Chapter 2：

The good mood brought by appreciating beauty lasted until he left the palace and entered the palace.

Outside the second gate, the chariots and horses have already been prepared. When Ming Tan appeared slowly holding a hand warmer, Mrs. Hou Pei and her cousin Shen Hua were already sitting in the car.

Seeing Ming Tan taking off his cloak and getting into the carriage with his head down, a little smile appeared in Pei's eyes: "A Tan, come up quickly."

After Ming Tan sat down, she was concerned again in a warm voice: "How did you untie the cloak? It's cold, so be careful."

"It's warm in the car, I don't understand it now, it will be cold when I get out of the car later." Ming Tan smiled with his eyes bent, and obediently returned his hold to Pei Shi, "It was my fault for telling my mother to wait. "

Mrs. Pei cast a light glance at her: "What sins are not sins, don't say such things today in Shangyuan!"

"Yes, my daughter knows it's wrong—" Ming Tan leaned into Pei's arms, and even coquettishly drew a long tail.

Pei's helplessly nodded her forehead: "You, you are used to be good!"

Shen Hua, who was sitting across from her, saw this scene, covered her lips with a smile and said, "Auntie and cousin have a deep love for mother and daughter, Ah Hua is really envious."

Pei could not help but look at Shen Hua with a smile.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to continue. Ming Tan is the daughter of the first wife, who is backed by a powerful family. In the first few years when Mrs. Pei married into the Hou's mansion, she was afraid that others would accuse her of "being mean and losing her mother and orphan". She took care of Gu Mingtan more carefully than her own Lord Hou.

She hasn't done anything in these years, so she should have worried about the unstable position of the mistress of the Hou Mansion, but because of her close relationship with Ming Tan, she has gained a good reputation as "virtuous" among the noble ladies in Shangjing. It's done steadily.

Because of these reasons, and Pei's reputation is quite good, those who are interested will know that it is better to praise her and Mingtan than to praise her and Mingtan.

At this moment, Mrs. Pei was extremely flattered in her heart, but because of Shen Hua's voice, Ming Tan's mood took a turn for the worse—

Without him, Shen Hua lived in the Hou Mansion for half a year, Ming Tan and her lived in peace on the surface, but there were many signs of seeing each other behind the scenes.

Hearing Shen Hua's greasy voice now, Ming Tan couldn't stop thinking about his own bad marriage and the gossips from the girls in the house.

Those gossips were outrageous, but she wasn't sure it was impossible.

After all, the man from Changyu Street has been on expeditions all year round, so he probably hasn't seen many beauties. These illiterate military generals are used to being arty, and they wish to hire a room full of talented women to prove that they are not reckless people - her father is the best example, and the foreign boss even brought Aunt Liu to recite poems to fight against him.

If Shen Hua entered Changyu Street and flew up the branches, but she lost her marriage because of her fiancé's betrayal, wouldn't she become the biggest joke in Shangjing, the young lady of the Ming family?

Seeing that it hasn't happened yet, those little girls can arrange it like this. If this happens, and they don't cut their hair to become a sister-in-law, there may be no place for her Ming family, A Tan, in Shangjing!

The sound of the car was buzzing in his ears, and Ming Tan became more and more angry when he thought about it, and even felt a little blocked in his heart. When the carriage stopped outside the Qixuan Gate with a "wow", she was still stuck in a depressed mood and couldn't extricate herself.

When officials and family members enter the palace, servants and servants in chariots and horses are not allowed to accompany them. Mrs. Pei handed over the order plate, and the maid in the palace checked whether they were carrying any sharp weapons, and only then did the servants come to lead them to Yongyuan where the banquet was held today.

Since Daxian came to power, except for selection, female family members who had no imperial orders rarely entered the palace, and it was the first time that such a banquet was widely invited.

The deep palace covered with red walls and snow is solemn and majestic. Every step forward, the pressure seems to increase, making it difficult to breathe. So much so that the road to Yongyuan was very quiet, and no other voices could be heard, except for the slight creaking sound of short boots stepping on the thin snow.

Everyone concentrates on moving forward, no one pays attention, and the window of the Nuan Pavilion in the nearby high place is opened——

"...It's a good thing that Suibei Road takes over Dongzhou. You can also rest in the capital for a while. By the way, Axu, you are also... 21st this year, right? Why don't you take advantage of this time to decide on the marriage, start a family and carry on the family line? But it's a big deal.

"It just so happened that at the Yongyuan Garden today, the queen specially invited all the female family members of the appropriate age into the palace, and told me which lady she liked, as long as her family was clean and her conduct was dignified, I would marry you."

Ever since he entered the Nuan Pavilion, Emperor Chengkang had been talking about it all the way, from the war in the North to the victory in Dongzhou, and finally brought the topic to the matter of "marriage" quite naturally.

Just when he was about to try harder to persuade him, Empress Zhang who was standing aside covered her lips and coughed, while looking out the window, she leaned closer and said softly: "Among the women in this group, the little girl in the silver cloak on the left, my concubine looks The rules are pretty good."

Cheng Kangdi was interrupted, subconsciously squinted his eyes, and looked out the window.

After a long while, Emperor Cheng Kang nodded, seemingly satisfied: "The queen's eyesight is indeed not bad."

He told the servant: "Go and find out, whose girl is that?"

"Yes." The waiter waited, bowed and retreated.

Cheng Kangdi turned his head again, and looked at the man in black beside him: "Ah Xu, would you like to take a look too? After all, it is for you to choose a concubine, and it must be in your favor."

Accompanied by the voice that was about to fall, a gust of cold wind with frost and snow came in through the window, and the black brocade suit darkly embroidered with python moiré patterns was blown up on one side, and the man stood quietly in front of the window with his hands behind his back. , glanced down, and looked away without emotion.

Cheng Kangdi: "...?"

This is just one glance, really just one glance.

Cheng Kangdi was speechless for a while. Fortunately, he has long been used to the love and indifference of the person beside him, so he didn't think it was disrespectful, so he temporarily gave up talking to this person, and while waiting for the servant to report back, he turned his head and chatted with Queen Zhang in a low voice.

Just for a while, Empress Zhang looked at Ming Tan's back, feeling more and more satisfied.

Most of these little girls are returning to the palace for the first time. Although the family has taught them enough rules, there are very few people who are not afraid of the majesty of the imperial city. If there is fear in the heart, it is inevitable to be timid and cramped.

I have seen so many girls along the way, but this one is the one with the most decent manners, and she walks in a row with a calm and elegant style, which is very pleasing to the eye.

After a while, the servant returned to the Nuan Pavilion, bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is Madam Jing'an Hou, the Fourth Miss of Jing'an Hou's Mansion, and the sister of Little General Shen who lives in Jing'an Hou's Mansion."

"Shen Yu's younger sister?" Emperor Cheng Kang raised his eyebrows.

The servant hurriedly replied: "Little General Shen's younger sister is the one with the golden feather satin cloak, and the one with the silver fox embroidered cloak—the fourth lady of the Jing'an Marquis Mansion."

Jing'an Hou Mansion, this family name is quite suitable. Empress Zhang was thinking of this, when the servant added: "Miss Jing'an Hou's fourth lady has already made a marriage contract with the son of Duke Ling."

"Already engaged?" Queen Zhang paused, "This is really..."

Ling Guogong's mansion is full of old honors, she can't say the word "unfortunate", but there is no regret on her face.

Seeing this, Emperor Chengkang casually added a sentence: "There is already a marriage contract, so it's not easy to break up the marriage."

There was regret in his words, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart. When he heard "Jing'an Hou's Mansion", he had already excluded this fourth lady of the Hou's Mansion.

After a short pause, he pointed to the already blurred back in the distance: "I look at Shen Yu's sister is also very good. The status of the Shen family is a bit lower, but it's okay to be a side concubine."

Empress Zhang was not interested in choosing a concubine's room, she lowered her eyes and straightened her cuffs, and did not respond to this.

Emperor Cheng Kang turned his head and asked again: "Ah Xu, what do you think? Don't you appreciate that Shen Yu?"

"No way."

"If your majesty thinks it's good, you might as well bring it into the harem."

The voice was neither high nor low, and it was a little bit impatient.

The servants around couldn't help but feel startled and their knees weak when they heard it. The ground dragon was clearly burning in the Nuan Pavilion, but everyone couldn't help trembling and lowered their heads.

The officials and family members who attended the banquet knew nothing about what happened in the Nuan Pavilion. After entering the Yongyuan Garden, everyone was led to the Changming Hall and attended in turn.

The seats in Jing'anhou's Mansion are right next to the gate of the Changming Hall, and those who are further behind can only blow cold wind outside the hall.

Shen Hua followed Mrs. Pei to the seat, but she was a little puzzled.

She has been in Beijing for half a year, and she knows very well that the Jing'an Hou's family is famous and has a good status in Beijing, but why is the banquet held in the palace today so far away?

Shen Hua was puzzled, but Ming Tan was very clear.

In a place like Shangjing, where dignitaries gather, a marquis is actually nothing. The Jinganhou mansion is now so full of flowers and brocades, mostly because her father, Jinganhou, is a feudal official who holds real power and guards the border.

The nobles are the first to attend the palace banquet, and there are more than a dozen of the Duke's mansions above their marquis' mansion, and counting the royal family, it is a special privilege to be able to attend the palace banquet.

At this moment, there were many people in the Changming Hall but it was quiet. After Ming Tan sat down, he glanced towards the position of Duke Ling's Mansion in front of him as if inadvertently.

It's okay not to scan, but after this glance, she felt unexplainably angry again.

The Duke Ling's Mansion thought that no one knew about her scandal or didn't take her Ming family, A Tan, seriously, and brought the cousin who had a head and a tail here in a grand manner! Did they think it was some kind of occasion, that they wanted to bring someone over to make a familiar face in front of her so that they could get along with each other and serve her husband together? !

Pei Shi noticed that Ming Tan's expression was different, and called softly: "A Tan, what's wrong?"

The Pei family still didn't know what the Duke's mansion was hiding, Ming Tan looked away, reluctantly replied "nothing", and forced himself to suppress his anger, and sat upright, not expecting anything more.

No one in Lingguo's mansion noticed Ming Tan's gaze before, but now that the female relatives of Jing'an Hou's mansion have arrived, they couldn't help but look over from a distance.

Mrs. Ling Guogong was also included in this scrutiny, and she was somewhat complacent while sizing her up.

The Ming family, A Tan, has always had a good reputation among the ladies in Beijing. His family background, appearance, and piano skills are all top-notch. His temperament is also suitable for movement and tranquility. It is very rare that he can not only please his husband and son-in-law, but also be able to handle the big scene. Fortunately, the marriage was arranged early, otherwise there must be a family with hundreds of daughters begging.

Mrs. Ling Guogong can be said to be 120% satisfied with this marriage, but her worry-free son—

Thinking of this, she glanced back, and just happened to catch a glimpse of the woman timidly helping the teacup again, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart: Although she is her niece, she can't be on the stage, after all, she won't be on the stage.

I don't know how long this matter can be kept a secret. The term of Marquis Jing'an has expired, and when he returns to Beijing to report on his duties, the marriage of the two families will be put on the agenda. If she wanted to marry the Ming family's A Tan into the door smoothly, she had to make plans for this matter early.

Everyone in the hall has their own thoughts, but what is on the surface is exactly the same respectful and quiet.

This silence lasted until the front servant shouted in a shrill voice: "The empress is here—"

All the people gathered their minds and stood up, kneeling in the direction of the queen: "See the empress, the empress is blessed and safe!"

"Get up." Empress Zhang's voice was quite gentle, and she seemed to have a smile on her face, "Today's Shangyuan, I invite you all to enter the palace just to make it lively, everyone sit down, there is no need to be formal."

Having said that, those who really dared to sit down informally have not yet entered the Eternal Brightness Hall alive, and everyone Qi Qifu responded "Yes" before sitting down properly.

The order of banquets in the palace has always been cumbersome. Although Empress Zhang avoided some unnecessary ceremonies, after going through the process step by step, the delicacies for sharing were completely cold. All the wives and noble ladies took a symbolic bite or two, maintaining a quiet and dignified appearance at all times.

The hall is full of silk and bamboo, and the dancer is graceful. From time to time, the family members and female relatives at the front chatted with Empress Zhang about interesting things in Beijing, and there were occasional brisk laughter coming from behind, and the atmosphere was considered relaxed.

In the middle of the banquet, a servant rushed to Queen Zhang to pass on a message. I don't know what was passed on, Queen Zhang ordered a few words, and then someone added two new positions to the first song.

Although everyone didn't look directly at them, they were all clear in their hearts, this tasteless palace banquet was finally getting to the point.

Sure enough, as soon as this idea came up, some servants shouted back one after another: "The emperor is here—"

Ming Tan was thinking about his marriage with Duke Ling's mansion, when he heard this sound, he hurriedly put aside his distracting thoughts, and went forward to salute with the others.

There was a shout of long live in the hall, which seemed to echo in the open space. After Yu Shengping, a gentle yet majestic "Pingshen" came from above.

Ming Tan was reminded of an accident: His Majesty's voice was much younger than expected. Then King Dingbei is the cousin of the Holy Lord, so isn't he younger?

When I was seated, I heard Empress Zhang say: "A month ago, Dongzhou won a great victory. It is my great joy. It just so happens that today, His Majesty invited all the ministers to celebrate the meritorious service of King Dingbei in Hong'an Hall. I think Now, even though we are women, we should respect Daxian's good son Lang Cai, so Tete invited the Emperor and King Dingbei here."

After about a moment of silence, someone started, and the voices of praise and praise from the front came one after another, endlessly.

Ming Tan knows that noble ladies in Beijing pay attention to subtlety and euphemism, but he doesn't want to be reserved in the palace, and they have to make more detours. He is obviously looking at the princess, so he wants to call him a name of praise.

She was far away, plus she couldn't peek at Long Yan, the first three people were all a blur in the corner of her eyes.

Just as she was thinking, could it be that His Royal Highness Dingbei is a dumb man, before such a toast and compliment can be said, a familiar charming female voice suddenly sounded from the opposite side: "I have heard that His Highness, at the age of tying up his hair, led three thousand elite soldiers to block three The barbarians of the Wanbei Region have made great achievements for Daxian, and my daughter has admired His Highness for many years. It is really a blessing to meet you today. My daughter is willing to present a song "Xiaoxiang Water Cloud" to His Highness..."

She is the second daughter of Marquis Chengen, Gu Jiurou.

Cheng'enhou's mansion has always been unafraid of people's words, and the Yugui Concubine, who was angrily denounced by the imperial censor for seducing the lord, is now still thinking about the position of the princess of Dingbei's mansion.

A word of admiration has been said, which is already available in dance and music. Gu Jiurou kowtowed profusely, and finally said humbly: "The minister is not talented, she is making a fool of herself."

Ming Tan has been learning the piano since she was a child, under the tutelage of famous masters, if someone wants to perform the piano art in front of her, she is a little curious about how the other party will amaze everyone.

It's a pity that she didn't have such a good ear. As soon as the charming voice in the front fell, the man in black brocade at the top interrupted coldly: "If you know you are ugly, don't offer it."