The Gilded Cage

When everyone heard the sound, they turned their heads and saw the Jinshui River, two imperial servants leading the two women, one large and one small, approaching.

The older one seems to be about forty years old, and should be Mrs. Xu of Lu.

Although she was wearing a luxurious dress and her hair bun was meticulously combed, her skin was slightly dull and rough, but she was very different from the other family members of the same age but well-maintained, let alone her face. On the unconsciously revealed the restraint and fear.

The other is only a teenager, born thin and small, looks ordinary, and has a darker complexion than ordinary aristocratic girls, but has a pair of watery eyes that are eye-catching. If you look closely, you can even see it. Kind of the shadow of the emperor.

This should be the daughter of Mr. Lu and Mrs. Lu.

The little girl originally took her mother's hand and walked around, and she happily raised her head and said a few words from time to time, but when she turned her head and saw dozens of sights in the Ningyun Pavilion, she closed her smile and became timid. stand up.

The two were introduced into the pavilion by the servant, and tremblingly saluted the Queen Mother Qi.

The Empress Dowager Qi sat on the main seat and didn't move. She looked at the mother and daughter lightly. Then she showed a smile and raised her hand and said, "Get up, my family, don't be polite."

When the voice fell, the maid in the room moved on to let the two of them sit down.

Sitting among the noble women who had never seen them before, Mrs. Xu and her two daughters sat next to each other, looking at a loss.

Empress Dowager Qi ignored the two since she said that. The other people invited today are all good friends with the Qi family on weekdays. At this time, when they saw this, they did not speak, and the atmosphere in the room was a bit embarrassing for a while.

Chu Ning glanced at the appearance of the people talking about themselves without regard to their affairs, and then turned around with a smile, facing the two Wei family mother and daughter on the side.

"Now the weather is as cold as a day, and the lady has just walked along the way, and there must be a lot of wind, so you might as well take a sip of hot tea to warm it up." She said, reaching out and pouring the tea in person and handing it over.

The Xu family was a little apprehensive, so he hurriedly took it with both hands, and thanked him twice before taking a sip carefully.

Chu Ning turned his gaze to the little girl beside her and asked, "This lady is the daughter of the wife?"

The Xu family hurriedly put down the tea cup again, and dragged her daughter between the two: "Dare not dare, where is the daughter? This is the naive girl in my family, named Guoer, who has just turned ten years old."

Guoer stood in front of his mother coyly, holding the corners of the skirt and daring not to speak, but quietly raised his head. When he saw that there was no mockery in Chu Ning's gentle smile, he grinned and whispered: "I My name is Guo'er, A-niang said, when I was born, I loved to eat sour fruits, so she named me Guo'er."

When Xu heard her daughter's words, her dull face flushed immediately: "Children are open-minded and don't understand the rules, madam." Such trivial matters of the villagers will be told, I am afraid that the nobles will be laughed at.

Chu Ning smiled and shook his head, and handed a plate of Yulu Tuan on the table to Guo'er: "While the crab hasn't been delivered, let's eat some snacks and pad it, so as not to hurt the spleen and stomach."

Guo'er looked at the exquisite dessert, his eyes were full of longing, but he still didn't forget to look back at Xu Shi, seeing her blushing helplessly and nodding in agreement, she reached out and took one.

Xu Shi smiled awkwardly at Chuning, and hesitated: "I don't know how to call Madam?"

She has been here for so long, and although she has never heard of the identities of these women, she can guess a few from listening to other people's discussions. Only the one in front of her actively speaks to her, and the others seem to be reluctant to approach.

Chu Ning took the veil and wiped Guo'er's powdered hands, and replied naturally: "If you talk about seniority, Guo'er is still my elder. My husband is the current Royal Highness, the nephew of the saint. ."

When Xu heard it, he was shocked, and his face also showed a little panic.

Although she was only a country woman, she had heard many things before she came to Chang'an. She didn't know anything else. The relationship between the prince and the emperor was very delicate but she knew it. No wonder no one else in this room took the initiative to speak to this lady, she turned out to be a princess!

Guo'er on the side didn't notice the abnormality of his mother, and blushed shyly and said "Thank you."

Chu Ning naturally noticed the change in her attitude, drank the tea calmly, and said no more in her apologetic and scared eyes.

After a while, everyone was seated, and the maids carried countless cups, plates and pots into the house, and presented the steamed big and fat autumn crabs to everyone’s food table. They were also presented with a set of sets. Eight complete crabs.

Empress Dowager Qi loves to eat crabs, so in recent years, there has been a crab feast of large or small chrysanthemum appreciation in the palace almost every year. The women in the pavilion did not like it before, and they have already practiced to use eight crabs to open crabs. It’s a good time.

Only the two mothers and daughters of the Xu family looked at the row of hammers, upsettings, pliers, shovel, spoons, forks, scrapers, and needles in front of them, their faces flushed, and they were at a loss.

Chu Ning sat at the food table next to the two of them, lowered his eyes without reminding him, only put the tea cup in his hand back on the table, making a sound that was neither high nor low.

Guoer heard the sound, turned his head and looked around, seeing her slowly picking up the round hammer and tapping it gently along the edge of the crab's back shell.

Her movements were slow and careful, as if she was dedicated to demonstrating the two.

Guoer pulled on the sleeves of Xu's clothes and motioned for her to follow the appearance of Chu Ning.

Although Xu's complexion was complicated, he still learned quietly, so that he wouldn't be embarrassed in public.

Due to the death of the first emperor, the Tai Chi Palace has always been filled with a sad and heavy atmosphere. Until now, everyone appreciates chrysanthemums, eats crabs, and listens to teachers of Jiaofang Division to play music and sing songs, which makes the atmosphere relaxed.

After a while, when the autumn crab was removed and replaced with freshly made dim sum, the maid said: "Your Majesty is down."

For a while, everyone except the Queen Mother Qi got up from the couch and saluted the man who strode into the house.

"Get up all." Xiao Kezhi waved his hand, and sat down on the couch where his servants had moved. His face was always irritable and pretentious. "I only finished handling the government affairs. Hearing that my aunt was in the palace, I came to have a look, and then left for a while. ."

When Xu heard this, he hurriedly pulled his daughter up, and saluted again in panic.

"It's hard for you to remember to come here." The Queen Mother Qi said, taking a look at the wife of a clan next to her.

The man was very conscious of words and expressions, and immediately smiled: "Since your Majesty is here, you might as well sit for a while and drink two glasses of wine. This wine is a treasure that the Queen Mother has hidden for many years. If it weren't for Mrs. Lu today, you would not want to take it out and We share."

"Fine, go get a cup and a cup." Empress Dowager Qi pointed to Qi Chenxiang and said, "Liu Niang, you pour a glass of bar for your Majesty for me."

Qi Chenxiang stood up, holding the wine flask and walking to Xiao Kezhi's couch, reaching out to pour the wine into the empty cup, and his usual calm complexion also glowed with a faint blush due to his proximity.

Chu Jingjing watched quietly, only to feel that the scene of pouring wine reminded her of the situation when she was pouring tea not long ago.

It's a pity that Qi Chenxiang is still holding the frame of a noble lady, and the wine is poured in full view, but it is unique and unique.

She stopped looking, silently averted her gaze, but inadvertently faced Xiao Kezhi on the side.

His eyes also quietly fell on her.

The two looked at each other, but they moved away in an instant, as if nothing had happened.

Chu Ning couldn't help but chuckle in his heart. Seeing his look just now, he clearly remembered her two "pouring tea".

When the wine was full, Qi Chenxiang cupped the cup in both hands and offered it respectfully. His face was calm and there was a bit of shy expectation: "Please drink your majesty."

However, after Xiao Kezhi stretched out his hand to take it, he only put it on his lips and pressed it lightly, then put it back on the case, and turned his head to look in the direction where Chu Ning was.

Everyone followed his sight.

"Is this Guoer?" His gaze swept across Chu Ning, and finally fell on Wei Guoer. "Are you used to it in the palace?"

Xu nodded hurriedly, then pushed her daughter: "It's my Guoer."

Guo'er glanced at her cousin who was far from her age and status with some fear, and said like a gnat what she had taught her mother early in the morning: "The nobles in the palace treat Guo'er very well. it is good."

The Xu family was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but saw her daughter suddenly turned her head to the side of Chu Ning and smiled, and said in a low voice: "This lady is especially good."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly stagnated.

The relationship between the prince and Xinjun is awkward, and even the Empress Dowager Qi would not take the initiative to mention it on weekdays, but was mentioned by this ignorant little girl.

Chu Ning looked down and said nothing.

Xiao Kezhi raised his eyebrows, got up from the couch, walked to Guoer, and asked, "What did Guoer just say?"

Guo'er looked up at him, pointed at Chu Ning timidly, and repeated what had just been said.

Xu was frightened, and pulled her daughter to his side, and couldn't help but confessed: "The baby is young, ignorant, and said something wrong. Please forgive me. When I go back, I will decide to discipline him."

The faces of the women around him were different, Xiao Kezhi couldn't help frowning, and glanced at Chu Ning.

But she just lowered her head, as if Guoer was not talking about her.

"Aunt, get up, it's okay." He looked at his humble aunt and cousin, his always cold complexion finally loosened, "Guo'er, why do you say that?"

Guo'er shrank her face nervously, and after a long pause, she stammered: "She, she listened to Guoer's words, gave Guoer a snack, and taught Guoer to eat and crab..."

When Xiao Kezhi heard this, he looked at Chu Ning again. In addition to being surprised, his sight this time was a little more clear and meaningful: "You have fallen in love with her."

I don't know if this is to Chu Ning or Guo'er.

Guo'er was almost crying when everyone saw her. Xiao Kezhi patted her on the head. Her tone was not genial, but what she said was beyond doubt: "You are my cousin, you are Daliang's emperor. Whoever has a good relationship, he will have a good relationship, don’t care about the eyes of others."

But these words did not object to her befriending the Princess of Donggong.

With that said, he no longer stayed for a long time. After the Empress Dowager Qi gave a hand, he took Liu Kang and the others to leave directly, leaving everyone in the house looking at each other, no longer willing to feast.

Even the Empress Dowager Qi has a rare complexion.

She glanced at Chu Ning, who was silent next to her, and she didn't know for a moment whether Xiao Kezhi was too self-confident and didn't put the people in the East Palace in his eyes, or if there was something else hidden.