First Concubine

Chapter 5 Storm in Water Mansion (5)

Shui Lingxi half-covered her face with a beauty fan, revealing a pair of sparkling autumn eyes: "Young Master Leng is used to making fun of me. His Highness the Crown Prince is a talented person, but he is still thinking deeply about it. How can I be faster than His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Leng Yixuan’s lips were slightly raised, with a hint of mockery in his tone: “You just can’t do it, right?”

Shui Lingxi took a breath and looked ugly. She was so beautiful that everyone who saw her was amazed and loved her. However, Mr. Leng had no sympathy for her and never showed her any favors. We have a good relationship with him and have never criticized him harshly. So...annoying!

When Shui Lingxi was indignant, she caught a glimpse of Shui Linglong passing nearby and immediately came up with an idea. She waved to Shui Linglong and called sweetly: "Big sister!"

Shui Linglong raised her eyebrows lightly, and there was a hint of sneer in her quiet and deep eyes. In the memory of her previous life, Shui Lingxi was afraid that she would get close to the prince, but now she would actually greet her in front of the prince. Haha, it seems that someone is planning to use her as a stepping stone again.

Shui Linglong moved to the pavilion, and Shui Lingxi introduced the three of them enthusiastically. Shui Linglong bowed to the two of them and said, neither humble nor overbearing: "My maid, Shui Linglong, would like to send my regards to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Mr. Leng."

Yunli didn't even look at her. He just said "hmm" and continued to think about how to solve the chess game.

Leng Yixuan looked at her carefully. She was delicate and graceful, calm and quiet, much better than some pretentious and vulgar girls.

Shui Lingxi took her hand and whispered, but it was enough for everyone present to hear: "Has eldest sister ever played chess in the village?"

Shui Linglong smiled and said, "Well, I only learned a little bit from my mother, so it's hard for me to reach the level of elegance."

“Then look at this chess game, can you crack it?” Shui Lingxi asked knowingly.

Yunli let out a weak snort from his nose, as if he was mocking Shui Lingxi for talking too much. How could a girl who grew up in a village know this?

Unexpectedly, Shui Linglong stood up, stared at the chess game for a while, then picked up a white piece with her fingers and dropped it.

 One move can determine the outcome.

Leng Yixuan whistled in shock.

Yunli finally looked at Shui Linglong. Under the sun, this girl stood gracefully, like an agar-agar begonia. She was not gorgeous or ostentatious, but quiet and elegant. Being used to seeing all kinds of beauties, he suddenly felt that such a woman had a special air of elegance. .

Shui Lingxi's face turned the color of pig liver, and her hands almost broke the handle of the beauty's fan. Why didn't anyone tell her that this **** could play chess? It rained so well! She only learned a little bit from Dong Jiaxue and became so powerful, but her daughter, the dignified second-grade imperial wife, was helpless. Doesn't this mean that Dong Jiaxue is much more powerful than Qin Fangyi?

Yun Li smiled faintly and said, "Linglong, what a good name."

 The prince actually praised her? Shui Lingxi suddenly became so jealous that her teeth hurt!

Leng Yixuan raised the folding fan in his hand, and a charming smile appeared on his face that was even more beautiful than the woman: "Your Highness, do you still have a place to participate in the Plum Appreciation Banquet?"

The Plum Appreciation Banquet, held once a year, is one of the most luxurious banquets in the upper class. Only the direct family members of officials of the third rank or above are eligible to participate. If Shui Linglong remembers it correctly, Shui Lingxi shined brilliantly at this plum blossom appreciation banquet and became famous far and wide as the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty. And because she was a concubine, she was not qualified to attend the banquet in her previous life.

Shui Lingxi looked at Leng Yixuan and said with a gentle smile: "Mr. Leng, although I also hope that my eldest sister can go to the banquet, since the plum appreciation banquet was held, it has only received direct family members, so His Highness the Crown Prince made an exception. This …It will inevitably make people question His Royal Highness’s fairness, and it will also harm my eldest sister’s reputation.”

Leng Yixuan said angrily: "I'm asking about His Highness the Crown Prince, not you."

Shui Lingxi was frustrated and depressed, but the Leng family's family status was higher than that of the Prime Minister's house, so she couldn't refute it.

Yun Li looked at the chessboard and smiled faintly, as if the spring breeze in March was blowing on his face, gentle and elegant: "It doesn't matter, those who can solve the Tianlong chess game should be invited to the Plum Appreciation Banquet."

In this way, he has a keen eye for recognizing talents, and it has little to do with the relationship between men and women, and the reputations of both men can be preserved. Shui Linglong couldn't help but take another look at Yun Li. In fact, the life-and-death situation between her and Yun Li in her previous life was all due to their different stances. After resurrecting her life, she could clearly see Xun Feng's ruthlessness and unrighteousness, so she would naturally not fight with Yun Li again. enemy.

She smiled lightly, like the lily of the valley in the wind, white and elegant, with just the right amount of surprise and innocence for a girl of her age: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Yun Li slowly raised his eyes, and his heart-warming eyes shone directly into Shui Linglong's eyes. Shui Linglong's long eyelashes trembled, giving the illusion of being seen through.

But she would not admit defeat, so Yunli looked away: "Yixuan, don't forget to give your Mermaid Tears to Miss Shui."

Leng Yixuan smiled brightly: "Fengping!"

Chang Sui Fengping took a step forward: "Master!"

“Bring the Mermaid Tears from the carriage, I want to give them to Linglong.” After Leng Yixuan ordered with a smile, Feng Ping left in a hurry.

Shui Linglong glanced at Leng Yixuan. On the surface, he seemed to be giving him a huge favor. In fact, he was probably waiting for him, the only concubine, to stand out from the crowd and lose face at the plum blossom feast. Well, wasn't it just one move that solved the chess game that had troubled him for three years? How could he hold a grudge like this? Chicken intestines!

Leng Yixuan sensed Shui Linglong's ill intentions, so he came over and joked: "Linglong, I have done you a big favor, do you want to thank me?"

Shui Linglong smiled and said: "The quota was given by His Highness the Crown Prince. I want to thank His Highness the Crown Prince. As for Shark Tears, this is a bet placed by Young Master Leng. I am willing to admit defeat, unless Young Master Leng wants to be that villain who goes back on his word." , then I don’t want it, but in that case, Mr. Leng should thank me in turn! "

Leng Yixuan’s mouth twitched: “Don’t forgive others if you are unreasonable!”

Yunli smiled softly, his eyes soft.

Shui Lingxi’s lungs are about to explode! She has a noble status and is the most powerful person in the country. She is the protagonist of the incident no matter where she is. But when Shui Linglong appeared today, she completely became a neglected supporting role!

Not long after, Feng Ping brought over an exquisite mahogany box and was about to hand it to Shui Linglong when Yunli stretched out his hand and said calmly: "I have never seen the Mermaid Tears in my life, let me take a look."

 “Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Feng Ping gave the brocade box to Yunli. Yunli opened it, and a radiant light shone on his handsome face and fell into his starry eyes, giving him a different look in an instant.

Shui Lingxi glanced at the dazzling Mermaid Tears, feeling mad with jealousy.

"That's right." Yunli closed the brocade box and handed it to Shui Linglong himself, with a calm expression on his face, "I'll send someone to pick you up on the fifth day of next month."

Looked at Shui Lingxi and said, "And Miss Second."

Shui Lingxi now felt a little happy.

Shui Linglong opened the brocade box, and what she saw was not the Mermaid Tears, but a stack of banknotes! Underneath the bank note are the tears of the shark. She quickly closed it. At this time, Yunli stood up and Yunjuan Yunshu said: "Yixuan, let's go back."

 “Okay!” Leng Yixuan looked at Shui Linglong’s astonished expression and smiled narrowly, “Linglong, I actually have a lot of good things there, and I’ll give them to you at the plum appreciation banquet!”

 He does have a big "gift" to give her, very big, haha!

What she lacks most now is money. Without money, she can't even open a small kitchen to eat a good meal, let alone reward servants or buy information. Yunli...what a delicate thought! Shui Linglong blinked and curtsied to Yun Li: "Best farewell to Your Highness, the Crown Prince."

Yunli said lightly "Yeah" and took Leng Yixuan out of the water mansion.

Shui Lingxi walked angrily to Changlexuan. At the door, she met Shui Lingyue, who had just greeted Qin Fangyi. Since she knelt down and copied Buddhist scriptures in the ancestral hall for three days, she had become much more honest. In addition, Shui Hange had not set foot in the ancestral hall recently. In Aunt Zhou's yard, her arrogance is no longer the same, but she is in a good mood today.

 “Second sister.” She bowed politely.

Shui Lingxi was so angry that she didn't want to pay attention to her at all, but when she thought about why Shui Lingyue was punished, she changed her mind and smiled softly: "What did mother say to the fourth sister to make the fourth sister so happy?"

Shui Lingyue answered respectfully: "My mother said she would take us to the temple to offer incense the day after tomorrow. I haven't gone out to play in a long time."

Shui Lingxi took off the mutton-fat jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Shui Lingyue. Shui Lingyue was flattered, but she heard Shui Lingxi say softly: "His Royal Highness just gave me a place to participate in the plum appreciation banquet. I thought it was pitiful for my eldest sister to live in Zhuangzi for more than ten years, so I decided to take her to the banquet. Please help me give her the bracelet as a token of my gratitude. "

Plum blossom feast? Shui Lingyue's eyes sparkled: "Isn't it true that only legitimate daughters can participate? The eldest sister is a concubine..."

"It's not like you don't know the relationship between His Highness the Crown Prince and me." After saying it shyly, Shui Lingxi seemed confused, "It's a pity that there is only one quota. If there are two, I will definitely take you with me. After all, we are both concubines. , but you are different.”

Shui Lingyue held on to the bracelet tightly. She was the most noble among the concubines. Shui Linglong was just playing the trump card of sympathy! What if, what if there was no Shui Linglong? Then she can only be the one to go to the banquet!

When Shui Lingxi entered Changlexuan, Qin Fangyi was playing with the East China Sea Night Pearl sent by the nobleman. Although it was daytime, the crystal clear light still illuminated the room a little more. Qin Fangyi smiled wildly and looked up to see her daughter fuming. His smile suddenly froze and he asked, "Isn't it fun to play chess with the prince?"

Shui Lingxi sat down next to Qin Fangyi and said angrily: "Mom, where is the parrot you asked your uncle to buy? Why haven't you got it yet?"

“The parrot I mentioned is not a bird from the Zhou Dynasty, not to mention that it will take some time to find one that looks exactly like it. Why bring this up so politely? Could it be that the prince asked about it?”

“It’s okay if he asked about it. At least he and I have some common topics.”

Hearing her daughter's sour words, Qin Fangyi knew that her daughter was very angry, so she took her daughter's hand and asked with concern: "Tell me, what happened?"

"She's not that cheap girl Shui Linglong! She actually dared to seduce His Highness the Crown Prince in front of me! Do you know? His Highness the Crown Prince wants her to attend the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet!" As for the part about breaking the chess game, Shui Linglong automatically ignored it, subconsciously Li Zhen didn't want to admit that Shui Linglong had such a glamorous side, "Didn't you say that she is self-aware and won't compete with me for the position of Crown Princess? I think she just wants to hand over the jade pendant and wait for an opportunity to return home, so that she can get closer Prince, seduce the prince!”

Qin Fangyi frowned, and there was a strong displeasure in her eyes, but soon she smiled: "Silly boy, mother said that the position of Crown Princess is yours, so it must be yours, since mother dares to call her You must have made a complete plan when you return home!”

 This day, the sky is clear and clear.

Hua Hongwei Shui Linglong put on a plain-colored embroidered yellow peony skirt with a waistband, and paired it with a sky-blue double-breasted short jacket, making her look slim and charming. After that, Huahong tied her three thousand black hair into an elegant lily bun, and put on the hairpin inlaid with sapphire and white jade that Qin Fangyi had given her. After making sure that she couldn't be more beautiful, she smiled and said, "The eldest lady is getting more and more beautiful." It’s so beautiful, it’s not much inferior to the second lady.”

 How can she compare with Shui Lingxi? If this word spreads... Shui Linglong smiled half-heartedly: "Really? I think people only rely on clothes and makeup, thanks to mother's blessing."

Huahong's eyes flashed and she said with a smile: "What the eldest lady said is that a woman must be able to dress herself up. You see how the third lady's makeup is so exquisite every time. I heard that the third lady does her rouge and gouache by herself." ”

Shui Lingyu can make rouge and gouache, and occasionally gives some to the Jade Concubine in the palace. This is no secret in the house, so why does Hua Hong deliberately mention it? Shui Linglong pretended not to understand and just looked at her own appearance in the mirror.

 (End of this chapter)