A Precious Pearl in the Imperial City

The street was bustling with people. Wang Chen looked at the lively teahouse, raised his foot and walked in for two steps. Looking back, he saw Jiu Zhu standing outside the door and not following him: "What's the matter?"

Jiuzhu shook his head: "Nothing."

She slowly moved small steps and followed Wang Chen.

Wang Chen looked at her with a smile, and suddenly stretched out his hand to hold her wrist and pulled the person upstairs.

"Your Highness." Jiuzhu obediently walked beside him, whispering: "There are many female guests upstairs..."

"It doesn't matter, this king doesn't pay attention to these." Walking upstairs, Wang Chen heard some women's applause. He opened the bead curtain and saw many female guests sitting inside, sparsely pulling a few male guests between a bunch of women. Suddenly, his face was full of love.

Zhou Shucheng was one of them. He glanced at his vigorous sister, sighed for a long time, and was shocked when he turned around. How could Wang Chen come here?

He bent down, trying to hide himself with other guests: "Sister, let's go."

"Wait." Zhou Xiao remained unmoved: "I will soon go to the overbearing prince to suppress the bandits and save the United States!"

"I saw the overbearing prince holding a nine-foot spear, riding into the bandit's den. In an instant, the sun and the moon were dark!"

There was a woman's applause from the audience, Zhou Shucheng silently covered his face with his hands, and he dared not look at Wang Chen's face.

"The bandit was convinced by the prince's heroic appearance, and he knelt on the ground repeatedly begging for mercy, like a dog in the water."

Hearing that the overbearing prince rescued the weak woman in the wood shed and disappeared into the dark night dressed in moonlight, the female guests were excited to start offering rewards.

Looking at these crazy female guests, Wang Chen turned his head to look at Jiuzhu, took her to sit down at the empty table behind, and the attendant quickly ordered the staff to bring melon and fruit snacks.

"Come, eat and listen." Wang Chen pushed the dim sum in front of Jiuzhu and teased: "How can the prince go to fight the bandits alone, unless there is paste in his mind."

Jiuzhu's hand holding the snack shook, and quietly retracted.

"Why don't you eat it?" When Wang Chen saw her withdraw his hand, he changed her a plate of snacks: "I don't like it?"

"One more paragraph, one more paragraph!"

A generous female guest threw a grain of gold on the stage. The female gentleman glanced at the shiny gold and took a few sips of tea: "Since all the guests are so enthusiastic, then I will continue to tell you the story of the overbearing king who killed the bandit and returned to Beijing and was rewarded by Long live."

The storyline became more and more exciting, and a female guest in the audience whispered: "I don't know what the real king looks like, but it's a pity that princes and nobles can't approach it easily, otherwise I will take a good look."

The king Chen who heard this, the overbearing king in this story is not very good, what does it have to do with him?

"His Royal Highness, the court ladies also think these stories are meaningless." Jiuzhu pulled Wang Chen's sleeve: "Should we go back first?"

"Wait first." Chen Wang broke a pear with his bare hands and gave half of Jiuzhu. Thinking that the meaning of the pear was not good, he put the other half into her hand and sneered: "This king wants to listen, this overbearing lord How absurd is his story."

Jiuzhu took a bite of the pear in her left hand and another pear in her right hand. Her mouth was so full that she secretly looked at the expression on Wang Chen's face and began to think about what she should do if her Royal Highness is angry.

"The overbearing prince took the golden hairpin given by Long Live and rode to the young lady's house on horseback. The young lady's father promised that as long as he succeeds in suppressing the bandits, he will marry his daughter."

"Heh." Wang Chen sneered. Which minister in the court dared to treat the prince with this attitude?

Some people would like such a messy story?

"You said, did Wang Chen give a golden hairpin to his fiancé?"

"Sent, sent, I've heard about it. Not long ago, Wang Chen bought a lot of gold and silver jewelry in the Miaojinlou and sent them to the Ming Shi Lang Mansion."

"Really?"

"Of course it is true. My aunt works in the Miaojin Building. She specializes in receiving female guests on weekdays. She came back and told us that Wang Chen was very generous and bought a lot of jewelry for his fiancée."

Hearing the low voices of the female guests, Chen Wang tilted his head to look at Jiuzhu, who lowered his head and gnawed pears in silence.

At the end of the story, the guests left the teahouse one after another. Wang Chen sat on the wooden chair with his hands around his chest, looked at the female gentleman who was bent over on the stage to collect the silver, and lowered his head to take out the handkerchief from the sleeve.

"The student has seen the prince." The guests dispersed, Zhou Shucheng could not hide again, so he could only bite the bullet and salute the king.

Handing the handkerchief to Jiuzhu, Wang Chen glanced at Zhou Shucheng and saw that he was wearing the clothes of a student from the Imperial College and frowned slightly. How could even scholars with thick eyebrows and big eyes like to hear such messy stories?

"Today I accompanied the sister-in-law to the teahouse to listen to the book. I never thought I would meet the prince." Zhou Shucheng didn't know how Wang Chen viewed himself, but at this critical moment, he still had to put aside himself: "The prince, is also here to listen? "

Wang Chen asked back: "Do you think this king is like someone who likes to listen to this kind of story?"

Zhou Shucheng was silent.

Like or not, aren't you here?

"Sister Ming." Zhou Xiao packed up her things, turned around and saw Jiuzhu and Wang Chen, his complexion changed slightly, and after bowing to Wang Chen, he whispered to Jiuzhu: "When did my sister come?"

The point is, did Wang Chen hear the story told by the female husband?

Jiuzhu held Wang Chen's handkerchief and whispered: "Mr. Lady talks about the king... We came here when the prince beheaded the bandit."

Zhou Xiao cast a look at Jiuzhu, so why not take someone to leave quickly before the prince did not react?

Jiuzhu cheered up: "His Royal Highness, the story is over, we..."

"Girl, it's you?!" The female gentleman walked towards Jiuzhu with a smile on her face holding a purse full of rewards: "I haven't seen a girl for several days, I have no chance to thank you very much."

Wang Chen turned his head to look at Jiuzhu, and Jiuzhu silently rubbed the door, but he caught him back.

"Fortunately, I heard what the girl said last time. Since I told the story of the evil prince, the guests have given more and more rewards. Now the storytellers in the ten streets and eight alleys have followed me." The female gentleman saluted Jiuzhu: " Thank you girl for pointing out a way to make money next."

Jiuzhu said with little confidence: "I just asked you to tell more of his stories. I didn't tell the content of these stories."

"The girl is kind. For those of us who are begging for food, I don't take credit for pointing out the way to make money." The lady is very grateful to Jiuzhu. "If the girl wants to hear any story next time, just tell me, I will follow you. I will tell you about his preferences."

"No, no need." Jiuzhu didn't dare to look at Wang Chen's face: "You go ahead, I have to deal with some things."

The female husband glanced at the handsome man next to Jiuzhu and showed a considerate smile: "Don't bother the girl here, please feel free to say goodbye to the girl."

The female husband left wisely, Zhou Xiao looked at Jiuzhu worriedly, Zhou Shucheng didn't dare to disturb Wang Chen, and dragged her away abruptly.

"Block the outside, don't let other people in." Wang Chen raised his head and asked the guards to guard outside. The attendants glanced at each other, bowed and retreated outside the bead curtain.

Knocking, knocking, knocking.

Chen Wang's index finger knuckles gently on the table, looking at Jiuzhu, who dare not come out from the atmosphere: "Come on, sit and talk."

"His Royal Highness, the courtier didn't mean it, and I didn't expect things to develop into this way." Her watery eyes blinked at Wang Chen: "Don't be angry with me, okay?"

Seeing her little pitiful appearance, Wang Chen grinned rather than angry: "You tell me first, what's the matter?"

"It happened on a sunny morning..."

Wang Chen stretched out his hand and gently poked her Baotou: "Talk about the important point."

"I went to the teahouse to listen to a book, and found that the lady said that the king of beauty and the evil king meant something, so she won't let her tell it." Thinking of the money that was spent that day, Jiuzhu felt a pain in her heart: "In order for the lady to change the story, It took two full months of monthly money, two months."

"How much do you pay for a month?" Wang Chen was a little curious to see her feeling so distressed.

Jiuzhu stretched out two fingers.

"Two hundred taels?" Chen Wang said with a sigh, both showing that Jing Zhou is a clean and honest official, which seems to be true.

Jiuzhu widened his eyes: "How can there be so many, it's twenty taels."

Twenty-two is already a lot. Before in Taoist temple, she and the masters couldn't spend so much in a year.

Twenty taels?

Wang Chen looked at Jiuzhu pityingly. What kind of poverty did this little girl lead?

It's no wonder that he only lost a piece of silver to his general as the funeral expenses, it turned out to be too poor.

"In the story, the beautiful prince is good everywhere, and the evil prince is so bad, it is clear that there are bad people deliberately discrediting His Royal Highness." Jiu Zhuchao whispered: "His Royal Highness is so good, why should you let bad people discredit you?"

"So you spent all your money on changing the story?" Wang Chen looked at the girl with her head in her bag and felt a little strange in his heart, he just wanted to poke her white and tender face again.

"Although it hurts a little bit, but as long as no one says bad things about your Highness, it's still very worthwhile." Speaking of this, Jiuzhu lowered his head with a guilty conscience: "It's just that the courtier did not expect that the story will become more and more outrageous... …"

Faced with such a pitiful face, who bears the heart to blame?

Is this Ming Xiaozhu's fault?

It was clearly the fault of the storytellers, and I knew that Xiaozhu could have any bad thoughts, but just wanted to protect him.

"It's just the story. The overbearing lord is overbearing. Anyway, he didn't name him and said he was the king." Chen Wang raised his eyebrows: "Next time you encounter this kind of thing, you don't need to pay for it, just report the king's name. See who dares not listen to you."

Jiuzhu shook his head: "His Royal Highness, it's not good like this. The storyteller is just asking for life. If I move out of your name, it will only make her nervous, restless day and night, and live in fear and fear for the rest of her life."

Wang Chen stood up: "Let's go."

"Where to go?"

"Send you back."

The carriage stopped in front of the gate of Ming Shilang's Mansion, Jiuzhu got off the carriage, looked up at Wang Chen on horseback, smiled brilliantly.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I just thought it would be nice to meet your Highness." Her eyes were clear and clear, and there was a clear reflection of Wang Chen in her pupils.

"His Royal Highness is not only gentle and kind, but also tolerant." Jiuzhu tilted his head: "His Royal Highness is really a **** descending from the earth, right?"

Because of her, there were so many messy stories of overbearing kings in the capital, and His Highness never blamed her. How could it be so gentle if it weren't for the gods to descend to the earth?

Wang Chen looked at the serious girl, his ears were instantly red.

Are the women who grew up in Lingzhou so sticky to talk?

This king is heroic and burly, what does it have to do with gentleness and kindness...

"The little girl knows what." He rubbed his hot ears: "Go home early, lest my father will worry about mercy."

"Yeah." Jiuzhu nodded and turned around to leave.

"Wait." Wang Chen took out a stack of silver bills from his arms and handed them to Jiuzhu: "Take it."

Jiuzhu looked at her puzzled: "Your Highness?"

"If you have any stories you want to hear in the future, you can change it as you want the storyteller to change it." Putting the bank note into Jiuzhu's hand, Wang Chen looked up at the sky awkwardly: "Take it and spend it, I have money."

Isn't it just a story about the overbearing king? The little girl loves to listen, so just let her listen.

He is a big man, don't have to worry about Huangmao girl.

When Jiuzhu saw the denomination of the top bank note, he took a deep breath.

Five hundred taels? !

She had never seen such a large bank note!

"His Royal Highness." Jiuzhu quickly stuffed the money back into Wang Chen's hands: "This money is too much, I can't sleep on my body."

If it is lost or stolen, she can cry for three days and three nights.

"Promise." Wang Chen reluctantly got off the ground, flipped through his body, found a twenty-two denomination bank note, and a few pieces of silver, and handed it to Jiuzhu: "You have to accept this little money."

Seeing that Jiuzhu still wanted to refuse, he sternly said, "If I don't accept it, I will be angry."

"His Royal Highness?" Ming Jingzhou saw a carriage parked in front of his house from afar, and when he walked in, he found that it was his daughter and His Royal Highness Chen Wang.

I took a closer look at the thing Wang Chen wanted to give to his daughters, it was actually a twenty-two denomination of silver bills, plus a few pieces of broken silver that added up to less than four or five taels.

He looked at Wang Chen with subtle eyes, and his mood was very complicated.

The emperor loved Chen Wang very much, and from time to time he had rewards sent to the Chen Wang Mansion. Chen Wang was almost the richest of all the princes.

I didn't expect such a wealthy prince to be so stingy with girls.

Wang Chen noticed the look in Ming Jingzhou's eyes: "..."

He lived for 21 years and was suspected of being stingy for the first time, and this man was the father of the future princess.

"Father." Jiuzhu was very happy to see Ming Jingzhou: "Are you worth it?"

"Yeah." Ming Jingzhou bowed his hands and saluted Wang Chen: "His Royal Highness visits, the ministers are not far away to welcome him, please go to the cold house to drink a cup of light tea."

"No need." Wang Chen made a straight face, and stuffed the banknotes and broken silver into Jiuzhu's hands: "This king has something to go to the palace, so I won't disturb Master Ming."

"Send the prince respectfully." Ming Jingzhou smiled politely.

"His Royal Highness, wait." Jiuzhu was afraid of rejecting the silver, and His Royal Highness would be really angry and had to accept it. She took out the jade pendant in her purse: "Your jade pendant..."

"It's for you." Chen Wang turned on his horse and said to Jiuzhu: "The jade pendant has been opened by the master. You can find a place to hang it."

With this jade pendant, should Ming Jingzhou no longer doubt that he is stingy with women?

Jiuzhu watched King Chen riding away with his guards, and turned his head to see that his father was moving in the direction where King Chen was leaving, and smiled: "Father?"

"It's okay, go home with my father." Ming Jingzhou smiled and looked at the jade pendant in Jiuzhu's hand, put his hand behind him, and walked through the door leisurely.

In Taiyang Palace, Liu Zhongbao walked in as soon as Emperor Longfeng put down the Zhubi.

"Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness Chen Wang, please see me."

"Let him in." Looking at the sky outside, Emperor Longfeng got up and took a few steps.

"The sons and ministers pay homage to the emperor father." Wang Chen walked into the hall and gave a big gift.

If you give a big gift in such a manner, you must be asking for something. Emperor Longfeng asked: "What's causing trouble outside again?"

Did you stun the civil servants or arguing with the generals?

"Father, my son has been studying hard in the Ministry of Etiquette recently. When did you get into trouble?" Wang Chen said confidently, "I just sent the girl back from the Ming family, because of some things, I want to come and chat with my father."

"Oh?" Emperor Longfeng raised his eyebrows.

"The minister of the Ming has two sleeves and a clear breeze, and he is dedicated to the people. It is also a saving in the cost of eating and wearing." Wang Chen admired: "This style of work is admired by the children."

Emperor Longfeng patiently waited for the following.

"It's just that Ms. Mingjia is a delicate and tender little girl. She usually spends money on rouge gouache and hairpin jewelry. It is not appropriate to be shy in her pocket." Wang Chen looked at Emperor Longfeng: "At any rate, she is also your appointed future daughter-in-law. , I can’t get a few taels of silver on my body, and I lose the face of our royal family, right?"

"I remember you have a lot of money..."

"Father's remark is wrong. Ming's girl and I have not been married. I gave her the bank note, and she didn't want to spend it." Chen Wang coughed dryly, "Erchen meant that you can find a reason and give it to Ming's. Reward some gold and silver. If you come forward, that's a fair and honest thing, and no one can make irresponsible remarks."

"It seems that my son is very fond of Ming girls."

"Erchen just doesn't want the future princess to lose our royal face." Chen Wang's ears were red with blood dripping: "My father misunderstood."

"Fine." Emperor Longfeng sighed: "Initially, I planned to give her a knighthood because of your importance to the Ming girl. Since you don't have much affection for her, I will give up on this matter. I will call tomorrow. Ming Jingzhou entered the palace and rewarded him with a hundred taels of gold, so that he had enough money to spend on his daughter's dowry."

Give Ming Piggy the title?

Wang Chen hurriedly said: "Father, mother and concubine love Ming's girl very much. She will marry me sooner or later, and this title can also be given."

With a knighthood, Ming Xiaozhu can receive his salary every month, so before marrying him, he doesn't have to worry about dozens of taels of silver.

Speaking of the word "married", a crisp and numb itch rose on the tip of his heart.

"It's a knighthood in the end, and it can't be given easily." Emperor Longfeng shook his head: "I will think about it again."

"It's just a little knight, we are distant relatives of the Yun family, and there are many women who have been appointed the county chiefs." Wang Chen thought for a while, took the tea in Liu Zhongbao's hand, and bowed it to Emperor Longfeng: " Otherwise, you will give Miss Ming Jia a county head, not to win the eye, but also decent."

Seeing that he nodded and bowed to his own family as the son of Yi Lianlian, Emperor Longfeng pretended to be difficult: "In this case, because your mother and concubine likes the Ming family's daughter, I gave her the title of county chief."

"Thank you, Father, for his wise and martial arts, loyalty, benevolence and forgiveness, and love for the people like a son." Chen Wang gave a flattering, then walked to the side of the imperial case: "Or, your son will study ink for you now?"