Being brothers, of course you have to stab your brothers twice. Zhu Zhanhe reminded: "What you want may not be what Sister A Lei wants. Sister A Lei may not like you."
Zhu Zhanji's blood was boiling at this moment. For the first time in his life, he put himself at the center and faced his own heart. He was very confident about feelings. "Of course A Lei likes me."
Zhu Zhanhe: "Oh? Why do you think so?"
Zhu Zhanji: "I always say stupid things to her and do stupid things, but she always forgives me and never bears grudges. If this isn't love, what is it?"
Zhu Zhanhe was not convinced, "Sister A Lei treated me the same way."
Zhu Zhanji shook his head, "Alei treats us two brothers differently."
Zhu Zhanhe: "What's the difference?"
Zhu Zhanji was too lazy to argue with his silly cousin. "It's different anyway. Go to sleep. You continue to train the troops next year. I will go back to the palace to persuade Grandpa Huang to agree to let the young army fight the Japanese pirates. The task is arduous."
Zhu Zhanhe was no longer sleepy and pulled his eldest cousin up, "Please explain clearly, how can I sleep like this?"
Zhu Zhanji's lanky body was pulled apart by Zhu Zhanhe like a noodle. Zhu Zhanhe instantly turned into a noodle-pulling chef at Haidilao, swinging his cousin around. Zhu Zhanji was tormented so much that he couldn't fall asleep, so he simply got up and began to plan a battle against the Japanese pirates.
At the same time, at Hu's house.
At dawn, Are put down the drawings, took off his glasses, stretched, blew out several candles, and then removed the curtains covering the doors and windows. From the outside, her bedroom was pitch black, and no one could tell that she was working late inside.
Emperor Yongle did not urge her, but after she learned about the selection from Hu Shanwei, she decided to quickly make the watch that Emperor Yongle ordered, and then...
In the morning, Arei was going to work in the palace with Hu Shanwei. After washing up, she looked in the mirror and found that her eyes were dark circles due to lack of sleep. Arei took out powder from her dressing table to cover the dark circles. Since the powder was a little white, she simply put on makeup for the sake of facial coordination.
After putting on makeup, her face immediately lost its childishness and became delicate and beautiful, somewhere between a girl and a woman.
A Lei missed having breakfast with Mu Chun and Hu Shanwei because of putting on makeup. Mu Chun put breakfast in a lunch box and asked her to eat it on the way so as not to go hungry.
In the carriage, Arei looked radiant, but his tired eyes could not be concealed. He was drinking a bowl of red bean dumplings.
Hu Shanwei noticed something was wrong with his daughter, and recalled that this symptom had started since he heard the news of the talent show yesterday. Hu Shanwei was a veteran who had won two love affairs. A Lei had always been protected by him and his wife, and she rarely had contact with other men. The only two people she had frequent contact with were her two childhood sweethearts from Old Zhu's family.
Hu Shanwei had a vague guess and asked tentatively, "What's wrong with you? You look down. You even put on makeup today."
A Lei was calm and composed. "The watch has hit a bottleneck and is stagnant. I am very anxious. I kept thinking about how to overcome the bottleneck last night. I couldn't sleep because of it. I fell asleep at dawn. When I woke up in the morning, my eyes were dark circles. I was afraid of losing face in front of the palace, so I put on makeup to cover it up."
Hu Shanwei would not believe A Lei and asked, "Is that all? It has nothing to do with the talent show?"
"It has nothing to do with the draft." A Lei finished his red bean dumplings and rinsed his mouth with tea. "There will be no draft. I will never participate in a draft in my life."
Hu Shanwei pursued him relentlessly, "You are free, but the Zhu brothers are not. They want to marry and have children, so you must know how to avoid suspicion. In the future—"
"Sister." A Lei interrupted Hu Shanwei, "Sister, do you believe me?"
I don't really believe it. Hu Shanwei felt guilty, but on the surface she still wanted to be a tolerant mother, so she said hypocritically, "Of course I believe you."
Girl, don't get involved with the Zhu brothers. Our family must return to Yunnan together.
Alei bowed his head and said, "I know what my sister is worried about, but I know what I want even better. My sister and brother-in-law gave me freedom that others don't have since I was a child. They allowed me to pursue my interests and hobbies, isolated me from the prejudices and constraints of the world on women, and always let me make my own choices. I know that what you gain, you have to lose. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Life is about making various choices."
"Sister, you have to believe me."
My daughter has grown up.
Hu Shanwei looked at Arei steadily. As a concubine of three dynasties, she had seen all the prosperity. Even as an emperor, she could not have everything and had to make choices.
The choice between giving up and giving up is a lifetime, and also the lives of others. When her fiancé Wang Ning chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of the country, he changed his life and also changed Hu Shanwei's life.
Now it's Are's turn to make a choice.
Hu Shanwei stopped asking questions and said, "I believe you."
This time it's the truth.
Only children keep asking for things, while adults know that if they want to get something, they have to exchange it with something else, and there is a price for everything.
When it comes to making choices, sometimes it doesn't hurt at all, and sometimes it's heartbreaking.
Are has made his decision.
Arriving at the Palace Clock and Watch Manufacturing Bureau, Are handed the drawings he had revised overnight to the technician who was grinding the gears, and then went to the Imperial Household Department to find Zheng He, the highest-ranking eunuch in charge of the seal.
Zheng He returned from his voyage to the West last year and presented a tribute of the mascot Qilin (giraffe), which shocked the Ming Dynasty. Along with the fleet came envoys from more than 20 countries including Java and Ceylon. They spent a year in the Ming Dynasty, enjoying good food and drink. Emperor Yongle bestowed gifts and various edicts of enthronement, established diplomatic relations, and asked eunuch Zheng He to sail to the West again and send the envoys from various countries back home.
The fleet was ready, but it was summer now and there were many storms at sea. The southeast monsoon and ocean currents that prevailed in summer were not conducive to sailing to the West. It was necessary to wait until the end of the year when the northwest monsoon started to blow at sea before setting sail. Therefore, Zheng He's voyages to the West usually set sail in autumn and winter and returned in summer.
In order to wait for the monsoon and ocean currents to change and to have a smooth journey, the eunuch Zheng He stayed in the Silijian for a few days.
Are started to dress up as a eunuch and do chores for Zheng He when he was eight years old. Hu Shanwei and Zheng He knew each other during the Qin/Wangfu incident and they became friends for life. Zheng He and Are both admired natural sciences and liked to explore the unknown, so they hit it off immediately and became friends regardless of age difference.
Seeing A Lei coming to the Imperial Household Department, Zheng He put down the nautical chart in his hand and said, "Oh, Miss Hu, you are honored to be here. The Imperial Household Department is honored."
Arei got straight to the point and asked, "Eunuch Sanbao, can I have a ticket for the trip to the West this autumn and winter?"
Zheng He was stunned, then he closed the doors and windows and asked, "What happened? Even Lady Hu couldn't protect you? If there is anything I can do for you, just ask. Walking away won't solve the problem."
Why does Arei look like he's about to run away
A Lei said, "The world is so big, I want to see it. But I am afraid that my sister and brother-in-law will miss me, so I think what could be safer than the fleet of Sanbao eunuch? So I came to ask Sanbao eunuch for a ticket. It's not in vain to ride on your ship. I can measure, arithmetic, and understand the structure of ships. In the past year, I have made clocks with those Western missionaries. I can speak Dutch and English. I am useful."
Are is a talented person.
Hu Shanwei and Mu Chun protected their daughter in the palm of their hands. They worked together to isolate her from the secular constraints on women, allowing her to display her talents and grow wildly to her dazzling appearance today.
This era forced women to regard marriage as a lifelong career. In order to break this iron rule, Hu Shanwei stole her household registration and applied to become a female official. She supported herself as a court lady, making her one of the very few lucky people in the Ming Dynasty.
And Arei is the luckiest of the lucky ones. Her talent proves that women have more than just the path of being female officials. Women are not weak. As long as they are given a tolerant environment, women can also do things that traditionally are believed to be only men can do, such as science.
Eunuch Zheng He admired his talent and bowed his head and said, "I will give you a ticket."
A Lei was overjoyed, "Doesn't the Sanbao eunuch mind me being a woman?"
Zheng He laughed and said, "I am still a eunuch. Eunuchs have a bad reputation, even worse than women. Both the secular world and history books think that eunuchs are rootless people, they must be mentally abnormal, and they only know how to flatter and fawn. Whenever there is a tyrant king, there must be a beauty who seduced the king, and a bad eunuch who made trouble. It is women and eunuchs who blinded the king's eyes. The king is innocent. Haha, I don't care about these prejudices. Eunuchs are also mortals. There are good and bad ones. How can we classify them all the same?"
How can we judge a person's character based on whether or not he has an organ three inches below the navel
Zheng He's efforts and talents in overcoming prejudice were no less than those of Hu Shanwei and A Lei, so they felt a sense of mutual respect.
A Lei said: "The clock I made for the emperor is almost finished. After presenting the clock, I will set off for Liujiagang, Taicang, Jiangsu, to participate in the repair of the sea ship. In winter, I will wait for the eunuch to set off with the diplomatic envoys from various countries."
Nanjing is not near the sea, so every voyage starts from a coastal port. Most of the ships gather at Liujiagang in autumn. The huge fleet sails southeast, docks in Quanzhou, waits for the monsoon and ocean currents to change, and then immediately starts the ocean voyage.
Zheng He wrote a warrant and stamped it with his personal seal, "Here is your ticket, take it."
Arei took it carefully and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Sanbao."
Arei had a plan in mind, and he worked almost day and night to push forward the progress of the clock. Zheng He gave Arei a boat ticket, thinking that he had to tell others about this.
Parents, don't think that he has kidnapped someone's precious daughter.
So Zheng He told Hu Shanwei who was busy with the talent show.
Hu Shanwei was shocked when he heard this. He guessed the reason why his daughter did this, but he didn't show it on his face. He said, "Thank you Sanbao for your help. This is A Lei's long-cherished wish. Besides, the ticket she earned with her own ability can help the Ming fleet. There is no need to cause trouble for the eunuch Sanbao. I support her."
Zheng He nodded and asked, "What about Lord Mu?"
"He..." Hu Shanwei thought, Mu Chun would definitely be reluctant to let go, but I will convince him. My daughter's reasoning is not as simple as "the world is so big, I want to see it". It is very difficult to make this decision and choose between the two. She has given up some precious things.
"He will agree." Hu Shanwei said. Mu Chun is a cheerful father. He will be entangled and worried, but he will also give his daughter freedom.
Zheng He said: "That's good."
I really envy Are for having such parents.
Hu Shanwei knew that A Lei would definitely race against time to make watches, so he suppressed his surging emotions and did not disturb A Lei's concentration. When they got off work and went home together in the evening, he asked A Lei in the carriage: "The choice you mentioned this morning is to give up the Zhu brothers and follow the eunuch Zheng He to the West to avoid the embarrassment of the selection and marriage?"
No need to guess, it must have been eunuch Zheng He who talked about the ship ticket.
However, Arei had the boat ticket in hand and food in hand, so he was not panicked and no longer had to hide her plans from her sister. "Well, we grew up together as childhood sweethearts. They are children of the royal family. The future path has been planned long ago. We have been together for more than ten years. The talent show was a fork in the road. We have been strangers since then."
Hu Shanwei asked: "Who do you like? The Crown Prince or the Prince of Han?"
A Lei made a decision, and Hu Shanwei wanted to know what his daughter thought.
Arei must have fallen in love with someone, otherwise she would not have had to leave the capital and follow Zheng He to the West, waiting for everything to return to peace.
Zheng He's round trips to the West usually took about two to three years. By the time A Lei returned, it might be just in time for the Ming Dynasty to move its capital to Beijing. By then, Hu Shanwei would officially retire and his family would move back to Yunnan.
By that time, Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe had both become fathers. Childhood sweethearts and the like were all just memories.
A Lei smiled reluctantly, "Only children make choices. I'm an adult now, and I... don't want it."
Not wanting does not mean not liking it.
A Lei didn't want to say it out loud, she was not a spoiled and willful lady who was loyal to herself in everything. A Lei knew that her mother felt sorry for her for giving up her naive love, and in addition to pursuing freedom, she was considerate of Hu Shanwei and didn't want to embarrass her mother.
Without it, it won’t hurt, and the mother will feel less heartache and guilt.
In Hu Shanwei's opinion, the Zhu brothers are both excellent men and worthy of A Lei, but a man who is at the center of interests is definitely not a good match.
Hu Shanwei was a palace lady for three dynasties and had seen too many marriages that ended in tragedy.
There were couples who started from scratch and built a foundation together, such as Emperor Gaozu and Empress Ma Xiaoci. But Empress Ma Xiaoci only regarded being an empress as a job in the end.
There are young couples who fall in love at first sight and stay together forever, such as Emperor Jianwen and Empress Ma. However, after becoming emperor and empress, the couple gradually drifted apart and their vows were no longer fulfilled.
There were young couples who got married, and they rebelled together to seize the throne. The man went to war, and the woman defended the city. They cooperated well and loved each other for a lifetime, such as Empress Renxiao and Emperor Yongle. However, Empress Renxiao died of injuries in middle age, and Emperor Yongle spent the rest of his life missing the white moonlight in his heart, lonely and lonely.
Not to mention Prince An and Princess An, and Prince Dai and Princess Dai, the resentful couple who turned against each other. They were also young couples who once loved each other.
It would be best if Arei could end her ignorant love by herself. She is only sixteen years old. She will meet the right person in her life and get married for love.
When it comes to love, Hu Shanwei does not have the idea that women or men must be faithful to one person. From Wang Ning to Mu Chun, she has loved them deeply, tried her best to love them, and has no regrets.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Hu Shanwei knew A Lei's concerns and said, "Tell it out. Maybe you will feel better. It's not shameful to like someone. Besides, you will meet someone better in the future."
A Lei caught the loophole in Hu Shanwei's words and asked, "What do you mean by 'also met'? Has your sister ever liked someone else before?"
This... Hu Shanwei hesitated for a moment and nodded silently. He should set an example for his daughter, not to be trapped in a relationship, but to know how to get out of it.
Arei's eyes glowed like a cat at night, "Who is it? Does my brother-in-law know?"
It’s such a long story that Hu Shanwei didn’t know where to start.
Arena was not willing to let it go, and put forward a very tempting condition, "If sister wants to speak, I will tell her. If sister refuses to speak, I will say nothing."
It's fair to exchange people for each other.
Hu Shanwei asked: "Have you heard of Wang Zhenliang, the famous young talent in Beijing?"
A Lei nodded, "Princess Huaiqing's son often recites poems and composes essays at court banquets. The emperor likes this nephew very much."
A Lei's expression suddenly changed, "Sister, you... you two are about fifteen years apart in age."
Hu Shanwei poked A Lei's forehead fiercely. "What are you imagining? It's not him, it's his father, the Prince Consort Wang Ning. Wang Ning was once my fiancé. We were engaged when we were thirteen years old. If he hadn't participated in the Second Northern Expedition, we would have been married a long time ago."
Ale: …
It was so shocking that Arei seemed to be stupid. He kept silent all the way, and kept imagining the bloody and tortuous past events of Hu Shanwei, Wang Ning, Princess Huaiqing and Mu Chun in his mind.
Hu Shanwei shook his daughter who looked like a fool. "Hey, it's your turn. Who do you like?"
In order to comfort his daughter, Hu Shanwei was willing to risk his reputation and reveal his love history.
Arei was originally very sad, as his budding love was about to wither. However, in front of Hu Shanwei's complicated love history, he was like a towering figure. Arei felt that his troubles were as small as an ant.
How did my sister survive all those years
A Lei felt that there was no need to hide it, so he said frankly, "It was Brother Xiaoji. We grew up together, and he has been by my side since I can remember. At first, I didn't know whether I felt affection for him out of kinship, friendship, or love. The three were mixed together, and even I couldn't tell which one was more important. But yesterday, I heard my sister talking about the talent show, and he was going to get married and have children, and I..."
A Lei lowered his head. "I didn't expect that my first reaction would be to be jealous of his future wife. If I just regarded him as a relative and friend, my first reaction should be to bless him."
"On the way home, I thought back to the past when I followed my sister from Kunming to the capital. The next day I was going to the palace to see the emperor. I happened to have lost a tooth while changing my teeth, and I was very upset because I knew that I would meet my little brother Xiaoji again after a long time. I wanted to be beautiful, and it would be so ugly to talk with a gap in my teeth. If I was going to see Zhu Zhanhe, I wouldn't mind losing a tooth."
Since last night, Are confirmed what his feelings are.
That's why he wanted to escape and leave here by taking advantage of eunuch Zheng He's fleet.
Two years later, after returning from the voyage, the married little chickens probably had children, and those unspoken and naive loves naturally ended in vain. This was the best way.
Fortunately, I still have the ability to earn a boat ticket for myself.
Hu Shanwei hugged his daughter and comforted her, thinking that both my mother and I had lost our first love, was this what they call fate
The heart is uneasy and full of confusion. Living in this secular world, how many people can avoid entanglements
If you want to break up an infatuation that shouldn't exist, you must let it go.
"Sister, I'm fine." A Lei broke free from Hu Shanwei's embrace, "I'm hungry, and my brother-in-law is still waiting for us to have dinner."
Arei's real interest was not in drinking. After dinner, while they were enjoying the cool of watermelon in the green gauze cabinet in the courtyard, Arei asked Mu Chun, "Brother-in-law, is it true that my sister and Prince Consort Wang Ning have been engaged?"
Hu Shanwei was busy eating melons. She was planning how to talk to Mu Chun about Are's plan to sail far away, but she didn't expect that her daughter betrayed her first!
This girl! I felt sorry for her just now!
Wang Ning has been gone for more than ten years, but Mu Chun is still jealous. "Who told you that?"
A Lei pointed at Hu Shanwei, "Sister."
Mu Chun looked at his wife in disbelief.
Hu Shanwei pointed at A Lei and said, "She likes the Crown Prince. This year she will follow the eunuch Zheng He's fleet to the Western Ocean!"
The mother and daughter exposed each other and revealed each other's explosive secrets. There is really no mother or daughter when there is gossip, and they stab each other in the back.
"Y-you guys!"
Mu Chun looked at A Lei and then at Hu Shanwei. He didn't know which of these two annoying goblins to scold first.
But he loved them both so much that he couldn't bear to beat or scold them.
Mu Chun was so angry that he turned around, "Ah! I used to be known as the devil of the world, but you two couldn't make so much trouble! You you you—"
Mu Chun's fingers moved between Hu Shanwei and A Lei, undecided about who to speak first.
Hu Shanwei confessed, "I only like you and love you now."
After hearing this, Arei felt so upset that his teeth almost fell out, as if what he had just eaten was not a watermelon, but a bowl of vinegar.
Ginger is more spicy with age. Even though Hu Shanwei’s words may sound sour, it works.
Mu Chun smiled and stopped talking about the past with his wife. He placed his finger on A Lei's head and said, "It's your turn now. What's the matter with the Crown Prince and the voyage to the West?"
Arei is an open-minded person, and confessed the truth, "… That's it, I'll go out of the spotlight and come back. I don't want to watch him get married and have children - I want to close my eyes, out of sight, out of mind."
Mu Chun really couldn't bear to leave his daughter. "Why go to the West? Why don't you just go to the old house in Kunming?"
A Lei shook Muchun's arm and said coquettishly, "Brother-in-law, the world is so big, I want to go see it. I'm on the sea ship of eunuch Zheng He, I'm safe. I'm going to the West to get a unicorn for brother-in-law to play with."
Mu Chun raised his daughter as if she were his own father. As a "filial son", the first thing he thought of was to meet the needs of his daughter's father.
But when he thought about his daughter going to sea for two years, he really couldn't bear to let her go.
Hu Shanwei said, "Let her go. Try to think from her perspective. If you had watched me marry Wang Ning and reconcile, would you have felt bad and wanted to leave here—"
"You wish!" Mu Chun interrupted, "I won't leave. Even if you get on the bridge of flowers, I will still snatch you from the bridal sedan."
Arei widened his eyes: I didn’t expect you to be such a brother-in-law!
"Don't teach the child bad things." Hu Shanwei handed a piece of watermelon to A Lei, who was about to burst after eating so much watermelon. "You can't even imagine how bad your brother-in-law was when he was young. Don't pay any attention to him."
Mu Chun was so angry tonight that he let himself go, "Humph, if I wasn't a jerk, how could I marry you and give birth to A Lei."
Hu Shanwei covered A Lei's ears, worried that his daughter might be abducted, and yelled at Mu Chun, "Shut up! Stop it!"
Don't you have any idea how to give birth, Arei? Because sheep intestines and fish bladders are useless.
With his ears covered, Arei could only hear the buzzing sound. He thought to himself, weren't we supposed to talk about my voyage to the West tonight? Why are you two arguing
The author has something to say: This chapter contains two compulsory liberal arts exam questions about monsoon currents. After all, I'm not a devil, and I won't ask any questions since I just resumed updating the site. I'll just ask and answer them myself.
There will be more updates tomorrow. In this chapter, 200 red packets will be given away. You can get them by leaving a comment. Hello, good night, my darlings.
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Thanks to the little angels who cast [mines]: Mommy, Brenda, Xia~Taoyuan, Pingsemo, Shushui Chenghuan 1;
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