6Chapter 6 Concubines in the Inner House

"Brother!" The closer he got to the tea room, the more excited Jing Shao became. He couldn't help but quicken his pace and called for help before he even entered the room.

Jing Chen put down the teacup in his hand, frowned slightly, and couldn't help but scold Jing Shao who was trotting in: "You are already married, but you are still so impatient, how can you be so shameless!"

Jing Shao stopped reflexively, then shook his head and smiled bitterly. He was used to being scolded by his brother since he was a child. He wanted to run away when he heard him scolding. Now he felt very kind when he heard the words "how can you be so shameless". He just hoped that he could scold him like this for a long time. He walked in carelessly, and saw his brother frowning and glaring at him. He couldn't help but grin and stepped forward to salute his brother and his wife.

"Uncle," Xiao, the sister-in-law sitting next to him, stood up and returned the greeting. Seeing that Jing Chen was still silent with a cold face, she smiled and said, "I shouldn't have come. I heard that my brother Xu was not feeling well and didn't go to the mansion after noon. Your brother was worried, so he brought me here." In ordinary families, morning is the time to visit parents and brothers and sisters-in-law, and after noon is the time to recognize relatives, so although they came here at this time, it was a bit of a self-degradation, but it was also reasonable.

Jing Shao naturally understood the reason. After hearing what his sister-in-law said, he looked up at his brother who was still frowning, and suddenly felt warm in his heart. In the previous life, he was really blind, thinking that his brother was always frowning at him because he didn't like him, but he didn't notice how much this person did for him in places he didn't know.

"Brother..." Jing Shao rubbed in front of his brother, opened his mouth, and only one word popped out.

Jing Chen was stunned for a moment, and looked up at him in surprise. Ever since his father ordered him to marry the second son of Beiwei Hou, this brother whom he loved and protected since childhood refused to call him "brother" anymore, and only called him "Second Brother" when they met, which made him feel heartbroken. He didn't expect him to come to see him today, but unexpectedly, the housekeeper of Cheng Wangfu came to apologize in person, which gave him some hope. After noon, he saw that he didn't come, so he couldn't sit still and ran over, but he didn't expect such a surprise.

Seeing that the two brothers seemed to have something to say, Xiao Shi smiled and stood up and said, "I'll go see the princess.

"Sister-in-law... Jun Qing hasn't gotten up yet, you and brother wait here for a while, I'll go call him out." Jing Shao hurriedly stopped Xiao Shi.

"Oh, look at me, I'm confused! "Mrs. Xiao was stunned, then she clenched the handkerchief in her hand in annoyance, and her face turned red. Princess Cheng was a man, and although she was his sister-in-law, she had no reason to visit him at his bedside. Instead, his brother could go to the inner room to see Di Xu.

Jing Chen glanced at his wife thoughtfully, stood up and said to Jing Shao: "Since Di Xu is sick, don't bother him. I'll go with you to see him."

Duofu, who was standing by, heard this and hurriedly asked the little girl to run quickly to inform the princess.

When Jing Shao took his brother to the bedroom in the East Garden, he saw Mu Hanzhang wearing an outer shirt and leaning on the soft couch in the outer room, covered with a thin blanket. The outer shirt was loose and soft, and it was obvious that it was worn at home. Although it was not very formal, the belt was tied neatly and properly, which showed that the person was sick and would not appear rude.

Looking at this situation, Jing Chen nodded secretly and stopped Mu Hanzhang from getting up and saluting: "Why did you get sick on the second day of your wedding? "Jing Chen looked at his younger brother. When he heard that Princess Cheng was ill today, his first reaction was what happened when he entered the palace this morning.

"This..." Jing Shao coughed lightly and touched his nose. No matter how thick his face was, it felt hot under his brother's gaze.

Mu Hanzhang looked at Jing Shao's embarrassment and curled his lips slightly: "Brother, don't worry. I just caught a cold and had a fever. The fever has subsided after taking medicine.

"Yeah, that's right. Beiweihou's family is too stingy. The wedding dress they made is so thin." Jing Shao hurriedly agreed, but he didn't know that these words would only make things worse. Mu Hanzhang couldn't help rolling his eyes.

Jing Chen looked at his younger brother and sighed: "Come with me to the study. I have something to tell you."

Jing Shao was carried away dejectedly. Before leaving the house, he secretly looked back and made a pitiful expression to Mu Hanzhang.

"Haha..." Mu Hanzhang was amused by his appearance. He didn't expect that the usually taciturn and cold man would become a child in front of his brother. He couldn't help laughing out loud. The elegant gentleman suddenly smiled, which was indescribably bright and moving.

Seeing that he smiled so beautifully, Jing Shao was satisfied and followed his brother to the study to be scolded.

"I greet my sister-in-law." Xiao looked at Song Lingxin who was bowing in front of her and couldn't help frowning. This person is Jing Shao's concubine. She entered the house two years ago. Logically, she can call her sister-in-law, but now that the princess has entered the house, Song still appeared in the teahouse like a hostess, wearing a watercolor Su Jinluo skirt and a golden phoenix hairpin with pearls on her head, so ostentatious!

"Why are you here?" Xiao was still worried about the second prince's glare at her just now. Now seeing Song Lingxin like this, she was even more upset. She didn't say much and asked directly.

"The prince and the second prince have something to discuss. I thought it would be boring for my sister-in-law to drink tea alone, so I prepared some snacks in the small flower hall and invited my sister-in-law to come over to try it." Song Lingxin said this cleverly, deliberately vaguely, and it sounded as if Jing Shao had greeted her.

Xiao thought about it and felt that it was not easy to entertain Princess Cheng because she was a man, and it was not wrong for the concubine to accompany her to drink tea. Besides, the two brothers had been gone for so long and had not come out yet, so they must have something important to discuss. So she got up and followed Song to the West Garden.

"Master, I heard that the second prince's wife and the concubine went to the small flower hall to drink tea." Lan Ting refilled Mu Hanzhang's cup of tea and whispered to him.

"Oh?" Mu Hanzhang, who was leaning on the couch, raised his head from the book and looked at the nervous little girl with some amusement, "Where did you hear that?" Lanting was quite smart, but she was young and had been with him for a short time, so she was a little timid. Today, she took the initiative to inquire about the news, so she naturally had to be encouraged a little.

"I heard Sister Mengxi say that when I went to the tea room to add water." Lanting bit his lower lip, with a bit of indignation on his face. Mengxi's tone of voice was obviously complimenting the concubine, and she was full of gloating over the embarrassment of the young master being left out.

Mu Hanzhang nodded: "Well done." Then, he moved his eyes to the book again.

"Master," Lan Ting was very dissatisfied with his master's indifferent attitude, "You don't even know what Meng Xi said."

Mu Hanzhang raised his head helplessly, and said calmly: "She must have said, 'The princess was suppressed by the concubine the day after she got married, and she doesn't know who to listen to in the mansion in the future', right?"

Lan Ting widened his eyes in surprise: "Master, how do you know?"

Mu Hanzhang smiled and shook his head. This stupid girl had everything written on her face, and it was hard for him not to see it.

"Princess, the prince asked to tell you to have dinner with the second prince, so you don't have to wait in the room." Zhixi came in to pass on the message, and asked the servant carrying the food box to put the food outside.

"Got it." Mu Hanzhang put down the book in his hand and sat down at the table. He had a fever and no appetite at noon, but now he was really hungry.

Zhixi stood in front of the table and served the dishes. Mu Hanzhang picked up the rice bowl and looked at the exquisite dishes on the table. It was indeed much more luxurious than the Beiwei Marquis's Mansion. Moreover, if a woman married a prince, she didn't have to set rules in front of her mother-in-law every day. If a woman married to Cheng Wang Mansion, she would definitely be very happy, right?

Thinking of Jing Shao's gentle smile, Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but sigh. If she was a concubine of Beiwei Marquis's Mansion, she would definitely not be qualified to marry Cheng Wang. Now she didn't know whether all this was fortunate or unfortunate?

"Zhixi, is there a map in this palace?" After dinner, Mu Hanzhang asked casually with tea in his hand.

"Replying to the princess, there is a map in the small study. I will go and find it now." Zhixi responded respectfully. The small study refers to the study in the East Garden, not far from the bedroom, and she quickly took it back.

Mu Hanzhang was a little surprised that Zhixi could go to the study to get something for him. Jing Shao actually allowed him to look at the things in the study at will? He didn't believe that this girl would dare to give it to him without Jing Shao's permission. Then he felt that he was worrying too much. There might really be no important secrets in the small study.

Slowly opening the scroll in his hand, the delicate painting style was obviously a polished design drawing, and the general situation of the palace was clear at a glance. The palace was divided into two courtyards, front and back, separated by the garden and Tingfeng Pavilion. Tingfeng Pavilion included many buildings such as teahouse, study, warm room, waterside pavilion, etc. The backyard was divided into east and west courtyards. The east courtyard was Jing Shao's residence, and the west courtyard lived in the female family. Because Mu Hanzhang was not a female family member and could not live in the west courtyard, he lived in the east courtyard with Jing Shao.

His eyes wandered across the whole painting and finally stopped at the "Xiaoyuan Flower Hall". This should be the small flower hall they mentioned, located in the center of the west courtyard. Mu Hanzhang closed the scroll. He was a man, and it was appropriate for the side room to entertain his brother and sister-in-law on his behalf. However, whether this was instructed by Jing Shao or the side wife Song made her own decision, the meaning was very different.

"Princess, the two concubines from the West Garden are here to serve tea to you." Meng Xi walked in from outside the door, smiling and secretly observing Mu Hanzhang's reaction.

"Hmm?" Mu Hanzhang couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this. He knew that King Cheng had a side room and two concubines before marriage. Now that the two concubines have come to serve tea, why hasn't the "considerate and measured" side wife come yet? Is she demonstrating to him, or is she testing the attitude of the prince?

A sneer appeared at the corner of her lips. The little tricks of women are really boring. She got up to change her clothes and let the two concubines wait in the side hall. Mu Hanzhang changed into a royal blue casual dress slowly. He didn't wear a crown on his head. He asked Lanting to tie a hairband of the same color casually, and then called the two concubines in.

Zhixi couldn't help frowning when she looked at the situation in front of her, thinking that this side wife had followed the prince to see off the guests, right? But she smiled and introduced Mu Hanzhang. The one wearing a goose yellow dress and having a gentle look is Princess Liu, and the one wearing a green dress and looking petite and clever is the concubine Li.