Who put the yellow robe on me?

On the way back to the palace, Jiang Chen happened to meet He Xiaowei and Jiang Sirou coming out of the Zhong Mansion.

Just as Jiang Chen was about to step forward and ask about Zhong Xiaodan's current situation, a man rode up to the three of them and then dismounted.

When he saluted He Xiaowei, his gesture of bowing was a little artificial. "Ms. He, long time no see."

He was wearing a blue shirt, had an elegant temperament, and looked very scholarly.

However, his eyes were full of complacency, and he thought he was very elegant.

There was always a confident smile on his slightly swollen face, as if he was the most outstanding talent.

"Mr. Mu!"

He Xiaowei smiled and politely returned the greeting, but Jiang Chen could see at a glance the unhappiness hidden in her smile.

After a brief greeting, the two of them bowed slightly to Jiang Chen and Jiang Sirou, then mounted their horses and left.

Jiang Sirou didn't hide her disgust and grumbled softly, "Xiao Wei'er is so outstanding, how could she possibly marry such a poor scholar?"

It turned out that this man was none other than the person He Xiaowei had been engaged to since childhood, Mu Zhengyi, the son of the Minister of Rites, Mu Shenru.

He Xiaowei responded calmly: "It's the matchmaker's order, my parents' words, I dare not disobey."

Jiang Chen immediately interrupted: "Are you afraid to disobey or are you unwilling to disobey?"

He Xiaowei was stunned for a moment, then replied, "I have been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. In this era where family and status are important, I dare not disobey my parents' orders."

He Xiaowei then said goodbye to the two of them and turned to leave.

All she said from beginning to end was that she didn't dare to disobey, not that she was unwilling to disobey.

How could Jiang Chen not know the hidden meaning in her words?

As Jiang Chen and Jiang Sirou returned to the palace, they talked about the childhood engagement between Mu Zhengyi and He Xiaowei.

Jiang Sirou said, "The father of Minister of Rites Mu Shenru passed away last month. This Mu Zhengyi went back to his hometown to stand guard over his father's remains and has only just returned to Beijing."

"Prime Minister He and Mu Zhengyi's grandfather were sworn brothers before."

"When Mrs. He and Mrs. Mu were both pregnant, they said they wanted to celebrate their happiness and arranged a marriage."

"Unfortunately, both of them gave birth to baby boys, so the arranged marriage was dropped."

"Prime Minister He's power in the court grew. When Xiao Wei'er was about three or four years old, Prime Minister He was promoted to Prime Minister, the head of the civil service."

"Rumor has it that the Mu family, seeing Prime Minister He's rapid rise in the court, proposed to the He family that since the previous generation's arranged marriage failed, the next generation should be married off as a child."

Jiang Sirou said this, then paused and looked at Jiang Chen.

"Ah? Isn't this going after the power in Prime Minister He's hands? Will the He family agree?" Jiang Chen exclaimed.

"Yes, Sixteenth Brother, who says it's not true!" Jiang Sirou shook her head and sighed, "Xiao Wei'er's parents didn't say anything, but Old Lady He couldn't sit still! She thought this was just an old grudge and had nothing to do with Xiao Wei'er!"

"Furthermore, Old Lady He herself said, 'If I weren't the Prime Minister of Daliang, would the Mu family still have arranged child marriages?' This gave Prime Minister He a headache, but out of pride, he reluctantly conceded."

"It was also thanks to Prime Minister He's support that Minister Mu rose through the ranks from Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites to the position of Minister of Rites."

"Regarding the vacancy of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, no matter who is appointed from the Cabinet, the Ministry of Rites, or the Ministry of Justice, there will always be a vacant position, and Minister Mu wants Mu Zhengyi to enter the court as well."

Speaking of this, Jiang Sirou's face was full of disdain.

"Oh? How to get in?" Jiang Chen asked with a puzzled look.

"Just pass the Autumn Examination! I don't think he would dare to ignore the laws and etiquette of Daliang." Jiang Sirou curled her lips.

"Passed the Autumn Examination? Minister Mu is so sure that his son will pass it?" Jiang Chen was surprised and horrified.

"Who knows? Maybe that nerd is really well-read." Jiang Sirou shrugged helplessly, then continued, "Humph! Even high school is not good enough for my little Wei'er!"

Haha, interesting. It seems that this autumn examination is really getting more and more interesting.

"And this Mu Zhengyi is uneducated and often follows Fifth Brother to Tianxiang Pavilion to find girls and listen to music!" Jiang Sirou said this, and suddenly seemed to remember something. She grabbed Jiang Chen's ear and said, "You went to Tianxiang Pavilion too! You're not a good guy either!"

"Ouch! Thirteenth Sister! Why did you do that so suddenly? It hurts! Ouch!"

……

The evening twilight enveloped the capital. When Jiang Chen was about to return to Ningbo Palace, he was told by Xiao Anzi of Ningbo Palace that the Sixth Prince Jiang Fu was waiting for him in Ningbo Palace.

Jiang Fu? Why is he here?

Jiang Chen was not very fond of Jiang Fu, but he still adjusted his attitude to greet him.

"Sixth brother! What brings you here?" Jiang Chen smiled when he saw Jiang Fu.

Jiang Fu smiled mysteriously and said, "Sixteenth brother, I'm hosting a banquet at Tianxiang Pavilion tonight. How about we go together?"

Jiang Chen was a little confused. He hadn't had much interaction with Jiang Fu, and he wasn't sure about his purpose. So Jiang Chen asked, "Who will be there tonight?"

Jiang Fu pretended to be relaxed and answered, "They are all acquaintances." Then he put on an expression that said, "See if you dare to come."

"Okay! I'll be there on time!" Jiang Chen agreed without much hesitation. He had nothing to be afraid of in Tianxiang Pavilion.

Moreover, Jiang Chen also wanted to know what the arrangements for today's "Hongmen Banquet" were.

After arriving at Tianxiang Pavilion, Jiang Chen walked into the hall and met Tianxiang Pavilion Master Situ Hongyi: "Shopkeeper Situ, has the King of Qin arrived?"

Pavilion Master Situ smiled and said, "Here he comes, the King of Qin has arrived a long time ago!"

"Oh? Where are the others? Are they here too?" Jiang Chen asked as he walked.

"Yes, the Fifth Prince, Young Master Mu, and the others have all arrived. I still have to go greet the guests, and I'll have my son entertain them well."

Fifth Prince Jiang Chong? He was just released from confinement two days ago, so why is he here again? He's definitely not afraid of being confined again!

And Mu Zhengyi, what is he doing here?

Jiang Chen is still confused about the Sixth Prince's act.

As the top brothel in the capital, Tianxiang Pavilion receives all the rich and noble, from royal relatives to children of officials.

Even if ordinary people in white are rich, they will not be received by Tianxiang Pavilion.

Jiang Chen's heart moved slightly, and he walked directly to the number one room and pushed the door open.

Good guy!

The fifth prince Jiang Chong, the sixth prince Jiang Fu, the son of the Minister of Personnel Mu Zhengyi, and the young master of Tianxiang Pavilion Situ Yongrui have all taken their seats.

Several people were chatting enthusiastically with the girls, and the four most beautiful courtesans of Tianxiang Pavilion were all present.

Sitting next to the fifth prince was Liu Ruyan, next to Mu Zhengyi was Zhi Ruolan, next to the sixth prince was Ye Peiyan, and Situ Yongrui was very close to Bai Fengxian.

Seeing Jiang Chen enter, Jiang Chong was surprised at first, and then his eyes were filled with anger.

Mu Zhengyi was also stunned. He didn't expect Jiang Chen to come over tonight.

The Sixth Prince Jiang Fu stood up and said, "Sixteenth brother, you are late. You should drink three cups as punishment! Come, please take a seat!"

After Jiang Chen took his seat, he discovered a very embarrassing problem.

The four most famous courtesans in Tianxiang Pavilion were well-known throughout the capital, but the other girls were inferior to them in both beauty and talent.

Now that the four most popular courtesans are already taken, isn't Jiang Chen...