Chapter 26 – Tea Party in the Inn

Seeing that they could not enter the city, the Old Princess Consort and the others settled down in a temporary dwelling place of a high official borrowed from Marquis Zhennan’s friend outside the city.

The Old Princess Consort had a good time, but when she thought of missing the tea party, she still had some regrets. She could not help scolding her steward: “You have always been calm. Why did you take the wrong road today, you only take care of the start but not the end or process? We made a detour to get on the ferry which caused us not to catch up with the tea party.”

Steward Gao smiled and did not dare to look at The Prince. It was hard for him to tell the truth. How can he say that it was The Prince who instructed him to act like this!

However, Lian Binglan, who was on the other side, was very considerate to help the steward out of the predicament: “Old Princess Consort, you are blessed with misfortune. I just heard that the city is very chaotic. Some officials passed by the street after the tea party was all scared.”

A few ladies from the State of Zhen nodded constantly, saying that they had been saved from a disaster with the great blessing of the Old Princess Consort. The Old Princess Consort finally smiled.

Cui Xingzhou was listening with a smile, but what he was thinking was something else.

In fact, he signaled the steward to lead the wrong way today to avoid the trouble in the State of Qing for his relatives.

After all, if the relatives of Prince Huaiyang’s residents don’t attend, he will be too suspicious. However, heading in the wrong direction was a helpless move. All the guards at the wharf post station could testify that no one could find anything wrong.

But he thought the assassin he sent must have hit the target and killed the rebel. The Emperor’s opportunity to weaken his authority and power in the State of Zhen had been cut off.

However, it never occurred to him that the guards around the rebel were filled with experts, and they fought their lives to protect each other.

In the end, the assassin only managed to stab the Young Master Ziyu in the back, but the assassin didn’t manage to immediately kill him in the downtown area.

According to his subordinates who came back to report on the mission, the moves used by the bodyguard of that Young Master Ziyu looked like those of a group of secret sentry bodyguards who were trained from the former emperor’s time. They were all suicidal fighting methods that tried to fight for their lives and completely gave up their own lives to protect their Master.

Hearing this, Cui Xingzhou was a little curious about the origin of this Young Master Ziyu. He also ordered his subordinates not to act rashly.

It’s a pity that Lu Wen’s bedside person has lost her memory. Otherwise, he would be able to get words out of the Young Lady Liu’s mouth.

Cui Xingzhou felt a little sorry when he thought of the story that Lady Liu, who was reported by the secret sentry, scolded Ziyu so violently in the street today…

At this time, the Old Princess Consort looked at her absent-minded son and Lian Binglan. She smiled and said, “Xingzhou, you were so busy that we couldn’t see you often. Today, you are finally free. You guys also don’t like to listen to our old ladies chatting. Go! Accompany your cousin Binglan to take a walk in the courtyard. When I came in today, I thought the flowers were blooming well…”

When her mother spoke, Cui Xingzhou naturally obeyed her orders. He only led his servant boy and a group of attendants and invited his cousin to enjoy the yard together.

Lian Binglan looked at the gentle smile and handsome features of Prince Huaiyang. Her heart was swayed. She is a step away from her cousin and went to the yard to enjoy the Epiphyllum under the moon.

Since the last time she sent the Crab Roe Dumplings, Lian Binglan went to the military camp several times to send food to her cousin.

Once or twice, she found a complete set of meal boxes on her cousin’s camp table, but the dishes inside were not like the style in the restaurant.

She asked her servant girl, Lian Xiang, to let Mo Ru speak out, but Mo Ru was a tough and clever boy. No matter how she talks, his reply was perfect.

Mo Ru didn’t say, but Lian Binglan was more and more sure that the meal boxes were sent from the house on the North Street of Lingquan town.

After hearing the young lady’s assertion, Lian Xiang was so angry that she scolded that Lady Liu was indeed a woman who had served in the bandit’s den before. She was very thoughtful. Knowing that Prince Huaiyang was obsessed with his business, she took food and drink to tease him.

Her mother, Chu-Lian, was so angry that she hit the table directly and insisted on telling the Old Princess Consort about the absurd things her nephew had done!

Lian Binglan sneered at Lian Xiang’s words but felt that the young lady on North Street was not an easy woman. She just doesn’t know if her thousands of provocative skills will succeed in making Prince Huaiyang lust and makes his mind faint and bring this mistress who lost her chastity into the threshold of the residence.

The answer is no. Her cousin is the most conscientious in his work. How can he openly be together with such a person with shortcomings in private morality?

Although she felt uncomfortable, she didn’t want to make a fuss with her cousin. After all, her thoughtfulness in delivering meals seems to have finally softened The Prince’s heart.

The “letter from home” submitted by his father has also received an answer. Several nephews of the Lian family were assigned to good postings.

Others may not know, that it is useless to use a strong approach for a man like Prince Huaiyang. Otherwise, the more one wants him to do, the more counterproductive it will be. It’s better to be gentle and try to do it slowly.

Lian Binglan thinks she hasn’t married into the residence yet. Even if The Prince dotes on the mistress, she can’t take care of it. At the same time, she also persuaded her mother not to make a stupid move and don’t have the wishful thinking about controlling The Prince!

Chu-Lian always listened to her daughter. Naturally, she endure herself and didn’t tell the story of The Prince’s having a mistress outside.

However, she solemnly reminded her daughter that although they had already made a marriage agreement, she didn’t need to take the initiative to seduce, but don’t be too reserved in front of The Prince and lose the charm a woman should have, making him feels the the “wildflowers” outside were especially sweet.

Lian Binglan knows what her mother means, but as a daughter of an eminent family, even if she wants to be close to her cousin, she should pay attention to her discretion, right?

The Old Princess Consort rarely arrange for her to take a walk with her cousin under the moon. She was shy for a while and finally said, “Cousin, I wrote a poem these days, but I can’t fill in the rhyme. I wonder if you can polish it for me when you’re free.”

Cui Xingzhou looked at a piece of letter paper taken out from his cousin’s sleeve, raised his eyebrows, and reached out to take it.

When he looked at it, he found that it was a poem that boldly expressed the yearning between lovers from the bottom of her heart. Both the words and rhymes were in place. In addition, his cousin’s beautiful handwriting made people feel pleased to see it.

It’s a pity that Cui Xingzhou has long passed the age of sixteen to twenty years old when two young people exchange love poems under the moon and flowers. Now his mind is full of engaging in hot battle, scheming, and calculating. In leisure time, it’s more relaxing to talk about something with no purpose, aimlessly.

This is also the reason why he likes to make friends with such nonsense casual people as Zhao Quan.

So when The Prince looked at the love poem that showed her heart, he still had to consider how to thank his cousin. He was a little annoyed. He thought why Lian Binglan couldn’t take a quiet walk with him, and let him live up to the Epiphyllum under the moon?

After Prince Huaiyang pinched the paper and slowly read it again after delaying the time. He then looked up with a smile and praised his cousin’s good literary thinking. Among the women he had met, no one could match.

Lian Binglan blushed at Cui Xingzhou’s words, and said with a smile, “It’s me who displays my slight skill in front of an expert. Who doesn’t know that you were the No. 1 scholar in the imperial examination, which was decided at the higher level but not officially announced? If the emperor hadn’t withdrawn your examination papers, you would have been the No. 1 scholar in that year. And…”

Cui Xingzhou smiled and interrupted Lian Binglan’s compliment: “That was an absurdity thing when I was young. I made a bet with people and was so ambitious that I went to take the imperial examination in anonymous. The late emperor was wise. He said that the descendants of aristocratic families didn’t need to occupy the opportunities of the descendants of the poor and humble families. He scolded me and withdrew my examination paper. After I returned to the residence, my father beat me severely. Now that I remember, I am deeply ashamed and grateful for the late emperor’s kindness… You should not mention such a matter again when I was young and ignorant.”

Lian Binglan quickly made amends to her cousin. Cui Xingzhou waved her hand and said he didn’t mind his cousin’s indiscreet remark. Then the unmarried couple had no more words and just continued to walk together one step apart under the moon.

In Lian Binglan’s opinion, after she took out her love poem, his cousin should write a poem on the spot and give her back to show their affection for each other.

Who would have thought that after a few words of approval, he went for a walk without looking back.

There are young people under the moon, but they can’t seem to get affection.

Miss Lian couldn’t help feeling a little lonely. Looking at her cousin’s tall and straight figure in front of her, she just followed behind silently and swam along the path for a circle.

Then the cousins said goodbye to each other and went back to their rooms to have a rest.

In the early morning of the next day, Lian Binglan got up early, thinking that her cousin had the habit of practicing martial arts in the morning, and wanted to meet him in the garden.

But until breakfast, she didn’t see her cousin. She listened to the people saying that there was a riot in the State of Qing. It is said that the leader of the rebel was stabbed. He doubted the integrity of The Emperor’s offer of amnesty and enlistment to rebels. He even raised troops to meet the anti-bandit Luwen and returned to Yangshan.

For a time, the city in the State of Qing was in great chaos, so the State of Zhen had to send troops to investigate the countryside and maintain order. Before dawn, The Prince had taken his men and returned to the State of Zhen.

The Old Princess Consort and the rest spent two days playing at the Yingri Colorful Lake, far away from the chaos, before they returned to the State of Zhen.

The good situation of the offer of amnesty and enlistment to rebels in the State of Qing was disturbed by a hideous mess of sudden assassins. Shi Yikuan was furious. Fortunately, Lu Wen is a person who can discern the cardinal principles. He woke up from a coma after a serious injury and generously expressed that he believed in the integrity of Commander Shi and would not change his intention to submit to the imperial court.

As for the assassin, after many days of investigation, the State of Qing was finally lifted from a ban and released.

Miantang followed the crowd. When she left the city gate of the State of Qing, she was very happy. The first thing she thought about was to go to the mountain to worship the Buddha and light up a high-quality slender joss stick to the assassin.

It turned out that after the day curfew was implemented in the State of Qing, it was stipulated that all houses rented from foreigners should be taken back and reported by the owners. All foreigners, regardless of their status, should gather in the Inns in the city for investigation.

As a result, wealthy families who rent houses in the State of Qing have to move to various Inns for investigation. Miantang looked at the carriages that had driven into the Inn’s courtyard, her eyes were shining brightly as if she had seen a full lot of potential customers.

Although she was not able to enter the Calligraphy and Painting Tea Party, many writing masters happened to enter the Inn, and their freedom was restricted. They were not allowed to go out at will. They were very bored.

So she had an idea and hung Mr. Chen’s painting in the lobby of the Inn for people to enjoy.

As a result, the painting was recognized by several powerful experts.

The calligraphers and painters who were unable to get out of the street because of the curfew blockade found a livelihood. They put together several tables in the Inn hall, write or draw and splashed ink, and make friends with the Hate Pen Hermit.

Miantang didn’t like reading very much, and her painting skills were not rich, but at that time, she also felt the strong atmosphere of calligraphy and scatter ink. Her entire self also felt a lot more elegant and was more willing to add excitement to the Calligraphy and Painting Tea Party in the Inn.

At last, Liu Miantang dressed up with highly bun-up thick and beautiful hair, red lips, and a flowing white dress. She wanted to personally present the plates of the two treasures of her town store in a brocade box. When she came down the stairs, they were stunned.

Just think of a beautiful woman who is bright and gorgeous and holds objects with a solemn expression. Even a bowl of stinky tofu will have a lingering fragrance and endless aftertaste!