Golden Branch

Prince Rui's Mansion.

Yang Rui and several other playboys first followed the marching general, Lu Jue and other chief officers to the main gate.

The prince, on behalf of the sage, went out of the imperial city to greet the triumphant soldiers outside the main gate and read out the sage's rewards in public.

Those who deserve promotion will be promoted, and those who deserve rewards will be rewarded with gold and silver.

After the reward, there is also this banquet.

Inside the palace, in the main hall, drums and music were playing, and wine glasses were clinking.

The "Song of the King of Qi Breaking the Formation", which was usually used in formal palace banquets, excited the generals who had already drunk and were in high spirits as soon as it sounded.

They either knock on the bowls with chopsticks and hum along with the rhythm, or simply stand up and dance with their hands waving and hips twisting.

Soon, the hall became lively.

To put it nicely, it is the emperor and his subjects enjoying themselves together; to put it bluntly, it is a group of demons dancing wildly.

The prince has not been in good health recently. In addition to being busy with state affairs and worrying about the queen, he was busy all day and drank some wine, so he felt a little exhausted.

The Third Prince, Prince Yan, the Crown Prince's half-brother, who sat below, was keenly aware of his brother's discomfort. Concern flickered in his eyes as he whispered, "Brother, these soldiers are in high spirits and will surely cause quite a stir. You are busy with government affairs, so why don't you return to the East Palace first?"

"I'm also at the banquet, I'll accompany these killers."

Prince Yan is only three years younger than Yang Rui this year. As the legitimate son of Queen Li, he was also carefully raised by his parents.

The prince is both civil and military, but he is more inclined to literature.

The King of Yan was fond of military affairs and joined the army when he was in his teens.

When the sage was fighting wars in the south and the north, the King of Yan was just a small soldier beside the sage.

The sage had made great military achievements, and the King of Yan also had the same style as his father.

The former emperor once praised him as "the young tiger of my family."

Of course, the Prince of Yan’s achievements are still not as great as those of the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince must abide by etiquette and laws and cannot do anything that would damage the reputation of the Eastern Palace.

The King of Yan did not have such worries, he was more "down-to-earth".

Especially in the military camp, he had no airs of a royal noble and was able to humble himself and mingle with the rough warriors.

They ate from the same pot and were close to each other. The Prince of Yan was very popular in the army because of his approachable personality.

That's why King Yan spoke so casually just now.

For those soldiers who have just returned from the battlefield and have made military achievements, they can also be called soldiers and killers.

It's not that he looked down on them, but that he was too close to them and treated them as his own.

Even the King of Yan himself often regarded himself as a soldier and a warrior.

The Crown Prince smiled warmly after hearing what the King of Yan said, "Sanlang has really grown up and knows how to share my brother's worries!"

"Okay! I'll leave it to you from now on. You can have fun, but don't mess around!"

At the end, the prince still reminded that "the elder brother is like a father".

"Don't worry, brother. I'll save it!"

The Prince of Yan stood up and respectfully saw the Crown Prince off.

Xiao Wuzhi, who was sitting opposite King Yan, also hurriedly stood up.

The prince nodded at King Yan, then waved at Xiao Wuji, indicating that he didn't need to follow.

Xiao Wuji bowed and watched the prince leave.

"Ankang, sit down!"

After the prince left, King Yan warmly invited Xiao Wuji to sit down.

The Yang family and the Xiao family have a complicated relationship, and Xiao Wuzhi is the prince's confidant who has been raised by him since childhood.

Xiao Wuji was very familiar with several princes including Prince Yan.

Ankang is Xiao Wuji's pen name, which was given to him by his father.

As the name suggests, Xiao's father does not have any big ambitions for Xiao Wuji. He just hopes that he will be healthy and safe.

"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yan!"

Prince Yan was very affectionate and treated Xiao Wuji like a comrade in the army, but Xiao Wuji strictly followed the rules.

He clasped his hands together and thanked King Yan for the seat.

A dark light flashed quickly in King Yan's eyes, but his expression was still so warm and generous.

He was generous and treated his soldiers like brothers.

After inviting Xiao Wuji to sit down, he stood up with his wine glass and walked among the crowd, either clinking glasses with others and drinking together, or being pulled to dance with them.

Xiao Wuji knelt in his seat, holding the wine glass, but did not drink it.

He watched with a smile, and although he didn't join in, he looked appreciative.

The King of Yan mingled with the soldiers and soon replaced the wine glasses with wine jars.

It was not known whether he drank it himself or was forced to drink it, but soon, the King of Yan's face turned red and his mouth was full of alcohol.

I was drunk, my brain seemed to be dull, and when someone said something funny to me, I became impulsive.

"Beauty? Haha!"

"Zhou Daniu, you idiot, isn't it normal for you to like beautiful women? A six-foot-tall man, yet you're still shy!"

"Haha! Just wait, I'll find you a beautiful woman right now. You can take her home and make her your slave or your bride. It's up to you!"

"...Yes! We have them all! Haha, whatever Zhou Daniu has, you all have too! The thing the palace has the most is beauties..."

Although the Prince of Yan was drunk, he was still very righteous and summoned a dozen young and beautiful women for his comrades in the army.

They were either palace slaves in the Ye Ting or newly selected palace maids. Although they were not of high status, they all had very good looks.

The King of Yan stuffed two into each person's mouth, even Xiao Wuji, who had been hiding in his seat and watching quietly, was not left out.

Xiao Wuji's eyes flickered, and he quickly stood up to decline: "Thank you, King Yan, for your kindness, but—"

Before he could even utter a specific refusal, he was stopped by the equally drunk General Yuchi standing beside him: "Oh, Xiao Lang, please don't refuse! Your Highness is so kind, how can we let him down?"

After saying this, he lowered his voice again and whispered: "Even if you don't like her, you can take her back and make her a slave."

It's not like you have to sleep there. Can't you just find an empty yard to put him there?

At this moment, both the King of Yan and the generals were in high spirits.

If Xiao Wuji refused with a stubborn argument, it would not only embarrass the King of Yan, but also spoil everyone's fun.

Xiao Wuji pursed his lips. This was not a question of whether to sleep or not.

He didn't want to take the person back from the bottom of his heart.

First of all, this was a gift from the King of Yan.

Secondly, he already has Amian, so he would never take a concubine.

Bringing such a beauty home would definitely cause unrest in his family and discord between him and his wife.

However, what General Yuchi said also makes a lot of sense.

He, Xiao Wuji, couldn't be the one to spoil the fun.

Xiao Wuji was helpless, while Lu Jue, Yang Shou and others were half-hearted.

Especially Yang Shou, in his opinion, these were not just two beauties, but also a further ties between their Rui Wang Mansion and the Queen's lineage.

The Prince of Yan is the Crown Prince's brother and the beloved son of the Emperor and Empress. For the Rui Palace, being on good terms with the Prince of Yan will definitely bring more benefits than disadvantages.

……

The palace banquet did not end until late at night.

The streets of the capital, which had long been under curfew, were deserted.

However, Yang Shou and others, as heroes who returned victoriously today, were given the privilege of violating the curfew.

They took their beauties and went home, surrounded by guards waiting at the palace gate.

Zheng Shisan resisted the urge to sleep and stayed in the main hall of the palace, waiting for Yang Shou with his parents-in-law.

The candlelight flickered, and the originally quiet house was suddenly filled with noise from afar.

"Coming! Back!"

"Twenty-One! My Twenty-One is finally back!"

"Quick! Send someone to the front yard to greet them!"

"Hot water! Hot tea! And hangover remedies, everything is ready!"

Prince Rui was still kneeling upright, but Princess Rui had already stood up excitedly.

She shouted instructions repeatedly and ran quickly to the door.

Seeing his mother-in-law like this, Zheng Shisan felt it was not appropriate to sit there any longer.

She also looked excited and anxious, but because her elders were present and she was still a new bride, she didn't want to show too much.

She forced herself to hold it back, only revealing a little emotion in her eyes.

While Princess Rui was waiting for her son, she did not completely ignore her surroundings.

Out of the corner of her eye, she was able to catch a glimpse of her daughter-in-law standing one step behind her.

Well, Shisan Niang is worthy of being the princess’s companion and a noble lady from an aristocratic family.

My mother's family has fallen into decline, but the rules are still followed.

Although she was worried about her husband, she still abided by the rules of the boudoir.

While abiding by the rules, it doesn't mean that we have no reaction at all.

This is probably a common problem among many mothers-in-law. They require their daughters-in-law to be well-behaved and not bring shame to the in-laws' family, but they also hope that their daughters-in-law truly love and respect their husbands.

Princess Rui was quite satisfied with Zheng Shisan's performance.

"Auntie!"

After leaving the palace, Yang Shou sobered up a lot on the way.

Although his steps were still shaky, he was able to walk on his own.

He entered the main courtyard, shook off the guard's hand, staggered up the stairs, and rushed into the main hall.

Princess Rui was at the door. She rushed over to her son and held him with her hand.

She held Yang Shou's arms with both hands and looked her son up and down carefully.

"He's gotten darker! He's gotten thinner! His whole body has become rough!"

"However, my son has become more resolute—"

He lost the dandy air of a young man and gained the sharpness and strength of a soldier.

Her son is becoming more and more like a qualified heir to the palace!

Princess Rui was both proud and relieved, and tears could not help but roll down her cheeks: "My son! You have suffered so much these days!"

"By the way, were you injured? You always say you're fine in your letters, but on a battlefield, swords are merciless, so how could you really be fine?"

"Quick! Let Mom see—"

As she spoke, Princess Rui reached out and pulled Yang Shou's clothes.

Yang Shou was already half sober, but after his mother's treatment, he was only two or three parts drunk.

He quickly dodged, saying anxiously, "Mother! I'm really fine!"

"I went to the battlefield, but I was not in the vanguard, nor was I the main force."

"Besides, I have so many guards around me, the Turks can't get close at all!"

Princess Rui still didn't believe it, so she tore open her clothes and looked at her chest. She didn't find any scars, and she felt relieved.

She hugged her son's arm tightly and pulled him into the main hall.

Yang Shou paid his respects to Prince Rui again. Prince Rui acted like a strict father and remained calm even though his hands hidden in his sleeves were shaking slightly.

Finally, Zheng Shisan found the right opportunity and stepped forward to talk to Yang Shou.

However, Zheng Shisan knew that Yang Shou had just returned and had attended a banquet in the palace, and he must have many private things to say to Prince Rui and his wife.

"My dear, you must be tired. I'll go to the bathroom and prepare a bath for you!"

Zheng Shisan made an excuse and retreated.

Only after making sure that Zheng Shisan had left did Yang Shou kneel down with a thud.

"What? You, you actually brought a woman back? You, you——"

"...Father, Mother, please don't be angry. Ah Su is not an ordinary woman. She, she knows the whereabouts of Doctor Li!"

PS: It’s the first day of April, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket, ||ヽ(*￣▽￣*)ノミ|Ю