Chapter 242 Look left and right, listen up and down, everyone will have a bright future!
It was approaching noon.

The table is gradually open.

In the courtyard where the female family members are entertained.

In addition to the hostess Hualan, there were three other distinguished ladies sitting there.

Princess Yong, accompanied by Princess Jiacheng, who was also wearing a palace dress.

The mother of Concubine Rong was Madam Rong of the Rong family in the Fuchang Marquis's Mansion. The girl with a sweet smile beside her was her youngest daughter, Rong Feiyan, who had a lot of similarities with her elder sister in her features.

The last one is Princess Pingning from the Duke of Qi’s Mansion.

It's just that at this moment, the expression of this princess who usually looks so arrogant looks a little unnatural.

The reason for this was that Princess Yong and Madam Rong were too close to her.

This is not because Princess Pingning is socially anxious and feels uncomfortable with others getting close to her.

The main reason was that not long ago, these two noble ladies came to her house one after another to make friends and say nice things, and their words all hinted that they had taken a fancy to her son Qi Heng and wanted the two families to be united forever, thus creating a good story.

This put Princess Pingning in a difficult position.

To say who is better and more pleasing to one's eyes between Rong Feiyan and Princess Jiacheng, one actually has to consider the maternal families behind them.

Behind Princess Jiacheng is Prince Yong, who is the prince most likely to inherit the throne and become the future new emperor.

Rong Feiyan is the younger sister of the current emperor's favorite concubine and a member of the royal family. She has the support of Rong's brother-in-law and the official family.

This looks more like a choice between two emperors.

If you don't consider other things and just follow your own inner thoughts, then Princess Pingning doesn't even need to hesitate between the two. You can just blindly go for Princess Jiacheng without thinking and that's it.

After all, in Princess Pingning's heart, the Rong family was nothing. Their ancestors for eight generations were all poor bricklayers, and they only got into the family by relying on their daughter's beauty. How could they be worthy of her own family?

But the Princess of Jiacheng was different.

She is a member of the royal family and holds the title of county princess. Her father is a prince who has great hope of inheriting the throne. It is also said that she is extremely favored in the family. Prince Yong and Princess Yong pamper their daughter to the point of melting in their hands and give her whatever they want.

But her husband was not ambitious enough, so the dignity of the Duke of Qi's Mansion depended on her alone, and her status came entirely from the official family. What happened was that the Rong family was even better than hers.

So, is the Rong family's intention to form an alliance this time the government's idea?
This put Princess Pingning in a dilemma.

It is difficult for the Duke of Qi to offend either side.

Therefore, Princess Pingning could only grit her teeth and endure the enthusiasm of Madam Rong and Princess Yong next to her. For the first time, she experienced the feeling of sitting on pins and needles.

"If I had known this, I would never have brought Heng'er here." Princess Pingning looked at the two younger generations, Rong Feiyan and Princess Jiacheng, who were looking towards the Chuihua Gate from time to time, and felt regretful.

The joys and sorrows of people are not connected.

Princess Pingning was feeling uneasy there, but Qi Heng was unaware of it. His attention was completely focused on Minglan at the moment.

He had just reached a private deal with Gu Tingye and was preparing to have dinner later. When Yu Yanran led Minglan and others to change clothes, he asked Gu Tingye to notify them and send everyone away so that he could meet Minglan.

Yang Wenyuan expressed contempt for this.

However, after Gu Tingye handed over the one-month bill for hush money, Yang Wenyuan immediately gave them a thumbs up and pointed out Minglan's exclusive room in their home.

The two families had frequent contacts, so after Hua Lan sought Yang Wenyuan's consent, she cleaned up two rooms for her sisters in a yard next to Zizeju, which were used as a place to change clothes after meals and for similar purposes.

Not long after, Yang Rujin's personal maid Cai He came over and whispered a message, and then saw Gu Tingye and Qi Heng leaving with excitement on their faces.

However, halfway through the journey, Gu Tingye suddenly frowned.

"Wait a moment, Yuan Ruo."

Gu Tingye stretched out his hand to signal to stop, looking at Qi Heng who looked puzzled, he said with an embarrassed expression:

"I'm a little anxious now. I need to change my clothes first."

Qi Heng understood instantly.

It turned out that my second uncle was in a hurry to pee and had to go to the toilet.

"Uncle, you go first. I'll be waiting here."

Gu Tingye will need his help later, and Qi Heng can't just call Minglan away in front of him.

I am not as legitimate as Gu Tingye.

As Gu Tingye walked back, he wondered inwardly:
"I didn't eat anything, how come..."

Yang Wenyuan: Eat, eat, eat more ice watermelon!

In the courtyard.

Yang Wenyuan smiled secretly as he looked at Gu Tingye who had returned.

At this time Changbai came over.

He had just had a round of drinks with them and would be drunk if he drank any more, so he asked Yang Wenyuan to find Changqing and have him take him to the study, saying that he wanted to continue working on the homework left over from Hongwenguan.

What a studious person!

Yang Wenyuan actually wanted to run away, but he was the host, so he had to go along.

At this moment, a man named Rong Xian suddenly walked in from outside the yard.

Seeing this, Yang Wenyuan immediately went up to greet him.

"Why did you come just now? I only saw Madam Rong and your sister just now, and I thought you were not free today!"

Rong Xian laughed, smelling slightly of alcohol, and replied:

"Actually, I was supposed to have a banquet with my fellow soldiers today, but I happened to run into your family, so I had to go to their place first and then come to your place, so I'm late now."

Yang Wenyuan nodded.

That’s right, Rong Xian is a guy with a lot of connections after all.

At this time, other direct guards had to follow the emperor to the palace in the suburbs to accompany him, but he happened to be able to take several days off, which made him very comfortable.

And he is not the only one with connections in the Three Yamen Forbidden Guards.

After a long time, you will naturally get to know each other and make friends.

"You are no longer the same as you used to be." Yang Wenyuan sighed as he watched Rong Xian's figure become a little more muscular.

Yang Wenyuan could clearly see that Rong Xian's original immaturity had completely transformed, and now he had a mature vibe.

Rong Xian chuckled and pounded his chest lightly with his hand:

"If you were always restricted and couldn't hang out, you could be like me now."

"Uh..." Rong Xian paused while speaking, thought about Yang Wenyuan's current title of a scholar, and the physique of Yang Wenyuan opposite him who looked obviously much stronger than himself, and silently shut up.

you are vicious!
"That's true."

Yang Wenyuan sighed slightly and said:

"The land of gentleness is the grave of heroes, so it is better to be cautious."

Rong Xian: “…”

You are already married, but I am not yet!
A man who is full does not know that a man who is hungry is hungry!
The conversation couldn't go on like this, so Rong Xian decisively changed the subject:

"By the way, didn't the young master come today? Why didn't I see him?"

Before Rong Xian was about to come, he had already received orders from his mother and sister, asking him to bring Qi Heng and their family together. At least they had to meet and talk more today.

Yang Wenyuan couldn't say that Qi Heng had gone to steal something, so he just said vaguely:
"He seemed to have been drinking too much just now. I don't know where he went."

"Okay then. If you find it later, have someone tell me. I have something to discuss with him."

Rong Xian was also happy to see this marriage happen. He had just entered the officialdom and was no longer immersed in the honeypot of his family like Qi Heng. He understood many principles that he had never understood before, and he also knew that his family was in a bad situation and was at risk of falling at any time, so he was actively trying to save himself.

Yang Wenyuan also understood what Rong Xian meant.

This is exactly what Yang Wenyuan thought.

Since Qi Heng's bouquet has already been snatched away, Yang Wenyuan cannot do as Qi Heng wishes and let him express his feelings to Minglan.

It was always a misunderstanding that had no beginning or end.

"No problem, I'll help you find it!" Yang Wenyuan patted his chest and promised.

"Okay then, I came in a hurry, so I'll go eat something first!"

As the saying goes, large banquets held by the rich and powerful are the perfect places for infatuated men and women to meet and express their love.

When he thought of this, Yang Wenyuan felt a little excited about the idea of ​​peeping into other people's privacy.

Relying on his martial arts skills and familiarity with the terrain, Yang Wenyuan looked left and right along the way and indeed saw quite a few little secrets.

For example, at the beginning of the banquet, Liang Han started clamoring for everyone to play chuiwan and tossing pots.

He tricked people into going out to have fun, and then he secretly ran out, hiding in a remote corner of the bamboo forest with Molan, talking, and sending the maids and followers away.

If Yang Wenyuan had not walked lightly and had sharp ears and eyes, he would have hardly heard the deliberately low voices through the wall and would have found them.

After listening for a long time through the wall, he did not hear any breathing sounds that violated the rules. Instead, he heard mostly Molan's words. Yang Wenyuan couldn't help but feel bored.

Am I here to hear this?
Finally he couldn't bear it anymore, Yang Wenyuan sighed slightly, and after walking away a little, he coughed lightly, scaring the mandarin ducks away.

Next time, you should learn to focus on the key points and stop fishing for black carp all the time!
Then he walked forward through a hanging flower gate and met Gu Tingye and Yu Yanran.

The two men were quite well-behaved and polite, and were followed by their close followers.

After receiving a shy look and a murderous look from Gu Tingye, Yang Wenyuan had no choice but to flee in a hurry.

Soon we passed the Lotus Hall.

I saw two people, Changbai and Yang Rujin, sitting in the pavilion on the lake in the mansion.

Yang Rujin was having fun and was thinking about teasing Yu Yanran and asking her how she felt about meeting Gu Tingye, but she was called here by Liu Lan, the personal maid of her mother, Madam Chen.

After waiting for a while, I met Changbai who had just been called from the study.

Mrs. Chen had not yet told Yang Rujin about her plan, so Yang Rujin's pretty face was confused at the moment. She happily shouted to Changbai:
"Second brother!"

This is not the case with Changbai.

His mind was as clear as a mirror about the current "encounter", and the drunkenness that had just subsided from his face came back even more violently. His expression was embarrassed, his cheeks were flushed, and his speech was unclear.

"Good fellow, he said he was going to the study room to study, but it turns out he had other intentions!" Yang Wenyuan didn't know the inside story, and he thought he had misjudged the person.

I didn’t expect that Changbai looked honest, but he was actually very secretive. As a result, he turned out to be so dishonest, just like myself back then…

"Um……"

Yang Wenyuan reacted immediately and reflected on himself.

There’s nothing wrong with trying hard!
Blind dates are an awkward thing in themselves, not to mention that Changbai is the one in charge. The atmosphere is so awkward that it makes people feel uncomfortable.

The almost depressing atmosphere made Yang Wenyuan, who was hiding in the dark, shake his head. He wished he could grab a reed and sneak to the pavilion to teach personally.

"It's too shameful to watch! It's really too shameful to watch!"

Yang Wenyuan finally decided to turn a blind eye and leave some space for this young and ignorant couple.

After eating the melon, Yang Wenyuan continued to search for his target.

Finally, I saw Qi Heng and Minglan outside Minglan's house.

"It's okay, luckily I didn't go into the house." Yang Wenyuan, who was currently leaning over the wall and peering out, muttered softly, stepping on a piece of bluestone and temporarily lowering the potted plant to the ground.

At this moment, Buwei and Xiaotao were guarding the hanging flower gate at the entrance of the courtyard, keeping watch for the young man and the young lady to prevent anyone from meeting them, but they never thought that there was an old man like Yang Wenyuan.

Qi Heng was saying something anxiously, while Minglan opposite him looked embarrassed and reluctant.

Yang Wen was too far away to hear clearly, until the argument between the two people became louder, then he could hear them more sensitively.

"Young Master, I've already told you that Miss Rong and Princess Jiacheng both have feelings for you. Why are you bothering with a mere concubine's daughter of a fifth-rank official instead of choosing a noble lady?"

Yang Wenyuan shook his head slightly:
"Well, that's both right and wrong. My father-in-law has just been appointed as a doctor in the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official, and is in charge of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Personnel."

Although the Ministry of Works is generally recognized as having the lowest status among the six ministries, it is still a promotion after all!
Although it is also a fifth-grade one...

Qi Heng naturally refused.

He had never experienced setbacks in officialdom, and did not understand that the future of the Duke of Qi's Mansion rested on his shoulders. He was very uncertain about everything, let alone the extremely crucial political marriage that affected his future career.

But above him is the tough Princess Pingning.

"I don't know!"

Qi Heng looked aggrieved and complained to Minglan:
"I don't understand why Brother Yang can marry your eldest sister, and Uncle Gu can marry Miss Yu, but now I want to marry you, why can't it be possible?"

"Yes, I know there is some difference between our two families, but this is not our fault."

As Qi Heng spoke, his expression became more determined.

"Don't worry, Sixth Sister. My mother's birthday is coming up in a few days. I will take advantage of her happiness and bring up our story in front of her!"

After hearing Qi Heng say this, Minglan was speechless.

No matter what, as long as the matter is said in front of Princess Pingning, there will always be a conclusion no matter what the result is.

To avoid being stuck in the same situation as it is now.

After hearing this, Yang Wenyuan knew that he didn't need to listen any further.

He put the potted plants on the ground back to their original places and returned to the yard.

Rong Xian came over very quickly as expected.

"How is it, have you found the young master?"

Yang Wenyuan tells the truth:
"I didn't meet him, let alone pass on the message."

After sending Rong Xian away, Yang Wenyuan went to the front to watch the games of touhu and chuiwan.

However, he did not do it himself. After all, Yang Wenyuan could not do such a thing as beating up a child.

But some things have to be done by someone.

A place for playing Chui Wan.

Rulan was having a lot of fun, looking like an optimist, and she didn't realize that none of the sisters who had said they were going to change clothes had returned yet.

But she didn't delve into it, or rather, she didn't care.

Therefore, at this moment, her beautiful eyes with distinct black and white rolled around, and she immediately had a good idea.

Thus, the Chuiwan childhood field welcomed their big devil again.

"Come on, come on, sister will play with you!"

After a while, the wailing sounds of children crying for their parents were heard from the chuiwan field.

These young noblemen suffered the first heavy blow in their lives.

The instigator was a beautiful older sister who had no moral principles.

Well, everyone has a bright future!
(End of this chapter)