Lotus and Zhu Di came out of Liulicang. The afternoon sun poured down from the blue sky and shone warmly on their bodies, making them feel quite lazy and comfortable. It's early winter in Datong Mansion. The shops on the street have hung thick curtains, and most pedestrians wear thin cotton-padded clothes. Vendors such as candied haws and roasted sweet potatoes, which are only available in winter, appeared on the street and hawked with vitality.
Everything was so warm, simple and happy that the two of them would often think about it in the countless days they spent together and parted.
Lianhua and Zhu Di walked slowly side by side, through the bustling crowd on the street. The two of them said that they didn't quite understand what they saw in Liulicang just now. Why did the color burn up? Why is it so colorful? After a trip to Liuli Fang, I found Liuli even more incredible.
"Why are there not many people in each workshop?" Lianhua thought for a while and asked.
"They are all family workshops. The craftsmanship is passed down from son to daughter, not from daughter to daughter. It is just a few people who pass it down from generation to generation in the family." Zhu Di paused: "In order to make the color of the glass warm and moist, a large amount of lead glaze is used in the craftsmanship. There may be some things in the lead that are harmful to the body. .”
Lian Hua was shocked and opened her eyes wide.
"It's rare to see it once, of course it's okay. If you work there every day, your health will deteriorate over time." Zhu Di said with some unbearability: "That's why the people in the glaze workshop have a short life span."
Lianhua didn't speak for a long time, and then sighed: "I originally thought Liuli was a good-looking thing, but I don't want it anymore."
Zhu Di comforted: "That's not the case. Use less lead, and a lot of training on craftsmanship, and production in shifts. We can't just keep an eye on it with a few people at home."
More than ten years later, when the Glazed Pagoda of Dabaoen Temple was being built, Zhu Di remembered what he said on that day. Sure enough, the traditional glazed family workshop system was not adopted. Instead, the imperial court established a special glazed factory for mass production. In order to ensure the consistency of the glazed tiles and to eliminate the disadvantages of re-production, the glazed tiles and glazed components fired to build this tower were all made in triplicate. One copy is used for building the tower, and the other two numbers are buried in the ground. If there is any defect, report it to the Ministry of Industry and get the accessories according to the number to replace it. More than six hundred years later, the fragments of glazed components unearthed today are still brightly colored and textured, with numbers marked in ink on the back.
While the two were talking, a burst of aroma hit their nostrils, "Princess, try this, it's called oil cake, and it's available in Datong." Ma Sanbao behind him handed over a box of golden fried cakes, but I didn't see where he bought them just now.
"The fillings inside are all different, try them." Ma Sanbao smiled.
"Really? What kind of fillings are they?" Lianhua reached out and took out a piece. The outside was crispy: "It's delicious. This one is filled with sugar. It should be brown sugar, and nuts are added." Lianhua praised it while eating it. . Zhu Di's piece is stuffed with yam, and it is said to taste good.
One was the majestic King Yan of the Ming Dynasty, the other was the princess of Korea, and there was an official in the royal palace. The three of them stood on the streets of Datong, holding oil cakes in their hands and eating them with gusto.
Zhu Di was eating when he saw a little brown sugar on the corner of Lianhua's mouth. He reached out his big hand and wiped it clean with one finger. The gesture was natural and without any thought at all. Lian Hua suddenly blushed.
Zhu Di didn't realize it and smiled casually: "There is a noodle shop in front. Datong's noodles are very unique. Let's sit down and have some noodles." He walked forward. Lotus and Ma Sanbao followed suit.
At this time, there was a burst of noise, clapping, and cheers, but it was a circle of people watching the performers. There were a lot of people, and they were so tightly surrounded on three levels inside and three outside that you couldn't see what was going on inside. The three of them didn't take it seriously and walked around the crowd towards the noodle shop.
There was a "snap" sound of the whip, like thunder or lightning. Lotus was startled and stopped, with a look of surprise on his face. After a few more "papa" sounds, Lianhua turned around and squeezed into the crowd.
But the crowd was so crowded that there was no way to get through, but how could one squeeze in? Zhu Di didn't know why, and saw that Lianhua's face was flushed with anxiety, and he hurriedly stood in front of her to protect her. Ma Sanbao ran over and walked in front of the two of them, but he didn't see him using any force. The crowd separated like running water, and Lianhua immediately ran into the circle. .
It’s really Hai Shou! The cloth robe is already in some tatters. The thin-soled fast boots have holes in the front and no heels. The hair is extremely long and is only tied on the top of the head with a cloth belt. The original color of the cloth belt can no longer be seen, and I don’t know if it was torn off the cloth robe. of. His face was weathered, his face was haggard, and he had a few deep wrinkles on his forehead at such a young age.
Lotus stared blankly, mist filling her eyes.
Hai Shou was dancing with a whip. The whip was like a dragon's thin shadow, and the crowd cheered and whistled. Turning around, I suddenly saw three people standing out from the crowd. The woman at the front, wearing a light blue shirt and having a face like jade, turned out to be a princess! Hai Shou was stunned, holding the whip stupidly, rubbing his eyes, looking again and again, finally yelling, and knelt down in front of Lotus, holding the whip in his hand.
"Princess! Princess!" She shouted in Korean dialect, but she was crying so hard that it was difficult to tell that it was not Chinese.
Lianhua's eyes were filled with tears and she just shouted: "Hai Shou!" She was choked with sobs and could no longer speak.
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Returning to Prince Dai's Mansion, Hai Shou finished washing and changed into clean clothes, came to the lotus, kowtowed and prostrated.
Lianhua quickly asked him to get up and asked with concern: "Why are you here?"
Because Zhu Di was by her side, Lianhua specially spoke Chinese. After Zhu Di heard this, his face remained motionless and he felt sweet in his heart. Looking at the North Korean chamberlain in front of me, he is not tall and slightly younger than Ma Sanbao. He has a typical Korean face, with a big face, high cheekbones, small eyes, and thin lips that are often tightly pursed, showing seriousness.
Hai Shou replied: "The little one was escaping from the pursuers in the Tielingwei forest, but he saw the little one's horse abandoned on the roadside. The little one asked around and found out that the princess went to Mongolia, but when she arrived in Mongolia, it was too big and she couldn't find it. Princess. I also heard people say that China won the battle and all the prisoners returned to China. The younger one returned to China again, thinking that Master Zichao had said that he was going to Peking to meet Masters Huiqin and Zhikong, so maybe the princess would be in Peking."
Speaking of this, Hai Shou looked at Lian Hua carefully and said: "I don't have money to pay. I have to perform to earn some money when I go to Peking. I have embarrassed the princess. Please forgive me." Hai Shou's Chinese is not bad, although his tone is a bit It was weird, but it was okay to understand. There was something feminine about a chamberlain in his voice. Zhu Di felt friendly when he heard it and glanced at Ma Sanbao. Ma Sanbao smiled with admiration in his eyes.
Lianhua imagined that he was running around searching alone, from Liaodong to Mongolia, and from Mongolia to the Central Plains. He was in a foreign land and had no money, and the martial arts master had to perform whip dancing. He was so moved that he was speechless for a moment.
Zhu Di smiled and said: "How can your princess blame you? But if you meet the master one day, if you know that this long whip is waving on the streets for performances, I'm afraid I won't be able to spare you."
Lian Hua couldn't help but laugh: "You know how to scare people." Zhien, who was standing behind him, couldn't help but smile, showing some of his pointed little tiger teeth.
On the way, Hai Shou already knew that this was King Yan of the Heavenly Dynasty, and he hurriedly and respectfully replied: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for caring about me. I will have to ask the Prince and Princess for help when the time comes." He said it very sincerely. Zhu Di was a little confused: Could it be that his master would really cause trouble for him? Looking at Hai Shou, he still pursed his lips and had a serious face, which seemed a little unfathomable for a moment.
Lianhua said sadly: "The brothers who were killed in Tieling have all returned to Seoul, and Shanxi has also gone home and was buried at home on the mountain. Do you want to go home or follow me?"
Hai Shou bowed and said: "The little one will naturally follow the princess."
Lianhua turned to look at Zhu Di. Zhu Di had been worried about what to do if Lianhua entered the palace. Seeing Hai Shou's loyalty and martial arts skills, he naturally agreed and nodded to Lianhua.
Lianhua looked at Haishou and said warmly: "Okay, then you will follow me." Just as he was about to introduce Zhien, the two of them said in unison: "We know each other. It turns out we are both from Zheng Titiao." Lianhua was a little funny, thinking about Shanxi again I couldn't help but feel sad.
At this time, a burst of laughter like silver bells came, it was the acting princess Xu Xiu who arrived before anyone could say a word. From afar, I heard her shouting: "Oh, why are you leaving after only staying here for a few days?"
As the voice came, the man floated in, looked at Zhu Di and said with a smile, "Why do you say we are leaving now?" Wang Jinghong followed, carrying the letter that King Yan asked him to deliver just now.
Zhu Di smiled casually and said, "It's been a long time since we've been away from Peiping. It's time to go back."
Xu Xiu looked at Zhu Di and said with a smile: "You miss your sister, right?"
Zhu Di's bronze face could also be seen blushing: "No. The imperial decree ordered Princess Yining to come to Beijing in time for the New Year, and she urged her hard."
Xu Xiu turned her head and smiled at Lianhua: "It must be that our eldest nephew wants a wife. Yes, such a lovely guy, it would be better if he didn't arrive earlier." Now it was Lianhua's turn to blush.
Seeing the expressions of the two of them, Xu Xiu smiled again and said: "Then go to Peking today, and I will go with you to see my sister."
Before Zhu Di could open his mouth, Xu Xiu had already called Butler Tian and said, "Prepare my car and go to Peiping."
Zhu Di had no choice but to ask: "Where is the thirteenth brother?"
"He is preparing wine in the hall. You two brothers will have a drink at noon before leaving. Now that we are gone, I don't know when we will see you next time."
Zhu Di sat down after hearing this last sentence.
Xu Xiu asked: "I just heard the North Korean chamberlain mention the names of Huiqin and Master Zikong. Is it Princess Yining who is going to see them?"
Hai Shou quickly said modestly: "Princess, just call the younger one by his first name. The younger one's name is Hai Shou."
Lianhua smiled and said: "Yes, it was my master who asked me to pass by Peking to visit the two masters."
Xu Xiu clapped her hands and said with a smile: "Fortunately, I'm here. Master Zikong, I didn't know that Master Huiqin passed away the year before last. I happened to be at my sister's place at that time. Although he came from Korea, he was quite famous, and his funeral was quite decent. ." He looked at Zhu Di and said, "You are at Seventeenth Brother's place, so you probably don't know."
Lianhua was stunned for a moment: "Passed away?" After a while, he asked again: "Does the princess know about Master Hui Ren of Tianxi Temple?"
Xu Xiudao: "Master Huiren is still at Tianxi Temple, and is now the abbot." He paused and said, "But the old monk is eighty, right?" He refrained from saying the following words.
Zhu Di knew that she thought Huiren wouldn't last long, so he glared at her and comforted Lianhua and said, "You can visit Master Huiren when you arrive in the capital. Your master will be happy." But thoughts and calculations were swirling in his mind. The relationship between Lotus and Hui Ren was a pros and cons in the father's mind.
While several people were talking, Zhu Gui strode in and said with a smile: "Hey, it's lively today. It's great that Fourth Brother is here."
Xu Xiu said angrily: "Just you brothers, there are guests from afar here."
Everyone was talking and laughing, Zhu Di and Zhu Gui went to drink. Xu Xiu took Lianhua to have a meal alone in the inner hall, and then took Lianhua to his own small inner hall. Xu Xiu's house is extremely exquisite, with beaded curtains and embroidered curtains, rich fragrance, various gold plates, precious mirrors, bronze tripods, Yaoqin, ancient paintings and new poems, and dazzling lotus flowers.
Xu Xiu pointed at the pile of things on the table and said with a smile: "The princess came all the way and was robbed again. I guess her luggage is not very complete. These are some commonly used items in the house. Don't feel bad about it, princess. I will Just use it." On the table were piles of clothes and cloth, gold and silver ornaments, and even rouge, gouache and hairpins.
Lianhua blushed and declined hastily. However, Xu Xiu couldn't help but asked someone to move them to Lotus's car, and said: "These sets of clothes are on hand. The weather is cold, so the princess should take them with her. If the princess dislikes them, I can reward the girl."
This was the first time that Lianhua interacted with a noble lady from the Central Plains, but she felt that Xu Xiu was warm and caring, which made her feel warm from the bottom of her heart.
Xu Xiu had been in and out of the Ming Dynasty's court since he was born, and knew all the officials and concubines in the harem. He has always been a well-rounded person. He knew that Lian Hua was from the East Palace, and he also saw that King Yan was special to her. He wanted to make friends with her in case she was needed someday.
On the fifth day of November in the thirtieth year of Hongwu, King Zhu Di of Yan, Princess Xu Xiu, and Princess Yining of North Korea entered Peiping.