Near noon, the banquet began as scheduled in the Carrier Hall. Zhu Gaoxu and the two imperial concubines, as well as the ministers and nobles, and the officials and guests of the Zhangde Mansion, gathered in the main hall. And there are musicians singing and dancing.

The Ming Dynasty paid heavy gifts, and this kind of banquet had rules. The rules are also very detailed, from the repertoire of ritual music and dance to people's lines and movements, there are all fixed numbers. It's not just people who are singing and dancing who are performing, in fact, everyone is acting. Almost all the programs revolve around a theme, that is, touting "Jinshang", that is, Zhu Gaoxu sitting directly above.

Among them is a play performed by the old man and the child. The old and young duo played the people of the countryside, but Zhu Gaoxu didn't understand some of the lyrics. When Lao Suo sang loudly the words "Respect the heavens and the ancestors, the country and the people are safe", Zhu Gaoxu completely fell into abstract thinking.

He didn't think that the play was about the people, but it represented some kind of symbolic meaning; After all, it would be ridiculous if anyone relied on such content to judge and understand the life and mentality of the common people of the Ming Dynasty.

After a few rounds of drinking, a group of lightly dressed young dancers entered the room, dancing with long sleeves, like white clouds. Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu understood that Lile had passed, so he got up and changed his clothes.

Suddenly, everyone was a little more casual, and several people got up and left the table. At this time, people can take a break in the porch on the side of the main hall, or go to the thatched house, and no longer need to sit in a serious seat.

Zhu Gaoxu walked out of the door behind the side of the carrying hall, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs followed and waited. After a while, Gao Sui also came out.

Gao Sui bowed, and Zhu Gaoxu turned around and made a gesture to stop his entourage. The two of them continued to walk forward, walking together on the brick floor between the two halls.

Of course, the scenery here is not very good, it is not that the Zhao Wangfu is not well repaired, but that Zhu Gaoxu is too familiar with this kind of prince's mansion. Zhu Gaoxu and Gao Sui were alone together, and originally wanted to say a few heart-to-heart words to the third brother to enhance communication. However, after walking for a while, Zhu Gaoxu never found the right atmosphere.

The two are brothers, but Zhu Gaoxu lacks memories and feelings about the two of them growing up together. As for the past, Gao Sui may not have much of a deep impression. The original king of Gaoyang County liked to run around since he was a child, and he began to follow Zhu Di around the north when he was more than ten years old; And Gao Sui is often in the Yan Palace, and he spends more time in the palace.

Coupled with the matter of the eldest brother Gao Chi's family, Zhu Gaoxu really couldn't speak. Gao Sui may still suspect that Zhu Gaoxu did it. People often judge things emotionally. For example, Gao Sui should not have any doubts about the process of judging the case of officials such as Dali Temple at that time; His suspicion may have been purely intuitive.

Zhu Gaoxu remembered a sentence that brothers are often not friends, and friends may be like brothers.

The two of them walked for a while, and Zhu Gaoxu finally exhaled and said an innocuous word: "The third brother is here, which is similar to the palace where I lived in Yunnan back then. ”

Gao Sui hurriedly replied respectfully: "The younger brother has never been to Yunnan, but the Zhao Mansion in Zhangde is large and comfortable, and it is all rewarded by the Holy Lord. ”

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and glanced at him.

After Taizong's death, the third brother was almost no longer a threat, and Zhu Gaoxu couldn't be so frantic and have any thoughts about him. Besides, people in the world have already discussed the death of Gao Chi's family, if something happens to the third brother, will Zhu Gaoxu not have a moral reputation at all? In this era, family affection is very respected. So as long as the third brother is not particularly excessive, Zhu Gaoxu will never move him easily.

What's more, Gao Chi's family was burned to death, and it was not Zhu Gaoxu's work at all.

Zhu Gaoxu said again: "Our little aunt, Princess Baoqing came to the palace last time, and she still remembered the third brother. Princess Baoqing couldn't come, and the concubine He Kuisi fell in the middle of this trip. After a while, he asked He Kuisi to meet the third brother, maybe he brought a greeting from Princess Baoqing. ”

Gao Sui smiled: "In the Yanwang Mansion before, Princess Baoqing was like our sister. ”

Zhu Gaoxu said: "I was raised by my father and queen mother. ”

The two of them walked around the square, and they could only talk about topics like that. When he returned to the back door of the carrier hall, Zhu Gaoxu proposed to go in and continue the banquet.

When he walked to the door, Zhu Gaoxu finally couldn't help but say a few words: "If there are some things in the future, the third brother can send eunuchs into Beijing, find Wang Gui or Cao Fu to bring them into the palace, and tell me directly." Otherwise, if you go around the court, many things will be difficult to do. ”

Gao Sui really looked relieved when he heard this, and nodded hurriedly: "Hey, my brother listens to the saint." ”

As for Shi Gu Sheng, the governor of the Zhao Palace, because the Zhao Palace's secret letter from the Tatars had been sent to the Beijing Division, Gu Sheng's matter was not a big problem. Therefore, Zhu Gaoxu did not mention this person at all, and he did not plan to change the history of Zhao Wangfu.

The main thing was that Gao Sui looked a little nervous, and he couldn't make him feel that the imperial court was monitoring the Zhao Wangfu in all directions. When Gao Sui is relieved and relaxes that he is too presumptuous, it is not too late to change the long history.

…… After luncheon, the emperor and the two imperial concubines went to the west house to rest. Duan Xue hated to take the Xu family with her cousin Mu Zhen. After a while, Concubine Xian also came, and several women drank tea and talked in the house.

Xu was coming by herself, because she guessed that the emperor would come to Zhao Wangfu on his northern tour. Duan Xue hated having an old friend with the Xu family, so she agreed to help her. Things are actually very simple, Duan Xue hated to find Cao Fu to speak first, Cao Fu happily agreed, and brought more people with him. If Cao Fu was afraid of things, Duan Xue had to tell Zhu Gaoxu.

Compared with Duan Xuehate, Xu has a lot of words on weekdays. But right now, the Xu family seemed to be sullen, and he didn't say anything for a long time, and he became a sullen gourd like Duan Xuehate.

At this moment, people reported that Princess Zhao Wei asked to see her. So Mu Zhen and the others politely greeted the door, greeted Wei, and invited her into the house to talk.

I saw that Webster was still wearing a ceremonial dress, and the clothes on the banquet had not been changed. And the luncheon has been over for a long time.

Seeing this, Yao Ji asked softly: "Did the princess go to see Duke Weiguo?" ”

Webster nodded and said, "I just separated from my father, so I came straight to see my two sisters." ”

Duan Xue hated to hear this, looked sideways in slight surprise, glanced at Yao Ji, and said in her heart that Concubine Xian was really smart. And the Xu family, who was sitting next to him, had been observing Princess Zhao, and Xu's expression was very complicated. Princess Zhao didn't know the Xu family, so she didn't pay attention to her.

Wei Shi still said to himself: "My father asked me how I was doing in Zhao Wangfu, and I didn't want him to worry about me, so I picked it up and said." My father was very happy because I was pregnant with the blood of the Zhu family. ”

When Xu heard this, he immediately turned his head and glanced at Webster.

Mu Zhen said: "I think King Zhao is good to his sister, and he takes care of him all the time, for fear that you will turn into a disfigure." ”

"Alas......" Merriam-Webster sighed, and it seemed as if she had a hard time. Perhaps Webster thought that their mother's family were brothers who lived and died together on the battlefield, so she didn't show much of it and didn't deliberately hide her feelings.

Concubine Xian's voice said: "I listen to my sister's words and pick out the good ones, is there anything bad?" ”

Webster finally said aggrievedly: "He only treats me well in front of people." People don't say how bad it is, they just don't ask much, and often people don't see it. Before I had a happy pulse, he came back every month, and he often got drunk, and when he blew the lamp, he came up, and it hurt me. Then he slept with his head covered. ”

The room fell silent, and everyone didn't know what to say.

After Merriam-Webster spoke, his emotions gradually became excited, and he simply began to confide: "I pay attention to him, he is better than me in those scenes." There are hundreds of singers in the palace, and he rewards them if he has nothing to do. I kindly persuaded him not to waste the saint's money, and he said that Uncle Seventeen (King Ning) also raised a lot of dramas.

But Uncle Seventeen is a talented man, who loves to read, is proficient in music and opera, and also writes his own playbooks. He's good, I don't think he understands opera at all, and the plays he looks for are beautiful and coquettish, and some of the dramas are not accurate. He also often messed with flowers and grass outside the palace, no matter who those girls and daughters-in-law were, whether they were married or not, he used money to lure them into immorality. If he hadn't been afraid of impeachment by the officials, and if he was afraid that his second brother would be very good, he would have done the evil thing of bullying men and women a long time ago. ”

Mu Zhen, who had persuaded Webster before, was speechless at this time. With Mu Zhen's temperament, she rarely said anything against her will, so she was silent.

Yao Ji persuaded: "Rich men are mostly three wives and four concubines, not to mention that King Zhao is the younger brother of the saint." My sister is Princess Zhao, and I usually persuaded him, but I couldn't persuade him and could only endure it. ”

Wei said: "The two sisters will help me say a word in the saint, and let the saint take care of the prince." The prince is most afraid of the saint, knowing that the saint has not been out of the palace for at least a month, and he has never behaved like this. ”

Yao Ji didn't agree, just turned her head and glanced at Mu Zhen.

Even Duan Xue hated such a person, but he also understood something. King Zhao did not accumulate fame, recruit talents, nor did he commit some serious crimes such as hurting people's lives, adultery, adultery, and plunder, but just eating, drinking, and having fun, and the sound of dogs and horses, and the Holy Lord would take care of him.

Besides, although Wei's father was a hero of crime and a nobleman, King Zhao was a royal clan; Merriam-Webster's position is not strong, and it cannot be controlled at all. Who has a way?

Seeing that Yao Ji and Mu Zhen didn't respond, Wei asked, "I heard that the Holy Lord is also very romantic, he doesn't care about this kind of thing?" ”

Mu Zhen suddenly said: "Some things are misinformation. The Holy Lord is the Son of Heaven, and he is quite restrained, or because the Holy Lord has great ambitions in his chest. And King Zhao was born noble, as a clan, he had no worries about food and clothing, and if the saint wanted him to live an ascetic-like life, it was indeed difficult for some strong people. ”

Yao Ji said: "My sister will wait a few more years, and when King Zhao is older, she may be able to restrain herself." Those dramas are just scenes on the spot, only the family members in King Zhao's mansion are King Zhao's relatives, so why should my sister bother with them? ”

Merriam-Webster sighed, and his emotions gradually calmed down.

She stopped talking about this topic, and asked the imperial concubines as the host, whether the residence was comfortable, etc. Although everyone is not familiar with each other, after a short time together, Duan Xuehe feels that Wei's is actually a good person.

……

……

(I wish book friends a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.) ）