After the imperial examination, another group of newcomers entered the official career, and the officials adjusted a group of officials according to the emperor's will.

At the turn of spring and summer, everything grows, Sima Tao gradually came out of the former prince's fraud case, and his health was also very good and he was in a happy mood, so he took this opportunity to set up a family banquet and invite relatives and nobles in Beijing to enter the palace for a banquet. Sima Xunian is both a powerful minister and a clansman, so he is naturally among the invitees, and Shen Jiyue's body has also recovered, so such a feast is naturally impossible to shirk and must be attended.

The banquet is set up in the main gate of the palace behind the Dacheng Gate, on the platform in front of the main hall Dacheng Hall, the main table is naturally the emperor, the queen and the princes, the concubines and princesses and other relatives in the Dacheng Palace. The royal clan relatives and ministers below the prince sat on the platform outside the hall with their families. After the Hanlin Academy read out the beautiful opening remarks, the banquet began, and after three rounds of wine, there were hundreds of jugglers, and there was a lively and lively scene, and the monarchs and ministers were happy together.

Sima Xunian set a number of identities such as clan relatives, military generals, and ministers, and there were many civil and military generals who toasted and persuaded them to drink, and no matter how good the amount of wine was, they couldn't resist it, and they were already slightly drunk. Unexpectedly, Sima You left the table and walked over, pressed him down on the seat, and said, "You can go and sober up, but Ji Yue, please stay." ”

The two were puzzled, and Sima Xunian said, "Madame naturally wants to be with her husband, Sima You, what tricks are you doing?" ”

"I'm not playing tricks, you turn your head and see, Qin Guifei is walking this way, who do you say she is looking for?" After speaking, he said a mouthful.

Sima Xunian looked in the direction, and saw Qin Guifei supported by the courtiers and palace maids, and walked over in a hurry.

After a short time, Qin Guifei arrived, and everyone saluted.

"This palace has long heard that Sima Servant's wife is very gentle and lovely, but it is a pity that I have never had the opportunity to see each other before, and today I have come to take a look at the joy of the saint."

Sima Xunian and Shen Jiyue were naturally busy and modestly excused themselves, but this was just Qin Guifei's opening remarks, and the final purpose was to call Shen Jiyue to the palace to meet the royal family. Sima Xunian couldn't refuse, so he had to let Shen Jiyue and Qin Guifei in.

Shen Jiyue followed behind Qin Guifei, took two steps, turned around and glanced at Sima Xunian coquettishly, Sima Xunian hurriedly stepped forward to hold her hand, rubbing and comforting her, "It's okay, if you don't let you out in two quarters of an hour, I'll go in and ask for someone." I am a clansman, and I am not restricted to entering the temple. ”

Shen Jiyue pursed her lips at this time, turned around and followed Qin Guifei in.

Sima You came up again and said softly, "Lord Sima, I see that you are in a lot of trouble, well, Madame only left on the front foot, and the confidante came over on the back foot." ”

When Sima Xunian heard this, he looked around, but saw Qin Shuying coming over, he was about to pull Sima You as a companion, and in a blink of an eye, there was still a trace of him! I couldn't escape, so I had to face it head-on.

"Master Sima, can you take a step to speak?" After the ceremony, Qin Shuying spoke first.

Sima Xunian glanced at the main hall, and knew that someone was making an obstacle again, so he said helplessly, "I promised my wife to wait for her to come back, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient to leave the table." ”

"Don't delay the adults for a long time, and...... I'm afraid that the concubine Niangniang is going to introduce Sister Jiyue to the palace ladies and princesses one by one, not so quickly. ”

"That being the case...... Then I have the right to accompany Miss Qin to walk around to relieve her boredom. ”

After a while, the two walked out at the side door next to the Luan platform and came to the corridor on the side of the Dacheng Hall.

There were fewer and fewer pedestrians, and Qin Shuying went straight to the point, "Lord Sima, I don't know if you can still remember the night in Huguo Temple......"

"Miss Qin!" Sima Xunian hurriedly answered, "That night was reckless, I had no intention of offending, and I really deserved death." He was very annoyed that he should not take it lightly and fall into the trap set by others.

"Adults don't have to blame themselves, that night...... In fact, it was arranged by my father and the concubine, and I ...... It's just that it's obedient by default. ”

"Lord Qin's approach is ridiculous! Miss Qin, you should not be submissive. ”

"It's the first time in my life that it's so indecent, and I don't want it to be so ridiculous for the first time...... Master Sima, do you know...... Prince Ning is the best choice for the future prince. Prince Ning and my father both praise you, and I hope that you and I can ...... Can forever marry Qin and Jin and jointly assist Prince Ning. I wonder what you think about this? ”

Finally got it straight...... Sima Xunian immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The world is the world of the Son of Heaven, and the only one who can send our subjects at will is the Son of Heaven, and the others are acting recklessly, and I am afraid that they will be suspected of forming a party for personal gain." Miss Qin should not mention such unconventional words again. ”

"Okay, don't mention it. It doesn't matter if you don't want to be with my daddy. But...... What about me? Just talking about you and me, I will not force you to do things for my father and serve Prince Ning, if you marry me, then you are the most important one in my heart, no matter who or what, I have to make way for you. ”

"As I said below, the wish of the heart cannot be violated." Sima Xunian looked ahead and spoke resolutely.

Qin Shuying's heart twitched, and he suddenly felt like he had fallen into the abyss...... "Lord Sima, you are so determined, I don't know if Madame may give you the same reward?" ”

Sima Xunian was taken aback and glanced slightly, "What does Miss mean by this?" ”

"Madame and Song Zhongming, you should know, then I don't know in Madame's heart, you and him, which is more important?"

Sima Xunian was silent.

Qin Shuying continued, "If Mrs. Sima also has a deep affection for you, then she and Song Zhongming should have broken off a clean line a long time ago, and some Hongyan biography, love tokens and the like, I'm afraid they won't stay anymore, right?" However, as far as I know, the old things that Madame brought back from Yingchuan have been moved to many places in a row, and they are all intact, don't you wonder what is in them? ”

"The matter between me and my wife is not bothered by Miss Qin." After speaking, Sima Xunian turned around and left.

Qin Shuying looked at his departing back and stood still for a long time.

At the end of the banquet, Sima Xunian and Shen Jiyue returned home in a carriage. Sima Xunian didn't say a word, closed his eyes and recuperated, Shen Jiyue sat aside, thinking that he was drunk and uncomfortable, and didn't bother him, and the two didn't say anything all the way.

Back in the house, Yi Ming helped Sima Xunian back to the room, while Shen Jiyue and Ming Xin prepared hot water sweat towels and clean clothes, ready to serve him to wash. When everything was ready, Mingxin retreated.

Shen Jiyue was about to give him a wide coat, but unexpectedly he untied his belt, Sima Xunian suddenly grabbed her hand, Shen Jiyue didn't know what he meant, and looked up at him suspiciously.

"The father and son of the Song family must be extremely cautious about Peng Cheng, how can you spy on it?"

Shen Jiyue didn't know why he suddenly asked about it, but seeing that his face was pale, he knew that he was in a bad mood, "After Song Yunli took me away from the Teaching Department of Jiujiang County, Yangzhou, he temporarily placed me in Peng Cheng's house in Lujiang County, and I began to understand this person. Once, I happened to pass by his study, and found a painting on his desk that I was very familiar with, so I walked in to see it, and it was actually the same as my father's brushwork...... The painting ...... You can fool everyone, but you can't fool me. ”

"Why?" Sima Xunian looked at her eyes steadily.

"Because, my father's authentic work was inadvertently defaced by me, and he didn't want the flawed painting to survive, so he burned it with his own hands......"

"So you think Peng Cheng forged your father's documents?"

"I wasn't, I was only fifteen years old, and I didn't have much to think about. Moreover, my father was an official in Lujiang, and there are many fakes of his paintings and calligraphy that are rumored in the market, and it is not the first time I have seen them. ”

Sima Xunian suddenly pinched her wrist and said, "Then how did you make Song Zhongming exposed?" ”

Shen Jiyue was in pain for a while, and couldn't understand why he was suddenly emotional, "Xu Nian, you let go of me, and you have something to say...... You're hurting me......"

When Sima Xunian heard this, he let go of her and looked at her for a while, as if he was struggling to suppress some emotions, and in the end, he only said, "Rest early." After saying that, he took off his coat and fell asleep on his side.

Shen Jiyue didn't know why he was suddenly like this, but she was cold by nature and not good at words, so naturally she wouldn't say anything coaxing words, so she could only remove her makeup and wash herself, and because she was tired from socializing, she fell asleep soon after lying down.

The next morning, when she woke up, she found that there was no trace of Sima Xunian, and after washing, she went to the backyard study to read as before, and then entered the door of the study, and found Sima Xunian sitting on the desk chair, his face gloomy, without saying a word, and some envelopes and papers were scattered on the table.

Shen Jiyue thought that she had received some bad information, and it was inconvenient to come forward to snoop, so she asked, "Xu Nian?" Don't you have to go to court today? ”

When Sima Xunian heard her voice, he turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes were cold, and he said after a while, "Madam, it seems that you and your old lover are like glue......

Shen Jiyue was startled, and when she took two steps forward, it was clear that Song Zhongming had written a letter to herself on the table, and some of them were written by herself and had never been sent!

"This ...... You ......" Shen Jiyue looked at him in surprise, not knowing what to say.

"Madame, is she surprised that I have discovered a secret affair between you and your old lover, or is she annoyed that I am looking through your things at will?"

"In the Sunny Year, these letters, I was going to burn them......"

"I'm afraid that my concubine will be known?!"

Shen Jiyue finally knew the reason why he was unhappy last night, after he entered the hall, what should have happened to make him change so obviously.

"Me and him, you already know, don't you......" Shen Jiyue gave up her defense and said quietly.

"I don't care about you and him! But you still have these lingering words of compassion, are you reluctant? Or do you just want to take these things and ask for the title of Mrs. Song again?! ”

Lingering compassion...... Shen Jiyue felt a slight pain in her heart. She admitted that Song Zhongming's words to her were enthusiastic and even excited, but her response was always bland, and her attitude could be glimpsed from her unsent letters. Did he deliberately ignore it, or did he deliberately embarrass it......

"You said you didn't care about the past, but don't you really care...... If you don't care, what are you doing now? Shen Jiyue's heart hurts, but she doesn't want to lie to herself, he really cares about her and Song Zhongming's past.

Sima Xunian was speechless for a while, he had to admit that when he saw these letters, his whole person was almost consumed by the fire of jealousy, and he didn't know whether he cared about her past or doubted her present.

"And what do you mean you still have these things?"

"When I was in Yingchuan, I was surrounded by his people, and I didn't want to go too out of place so as not to get into trouble. After coming to Chang'an, the ups and downs have not stopped for a moment, how can I remember these irrelevant things? ”

Sima Xunian's face was pale, and he didn't say a word.

Suddenly, Mingxin came in to report that Sima You came.