Although Zhao Taozhuang was extremely reluctant, under the supervision of Mrs. Qin, after Nan led Sheng Weiqiao and his entourage to the door the next day, they said the courtesy and sat down, she still took the initiative to stand up, blessed her, and said with a smile: " The two sisters are really sorry. I was so angry with Meng Guihuan that day that when I heard this little sister Sheng interrupting, I got angry and disturbed everyone's fun. I'm really sorry - later When I calmed down and wanted to confess to you two, I didn't expect that you two had already left Bishui County. Because I didn't know the specific day when you arrived in Chang'an, I originally planned to go to Ningwei Hou Mansion to find out in two days so that I could apologize to you. No, who would have thought that today my two sisters came first, which makes me feel so ashamed!"
When Sheng Weiqiao came in, he was still worried that Zhao Taozhuang had been very domineering and strong when he was in Danmolou. If he refused, he would be in trouble.
Seeing her taking the initiative to show her kindness at this moment, naturally she wouldn't care about anything. "It was obviously you who provoked Meng Guihuan first that day. If you want to make me mad, it should be Meng Guihuan who was so mad at you." While secretly praising the Zhao family As expected, he comes from a scholarly family. No matter what he thinks in his heart, his posture on this scene is to make people feel comfortable. He hurriedly returned the courtesy: "What did my sister say? It turns out that my sister is ignorant and interrupted rashly, disturbing her interest! That day I was also wrong, I offended my sister impulsively, I hope my sister Haihan!"
Then he introduced Gongsun Yingjiang to Zhao Taozhuang, "This is our niece Ying Jiang. She didn't show up that day, but she was in the private room."
Gongsun Yingjiang said softly and softly: "I failed to fulfill my duty of admonishing the two aunts that day, so that both the aunts and Miss Zhao returned home disappointed. It was not me."
Seeing their attitude, Zhao Taozhuang lost some of her anger and said with a smile: "How can I blame you? It's all because of my short temper. Alas, my family has told me so many times, but every time I always offend the talent. When you come to your senses, it’s often too late to regret it now!”
"You still know how to regret it!" At this time, Mrs. Qin, the boss, said to her with a chuckle, "It's a good thing that the child came to our Chang'an. Otherwise, where would you go to apologize to someone in this day? If you had known that today, back then, you would have regretted it. Why don't you use your brain before you speak or do something? Look at the bastard you are like, don't you know when you will become more sensible?"
"Second Miss has a pure heart!" Nan said with a smile, "I really like Second Miss's true temperament! Girls of their age are chatting, laughing, noisy, and full of life. Everyone around me feels comfortable listening to it!”
Mrs. Qin said: "These children of the Sheng family are so good-looking, but they don't talk, laugh, make noise, or make trouble. Looking at them like this, my old lady feels very comfortable in her heart!"
"When it comes to good looks, the girl under your knees is really stunning!" Nan immediately praised back, "Not to mention the princess's unparalleled elegance, the wife of Prince Guangling, the second young lady, and the third young lady, which one is not beautiful? People all over Chang'an say that they enjoy peonies every spring, but no one has peonies in front of their homes that are as beautiful and fragrant as yours!"
Mrs. Qin's most proud son and daughter was not her two sons, but her only daughter, Princess Zhao Ziye of Gaomi. When she heard this, she smiled sincerely and said kindly: "Ziye is already a grandmother, how can she still be a grandmother?" What's so beautiful about her? It's hard for you to still remember her."
"As you said, the princess has not gone out much in the past two years, but who can forget her?" Nan smiled and said, "At the Lantern Festival last year, I didn't bother Sister Caikui and took them there. When I was walking around the lantern market, I accidentally saw the princess through the crowd. Although I only had a glimpse, she looked like a fairy. Sister Caikui pulled me and asked me if she was a fairy traveling in the mortal world!"
"Did she go to the lantern market last year during the Lantern Festival?" Nan said this just to please Mrs. Qin. Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Mrs. Qin's face changed slightly. She subconsciously sat up straight and asked anxiously, " When was it? Did she go alone? Did you notice what she did? "
Nan felt puzzled that although Princess Gaomi had rarely shown up in recent years—to be precise, since she became Madam Hou and moved to Chang'an with her husband, she had hardly seen Zhao Ziye—the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival had always been the most popular time of the year. It's the busiest time in the city, even more so on the day of dawn. Princess Gaomi stays in the palace for a long time without leaving the house and is very quiet and restless. Doesn't it seem strange
Why did Madam Qin's reaction seem so unusual
Furthermore, Mrs. Qin is the biological mother of Princess Gaomi. If she wants to know the details of her daughter’s trip to the Lantern Festival last year, why not just send someone to the palace to ask? Anyway, the Zhao Mansion is only a few steps away from the Gaomi Prince's Mansion, so why are you questioning yourself with such a confused look now
Although he was confused, it was not something that could not be said. Nan thought so, and recalled it carefully for a while, and said: "I don't remember exactly when, because I only saw it by chance through the crowd. If it hadn't been the year before last, At the grand ceremony, I had a chance encounter with the Princess, and she was so beautiful and elegant that no one could match her. There were so many people at that time that she might not have been able to recognize her. Looking back now, she should have been accompanied by maids and bodyguards. As for other people in the palace, they didn’t see it.”
After thinking about it again, "The princess seemed to be holding a lotus lantern in her hand at that time."
Apologizing, "I can't think of anything else right now!"
"It's okay!" Mrs. Qin's expression changed after listening to it. After a while, she returned to normal and smiled, "That child hasn't been out for a long time. Even in the Zhao family, I can't see him except when he comes back on the second day of the new year every year. She... So when I first heard that she went to the lantern market, I was really surprised!"
Nan knew that the old lady was not telling the truth, but she did not want to get involved with the Zhao family or the Gaomi Palace, and she had no intention of exploring their privacy, so she smiled: "The old lady has a motherly heart, which is enviable!"
I don't know if she heard about Princess Gaomi's visit to the lantern market, but Mrs. Qin suddenly lost interest. After a few words of conversation with Nan, she showed her lack of interest.
Seeing this, Ji, the second daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, Zhao Qiu's wife, hurriedly invited Nan: "Yesterday, my subordinates sent me some pieces of good leather. I planned to cut some fur coats for my family. But I've been choosing styles and can't decide on one, if Mrs. Nan doesn't mind, can you help me control my eyes?"
"You are complimenting me. I am from a small family, but my eyesight can't compare with yours?" Nan also saw Mrs. Qin's sudden fatigue and did not refuse, "You are giving me a chance to learn more." Oh! I happen to have some good leathers that I got last year in my storehouse, and I plan to have them taken out and made into clothes in the near future, so now is the opportunity for me to learn from you!"
Mrs. Ji breathed a sigh of relief. The Zhao family had not had much contact with the Ningweihou Mansion before, and only the younger girls occasionally moved around. Therefore, it was her first time to deal with the Nan family. She was really afraid that Mrs. Ningweihou was from a lowly background and would not be able to do anything. Understand the meaning of your own words.
At this time, Mrs. Qin also said something to send to the juniors: "It must be boring to keep you here for so long, right? Although the flowers are withered this season, the flower house in our house is built in a glazed room with an earth dragon burning underneath. But there are still many out-of-season flowers in bloom, which is quite interesting against the snow falling outside!”
Zhao Taozhuang said knowingly: "Sisters from the Sheng family, sisters from the Xu family, and niece Ying Jiang, would you like to go to the flower room and have a look?"
Sheng Weiqiao hurriedly agreed on behalf of Sheng Weiwu and Gongsun Yingjiang. Naturally, the Xu sisters agreed happily, and the younger generation resigned together with the Nan family and the Ji family.
Since there was a flower room all over the house, there was nothing to worry about. When they got outside, Mrs. Ji said a few words of advice to Mrs. Nan, and then went to the second room to look at the skin.
Zhao Taozhuang led Sheng Weiqiao and his party over, while chatting with them: "I heard that you came all the way to Chang'an by boat? How was the scenery on the way?"
"At first I thought everything was interesting, but after staying on the boat for a long time, I got used to it." Sheng Weiqiao was a little surprised, "You went to Bishui County before, but you didn't take a boat? Did you take the land route?"
Although there was an official road from Chang'an to Bishui County, the official road at this time was a solid dirt road. The section near the big city is quite good, and the government will send people to repair it from time to time; further away, if there is wind and rain, it may be washed away by the rain, or there may be too many people walking, and it may be bumpy. Someone took care of it.
No matter how exquisite the carriage is, it is really difficult to pass through this kind of road.
In particular, carriages are not as spacious as house boats. For women, traveling by boat can at least take a walk on the deck when the weather is calm; if traveling by carriage, most of the time they can only stay in a narrow carriage. , so depressed.
It was understandable that Zhao Taozhuang and the others would not take a boat when they came back, because it was difficult to speed up the waterway, especially in this season with the northwest wind blowing, making it increasingly difficult for the boat to go north. At that time, both Meng Boheng and Rong Qingzui were in trouble, and they were eager to send their companions off. He wanted to return to Chang'an for treatment and complaint, so he chose the land route.
I didn’t take a boat when I went there, but it was strange.
Zhao Taozhuang saw her doubts and explained: "Originally we planned to take a boat to go south when we went there, but Sister Yehe was so seasick that she couldn't even go boating on the lake in her free time, let alone sit on it for such a long time. She has a boat. So we accompany her on the land route."
At this time, Xu Caikui, who was leading Xu Caifu from behind, interjected: "Sister Yehe is the granddaughter of Duke Huan, the apple of Uncle Yongyi's eye, and the Queen Mother personally appointed her as the head of Jingshu County."
Sheng Weiqiao said politely: "Just by hearing this title, I know that this county lord must be a man of good words and deeds."
When Zhao Taozhuang heard this, she didn't know why, but she frowned subconsciously, and then said lightly: "Well, everyone likes her quite a lot."
She seemed not to want to mention Huan Yehe, so she changed the subject and said, "Is Ying Jiang your biological niece? I heard that your father is the eldest son, but I didn't expect that your niece is almost as old as you."
"Ying Jiang was kind to my family, so my father adopted her as his adopted granddaughter." Sheng Weiqiao said with a smile, "She is indeed the same age as me."
Zhao Taozhuang was a little curious: "With all due respect, since Ying Jiang is the same age as you, why doesn't your father accept her as your adopted daughter, but your adopted granddaughter? Especially your father seems to be still in his prime, right?"
He's not an old man in his 70s or 80s, why are you rushing to be the grandfather of a girl who is the same age as his biological daughter
Sheng Lanci had prepared this question a long time ago, so Sheng Weiqiao answered calmly at this moment: "The main reason is that it was not long after my brother recognized his ancestor and returned to the family. My father was afraid of being misunderstood and offending her biological mother's honor, so he deliberately lowered her A generation ago. Furthermore, she used to have some connection with my brother, and she used to call him 'uncle'."
Mentioning Sheng Suihe, Zhao Taozhuang smiled and said: "Brother yourselves and Prince Ningwei, do you think they are talking to my brothers from the front? Although I didn't see them in Danmo Tower that day, I thought I would come to Chang'an at this age. Participating in Chunwei will definitely be outstanding."
"My father said he would just let them come to watch the show, but he didn't expect anything." Sheng Weiqiao and Xu Caikui hurriedly said humbly on behalf of their elder brothers, "It is true that your family has inherited poetry and calligraphy and has a long history of family education. If the two brothers can gain some literary talent today, I’m so satisfied!”
While they were talking, they had already reached the flower house in front of them. As Mrs. Qin had just said, this flower house was made of glazed bricks, so that the sun could shine directly, but wind, rain, and snow could not enter.
Opening the door, there are lush flowers and trees inside. Various flowers that should have bloomed in spring and summer, under the urging of underground dragons, bloom brilliantly in this midwinter. Looking at the colorful flowers, the nose is fragrant and fragrant, setting off the scenery outside. The heavy snow falling is unique.
Sheng Weiqiao and the others were from Nanfeng County and had never seen snow twice in their lives, so there was no need for such a greenhouse in the garden. Looking at it now, they all found it very novel.
Zhao Taozhuang accompanied them and introduced them to the varieties and allusions of the flowers inside. When she was pointing at a cluster of orchids with shiny leaves and talking, she saw a piece of clothes not far away. When she looked up, she couldn't help being surprised and blurted out. Said: "Cousin, why are you here?"