Chapter 1: Playing Ju (1)
When Shen Xiling met Qi Ying again, it was a very warm March in the Northern Wei Dynasty.
At this time of year in previous years, it was usually chilly and windy in the capital city. But this year, for some reason, spring came back so early that even the football fields in the suburbs of the capital opened earlier.
Jiju was originally a popular game in military camps. It was a game of hitting a ball with a stick while riding on horseback. It gradually became popular among nobles and wealthy families since the previous generation . The people of the Northern Wei Dynasty were strong and the country was founded on military power. Compared with Daliang in Jiangzuo, Jiju was particularly popular. Therefore, every spring when the frost thawed, the Jiju field became particularly popular. Men always loved to ride horses and hold sticks to compete for a ball, showing off their muscles that could not be relaxed in the winter on the field. Women loved to wear bright spring clothes and drink tea and chat at the table under the awning in the field. It was an indispensable event in the Northern Wei Dynasty in spring.
This year is especially different.
In recent years, Wei and Liang have been at war frequently, with few major battles but constant small ones, and the latest one to stop in February. This time, there was no winner, because the two sides had been fighting for many years, but neither side had the strength to annex and unify, so both sides were a little tired, so they wanted to make peace, and then they became relatives by marriage to form a Qin-Jin friendship.
The emperor of Daliang, Xiao Ziheng, was a new emperor, having been on the throne for only five years. He had a sister, Xiao Ziyu, who was the most honorable princess in Daliang, and this time she was marrying the emperor of Wei.
"As for me, it doesn't matter who the princess is who is marrying," said the wife of Marquis Pingjing, picking up a grape while chatting with the officials and their wives. "It's more about the envoy who is sending the bride."
The women on the side all covered their mouths and laughed when they heard this. Mrs. Zhong from the Censor-in-Chief's family took over and said with a smile, "It's only because your Lordship has a kind temper. If it were someone else, how could they allow their wife to talk about a stranger like this?"
The wife of Marquis Pingjing had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and she had a fiery and aggressive look. She couldn't stop laughing when she heard the words, and said to the people around her, "What's wrong with me talking about him? Which woman in the world hasn't talked about Daliang Qi Ying? You are just talking about him secretly, and you still have the mouth to talk about me?"
Qi Ying, courtesy name Jingchen, is the direct descendant of the Qi family, the most aristocratic family in Jiangzuo. His father Qi Zhang was one of the three dukes of Daliang, but now he is in retreat. It is rumored that Qi Ying is now in charge of the Qi clan. This young man became famous when he was young. At the age of thirteen, he was personally selected as the second place in the imperial examination by the previous emperor of Daliang. At the age of twenty-one, he was promoted to the deputy envoy of the Daliang Privy Council, and was known as the Little Privy Prime Minister. In recent years, Wei and Liang have been at war many times. Qi Ying is the sole head of the Privy Council. Three years ago, he personally led the army in the Battle of Jiuling, which caused a great defeat for Wei and shocked the world. He is a legendary man who has been a general and a prime minister.
Although the words of Marquis Pingjing were not elegant, they were true. Which woman in the world had not secretly talked about this lord? Even in their Wei Dynasty, it was the same.
Another lady at the table said with a smile: "That gentleman has long enjoyed a great reputation. Now that he has come to our Wei State, we should really take a good look at him."
"Isn't it?" Lady Pingjinghou picked up another grape. "I heard that he came to our Shangjing six years ago, but I was recuperating in Jizhou at that time, so I didn't have the chance to see him in person. Today I heard that he will also play football, so I must watch carefully."
These words naturally made people laugh again. Madam Zhong smiled and shook her head, saying, "You and your Lord Marquis are in great harmony and love, so what's the harm in keeping a close eye on him? But your niece Yuan'er is now of marriageable age, so it would be proper to keep a close eye on her - why didn't Yuan'er come today?"
"Why didn't you come?" Upon hearing this, Lady Pingjinghou pointed to another pavilion in the distance, "She's sitting there with the girls."
He waved his hand again and said, "You know my niece, she is just trying to get into the Duke of Yan's mansion. I feel ashamed for her."
Madam Zhong smiled and looked at the gentle and quiet lady beside her. She complained to Madam Pingjing, "Mr. Yan's third brother's wife is sitting right here. What nonsense are you talking about?"
The lady was originally the second wife of the Duke of Yan, Qin. She just smiled and didn't say anything. Then another lady said, "If you ask me, Qi Jingchen is good, but he is not a good match for our Yuan'er."
Others didn't understand what was going on and asked, "Why is that?"
The lady drank a cup of wine, smiled and whispered, "How come you don't know yet? This princess from Daliang is already 26 years old this year. The reason why she hasn't gotten married yet is because she has been in love with Qi Jingchen since she was a teenager. The two have been entangled in love and hatred for many years, but now the emperor of Daliang wants his sister to marry our majesty, which is a big stick that separates the couple. Qi Jingchen is also a man of deep feelings. He even asked for permission to personally send her off - with such an unclear relationship in front of us, how can we push Yuan'er into that fire pit?"
At this point, everyone was shocked. One of the ladies asked, "Is there such a strange thing?"
She didn't believe it at first, but after thinking about it for a while, she gradually believed it and added, "But it makes sense now. Qi Ying is famous all over the world and is very successful, but he is almost thirty and still hasn't married. It turns out that it's because of his entanglement with the princess..."
The people of Wei were open-minded, and even among the nobles, women's pre-marriage affairs were not considered scandals. Even though the princess was marrying their majesty, they still did not think there was anything wrong with her past with Qi Ying. However, when this secret was revealed, everyone was inevitably upset. On the one hand, they felt a little sympathetic for the princess that their majesty was about to marry, and on the other hand, they felt sorry for Qi Ying, who had traveled to another country to personally send his beloved to marry. All the noble ladies were worried, and the banquet became a little deserted.
It was the wife of Marquis Pingjing who broke the silence and said, "I heard that Qi Ying is regarded as a model of the Jiangzuo family. Today I want to take a closer look to see what this famous person looks like. As for the rest, no matter who he has affairs with, it has nothing to do with me."
Everyone laughed again when they heard this, and they also felt that it made sense, and their sighing feelings immediately faded away.
Seeing this, the wife of Marquis Pingjing was quite satisfied. She looked around for a while and saw that there were already young masters from the noble families of Wei in the arena, warming up by horse racing, but there was no sign of the people from Daliang. She couldn't help but feel a little impatient and asked, "It's already so late, why haven't they come yet?"
Mrs. Zhong handed her a cup of tea, smiled, and said, "The honorable seat on the high platform is still empty. Your Majesty and the Queen have not arrived yet. I think the envoy from Liang should be beside Your Majesty. It will be here soon."
The wife of Marquis Pingjing took the tea to moisten her throat, looked around, glanced at Qin again, pursed her lips, and asked rather stiffly, "Why hasn't the wife of Duke Yan arrived yet?"
Although she spoke so harshly, Qin was not annoyed. She smiled gently and said, "My eldest brother has always loved me. This morning, I had a headache, so we called the imperial physician to see me, which delayed my departure."
Upon hearing this, Lady Pingjinghou snorted coldly and sneered, "She comes from a merchant family, but she has all the diseases of the rich."
These words were clearly full of sarcasm, causing everyone to feel a little embarrassed.
Two years ago, the old Duke passed away, and his eldest son Gu Juhan inherited the title. Gu Juhan was also a famous minister of the time, the general of the Northern Wei Dynasty, his ancestors were meritorious ministers of the founding of the country, and they were the backbone of the country for generations. He led the troops of the Wei Dynasty to confront the Liang Dynasty from north to south. He and Qi Ying were both young and high-ranking, and they were both famous ministers who were adept in turbulent times. There has always been a saying that the Southern Qi is better than the Northern Gu.
However, the general of Wei State was different from the prime minister of Liang State. He had no secret affairs. He married his wife five years ago. She was a lowly merchant girl. He had no desire to marry a noble lady of Wei State. After marriage , the couple was deeply in love. The Duke of Yan was a pillar of state, but he didn't even have a concubine. It was really admirable that the merchant girl had such a way.
Xue Yuan, the niece of Marquis Pingjing's wife and the only daughter of Marquis Anding, had been in love with the newly promoted Duke of Yan since she was a child. The two families had always been on good terms, and all the nobles in Shangjing City were clear-headed and thought that the marriage was a done deal. Unexpectedly, five years ago, Shangzhuguo suddenly brought a merchant girl into the house, which made the nobles in Shangjing City dumbfounded. Xue Yuan couldn't bear the pain and almost had to cut her hair and go to a nunnery to become a nun. Even though her parents stopped her, she was still infatuated with him all these years and refused to marry General Gu. She was already a well-known injustice in Shangjing City.
Because of this, the wife of Marquis Pingjing was particularly at odds with the wife of the Duke of Yan. She usually disliked her at tea parties or poetry circles, and once the wife of the Duke of Yan was not around, she would always make sarcastic remarks and mock her in every way.
As soon as she finished speaking, before Qin could reply, she heard the noisy sound of the crowd. Looking from a distance, she saw a crowd of people accompanying a man and a woman.
That man was none other than Duke of Yan, Gu Juhan. He was a famous handsome man in Wei. Before he got married, he was the dream lover of all the ladies in Shangjing City. Even though they have been married for five years, when he rode his horse across the bridge, there were still red sleeves waving. Even now, when he walked towards the pavilion with his wife through the horse field, there were still those bold ladies in the boudoir who flirted with him. He was as tall and straight as a pine tree. Because the Gu family was a military family and he had been in the army since he was young, he was naturally more heroic than the young men of ordinary families. Today, because he was going to play football, he wore a short casual uniform, which added a bit of gentleness to him than in the court and on the battlefield.
The woman beside him was the wife of Duke Yan, named Shen Xiling. This merchant girl had caused a stir in the capital when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Because she had stopped the noble ladies from having sex, she had always been criticized. But no matter how the noble ladies said bad things about her, no one could deny her beauty. The woman had a pair of bright and spiritual eyes, a good temperament like pearls and jade, and a little red mole between her eyebrows, just like the goddess in the Buddhist scriptures who accidentally fell into the world of mortals. She was wearing a blue spring shirt today, and a light satin cape on the outside. Her graceful figure could still be seen in her movements, which was really, really eye-catching.
The two of them together were like a pair of perfect couples in a painting. It was rumored that Gu Juhan loved his wife very much and still doted on her after five years of marriage. Today, he was indeed walking slowly with his wife, and although he was not ostentatious, he was clearly paying attention to her steps and walking half a step behind her, which was very steady and considerate.
