Half in the river wind, half in the clouds

Jiang Feng and Shen Guxing stayed in Xiangji Temple for another day before bidding farewell to Shen's mother and returning to Chang'an.

After only half a month in the mountains, the home had changed drastically.

The originally spacious two-entry courtyard became a little crowded with the arrival of Old Lady Jiang and Jiang Fei. Jiang Fei was a future princess and had a high status, so it was inconvenient for her to stay with Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng was happy to stick with his aunt. But his aunt caught a cold again and was worried that she would pass the disease on to Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng thought about it for a moment, and between Jiang's mother and Chu Yan, he chose the latter without hesitation.

Mother Jiang was angry when she saw that Jiang Feng was not close to her, but she still separated the room where Chu Yan originally lived into two green gauze kitchens. There was a small open space in the middle of the two green gauze kitchens. Although it was a bit crowded, it was more private and could meet the needs of life.

Old Lady Jiang's wrinkles smoothed out as she was celebrating the event. She told everyone that her precious granddaughter was about to become a princess, which annoyed everyone. Although Jiang Fei was more low-key, she also began to cultivate her aura and style as a princess, and spoke to people with her chin raised, especially to Jiang Feng and Chu Yan.

Jiang Feng and Jiang Fei had been dealing with each other for more than ten years, and they knew each other well. The strange thing was that the sensitive and fragile Chu Yan didn't mind at all, and even got very close to Jiang Fei, but Jiang Feng was left alone, and Jiang Feng was speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, Shen Guxing took the trouble to travel back and forth between Zhongnan Mountain and Chang'an City, and always came to visit every two or three days. As Jiang Feng's son-in-law and a commoner, Old Lady Jiang didn't like Shen Guxing very much. But as Jiang Zuo's best friend, Old Lady Jiang was really hard to offend.

So he always speaks in a sarcastic tone, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

Due to his upbringing, Shen Guxing remained calm, considerate and polite, and was never unhappy.

On this day, Jiang Feng was angry with Old Lady Jiang again, and he was a little depressed. Shen Guxing tried to persuade him but it was ineffective. Coincidentally, the servant brought back a large bundle of green bamboo, and Jiang Feng was in a playful mood, so he whispered something in Shen Guxing's ear.

Shen Guxing agreed. The two of them first soaked the bamboo poles in the ancient way and dried them in the sun to ensure that they would not change color. Then they cut the bamboo poles into a rectangle the size of a thumb.

Finally, they painted on the rectangular bamboo strips. Shen Guxing painted the six gentlemen of "plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine and lotus", while Jiang Feng painted the six mythical beasts of "pig, cow, chicken, duck, cat and dog", eighteen each, which look harmonious when put together.

Jiang Feng was still not satisfied, so he picked up his brush to paint a man with fluttering sleeves, who looked extraordinary and otherworldly; Shen Guxing was not to be outdone, so he painted a woman with a pretty face and a charming figure.

When they finished the painting, both of them blushed.

But in the end I got 252 bamboo cards, and when I had nothing to do, I just scattered them on the table and started playing the purely manual "Everyday Elimination", which was very interesting.

After Zhang Yuyue played with it once, she sent someone to bring her a sandalwood box, which was divided into 14 small compartments, just enough to hold all the bamboo cards.

That day, the two met at their aunt's place to discuss elimination strategies. Suddenly, the front hall was in a mess. You Ran came in and said, "Prince Linzi is here."

Prince of Linzi, Li Longji, the future Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, an emperor who will go down in history.

Li Longji came with his two younger brothers, Li Longfan and Li Longye. The three brothers were dressed in ordinary clothes, but they still looked noble. Perhaps Jiang Feng had high expectations for Li Longji, so at first glance, he was a little disappointed.

This Wolong Emperor was handsome and majestic, but he was also extremely modest and docile, without any trace of an emperor. In terms of aura alone, he was not even a little bit inferior to Li Longye.

It is said that one should not judge a person by his appearance, but Jiang Feng also judges people by their appearance! Could it be that he should let the real dragon emperor wear a halo? With her mediocre nature and ordinary eyes, how could she recognize a real dragon at a glance!

Thinking of this, his expression became even more respectful.

Li Longye took in all the changes in her expression and snorted with disdain, causing Li Longji to look at him sideways.

Li Longji followed Li Longye's gaze and saw Jiang Feng hiding behind the crowd. He raised his index finger and pointed at her: "Is this my little sister?"

Jiang Feng got goose bumps all over her body. How could she be worthy of being called a little sister by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang! She hurried a few steps, came to the front of the people, knelt down and bowed her head: "Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Linzi!"

The voice was trembling a little.

Li Longji smiled and said, "We are all family, why do we need to perform such a grand ceremony? Stand up. I always hear your sister mention you, but this is the first time I see you."

Jiang Feng was thinking about how to answer, but his mother said first: "Although the prince is generous, I dare not disobey the rules." Then she changed the subject: "Jiang Feng was young and playful. He stayed in Zhongnan Mountain with Madam Shen for some time a few days ago, so she was not there when the prince came the first two times."

Jiang Feng was grateful. Jiang's mother's words were equivalent to acknowledging her relationship with Shen Guxing in front of everyone. Such a spirit of not fearing power and sacrificing oneself for the sake of power made Jiang Feng want to turn around and kowtow twice more.

I don’t know if it’s Jiang Feng’s cognitive bias, but I always feel that the atmosphere in the hall froze for a few seconds after Jiang’s mother finished speaking.

When he stood up, he saw that Li Longye's face had turned dark.

cough!

After a friendly and peaceful meeting, the young girl had nothing to do. Jiang Zuo entertained the three princes in the main hall and asked Shen Guxing to accompany them.

Jiang Fei and Chu Yan were restless, anxiously following the news from the front hall.

Jiang Feng thought of Li Longye's dark eyes and just prayed that they would not fight. Even if they did, Shen Guxing would not suffer any loss.

After a lot of thoughts, he actually picked up the bamboo card.

The three of them had their own thoughts, and they did not leave until the evening. Then they heard that there was an iron flower show in the West Market, and Li Longji invited Jiang Fei to go with him.

Jiang Fei's eyes were full of affection, and she invited Jiang Feng to go with her, but Jiang Feng hastily refused. She then turned to Chu Yan, but before Jiang Feng could stop her, Chu Yan had already prepared a veil and planned to go with the group.

It seemed like he was familiar with it and it wasn't his first time.

Jiang Feng was unhappy and came to the front hall in a sullen manner. After the other guests left, Jiang Zuo and Shen Guxing sat opposite each other and drank tea.

The window was half lit by silver candles, the red face was bright, and the smell of wine was strong. Jiang Feng rolled up his sleeves, said nothing, just poured half a cup of tea for each of them, and sat next to Jiang Zuo.

After a while of silence, Jiang Zuo asked quietly, "Did Miss Chu follow him?"

Jiang Feng nodded.

"Brother Guan always comes before the New Year," Jiang Zuo added.

There was silence for another long while.

Jiang Feng felt depressed, and suddenly stood up and ran away.

Shen Guxing followed out and grabbed Jiang Feng, staggering. Jiang Feng let him pull him and just lowered his head.

Shen Guxing felt that the girl was in a low mood and felt a little uneasy. He still said, still a little drunk, "My mother asked Princess Taiping to be the matchmaker and plans to go to ask for marriage on the tenth day of September."

After a pause, he still asked, "Are you willing to marry me?"

At that time, the moon was dim in the courtyard, the leaves of the phoenix tree were rustling, and Shen Guxing was as bright as a jade tree, with a clear and solemn tone.

Even if the sky collapses and the earth breaks down at this moment, life should be without regrets.

That night, Jiang Fei and Chu Yan did not come back. Old Mrs. Jiang was calm and composed, and Jiang's mother stood like a stone statue under the moon. Thinking back to the past, when she fought desperately with the King of Hell in Qiushan and dealt with Li Longye, did she have a moment of such worry and fear?

Old Lady Jiang and her grandson went with Li Longji from Liangzhou to Chang'an. Judging from the current situation, what was supposed to happen has already happened. So Old Lady Jiang would not turn a deaf ear to Jiang Fei's absence from home at night, because she was not worried about what would happen.

According to Nanny Sun, before Li Longji set off, he suddenly sent Eunuch Gao to the mansion to say that he wanted to take Jiang Fei with him. Jiang's father was really surprised, and after some questioning, he found out that Jiang Fei and Li Longji had secretly performed several episodes of the Romance of the West Chamber.

Jiang's father bravely went to find Li Longji. No one knew what the flower thief said. Anyway, Jiang's father came back and began to happily pack the luggage of Jiang Lao and Jiang Fei, and let them go back to Chang'an with Li Longji. Jiang's father had originally planned to come together, but because of the sudden incident, he had official duties and family matters to arrange, especially the cancellation of the marriage with the Dou family, so he was delayed.

Jiang's mother is worried about Jiang Fei, but Jiang Feng is worried about Chu Yan.

Since meeting Chu Yan, Jiang Feng has seen how beautiful women can have many faces. When they first met at the Yellow River ferry, she was as dignified as Baochai, and when they traveled together, she was as delicate as Daiyu; after parting with Guan Shanyun, she changed into an icy face again. When they arrived in Chang'an, although they became more familiar with each other, she was stubborn from time to time, sensitive and suspicious everywhere.

Until now, he has become a social expert, moving happily among the wealthy circles and the land of happiness in Chang'an City.

This positive and optimistic attitude is indeed better than before, but Jiang Feng still feels awkward. Sometimes he is worried that she can't cope with it outside, and sometimes he reflects on whether he is too narrow-minded.

I just hope Guan Shanyun can take care of Grandpa Guan's funeral and she can return to Zhao as soon as possible.

In the afternoon of the second day, Fei and Yan came back.

Jiang Fei has been smiling recently, which is fine, but Chu Yan is even more energetic. Before Jiang Feng could react, a large number of people came to the Linzi Prince's Mansion, led by Gao Lishi, followed by a group of eunuchs, carrying rewards like a stream of water. Gao Lishi also brought an oral order with a lot of nonsense. Jiang Feng understood the first and last sentences, which were "Liangzhou Jiang's second daughter Fei Chang is gentle and virtuous" and "Given the name Cai Ping, canonized as Linzi Prince's concubine".

Cai Ping! Jiang Cai Ping! Mei Fei! Jiang Feng stared at Jiang Fei blankly. He really didn't know the value of a gold inlaid jade. It turned out that he was actually a sister of Mei Fei.

Jiang Feiying knew about it long ago, so she was not surprised at this moment. Old Mrs. Jiang and Shen's mother were naturally grateful and thanked them profusely.

Two days later, on the sixth day of September, Aunt Fangcao came to the palace as matchmaker on behalf of Princess Taiping.

He brought nine auspicious items: Heju, Jiahe, Ejiao, Nine-Seed Cattail, Red Reed, Double Stone, Cotton, Longevity Thread, and Dry Lacquer. After some greetings, Jiang Feng discovered that the "birds" were actually a pair of white geese. At that time, because white geese were rare, most people used white geese instead.

Jiang's mother was very satisfied, and old lady Jiang did not dare to act unruly in front of Aunt Fangcao, so the marriage proposal process went smoothly.

In this way, although Jiang's father traveled day and night, his two daughters were engaged before he arrived in Chang'an.

Jiang Fei married into a high position, and it was far from marrying a third-rank prince. Her husband was the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty. She was the once-favored Mei Fei Jiang Caiping. When the emperor glanced at her, all the other flowers turned pale. This was also Jiang Fei's fate.

But Jiang Feng knew Li Longji's love story, that the peerless woman named Yang Yuhuan was the final destination of his love, and their passionate love story was a farewell song, but it would be sung through the ages. She also knew very clearly that the official and unofficial history had different opinions on the final fate of Concubine Mei, and some historical books even clearly stated that "there is no such person", but it was true that she fell out of favor and that Concubine Mei was not seen again after the An-Shi Rebellion.

But the Anshi Rebellion was a disaster that no one could avoid! Therefore, Jiang Feng had mixed feelings about Jiang Fei becoming the concubine of Prince Linzi.

Jiang Fei was obviously not satisfied with Jiang Feng's attitude. The two sisters were of similar age and originally lived in harmony. But one day, the elder sister suddenly discovered that her blind lover Gao Hui actually liked the younger sister who was inferior to her in every way! Not only that, the handsome young man Shen Guxing from Chang'an and the elegant King of Zhongshan also liked her.

Her mentality collapsed, and after being clearly rejected by Gao Hui, she agreed to Dou Ding's marriage out of spite. But she also felt that Dou Ding was not worthy of trust. Fortunately, fate treated her well and let her meet Li Longji.

That god-like man actually liked her! And Jiang Feng finally got engaged to Shen Guxing, a commoner! She finally turned the tables and greatly suppressed Jiang Feng.

Jiang Fei was immersed in great happiness, and this happiness would be more complete if it could be recognized and admired by Jiang Feng. So, when Jiang Feng visited her one day with a wedding gift for Jiang Fei, Jiang Fei finally seized the opportunity.

When Jiang Feng took out the "Stepping on the Clouds" slippers made with unique craftsmanship, Jiang Fei curled her lips and said to Liangzhou: "Sister is too stingy to make such a thing. The things in the palace are all top-notch. Wouldn't such a pair of shoes be laughed at by others?"

Old Lady Jiang also followed up with sarcasm: "Shen Guxing has been dismissed from office. His future will be difficult. It would be good for him to learn more needlework. But your sister won't need it."

Mother Jiang and Chu Yan remained silent. Aunt Jiang was about to smooth things over when Jiang Feng took the lead and said with a smile, "I originally thought that the palace must have a lot of rules, and the princesses all know the rules and follow the etiquette. Sister should always be dignified in front of others so as not to lose her status. But every time you are alone indoors, you should relax a little. That's why I prepared indoor shoes. I didn't expect Sister to wear them when meeting guests. But since Sister doesn't like it, I have prepared other gifts for her."

As he said this, he turned around and took a brocade box from Youran's hand. He opened it and saw a row of nine gold-threaded jade bracelets inside.

But seeing that the bracelets were made of top-grade jade and exquisitely crafted, each one was worth a hundred gold coins, and Jiang Feng bought nine of them.

Jiang Fei was surprised, but it was obvious that she liked them. Jiang Feng felt bad, so he couldn't let them go for nothing. He quickly struck while the iron was hot and made Jiang Fei feel comfortable: "This is a reward from Princess Taiping, and it's the only thing I can afford. Although I like it, I think that I will have a simple life in the future and live in the mountains. I won't have the chance to wear them, and instead let the treasures get covered in dust. Giving it to my sister is the right thing to do."

With just one sentence, even Mrs. Jiang was happy. As if she was afraid that Jiang Feng would regret it, she stood up and "grabbed" the brocade box from Jiang Feng's hand with a smile, and handed it to Jiang Fei: "You should keep your sister's kindness. When you become rich in the future, you can help her from time to time."

You will be helped, and your whole family will be helped.

Hearing what Old Lady Jiang said, Jiang Feng laughed out of anger. He wanted to put on a good show but didn't want to lose Shen Guxing's integrity, so he smiled and bowed, "Grandma is right! But everyone has their own destiny. Sister is extremely rich and noble. Even if there is something missing from her fingers, it is enough for an ordinary person to live a lifetime. But Yi Ye is the type of a man who has a wife of plum blossoms and a son of cranes. If he really asks Sister for help one day, at most he can plant a plum forest and raise a group of cranes in Qingchuan Villa."

Jiang Feng spoke seriously, as if he was very regretful that he could not receive help from Jiang Fei.

Jiang Fei was flattered to the point of being dizzy, but she was not as confused as Old Lady Jiang: "Grandma is too happy. We are a family. There is no need to talk about whether to help or not."

Look at her awareness, she really wants to be a princess.

Because there was a saying in the Tang Dynasty that "If you marry a woman in the twelfth month, you can't meet her mother-in-law", and Li Longji was anxious to get his bride into his arms, he set the wedding date in the winter month.