Noble Lady

Madam Han didn't show any displeasure on her face, nor did she ask any questions. Han Hongyue trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Mother, calm down. I know I was wrong! I deserve to die!"

"Look at you, kid. You're already a general, but why do you always feel guilty and want to die?" Old Lady Han sighed, stood up and helped him up personally.

"I know you've worked hard defending the northern border for years, and I know you're proud of your victory. But you must understand why His Majesty took those matters so lightly."

Han Hongyue's face turned unhappy when he was suddenly reminded of the things he least wanted to talk about, but he didn't dare to refute them at all. He could only listen obediently.

"It was because you won the battle and drove those people out, and Prince Cheng returned safe and sound, that His Majesty was willing to easily brush aside the fact that he was in danger in the northern border."

"Now that you're back, rest at home for a few more days and take good care of your old injuries. Don't be so tempted to go out."

Han Hongyue nodded timidly, not showing any sign of being majestic in front of his servants.

Because he knew too well the consequences of disobeying, and also knew who was the reason why he was always safe and sound, so he didn't dare to act recklessly.

Seeing this, Mrs. Han nodded with satisfaction and motioned for Mother Zhou to come over and help her sit down.

"Sanlang, according to you, Prince Cheng is making a fuss about becoming a monk and even living in Qinglong Temple. Why has the Queen Mother been sending her female relatives to Qinglong Temple in various ways for so many days? What is her purpose?"

"It's nothing more than seeing that Situ Zhen is young and energetic, and wanting to use women to lure him back." Han Hongyue blurted out.

Madam Han just said "hmm".

Han Hongyue quickly added, "At Situ Zhen's age, he's the most vulnerable to temptation. If the Queen Mother holds another flower viewing banquet, his marriage will be almost finalized."

"But the Queen Mother will definitely not choose a girl from our Han family, so when the time comes, our own girl will just show up."

After listening to what he said, Mrs. Han remained silent for a long time, just looking at him meaningfully.

Han Hongyue felt terrified by the old lady's gaze, and a chill ran down his spine. "...Mother, mother, is there something wrong?"

"Do you think you are very smart?" asked Mrs. Han.

"I dare not. Please ask mother for instructions."

Han Hongyue said that he didn't dare, but in fact he didn't think there was anything wrong with his response.

"Do you think the Queen Mother is making such a big fuss just to choose a concubine for Prince Cheng?"

So what if?

Han Hongyue: "My son doesn't understand. Please explain it to me."

Ah.

Madam Han snorted almost imperceptibly. "Ever since Prince Cheng moved to Qinglong Temple, the Queen Mother has been throwing things around in the palace. Who do you think the Queen Mother is making such a fuss for? Prince Cheng?"

Of course it was done for him to see, could it be done for others to see?

When the words came to his lips, Han Hongyue thought again, if it was so simple, his mother would not ask him, "So what does mother mean?"

"This is for you to see, as well as for the Queen and our Han family!" Old Madam Han slammed the table so hard that the teacup shook and spilled tea all over the table.

Han Hongyue was so frightened that he shuddered and fell to his knees on the ground.

"You know how much the Emperor and the Queen Mother value Prince Cheng, so if you've done it, do it cleanly. Now that you've left this mess behind, how dare you go out and have fun?"

"Go back to your garden and behave yourself. If you get into trouble again, I'll just pretend I don't have a son like you."

Han Hongyue's heart trembled. "...Mother, how can you say that? After all, your son is a general and the head of the Han family. He and the Han family share the same fate. If your son..."

"Han Hongyue, you are not my only legitimate son, and the Han family doesn't depend entirely on you. If you are determined to make a decisive move, I believe that His Majesty will not make things difficult for the Han family."

Mrs. Han's words made Han Hongyue's face pale. He rolled away in disgrace like a stray dog.

But even after he left, Mrs. Han's expression remained unhappy.

"Why did I choose such an idiot as the head of the family? He only knows how to make trouble all day long and can't even help! I have spent so much effort just cleaning up the mess he made over the years."

"Madam, please calm down and don't get yourself sick from anger." Mother Zhou quickly handed over new tea.

Madam Han simply waved her hand and said, "Pass the word down, tell everyone in the mansion to behave themselves and not cause trouble."

"Yes, madam." Mother Zhou said respectfully.

"Go and tell the Queen that I want to see her." Old Lady Han gave another order.

It's time to resolve some things.

If that useless prince can't hold up the family, it's better to abandon him so that he won't be a burden to the Han family.

See the queen?

Mother Zhou's heart skipped a beat, but she still answered yes respectfully.

As I walked out, I felt inexplicably uneasy.

When she walked out of the yard, she looked up and saw that the sky was covered with dark clouds, and a storm was about to come.

……

While the atmosphere in the Han family was solemn, the people in the Wu'an Marquis Mansion were full of joy.

During the seven days that Situ Zhen was in Qinglong Temple, Xue Chenyu also ran away for seven days.

Although she didn't go out today, she got up early and dressed up.

Yuzhu asked her puzzledly, "Miss, since you're not going out today, why don't you wear something comfortable?"

Xue Chenyu just said: "Change your clothes so that it will be more convenient for meeting guests."

Yuzhu pondered for a moment. What the girl meant was that there were guests coming today?

But Xue Chenyu didn't say it clearly, so she didn't want to ask any further questions. She just went to get a more formal spring dress as she was told.

The current fashion is to wear long and short jackets in layers, so Yuzhu picked out an apricot-colored short embroidered jacket and a moon-white long jacket with a full gold-woven edge.

Not to mention meeting guests, it's enough to enter the palace.

The lower skirt is divided into three-stream skirt, two-piece skirt, folded skirt, etc. Recently, two-piece skirts are worn more often. Yuzhu thought that the weather was getting warmer, so she bought a three-stream skirt.

She also picked out a few simple and elegant hairpins and step-shakes from the dressing table and put them on her one by one.

After dressing up, she would leisurely sit in the yard, basking in the sun and drinking tea.

The little guys Zhang Songqing and Xue Luoyan were both there.

The sunshine in March is so warm and comfortable.

In the blink of an eye, it was already Si time.

Suddenly the doorman came to announce, "A distinguished guest has arrived from the palace, and he specifically wants to see the eldest lady."

"Who is it?"

"That nanny said her surname was Fang and she was from Ci'an Palace."

Aunt Fang from Ci'an Palace.

Xue Chenyu already knew who the visitor was.

Just as I was about to get up, I heard Xiao Douding say quickly, "It's Zhengyuan knocking on the door."

Xue Chenyu: “…” He was afraid that everyone in the world didn’t know who her true love was.

"Don't follow me, Luoluo. Take Zhang Songqing to Mr. Lu and tell him I asked him to go."

"Tell Mr. Lu that he doesn't need to teach him as diligently as other students. Just let him audit so that he can learn some principles of life."

"Okay." Xue Luoyan said happily.

Before Zhang Songqing could even utter the word "I won't" , Xue Luoyan covered his mouth.

Xue Chenyu ignored their quarrels and left with Yuzhu and Xiahe.

Arrived at the flower hall.

Mrs. Xue was already there, talking to the visitor.

The person was dressed like an ordinary maid in the palace, but she was dignified and cautious from head to toe. Even if she was just standing there, she had a noble temperament that many wives of minor officials could not match.

As the saying goes, a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, a servant of the royal family, is much more important than many fourth-rank officials.

"Chenyu greets mother and greets Aunt Fang."

Xue Chenyu bowed as soon as she entered the room.

The two people who were talking stopped talking.

Madam Xue exchanged a glance with her, then smiled and waved at her, "Yu'er, come and meet Nanny Fang from the palace."

Nanny Fang looked at her lovingly and nodded with satisfaction.

"Madam Xue, I have met Miss Xue. Last time at Qinglong Temple, it was Miss Xue who helped the Queen Mother persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to come down." Nanny Fang went straight to the point, and her intention was obvious.

Xue Chenyu and Madam Xue looked at each other.

Madam Xue said, "Is it about the time my daughter Yu'er went out of town to pick up her father?"

"That's right." Nanny Fang said seriously, "The Empress Dowager has always said that it was all thanks to Miss Xue back then, otherwise who knows what the Crown Prince would have done."

It was originally a small matter, but she kept emphasizing it, which made her intention more obvious.