The morning light gradually became shorter and the sunshine became more intense, but the small hall was still cool and pleasant. The two of them were sitting on the first couch, with a small couch table in between. Li Yuhua's facial features and temperament could be seen more clearly from a distance, which was the same as Mu An's.
A completely different kind of girl in my perception.
Mu Anzhi has seen countless royal ladies and ladies, all of whom are elegant and refined. Mu Anzhi has also seen the maids in the palace. These palace people who are divided according to their grades, all have strict rules, even if they are
The words and jokes all bear the imprint of the palace. Mu Anzhi often leaves the palace recently. In fact, the women outside the palace are not much different from those in the palace. Some are outstanding and some are ordinary.
Li Yuhua was different. She opened the snow-white porcelain cup that was upside down in the tea tray on the small couch table, and poured two cups of herbal tea from the pot. Her hands were not whiter than the snow-white porcelain cup, but had a golden complexion and nails.
They were trimmed and trimmed, not too long, nor stained with the red of impatiens. These simple hands, simpler than the hands of the palace attendants around Mu Anzhi, steadily placed a cup of herbal tea on his hand.
:
"Try it, Your Highness, this herbal tea is quite delicious."
Li Yuhua's eyes are medium-sized almond-shaped eyes, and her thick eyelashes are like crow feathers. Every time they fall down, they half cover the soft and bright look in her pupils. Her appearance is not as outstanding as that of Xu Huiran, but in Mu Anzhi's opinion, just because of this
With both eyes, Li Yuhua is far better than Xu Huiran, and far better than the women Mu Anzhi knows.
Wisdom makes Li Yuhua different from those ordinary women.
Li Yuhua kept a cup of herbal tea in her hand and drank slowly. The slightly herbal aroma of the herbal tea spread quietly.
Mu Anzhi also picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "Your Mandarin is pretty good."
"I learned some of it earlier. I learned it from my grandma and my maid on the way here. I still have some accent from my hometown, but it doesn't hinder me from talking to others."
"You came to the imperial capital so suddenly, aren't you worried about being betrayed?"
"How can I not be worried? The servants of the Xu family came to my hometown to look for me. I thought they were human traffickers. Later, they took out my father's seal. I asked people in the village to go to the county government and the city to verify the authenticity before coming."
"That's quite bold."
"What are you afraid of? I have never done anything wrong in my life, and I am not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door in the middle of the night."
Mu Anzhi put down the snow porcelain cup in his hand and asked casually, "Did the Xu family tell you about me earlier?"
Li Yuhua shook his head, "Before Your Highness came down, my grandmother just told me about the marriage. I was comparing my feelings with others. Even in our countryside, I can easily say goodbye to my children at home. How can there be any parents who really care about their children who don't check with each other in advance? We
This marriage happened in such a hurry, I thought about many scenarios, including the possibility that it might be a wedding for His Highness."
"What if it's really a surprise? Wouldn't it be ruined for the rest of my life?"
Li Yuhua did not answer this question. Her eyes were as bright as the lake water under the ice in winter. "Everyone has a place to come. I always thought that my father died young and there were no close relatives in the family. When I was a child, I was very envious of being able to visit relatives during the Chinese New Year.
Child. Suddenly someone told me that my father is in the imperial capital, and I came over to see what kind of person he is."
"what kind of person?"
"Ordinary people."
"Shilang Xu is unusual. He was awarded Jinshi at the age of nineteen. He should have been a famous talent back then, and he is also an important minister in the court now." Mu Anzhi's hand casually rested on the porcelain cup, and his fingertips gently rubbed the delicate
Porcelain body, there is a faint unspeakable meaning in the casual voice.
"It's because he's a good scholar and he's a good official." Li Yuhua tilted her cheek slightly, and the sun cast a faint light and shadow on her profile. The sixteen-year-old girl's skin was full of sunshine.
With unusual seriousness, "Whether it's studying or working as an official, as long as your qualifications are not too bad, you can do it through study. What's so unusual about this?"
Mu Anzhi couldn't help but feel a little startled by Li Yuhua's question. He smiled and said, "Not everyone can do it, right?"
"If I had the same conditions as him back then, I could." Li Yuhua said, "Your Highness, don't think I'm talking nonsense. I am also an outstanding girl in our county. I grew up in the countryside, and I went there before coming to the imperial capital.
In Fucheng, I have met the prefect’s wife and the governor’s girl. Most people’s noble dignity comes from their status rather than their own character. Even in the imperial capital, I am not worse than others. What’s more, I am so lucky that I met
Your Highness."
Mu Anzhi sighed deeply, "Looking at how stubborn you are at such a young age, are you afraid that you will regret it in the future and have no way of turning back?"
"I've never heard that you can go back on the journey you've taken?" Li Yuhua's lips curled up, "Besides, I'm not young anymore, I'm sixteen this year. How old are you, Your Highness?"
"Two years older than you."
"Then you are tall enough." Li Yuhua added, "I am not short either, mainly because I grow slowly."
Mu An smiled.
The two of them were chatting about domestic matters when they heard a report from outside: Your Majesty, Xu Zhen, is sending greetings to His Highness.
Mu Anzhi's face suddenly darkened, and his originally pleasant expression was suddenly covered with a layer of frost. Li Yuhua secretly blamed Xu Zhen for coming back at the wrong time, but he also knew that it was the female members of the Xu family who were too frightened, and ordered Xu Zhen to be escorted out of the Yamen.
Please go home. Li Yuhua picked up the teapot and filled Mu Anzhi's tea cup with some tea. The tea poured smoothly into Mu Anzhi's tea cup. The sound of tea was very obvious in the quiet room. Mu Anzhi turned around and Li Yuhua poured the tea.
, put the teacup into his hand, and gently gave him a comforting look.
Xu Zhen couldn't help but walked into the small hall. When he saw Li Yuhua handing tea to Mu Anzhi, Xu Zhen couldn't help but look surprised. Li Yuhua explained appropriately, "Your Highness heard that I came to the imperial capital and came to see him."
Look at me, father didn’t go to the Yamen as an errand, why did he come back suddenly?”
Xu Zhen regained his composure, bowed his hands to Mu Anzhi, and said respectfully, "It is the honor of the Xu family that His Highness is here at the Xu family. The family is full of female relatives. I was worried that they would not be able to entertain them, so I asked for leave from the superior officer and returned to my house to entertain His Highness."
"No need, I don't even dare to ask you, Minister Xu, to entertain you. I'm here just to take good care of me, the prince's concubine, but I don't want you to have an eldest daughter come out of nowhere, Minister Xu." Mu Anzhi said sarcastically, and then
He stood up and walked away, leaving a scent of sandalwood lingering on Li Yuhua's nose.
Xu Zhen hurriedly sent Mu Anzhi off. Listening to the footsteps outside the window, a smile appeared on Li Yuhua's lips. With the faint scent of sandalwood remaining, he raised the remaining herbal tea in the cup and drank it all in one gulp!
After a while, Mrs. Xu supported Old Mrs. Xu and many maids and women swarmed in. Li Yuhua slowly stood up, looked at the visitor, and returned to his usual quiet silence.
Mrs. Xu asked worriedly, "Yuhua, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. His Highness the Third Prince just came over to see me. We talked for a while and he was very friendly and treated me very politely." Even though the Xu family doesn't talk much, it seems that the Xu family is facing a formidable enemy.
Li Yuhua couldn't help but say a few good words for His Highness. She pointed to the tea cup on the couch table, "The weather is a bit hot, let's drink herbal tea and talk."
Mrs. Xu sat tremblingly on the couch, pulled Li Yuhua to sit down together, and asked again worriedly, "Your Highness is not annoyed with you, is he?"
"It's so good, why would His Highness be annoyed with me? I never expected that His Highness, the majestic prince, could be so approachable." Li Yuhua curled her lips, "I originally wanted to stay with His Highness for dinner, but as soon as my father came, His Highness suddenly left unhappy.
"
"The Third Highness has always been moody." Mrs. Xu sighed, took the tea from the maid and handed it to the old lady. Her voice was filled with deep pity, comforting Li Yuhua, "Good boy, it's really difficult for you."
If Li Yuhua hadn't been used to seeing people and always had his own opinion, he would have been dissatisfied with His Highness the Third Highness after hearing these words. Li Yuhua raised his eyes and looked at Mrs. Xu, "I'm fine. Your Highness is angry because of Hui Ran."
Mrs. Xu's embarrassment flashed away, and then Li Yuhua asked something that made it even harder for Mrs. Xu to answer, "Why don't you see Hui Ran?"
"His Third Highness has such a temperament that he can't do anything, especially if Huiran has offended him. I asked Huiran to stay at the Duke's Mansion for a few days. Yuhua, please go there too. I've got the carriages and horses ready.
Mrs. Xu showed genuine concern in her words. Li Yuhua recalled what Mrs. Xu had just said and repeated, "Moody. Madam means that His Highness is a moody person."
"I'm still wondering why I was suddenly accused of marrying the prince. It turns out that His Highness is a moody person."
There was a soft click of the curtain outside, and Xu Zhen entered the room.
Mrs. Xu comforted Li Yuhua with a smile, "I was in a hurry, and I was at home, so I didn't pay attention to what I said. Don't misunderstand His Highness, I think you two get along well."
"Your Highness treats me very well, but after listening to what my wife said just now, I thought he was just pretending. He couldn't be lying to me, right?"
"His Third Highness is more straightforward. I was worried that he would be biased against our family, but it's good to see you two get along well." Mu Anzhi was the person who once scolded the imperial censor. He obviously came here to find trouble. Xu Zhen listened to his servants.
He said that when Mu Anzhi came to visit him, he was really worried that the female family members would be humiliated, so he hurried back. Unexpectedly, he saw Mu Anzhi and Li Yuhua drinking tea and chatting leisurely.
Xu Zhen inevitably valued Li Yuhua more. This marriage was originally a helpless move. Xu Huiran's marriage to Mu Anzhi obviously did not end well. He took Li Yuhua back to the imperial capital to marry Mu Anzhi as the eldest daughter of the Xu family. Xu Zhen was not unkind.
Guilt.
However, ten fingers are not of normal length.
It is not a difficult choice to use the eldest daughter, who is emotionally weak and faceless, to replace the second daughter who has been doted on for many years to complete this betrothal marriage.
Now it seems that this eldest daughter is not only good at ability, but also very lucky. She can actually get along well with the maverick, eccentric and irritable Mu Anzhi. Even if she does not consider the interests of the family, at least deep down in her heart, Xu Zhen feels guilty.
It will be reduced a bit.
His handsome face was full of relief, and he looked at Li Yuhua, "This is very good. Yuhua, it shows that you and His Highness the Third Highness are destined to have a destiny."
"My father and I have come to an idea." Li Yuhua smiled, "Father, please tell the family, don't say anything bad about His Highness, I don't want to hear such words. Husband is the wife's guide. Since I want to marry His Highness, I will
Protect the reputation of His Highness the Third Highness."
At the end of his words, the smile on Li Yuhua's face gradually disappeared, and his slightly cool eyes looked directly into Xu Zhen's eyes.
The setting sun brought a hint of evening breeze, and Mu Anzhi ordered a rocking chair to be placed under the sycamore tree in the courtyard. He was cooling off from the heat, when Zhou Shao, the chamberlain of Ci'en Palace, invited him to have dinner at Ci'en Palace.
When Mu Anzhi arrived at Ci'en Palace, Emperor Mu Xuan was also there. After the salute, Mu Anzhi was pulled to sit next to him by Empress Dowager Lan, and he said with a smile, "In the evening, the longevity dining room made roast lamb. I think you and your son like it, so I ordered it."
Come here. This is a sheep from the northwest. The meat is tender and delicious."
"It's true that sheep from the northwest are more delicious than sheep from other places. Especially lambs that are three months old are at their most tender."
The palace servants brought fresh fruits that had been soaked in well water. Mu Anzhi took a cherry and put it in his mouth. "If there are more, send someone to send one to Miss Xu. She also likes to eat meat."
Queen Mother Lan said in surprise, "I heard that you went to Xu's house today. Have you met Miss Xu?" You even know what she likes to eat?
Mu Anzhi nodded, "I've seen it."
"I heard that she arrived in the imperial capital yesterday, and I wanted to summon her, but you went first. How is that girl?"
Empress Dowager Lan was eager to inquire. Because of Mu Anzhi's gifted marriage, Empress Dowager Lan was exempted from the morning and dusk awakening in Fengyi Palace. She was really angry when she saw Empress Lu. She was extremely disgusted with the Xu family. She didn't expect the Xu family to be so shameless.
, you can do things like cheating and replacing others! What kind of knowledge can the eldest daughter of the Xu family have in the countryside? Originally, the daughter of the Xu family was a high-ranking candidate for the prince, but the Xu family actually got a village girl to come, and even Emperor Mu'an had an interest in Fengyi Palace.
I'm a bit dissatisfied, I haven't set foot in Fengyi Palace for several days.
Mu Anzhi suddenly left the palace today. Originally, Empress Dowager Lan thought that he had to go to the Xu family to make a big fuss. If the Xu family's daughter was lacking, she could use her name to make the Xu family's daughter disappear and choose another family for Mu Anzhi.
.I didn’t want Mu Anzhi to be so concerned about Miss Xu. After hearing Queen Mother Lan’s question, Mu Anzhi thought about it and couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips, “The legitimate daughter of my original wife is a hundred times better than the daughter who fills in the house.”
Mu Anzhi did not hesitate to praise, "Miss Xu has outstanding character. I don't think she looks like the Xu family. This is true to the old saying, a broken kiln can be as good as good porcelain. Looking at Miss Xu's character, we can see that her mother's character was strong.
I really don’t know how Mr. Xu could be so blind that he abandoned his first wife and married another Mr. Lu?"
Emperor Mu Xuan coughed lightly and said, "You are too presumptuous in what you say. It turns out that Mr. Li and Mr. Xu had a different temperament, and Fang and Li were separated."
"Isn't it? In the past, when we were living in bad times, our temperaments were not compatible. Xu Shilang was named in the gold medal list and became famous, but suddenly our temperaments were not compatible. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it was true." Mu Anzhi scoffed rudely,
Emperor Mu Xuan's face darkened, and Queen Mother Lan quickly smoothed things over, "Okay, this is Xu's family matter, let's not worry too much about it. You said Miss Xu is so nice, I will announce her to the palace tomorrow so you can rest assured."
Mu Anzhi leaned half against the armrest and reminded lazily, "Sheep."
"I know." Empress Dowager Lan looked at Mu Anzhi with an angry smile, and ordered Zhou Shao, "Send someone to give Miss Xu a roasted lamb, saying that it was given to Miss Xu by Anzhi to eat. Tell the Xu family that Mrs. Xu will be given to Miss Xu tomorrow."
The girl is entering the palace, that’s all, the Ai family doesn’t want to see the rest of the Xu family, so the palace envoy should go over and take Miss Xu into the palace, the Ai family wants to see her.”
Mu Anzhi spat out a cherry pit, and the palace attendant carefully took it with his hands. Mu Anzhi added, "Add another basket of cherries. These cherries are quite sweet." With Li Yuhua's astuteness, even if he came to the palace to ask for An Ying, he could still do it.
Coping. Although he has been worried that this innocent girl will be implicated, for some reason, Mu Anzhi can't help but feel refreshed when he thinks that the person who is going to marry him is Li Yuhua instead of the shallow and ignorant Xu Huiran.