Chapter 43: The Death of General Geng
When An Ruo arrived at the main hall of the Wanshou Banquet with Concubine Ning, in addition to the emperor and queen, the clan, the Manchu Dynasty's civil and military affairs, and the ladies and concubines of the harem were all seated.
As soon as An Ruo sat down, he felt a strong gaze, and when he looked up, it was Fang Ce, his eyes were too hot, and they seemed to contain endless thoughts, so that An Ruo couldn't ignore them if he wanted to.
"What, my sister knows Prince Xian?"
An Ruo came back to his senses, looked at Concubine Ning who was speaking, and said with a smile: "I met the Taifu at the wedding that day. β
Concubine Ning let out a long sigh, and expressed her understanding of An Ruo's behavior of staring at Fang Ce after only seeing one face, after all, some people are born to stand in the crowd, and they are the existence of being noticed, such as Fang Ce, such as Wei Yan.
It's just that An Ruo sees Fang Ce as normal, why does Fang Ce keep staring at An Ruo, is he playing some idea that harms Wei Yan's interests?
Concubine Ning couldn't help but remind: "Prince Xian is the emperor's biggest enemy to stabilize the throne, whether you think he is handsome or he has a good character, you can't have any relationship with him." β
An Ruo chuckled when she heard this: "Concubine Ning has a really high evaluation of Prince Xian, handsome, and good character, but I don't know how Concubine Ning evaluates the emperor?" β
Concubine Ning's face suddenly turned red, and after a long time, she said shyly and timidly: "Like a dragon, like a god." β
An Ruo nodded, they were already extraordinary, Fang Ce's handsomeness and character naturally couldn't be compared.
However, Fang Ce had just returned to Beijing, and Concubine Ning had never had a chance to contact Fang Ce in the harem, how could he know that Fang Ce had a good character? You can't look at your face!
The Wei family, the Fang family, and the Ning family are all among the top ten families of the Federation, and they may always meet frequently in private, so Concubine Ning should have known these two people in reality.
What's more, maybe Concubine Ning is Wei Yan's fiancΓ©e, otherwise she wouldn't have recognized Wei Yan and was unwavering.
After all, in terms of appearance alone, Fang Ce and Wei Yan are on par, but they are just different types, one looks more sunny, and the other is a standard torn face, which is a mesmerizing existence, and the beauty is misleading!
The two were chatting in a low voice, and in the southwest corner of the main hall, a high male voice broke the peace in the entire hall.
"Concubine Ning's demeanor is still the same, poor old minister's little daughter, the soul of the lotus pond, I don't know if Concubine Ning has ever seen the soul of the little girl who died unjustly in her midnight dream?"
An Ruowen heard that the person who spoke was Geng Chongrong's father, General Geng.
It's just that General Geng's cheeks are sunken, his body is thin, and there is a strong death aura around his body, and he doesn't look like a soldier who can go to war, which is in stark contrast to Mrs. Mingyan sitting next to him.
Geng Chongrong's death has been settled by Wei Yan, General Geng actually said that Geng Chongrong was unjustly killed at the longevity banquet, this is the so-called willing to cut his body, but also to pull the emperor off the horse?
Without waiting for An Ruo to understand, Concubine Ning, who was next to her, slapped the table fiercely and scolded: "Before the banquet started, did Geng Jianjun drink too much?" Why did you dream back at midnight in this palace to see Miss Geng's soul? She committed suicide because of her own personal feelings, and the emperor was willing to let Miss Geng go back to the house and bury herself, for the sake of General Geng's many years of service to the imperial court, and hoped that the general would not make a mistake by himself. β
"Huh! Who doesn't know that when the guard surnamed Zhang was imprisoned, Concubine Ning Niangniang let her palace maid Pearl send poison over, and she also slandered Concubine Ding. The little girl doesn't know that Zhang Guard, she has a personal relationship, but I'm afraid that Concubine Ning yourself has a personal relationship with Zhang Guard! β
"Presumptuous!"
Concubine Ning was furious, she didn't know how General Geng knew about the pearl, but if it was rumored that she was the one who had a personal affair with Zhang Guard, the Manchu Dynasty would be able to tear her apart.
Mrs. Wang, who took Miss Cui, looked at An Ruo in surprise, he didn't know that his daughter had been wronged by Concubine Ning, but looking at the intimacy between the two, it didn't look like they had put each other to death, could it be that this was the so-called plastic sisterhood?
"No matter where General Geng got the news from, this palace must say two words here, in order to induce the guards to spit out the truth and return the innocence of the palace that day, the palace specially discussed this plan with Concubine Ning, and this is why there is a matter of pearls sending poison. General Geng should not listen to the wind and rain, and climb Concubine Ning indiscriminately. β
An Ruo's words were grateful to Concubine Ning, although she could also say the same, but it was far less convincing than An Ruo's words, and she immediately straightened her waist and looked at General Geng, with the intention of fighting again.
An Ruo was not as optimistic as Concubine Ning, she felt that General Geng's state was not quite right, and it was a bit of a broken jar, and she deliberately chose such a clan when the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty were there, but she was afraid that she didn't just want to lose her position.
In this world, there is a kind of person who must not be messed with, that is, a person who doesn't care about anything, including his own life, you can never imagine what he will do in the next moment.
But still holding on to Geng Chongrong's death, except for General Geng's love for his daughter, who will be the biggest beneficiary?
An Ruo subconsciously looked at Fang Ce.
With just one glance, An Ruo withdrew his gaze.
Because Fang Ce was also staring at An Ruo, or rather, from the moment An Ruo entered the hall, he hadn't shifted his gaze.
However, in this sight, there is a little worry and longing, which makes people feel both comforting and trembling.
An Ruo secretly snorted, making it seem like she had something to do with Fang Ce, she must have been impure in her thoughts.
Especially when this is the time to flirt, what a serious occasion!
General Geng probably didn't expect that An Ruo, who should be in competition with Concubine Ning, would speak for Concubine Ning, and his mouth opened and closed for a while, but he didn't know what to say, could it be that his daughter really committed suicide?
Before he could think clearly, the eunuchs sang and harmonized from far and near outside the door, and Wei Yan and the queen came.
"Everyone is flat, today's bento is a family banquet, you don't have to be formal."
Having said that, but everyone's salute did not fall at all, An Ruo secretly pouted, so this kind of non-formal words are insincere, and they have the ability to say it before they kneel!
As everyone sat down, An Ruo looked up, even after two days of recuperation, the queen's state did not improve, but looked weaker.
As for Wei Yan, An Ruo ignored it directly, dared to lie to her, and deceived her so excessively, she didn't want to get her own forgiveness.
Wei Yan was not surprised by An Ruo's angry state, it was just the sequelae of him running away again that day, but Mrs. Wang didn't know that there was still this link, seeing An Ruo ignoring Wei Yan so much, he was almost happy, so the wicked have their own wicked grinding!
"Sir, what are you laughing at? Could it be that you have found a beautiful woman again, can you share it with the concubine? β
Mrs. Wang looked at Miss Cui who was talking beside her, and now Mrs. Wang, pulled the corners of her mouth, and finally couldn't hold back crying.
That's right, sure enough, the wicked have their own wicked grinding, and now he has definitely created retribution, so he will have such a jealous wife.
The banquet went on in an orderly manner, and I have to say that Concubine Ning's management ability was first-class, and the entire banquet and performances were excellent, which made An Ruo feast her eyes.
Soon, the wine and food also arrived as scheduled, An Ruo looked at Xiao Zhan who returned behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief after the other party nodded.
Prima facie, there is no case of wrong dishes, she can be regarded as a half-pass, as long as the banquet ends smoothly, her duties will end perfectly.
But in General Geng's state just now, she didn't believe that the banquet would end smoothly.
But until the banquet came to an end, General Geng still didn't move, An Ruo couldn't help but be a little strange, could it be that General Geng thought that Concubine Ning was a soft persimmon, and he didn't dare to touch Wei Yan's moldy head, so he didn't press it, this is not a persimmon to pick a soft pinch!
Wei Yan was obviously very satisfied with today's longevity banquet, especially when he saw the dishes set by An Ruo, his smile deepened a little, he could know all the dishes he didn't like to eat so clearly, An Ruo really didn't care about himself, and now he was just throwing a tantrum.
But if there is no accident, there will be an accident, and just when Wei Yan pulled the queen and was about to leave, General Geng foamed at the mouth and fell to the ground.