Cui Xiang's eyes were red and swollen like goldfish, his little face was miserable and white, and he was completely bloodless, sitting at the table like a hard-working girl who had just been sold by a trafficker.

Zhong Luhuan sat opposite him, served him a bowl of ginseng stewed old chicken soup with a soup spoon, put it in front of him, and patiently persuaded: "It is said that nurturing grace is greater than biological birth, King Wu was raised by the concubine himself, and the relationship of these twenty years is longer than that of the prince, and the prince can't bear to leave the concubine and escape alone, let alone the king of Wu." ”

"But he did it anyway." Cui Xiang smiled bitterly, looking at the reflection of himself in the ginger soup bowl, he felt more and more miserable.

"King Wu may not have a heart, didn't he also explain to the prince, he will go back to pick up the concubine later, why doesn't the prince believe in King Wu?"

Cui Xiang slumped his shoulders and drooped his head, not saying a word.

Zhong Luhuan used clean chopsticks to pick up vegetables for him: "I know that the prince is sad, the emperor is far away in the capital, the prince can't complain about him, he doesn't dare to complain about him, the dissatisfaction and grief in his heart are all vented according to the king and the princess, his own brothers, there is nothing to do, but everything has a degree, grasp the proportion, the king of martial arts will understand the pain of the prince, do not care about the prince, if the prince blindly cries, the responsibility for the death of the concubine is all put on the head of the king of wu, but i am afraid that the king of wu will one day run out of patience, and the prince will regret it at that time." , but it was too late. ”

Cui Xiang threw himself on the table, clenched one hand into a fist and slammed it into a fist on the table: "It's all because I'm too useless, I can't protect my mother, I can't avenge my mother, I'm really useless!" I'm useless! ”

"Lord Wang, don't be sad and blame yourself, the most important thing at the moment is to take care of your body and avenge the concubine with King Wu," Zhong Luhuan gently put her hand on his arm and comforted him in a good voice, "The concubine is in the spirit of heaven, and she must want to see the prince and the brothers of the king of martial arts get along and go hand in hand, if the prince has a gap with the king of martial arts because of the failure of the king of martial arts to take the concubine in time, the concubine will definitely be uneasy." ”

Cui Xiang raised his head with tears in his eyes, and Zhong Luhuan handed him the handkerchief: "Don't cry anymore, hurry up and eat something, or I will ask the kitchen to reheat the meal?" ”

Cui Xiang shook his head, and said angrily: "No need, just eat like this." With that, he finally picked up the chopsticks and took a piece of dried fish and fed it to his mouth.

Seeing that he was finally willing to eat, Zhong Luhuan also put her mind at ease and personally served him for dinner, and then left with the maids.

At the reception banquet the next day, not only Cui Xiang attended with strong spirits, Zhong Luhuan actually appeared, Zhiying was very concerned about the two of them, and after a meal, he saw Cui Xiang sneaking a glance at Zhong Luhuan no less than 20 times, and he was secretly surprised in his heart, Cui Xiang only came yesterday, and Zhong Luhuan had never met, could it be that he fell in love at first sight and fell in love with someone?

Although Cui Xiang is down, he is also a prince, and the Zhong family must be more willing to choose him than Yang Qiong - oh, but Cui Xiang has already married the girl of the Rong family as the princess, and Zhong Luhuan can only be a concubine like herself even if she marries, so it is better to follow Yang Qiong.

Thousands of miles away, Yang Qiong, who was patrolling the city wall of Yanzhou Mansion, sneezed fiercely.

Cui Xiang has been peeking at Zhong Luhuan, but Zhong Luhuan didn't seem to notice it at all, Zhiying intended to try her mind, so he invited her to visit the garden after dinner, Zhong Luhuan was docile and knew etiquette, naturally there was no reason not to accompany him, and the two went to the garden of Zhongfu for a walk together.

Jiangzhou in April is already in full bloom, the flowers in the Zhongfu Garden are full of flowers, three steps and a scene, the beauty is overwhelming, Zhong Luhuan holds the arm of the Yingying, all the way to the point: "We are now walking this path, called the dream stack, now only plum blossoms and apricot blossoms and peach blossoms, and so on in half a month Begonia, Bauhinia, cyclamen are all opened, that is called a dreamlike, beautiful, people walking on this flower plank road, there will be a feeling of being in the fairy world." ”

"Really?" Holding Ying climbed over a branch of red plum and sniffed the fragrance.

"Of course it's true, if the lady and the prince can stay for another half a month, and in mid-April, they will know that what I said is true." Zhong Luhuan picked a plum blossom and put it on her sideburns, touched it with a smile, and said, "This flower still looks good in the hair of a young girl like my sister, I am out of place." ”

Zhong Luhuan also laughed: "Madame is only three years older than me, how can I say as if I am old, this red plum lining Madame's complexion is better than snow, it is the most suitable, if Madame doesn't believe it, you can ask the prince when you go back later." ”

Zhiying also picked a white plum and pinned it behind her ear: "My sister's hairpin and white plum are good-looking, and with this white dress, it really looks like a fairy from the sky has come down to earth, my sister is both smart and skillful, I don't know who has the good fortune to marry my sister as a wife in the future." ”

Zhong Luhuan's face turned red, and she turned around and pulled the remnants of the branch with a twist: "Madame, don't make fun of me." ”

"That day, my aunt said that my sister had not yet been married, and the second uncle also said that my sister had to ask my sister what she meant about her marriage," Zhiying hugged her shoulders affectionately, "I wonder if my sister has a crush?" If so, why don't I be the matchmaker for my sister? ”

Zhong Luhuan's face was dizzy, she pursed her lips and smiled, and said: "There have been a lot of people who have come to propose marriage over the years, but all of them are embroidered pillows, and I can't look down on one. ”

Zhiying deliberately asked jokingly: "Like the prince?" ”

Zhong Luhuan lost her color in an instant, and knelt down in a panic: "Madame, forgive me!" Lu Wan didn't mean that, the prince and his wife were incomparably affectionate, just like the mandarin ducks on the water, the phoenix in the clouds, Lu Wan envied the prince and his wife for being in love longer than the sky, but never thought of intervening in you! Please also Mrs. Mingjian! ”

Zhiying bent down to help her up: "What is my sister doing, I'm just joking, I don't mean to blame my sister, hurry up." ”

Zhong Luhuan's body trembled slightly, obviously very scared, and Zhiying comforted: "It's me who said the wrong thing, but it hurts my sister's heart, it's mine, I apologize to my sister." My sister likes a heroic man who gallops on the battlefield, why don't you go to Yanzhou with us? There is a love general under the command of the prince, young and handsome, and extraordinary, if my sister likes it, then I and the prince will be the matchmaker, so that you can get married for a hundred years, what does my sister think? ”

"Madame, Madame, laughing at me again!" Zhong Luhuan was so ashamed that her face was flushed, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed, but she still couldn't let go of Miss Qianjin's reserve.

Zhiying smiled and pinched her cheek: "Look at you, as soon as I heard that I was going to tell you a wishful husband, my face burst into laughter." ”

Zhong Luhuan was ashamed and ashamed, took her hand and shook it: "Madam! ”

Zhiying let her go: "Okay, okay, don't tease you, Prince Jing has already found it, and in a few days the prince and I will go back to Yanzhou, you go back and pack up your things yourself, and then go with us." Zhong Luhuan nodded happily, and said with a sigh: "There are men up and down the palace of Yanzhou, and if I have a sister in the future, I can be regarded as having a companion, but Yanzhou is cold and windy, not as comfortable and comfortable as Jiangzhou, I hope my sister can get used to it." ”

Zhong Luhuan didn't mind, and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I have already thought about it, if I marry a general like my father in the future, I will follow him on the expedition, accompany him, and take care of him, so I am willing to suffer any hardship." ”

"I'm relieved when you say that," Zhiying's impression of her was a little better, and the eldest grandson Lingfang's previous behavior was sad, so he had the heart to love Zhong Luhuan as a sister, so he said, "You are the cousin of the prince, that is, my sister, they are all members of your own family, you don't want to be called by Mrs. and Mrs. in the future, it is too foreign, if you don't dislike it, call me sister." ”

Zhong Luhuan immediately called her sister happily, and the two continued to talk and laugh in the garden.

Two days later, Cui Yi and Zhong Yuanshan discussed everything, so they were ready to leave to return to Yanzhou, Zhong Luhuan naturally grinded her father and mother to agree to her to follow, and Cui Xiang - Cui Yi's original intention was to hope that he would stay in Jiangzhou, a remote and desolate Yanzhou, April had just started spring, the chilblains on his hand had not healed, and his body was not yet well, it was not suitable to go to the north to suffer again, Jiangzhou was warm, the Zhong family was wealthy, and he could live a comfortable life if he stayed; The second ...... Even if he goes along, he really can't help much, and with fewer people to take care of, it will be easier to hold a profit.

But unexpectedly, Cui Xiang insisted on going to Yanzhou with him, and his name was "to follow the wishes of his mother and concubine, and to assist his brother well", in fact, he saw it early in his eyes that he heard that Zhong Luhuan was also going to Yanzhou, so he suddenly changed his mind and wanted to go with him.

From Jiangzhou back to Yanzhou, the land route will inevitably pass through Xuanzhou, but Xuanzhou is the territory of the Xie family, and Cui Jie will definitely set up many checkpoints to prevent them from going north to join the Yanzhou army, Zhong Yuanshan proposed a way to take the waterway.

"We will think that the land route is not accessible by water, and the emperor must also think that if we send sailors to encircle and suppress us at sea, we will end up passive, so what should we do?" Zhiying listened to Cui Yi's words and asked worriedly.

The space in the carriage was limited, Cui Yi sat cross-legged by the door, and said: "The second uncle said that the emperor will definitely prevent us from taking the waterway, so without a suitable name, we can't go to sea easily, but fortunately, there is a ready-made opportunity in front of us." ”

Zhiying hadn't been involved in their conversation much recently, but he couldn't keep up with his thinking, so he asked, "What kind of ready-made opportunity?" ”

Zhong Luhuan was in the same carriage with them, and interjected at this time: "Isn't it an opportunity for the Dongchang merchant fleet to come to Jiangzhou to do business?" ”

Cui Yi nodded: "Yes, it's them, Da Chu and Dongchang are good friends, often have business contacts, every October Dongchang merchant fleet will go south, come to Jiangzhou to do business, and at the end of April from Jiangzhou sailed away, return to Dongchang, the second uncle's meaning, is to let us take the Dongchang businessman's downwind boat, along the coastline to the north, to Xuanzhou's northernmost Butou Ma County Chaoshan, and then get off the boat and return to Yanzhou by land. ”

Zhiying said happily: "Second uncle's idea is good!" Although Dongchang is a small country, but the country is rich and the people are strong, and it should not be underestimated, the emperor does not want to spoil the friendly relations between the two countries, as long as we manage to get on the ship of Dongchang, we can safely cross Xuanzhou and return to Yanzhou! ”

"That'...... What if the emperor has taken precautions and wants to check the people on the ship? Zhong Luhuan asked.