the tallest building in Prince Cheng's Mansion. It is ten stories high, and each floor becomes more and more pointed. From the outside, it looks like a pagoda with a wide bottom and a pointed top.The glazed tiles on the roof are dotted with gold paint, and the eaves of the tenth floor are covered with lanterns, reflecting the dots of luster on the tiles.No matter who climbs to the highest floor, there will be an illusion of holding the lamp and picking up the stars.

In the night wind, there is the faint fragrance of lotus, and the mist is refreshing, which is very pleasant.Chuxiu took Zhuying and Danxin, and walked towards the Zhaixing Building under the guidance of the attendants. As soon as they reached the deep gate of the small garden, someone stopped them: "Madam, don't blame, according to the order of the sage, those who enter the garden Always search."

search?Wouldn't the dagger in his sleeve be found too?Chuxiu was annoyed by his carelessness, and forgot that the imperial court could not carry sharp weapons.Seeing that Zhuying was forced to hand over her sword, she could only hand over the dagger.

Chuxiu pondered for a moment, then asked the familiar guard, "You are Master Cen?" She remembered that there was a guard named "Cen Jiang" beside King Mu, so it must be this person.

The young guard laughed lightly: "Madam, do you still remember? This is the third-rank imperial guard with a knife, Cen Jiang." "Lord Cen, long time no see." Chuxiu said with a smile, "To be honest, I have a bag in my body. Naturally, you have to hand over the dagger for self-defense, but please return it to the concubine after the banquet." Chuxiu paused for a moment, and added, "This dagger is very important to the concubine."

Cen Jiang pondered for a moment, and was about to say "yes", when he suddenly heard a greeting from behind him: "Lord Cen, is Mrs. Chuxiu here?"

This voice is... Chuxiu panicked suddenly, feeling guilty for no reason, and even the dagger in her sleeve suddenly became a thousand catty heavy, so heavy that she couldn't bear it.

Cen Jiang didn't notice the strangeness of Xiuxiu, he looked behind him according to the sound, and asked: "General Shen, is the Holy Majesty waiting in a hurry?" Shen Yu didn't answer, and walked towards the deep door.Today he is also dressed in casual clothes, which is still the lake blue he is used to wearing, but it complements the water blue skirt of Chuxiu.He walked up to the deep door with a tall and straight posture, and saluted Cen Jiang first:
"Lord Cen." Now he is a third rank, and Cen Jiang is a third rank, so he should salute the latter.Cen Jiang also nodded politely: "General Shen, you don't need to be too polite." Shen Yu's expression remained the same, and he greeted Chuxiu politely: "Since Madam is here, please go in quickly, the Holy Majesty asked about you just now." In front of outsiders, They both abided by etiquette, so Chuxiu nodded slightly, as a return of courtesy to Shen Yu.Cen Jiang didn't make things difficult, but said to Chuxiu: "Then please hand over the dagger, madam. After the banquet, I will return it as the original." At this moment, Chuxiu dared not face Shen Yu. He took out the dagger.She felt like an emotional fugitive, being pursued by Shen Yu, and now she had nowhere to escape, and could only show up and fight.Chuxiu didn't dare to look up at Shen Yu who was five steps away, so he had to slowly take out the dagger in his sleeve and hand it to Cen Jiang.The latter immediately praised in a low voice, and commented: "This dagger is small and exquisite, and it is cold in the hand. It is not a common thing. No wonder it is favored by Madam."

Chuxiu still lowered her eyes and said nothing, a female guard over there had already walked in front of her, said respectfully: "Madam, I've offended you." Then she searched her body briefly.

Chuxiu stood there in a daze like a petrified body, waiting for the female guard to search her body before heading to the Zhaixing Tower.When he walked past Shen Yu, he heard him call out in a low voice: "Ma'am."

Chuxiu's footsteps paused, and she asked in a low voice: "General Shen, what's the matter?" She looked at Shen Yu pretending to be inadvertent, and saw that his handsome eyes were shining with colorful stars, and there was a trace of a smile hidden in them. Surprised and happy.

Shen Yu's lips curled up slightly, and his low and magnetic voice sounded slowly: "Madam's dagger is very delicate, and it is...suitable for you."

Hearing this, Chuxiu was so regretful that his intestines turned green, and he could no longer hide the panic in his heart, and said without hesitation: "Thank you general for your compliment, this dagger is a relic of my late husband, so I will naturally cherish it."

"Really?" Shen Yuyun asked with a light smile, clearly seeing her guilty conscience.There are a lot of people here, and Chuxiu was afraid of making too many mistakes, so he quickly changed the subject and said to Dan Xin and Zhu Ying Ming:
"When I met my uncle, why did you forget the rules?" That tone was rarely eager and scolded.Dan Xin and Zhu Ying immediately understood each other, and saluted Shen Yu together: "I have met you." This time, Shen Yu didn't lose his temper when he heard the word "Young Master", and he didn't even have a trace of coldness.His eyes, which were as deep as a deep pool, overflowed with surging emotions, and he laughed loudly at the two of them: "There is no need to be polite." Chuxiu no longer dared to look at Shen Yu's expression, and hurriedly entered the garden with his red lips tightly pressed.The radiant glazed lights illuminate the entire Zhaixing Building, and Chuxiu, Danxin, and Zhuying follow the lead up to the third floor, and then turn into the open-air corridors that circle in succession.The ambiguity caused by a dagger was temporarily suppressed in her heart, and with just one glance, she saw two tall and straight men leaning on the railing with their backs to her.

"My lord, my lord, Madam Chuxiu has arrived." The guard replied respectfully.Hearing this, Emperor Tianshou and Nie Peixiao turned around at the same time, and looked at the roundabout of the corridor together, one with deep meaning and the other with joy.

When I came out of Xiuxiu, I saluted, and said with a clear throat: "My concubine is from the Yun family, I wish my emperor and the prince a thousand years." It's a private banquet, so Madam doesn't need to be polite." Chuxiu then nodded and smiled, and looked up at Nie Peihan, the God-given Emperor whom he hadn't seen for nearly a year.He still likes to wear black clothes as before, and tonight it is also a black brocade robe, with high-quality fabric and appropriate tailoring, with gold and silver intertwined cloud patterns darkened at the cuffs, a gold silk belt wrapped around his waist, and two finely embroidered golden dragons. Hovering over it, it looks aggressive.

As soon as he came out of Xiuxiu, he knew that the clothes were specially woven by Yunjin Village under the name of Yun, but today Emperor Tianshou specially wore them, which shows the deep meaning.

Look at Nie Peixiao, the King of Cheng beside Tianshou Emperor. Although she has a noble temperament, she only wears a simple purple robe. Without any complicated embellishments.If it weren't for the faint light of the clothes under the shadow of the lamp, implying that this is a rare skylight purple brocade, Chuxiu would almost think that Nie Peixiao came here wearing a dress casually.

This thought only flashed by, and Chuxiu immediately understood Nie Peixiao's intention - he had scruples about this imperial brother.Before the Heavenly Granted Emperor came to the throne, the two brothers planned for the throne together, so they were brothers.But after ascending the throne, she became a monarch and a minister. Naturally, Nie Peixiao paid special attention to etiquette, and even her clothes did not dare to surpass the emperor granted by heaven.

It has to be said that this is a good way to hide your strength and bide your time. From the outside to the inside, you should pay attention to everything without letting others see your intentions.

Brothers and sisters are walking on thin ice, let alone others?Thinking of this, Chuxiu immediately cheered up, fearing that if he was not careful for a moment, he would fall into the trap dug by Emperor Tianshou.

At this moment, Emperor Tianshou was also looking at Chuxiu.When the latter was thinking about it, he suddenly raised his eyes and met his gaze, and immediately smiled: "Since the farewell in Jingzhou, I haven't seen you with the Holy One for nearly a year. When you ascended the throne, I was in the midst of prostitution." Alas, I missed your enthronement ceremony, and every time I think about it, I feel deeply regretful."

Since when did speaking become so hypocritical?Chuxiu introspected in her heart and laughed at herself, the smile on her face remained unchanged.

Emperor Tianshou and Nie Peixiao were also very surprised when they saw that her words were sincere and fearful, not the same as before.Nie Peixiao still knew how to cover up, but the Emperor Tianshou asked bluntly: "I haven't seen you for several months, Madam's tone has changed a lot, but she is more sensible than before."

Chuxiu laughed dryly: "This time is different from the past. You are the eternal emperor who is about to unify the north and the south. The Yun family should bow their heads and proclaim themselves ministers."

"Madam, don't underestimate yourself." Emperor Tianshou smiled cryptically, meaning, "If the Yun family wants this world, wouldn't I have to give it up?" The old and the weak, women and children, what use is this world?" Chuxiu knew very well the temperament of Emperor Tianshou, the more he talked about it, the better it was, but if he kept it secret, it would arouse his suspicion.Sure enough, the Tianshou Emperor laughed loudly: "My lady's words are wrong. Doesn't the Yun family still have a son and the third master Yun?" Sons and daughters love each other... If the Yun family tries to meddle in this world, compared with you, is it an egg hitting a rock?" Chuxiu replied calmly.These words greatly benefited the Emperor Tianshou, so he smiled again: "Madam has become more and more eloquent, and I don't know how to answer." At this level, she didn't need to hide it anymore, so she simply stated, "To tell you the truth, I have already planned to step down from the position of mistress. The reason why I can speak eloquently today is because I want to be a successor to my heir Yun." Ask for a finger marriage."

"Marriage?" "Retreat behind the scenes?"

Emperor Tianshou and Nie Peixiao asked back at the same time, but their attention was not in the same place.Emperor Tianshou was surprised by Chuxiu's request for marriage for his heir; Nie Peixiao believed that if Chuxiu stepped down from the post of mistress, it would be more conducive to the development of mutual feelings.At least, without the title of "Mistress of the Yun family", there will be much less gossip in the world.

The reactions of these two nobles were unexpected, she explained with a smile: "Now the heir, Yun Cheng, is fourteen years old, according to the ancestral rules of the Yun family, the eldest son can marry at the age of 15, and is also eligible to inherit the throne. Therefore, I want to take advantage of this day to ask for favors from you, and find another virtuous woman for my Yun family."

Leaving Xiu paused, and added very solemnly: "Look for a virtuous woman with noble status and worthy of being the mistress." "Madam, do you want to see the sons and daughters pass on as soon as possible and spread their branches and leaves?" The Emperor Tianshou asked back with a smile that was not a smile.Chuxiu did not deny it: "You also know that the descendants of the Yun family have always been weak, and this generation is especially serious... If Cheng'er can continue the incense as soon as possible, the concubine will forget it, but it is a wish." Is the family entertaining grandchildren?" Tianshoudi asked again with a smile, this sentence was obviously a joke.Imagine that Chuxiu is only 22 years old, if Yun Cheng really gets married this year and gives birth to a son next year, Chuxiu will be a grandmother at 23 years old!
Nie Peixiao also felt very awkward when she heard the words "Han Yi Nong Sun", so she couldn't help changing the subject: "Brother Emperor, tonight is a private banquet, and Mrs. Chuxiu has been here for a long time, why don't you give me a seat?" Have a banquet?"

Only then did Emperor Tianshou laugh again: "It's because I've been negligent, don't blame my lady, please take your seat." Chuxiu didn't say any more, and took his seat gracefully.On the porch is a fairy table with four corners, three people are sitting in one corner each, followed by attendants.After a while, the maidservants filed in and served the food and wine one by one.The Emperor Tianshou signaled his maidservant to fill up the wine glasses of the three of them, raised them first with a smile and said, "Revisiting the old place, it will be a different experience. Let's drink this glass to the top." While saying this, his peerless and charming face clearly showed It's hard to hide the color of loneliness.

And Nie Peixiao is not very happy at this time, just now the Emperor Tianshou's sentence of "playing with grandchildren" made him extremely depressed.Even though he knew that his eldest son, Yun Cheng, came through adoption, he still couldn't accept this fact. Every time he thought that Chuxiu had a son who was only eight years younger than her, he felt irritable.

In the past, Yun Cheng was still young, so he didn't need to worry too much about some things, but now that Yun Cheng is gradually becoming a governor, what if he has delusional thoughts about Chuxiu?With Yun Xian's example of marrying his concubine's mother, Nie Peixiao feared that Yun Cheng would follow suit and imitate his third uncle.

The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became, and he raised his head and drank a full glass of wine into his heart.Seeing him like this, Emperor Tianshou deliberately designed him to get close to Chuxiu, so he smiled and said: "Jing Duo, I know that you are very good at lightness kung fu. I haven't seen you working hard these years. I don't know if your kung fu has regressed?"

Nie Peixiao didn't understand what he meant, and said: "If you want to make a move, I will accompany you." The Emperor Tianshou immediately waved his hand: "I just want to see you show your skills..." He thought for a moment, raised his hand towards Pointing up, "How about this, if you can climb to the top of this star-catching building within a stick of incense, I will grant you a condition, how about it?" Then let him sell the favor to Xiu, and ask for a marriage order for the eldest son of Yunfu.He went along with the flow and nodded in agreement, so that Chuxiu must be grateful to Nie Peixiao.This was originally a great opportunity to cultivate a relationship, but Nie Peixiao made a mistake. Hearing that the emperor brother promised a condition, he immediately asked, "Do you agree to any condition?" "As long as I can do it." Emperor Tianshou was unequivocal.Nie Peixiao was overjoyed, thinking that this was a good opportunity to exonerate Shen Yu, and hurriedly said again: "What's the point of my brother being alone? Why don't you let Zifeng compete with my brother to add to the fun tonight. Brother Huang thinks What's your idea?" "Shen Yu?" Emperor Tianshou's long and narrow phoenix eyes shone with indistinguishable brilliance, and he didn't express his position in time.When I came out of Xiu, I saw that the Emperor Tianshou was noncommittal, and I was a little puzzled for a while.Didn't Shen Yu win the battle from Jiangdi?It stands to reason that he is a hero in calming the chaos, so he should be rewarded heavily.Why did Emperor Tianshou react this way when he heard his name?Or... Emperor Tianshou has always been brooding over the affairs of the Marquis of Wenchang?

Thinking of this, Chuxiu couldn't help worrying about Shen Yu's future.Unexpectedly, at this time, Emperor Tianshou suddenly replied to Nie Peixiao: "Alright, let me see who is better between the two of you." He clearly said these last four words with deep meaning .

Obviously, Nie Peixiao also understood, and she smiled bluntly: "I'm afraid what the emperor wants to see, isn't whose martial arts is better?"

This sentence was so direct that Chuxiu couldn't help being embarrassed, but fortunately, the overflowing light also covered her expression.The Emperor Tianshou took advantage of the situation and teased again: "Don't let Madam be surprised." Nie Peixiao just smiled and said nothing.The reason why he said this was to deliberately divert the attention of Emperor Tianshou from Shen Yu, and it was not entirely to express his love to Chuxiu, so he said again: "Since the emperor does not object, then the minister will let Zi Feng come over to add to the fun. "

Emperor Tianshou's face obviously softened a lot, and he said "um" without further words.Nie Peixiao summoned an attendant casually, and gave some instructions in a low voice. Not long after, she heard steady and light footsteps coming from the stairs, step by step towards the third floor.

Chuxiu deliberately didn't look at the person who was approaching, and Shen Yu didn't even glance at her. He walked up to the corridor and bowed solemnly: "My humble minister, Shen Yu, has seen the Holy Majesty and His Highness." The attendant had already told Shen Yu about the martial arts competition, and he seemed very calm at the moment, and he didn't ask any more questions.

Emperor Tianshou looked at him for a while, unable to distinguish his emotions: "I haven't seen your skills yet, don't disappoint me." Shen Yu clasped his fists in both hands, still maintaining the posture of kneeling, and said in a deep voice: "I must do my best. " Nie Peixiao also said at the right time: "Zi Feng, you and I use a stick of incense as a time limit to perform lightness kung fu from outside the Star Picking Tower. Whoever reaches the top of the building first will win." Who knows Shen Yu pondered After a while, a different suggestion was put forward: "It doesn't make much sense just to use lightness kung fu to make progress. My minister boldly suggested that if you find an object and put it on the top of the Star Picking Tower as a lottery, whoever picks this object first will be considered the winner." .how?"

Before Emperor Tianshou could open his mouth, Nie Peixiao clapped his palms and said with a smile, "That's a good idea." However, he was surprised when he heard the words.If it's just a competition of lightness kung fu, it's naturally not a big problem, it's just a matter of winning or losing.

But if they compete for the lottery, Nie Peixiao and Shen Yu will definitely dismantle each other, so the risk is extremely high... Besides, Nie Peixiao is the King of Honesty after all, if Shen Yu accidentally hurts him, wouldn't it be the next crime?
(End of this chapter)