At the beginning of the lanterns, the Prime Minister was full of voices. The night sky is dotted with stars and the moon is bright.

In the courtyard in front of the main house, twenty square tables are set up on the left and right, and the carving on the right front of the hall is different from the side, which is particularly exquisite, and it must be used by today's birthday star and the Xiangye of the Dafeng Dynasty. The seat in the middle of the hall was reserved for Concubine Ning, who represented the emperor.

Plates of melons and fruits were set up on the square table, and they were filled with gilded tall plates. And each of them had a servant and a servant, and the servant had in his hand a marigold wine, which was fragrant. The little guy is dressed up cleanly, and his gestures are quite stylish.

There are a few cotton-clothed servants at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion to greet the guests, and there is a mustache that looks like a bookkeeper sitting at the door to register the names on the invitations and the birthday gifts included in the library. As for whether his position is near or far from the prime minister, whether he is the chief or the last depends on his status and official position in the court, or perhaps depends on the power of his family.

Ning Chun didn't have the opportunity to sit in the twenty tables of the chief of the inner courtyard today, but Ning Guifei specially ordered another square table to be placed behind her seat for Ning Chun, so Ning Chun was sitting and waiting idly at the moment.

Thinking that he would keep looking at the back of Ning Guifei's head for a while, watching these twenty distinguished guests talking about each other, the more Ning Chun thought about it, the more dizzy he felt, and he had already leaned on his forehead before the banquet began.

Ning Chun can sit and wait for the banquet to open, but Shen Man does not have such treatment. She stood behind her master like other little maids, standing up for an hour, but she hadn't seen Ning Xiang's shadow yet. Shen Man felt at the moment that even if he bent down to pour wine, it was good to move his muscles and bones, which was better than standing like this and wearing wood.

"Who let you go?" Ning Chun asked in a low voice through the gap.

Shen Man was stunned for a moment, and when he saw that no one was looking here, he said, "I slipped out by myself." ”

"Nonsense," Ning Chun said, "There is a lock at the door, and there are people watching in the outer courtyard, how can you have the ability to escape?" Besides, your injuries are not healed, and you can't even eat, so what strength do you have to escape? ”

"How do you know if my injuries are healed, and how do you know that I have something to eat?" Shen Man was surprised, a thought flashed in his mind, and he blurted out, "Could it be that you are the one who brought me food and medicine these days?" ”

Ning Chun snorted, "Do you think there will be anyone in this mansion besides me who will bring you food?" ”

"Thank you," Shen Man only felt surprised, but when he thought back to the shadow outside the house and the tone of his speech, it did seem like Ning Chun's, "But since you interceded for me in front of my grandfather and sent me food privately, why didn't you push the boat out when you saw me just now, but instead took me back?" ”

"Do you think the Prime Minister's Mansion is so easy to get in and out?" Ning Chun's tone was strange, "Do you think that the person at the back door who is dressed like you won't recognize you?" Not to mention that your chances of escaping are slim, even if you escape, as long as your grandfather refuses to let you go, you will still die. If you are caught at that time, I can tell you with certainty that there is no one in the Prime Minister's Mansion who will intercede for you! ”

Shen Man also knew that this was the case, but he still refused to let go of a glimmer of hope. Even if you don't have the original post, it's better than not having a post.

Ning Chun continued to say seriously, "Shen Man, just because I bring you food doesn't mean that I will set you free, you still stay by my side honestly, and don't think of leaving again." ”

Shen Man always felt that she was very strange today, although she used to bully herself, but she was not so yin and yang.

"Did something happen to you?" Shen Man asked.

Ning Chun's eyes flashed, and he said arrogantly, "I'm the fourth lady of the dignified Prime Minister's Mansion, what can I do?" ”

Shen Man couldn't help but sigh, why did he get into so much trouble, and where would he come from in the future?

The guests arrived one after another, and the Prime Minister's Mansion arranged 188 tables today, 88 tables in the outer courtyard, 80 tables in the middle courtyard, and 20 tables in the inner courtyard.

According to the grade from near to far. The people in the outer courtyard could only vaguely see a small shadow of Ning Xiangye at the main table, and the people in the middle courtyard only cared about socializing and whispering with people of the same level, talking about which favored or honored person was on the seat in the lower inner courtyard.

The one they talked about the most was, of course, the gate prison who had just been fined by the emperor. However, it is said that this gate supervisor is a completely mysterious person, wearing a white ceramic blue pattern mask on weekdays, and it can be said that there are no more than ten people in Dafeng Dynasty who have seen his true face.

He usually lives in the imperial pavilion given by the emperor on the edge of the palace, and ordinary people are not allowed to trespass without permission unless the emperor decrees, and he does not like to meet guests, so it is very difficult for ordinary people to see each other, and it is even more difficult to ask for a hexagram.

"When my grandfather sees the gate supervisor, I don't know what will happen." Ning Chun frowned.

Shen Man really wanted to meet this gate supervisor in his heart, if it wasn't for Ning Chun who kept her today, I am afraid that he would not be able to see this rumored figure in his life in this life.

Since he is in the inner courtyard, of course, he wants to see his demeanor.

"The Great Prince is here—" One shouted, and everyone in the Prime Minister's Mansion stood up to greet him.

Shen Man hung his head and stood in an inconspicuous corner.

The eldest prince Zhu Kui... She once heard this name, it was when Ning Tao told her when she was in Chenzhou, Ning Tao said that Chenzhou Yashu was famous, and the eldest prince Zhu Kui once asked to see him, but returned empty-handed.

At first glance, the eldest prince is a romantic figure. But he has the most noble identity in the world except for the emperor. He attended the birthday banquet of the Prime Minister's Mansion, looking at Ning Xiangye's identity, and also giving Ning Xiangye enough face.

Shen Man heard the sound of a group of people in rags, and then saw a pair of golden python-patterned boots stop in front of him.

"You are the fourth lady of Ning Mansion?" A gentle male voice asked.

"Yes, Ning Chun see the eldest prince." Ning Chun saluted. Yu Guang quickly glanced at the man, and in addition to the python pattern on his chest, he also unexpectedly saw a handsome and three-dimensional face. Ning Chun's face turned slightly red, and he lowered his head to look at his skirt.

Zhu Kui smiled elegantly, "Fourth Miss is really as Ning Xiang said." Then he turned and sat down on the right side.

Shen Man also saw this prince, and it seemed that it was not the same as he imagined.

"Hey, princess-" Ning Tao's suddenly raised volume attracted the attention of everyone in the inner courtyard, and Shen Man also looked at it, but quickly learned the same as the little guy on the side.

But seeing that Ning Tao, who was dressed in brocade clothes, was grabbed by a woman wearing a light purple gauze skirt, tilted her head and walked into the inner courtyard with an embarrassed face, and said with a sad face, "I can't enter the inner courtyard, princess, please let me go." I offended the princess before, the princess is kind-hearted, adults don't care about villains, the right has never happened, and the right doesn't know me. ”

The princess in Ning Tao's mouth is probably the "Princess Decheng" who offended before. This Princess Decheng was born to the queen and is the only princess of the Dafeng Dynasty. Even the current eldest prince Zhu Kui was adopted by the queen from other concubines, and he was not a pure bloodline. Princess Decheng relied on the doting of the emperor and the queen, and was much better treated than all the princes, so she was even more arrogant and domineering, and did whatever she wanted.

"You have lost face in front of so many people by causing this palace, and this palace will definitely get it back today." Princess Decheng said angrily.

"Princess, this is my grandfather's birthday banquet, you don't want to look at the monk's face, but also look at the Buddha's face." Ning Tao's face became darker and darker, and discussed, "The princess is not as good as this, you let me go now, I will do what you want afterwards, do you think it's okay?" ”

Princess Decheng's eyes rolled, and she let go of Ning Tao's ears and said, "For Ning Xiang's sake, this palace will spare you today, but you need to remember what you promised to this palace." ”

Ning Tao hurriedly nodded like pounding garlic, "Of course I remember, I won't forget jì." As he spoke, he hurried to leave the land of right and wrong. But when he turned around, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the person standing behind Ning Chun on the high platform of the main seat, and after a pause, surprise and panic flashed in his eyes, but in the end he had to leave the inner courtyard and go to the outer courtyard where he should have gotten to sit down, but he kept fidgeting.

Where Princess Decheng was sitting, she could see the shadow of the person in the middle courtyard a little farther away, and saw that his face was not burned, and the corners of his lips were slightly hooked.

"Imperial sister, how did you deal with Ning Sangongzi?" Zhu Kui asked with a smile.

"He was the one who provoked me first." Decheng raised his eyebrows.

"In any case, today is Ning Xiangye's birthday, you and I represent the father, the queen mother, and we must not act arbitrarily. If there are any grievances, the church will solve them. Zhu Kui was quite graceful and patiently reassured.

"Got it, Brother Huang." Decheng took a sip of tea.

The second seat directly opposite them was still vacant, and the gate supervisor who provoked Ning Xiang had not yet arrived, but Ning Xiang came first. I saw him wearing a purple python robe, and he walked in with extraordinary momentum. Passing through the middle courtyard and the inner courtyard, the people from the two courtyards all got up to greet each other, but Ning Xiang didn't say a word, and went straight to the eldest prince Zhu Kui and Princess Decheng.

"Wechen has seen the eldest prince and Princess Decheng."

"Rather be courteous, today is your birthday, and this prince is just here to help the fun, don't be formal." Zhu Kuixu helped Ning Xiangdao up. Princess Decheng also stood up, but did not speak, just stood aside and watched.

"Prince Xie, Princess Xie." Ning Xiang thanked him and took a seat.

With Ning Xiang present, everyone present converged a lot.

Shen Man was covered in cold sweat, the position she was standing in was not eye-catching, at the moment Ning Xiang hadn't paid much attention to herself, if she waited for Ning Guifei to come, he would have seen herself casually.

"Grandfather shouldn't know you very well," Ning Chun seemed to read through Shen Man's thoughts, pursed his lips and said, "Even if he recognizes him later, you don't have to worry, he won't tear out the ugliness of his family in front of so many people." Moreover...... I might be able to get you out of this predicament, if only you listened to me tonight. ”

"Why are you suddenly so nice to me?" Shen Man hesitated for a moment, and finally asked the biggest puzzle.

Ning Chun's eyes darkened, and he said with a kind of sadness, "Maybe it's because I found out...... I'm the same as you. ”