lady, please calm down

Chapter 573: Old Stories of Southern Tang
The Miaofa Hut hidden among the trees is a world of its own.

In the purple-gold carved lion incense burner, wisps of smoke curl up and a faint fragrance floats in the air.

On the Jiuxiaohuanpei guqin, her slender fingers move quickly and slowly, like pearls falling on a jade plate.

Several tiger-headed people sat on the cushions, each with a different expression.

Peng Yuyan and the other two were a little confused and still hadn't figured out why Hu Tou suddenly broke into the residence of Immortal Miaoyi.

Jia'an seemed to be attracted by the sound of the piano and was fascinated by it.

Wu Junru and the others looked a little uneasy and kept looking at Hu Tou
As the instigator of today's incident, Hutou couldn't help but look at Miaoyi lying on the couch and the furnishings in the room.

Miaoyi was wearing a plain blue Taoist robe, but a closer look revealed that the robe was made of the most precious brocade.

Moreover, she neither wore a high hat like other Taoist nuns, nor did she tie her long hair into the most common Hunyuan bun. Instead, she let her hair down and made an exquisite and intricate tassel bun.

Not only that, there was also makeup on that delicate face, and even the color of the lip balm was the cherry blossom color that Hu Tou and her friends of this age liked the most.

Is this a monk? He is full of flirtation!

Hu Tou curled the corner of his mouth in disdain.

She was observing the other person, and Chai Yuanyi was also observing her, but Chai Yuanyi was much more covert.

Although her time of retreat is quiet, she has just been deeply involved in the war to destroy the Jin Dynasty in recent years. She fought with the army for 3,000 miles, killed Wanyan Tan and his son with her own hands, and had a forbidden love affair with the new emperor.

The emotional threshold has been raised again and again, and suddenly there is nothing to do, and one can't help feeling empty.

It's a rare day of good mood, so I specially invited Mr. Mei, who is known as the best guqin artist in the world, to come to my house to appreciate this ancient guqin from Tang Dynasty, but I didn't expect that there would be an uninvited guest.

At first, when Chai Yuanyi learned that the visitor was the Queen's sister, he became nervous out of habit.

But when Hu Tou came in and saw that the other party was a little girl of seventeen or eighteen years old, Chai Yuanyi immediately relaxed.

While thinking, Mei Yao finished playing the song.

The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone seemed to be still immersed in the lingering sound.

"Pah~pah~"

Chai Yuanyi was the first to applaud, then he sat up straight and said with a smile: "What do you think of Master Mei's Three Variations on Plum Blossoms?"

"Like the sound of a ringing pendant, it is extremely pleasant to the ear! I have always heard that Master Mei's zither skills are unparalleled, and today I am fortunate to hear that his reputation is well-deserved!"

Chen Yingyi, who had not yet noticed the strange atmosphere, bowed and praised.

Peng, Wu and Jia'er were also generous in their praise. On the one hand, they truly admired Master Mei's piano skills, and on the other hand, they said some nice things to excuse his sudden visit.

"Thank you for your compliments. My talent is limited, but I owe it to you, the Immortal. The Nine Heavens Ring and Pendant disappeared at the end of the Tang Dynasty, but I didn't expect that it would be found by you after hundreds of years. Ancient objects have spirits, and they will only be with those who are destined to be with them. You must be a man of great luck."

Mei Yao was also used to big occasions, so her flattery was appropriate and not fawning.

Chai Yuanyi smiled faintly, but said: "What good fortune can a person of a fallen country have? This Jiuxiao Huanpei was once lost among the people during the last days of the Tang Dynasty, and was later obtained by Emperor Taizong of Zhou and taken into the palace. After Dingwei, it was taken to Huanglong Mansion by the Jin people. The Jin people did not know etiquette and music, so this zither was left empty in the warehouse and covered in dust for more than ten years. Now it has met Master Mei, and it can be said that it has finally seen the light of day again."

These words imply that he is using the zither to lament his own life experience.

Chen Yingyi still didn't know that the charming and beautiful Taoist nun in front of him was the Princess of Zhou. He looked around in confusion, but naturally no one could explain it to him given the situation.

Jia'an, who was probably equally sad, said: "Although the guqin has gone through many separations and chaos, it can now be returned to the hands of the immortal, which can be considered a happy ending after all the hardships."

When they came in just now, these impertinent guests finally remembered to introduce themselves one by one. Chai Yuanyi, who had been paying attention to the harem of the Chu State, roughly guessed the other party's identity after hearing Jia'er's maiden name.

Speaking of which, their identities are equally embarrassing.

After all, Liu Qi was originally a minister of Zhou, and later established a pseudo-dynasty with the help of the Jin people.

In front of Chai Yuanyi, the Jia'er sisters were the descendants of traitors.

However, Chai Yuanyi heard the other party's words to comfort her, so she smiled generously and took the initiative to ask: "How is your sister doing now?"

"She's doing fine. She's been pregnant for more than six months. In April, I was frightened by the assassination of His Majesty, so I stayed in the palace to take care of the baby."

Somehow, Jia'an, who met Chai Yuanyi for the first time, felt that the other person was quite friendly and couldn't help but talk about these things.

Chai Yuanyi was absent-minded for a moment, then she looked at Jiamen and smiled, saying, "It was not easy for your sister to protect you during the great changes that year. You sisters should be more considerate of her in your daily lives."

Maybe it was because Chai Yuanyi was ten years older than Jia'er, or maybe it was because of blood suppression. After all, Jia'er's father usurped the throne of Chai Yuanyi's father.

Faced with Chai Yuanyi's elder-like way of speaking, Jia'an did not feel unhappy at all. Instead, she was very respectful.

This made Hu Tou, who already disliked Chai Yuanyi, unhappy. She suddenly said, "The general is incompetent and the army is exhausted. If the Emperor of Zhou had not been incompetent, there wouldn't be so many tragedies in the world."

Hu Tou's words were not just to embarrass Chai Yuanyi, after all, her family was also a witness to the Dingwei Disaster. Hu Tou's father died when he was still an infancy.

Naturally, she had no feelings towards the Zhou Kingdom, and could even be said to hate it.

Chai Yuanyi looked at Hu Tou in surprise, then seemed to think seriously for a moment before saying, "You're right."

"."

Hu Tou felt like he had punched cotton. He accused Chai Yuanyi's father to his face, expecting that the other party would say something to defend him. Hu Tou had even thought about how to enumerate Chai Ji's crimes.

But Chai Yuanyi admitted it directly and readily, which almost caused Hu Tou to suffer internal injuries.

The more calm Chai Yuanyi acted, the more anxious Hu Tou became.

When people are anxious, they tend to say the wrong things.

Then she continued, "In the past, extravagance was prevalent in the Zhou Kingdom. Duke Anle spent a lot of money and labor to build Genyue and relocated thousands of families in the city. Now it seems that the immortal has inherited his father's true teachings. It is said that he became a monk in Qinglian Temple, but he lives in a mansion and wears gorgeous clothes. Look at the furnishings in this house, they are all treasures of the time! If I am not mistaken, the incense burning in the purple gold furnace is Bai Du Nuo produced in Jiaozhi, right? It is said that the price of this incense is more than a thousand gold coins. At the beginning of the year, the envoys of Jiaozhi paid tribute to our dynasty, and only offered a mere three pounds. Even my brother was reluctant to burn it!
"Haha, the immortal's house is much more luxurious than the palace. How can he look like a person who practices asceticism?"

Hu Tou was so anxious when he spoke that he used the term "brother" without even realizing it.

But it didn't stop Chai Yuanyi from knowing who she was talking about.

"Finished?"

Chai Yuanyi looked at the tiger head leisurely and said, "Mrs. Zhao, since you know about the Du Nuo incense and know that it is a tribute from Jiaozhi, don't you think that it is a gift from your majesty? Not only this Du Nuo incense, but also all the furnishings in the room, including this guqin, are gifts from your majesty."

"."

Hu Tou suffered a critical hit and his face immediately turned red.

Although she had suffered some hardships in her childhood, since her elder sister married her brother, Hutou had never been exposed to the wind and rain. Compared with Chai Yuanyi, a woman who had struggled out of a desperate situation, she could not withstand it.

Chai Yuanyi's words left Hu Tou speechless. All the things were given by His Majesty. If you say it is extravagant, then it is the Emperor who is extravagant.

What made Hu Tou even more unacceptable was that his brother gave this coquettish woman something that he himself was reluctant to use!
This made her feel very wronged.

Hu Tou is still young after all, he has never experienced love between men and women, and he doesn't understand what "reward" means.

Chai Yuanyi only said this deliberately because he saw Hutou verbally provoking him a few times, but he was not happy about it in his heart. For a man who owns the world, rare treasures are the least valuable things.

The "reward" was more like a transaction. It was a reward for her helping Chen Chu pacify Liaodong, and also a way for her to feel at ease after their sexual pleasure.

As early as in Liaodong, Chai Yuanyi had asked Chen Chu several times when they were getting along very well and how he would be arranged for his future.

But even when a man was most likely to submit, Chen Chu never said anything about taking her into the house.

Some of the furnishings in this room were even sent by the Queen. As long as she stays in the Emperor's favor, the entire imperial treasury belongs to the Queen. Why would he care about such small things?

The so-called reward was precisely because she, Chai Yuanyi, was an outsider. Whether it was for pacifying Liaodong or warming the bed, it was all a separate reward.

Hu Tou was unaware of this, and only felt that his brother valued Chai Yuanyi more than his family. He couldn't help but break down his defense, and suppressed his tears. He stood up and said without caring, "No matter how many tricks you have, don't even think about entering my house!"

After saying that, he walked out without looking back.

Now, not only were Peng, Wu and others who were traveling with them stunned, but even Sandra Ng and other sisters who grew up together were also confused.

"Xiangyi, Xiangyi, please wait for us!"

Several people stood up from their cushions, casually knelt down to bow to the host, and then chased after him while holding up their skirts.

Chen Yingyi and the other two men did not forget the etiquette and bowed properly.

The oldest, Peng Yuyan, explained on behalf of Hu Tou in a brotherly manner, "Xiang Yi was in a bad mood today and offended Master Xian and Master Mei. Please forgive me."

Mei Yao knelt down to return the greeting, and Chai Yuanyi smiled faintly and said, "No problem, then I won't keep you here, you can do as you please."

When the three of them left the hut, the women had already walked more than a hundred steps away. Even though Wu Yanzu didn't understand why Hu Tou was so hostile to Chai Yuanyi, he still looked back after leaving the house, adhering to the principle of 'helping relatives instead of helping others', and muttered, "Xiangyi is right. Immortal Miaoyi always calls herself 'I, slave', and never 'poor monk'. Moreover, she puts on makeup and rouge, which shows that she still has worldly desires!"

Peng Yuyan glanced at Chen Yingyi next to him, but said to Wu Yanzu, "Okay, stop talking."

In front, several girls surrounded Hutou and chattered to comfort him.

They still don't understand what made Hu Tou angry, but no matter how harmonious their relationship is, the relationship between their fathers and brothers as ruler and subject will inevitably be projected into their interactions.

Even though he felt it was baffling, he still persuaded her without asking why.

Faced with everyone's questioning, Hu Tou couldn't explain it. He held back his tears for a long time and said, "She is not a good woman! If Your Majesty continues to be entangled with her, you may be infected with the bad habits of the Zhou royal family and become a tyrant!"

"Hey~"

Everyone gasped at the same time. I thought it was something else, just because of this?

"Xiangyi, you are worrying too much. Not to mention that His Majesty has no intention of accepting her into the palace, even if she really enters the palace, with the Queen and the Imperial Concubine, she won't be able to cause any trouble."

Sandra Ng felt that Hu Tou, who was usually quite smart, was a little silly for worrying at this moment.

Even Zhou Zhiruo said, "That's right. Your Majesty's family has been peaceful and stable for so many years. The ladies have never had miscarriages, and their children have never died. This is not because of good luck. The Queen is gentle and kind, but she is also good at managing the family."

After saying that, Zhou Zhiruo looked back at Chen Yingyi in the distance and couldn't help but lower her voice and said, "Isn't Concubine De smart? She has been living a peaceful life all these years."

All of them were born into a military family in Tongshan, so they were naturally close to Mao'er and Cai Hua, who were also from Tongshan. However, they did not get along well with the wealthy Chen family.

Needless to say, most of what they said was what they secretly heard from the mothers when they visited each other and gossiped.

Mingxiu and Si Lan on the side were terrified and quickly stepped back. How could we listen to these palace secrets?
Only Jia'an was full of doubts about Hutou's words. She stared at him for a long time and suddenly said slowly: "Xiangyi, you are not..."

"No! What nonsense are you talking about!"

Hu Tou, who still had tears in his eyelids, suddenly changed his expression and turned pale in an instant, as if he had been caught in a shocking scandal.

But there was clearly no useful information in Jia'er's half sentence.

The two looked at each other subconsciously, but then quickly looked away, as if even Jia'an was frightened.

Wu Junru and Zhou Zhiruo looked confused and asked in unison: "What are you two talking about?"

"no!"

Hutou and Jia'er answered in unison.

"Go home, go home, go home quickly, I'm tired." Hu Tou yelled unnaturally and walked out of the temple in a hurry.

Inside the Miaofa House.

As the meeting just ended unpleasantly, the atmosphere in the hall was a little sluggish.

Dai Rui, the personal maid who had followed Chai Yuanyi for more than ten years, quietly put away the teacups, looked back at Chai Yuanyi, and whispered, "My lady hasn't left the hut for two months, and she hasn't provoked anyone. Why is this young lady Zhao showing off here?"

Chai Yuanyi, who was lying on the couch with his head supported by one hand, seemed to be thinking about this problem, but he couldn't figure it out. The receptionist said that Madam Zhao had accidentally learned that he was here, so she broke in.

Since it was an accidental incident, there was no possibility that the Queen was using her sister to punish her. Besides, if the Queen wanted to punish her, she had many ways to do it. There was no need to send a sister who had no fighting power to come here in person.

If it wasn't for the Queen's instructions, and this was the first time that I met that Miss Zhao, why would she be so hostile?

On the other side, Dai Rui saw that Chai Yuanyi didn't say anything, so she continued, "What the emperor gave is what you deserve. The queen hasn't said anything yet, why is she so anxious? Look at her expression just now. If you don't know, you would think she is the queen and is jealous! She is the emperor's sister-in-law, why should she be jealous!"

He does not mean that.

Chai Yuanyi thought for a few breaths, then sat up suddenly and laughed, "Oh, I understand."

"What does my lady know?" This time, it was Dai Rui who was surprised.

"If I'm not mistaken, this young lady Zhao might want to imitate the old Nan Tang."

As soon as Chai Yuanyi finished speaking, Mei Yao, who was helping her adjust the strings of the guqin, was startled. Her fingers accidentally brushed across the bottom "gong" string of the guqin, making a low "hum" sound.

Due to her limited knowledge, Dai Rui did not understand what Chai Yuanyi was talking about when she said the story of the Southern Tang Dynasty. She could not help but ask, "Madam, what is the story of the Southern Tang Dynasty?"

Chai Yuanyi lay down again, with a satisfied smile on his face, fanning himself gently and saying, "The last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the big and small Empress Zhou."

(End of this chapter)