Chapter 86

 

On the 15^th of Ninth Month, the Marquis Jing’an Mansion was going to celebrate the full moon of Princess Nan Kang’s eldest son, so they sent an invitation to Hua Yang in advance.

Hua Yang: “I don’t want to go at all.”

Empress Qi: “Having a baby is happy event. As a sister, you have to go even if you don’t want to. You only socialize once a year at most. Why bother to give someone else a handle?”

Hua Yang looked at her serious mother and suddenly laughed: “I just don’t want to go, I didn’t say I won’t go. Mother Emperess didn’t listen clearly, but you started to lecture me.”

Empress Qi:…

She shook her head: “Your temper is getting more and more out of control.”

She knew that she was a strict mother, her son respected her and was afraid of her, and her daughter became less coquettish as she got older. But she never expected that her daughter would still tease her after three years of marriage.

“Prince Consort is training at the guard station, how is the training going?” Empress Qi asked about serious business. She still felt that her son-in-law was too impulsive in asking for the commander’s job. If Daxing Left Guard was still placed last this year, it would not only harm the Chen family’s face, but her daughter would definitely be laughed at by Concubine Lin’s mother and daughter, and the emperor would probably be unhappy too.

Hua Yang: “I see he’s tanned a lot. The soldiers should be practicing well.”

Empress Qi looked at her daughter for a moment and said unexpectedly: “You don’t seem to be afraid that he will lose at all.”

Hua Yang pinched a piece of the orange that the palace maid brought to her. It was sour and sweet. After eating, she replied nonchalantly: “Even if he loses, it won’t affect my standing as a princess. Besides, he can even train those soldiers of the Lingzhou Guard who neglected practice for so long. Even if he doesn’t make it into the top three this time, he won’t be at the bottom. But Mother Empress, since you have chosen him as your son-in-law, you should have some confidence in him.”

Empress Qi looked at her daughter thoughtfully.

At this time, the crown prince came over, and the siblings immediately left their serious mother and went to the imperial garden for a stroll.

On the day of the banquet at the Marquis Jing’an Mansion, because Chen Jingzong had to go to the guard station, Hua Yang took the maids there alone.

Princess Anle arrived one step ahead of her and was playing with the baby in her arms.

Hua Yang walked to her aunt and looked at the swaddling bundle. Inside was a little baby that had grown fat and healthy. Nan Kang was a beauty and Meng Yanqing was also good-looking, so the child was naturally good-looking.

It was just that the milk smell on the baby was too much, so after Hua Yang took two glances, she distanced herself.

Nan Kang was sitting very comfortably this month. Meng Yanqing was beaten so hard by Lord Marquis that even though he didn’t lose his life, he could only lie on the bed obediently. Even some of the maids serving around Meng Yanqing were replaced by her parent-in-law, and now the best-looking ones could only be considered average in appearance. Each one was lifeless, as if they had just returned from the temple.

“Why did Sister come here by yourself? Where is Brother-in-law?” Nan Kang looked at her son and said to Hua Yang with a radiant face. As for the loss of face on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, she had long forgotten it.

Hua Yang: “He’s not good at socializing. He went to the guard station early in the morning to work.”

Now that there was no one else in the room, Nan Kang said in the tone of a good sister: “Speaking of which, I also want like to thank Brother-in-law. If he hadn’t stood up for me, Meng Yanqing wouldn’t have learned the lesson.”

At the beginning, Nan Kang complained about Chen Jingzong for a while. But after she realized that the beauties that her father emperor rewarded was actually to support her, Nan Kang felt that Chen Jingzong had really done her a big favor. Confinement was too boring. When Nan Kang, who had nothing to do, was lying alone on the bed to rest, she suddenly figured out something. She and Hua Yang were at odds with each other, and Chen Jingzong was Hua Yang’s consort, so why did he stand up for her?

Nan Kang recalled the meeting with Chen Jingzong outside the imperial city. At that time, Chen Jingzong seemed to have glanced at her.

Could it be that Chen Jingzong thinks she’s more beautiful than Hua Yang?

Nan Kang couldn’t help but feel a little elated. Speaking of which, although Chen Jingzong was a martial artist, his face was very handsome, and he could even compare to Meng Yanqing.

Naturally, Nan Kang had nothing to do with Chen Jingzong, but when she thought that Hua Yang’s prince consort actually liked her more, Nan Kang felt happy, and she also showed a bit of pride in front of Hua Yang.

Hua Yang had never taken Nan Kang seriously.

Her mother empress was beautiful and wise, but Concubine Lin’s position as a Guifei was completely exchanged for her beauty and her son. The difference ways of competing for favor could be clearly seen at a glance.

Concubine Lin was like this, and both Nan Kang and Prince Yu also followed Concubine Lin’s temper.

Just like Nan Kang’s thoughts at this time, it was almost clearly written on her face.

“It’s so nice for Sister to not blame him for being reckless. Don’t worry, Sister, I will convey your gratitude to him.” Hua Yang said with a faint smile.

Nan Kang’s fist hit the cotton again.

“Okay, there will be other guests coming over later. Panpan and I will go out and sit first.” Princess Anle saw that the two sisters were about to quarrel again, so she handed the child to the wet nurse, then took Hua Yang’s arm and left.

When they arrived at the flower hall where guests were being entertained, the aunt and niece sat together by themselves. Princess Anle tilted her head to look at Hua Yang for a moment, and said with a smile, “Are you angry when she said that?”

Hua Yang sneered: “No to mention that Prince Consort has no interest in her. Even if he does, the worst I can do is give him to her. What’s the point of being angry?”

Princess Anle clicked her tongue: “Why do I smell a bit of sourness?”

Hua Yang:……

In order to prevent her aunt from misunderstanding further, she quietly told the real reason why Chen Jingzong punch people.

Princess Anle: “No wonder you’re not angry. It turns out that you know that Chen Third Master’s heart is with you.”

Hua Yang: “I don’t care where his heart is.”

Princess Anle pinched her petal-like small face and said, “Just keep pretending, there will be times when I will catch your handle.”

When leaving the Marquis Jing’an Mansion, Princess Anle gave Hua Yang a box with very familiar shape and size.

After getting on the carriage, Hua Yang quietly opened it. As expected, it was full of that thing inside, about fifty of them.

Back at Siyi Hall, Hua Yang asked Chao Yun to put the box away. When they came from Lingzhou, Chao Yun was responsible for this task.

Chao Yun blushed, took the box away, and put it in the trunk with the other box.

After dark, Chen Jingzong came back.

In the past, it was always him who took the initiative to talk. But when Chen Jingzong was eating tonight, he noticed that the princess opposite secretly glanced at him a few times.

Chen Jingzong: “If you have something to say, just say it. Why do you want to imitate the little maid that like to peek at people?”

Hua Yang: “If you keep talking nonsense, go sleep in the front yard tonight.”

Chen Jingzong: “Okay, does Your Highness have any orders?”

Hua Yang glared at him, lowered her eyes and flipped through a few pages of the book, then said, “Nan Kang asked me to tell you that she’s very grateful to you for standing up for her on Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Chen Jingzong was so disgusted by these words that he put down the wine he had just brought to his lips: “Is she stupid? If I change my excuse, both of them wouldn’t just losing face.”

He could indeed find other excuses, but Chen Jingzong knew that Concubine Lin’s mother and daughter were not get along with Empress Qi and Hua Yang, so Chen Jingzong did not waste his thought.

Hua Yang: “She is not smart, but she is pretty and fair. Who knows if you have some sympathy for her.”

Nan Kang’s beauty was indeed not as good as hers, but it must be a beauty that Chen Jingzong had never encountered before coming to the capital.

He was a lustful man. If Concubine Lin wanted to marry Nan Kang to him, he would definitely treat Nan Kang the same way he treated her.

Chen Jingzong saw disgust in her eyes, as if he was a pig and would eat whatever others fed him without being picky at all.

There was half of the meal left, but Chen Jingzong put down his chopsticks and said with a calm face: “I will sleep in the front yard tonight, and I will also live in the guard station for a while. I will be among men day and night, in case I go back to the city and see a fair and beautiful woman, I will feel pity for her.”

After saying that, he slammed the curtain open and left.

Hua Yang:…

The four maids outside were also shocked by the furious prince consort, and finally pushed Chao Yun and Chao Yue in to inquire about the situation.

When the two of them entered the room, they found that the princess was still reading a book. She was not angry, but looked as confused as they did.

Chao Yun asked in a low voice: “Princess, why is Prince Consort look angry?”

In the past two years, although the princess and prince consort had quarreled from time to time, they had never been really angry. Including the time when the princess was molested by Prince Xiang, prince consort also had dark face because he was too concerned and walked away angrily. But he came back by himself after talking to Eldest Master for a while.

Hua Yang didn’t want to explain it to the maids.

She also couldn’t understand Chen Jingzong’s anger.

The two often sarcastically mock each other, but she still quite tolerant. As for Chen Jingzong, he either used his two brothers or her father-in-law to anger her. Why, just now she jabbed him with Nan Kang for the first time, and he couldn’t stand it?

How unreasonable!

“Let him go. You tidy things up, I’m going to bed.”

Glancing at the leftovers on the low table, Hua Yang put down her book and went to the inner room with a normal expression.

.

Chen Jingzong had a hard bone and a tough temper. If he says he won’t come back, he really won’t come back.

At first, Sun shi and the others didn’t notice anything was amiss, thinking that winter martial arts competition was getting closer and closer, and Chen Jingzong was so focused on training that he didn’t return home for a long time.

But at the end of the month, Chen Jingzong had been living in the guard station for half a month, and he even didn’t come back during the holiday. Sun shi immediately guessed that something had happened.

She came to Siyi Hall to see the princess.

How could Hua Yang let her mother-in-law worry about this. She smiled and said that she and Chen Jingzong were fine. Chen Jingzong didn’t come back because he was busy training the soldiers.

The princess smiled like a flower without any flaws, but Sun shi secretly observed Chao Yun and the other maids, and still caught a few strange looks.

Sun shi thought that since she was an elder, the princess might be embarrassed to speak. Two days later, she sent her eldest daughter-in-law Yu Xiu to spy.

How could Yu Xiu capable of doing such thing? When she arrived at Siyi Hall, Hua Yang saw her purpose at first glance and coaxed her away with a few words.

Yu Xiu blushed and went to confess to her mother-in-law: “Princess has a keen eye. Daughter-in-law can’t hide my thoughts from her. Why don’t we let Third Sister-in-law try it?”

Sun shi: “Come on, she’s not as lovable as you. If the Princess keeps a straight face, she will just come to me to complain about her grievances.”

The daughters-in-law didn’t work, so Sun shi sent her eldest son to the guard station to question his son directly.

Poor Chen Bozong, who was busy at Dali Temple until dusk, and still had ride the horse for an hour to Daxing Left Guard. It was already completely dark when he got there, the cold wind blew so hard that his face was freezing, and it was difficult for his hands holding the reins to even bend.

When he jumped off the horse, Chen Bozong even came up with the idea that maybe his mother was simply overthinking, and his brother just didn’t want to go back because of the cold weather and laziness.

Chen Jingzong had extremely strict control over the guard station. Although the soldiers guarding the barrack believed that the frail scholar at the gate was prince consort’s brother, they did not let him in directly.

After a while, Chen Jingzong came over in person, looked him up and down, and asked angrily: “What are you doing here?”

Chen Bozong looked at his younger brother’s dark face and realized that he was really angry with the princess.

It was too late to rush back to the city tonight, so Chen Bozong had no choice but to follow his brother into the guard station and to the house where Chen Jingzong lived.

There was dragon earth burning in the room. It was warm, but there was a bit of sweat smell. He didn’t know if it was because the Old Four was sloppy or it was left behind by the other soldiers who came to make a report.

To the south was the window and to the north was the kang beda heatable brick bed.

Chen Jingzong saw him staring at the kang bed, his brows were about to wrinkle. He sneered, “If you don’t want to sleep in the same room with me, I’ll arrange a big berth for you.”

Chen Bozong shook his head and said, “I’m hungry. Get me something to eat first.”

Chen Jingzong shouted for Fu Gui.

Soon, Fu Gui brought a plate of big meat buns and a bowl of hot rice porridge from the kitchen.

Chen Bozong was not picky about the food in the guard station. He ate slowly, rinsed his mouth, washed his face and washed his feet, then got into the quilt that Fu Gui had just laid out on the kang bed.

Chen Jingzong stared at him for a long time, waiting for him to speak. Until finally he could not bear it anymore: “You came here just to eat and sleep? Why, Sister-in-law kicked you out?”

Chen Bozong: “She and I respect each other like guests, why would she chase me away?”

Chen Jingzong heard something peculiar, and said coldly: “No one is chasing you away, so why are you coming to me?”

Chen Bozong finally gave him a serious look, and then said sleepily: “Mother asked me to come. She went to Siyi Hall today and heard the Princess asking Chao Yun and the others to pack their stuffs, as if they were going to move to the Princess Mansion. Mother said she don’t want to follow Father to go to the palace to plead guilty to His Majesty and Niangniang, and ask you to hurriedly coax the Princess.”

Chen Jingzong:…

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