Court Marriage

After Prince Zhong returned to Beijing, he dedicated the first few days to the emperor, and the next few days to the royal family. Because he has no concubines or concubines so far, the only noble female family in the palace is his mother, Princess Rou, and the princess Rou who was born in the palace is still an orphan with no relatives and no family, so he finally doesn't need to waste more. Time to entertain in-laws.

As for the other ministers and nobles, they are obviously not qualified for Prince Zhong to take the initiative to see him, and the Zhong Wang Mansion, which has been closed because of filial piety for the late emperor, is not something they can enter if they want, so they entered the vacation phase after finishing their errands. His Royal Highness, the loyal prince, began to live a life of seclusion, occasionally inviting three or five friends to dance and talk, and he really didn't talk about state affairs, but only talked about leisurely affairs.

And now the good friends with Prince Zhong are all his old friends when he was a prince, such as Gong Zhuoxiang, Nangong Xin, Lu Zijian, etc...

In Qiao's East Mansion, in Qiao Yingxuan's study, in front of the desk that was furnished most of the time, Qiao Yingxuan, who was wearing a simple indigo robe, was staring at the invitation card in his hand. , the breathing seems to be a little faster.

Since Si Shao is the name of Prince Zhong, tomorrow will be his twenty-sixth birthday. Since he is still in filial piety, Prince Zhong has no plans to invite a drink to celebrate. This invitation was handed over to Qiao Yingxuan by the **** of Zhongwang’s mansion. He also conveyed to him the meaning of Prince Zhong, saying that it was because of his relationship with Lord Gong. Lu Guard's friendship, so he wanted to invite Qiao Zhuangyuan and Gong Da's husband, as well as him, Wu Tanhua, to go to the mansion to get to know each other. Since the invited people are not outsiders, so Qiao Yingxuan need not be nervous... But how could Qiao Yingxuan not Nervous?

Ever since he found out that the person he had seen in the small building by the river was Prince Zhong, Qiao Yingxuan never went to the river again for a while, because he didn't know what to say when he met him, and he couldn't be as drunk as he was that night. Make friends with Wang Yepan, right? And if you don't, you'll be even more pitiful.

"My elder brother is the champion, a good younger brother has a good reputation, and now he is Brother Xiang's younger brother. You can ask them to take care of you, but you can take me as a pure warrior...what is it?"

Putting the invitation on the table, Qiao Yingxuan continued to stare at the name on it a little tangled. It wasn't that he was arrogant. Today's Prince Zhong is not the neglected fourth prince, he is an ordinary third-class guard. Normally, it is possible to get into the eyes of the prince. If it is for Senior Brother Lu's sake, why haven't other Senior Brothers been invited.

"I'm a prince, so what can I do for me? It's not a bad thing."

Qiao Yingxuan originally thought that the person was close and wanted to get to know him more. Later, he found out that he was the loyal prince Si Shao and did not dare to climb high, so he broke his mind. Now that the other party took the initiative to hand over it, it would be false and arrogant if he held it on his own.

After making up his mind to go to the appointment, Qiao Yingxuan turned to worry about another matter. He took out the key to unlock the locker, took out a box, and put it on the table to open it. The inside was impressively from the beginning of last year. See the white cloak that Shi Si Shao put on Qiao Yingxuan.

"Do you want to pay it back?"

Habitually stroking the fine satin, Qiao Yingxuan thought that if he could pay it back, the prince might have forgotten that he had such a cloak, but it seemed that he was trying to make friends, but if he didn't pay it back, he would wear it over his body. It is not an intimate relationship, but there is no reason to give it away.

"It's better not to pay it back... Let's take a look."

After hesitating for a long time, Qiao Yingxuan decided to talk about it after the banquet tomorrow. Anyway, he was sitting upright and had no intention of clinging to it!

"Master, Madam, please come over."

Qiao Yingxuan was putting away the box and locking it, when suddenly there was a voice of a servant from outside the door. After he answered, he locked the cabinet and turned to leave the study and go back to the bedroom.

"Xianggong, this gift list was prepared in consultation with grandmother. Let's see what else to add? And the clothes to wear tomorrow are also prepared."

Yang Yingmo, who was sitting on the couch with a pen and writing a gift list, saw Qiao Yingxuan come in, she quickly got up with a smile and greeted him a few steps. After Qiao Yingxuan sat down at the place she just sat, she handed over the gift list on the couch table, and then He pointed to the dark blue robe lying next to him and showed it to him.

The style of the robe is simple but of high quality. It was originally purchased by Qiao Yingxuan when the empire was mourned after the martial arts. Qiao Yingxuan wore it three or four times, so the clothes would not look brand-new and dazzling. It's decent without being too deliberate.

"pretty good…"

Qiao Yingxuan looked at Yang Yingmo, who had a happy face, and then looked at the gift list in his hand and the clothes on the couch. He felt a little strange and uncomfortable, so he just answered lightly and said nothing else.

"From the perspective of the concubine, the prince's status is noble. Although this ceremony is in line with the rules, it is a little thin. Would you like to add another three points?"

Yang Yingmo was born in a high-class family, and she is very proficient in the knowledge of gift-giving. She didn't know how many gifts she had prepared for the royal family and dignitaries when she was at home. It is more important than before.

Moreover, with Prince Zhong's current holy family and honor, if his husband can befriend him, it will be of great benefit in the future.

"...Send someone to ask about the West Palace. It's better for the two places to be equal."

The more positive Yang Yingmo was, the more boring Qiao Yingxuan felt in his heart. Remembering that his eldest brother was also invited by Prince Zhong, he reminded Yang Yingmo.

In the past, because Qiao Yingxuan was both a native and an official, and Qiao Yingze was only raising his son, the gifts for the West Mansion were given at a fraction of that of the East Mansion, but now Qiao Yingze has won the top spot and has a stronger career status. After passing Qiao Yingxuan, it would be easy to give gifts according to the old rules, so Qiao Yingxuan thought that it would be better to make the two sides equal, so that they could appear close, and there was no problem of who surpassed the other.

"Well, the concubine knows..."

Hearing Qiao Yingxuan mention this, Yang Yingmo pursed her lips, but the smile on her face was not at all different.

Facing the current scenery of the West Mansion, Yang Yingmo was envious and somewhat disappointed, but she was not the kind of short-sighted and narrow-minded woman who could not write two Joes in one stroke.

"Well, mother doesn't have a good appetite for the past two days. I'll go over there for dinner. You can go to grandmother's place with your brother and children."

After talking about this, Qiao Yingxuan got up and wanted to go to her mother's courtyard for a while. Since her brother won the champion, her mother's mood has been unstable. Qiao Yingxuan knew that although she was still stubborn, she actually regretted it in her heart. , but some things can't be taken as if they didn't happen if they repented. Qiao Yingxuan couldn't tell her brother and younger brother what to say for her, so she could only coax her more.

"Well, Xianggong, the concubine's menstruation is coming."

Mentioning her mother-in-law, Yang Yingmo, who was mad from time to time, gave her a headache, but she couldn't complain at all in front of the husband of the filial son, but fortunately, Qiao Yingxuan knew how to understand her and would not let her come to her mother-in-law if there was nothing.

"You should rest earlier that night. I'll go straight to the study when I get back from my mother."

Hearing Yang Yingmo's words, Qiao Yingxuan felt a faint sigh of relief in his heart. He was in a really messy mood today, and he could feel more comfortable sleeping alone in the study.

Qiao Yingxuan now has to stay in the palace ten days a month on duty, and the rest of the day has to be seven or eight days, either staying at the house of friends and colleagues who have been drinking together, or going out to the city to ride a horse and hunt directly. In Zhuangzi, after a few days when Yang Yingmo was not feeling well, he slept in the study. The couple could only sleep in the same bed for five or six days a month...

Regarding this situation, Yang Yingmo has the reserved duty of a high-class woman, and has never asked for it, and Qiao Yingxuan feels more and more that she is just doing a 'routine', the pleasure of her body is still there, but her heart is gradually tired. Understand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX because Prince Zhong's birthday is not a day for rest, so the time is arranged after everyone is on duty, and although Qiao Yingxuan has rested these two days, it is not good to go too early alone, so he is at his home After coaxing the child for a long time, and coaxing the child at his brother's house for a long time, it was almost time, so he followed Qiao Yingze and Gong Zhuoliang to the Prince's Mansion to make an appointment.

When Qiao Yingxuan and the others arrived, Gong Zhuoxiang and Lu Zijian had already arrived. There were only about twenty guests invited, all of whom were young people, and most of Qiao Yingxuan got to know more or less through Lu Zijian and the others. Everyone gathered around. Eat, drink and talk at a table, and get along with each other at ease.

Taking a peek at the man on the throne by pouring the wine, Qiao Yingxuan thought to himself that he had already drank a lot today, why are these people still pouring him so hard, and he is really not afraid to annoy the prince.

"Ying Xuan, what are you thinking about? Let's go toast, I'll leave you alone."

Lu Zijian saw that everyone was paying respects to Qiao Yingxuan and didn't move. He wondered why this man was still being reserved. When he got along well with Prince Zhong, he knew that he was arrogant and easy to get along with.

"Oh."

Lu Zijian's voice was not low, and Qiao Yingxuan saw that the man's eyes were all turned to him, so naturally he couldn't be rude, so he had to answer and then got up and walked to the main seat, and said a few words under the gaze of the man with a smile. Dry words of blessing. However, Prince Zhong still smiled gracefully when he heard it, and he was about to drink the wine glass.

"Well, the lower official is done, you can do whatever you want, lord... It's uncomfortable to be drunk."

Subconsciously reaching out to stop Lan Si Shao, Qiao Yingxuan only felt his face warm under the gaze of the other party's slightly drunk smiling eyes. After speaking, he quickly retracted his hand by drinking.

"I'm a little drunk, but the wine you're toasting..."

Seeing Qiao Yingxuan's embarrassment in his eyes, Si Shao's smile became even stronger. He toasted his glass and drank it halfway through, but he didn't mean to speak again.

Qiao Yingxuan's already dangling heart trembled again, but when the other party stopped talking, he was not easy to ask questions, so he took advantage of the opportunity of others talking to Si Shao and walked back to his seat, but after sitting for a while, he felt a little sultry and uncomfortable. Feeling comfortable, he invited the waiting maid over, and used a convenient excuse to sneak out to breathe.

"...You guys can make peace on your own, this king will accompany you for a while."

Yu Guang glanced at Qiao Yingxuan leaving the seat, and with a slight movement of Si Shao's fingers holding the wine glass, the wine glass fell on the hem of his clothes, leaving a wet spot. Si Shao greeted everyone, then got up and went back to change clothes went.

Just as Qiao Yingxuan was led out of the hall by the maid, he saw the young **** who had given him an invitation to come and salute him, and then sent the maid back, and he led Qiao Yingxuan out by himself. The **** walked around to the door of a wing, and then Qiao Yingxuan went in and cleaned up, but when Qiao Yingxuan came out again, he found that there was another person waiting under the corridor outside the house.

"...King, lord."

It is said that people look beautiful under the lamp, but now the man under the pale yellow lantern is standing there in a plain white robe, which makes Qiao Yingxuan think he has seen the fairy in the painting. Only then did he realize that it was too rude to look directly at him like this, and he couldn't help but look away a little embarrassedly.

"Looking at a very smart person, why do you always like to be confused?"

Si Shao took a few steps towards Qiao Yingxuan, leaned forward slightly to take a closer look at his face, and found that Zhang Ying's charming and handsome face had a thin eyebrow line, which was often left by frowning.

"I'm sorry, my subordinate."

Seeing that the other party was getting closer and closer to him, Qiao Yingxuan didn't retreat, but his back stiffened slightly, and his heartbeat seemed to be suddenly loud enough that he could hear it clearly.

"How old are you, there are so many things to worry about, why don't you imitate your elder brother, he is not like a person in 20s and 24, and people believe that he is not even a crown."

His finger lightly tapped between Qiao Yingxuan's brows, and Si Shao couldn't help comparing the person in front of him with the champion at the table. In terms of appearance and temperament, Qiao Yingze was much more attractive than Qiao Yingxuan. I believe if it wasn't for him The man's wife's 'mother's family' is not easy to mess with, and there are definitely not less people who want to beat Qiao Yingze's ideas, but as far as Si Shao is concerned, he just thinks that Qiao Yingxuan looks more...cute.

"Xiaguan... Your lord also knows."

As if he was turned into a stone man by Si Shao's finger, Qiao Yingxuan stood upright and looked down at the ground, answering Si Shao vaguely.

What nonsense he had said that night, Qiao Yingxuan himself was blurred, but at this moment he felt that Si Shao remembered it, but his behavior now is just making fun of himself, or saying...

"You gave me a gift for my birthday, but what about your own? You still owe me a gift in return for the things you left me before."

Seeing Qiao Yingxuan's nervousness, Si Shao stood beside him slightly, avoiding the pressure from the front.

"I-Xiaguan is not prepared..."

Hearing the other party's self-proclaimed self, Qiao Yingxuan's originally annoyed mood suddenly improved, but when Si Shao said this, he inexplicably owed two gifts, and Qiao Yingxuan couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. There is nothing that can be handed out to give away.

"In private, you still stick to what those names are used for. Don't you have any jade on your body?"

Si Shao said that his eyes fell on Qiao Yingxuan's neck. That night by the river, when Qiao Yingxuan was bored and pulled open the collar to breathe, he saw the red rope.

Both nobles and commoners like to wear jade to their children when they are young, hoping that jade can protect them from evil spirits. The palace is not favored, but there is never a shortage of what he should have.

"Oh! This...if the lord doesn't give up."

Qiao Yingxuan is now the prince's command and his actions. Hearing that, he quickly took out the unicorn jade pendant he was wearing close to his clothes. And he just took it off his neck, and Si Shao has already taken it over there.

"This is a birthday gift from you, and I can't take advantage of you in vain. I wore it since I was a child, and it's a gift for you. As for the gift you still need me to remember, I'll talk about it later. "

Si Shao said that he put Qiao Yingxuan's jade on his neck. After stuffing the jade pendant into his clothes, he took out another piece of jade from his sleeve and put it on for Qiao Yingxuan, who had been stunned again. Si Shao, with a contented face, turned around and left first.

Although the jade that Si Shao gave to Qiao Yingxuan this time was not the best one he had ever worn, it was a gift from his mother-in-law, and Si Shao usually wore it most often.

"Why does it seem like..."

Touching the unfamiliar pattern on the jade pendant, Qiao Yingxuan suddenly remembered that the exchange of personal jade between men means 'making friends', or the very serious meaning of 'making friends'. Putting aside those 'offensive' thoughts, Qiao Yingxuan floated back to the hall with a head full of question marks tied with hemp rope, but did not notice that the upward curvature of the corners of his mouth became more and more obvious.

On the other side of the hall, Si Shao, who had also just returned not long ago, continued to let them drink with a smile, but his eyes would always inadvertently linger on Qiao Yingxuan... No hurry, we have time.

Another thing worth mentioning, aside from the opening round of wine and the cup of Qiao Yingxuanjing, what Si Shao Xiaowang drank was actually water mixed with alcohol.