Charming beauty

Chapter 94

The next day, Nalan Mei still did not leave the court in the early court, but after the court was over, all the ministers received an order unanimously: Receive Feng Guoshi and hold a palace banquet!Although the famous words were to welcome the teacher of the country, all the ministers knew that the envoys of Qi Yanguo would attend the dinner together, and it involved negotiations between the two countries, so there must be no sloppy.Speaking of this, they almost subconsciously guessed that tonight's palace banquet would also be like the last New Year's Eve banquet where they would fight and kill halfway through the meal?This can be defended until the two countries of Yueqi form an alliance!But looking back, they seem to be less anxious, what are they afraid of, isn't there a national teacher there?

That night, as night fell, red lights were everywhere, and the palace people were busy leading all the ministers to their seats. One after another, there was no empty seat for all the civil and military officials, and it was rare for the prince and princess to appear together after all the officials arrived. , and Nalan Mei, who had been back to the court for nearly a month, finally showed her face. The deep purple court dress and the purple jade crown stood gracefully behind Jingning. The half-moon pattern embroidered on the chest matched the The calm and breezy smile was deeply reflected in the hearts of all the ministers, this is their master national teacher!

Emperor Jing Ning attended, accompanied by the sound of saluting, Emperor Jing Ning raised his hand to avoid the salute, waved his hand after sitting down, and accompanied by the sound of thanking the audience, the prince and princess sat down on the left hand of Emperor Jing Ning, and Nalan Mei sat on the right Next seat, Nalan Mei's next seat is Prince Qing, I saw him sitting indifferently, with his chin resting on his hands, his eyes wandering somewhere.Nalan Mei stared at him slightly sideways, but also remained silent, her eyes wandering among the officials.

Just as the officials were seated and Emperor Jing Ning moved his chopsticks, a figure stood up from the banquet. He was dressed in brocade clothes and boots, with a strong and burly figure, a beard on the chin, and dark skin. He looked very rough, but even so, he also concealed Don't get rid of the nobleness of temperament and the deepness hidden in the depths of the eyes.He saluted Emperor Jingning in a gentle manner, but it was not a courtesy of a monarch and a minister, and he just bowed slightly, "The second prince of Qi Yanguo has seen His Majesty Qi Yanguo, and I wish His Majesty the Holy Body to enjoy eternal health."

The envoy sent by Qi Yanguo is the second prince of Qi Yanguo. This status undoubtedly gave Yuedu the highest face, and also showed Qi Yanguo's sincerity from the side. Emperor Jingning's face was very pleasant. He stretched out his hand to avoid etiquette, Qing said, "The second prince came from afar and worked tirelessly. My country has not yet had time to host a banquet for hospitality. I hope you will forgive me. If the second prince does not dislike it, the banquet tonight will be a welcome for the second prince and the national teacher of our country. How about it?"

The Second Prince stood under His Royal Highness, with a straight body, neither humble nor overbearing. "It's a great honor! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Emperor Jing Ning smiled slightly, "You don't need to be too polite, just sit down and talk while eating."

The banquet is considered to have begun.

Everyone ate and drank, making a lot of noise. Emperor Jing Ning and the second prince would occasionally chat for a few words, but they only talked about trivial matters.Although Yue Dutou still had a cold face, the look in his eyes showed that he was also optimistic about the friendship between Yue and Qi.Yue Duyu sat beside Yue Dutou, resting his chin in boredom, pouted his mouth, looked around, but the corner of his eye was always aiming in a certain direction——

Nalan Mei was politely refusing some officials' toasts with a faint smile, and looked into Yue Du'an's eyes in a blink of an eye, but Yue Du'an seemed to be shocked suddenly, and seemed to stagger her eyes in a panic, borrowing the movement of drinking Avoiding his gaze, Nalan Mei frowned slightly, and the next moment, the wine glass in Yue Du'an's hand was snatched away by one hand. Amidst the commotion, Yue Du's voice seemed to be heard, "You can't drink now." Nalan Mei quietly looked at Yueduan through the tranced crowd. He didn't know what he was thinking of, and his expression seemed a little melancholy. Eyes, so the smile on the corner of the mouth added a touch of bitterness, and after slightly turning his head away, he unexpectedly met a pair of eyes.

The second prince of Qi Yanguo was looking directly at him, his piercing eyes showed not only interest, but also curiosity and inquiry.Ever since Nalan Mei appeared, his attention has never left. He had already heard about this person in Qi Yanguo, but when he saw him today, he was surprised and even a little frightened. Could it be a mistake that this gentle and handsome boy merged together?But looking at Emperor Jing Ning appearing with him, and the attitude of all officials who are both afraid of him but can't help flattering him, this person should be a teacher, but he is too young!

From the beginning of the banquet, except for refusing to drink, he was silent. Although he had a gentle smile on his face, he would eat something from time to time, and would also talk to Prince Qing next to him, but as long as he was left alone, he would be low. Staring around with downcast or erratic eyes and remaining silent, appear preoccupied and absent-minded.Looking at the princess again, he eats, drinks, and plays nonstop. He seems to be indifferent to everything around him, but if you look closely, you will find that his eyes will always look in the direction of the national teacher from time to time. When he sees the national teacher in a daze , There will be a distressed and sad look in his eyes.As for the prince, he clearly saw the concubine's trance, but acted as if he hadn't seen it, and continued to add food to the concubine, but that indifferent side face revealed a kind of sadness and loneliness.

Nalan Mei let the second prince look at him, but saw that the second prince raised his wine glass and got up and walked towards him. Mei Mei gave a salute, "I heard that Lord Protector of the State is in poor health on the way, I wonder how the Lord is now?"

The atmosphere during the banquet obviously stopped for a while, and then it became noisy again.Amidst the scent of wine, Nalan Mei returned the greeting with a smile, and said, "I'm fine, please worry about the second prince."

The second prince smiled amiably, "The national teacher is busy with state affairs, big and small things need to be done by himself, the national teacher should also take care of his health at ordinary times." But there was something in his mouth, and he deliberately emphasized the word "state affairs" to imply Nalan Lord Charming Gao Yue is the real master of the Yuedu Kingdom, and Emperor Jingning is nothing at all.But I saw Nalan Mei's lips curled up, her smile misty, "Cheng Guiyan, it's just some petty nonsense, it's not a matter of state, the second prince laughed at me."

Xiaoxiao's mischief?The corners of the second prince's mouth froze. According to Nalan Mei's intention, Qi Yanguo is what he called a young idiot. This time the plan they had planned for a long time turned out to be unreasonable, and it was not a matter of state affairs. Is this a provocation or a contempt?The second prince went through it in his mind, and he smiled again in an instant, "How dare, this king is also out of kindness."

Nalan Mei smiled lightly, her face was exquisitely painted, "I accept the second prince's heart." He raised his wine glass, "As a thank you gift, I offer a toast to the second prince." Shaking, "Do it first."

"Happy! The national teacher has a good drinker!" The second prince praised, and drank all the fine wine in his hand, following Nalan Mei's example, with the rim of the cup down, not a drop left.Nalan Mei replied with a smile, "The Second Prince rarely comes to Yuedu Kingdom, so he will have a good time tonight."

"It's natural." The second prince smiled, "So, the national teacher should also be happy." After speaking, he turned and walked away with a smile.Nalan Mei watched him turn around, but cared about his last words in his heart. He touched his face and looked around. Everyone was having fun together. The cold Prince Qing was also chatting with other courtiers, and he was the only one who was isolated in this world like an outsider. Is he not needed here, or does he not belong here at all?

He lowered his eyelashes, sat down slowly, and the palace servants around him quickly poured sake for him, and by the way kindly told him, "My lord, this is the sake specially ordered by Prince Qing. Drink more..." The end of the sentence was stopped when Nalan Mei drank it all in one gulp, the wine jug in his hand was snatched away for a moment, he watched the slender palm pour another glass, and was thinking about how to get rid of it. When he was about to come back, he heard a voice from the banquet.

"Your Majesty, when I was in the Qi Yan Kingdom, I accidentally heard that I, the Prime Minister of the Qi Yan Kingdom, was treated as a guest of honor by the Yuedu Kingdom. I don't know if it is true, so I sent this king to ask your majesty while greeting your majesty."

As soon as these words came out, I saw that the banquet suddenly condensed down.Everyone calmed down, and all their eyes turned to the second prince of Qi Yanguo, with seriousness in their eyes, did this enter the topic?Yue Duto also frowned slightly, but subconsciously looked at Nalan Mei, but saw Nalan Mei lowering her eyebrows, wondering if she was listening.

During the quiet banquet, only Emperor Jingning's slightly surprised voice was heard, "Oh? The second prince means that the Prime Minister of the Rat Kingdom is in this country?"

"That's right." The second prince nodded.

"This is strange, I really have no news at all." Emperor Jing Ning frowned, and turned to look at Yue Dutou, "Prince, have you heard about it?"

Yuedu shook his head, "Going back to my father, I have never heard that Prime Minister Qi Yan is in this country." After a pause, Yuedu turned to look at the second prince and said, "I don't know if the second prince brought the prime minister of your country with him." The portrait? Why don’t you take it out for the officials to look at, maybe someone knows it.”

The second prince's face was stiffened by the chorus of Emperor Jing Ning and Yue Du Tou. After hearing Yue Du Tou's words, he pondered and took out a piece of drawing paper from his arms, unfolded it and showed it to the surroundings, "My lords, may I I see clearly, this is the prime minister of my country. I came to your country to study a year ago because I admired your country's culture. After that, there has been no news. I didn't know that I was honored as a guest of honor by your country until January. If you have seen it This person, please tell the truth that Qi Yanguo is busy with state affairs and is anxiously waiting for the Prime Minister to return to the country."

As soon as the words fell, I heard Yuedu's innocent voice. He blinked, pointed at the person in the painting with a greasy chicken leg in his hand, and said in an innocent voice: "Father, this is not Yu Wuwu." Is he injured? Isn’t he the owner of the bloodthirsty village? How could he be the prime minister of Qi Yanguo? Hey, did you make a mistake? This person conspired with the traitor Ning Huanqing in an attempt to usurp the throne and rebellion, but was arrested by my senior brother!” Yue Du Gu stared straight at him, "Or did you instigate this?"

The second prince frowned and was about to speak when he heard Emperor Jingning's voice of slight reprimand, "Crown princess, don't be rude in front of the envoys!" Emperor Jing Ning coughed softly, "It's just a child's unintentional words, the second prince don't mind." The second prince's face was ugly, "Since it's a child's unintentional words, how could this king... take it seriously?" He heard Yuedu's small but still audible voice, "Tou, he's really thick-skinned." The next moment, Yuedu Tou covered his mouth, and he glanced at the second prince, as if he was also saying: The child's Unintentional words.

The second prince shook hands fiercely, took a deep breath, turned to Emperor Jingning, decided to ignore Yue Duyu's joke, and said, "Listening to the Crown Princess, the prime minister of this country seems to be in your country. Let me meet the prime minister?"

"This is not easy." Emperor Jing Ning frowned, a little embarrassed, "Your country's prime minister is involved in some incidents in his country, and it is still under investigation. Before the investigation, the second prince should avoid suspicion. If the matter involves the relationship between the two countries, it will be difficult to handle." Emperor Jing Ning had something in his words.

"Your Majesty's lesson." The second prince bowed and cupped his hands, "Qi Yanguo has always attached great importance to the friendship with your country. During this trip, our country also specially brought portraits of several princesses of the country's lord, hoping to match a good son-in-law in your country for marriage matchmaking. How could you collude with a villain in an attempt to usurp the throne? Your Majesty is a wise monarch, and you will certainly not believe this rumor that destroys the friendship between Yueqi and Qi."

"According to what the second prince said, it may have nothing to do with your country, but how can the second prince guarantee that this will not be the intention of the prime minister of the rat country?" Yuedu stared at him through the eyes, "The second prince also said, your country The prime minister has been away from your country for a year, and there is still no news during this time, this year is neither long nor short, but it is enough to change a person's mind, maybe this is what the prime minister of the rat country did without authorization."

The second prince frowned, "The prince means that the prime minister of this country and your country's prime minister jointly conspired to seek the dynasty?"

"There is no reason not to believe it." Yuedu Tou said directly.

The second prince took a deep breath, "Whether it is true or not, we can only make a decision after seeing the Prime Minister of the country face to face, and I hope that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will allow this king to meet the Prime Minister!"

Yuedu made an invisible hook at the corner of his mouth, and waved his hand, "Come here, please Prime Minister Yu."

"No more please."

A voice as cold as water froze all the people in the room. They turned their eyes, and the multicolored lights reflected the dignified and dignified figure of the man. He methodically took out a megabyte of paper from his pocket, unfolded it and faced the surroundings, and said calmly. , "Prime Minister Shu Guoyu personally wrote a letter, which explained all the details of his plan this time, and also pleaded guilty. If the second prince still insists on meeting, it may cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"Impossible!" The second prince yelled angrily, but when he saw the dignified expressions on everyone's faces, he realized that he had been rude. He took a breath, but his politeness became a little blunt. It’s not enough to convince me, I want to hear the prime minister’s confession with my own ears!”

"No need." Yue Duqing responded lightly, handed the paper in his hand to the palace man next to him, and motioned him to send it to the second prince, "I think the second prince should be very familiar with Prime Minister Yu's handwriting, please ask the second prince to read the handwriting before reading it." Determine whether what this king said is true."

After the second prince got the letter, he glanced at it, his face changed suddenly, "This is impossible!" It was obvious that the letter was really written by Prime Minister Yu.

"Why is it impossible?" A gentle voice extinguished the concentration in the banquet, and Nalan Mei slowly smiled and stared at the second prince from behind the banquet, his eyes were picturesque and calm as water, "Since Prime Minister Yu has clearly written In vain, and drew a bet, indicating that everything was done by him, if the second prince still has the heart to protect him, he can't complain that he needs to re-examine the sincerity of the alliance between Mai and his country."

The second prince was stunned, obviously shocked by these words, but he suddenly calmed down, remembering his purpose of coming to Yuedu Kingdom, he took a deep breath, looked up at Nalan Mei, then turned to Emperor Jingning, "Your Majesty , this king was just too surprised for a moment, this is too rude, I hope His Majesty will forgive me."

"Exemption." Emperor Jing Ning's face was gentle, "Let's not talk about the second prince, even I was very surprised! If it wasn't for the second prince's visit this time, I'm afraid I would have misunderstood the meaning of your country."

"Your Majesty has clearly learned that this country has no intention of invading." The second prince gritted his teeth fiercely, "It is precisely because of this that this king wants to bring this rebellious minister back to the country and punish him severely, so as to make up for the crime of offending His Majesty. Please agree, Your Majesty! "If not, then silence it!

It seems that the second prince will not give up until he sees Yu Wushang, Nalan Mei shook his head lightly, "The second prince is too radical. The prime minister of your country wantonly disrupts the discipline of the country, and should be punished by the country. It has nothing to do with your country. If your country If you really want to take this responsibility, it means that you will also bear the responsibility of Prime Minister Yu, how will your country take this responsibility?"

Seeing that the second prince had something to say, Nalan Mei added lightly, "Needless to say, the second prince, since the prime minister of your country has pleaded guilty, he is a criminal of his own country, and it is not the turn of your country to intervene, please ask the second prince Think twice, and don't spoil the relationship between the two countries because of impulsiveness."

The second prince has nothing to say. Nalan Mei has explained everything that needs to be said. If he intervenes, he will be interfering in Yuedu’s government. The master has said this, so if the king continues to talk about it, it will be unreasonable. This king is impulsive, thank you for the prompt awakening. If this is the case, then the criminal minister will be dealt with by your country and will be killed. The scraping is entirely up to His Majesty, I hope it will not stain His benevolent hands."

Emperor Jing Ning's expression remained unchanged, "Don't worry, the second prince, I will read this matter on the basis of the relationship between Yueqi and Yueqi for many years, and the other two princes will convey to the descendants when they return home, saying that I will not If you question the relationship between Yueqi and Yueqi because of a trivial matter, please rest assured, Lord Qiyan."

"Your Majesty is wise! This king will pass it on to others." The second prince bowed respectfully and saluted, then raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, this king's visit this time is actually a request from our country's lord."

Emperor Jingning raised his eyebrows calmly, thinking about some of the previous words, it was easy to guess what the second prince was referring to, "The second prince wants to talk about the marriage between the two countries."

The banquet was as quiet as the night, and everyone's expressions were frozen: make love!

To be able to match the princess, apart from the royal family's children, it is the prince's prime minister. Impossible to use for a kiss.Looking at the prince and prime minister again, although Zuo Xiang is still young, he is already married and has children. How can he let the princess commit himself as a concubine?The ministers began to discuss a lot, their eyes swept back and forth, and finally fell on Yue Duqing and Nalan Mei unanimously!

In terms of appearance, Yueduqing is cold and handsome, with a majestic aura, while Nalan is as charming as a fairy and beautiful, calm and out of the world.

In terms of talent, Yueduqing was single-handedly supported by Emperor Xiangning, and he is expected to be a dragon.Nalan Mei is both civil and military, proficient in metaphysics.

In terms of status, Yueduqing is the prince of a dynasty, and Nalan Mei is the national teacher of a dynasty.

No matter what, Yueduqing and Nalanmei are the best candidates for son-in-law.Nalan Mei and Yue Duqing looked at each other, and they both saw a trace of solemnity in each other's eyes.

Yue Duyu stared at Nalan Mei faintly, his eyes were sad and sad, and there was a faint hope in his eyes, if the senior brother became the marriage partner, would the crime of resisting the decree be absolved?But, will senior brother agree?Can he forget the person in his heart and marry someone else? ...

"That's right. The lord of our country specially ordered this king to bring the portraits of the princesses of our lord this time. I hope that His Majesty will select some young talents for you." The second prince began to smile, and his eyes fell on Yueduqing and Na Lan Mei said half jokingly, "There are even a few princesses who have long admired the famous Prince Qing and the Master of the State, and kept clamoring that they should not marry if they are not kings."

Emperor Jing Ning glanced at the banquet, and actually fell on Yue Duqing and Nalan Mei. After thinking for a while, he said, "What do you mean by Qing'er?" Qing'er was used instead of Prince Qing, I just hope There is no need to worry about the status of the monarch and ministers, as long as you tell the truth, once you are selected, you will be married according to the order, and there is no room for maneuver.

Nalan Mei stared at Qing Yuedu, only to see a slight shock in his body, his eyes were as dark as night, and he slowly replied after a long time, "Uncle, to be honest, my nephew already has a loved one." .”

"Oh?" A burst of joy welled up in Emperor Jingning's eyes, "Then Qing'er is talking about whose girl it is, I will make the decision for you."

Yueduqing shook her head, "Thank you for the kindness of the emperor, but the emperor's nephew has promised her that he will not force her if she does not agree."

"So that's how it is." Emperor Jingning nodded as if understanding, and turned his gaze to Nalan Mei. Nalan Mei froze, and heard Emperor Jingning say, "What does your teacher mean?"

Before Nalan Mei could open her mouth, she heard Yue Duqing's voice again, "The emperor doesn't know something. The national teacher and the emperor's nephew and righteous sister agree with each other, and they have made a promise for the rest of their lives. We have made an appointment with the national teacher to get married after returning from this trip. , if the uncle let the national teacher marry the princess, wouldn't it be a big hit?"

Nalan Mei was stunned, when did he...?

"Master, is this serious?"

"Your Majesty, Wei Chen..."

But he didn't think about it, he just said it, but was snatched away again, it was Yue Duyu, he stared deeply at Nalan Mei, deep in his eyes filled with deep apology and sadness, but the smile on the corner of his mouth was innocent, " Of course it is true, father, others may not know, but I can testify that I have been with senior brother for five years. When we were in Gu Lianshan, senior brother often mentioned sister Yi! Don’t mention how much senior brother likes sister Yi Woolen cloth!"

If Prince Qing's words are [-]% believable, then Yue Duyu's words are [-]% believable!Who is Yue Duyu, he is the most beloved and trusted junior of the master, what secrets does the master not know? !

But Nalan Mei's face turned even paler, he looked at Yue Du'an in disbelief, but Yue Du'an avoided his gaze, turned around and quietly blushed in Yue Du's arms.

"My lord, is what the Crown Princess said true?" The second prince's eyes were burning, "If it is true, I will not force you anymore, if it is not true..." He swallowed half of the words, but the meaning was clear. If not, he will definitely be the son-in-law!

"If it's true, I will have the beauty of embarrassment." Emperor Jing Ning's tone was clear, as if he had the joy of achieving his goal.

All the people looked at Nalan Mei together, as if they were waiting for an answer from him.

Nalan Mei seemed to be in an ice cellar, the blood in his body seemed to be frozen, he raised his eyes and looked around, and laughed softly from the bottom of his heart, whether there is any difference, the result will be the same.

He closed his eyes tightly, and forced a voice out of his throat, "...Yes, what King Qing said is true..." There was a slight trembling in his voice, and only Qing Yue who was the closest could hear it clearly Sobbing, "...my minister...I have admired Prince Qing's righteous sister for a long time..."

Yue Duqing slowly closed his eyes, covering up the momentary look of sadness in his eyes, he clenched his fingers tightly, opened his eyes and looked at Emperor Jingning, "I must have heard the emperor's uncle, the national teacher has his own heart, please Uncle Huang is looking for someone else."

Emperor Jing Ning took a look at Nalan Mei, and then turned to look at the second prince, "Second prince, this marriage is not in a hurry, I think it's better to put it on hold for now, and discuss it slowly later." Glancing at Nalan Mei, she still seemed a little unwilling to give up.

Emperor Jingning sighed slightly, looked at Nalan Mei, and said, "It's rare for the national teacher to be infatuated. Today, I will be a matchmaker to complete a beautiful deed. The national teacher and Qing Wang Yimei are deeply in love with each other, and I specially give Qing Wang Yimei With the surname of Yuedu, give her the name Yueduyi, and marry the national teacher in March in the name of the princess!"

Nalan Mei's expression was startled, she seemed to have become numb, and she seemed unable to hear Emperor Jingning's voice, let alone the voice of all the ministers rushing to congratulate after Emperor Jingning's voice fell.His mind was blank, as if his soul had been taken out in an instant.

It wasn't until a pair of hands gently held his hand that he suddenly came back to his senses. The banquet had ended and the officials had left at some point.

In front of him, Yue Du'an looked up at him with tears streaming down his cheeks, looking at him sadly and desperately, "Brother, without you, I would not be able to live..."

As if he understood Yue Duwan's words, he lowered the corners of his lips, stretched out his hands to rub his hair, his eyes were still so gentle, "I know."

"Senior brother..." Yueduun burst into tears.

"Okay, don't cry." He smiled slightly, reaching out to wipe away the tears on Yue Du'an's face, "Waiting for the wedding bar."

In the icy night wind, he said in a low voice.