RPAGF Chapter 38: Meeting Princess Cheng'an Again
Chapter 38: Meeting Princess Cheng'an Again
Qujiang is in the south of Chang'an, and it took more than half an hour to get there. Shen Guxing had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw the Jiang family's carriage, he walked over in two steps. When Jiang Zuo got off the carriage and turned to help the little sister, Shen Guxing was already standing in front of the carriage. Jiang Feng opened the curtain and stuck her head out. Jiang Zuo and Shen Guxing each stretched out an arm to wait for her.
The girl smiled, made faces at Jiang Zuo, and put her hand on Shen Guxing's. When they got off the car, Shen Guxing took her hand. Jiang Feng did not dodge, and they both looked at Jiang Zuo.
Jiang Zuo was helpless. It was true that a girl should not be kept at home when she grows up. The three of them did not speak. After waiting for a while, the Zhang family's carriage arrived.
Jiang Feng liked his future sister-in-law as soon as he saw her. She was very beautiful, but this beauty was also mixed with heroism and boldness. At the same time, she was elegant and dignified. To use the words of Lin Jinran's era, she was very dignified and had the air of a legitimate wife!
We have to admit that there is a magnetic field between people. Some people hit it off right after meeting each other, while some people will not become close friends even after years of getting along. This sister-in-law and sister-in-law obviously belong to the former, and both feel that they met too late. As soon as Jiang Zuofu finished the introduction, the two of them called each other sister and admired the flowers hand in hand.
Shen Guxing and Jiang Zuo looked at each other in shock and had no choice but to follow closely.
After walking around half of the imperial garden, Zhang Yuyue found that this sister-in-law was really a wonderful person. She knew that Jiang Feng's family came from the northwest, which was an extremely desolate place. The so-called city was just a small oasis in the desert. The seven-li surface of Qujiang Lake, such a scenery with dense trees and flowers and beautiful water and mist is rare. Jiang Zuo, who was steady, was also amazed when he first came to Qujiang, and even praised it as the most beautiful scenery in the capital. But Jiang Feng was not surprised or sighed. It was not that he didn't like it, but it was natural. He relaxed his body and mind among the flowers and water, and was free and open-minded, with the carefree spirit of Laozi and Zhuangzi.
Looking at her again, she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and she looked quite good in her jade-colored dress. She was so beautiful that she made people happy. People said that Shen Guxing had a very bad taste, and he chose a wild girl after a long search. But she felt that if Jiang Feng was not a good match, then Shen Yiye would have to be single for the rest of his life!
Zhang Yuyue liked Jiang Feng more and more, and Jiang Feng also liked his generous personality, and the two got along better and better as they talked.
Jiang and Shen urged them repeatedly, and the two held hands and stepped onto the cruise ship. It was a little unstable when they first boarded the cruise ship. Shen Guxing was worried that Jiang Feng was riding a boat for the first time, so he waited to help her, but he saw the girl board the boat steadily and stretched out her white wrist to pull Zhang Yuyue.
The boy and girl walked towards the cabin with a smile, the boy was suave and the girl was charming and graceful. The scenery of poetry, wine and worldly life was overshadowed by the river breeze and autumn water. But there was a clean porcelain table on the boat, and a teapot was boiling.
The four of us sat opposite each other, and the boat gently swayed out. When the sun was too strong, we hid under the shadows of the trees on the lakeshore, and the boat that wanted to avoid the shade fled to the center of the lake. Occasionally, we would smile knowingly with our loved ones, and that was the beauty of life.
Jiang Feng and Yuyue had endless topics to talk about, from patterns on round fans to metaphysics. Jiang Feng was surprised and said, "Sister Yuyue is actually an Aries! Brother is a Leo, you two are meant to be husband and wife." Shen Guxing heard these strange terms for the first time, so he listened carefully. Jiang Feng said coquettishly, "The patron saint of Leo is the sun god, and they want to burn others with their passionate flames. Aries is also a fire sign. These two are the most likely to fall in love at first sight. The more time goes by, the stronger their feelings will be." Zhang Yuyue was delighted when she heard this, but she doubted, "How can this be true?"
Jiang Feng said seriously: "How can it be inaccurate! Sister, just wait and see, my divination can't be wrong!"
As she talked and laughed, the girl's voice lowered again.
Shen Guxing looked up and saw Jiang Zuo looking at him with a smile. Feeling a little embarrassed, he asked, "A Feng can actually tell fortunes?"
Jiang Zuo smiled but said nothing.
The two of them made a slight gesture and walked to the bow together to stand facing the wind. As the breeze blew, Jiang Zuoxian asked, "I heard that the Empress was very angry. If it wasn't for His Majesty stopping her, she would have put you in jail?"
Shen Guxing smiled bitterly and said, "The queen clearly has her eyes on his nephew Wei Jie, but she still won't give in."
Jiang Zuo said, "That old sly guy Wei Yu originally wanted Wei Jie to marry the empress's legitimate daughter, Princess Anle, but the empress wanted Anle to marry the Wu family and Cheng'an to the Wei family, so the empress and her siblings were deadlocked. Later, Wei Jie suddenly changed his mind and wanted to marry Princess Cheng'an, and the empress was satisfied. But later, she heard that it was you who had been lobbying Wei Jie, and you were determined not to marry her daughter, and you worked so hard to act as a matchmaker, so she finally flew into a rage."
Shen Guxing said, "Do you think I should die now? Both the Wei and Wu families want to marry the more favored Princess Anle. In my current situation, I don't care about the villain's behavior, so I led Wei Jie to see Anle and Wu Yanxiu having a secret meeting. Wei Yu also heard that Wu Yanji, the eldest son of the King of Wei, turned his attention to Cheng An, and was afraid that his efforts would be in vain, so he grabbed Cheng An as a life-saving straw."
Jiang Zuo sighed and said, "You still lost your job after all."
Shen Guxing patted Jiang Zuo's arm and said generously: "Brother Jiang, don't sigh! For me, this is already a very good result. I was worried that I would be exiled to that wild place, which would make Afeng and I suffer."
Jiang Zuo said sadly: "I have studied hard for more than ten years, but all my efforts have gone to waste in one day. How can I not feel regretful?"
Shen Guxing stood with his hands behind his back and said, "The court is now in a state of chaos! Wei Wu is in power, and Princess Anle is trying to imitate Empress Wu, interfering in government affairs and buying official positions. The crown prince has been suppressed by her and has no authority to be the heir. I don't have the talent to support the great cause, and I can't help the monarch to cleanse the dirt and make everything clean. Retiring to the mountains and forests like this will save me a lot of trouble."
Jiang Zuo frowned and echoed, "Prince Anguo Xiang also resigned from the positions of Grand Commandant and Minister of State Affairs."
Shen Guxing said: "Although the Prince of Xiang is respectful, he was also discussed as the heir, and was not tolerated by the Queen and Wu Sansi. We can still retreat, but how can the Prince of Xiang retreat unscathed?"
Jiang Zuo thought of something and said, "Your Majesty, the two brothers, Prince Xiang, are both calm and peaceful. But their descendants are very different. The Prince of Shouchun, the Prince of Linzi, and the Prince of Zhongshan..."
Seeing that Shen Guxing was not bothered, Jiang Zuo continued, "The three princes all have talents to help the world. The Turkic Khan Mochuo led his army to invade the south. Prince Xiang was appointed as the Marshal of the Heavenly Soldiers to lead the army to resist the Turks. He did not lead the army to the battle, but was only the commander-in-chief in name. The front line was led by Prince Linzi and Prince Zhongshan. In less than a month, they forced the Turks to withdraw."
Shen Guxing nodded and said, "Let's wait and see. The crown prince is unstable now, and Your Majesty is biased and credulous. Sooner or later, something big will happen!"
Jiang Feng was chatting enthusiastically with Zhang Yuyue when she glanced at Shen Guxing, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He was either in deep thought or nodding, listening or talking. Every movement touched the girl's heart and sweet feelings overflowed bit by bit.
Zhang Yuyue tapped her forehead with her index finger and said jokingly, "Silly girl, you are staring at me in a daze."
Jiang Feng blushed all the way to his earlobes and smiled, "Sure enough, beauty is a feast to the eyes!"
Zhang Yuyue suppressed her smile and said, "Food and sex are human nature. Yiye has solved two major problems with his own body!"
Jiang Feng said: "Yes."
After saying this, the two of them couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Shen Jiang and the other two turned around when they heard the laughter and saw the two girls with bright eyes and smiling uncontrollably, so they asked, "Why are you so happy?"
Jiang Feng said mischievously: "It's about the cannibals!"
Shen and Jiang knew that this was a whisper between women, so they could only smile bitterly. Shen Guxing was about to tell the boatman to row to the Ci'en Temple when he heard a noisy sound of people giving way in the distance. Looking up, he saw a two-story pleasure boat coming over, and the surrounding boats gave way one after another.
Shen Guxing frowned and said, "It looks like Princess Anle's cruise ship."
After hearing this, Jiang Zuo hurriedly said, "Boatman, turn around quickly and get out of the way."
As they were talking, the boat was approaching. Jiang Zuo and Shen Guxing were about to return to their seats when they heard a female official in palace dress standing on the second-floor cabin, "Is it Lord Shen, the Left Assistant Minister, and Lord Jiang, the Secretary, who are down on the boat?"
Shen Guxing bowed his head and said, "That's right."
The lady-in-waiting said, "The princess invites the two gentlemen and the two young ladies to come aboard for a chat."
The two looked at each other suspiciously, and were shocked. Zhang Yuyue was fine, she was a noble lady in the capital, and had some connections with the princess.
Jiang Feng was implicated by Chu Yan in the "Kingfisher Incident" and offended the Princess's Mansion. Knowing Princess Anle's domineering personality, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
But she couldn't help but feel a little excited. It was such a rare opportunity that she could actually see the beauty of Princess Anle!
I didn't expect that as soon as I got on the boat, I caught a glimpse of two familiar faces. Who else could it be but Princess Cheng'an and the Princess of Zhongshan County!
Princess Cheng'an's eyes shot over like crossbow arrows, wishing she could pierce Jiang Feng with 108 bloody holes. In contrast, the Princess of Zhongshan County was much gentler, sipping tea leisurely. Jiang Feng was sweating profusely, so he could only bite the bullet and kneel down to pay respects. After a circle of kowtows, he knew that the entire family of the royal family was gathered on this ship:
The person sitting there was actually Princess Taiping!
On one side of the lower cabin sat the Crown Princess and several princesses of different counties, and on the other side sat several princesses of Li Xian and two princesses of Li Dan. The cabin was filled with flowers and the fragrance of cosmetics.
The four of them retreated to one side in an orderly manner. A palace servant had already prepared a table and soft stools. As soon as they sat down, Princess Taiping's voice came coldly: "The Ministry of Personnel has made several reports on the matters set up for the Censor, but my brother rejected them all. The important matter has not been decided yet, and the proofreader is so elegant!"
Jiang Feng looked at Jiang Zuo worriedly. Jiang Zuo stood up, bowed his head and said respectfully: "I am terrified. I cannot share your majesty's worries, nor can I help the ministers solve their problems. I accept the blame."
Jiang Feng took a deep breath. After working 5+2 and day and night for half a month, he finally had a day off and had to pay for it? Is there no labor law anymore?
Princess Taiping chuckled, and her voice became a little warmer: "Master Xiao Jiang is honest and straightforward. I just said it casually. Don't be nervous, take a seat."
The people sitting at the top were calm and composed, and his brother and Shen Guxing also seemed to be used to it. Only Jiang Feng broke out in a cold sweat, and then he realized: Damn it, is this the way a superior greets a subordinate?
The 21st century greetings of "Hello" and "Have you eaten?" are so kind and healthy.
Jiang Feng looked at Princess Taiping, who was wearing a dark red off-shoulder gauze dress with a plain chest-length skirt, with wide sleeves hanging down to the ground, and was leaning lazily. The princess, who was about 40 years old, was noble, charming, and seductive, as if all the light of Qujiang Lake fell on her, shining and eye-catching.
Sitting on the left side below was a woman wearing brilliant embroidery, who looked like a goddess. She drank a cup of tea and said with a disdainful look, "Auntie is so worried and toiling for the country, which makes us younger generations seem unsympathetic to our father and unable to share his worries."
It must be Princess Anle!
Princess Taiping sat up straighter, smiling: "When it comes to sharing my brother's worries, who can compare to Anle? Even the crown prince doesn't dare to take credit in front of Anle."
Princess Anle sneered and said disdainfully: "It's not like what aunt said! If the prince can make more progress, father will have an easier time, and we aunt and niece won't have to deal with it tiredly. I really don't know how the prince, who is so unworthy of the position, can serve father with peace of mind."
Princess Anle was discussing the crown prince so openly that no one in the room dared to say a word. Princess Taiping just looked at Anle with a half-smile.
Princess Anle became more and more angry as she spoke, and she sternly said to the woman in palace dress sitting opposite her: "The Crown Prince is unruly, and the Crown Princess cannot escape the blame."
With a "pa" sound, the cup in the hands of Crown Princess Yang fell to the ground. Jiang Feng looked in the direction of the sound and saw Yang's face was as pale as paper, her hands were shaking like a sieve, and she didn't know whether to reply or pick up the broken pieces of the cup. Yang was only in her twenties, but her face was already pale, which was caused by long-term worry.
Jiang Feng lowered his head, controlling himself not to look at the poor Yang. Time seemed to stand still, and everyone patiently admired the Crown Princess's helplessness.
Shen Guxing finally couldn't sit still anymore, he stood up, clasped his hands and said loudly: "Princess, please be careful with your words! His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the crown prince appointed by His Majesty himself, and he has to pay homage to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The Crown Princess is the head of the Eastern Palace, and is a second-rank imperial concubine, and her rank is higher than that of the princess. How can the princess criticize the crown prince and reprimand the Crown Princess!"
Shen Guxing, you are such a man! Jiang Feng gave him a thumbs up while sweating profusely.
Shen Guxing spoke up for the East Palace, but Princess Anle was not angry at all. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed softly: "Yi Ye always looks so righteous, it's a pity that I went to ask for mercy from my mother!"
Shen Guxing originally had a lot of reasons to say, but he didn't expect the other party to not listen at all and even talked to him about their old relationship.
Shen Guxing said: "Although I am just a commoner, I really can't bear to see the Eastern Palace being humiliated."
Princess Anle didn't care at all and said lightly, "Yi Ye's reasoning is too twisted, I have to refute it. The ancients said that things must rot before insects can be born, and people must insult themselves before others insult them. The Crown Prince was insulted because of his lack of virtue, shouldn't the Crown Prince reflect on his mistakes? Why don't you allow others to criticize him? What's the logic?"
Shen Guxing was inspired to fight, and said seriously: "What the princess said is wrong. Let's not talk about whether the prince has any moral flaws. But as the crown prince, the words and deeds of the Crown Prince are related to morality. If he violates the law, it will hurt the state. No one is perfect. Even if the prince has made mistakes, the Remonstrance Court should report it to the emperor, and then send it to the Secretariat, which will then convene all the ministers to discuss it. How can it be used as a topic for discussion after tea?"
Yes, even if the prince was wrong, there is a complete error correction mechanism. How could he speak so rudely like Princess Anle?
Yi Ye said it very clearly, but I don’t know what the proud Princess An Le would think!