In spring, the mountains are lush with vegetation and there is no shortage of food. These hares and pheasants were very fat. At noon, the officials of the household department also took advantage of them and had a full meal of game.
In the afternoon, Yu Xiaocao basically had nothing to do, and she strolled around the Huangzhuang like a tourist. Like a tour guide, Zhu Junyang introduced the origin of this Huangzhuang to her.
In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, officials of the previous dynasty either died or fled, and the Zhuangzi owned by those officials returned to the court. Most of the recovered Zhuangzi were rewarded to meritorious ministers. And the Zhuangzi under the name of Chief Eunuch Cao of the former dynasty was the largest one at that time, with a total of more than 18,000 yuan. Such a big Zhuangzi, the Emperor Taishang didn’t want to reward others, so he used it as Huangzhuang, and the proceeds were directly owned by the treasury, and he sent trusted eunuchs to manage it. There were also Zhuangtou, officials, and family members in the Zhuangzi. The farming still depends on those experienced farm heads and tenants.
I just walked all the way, after all, there are only a few fields planted with corn and potatoes, and the rest are planted with spring wheat and rice. The soil in Huangzhuang is fertile and the crops are growing well.
In the evening, most of the corn and potatoes had been irrigated with the "potion", so Yu Xiaocao and his daughter returned to the General's Mansion in a carriage. Zhu Junyang didn't want to go back to face that disgusting Bala woman, so he had a dinner at the general's mansion, and stayed very late before going back.
Back in the mansion, Concubine Jing had finished washing and was about to go to bed. Regardless of Mei Xiang's and others' hints, Jiang Zixian chatted with her aunt with a smile like a flower, but her heart was anxious, and her eyes frequently looked outside the door.
Concubine Jing knew about the youngest son going to Huangzhuang to do business, but since he didn't come back at such a late hour, there was something wrong. She glanced at the absent-minded niece, and sighed in her heart: Maybe she was wrong, and she should not have softened her heart and agreed to her niece to stay.
In the past, when her son came back from Tanggu, he spent at least half of the day by her side every day. Even if he was not good at speaking, he often couldn't speak a few words all day, but she could clearly feel his closeness to her.
But yesterday when my son came back, he saw Jiang Zixian's expression as if he had swallowed a fly. He didn't say a word during the dinner, and hid out just after eating. It is said that he went to the study in the outer courtyard and played chess with his father for half the night. Today, he went out before dawn, and his hurried steps seemed to be chasing after him with a vicious dog.
Take a look at the self-ringing clock in the house, which is a rare item brought back by the youngest son from the West. It is very convenient to tell the time. Alas, it's almost ten o'clock, long past her usual rest time. But the youngest son has not returned yet, and her uninterested niece is still dawdling in her room...
"Zhuxiang, has the mother and concubine fallen asleep?" Just when Princess Jing was deeply regretting, the youngest son's deep voice sounded outside the door.
Jiang Zixian, who was sitting next to her, bounced off the chair all of a sudden, and seeing Princess Jing's surprised and dissatisfied eyes, she sat down again awkwardly, and said with a little embarrassment: "Auntie, Brother Yang's job is too hard. I'm coming back now..."
"The emperor trusts him, so he entrusts him with important livelihood matters such as planting corn and potatoes. Last year, due to natural disasters, many good seeds were wasted. If the planting fails again this year, the emperor will probably blame him..." Princess Jing said in a tone With a little worry.
Jiang Zixian rolled her eyes and said, "I think Brother Yang can hand over the errands, isn't there those officials from the household department? Brother Yang comes from a wealthy family and has never been in contact with farming. Why do you want to take on such a thankless job?" Errands?"
In her opinion, Zhu Junyang's management of Huangzhuang's experimental field was dealing with a group of mud legs. Self-declination is a disgrace to the gentleman!
Zhu Junyang was a little surprised to hear that his mother and concubine hadn't gone to bed yet. But after entering the mother and concubine's bedroom, and seeing Jiang Zixian lingering inside, Zhu Junyang understood everything, and was even more bored with this woman who would do anything to achieve her goals.
"Mother Concubine, why did you go to bed so late today? Didn't the imperial physician tell you? Your body can't stay up late, and you can't be too tired." As if that Jiang Zixian who blinked at him frequently didn't exist, Zhu Junyang's tone was slightly Complain and care.
"I'm not tired..." Before finishing her sentence, Princess Jing yawned big, tears overflowing from the corners of her eyes. She smiled a little embarrassedly.
"Brother Yang, it's all my fault. I chatted too speculatively with my aunt, and it's so late before I know it..." Jiang Zixian took the opportunity to come over, and looked at Zhu Junyang with wide eyes like a clear spring and a pool of water.
Zhu Junyang's face turned cold, and he scolded Mei Xiang and Lan Xiang who were waiting in the room: "Are you two dead people? If others don't know each other and don't leave, won't you push them away? What if something happens to the concubine mother's body?" The question is, can you bear it?"
"The county prince calm down, the servants know their mistake!!" Mei Xiang and Lan Xiang felt infinitely wronged. They reminded Miss Biao more than five times, but Miss Biao always changed the subject. The visitor is a guest, so it's not easy for them to chase people away, right
Jiang Zixian, who was standing one step away from Zhu Junyang, was so embarrassed that Brother Yang was too unsympathetic, and she was his cousin after all, why did she speak so harshly
However, Zhu Junyang still seemed to regard her as air, and said to the two maidservants: "I think you are the first offender, so I will let you off this time. If there is a second offense, you will definitely be severely punished and will not be tolerated!!"
Princess Jing saw her two maids kneeling on the ground shaking like frightened quails. Although she felt a little distressed, she also knew that her son was just making use of it to show Jiang Zixian.
"Thank you, Prince of the County!!" Mei Xiang stood up tremblingly from the ground, walked in front of Jiang Zixian with small steps, and whispered, "Miss Biao, it's time for your empress to go to bed, please come back tomorrow."
Jiang Zixian felt as if someone had slapped her on the face, the pain was burning, she had no face to stay here any longer, said goodbye to her aunt in a hurry, and left quickly. If it was someone else, how could he have the face to stay in Prince Jing's mansion after such things happened. But Jiang Zixian's desire to become a master was too urgent, so she stayed cheeky...
Concubine Jing looked at her niece's back, sighed softly, and said, "Girl Xian, Yuxue was cute when she was young, how did she grow up to be like this? Yang'er, don't worry, the concubine mother will find an excuse to send her away in a few days." go back."
"Concubine Mother, you are too. Keep all cats and dogs at home. If you feel bored, you can call Yue girl from my uncle's family to accompany you!" Zhu Junyang expressed his dissatisfaction in a small way.
Concubine Jing knew that the "Yue girl" her son referred to was the legitimate daughter of her mother's youngest brother's family. She was just nine years old, smart and sensible, very likable. The son said that girl Yue is a good one, so he must be right.
"Yang'er, you don't want to see girl Xian, is it because she is interested in you?" Princess Jing asked teasingly.
Zhu Junyang looked disdainful, and said: "If she simply fell in love with me, I wouldn't hate her so much. She is full of thoughts, and she also pretends to be ignorant and innocent, making people feel sick when they see her! "
Princess Jing wanted to say something for her niece, but remembering her son's special ability, she swallowed it again. After being silent for a moment, she said to her son who got up to leave: "I heard that Yu girl has come to the capital, and I will invite her to the palace as a guest some other day. I have been taking the medicinal recipes she gave, but I always feel that they are not in Tanggu. It works. If she doesn't mind, let her feel my pulse and see if I need to change the prescription."
As she spoke, she observed the details of her son's face. Sure enough, when she mentioned Yu's girl, the lines on his son's face softened, and his eyes seemed to warm up a lot. One thing down one thing, the son is considered to be planted in the hands of the little girl of the Yu family. well! How old is that girl this year? Eleven? It seems that I haven't figured it out yet! The son is not the kind who can coax women, he is so worried...
"Mother Concubine's health is important, so I'll go over there and invite people over tomorrow—Xiaocao has been thinking about you, Concubine Mother, and asked about your situation today!" Zhu Junyang couldn't help but stand in front of Concubine Mother Xiaocao said good things.
Concubine Jing glanced at him with deep meaning, and said, "I heard that Dongshan Village was the hardest hit by the locust plague last year. I don't know how the flowers and plants in that valley are doing. Will they be wiped out? Yang'er, our West Mountain How is the repair of the other courtyard? It would be great if you can escape the heat in summer!"
Zhu Junyang said: "The other courtyard has almost been repaired. If it hadn't been delayed by the locust plague last year, it should be able to live in at this time. Last autumn, the wolves went down the mountain. If it wasn't for his son who happened to be here, the Yu family would probably bear the brunt of it... Fortunately, a few days later... All ten wolves have been wiped out, and the wolf fur mattress my son brought back is Yu Xiaocao's filial piety to you!"
Princess Jing knew about the wolves in advance, and now she still has lingering fears after hearing it: "Living at the foot of the mountain, although it is convenient to dig wild vegetables and hunt wild game, it is also quite risky. Let your father send a team of guards to guard the others." Courtyard, if the Yu family has something to do, we can take care of it if we are close. Yang'er, are you busy with errands today, are you tired?"
"I'm not tired. I'll just follow along. The main thing is to rely on Xiaocao's potion... Concubine Mu, it's getting late, you should rest quickly. If you have anything to say, let's talk about it tomorrow." Zhu Junyang saw the face of Princess Jing. Feeling a little tired, he quickly helped her to lie down and covered her with a brocade quilt.
Princess Jing enjoyed her youngest son's rare thoughtfulness, she nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, the experimental fields in the two places have been planted, you should be able to stay in the capital for a while this time, right?"
Zhu Junyang thought for a while, and said a little slyly: "If there are no irrelevant people blocking my eyes in front of me, my son will spend more time with my mother and concubine in the mansion. If the mother and concubine is accompanied by someone, there are still some things on Tang Gu's side, and my son may Stay there until the mansion is clean!"