NFBE Chapter 39 Begging for Cleverness
Chapter 39 Begging for Cleverness
The carriage arrived at the Prime Minister's Mansion. Zhao Jinghua walked out of the first carriage. He came to the carriage where Wan Sutong was, opened the curtain, and helped Wan Sutong get off the carriage.
The two walked into the Prime Minister's Mansion hand in hand, and when they arrived at the backyard, Zhao Jinghua let go of Wan Sutong's hand and said, "I'll wait for you here."
Wan Sutong nodded and then skipped into Su Qinghui's bedroom, "Mother!"
Su Qinghui was sitting on the couch at this time. When she heard Wan Sutong's voice, she put down the book in her hand and smiled softly at Wan Sutong. "Tongtong is back."
Wan Sutong came to Su Qinghui and sat down. "Mom, today is Chinese Valentine's Day. Zhao Jinghua said he would take me to see it." After saying that, Wan Sutong looked at Luo Lin.
When Luo Lin heard this, her eyes lit up instantly. "I will go get the young lady some clothes and accessories. It is said that the Crown Prince likes pear yellow. I guarantee that the young lady will amaze the Crown Prince today."
Wan Sutong smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Thank you, Sister Luo Lin." Luo Lin smiled and turned away.
Su Qinghui raised her hand and held Wan Sutong's hand. "Is the prince waiting for you in the palace?"
Wan Sutong shook her head and said, "Waiting for me in the yard."
Su Qinghui looked out the window and saw a black-haired man standing in the yard. The man had his hair tied high, wore a silver mask, and was wearing a mist-colored cloak. He stood in the yard with his back straight. At this moment, he was resting with his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed as if he was troubled, but his expression was not impatient. "Prince, are you in a bad mood?"
Wan Sutong sighed and shook his head at the same time. "The people of Hanjiang City were displaced, but the Third Prince ignored them, so the prefect of Hanjiang City filed a memorial to Zhao Jinghua." Su Qinghui nodded after hearing this. "So that's how it is."
Not long after, Luo Lin came back, holding a pear yellow double-breasted skirt and a wooden box in her hands. "Miss, please follow me to change clothes." Wan Sutong nodded and walked over quickly.
Su Qinghui smiled and then stood up and walked to the courtyard. "I didn't know it was Your Highness who came here, so I was impolite. I hope Your Highness will not blame me." After saying this, she was about to kneel down to salute but was stopped by Zhao Jinghua. "It's okay. There is no Crown Prince from the East Palace today, only Zhao Jinghua."
Su Qinghui nodded with a smile in her eyes, "Your Highness, how do you address my daughter now?"
Zhao Jinghua lowered his head slightly and chuckled, "I call your daughter Miss Su Tong, but what's wrong with that?"
Su Qinghui smiled even more after hearing this. "It is indeed a bit strange. Your Highness, why don't you try calling my daughter by her maiden name?"
Zhao Jinghua nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Madam Prime Minister, for your reminder."
At the same time, Zhou Lang sat behind the desk, not daring to move, because Eunuch Chen was on his left and Eunuch Wang was on his right, standing beside him like guardians.
Soon the maid came in with a medicine bowl. Eunuch Chen stepped forward to take the medicine bowl and returned to Zhou Lang's side. "Your Highness, it's time to take the medicine."
Zhou Lang frowned slightly and then sent a message to Eunuch Chen, "Are you sure you want me to drink it?"
Eunuch Chen smiled threateningly, "Your Highness, please wait until it cools down before drinking it." At the same time, he sent a message to Zhou Lang, "This is a medicine that increases spiritual power, and it's not poison. What are you afraid of, Guard Zhou?"
Zhou Lang frowned slightly and imitated Zhao Jinghua's tone and said, "No need." Eunuch Chen nodded and handed the white jade bowl to Zhou Lang.
Zhou Lang picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all. The bitter taste spread in Zhou Lang's mouth. Zhou Lang subconsciously wanted to grin, but suddenly remembered that he was not himself at this time, but Zhao Jinghua. Then he pretended to be very calm and handed the medicine bowl to Eunuch Chen.
Eunuch Chen took the medicine bowl and walked to the table to hand it to the maid. After the maid left, Eunuch Chen handed Zhou Lang a piece of honey.
Zhou Lang's eyes lit up as he took the honey and put it in his mouth. Seeing this, Eunuch Wang couldn't help but chuckle. He looked at Mr. Chen and said, "Foster father, Guard Zhou is still a child after all."
Eunuch Chen shook his head helplessly with a smile in his eyes, "I hope Your Highness can win the heart of the Prime Minister's daughter today."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guard knocked on the door and walked in. "Your Highness, the Minister of Rites is here with the young ladies from various families." Zhou Lang did not speak but looked at Eunuch Chen.
Eunuch Chen bowed slightly and chuckled, "You forgot, before His Majesty went to war, he instructed the Minister of Rites that starting from the Qiqiao Festival a year ago, he must meet with unmarried young ladies from official families every year on the Qiqiao Festival. If he likes her, he can even only make her a concubine." Seeing Zhou Lang nod, Eunuch Wang walked to the table and said, "Let the Minister of Rites come in." The guards quickly withdrew.
Soon, the Minister of Rites walked into the study and handed a picture album to Eunuch Wang. Eunuch Wang opened it and immediately closed his eyes. "Foster father... I have seen these young ladies. They all have extraordinary looks." Then he turned around and handed it to Eunuch Chen.
Eunuch Chen took it and looked at it. He saw that every girl in the painting was as beautiful as a fairy from heaven. If it weren't for what Eunuch Wang said, Eunuch Chen would have almost believed it. Then he suppressed his smile and handed the album to Zhou Lang.
Zhou Lang nodded after receiving the portrait, thinking that being a crown prince would be great, not only would he be surrounded by beautiful women, but he would also have numerous concubines in the future. Just as he was thinking this, the young ladies from the official families came in. They seemed to have agreed on this, and all wore pear-yellow long skirts. Although the embroidery styles and types of long skirts were different, they were all pear-yellow in color, and they all had various masks bought for the Qiqiao Festival on their faces, so Zhou Lang did not see what they looked like.
At the same time, on the street, Wan Sutong was holding a plum blossom-shaped lantern in her right hand, holding Zhao Jinghua's right hand with her left hand. At this moment, she raised her hand holding the lantern and pointed to the stall full of puppets in the distance. Wan Sutong was wearing a pear-yellow double-breasted skirt with silver peony patterns embroidered on the sleeves and neckline. She had her hair in a flying bun with a pure gold auspicious cloud hairpin in the middle of the bun. She was wearing a fox mask on her face, revealing only a pair of phoenix eyes and plump lips. She looked playful and cute.
At the same time, the East Palace Study
"The daughter of the prefect of Liuqiu City, Li Qinghuan, seventeen years old." As the words fell, Li Qinghuan took off her mask. Zhou Lang almost dislocated his jaw after seeing it. Li Qinghuan had a pair of eyebrows of different lengths and widths! Her eyes were not phoenix eyes but slanted upwards. Her nose was long and angular. This was indeed true in the painting, but why were her lips protruding outwards? When she smiled, she showed two big buck teeth!
Zhou Lang looked at Li Qinghuan calmly, then at the portrait. He frowned and whispered to the two eunuchs, "Eunuchs, are you serious? Is this also the case with the official lady that Your Highness saw?" At this moment, Zhou Lang seemed to understand why Zhao Jinghua wanted him to pretend to be him. It turns out that being a prince is not without its troubles.
Eunuch Chen smiled kindly and said, "Your Highness, it doesn't matter if you don't like her. Just switch to the next one. There are more than ten young ladies here." At this time, Eunuch Wang took a golden hairpin from the tray and handed it to Li Qinghuan. "Miss Li, don't be discouraged. It's not your fault."
Li Qinghuan heard this and slowly took the golden hairpin. "Thank you for your reward, Your Highness. I'll take my leave." After saying this, she wiped her tears and ran out of the study. It seemed that she would not marry anyone but Zhao Jinghua.
On the busy street, Wan Sutong selected for a long time, and finally picked up two puppets, a man and a woman, with shining eyes and handed them to Zhao Jinghua, "Zhaolang, do you think this looks like you and me?"
Zhao Jinghua nodded and said "like" and then looked at the stall owner and asked "How much?"
The stall owner looked at the two and laughed, "I think you two are a talented man and a beautiful woman, you will definitely be a perfect couple in the future! I'll give you a discount! Fifteen cents."
Zhao Jinghua chuckled and turned it into a tael of silver and handed it to the stall owner. "Then I'll lend it to you for your good wishes." After saying that, he turned around and left the stall with Wan Sutong.
The stall owner thanked him repeatedly, "Thank you, sir! I wish you and this lady a long life together!" After hearing this, the two smiled at each other and walked hand in hand to the Kongming lantern stall in the distance.