August 13th.
It is an auspicious day for weddings, meeting friends, and sacrifices.
The auspicious gods include Heavenly Grace, Four Phases, Non-conflict, and Fortune Birth.
From the mansion of the eldest prince to the Shu Mansion, red cloth was laid on the ground, and an eight-palace sedan chair was used.
All the restaurants and teahouses along the way were bustling with excitement.
Qu Dubian was sitting in a private room on the second floor of Ruyi Tower. Leaning on the railing, he was cracking melon seeds and watching the excitement below.
Xia Fuyang was lazily leaning beside him. He was now fourteen years old, and his height had grown very quickly. He already looked like a young man. Because he practiced martial arts and had opened his Dantian, his body had very smooth muscle lines. With a tightened waist, at first glance, he was a handsome and sunny young man.
"You like watching the excitement. Why don't you go to the Shu Mansion or your eldest brother's mansion?"
Qu Dubian said, "It's boring. Everyone in and out of the place will greet you. This one calls you Prince Seven, and that one calls you Seventh Prince." He shook his head. "Moreover, the food in my eldest brother's mansion is not that delicious."
Xia Fuyang looked down and saw the makeup of the royal wedding procession. His eyes lit up, and he reached out to grab Qu Dubian's wrist.
"Come here, come here with me."
Qu Dubian instantly withdrew his hand and subconsciously dodged.
Xia Fuyang's movement paused, and he looked over, full of confusion. "What are you doing? Can't I even touch you?"
Qu Dubian flicked the dust on his clothes. "I can walk by myself."
His meridians were slightly damaged and in a mess. This guy had opened his Dantian and had internal true qi. If he grabbed his wrist, he might sense it, and then he would have to come up with lies again.
"Oh..."
Xia Fuyang shouted into the room, "Judge Xi! Come and take a look."
A few seconds later, Xi Zixing came out with dark circles under his eyes. In his hand was a booklet bound with blank rice paper, on which was written: Evaluation Form 1.
This "1" referred to the eldest prince.
For the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth princes, as long as they had moved out of the palace to build their own mansions or lived in the Prince's Residence, he had made a blank booklet for each of them. Inside were evaluations according to his own selection criteria.
Originally, it was a secret only known to himself.
Later, once when the three of them went out to play together, his booklet fell to the ground. Xia Fuyang pestered him and insisted on asking what it was, so he told them.
It made Qu Dubian laugh out loud.
This Xi Zixing guy, after getting to know him for a long time, you would find that he was actually very smart. His memory was even better than Qu Dubian's. He had a photographic memory and was a master at studying.
But his obsessive-compulsive disorder became more and more obvious as he got older, and sometimes he would act stubbornly like a madman.
He also told the two of them that he started to seriously study and take exams after Qu Dubian turned his calligraphy "Still Waters Run Deep" upside down. Before that, he basically just skimmed through the books casually.
Qu Dubian asked at that time, "Then if that painting was never turned upside down, would you never study?"
Xi Zixing said with a straight face that he would ask a servant to hire a guest to come in and turn the painting upside down. He didn't know which guest was hired, so it wouldn't count as breaking his own vow.
He was flexible yet rigid, with a full sense of ritual.
This guy was still taking exams, but he had already started to prepare to choose the person to serve in the future.
He also used the money he earned from his bookshop to bribe Qu Dubian to secretly bring him the test papers of the fourth, fifth, and sixth princes from the school. He wanted to see the foundation of these princes from the test papers.
If others knew that a young boy who hadn't even grown up was picking princes, they would surely point at his nose and mock him.
Qu Dubian didn't think so. He thought it was okay for someone to take a look at their future boss in advance.
He enthusiastically stuffed him with a lot of discarded test papers of the princes from the teachers.
Every time he read them, Xi Zixing would give scores in his little notebook. He was more strict than the teachers. With a stroke of the red pen, it was either a tick or a big cross.
So Xia Fuyang gave him the nickname "Judge Xi".
Xi Zixing took a look at the wedding procession below. "It's been a long time since the capital has been this lively, hasn't it?"
Qu Dubian said, "It's my eldest brother's wedding. He's the first of the sons to get married. Our old man still attaches great importance to it. The specifications are one level higher, following the specifications of a prince."
Xi Zixing sighed. "I hope there won't be any accidents like when he opened his mansion a few years ago."
Qu Dubian: "..."
Xia Fuyang: "..."
He covered Xi Zixing's mouth. "You really know how to bring up the wrong topic. Shut up."
Qu Dubian sighed. "Don't worry. Commander Zuo has led the imperial guards to guard the Shu Mansion and the prince's mansion. There definitely won't be any accidents."
The first accident was suppressed. He guessed that his so - called father probably suspected that it was the second or third prince who did it, so there had been no follow - up news until now.
But on the day of a wedding, if something happened again on the day of the eldest prince's wedding, it would be an insult to the royal family.
His so - called father wouldn't allow it.
Xi Zixing said, "The eldest prince hasn't taken a concubine or a maid - in - waiting in the past three years. He was the first to build his mansion. If he had an heir, it would be more stable."
Having an heir would mean having an imperial grandson. Both the eldest prince and the imperial grandson had the word "eldest" in their status.
Qu Dubian asked, "Do you think it's not good?"
Xi Zixing thought for a moment and objectively said, "From the perspective of a strategist or a staff member, it's naturally not good. But from the perspective of the Shu family, the eldest prince is a good match in the royal family."
Xia Fuyang sneered. "I don't care about other things. If the man my sister marries dares to be two - faced, I'll break his dog legs."
"Well... Little Seven," Xi Zixing shuffled over to him. "Can you take me to the eldest prince's mansion to have a look?"
Qu Dubian said, "You still want to observe my eldest brother up close."
Xi Zixing said, "Who else can I rely on but you to get in?"
Then he took a step back, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "I sincerely request, Little Seven..."
"Hey, stop stop," Qu Dubian waved his hands repeatedly.
Xia Fuyang punched Xi Zixing. "Don't keep teasing him. If you have an urge to act, go to Chunfeng Tower and perform on stage."
Xi Zixing slowly stood up straight, touched his face, and said, "Maybe I'll earn more than you on stage."
Xia Fuyang's face twitched, and Qu Dubian burst out laughing.
Xi Zixing added, "But the two of us together probably won't earn as much as Little Seven."
Xia Fuyang immediately turned his target. "That's very true, very true."
Qu Dubian stopped laughing and started chasing after them to punch them.
At the mansion of the eldest prince.
Qu Dubian followed the wedding procession and, as a friend, pulled Xi Zixing in.
The wedding scene was very lively.
The eldest prince was beaming. He didn't kick the sedan chair or give the bride a hard time. Holding the other end of the red silk, he led the girl from the Shu family into the main entrance.
Concubine De was sitting in the main hall.
The emperor didn't come, but he sent a plaque that said "A Perfect Match Made in Heaven".
After the master of ceremonies announced the ceremony three times, the new bride paid homage to Concubine De.
Concubine De smiled from ear to ear. "Good, good, good!"
She then looked at the eldest prince, with a bit of tears in the corners of her eyes. "Finally, someone has taken in this scoundrel."
People around them let out kind - hearted laughter.
After the bride removed her fan, Shu Wenxin also curled her lips into a smile.
After the ceremony was over, the new bride went to the bridal chamber, leaving only the guests in the front to drink.
Xi Zixing immediately perked up and stared at the eldest prince's every move in the corner.
Different from the banquet when the mansion was opened, among the ministers who came to the eldest prince's wedding banquet, half were just watching, and the other half already had the intention of pledging their allegiance.
If the eldest prince handled it well, he could definitely win over a few influential ministers in the court.
The eldest prince obviously also knew this.
He called his former study companion and now his staff member, Dou Shun, raised his wine cup, and walked towards the ministers.
First courtier: "Hahaha, congratulations to Your Highness the Crown Prince! Now that you're married today, I'm sure His Majesty will value you even more in the future!"
The Crown Prince: "Hahaha, yes, I think so too!"
He gave the courtier a hard pat on the shoulder and said appreciatively, "Good, you're quite good. It's just that you're a bit young."
He emptied his wine cup and moved on to the next person.
Courtier No. 1: "..."
The advisor, Dou Shun, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness means that you're young and promising, quite excellent. I hope we can have more interactions in the future."
Second courtier whispered: "Your Highness should have gotten married earlier. By marrying more women, you can get more support from your in - laws, right?" What he meant was that he wanted to marry one of his daughters into the prince's mansion.
The Crown Prince pondered: "You're right. But I'm worried they'll fight over me. Let me think about it, think about it..."
He emptied his wine cup and moved on to the next person.
Courtier No. 2: "..."
Dou Shun quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "I've long heard that there are beautiful daughters in your family. How about I ask His Highness the Crown Prince to send you an invitation when Concubine De holds a palace banquet next time?"
The Crown Prince kept drinking cup after cup of wine.
Dou Shun kept walking around.
Xi Zixing silently read their lips. The more he read, the more his mouth twitched.
Good heavens! Although he had already heard from Little Seven that his elder brother was not good at being tactful, seeing it in person now, he thought Little Seven had been too euphemistic.
The Crown Prince was not just bad at being tactful. His communication with the courtiers was like a collision between a carriage and a donkey cart, completely off - topic.
His eyes couldn't help but move to the advisor who was trying to smooth things over for the Crown Prince's words. He seemed to be about the same age as the Crown Prince, but his hairline was already in a precarious state.
... Help! Is it so torturous to be the Crown Prince's advisor?
Xi Zixing silently took a half - step back.
He flipped through the booklet and changed the original score of 5 to 2 in the section of [Language Comprehension Ability].
It was not until the Crown Prince left the front hall that Dou Shun let out a long sigh of relief.
Xi Zixing couldn't stand it anymore and went to the back garden for a stroll.
Behind a rockery, he casually found a stone to sit on and started scoring the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince was a bit simple - minded, but he wasn't a bad person. If someone could assist him well, maybe his personality could be changed. Moreover, he had a lot of support around him.
For example, Concubine De.
She was well - known in the palace for her dignity and propriety. And there was also the Crown Princess. If they could give advice and offer strategies, maybe...
In front of the rockery, there came a sigh: "I haven't been out of the palace for a long, long time."
Xi Zixing stopped. Among the middle - aged women in the Crown Prince's mansion, the only one who could address herself as "This Palace" was probably Concubine De.
Concubine De was supported by her personal maid, looking at the sunset with joy in her eyes.
She took a deep breath.
"Since I entered the palace more than a decade ago, this is the first time I've smelled the outside air. The flowers are clearly the same as those in the palace, but I just feel they smell better outside."
Maid: "In a few more years, you can apply to leave the palace and live with the Crown Prince."
"That will be many, many years later. Maybe by then, I'll be full of white hair and won't be able to do square - dancing anymore. Moving from a big room to a small room, I won't be able to move at all. Whether I'm free or not doesn't make a difference."
Maid: "Your Ladyship..."
Concubine De took another deep breath, as if trying to take in enough air at once.
"If there's an afterlife, I want to be a bird, flying around and pooping wherever I like."
Maid: "..."
Xi Zixing: "..."
He sighed.
-
On the other side.
Qu Dubian stole some fruit wine, avoided Ye Xiaoyuan, and hid in a big tree beside the kitchen, sipping it little by little.
Xia Fuyang was also with him, lying on the branch.
Their figures were hidden by the golden leaves, and none of the servants passing by below noticed them.
The autumn wind blew, and the sun was setting. It was extremely comfortable.
Qu Dubian said, "Want some?"
"Be careful, or I'll tell your Banban," Xia Fuyang said. "What's so good about this sweet fruit wine? Strong liquor is more exciting."
Qu Dubian: "How strong of a liquor do you like?"
Xia Fuyang: "The stronger, the better."
"I'll give you a jar on your birthday." He had the device blueprint for distilled grain wine from a lucky draw last time. It would be a waste not to use it.
"Really? Then I want the one the Emperor has in his collection!"
"I guarantee it'll be better than those."
Xia Fuyang lay back down again. "I'm looking forward to it, but my birthday is still a long way off..."
After a while, he said, "Can I ask you something?"
Qu Dubian: "Sure, go ahead."
Xia Fuyang rested his head on his arms, looking at the leaves rustling in the autumn wind. The moon was almost full.
"Why are your meridians so chaotic?"
Qu Dubian stopped sipping the sweet wine secretly.
Xia Fuyang: "I felt something was wrong when you dodged this afternoon. I took the opportunity to feel your pulse when you weren't paying attention when we entered the mansion."
Qu Dubian was shocked: "You didn't even pay. How dare you feel my pulse!"
Xia Fuyang: "..."
