Chapter 201 Entering the Palace and Received a Welcome Banquet
"Cousin."

"Cousin."

Both brothers are descendants of the previous emperor. Although they seldom interact with each other, they are blood relatives after all compared to the officials.

"Your humble servant Geng Shiming greets the Prince of Han."

The other officials followed him in saluting. The Prince of Han seemed a little condescending and just said "hmm" to them.

"The inn you are staying at has been arranged. I will accompany you during your stay. If there is anything inconvenient, please bear with me."

Although the words were spoken very appropriately, the contempt in his eyes made Geng Shiming and others uncomfortable. However, Hanzhou was their territory, so they could only pretend to be deaf and dumb and thank him with a fist salute.

"My father has already arranged a welcoming banquet in the palace. Cousin, all the adults, please come in!"

Song Shi's first reaction was to think that Pei Zisu must be there. Sure enough, when they arrived at the Prince of Han's Mansion, they met the Prince of Han and Pei Zisu.

But if you look more closely, you will find that there is no one else except the local officials of Hanzhou.

So, as the young lady of the Pei family, Jiang Shiyuan would not attend such an occasion? When he thought of this, he looked at Pei Zisu. Both of them could feel the provocation and disdain of the other party, especially Pei Zisu. The mockery and the momentum of looking down on the world in his eyes made Song Shi very unhappy. His face darkened, and then he heard the King of Han speak.

"You came at the right time. The prince's wedding will be held in a few days. It's a good opportunity for us to have a drink together!"

The marriage of the Prince of Han and the daughter of the Xie family in Xuzhou was scheduled for mid-June, which was only two and a half months away. So if the group stayed for a long time, it would be normal to have a drink at the wedding. When Song Shi heard this, he naturally had to respond. He looked at the King of Han and then said respectfully.

"Uncle Han is right. I came here for the court's business, but also for some selfish reasons. I wanted to come and congratulate my cousin on his marriage. He is the last one among our brothers to marry a crown prince's wife, so this time we must make a grand celebration."

"It's not necessary to hold a grand ceremony. It's just to make it look good on the surface. The situation on the front line of Hanzhou is tight right now. If we hold it too extravagantly, it will inevitably make the people and soldiers feel disappointed. If the Southern Tang seizes this opportunity and does something bad to us, it will be a loss."

When hearing this, Song Shi also raised his eyebrows. So inviting everyone to drink was fake, and the real intention was to say this to them. Hanzhou had been peaceful for so many years, he knew it. How come he had just arrived and the King of Han described this place as a piece of fat meat that was coveted by others at any time?

When he thought of this, he pretended to be surprised. He had never faced Southern Tang head-on, so he didn't know what their bottom line was. But now he just thought that the King of Han was bluffing.

"Uncle Han said so, so we will listen to you. We are mainly here to see how the Huai River is being managed. If there is anything you need help with, just let me know."

"Okay, okay. The prince has already arranged for other officials to live in the post house, but you are different. If I let my nephew live outside after coming to Hanzhou, I, as your uncle, will be reluctant to let him go."

Although he said so, the King of Han's intention was very clear. He just wanted to keep a better eye on his whereabouts. However, such words played into Song Shiye's hands. After all, the name he got from his father came from the King of Han's Mansion. So if he could live in the King of Han's Mansion naturally, perhaps he would be able to take action more conveniently.

So he smiled and nodded, not refusing at all. Seeing him like this, Pei Zisu, who was always suspicious, felt that something was wrong. According to his understanding of Song Shiye, he was not a gentle person. How could he rush over so generously when he knew that others wanted to monitor him? So the only explanation was that he had some plans in the Han Palace.

But what can he gain from the Han Palace?

After thinking about it over and over again, he still couldn't figure it out, so he decided to just keep a close eye on it first.

Entering the flower hall of the Prince of Han's Mansion, everything was ready.

All the noble families in Hanzhou were present, including Marshal Pei and Aunt An, as well as Pei Zitian and Pei Zixing. They were both dressed formally today, but Pei Ziyao and Pei Zimiao, who were the direct descendants of the Pei family, did not show up.

People are not surprised by such things.

However, the new young lady of the Pei family was not there either, which was a bit strange.

Pei Zisu also knew that everyone was curious about his wife, but if he leaked the news that she was pregnant in such an occasion, he was afraid that there would be some trouble in the future, so he explained to the King of Han.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness. My wife has been ill for a few days and has been recuperating in the army. That's why she didn't come with us this time. As for Ayao, he still needs to train the army, so he also stayed in the army and didn't come."

The King of Han did not mind hearing these words. He understood the reason why Pei Ziyao did not come. After all, he could feel that the people of the Pei family did not want their daughter to attend such occasions too often. As for why Pei Zisu's new wife did not come, perhaps there were other reasons.

Although he was skeptical about his explanation, given the circumstances, he would not offend Pei Zisu, so he said it with a smile.

"Bring some top-quality ginseng back to the barracks later. It's the best thing for women to replenish their energy and strengthen their bodies. If your wife still needs to be taken care of, then let her return to Hanzhou. It's too cold in the barracks. Even if you want her to be a military wife, you still have to pay more attention to her and don't let her health get damaged."

"I wrote to you, Your Majesty, on behalf of my wife!"

"Okay, there's no need to be so polite between you and me."

As soon as these words came out, the already dissatisfied face of the Prince of Han became even more distorted. His forced smile seemed to be commonplace in the eyes of everyone. After all, everyone in Hanzhou knew how much the King of Han loved Pei Zisu.

If there were no blood relationship, Hanzhou would have been in Pei Zisu's pocket long ago.

Marshal Pei and Aunt An were relatively calm. Pei Zitian also looked at his elder brother Pei Zisu with a faint smile. Only Pei Zixing had a cold look in his eyes and glanced at him with disdain. After covering his disgust with a handkerchief, he restrained his emotions.

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Song Shi suddenly felt that this cousin of the Prince of Han was really a fool. His feelings were so obvious in just one sentence. Isn't this just asking for trouble?

When I think about the background of Prince Consort Cheng, which I have a hand in, I feel that there will be something interesting to watch in the next few months.