Chapter 236
Chapter 236
After entering the Qin residence, without waiting to report to the old lady, Qin Qingdong immediately sent Chun Ge'er to fetch a crimson warm jade bracelet from the storeroom, "send it quietly to Shaohua Garden, and personally hand it over to Pei An or Guan Zhou, and tell them to thank him and his wife, and that they have received the great grace of Your Majesty and have nothing to worry about."
Chun Ge did not suspect anything, took the precious jade bracelet, and rode there overnight.
Qin Qingdong then changed his clothes and went to the old lady's room. When the old lady heard that Kang'er was fine, she held her youngest son's hand and cried, "Take good care of him, and don't go out and play around again! If anything happens to you, it will cost me my life."
Because it is the emperor's birthday, fireworks and lanterns have been lit in several markets in the capital. From now on, there will be no curfew for the next three days.
Walking along the way, the streets are brightly lit with various colorful lights. On the main street, people are coming and going, bustling with hawkers, children chasing and playing, and women who seldom go out on weekdays, all of them have rosy faces and smiles.
Lianhua and Qingfang lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked at it with curiosity.
"Young Madam, it's never been so lively even during the New Year."
Song Guanzhou was very tired, leaning lazily on the soft chair, looking at the swaying night outside, "It can be considered a prosperous age." Pei An was originally riding a horse, but he was handsome and the road was congested, which attracted many people to look at him with sidelong glances and smiles. He was thin-skinned, and after being looked at several times, he simply got off the horse and got into the car.
"Are you exhausted today?"
Seeing Song Guanzhou almost collapsed, Pei An stepped forward and asked with concern. Song Guanzhou nodded, "It's a bit tiring, but it's worth it. No wonder my old father added another glass of wine. The fireworks when he saw us off were really beautiful."
Pei An knew that his sister-in-law treated Song Guanzhou coldly, and thought that Song Guanzhou would feel aggrieved and go to him to cry and complain.
Who knew the feedback would be like this -
"You... don't you feel wronged?"
Song Guanzhou frowned slightly, "What are you aggrieved about?"
It’s so cool, isn’t it?!
She held Pei An's big hand, and became more energetic. She praised the various performances at the banquet with great joy, "Tsk tsk, that Song Youan is really amazing. She dances so heroically without even taking a breath——"
"...Song Youan?"
This is a name that is unfamiliar to Pei An.
Lotus heard this and lowered her head quickly. She thought to herself, "My dear grandmother, you should be more restrained and forget about it. You are not shy about being with a stranger."
Song Guanzhou's world is too open.
"It was the fiery red man who jumped on the plate to cheer during the first glass of wine."
My dear? Pei An's lips sank slightly, "How do you know him?" Song Guanzhou told him everything about sneaking out of the birthday party. Pei An's veins jumped when he heard it, "...You actually sneaked out?"
"I sat in the corner at the very end, next to the corner door of Huiying Hall. I walked out with my back bent and a few steps, and no one knew."
"...too bold."
"Don't worry, I went out four or five times and no one knew about it. I also got to know Song Youan and the two young ladies of the Li and Chen families."
"Four or five times?"
Pei An suddenly raised his voice, "...You are being disrespectful!"
"How is it disrespectful? His Majesty is open-minded and has never said that people are not allowed to leave the table to solve personal problems." Song Guanzhou was a little unhappy. Could it be that pulling up the waistband of his pants was a sign of respect for the emperor?
...The emperor has never said this explicitly, but this is the palace rule. You cannot leave in front of the emperor without permission!
Song Guanzhou pushed Pei An in dissatisfaction, "...you have some sense of humor. You have nothing to do, but you don't even think of me. Are those servants and palace maids going to drag me out to get beaten up? Only then will you feel relieved."
"...I don't think so, but Guan Zhou, you are really too bold, and those prostitutes from the Jiaofang Bureau are rare."
The Jiaofangsi is different from ordinary brothels.
Those who have made it here all have complicated connections behind them. Pei An is worried that Song Guanzhou's sincerity will cause trouble. Song Guanzhou is lazy and boneless, almost leaning on Pei An's chest.
She said softly, "Silang, don't worry. In my heart, you are a unique and beautiful man. Song Youan is just good-looking, but has a strange personality. I talked to him for a few words, that's all."
"You two are still chatting?"
"Just a few insignificant words!" Song Guanzhou thought of Song Youan's arrogant attitude at the beginning, but later she took the initiative to call her Sister Song in a soft and sweet voice.
He has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a feminine and pretty face whose age cannot be determined. So if the two of them were standing together, it would be hard to tell who was older and who was younger!
Song Guanzhou leaned in Pei An's arms and talked about many interesting things in the palace. Pei An thought it was just like usual, nothing special, but in Song Guanzhou's description with relish, it seemed that this feast had a different perspective. Not only him, but Lianhua and Qingfang also pricked up their ears and listened attentively to Song Guanzhou's description.
"The music is magnificent, the dances are exquisite, and the fruit and meat jerky are paired with fine imperial wine. How pleasant it is!"
She could not see the intrigues, the deceptions, or the life-and-death struggles behind the scenes, only the carnival on the surface.
The more they talked, the happier they became. When Pei An felt something was wrong, he discovered that Song Guanzhou's face was flushed. He touched it and it was warm. "It doesn't look like a high fever. Could it be... drunk?" Lianhua came forward and looked at Song Guanzhou's pair of bright eyes like clear springs with a smile. "He's not drunk, just a little dizzy."
Pei An didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Your Majesty's wine has made you drunk."
Song Guanzhou chuckled and said, "A beautiful day and a beautiful scenery, people are intoxicated even without wine. If my cousin has good news, I will definitely be the happiest today." She became more and more excited and grabbed Pei An's hand. "If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely kowtow to the emperor and the queen. They have good vision and have made Dalong's singing and dancing so high-level. They must pass it on and pass it down to benefit future generations!"
At the gate of the mansion, Xiao Yinxiu's face turned as dark as coal as he looked at Song Guanzhou who was half hugged and half supported by Pei An.
She wanted to step forward and reprimand him, but was stopped by Mrs. Min, "Silang, what is Guan Zhou doing..."
Pei An hugged Song Guanzhou, who had misty eyes, and did not know whether to laugh or cry, "Aunt, the royal wine from the emperor's birthday banquet actually made Guanzhou drunk." The emperor was generous and always brought large jars of fine wine from various places. The palace maids and servants saw that the jars were empty and filled them up.
Thanks to the remote corner, Song Guanzhou took a few bites and found the imperial wine sweet and fragrant with the aroma of flowers. She drank several large cups of it. She stuffed a few purses into the back for the palace maids who served her the wine. She was finally satisfied with the meal.
Not only that, the palace maids were also very well behaved and added extra portions to the dishes when they were served.
——If you do a good job in grassroots work, you won’t be afraid to travel around the world!
Pei Jian's three elders also got off the carriage and came over to ask Song Guanzhou with concern. Without waiting for Pei An's answer, she leaned in Pei An's arms and chuckled, "Father, the golden swords and iron horses driving thousands of cavalry at the seventh cup of wine were so heroic!"
EBE