The stand-in didn't take it seriously for three years, and the minister was furious when they b

"grown ups?"

It was not until Lu Mo's voice was heard outside the door that Beitang Yi suddenly came back to his senses:

"come in."

Then, Lu Mo came in carrying a food box:

"Sir, the mooncakes sent to you by the Crown Princess were brought over by the Ministry of Rites. This is the list of festival gifts from the Ministry of Rites. I have already asked someone to count and inspect them."

"Hmm~"

After flipping through it casually, Beitang Yi handed it back:

"Keep the Xuejinsusha, and let the butler divide the rest."

"Yes."

Watching Lu Mo leave, Si Chao and Ying Feng exchanged glances unconsciously. When they were wondering whether to leave or not, Beitang Yi had already opened the lunch box.

There are six mooncakes in the wooden box, in different colors and shapes, all very exquisite.

If you look closely, you will find that the six mooncakes can actually be put together to form three pairs, such as a four-petal pink mooncake and a triangular green mooncake. The pattern in the middle is actually a bird, exactly the same, but one head is tilted to the left and the other head is tilted to the right. Put together, they look like a pair of kissing lovebirds.

In the past, she liked to give him things like this.

No matter what it is, you can always find a unique way to make it a couple by keeping half for each person.

But at that time, they were lovers and they truly looked forward to a perfect life together as a couple.

Looking at the mooncake again at this moment, Beitang Yi felt only irony.

There are clearly two pink round mooncakes and two green triangular mooncakes, which appear to be a pair at first glance, but in fact, only one red and one green are a pair.

It seems very much like the awkward relationship between the two now.

"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. I'll celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with you in advance."

With a flick of his hand, Beitang Yi handed the mooncake box to the two of them. Yingfeng was about to reach out his hand, but was stopped by Si Chao, who pushed the mooncake box back intact:

"Since it's been delivered, this one is exclusively for you. It might even be made by her herself. You shouldn't give it to anyone else if you don't want to eat it."

"I can't even dispose of a box of mooncakes casually now. Si Chao, do you think our Beitang family really owed him in our previous life?"

One general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers. What's the point of Beitang family's loyalty?

None of the more than one hundred people in the family had a good ending.

His only remaining family members could not return home, so he had to become a puppet. The woman he once loved was also taken away, and now, he had to be bound by his hands and pretend to be nice to them.

Knowing that the "he" he was referring to was His Majesty and not the Crown Princess, Si Chao paused before saying:

"A small leak will sink a great ship!"

"A blessing in disguise. Didn't they give it back to you in another way?"

A poisonous insect had pushed him to a position above ten thousand people, and to be fair, who could do anything to him now? However, he was concerned about more than just him.

What bound him was never that person, but his kindness and countless innocent lives.

"Ayi, a bloodless battle is better than a life-threatening one. If you don't want to repeat the mistakes of seven years ago, just be patient."

Their eyes simultaneously focused on the mooncake box. This time, Beitang Yi did not refute.

……

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the Marquis's Mansion has become visibly lively.

That day, Sang Xi went to sit with the old lady as usual. When she came back, she looked dazed and felt more and more empty in her heart.

"Hey~"

After sending away the servants who followed her, she walked towards the small garden alone, and couldn't help but sighing softly again.

The marquis' mansion that I had longed for so much before was nothing like this now. What's the use of having so much money or having such beautiful scenery?

After all, it has nothing to do with her.

She kicked a small stone with her toes, saw her gray and white shirt, and thought about her age and the long life ahead, which made her feel even worse.

Just as I was stunned, a voice shouted:

"Chun Miao, I knew you were hiding here. Why do you still hold a grudge against the Second Madam for saying a few words to you?"

When Sang Xi heard that it was Mu Lianzhi's people, she instinctively slowed down her pace and hid behind a rockery tree.

I pricked up my ears and looked out, and saw a little maid squatting with her knees hugged in the corner not far away. At this moment, another maid was pulling her, as if urging her or comforting her.

"No way? I just feel bad. Look at what kind of life we ​​in the second branch have been living. The old lady is in charge and no one treats us as human beings. What are we going to do in the future?"

"What can the young lady do if the second house has no man to rely on? You should also stop saying a few words and stop making things difficult for her. It's all fate."

"I am anxious. I heard that the princess of Silla will visit in the next few days, and she is here for marriage. It is so insignificant that I can imagine that the prince and princess will not look down on it. Everyone knows that Silla is the most martial country. I heard that the women there have a special liking for military commanders, especially those who have come back from the battlefield. I am the same. We have just married a concubine. If another princess comes by accident, where will we stand by then?"

"Stop imagining that. I'm already married."

"So what? To put it bluntly, the young ones have few achievements, and the old ones are ugly. How many of them have actually been on the battlefield and are now in the capital with an official position that is neither too low nor too high? Didn't you find that the time when our uncle was released was a bit coincidental and abrupt? Moreover, his injuries were all in places that could not be seen."

"What you said is true. However, that should be the concern of the first wife. Our second wife can't be any worse. The one who should be worried the most is that concubine Sang. Her child is young and she is not liked by the master. No matter if he takes in another concubine, concubine, or princess in the future, she will definitely be the one who is secretly targeted and tortured."

"Yeah, it's really hard for us women. It's hard to live without a man, and it's even worse if a man doesn't love us. Alas~"

"So, a husband is the most important thing in the world. Nothing is more important than a man's favor and opportunity. Isn't it just bad luck for our lady? There is nothing we can do now. Go back to work. There is a banquet tomorrow. We can't make any mistakes."

The two people's voices were intermittent and gradually faded away. Sang Xi's head was buzzing. In the end, only four words were left floating in his mind:

Grace and opportunity.

……

The next day, the banquet at the Marquis' Mansion was quite grand. In order to welcome and entertain the distinguished guests, the mansion specially purchased a lot of fresh flowers and bonsai, and set off firecrackers early in the morning.

On this day, Mu Lianzhi also got up early to accompany him, but she was dressed very low-key. Her clothes were a minimalist beige color with gold sprinkled on them. She also wore a yellow velvet flower and a pearl tassel hairpin on her head. She was beautiful but not gaudy. The slightly loose clothes only made her look frail and slender, and she looked sickly and pitiful.

She was inconspicuous that day. In the crowd, she was either walking in the corner or at the end.

After exchanging greetings, the group headed towards the pavilion in the backyard garden. Mu Lianzhi was at the end, but she never ignored the movements around her:

It's strange. There are so many guests, both men and women, including high-ranking officials from aristocratic families, but why is Ling Shaocong nowhere to be seen?

In such occasions, shouldn't he, as a Jinshi graduate, be more at ease?

Ling Yuchi used to hate it the most——