Golden Branch

Time entered May and Lou Yu celebrated his 19th birthday.

As usual, the Duke of Qi's Mansion started making preparations a few days in advance.

The huge mansion was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns everywhere.

As the mistress, Wang Heng started writing invitations and preparing the banquet half a month in advance.

Lou Yu, it seems, has lost his power and was even kicked to Lingnan by the saint.

But, Lou Yu also has a princess wife.

Wang Heng personally arranged a birthday banquet for Lou Yu, so some families who were trying to wait and see had to think carefully about it.

"Although I don't know the reason, Lou Yu has indeed fallen out of favor with the Crown Prince!"

"I heard it seems to be related to the Crown Princess's strange illness. Lou Yu took advantage of his favor and became arrogant, neglecting the Crown Princess, which in turn angered the Crown Prince!"

"Humph! I've always said that he was young and frivolous, and acted rashly. Now, he has indeed caused a disaster!"

"Why did you say that earlier? Didn't you praise him earlier as a young talent, a rare talent that only appears once in a century in the Great Yu Dynasty?"

"...None of this matters! What matters is whether we go to the birthday party at the Duke of Qi's mansion or not!"

"Go! Of course we have to go! Lou Yu was 'exiled', but his title remains! And his wife is still Concubine Jiang's most precious daughter."

"Yes, I heard that the Ninth Prince, Princess Changning, and, oh yes, the young master from the Eastern Palace, are all studying with Princess Langya."

"She is just a woman. Even if she is proficient in calligraphy and music, she is not qualified to teach the nobles."

"Tsk! You coward, what do you know? Princess Langya is a woman, but her husband is Shen Du!"

"A famous scholar in China? Mr. Shen Du Shen from Beiwei and Nanshen?"

"Oh~~ So the nobles in the palace really value the famous scholar Shen behind Princess Langya!"

Everyone was talking and guessing, and they took the initiative to find reasons for the three little ones to follow Wang Heng.

Indeed, Mr. Shen’s reputation is too great.

Moreover, since he voluntarily resigned from his official position, his image as a cold and noble celebrity who was not afraid of worldly affairs has been re-established.

He is indifferent to fame and fortune and detached from the world.

Such a godly figure would never do anything against his will because of fear of imperial power.

As long as one does not meet Mr. Shen's requirements, even the sons of dragons and phoenixes cannot become his disciples.

With Princess Langya as the "medium", we can "save the country in a roundabout way".

On the surface, the three young nobles were studying with Princess Langya.

In fact, they had their eyes set on Mr. Shen.

Concubine Jiang, Queen Li, and the Crown Prince: ...Ah! Right, right, right! You're all right!

Wang Heng & Lou Yu: ...Okay, as long as you are happy!

Of course, no matter what the truth is, the fact before everyone is:

There is more than just princess Wang Heng in the Duke of Qi's Mansion.

There is also a prince, a princess, and a grandson.

Although they are all women and children, no family in the entire capital dares to really ignore them.

Because of these three people, everyone at the Duke of Qi's birthday banquet came to ask for a cup of birthday wine even though they had some doubts in their hearts.

Therefore, what Wang Heng said to Lou Yu: Brother, this year may be the loneliest birthday party you have ever had in your life, will not become a reality.

She was just kidding.

……

Lou Yu didn't care whether the birthday party was lively or not. Neither of them was someone he cared about. He didn't care whether they came or not, or whether they were sincere or not.

"I still want to know more about what birthday gift my Ah Heng prepared for me?"

Lou Yu looked at Wang Heng, and the deep tenderness and affection in his deep eye sockets almost overflowed.

Wang Heng didn't keep the secret and directly took out a palm-sized red lacquer and mother-of-pearl wooden box. "Here! Brother, this is for you. This is a gift I carefully prepared. It is the treasure that best represents my love!"

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows.

Carefully prepared?

He had a sudden thought and vaguely guessed it.

He couldn't help but laugh. It must have been three years.

He had almost forgotten it.

Unexpectedly, I received it.

Lou Yu had already guessed it, but he still showed curiosity: "What is it? But it must be something very good. My Ah Heng has already thought it is a treasure!"

As he spoke, Lou Yu had already taken the box.

A large hand with distinct joints gently lifted the lock of the box and opened it.

The box was covered with red silk, and on the red silk was placed a sachet the size of a baby's fist.

The sky-blue brocade was sewn into a round sachet.

There are embroidery patterns on both sides of the sachet, one side is embroidered with a cedar tree and the other side is embroidered with a bunch of peonies.

The cedars are cool and tall, while the peonies are gorgeous and splendid.

This sachet is a masterpiece in terms of both color matching and embroidery.

Even the ears on top are very delicate.

Lou Yu picked it up gently, placed it in his palm, and rubbed it carefully.

Who said his little girl is not good at housework?

Ah Heng is just spoiled and she is too lazy to do it.

If she wanted to, even if she didn't know how to do it, she could still do it perfectly by learning from scratch.

At most, it just takes longer.

Lou Yu didn't know much about women's work, but he had common sense.

He knew that an experienced hand could make a sachet like the one in his hand in three to five days at the fastest, or ten days at the slowest.

Ah Heng took three full years.

From the moment she carried the coffin back to her hometown, the twenty-seven-month mourning period ended, and she got married...Aheng's work was complete.

"...Excellent! It really proves the saying 'slow work makes perfect'!"

Lou Yu's eyes were filled with joy and admiration. He nodded and said, "Ah Heng, I like it very much. This is probably the best birthday gift I have ever received!"

"As long as you like it, brother!"

Seeing Lou Yu's genuine joy, a smile spread across Wang Heng's beautiful little face.

She also knew that this gift of hers did take a long time to prepare.

But she was such a delicate girl that she had never touched a needle and thread since she was a child.

Not to mention giving it to others, she herself didn't even use the embroidery she made.

Thinking that the sachet she gave Lou Yu was her "first time" in her life, she couldn't help but pout, "Besides, even if it's not done well, this is the only time!"

She raised her fair and delicate fingers and said, "I got pricked several times just to embroider the sachet!"

Although the wound had healed long ago, Wang Heng still remembered the feeling of being pricked by a needle.

Lou Yu quickly reached out and grabbed Wang Heng's little hand.

Bringing it close, he blew gently on the spring onion-like fingers, "Thank you for your hard work, Ah Heng! We will never do this again!"

There are embroiderers out there, so there is no need for Ah Heng to suffer.

"Well! Just this one, there are no more."

"Brother, you're the only one who has it. Myself, my mother, and my brother don't have it!"

Wang Heng emphasized this again and again.

And deep down, she really had this plan—

From then on, no matter what the reason or who it was, she would never touch needle and sew again.

Things are rare.

The unique "thought" is the real thought and will be cherished.

"Aheng gave me such a precious birthday gift, so I should return the favor."

Lou Yu put the sachet away with great care. With a turn of his wrist, a small box suddenly appeared in his palm.

"Give it to me?"

"Yeah! I made it myself!"

They are the best gifts that express your heart.

Wang Heng was curious, so she opened the box and found a small jade carving inside.

It is about the size of a walnut, but it seems to have two people carved into it.

Wang Heng reached out, picked up the small object carved from mutton-fat white jade, placed it in her palm, and examined it carefully.

boom!

Wang Heng's ears and cheeks were burned red.

"Brother! This, this, this..."

This jade carving is indeed two little people, and you can tell from their hairstyle that they are a boy and a girl.

It’s just that the posture of these two people...ahem, it’s something that they, as a couple, have done many nights before.

Very shy, but very, very happy.

But, but these are private things that can only be done with the door closed and the curtains lowered.

Lou Yu, on the other hand, actually carved it out and gave it to her as a "return gift"!

"Lou Dalang! You really are a pervert!"

Who would do such a thing and consider it a gift?

He, he... still has a bright and elegant face at this moment, but he does such a dirty thing.

Wang Heng was embarrassed and anxious. She stammered at first, and then started to curse without caring about anything.

Lou Yu smiled, a hint of regret between his handsome and clear eyebrows: "It's a pity that it's a little small, and I can't carve out the face."

Wang Heng: ...What? You want to replicate our faces, one-to-one, on a jade carving?

Lou Dalang, what about your face? Do you really not care about it at all?

Lou Yu’s smile became brighter: With such a romantic atmosphere, what’s the point of having such a face?

……

The couple gave each other gifts that they thought best expressed their feelings, each with their own feelings.

The birthday banquet of Duke Qi's Mansion was still held as scheduled.

In the morning, the alley in front of the Duke's Mansion was crowded with carriages of various types.

There were guests, both men and women, coming and going.

As long as the dignitaries in Beijing received an invitation, they would show up on time.

Princesses, princes, founding heroes, new nobles in the court, and relatives of the Lou and Wang families all appeared in the Duke of Qi's Mansion.

For example, Wang Heng’s “old acquaintance”, Princess Anyang, who has a similar status to her.

"Langya, the Prince Consort of Lou!"

Princess Anyang and her husband came together.

Seeing Wang Heng and Lou Yu, who looked like a perfect couple, a hint of jealousy flashed in Anyang's eyes.

Why?

Both of them were fake princesses without royal blood, and both were forced to make hasty marriages due to marriage alliances. However, Wang Jiu was able to marry Lou Yu, who was of the best family background, talent, and appearance, while she had to settle for a mediocre person?

The son-in-law of Anyang is the young master of the Wei family.

In the past, she simply looked down on it.

He had an average appearance and mediocre talents. Although he came from a prime minister's family, he was not favored.

After marrying Anyang, Wei Langjun was appointed as the imperial concubine's commander and then entered the court to participate in government affairs.

As for the Wei family, for the sake of Princess Anyang, they did some work to help Prince Consort Wei and got him a fifth-rank honorary title.

There is only a rank, but no real power.

If you want further promotion, you still need to rely on connections.

In contrast, Lou Yu, before he even reached the age of twenty, had already held the rank of fourth-rank official, and was a genuine local official.

Although Yongzhou is a bit remote, its grade has improved.

As long as you stay in office for a few years and accumulate some political achievements, you can be promoted.

People outside said that Lou Yu had lost power, and Anyang also gloated over it.

But in her heart, she was still concerned about the official positions of Lou Yu and her own son-in-law:

The son of the Wei family is far inferior to the son of the Lou family!