Chapter 82

 

As soon as it entered the Eight Month, news came out from the palace that this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival would set up a moon-viewing banquet to entertain the imperial relatives and all the capital’s officials above the fifth rank.

The eunuchs and maids in the palace were very busy, but Hua Yang’s people were at leisure outside the palace.

On the evening of the 13^th of Eight Month, after darkness completely enveloped the capital, Chen Jingzong finally returned after a long journey.

Hua Yang had already eaten and was staying on the couch in the side room. Chen Jingzong asked the maid to carry a low table to the couch.

The copper lamp burned quietly. He sat opposite Hua Yang, eating the food and drinking the wine, eating with relish.

Hua Yang looked out the window and persuaded again: “It’s getting dark earlier and earlier. You might as well stay in the guard station so as to save the journey in the morning and evening.”

Although Chen Jingzong said before that he would come back every other night, this was not the case. He often came back every night, unless it rained or he was delayed by matters in the guard station.

Chen Jingzong: “If I don’t come back, what’s the point of you living here?”

Hua Yang: “I don’t live here just for you. Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law, and Third Sister-in-law often come over to talk to me, as well as Wan Yi and the others. All of them are more likable than you.”

Chen Jingzong just picked up a piece of meat and took a few bites when he heard this. After eating, he looked at her and said, “But it’s more interesting for me to come back than to sleep in the guard station.”

Hua Yang glared at him.

Although it was not the middle of the month yet, the moonlight was already beautiful tonight. Chen Jingzong insisted on hugging Hua Yang to the window and watched the moon with her.

The moon in Hua Yang’s eyes seemed to be blown violently by the wind, swaying from side to side.

“Isn’t it interesting?” Chen Jingzong asked in her ear.

Hua Yang held the table with one hand and hit him with the other.

Chen Jingzong grabbed her hand and held it against the window edge.

“Do you think there are really fairies on the moon?” Chen Jingzong asked.

Hua Yang was too lazy to pay attention to him. No matter what was the opening, it was impossible for the following words to be serious.

Chen Jingzong said to himself: “If it’s true, wouldn’t she have seen you and me like this?”

Hua Yang:……

She gritted her teeth, tremblingly broke away from his hand as she wanted to close the window in front of her.

She didn’t dare to close it too hard, for fear that the sound would startle the maids who were keeping night watch outside. Little by little, just when the watery moonlight was finally blocked, in the last soft moonlight, Chen Jingzong suddenly clasped her arms and shoulders together.

The wind blew open the window that were about to close, and the moonlight poured in again, gently illuminating the slightly raised face of the princess.

Like a drunken fairy, like a peony dripping with dew.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Jingzong lifted her chin and kissed her from her hot cheek to the corner of her mouth.

“Just because of this, I am willing to come back even if it’s raining knives from the sky.”

.

It was the 15^th of Eight Month in a blink of an eye.

Among the Chen family who were eligible to participate in today’s palace banquet, in addition to Hua Yang and her prince consort, there were also Chen Tingjian, Sun shi and Chen Bozong’s couple.

Chen Tingjian and the others would leave for the palace at dusk, but Hua Yang was ready to leave after breakfast.

Of course Chen Jingzong, the prince consort, must accompany the princess to meet his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Inside the carriage, Hua Yang wore gold hairpin with red gem and a red satin dress embroidered with gold peonies. From head to toe, she displayed her innate grace and dignity.

Her makeup today was also very bright, with delicate eyebrows slanting into her temples, bright and cold eyes, and plump and bright red lips.

Chen Jingzong: “Why do I feel like you want to deliberately comparing your beauty with someone?”

Hua Yang glanced at him indifferently, as cold as looking at an ant.

Chen Jingzong: “Still angry?”

He was indeed getting carried away. In fact, she had always maintained the demeanor of a princess. Over the past year, although she indulged him in “sharing a bed,” she didn’t appreciate too many tricks. That night, after being coaxed and persuaded by him, she reluctantly agreed to go to the window to appreciate the moon. However, he teased her by saying that fairies could see, and she a seemed to be sulking as if someone had really seen her, and last night, she even drove him to sleep in the front yard.

Hua Yang: “Shut up, I don’t want to listen to you now.”

Chen Jingzong would still obey and stopped talking.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the imperial city gate.

Chen Jingzong got out of the carriage first and looked left and right. There was a carriage in front of him that was about to pull away. A young couple had already reached the bottom of the imperial city gate and turned to look at them. Chen Jingzong had met the man who wore the same prince consort’s official uniform several times. He was the prince consort of Princess Nan Kang, Meng Yanqing. He was born in the marquis mansion, and his father and brothers could be said to be notable figures. However, Meng Yanqing was only slightly better than the idle playboy of wealthy families. He also received the favor of Emperor Jingshun and held a prestigious but leisurely position in the Jinyiwei.

The woman in red dress next to Meng Yanqing was naturally Princess Nan Kang. Chen Jingzong only glanced at her bulging belly and quickly looked away.

There were two more carriages coming this way, and next to one of the carriages was a man on horseback.

Chen Jingzong looked at each of them from a distance, then looked at his carriage.

When Hua Yang came out, the sunlight danced on the phoenix hairpins and rubies in her hair. Her flawless face and neck were like the most beautiful jade in the world.

Standing high on the shaft of the carriage, Hua Yang first glanced at Princess Nan Kang and her prince consort who were only a few feet away.

Princess Nan Kang glanced at her up and down, biting her lip slightly.

Meng Yanqing, the Prince Consort, looked at Hua Yang with eyes full of amazement, and just as he was about to smile, Hua Yang had already retracted her gaze and raised her right hand casually.

Chen Jingzong held the soft, seemingly boneless hand and helped her out of the carriage.

Hua Yang wanted to go in directly, but when she turned her head and saw the approaching carriage and the man on the horse, she couldn’t help but smile, and took Chen Jingzong a few steps forward, waiting for the carriage to stop.

After waiting for a short while, Hua Yang said softly to Chen Jingzong: “That’s my cousin, the Shizi of Marquis Wuqing Mansion. The people in the carriage should be my grandmother, aunt, and cousin-in-law.”

Chen Jingzong smiled: “We’ve met.”

Hua Yang remembered that when the two got married, she spent most of the time covered, but Chen Jingzong had to toast the guests and saw more than her.

When the coachman stopped, Qi Jin, who was on horseback, dismounted first and saluted Hua Yang with a smile: “Greetings Princess and Prince Consort.”

He had a long and tall body, a face like a crown jewel, and a warm and clear voice. One of the most famous handsome men in the capital.

Hua Yang smiled back.

Qi Jin went to pick up Old Madam Qi first, and in the carriage behind was his mother, Madam Marquis.

Hua Yang also took Chen Jingzong to greet her grandmother in front of the carriage.

“Oh, Princess and Prince Consort have also arrived, what a coincidence.” Old Madam Qi said with a smile, looking at Chen Jingzong lovingly, and praised: “Long time no see, Prince Consort is becoming more and more heroic and upright.”

Chen Jingzong returned the courtesy: “Old Madam praised too much.”

Hua Yang nodded towards her aunt who came over and asked curiously: “Why I don’t see Cousing-in-law?”

Qi Jin lowered his eyes and looked gloomy.

Old Madam Qi sighed: “She is already weak, and recently she’s also contracted the cold. She’s still recuperating at home.”

When Hua Yang first returned to the capital, she met her cousin-in-law Tian shi at her mother’s place. At that time, she was more focused on her grandmother and didn’t think too much about it. When Tian shi‘s illness was mentioned again, Hua Yang suddenly remembered that at the end of the same year that Chen Jingzong died in battle in her previous life, Tian shi, ​​who was lingering on the sickbed, also had a sad ending and died prematurely. However, Hua Yang herself was in mourning and did not go to express her condolences in person, and just asked her maid to deliver the funeral rites.

No matter what, they were all related, not to mention she was still young, it was always regrettable to die young.

Hua Yang said sincerely to Old Madam Qi: “I’ll tell Mother Empress and ask her to send an imperial doctor to check on Cousin-in-law.”

Chen Jingzong glanced at her.

Old Madam Qi sighed: “We have seen all the famous doctors in the capital, but it is not good. It’s also a blessing for her that the Princess care so much about her.”

Hua Yang: “We are a family. If Grandma says it like this, it seems like we’re strangers.”

As she spoke, she took her grandmother’s arm and walked forward.

Madam Marquis followed behind the two.

Chen Jingzong and Qi Jin naturally stood in a row, one looking at the princess in front and the other looking at the family in front, without speaking to each other.

Princess Nan Kang greeted the group. She wanted everyone to go in together, but Hua Yang did not accommodate her slow pace due to pregnancy and quickly distanced herself.

Princess Nan Kang snorted hatefully.

Meng Yanqing coaxed her: “Don’t you always dislike each other? Wouldn’t it be right for each to go their own way, so why do we have to go together.”

Princess Nan Kang: “I am the older sister, but look at her, where does she look like a younger sister?”

Meng Yanqing thought to himself, you have no intention of being an older sister. Concubine Lin and Empress Qi have been competing for favor for many years, and everyone inside and outside the palace knew about it. So why should their daughters played a good show of sisterhood again.

Hua Yang and the others arrived at Fengyi Palace first.

Empress Qi and the crown prince were both there.

After the greeting, Empress Qi also expressed concern for her niece-in-law Tian shi. She then turned to Qi Jin and Chen Jingzong: “Let us womenfolk chatting here. You two follow the Crown Prince to pay respects to His Majesty.”

Qi Jin and Chen Jingzong saluted at the same time.

The crown prince came over with a smile and led the two of them out.

When they went out, he was in the front. When they reached outside Fengyi Palace, the crown prince stepped in between his cousin and prince consort. He turned around and asked Qi Jin first: “What has Cousin been busy with recently? It seems that I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

Qi Jin smiled and said: “In three months, the twenty-six guards will have a martial arts competition. This minister has been living in the guard station recently and busy training.”

The crown prince nodded. His cousin went to the battlefield at the age of sixteen, and was awarded the title of Commander of the Jinwu Vanguard at a young age due to his military exploits. Moreover, since his cousin joined the Jinwu Vanguard, the Jinwu Vanguard had ranked in the top three every year in the martial arts competition among the twenty-six guards. There was no doubt that the first place would always goes to Jinyiwei, while Jinwu Vanguard and Yulin Left Guard would switch between the second and third places respectively.

He looked at Chen Jingzong again: “Prince Consort, my cousin is very good at leading troops. You can learn from him.”

Qi Jin seemed to have just remembered and said to Chen Jingzong: “Look at my memory. I forgot to say congratulations to Prince Consort for being promoted to the Commander of Daxing Left Guard.”

Chen Jingzong: “Shizi is joking. I have shallow qualifications. I got this position only because of His Majesty’s favor. It’s no big deal.”

Qi Jin: “Prince Consort is too humble. We have heard about your achievements in rectifying the Lingzhou Guard.”

Chen Jingzong: “Only because His Majesty, Niangniang, His Highness and the Princess support me that the local officials willing to listen to my orders.”

The crown prince, who was standing between the two commanders, looked at Qi Jin and then at Chen Jingzong, feeling that something was wrong.

Then, he heard prince consort mentioned him.

The crown prince was a little happy. Indeed, why did the local officials give prince consort face? Besides the fact that prince consort was his father’s son-in-law, of course it was also because prince consort was his brother-in-law.

The prince consort was very good, he was very obedient to his sister, humble and respectful outside, not arrogant at all.

“Prince Consort, you don’t have to belittle yourself. With your good skills, even if you are not Prince Consort, given time, you will definitely achieve military success and become famous all over the world.”

The crown prince tilted his head, his eyes encouraging sincerely.

Chen Jingzong smiled: “Thank you Your Highness for your favor, this minister will always encourage himself, so as to live up to Your Highness’ expectations.”

Qi Jin lowered his eyes, there was a slight smile on his lips.

The author has something to say:

Old Four: Just because of this, even if I become a ghost, I will come back to find her.

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