Hu Shanwei

Chapter 71: One is a fairy flower in Langyuan

Views:

Does Hu Rong love his daughter

Love. He is not a perfect father, but in this era, he is more competent and reliable than most fathers.

Hu Rong was only in his early twenties when he was widowed. He was born into a wealthy family, was handsome, elegant, had a small fortune, and had a business mind. Matchmakers for him almost trampled down the door to the Hu Family Bookstore.

There were too many cases of stepmothers abusing their firstborn children. Hu Rong was worried about leaving his young daughter to be taken care of by others, so he simply rejected all matchmakers and lived with his daughter. He planned to wait for his daughter to grow up, prepare a generous dowry for her, carefully select a good family for her to marry, fulfill his responsibilities as a father, and then consider his own life event, marrying a stepmother and having a son to continue the Hu family bloodline.

In the feudal era when the mainstream concept was "There are three unfilial acts, and the worst is to have no offspring", Hu Rong did not marry a second wife and have a son when he was in his prime, and he did not even have a concubine. He also withstood the pressure of many gossips from the outside world. Being both a father and a mother, and having to run a business, Hu Rong shouldered all the pressure alone.

Everything went smoothly at first, until his carefully selected son-in-law Wang Ning died in battle. His daughter refused to remarry and insisted on staying at home as a widow. She even took extreme action by waving a paper cutter to drive away the official media. Under all the pressure, Hu Rong collapsed.

He began to reflect on himself, wondering if he had failed in educating his daughter. He thought that teaching his daughter to read more books would make her wise, but his daughter developed a proud and fierce personality. Was he too good to his daughter, making her feel that being married was not as comfortable as being at home

In a hurry, Hu Rong married his second wife, Chen. Chen came from the market and was a practical person who knew how to live. Hu Rong hoped that Chen could influence his daughter and break her unrealistic fantasies about love and chastity, and get her to marry a man, have a few children, and live a stable life.

But reality hit him hard again. It did not develop as he had controlled, but got out of control again and again. Until now, his daughter pointed a paper cutter at him, forcing him to completely give up the idea of marrying her off.

Hu Shanwei sat on the Luohan bed, twisting her body in a resistance posture, with her back to Hu Rong crying, and choked up and said, "Father, please don't kneel. Your daughter can't bear it."

Hu Rong stood up. After not seeing his daughter for a year, he seemed to have grown taller and stronger. She was no longer as thin as before. He could not see his daughter's whole face, but only a hint of red on her cheek. This was not the color of rouge, but a natural glow.

Hu Rong said, "I'm leaving now. You should stay in the palace and take good care of yourself."

Hu Shanwei still had his back to his father and said, "Father said in the letter that he had bought me real estate and land, but that's not necessary. I have everything in the palace, including a salary. The palace manages the female officials for life, so even if I retire from the palace, my annual salary will remain the same, enough for my old age. In addition to the salary, there are also various rewards, but it's not good to take things from the palace out, so as not to bring trouble to the family. I will take out half of the annual salary and send it home, once a year."

Hu Shanwei put a bag of silver on the table and said, "This is from last year. Father, keep it. You can take it with you to drink tea and listen to opera."

Hu Rong refused to accept it. "You have entered the palace as a court lady, and your family is exempted from taxes and labor service. Your situation is much better than that of ordinary people. These are enough."

Hu Shanwei said, "Now that there is a new member in the family, it would be better to have more money."

The father and daughter who used to depend on each other and were very close, now the only topic they can talk about is money. Isn't it sad

Hu Rong hesitated for a moment, took the silver, and turned to leave.

If I don't take this money, my daughter will be upset.

He took it and felt upset.

Hu Rong eventually forgot all the bad things his daughter did and just wanted her to be well, so he took the silver.

Only when he could no longer hear his father's footsteps did Hu Shanwei suddenly stand up, turn around, and chase after him. He stood in the corridor, watching his father's receding back until he completely disappeared.

Mu Chun and his father Mu Ying had already confirmed in their eyes that they must have been enemies in their previous lives. So he could not understand Hu Shanwei's hidden reluctance and entanglement in the corridor.

Mu Chun said, "Sister Shanwei, if you want to talk to father for a few more words, I can catch him back."

Hu Shanwei: “…”

Many times, the Muchun who keeps his mouth shut is the best Muchun.

In the fourteenth year of Hongwu, on May 5th, it was the Dragon Boat Festival.

Playing ball and shooting willows on the Dragon Boat Festival is a nomadic custom left over from the Yuan Dynasty. Emperor Hongwu believed that it was a "military show of force", so he kept it. Every year on the Dragon Boat Festival, playing ball, shooting willows, and dragon boat racing are indispensable. This time, he wanted to take this opportunity to choose a son-in-law, and this was the best excuse.

In order to allow these young talents to compete freely and show their talents, Emperor Hongwu specially divided them into two groups. One group was civil and military ministers, and the other group was royal relatives. Everyone competed on their own. In this way, the young candidates would not be restrained by concerns about the face and safety of the crown prince, princes and others.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the prince consort could hold military power and become an important official in the court, unlike the previous prince consorts who could only hold sinecure positions, so everyone let go and gave it their all.

Mu Chun is a godson and is not considered to be of royal blood, so he is assigned to the group of civil and military officials.

This is the only game that Mu Chun does not want to win, but he cannot deliberately let her win and embarrass Princess Huaiqing, so he has to lose gracefully, showing his style and level.

This is very difficult, it’s better to win.

Similarly, the youngest earl of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ning, the Earl of Yongchun, and Muchun had the same idea: neither wanted to win, nor did they want to lose deliberately.

The first game was polo. Wang Ning and Mu Chun drew lots. Wang Ning was on the blue team and Mu Chun was on the red team. They each had a red and blue cloth band tied on their forehead to distinguish between friend and foe.

When enemies meet, they are especially jealous of each other.

Wang Ning and Mu Chun both clenched their bats tightly. They didn't want to play basketball, they just wanted to hit people.

Sparks flew and murderous intent filled the air as they looked at each other.

During the confrontation, the Emperor and Empress arrived. Wang Ning and Mu Chunfang retracted their gazes, dismounted and respectfully welcomed the Holy Emperor.

The emperor and empress sat on the throne. Beside Empress Ma stood several pairs of female officials, among whom was Si Yan Hu Shanwei. The female official standing beside Hu Shanwei was none other than Princess Huaiqing in disguise!

Muchun grew up in the palace, so of course she knew Princess Huaiqing. She winked at her and made a face. Huaiqing responded with a smile. She was supposed to sit behind the beaded curtain with her mother, Concubine Sun, to watch the game, but she felt that she couldn't see clearly through the curtain, so she changed into a female official's clothes and stood outside to personally select the future prince consort.

When Hu Shanwei saw Mu Chun with the red cloth strip and Wang Ning with the blue cloth strip, he immediately turned his gaze away, his eyes looking at the nose and his nose looking at the heart.

She knew that the two were just there to act as extras and to put on a show, but she still felt uncomfortable.

Huaiqing, like many young girls waiting to get married, had beautiful visions and expectations for her future marriage. She touched Hu Shanwei's elbow and said, "Hu Siyan, who do you like?"

Hu Shanwei said in official language, "The people carefully selected by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Bureau each have their own strengths. In my humble opinion, all of them are good."

As for the son-in-law, the best one among the good ones should be chosen, the one who best suits the interests of the Ming royal family. Not to mention a mere Hu Shanwei, even Princess Huaiqing herself cannot make the decision.

Huaiqing knew it very well, as she had been instilled with this concept since childhood. She was a princess of the Ming Dynasty, and the interests of the Ming Dynasty came first in everything. Moreover, her father loved his daughters, and the fact that princesses of the Ming Dynasty did not have to marry off to pacify the border had already set a precedent. Throughout the dynasties, only princesses of the Ming Dynasty did not have to marry far away.

For example, when the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were negotiating and proposed a marriage between the two countries, Emperor Hongwu creatively issued an order to his second son, Prince Qin, to marry Wang, the sister of Wang Baobao, the Prime Minister of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and he did not agree to marry the princess to the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

Therefore, Huaiqing is already very satisfied. No matter who she chooses, it will not affect her life's wealth and glory.

Huaiqing looked at these candidates with a critical eye, just like carrying a basket to the vegetable market to buy vegetables. He could only buy one kind, so he was naturally picky. This one was too short, that one was too tall, this one was too dark, that one was too white, as if there was some deficiency. That one's riding posture was not good, like a monkey. That one was cheating in hitting the ball, too cunning...

There is also Xu Zengshou, the beloved youngest son of Duke of Wei Xu Da and the most famous dandy in the capital. He has a red cloth tied on his head and is in the same camp as Mu Chun, but he seems to be sleepwalking throughout the whole process. While others are playing polo, he is playing "dodgeball" - he hides when he sees the ball, for fear that the polo ball will hit his face and ruin his appearance.

Perhaps he felt Princess Huaiqing's gaze, Xu Zengshou, who was yawning idly on horseback, turned around and looked over, his mouth opened as wide as possible, as if he could swallow the whole roujiamo.

As the chief dandy in the capital, Xu Zengshou was even more shameless than Muchun. He met Princess Huaiqing's eyes with his mouth wide open. He did not feel embarrassed at all and even smiled foolishly at the princess.

Princess Huaiqing was about to vomit her overnight meal. She thought that it was a good thing that the Xu family had three princesses, which was enough to win over Xu Da, the Duke of Wei. Her father would never waste such a big bargaining chip as the princess and make Xu Zengshou his son-in-law.

Not cost-effective.

As he was thinking, a polo ball as big as a goose egg was hit and flew straight into Xu Zengshou's big mouth, but Xu Zengshou was so focused on looking at the princess that he forgot to close his mouth. Just when he was about to perform the act of swallowing the polo ball alive, his teammate Mu Chun rode up on horseback, swung a bat, and hit the polo ball away with one blow, acting like a "hero saving a bear."

Xu Zengshou realized it later and broke out in a cold sweat. The monkey on the horse shouted, "Thank you, Chunchun."

Mu Chun hated being called by his childhood nickname the most, so he cupped his hands, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and said, "Shou Shou, you're too polite."

Mu Chun's help to Xu Zengshou was definitely not a paper-thin friendship between the two of them. There is no friendship between playboys. Instead, Mu Chun had a ulterior motive. Xu Zengshou was good for nothing, but he had a great father, Xu Da, Duke of Wei. If Xu Da had not been supporting and cultivating him during the Northern Expedition, Mu Chun would never have had such a good opportunity to be rewarded.

When his father Mu Ying went to war, he would rather take his second son Mu Sheng with him than his eldest son Mu Chun. He never gave Mu Chun a chance, and in the end he even despised Mu Chun for "not having accomplished anything."

So to Mu Chun, Xu Da was like a reborn parent.

For Xu Da's sake, Mu Chun also has to help Xu Zengshou.

In the stands, Duke of Wei Xu Da looked at Mu Chun with admiration. The Western Route Army led by Mu Ying in the Fourth Northern Expedition also won the victory, but the army was still on the way back to Beijing and had not returned yet, so it did not appear in the stands.

The first game is over and we are taking a break.

Xu Zengshou ran to the stands and shamelessly asked his father Xu Da: "Dad, how did I perform?"

He was sleepwalking the whole time, when did he ever show it? Did yawning count

Xu Da, the best father in the world, affirmed his youngest son, "Not bad, remember to protect yourself in the second round and don't be distracted again."

What it means is that if you want to hide, hide farther away.

It was already very hot in May. After a strenuous exercise, Mu Chun gulped down a pot of tea and felt that the cool tea leaves had turned into aged vinegar. She was deeply jealous of Xu Zengshou: Why are they both fathers, but why is there such a big difference? Other people's fathers are always better.

At this moment, he caught a glimpse of Hu Shanwei looking at him from the corner of his eye, and his mood suddenly improved. He deliberately pretended to be heroic, tilted the teapot suddenly, and drank only a small part. Most of the tea flowed down from his lips and poured all over his body. In order to facilitate playing polo, he wore a single-piece, narrow-sleeved, round-necked robe. At this time, the front of his clothes was soaked with tea, tightly sticking to his undulating muscles, clearly outlining his eight abdominal muscles.

Muchun's move was so cool that the contestants around him followed suit, each one more heroic than the other. They splashed water on themselves under the pretext of drinking water. Those who knew understood that today was the Dragon Boat Festival, while those who didn't thought it was the Water Splashing Festival.

Mu Chun looked at the competitors who were about to burst their clothes, and immediately tasted the feeling of "shooting oneself in the foot": You bitches! Won't you pollute Sister Shanwei's eyes later!

Mu Chun regretted what he had done and glanced at Wang Ning. Wang Ning did not splash water on him but sat quietly to rest.

Mu Chun secretly cursed Wang Ning again: You are so cunning. You don't splash water when others splash water on you, just to make yourself stand out and make Sister Shanwei see through you at a glance.

Throwing water on someone is mean, not throwing water on someone is treacherous.

This is a distortion of human nature and a decline in morality. Mu Chun, who is burning with jealousy, thinks no one is a good person.

After a short break, the second game begins.

Muchun was like a mad dog. He forgot about hitting the ball and about the red and blue teams, and specifically caught the "bitches" with large wet body areas and launched indiscriminate attacks, especially those contestants whose pants/crotches were wet. He held on to their horses, or collided with them in various ways, making small movements all the time, and was on the verge of committing fouls. He tore the "bitches" off the horses' backs. Falling off the horses was considered a failure, and they automatically withdrew from the competition and disappeared from Sister Shanwei's sight.

Mu Chun's meddling provoked the contestants, who were originally polite and testing each other, to become angry. They all showed their true abilities and played polo with the same fighting spirit.

Mu Chun was cautious and did not touch Wang Ning. It would be fine to have a fight with Wang Ning in private, but don't touch Wang Ning in front of Sister Shanwei.

The situation became intense and the game started to become exciting.

On the wind chair, Queen Ma praised: "Mu Chun is very brave today."

Emperor Hongwu comforted him: "A tiger father will have a dog son. Mu Ying is like his father."

Hu Shanwei heard this and thought to herself that it was fortunate that Mu Chun was far away and did not hear this. After being thankful, she could not help but observe Princess Huaiqing beside her.

Fortunately, the princess's eyes were not on Muchun.

However, when the royal family selects a son-in-law, they mainly consider the interests of the Ming Dynasty and have nothing to do with the princess's personal likes and dislikes.

Hu Shanwei had been in the palace for more than a year. After a brief period of confusion, he began to calm down and analyze the current situation: Mu Ying was not only the godson of the emperor and empress, but also the most outstanding adopted son. In addition to the interests such as the title of marquis, Mu Ying and the emperor and empress had a deep relationship, comparable to that of their own children. Mu Ying, a talented general, had been firmly bound by family affection and the interests of the title of marquis.

There was no need for Emperor Hongwu to waste a princess to tie Mu Ying down, just as Xu Zengshou was destined to never become a royal consort. The Xu family had three princesses, which was enough to bind them together.

Besides, Mu Ying didn't like his eldest son Mu Chun at all. If Mu Chun married the princess, Mu Ying might not be happy...

This must be the case, Hu Shanwei thought.

Just as he was thinking about it, the situation on the polo field changed again - Mu Chun was "asked" to leave the field and suspended because of his outrageous number of fouls.

Fortunately, his father, Mu Ying, Marquis of Xiping, was not there, otherwise he would have been so angry that he would have vomited blood on the spot.

Mu Chun didn't score a goal in this game, but he enjoyed beating people and was able to avoid being selected as a consort, so he was happily sent off. This not only demonstrated his strength, but also did not offend Princess Huaiqing, and he could also cleverly avoid being selected, which was the best of both worlds.

Muchun was temporarily out of "danger". There were still competitors such as Wang Ning on the field. Wang Ning's blue team scored seven goals, and the red team also scored seven goals. Due to Muchun's mad dog-like indiscriminate attacks, there were currently five people on the blue team and three people on the red team - yes, Muchun "bite" the most people on his own team.

Seeing that the hourglass was about to run out and the last ball would decide the outcome, everyone's "hands and feet" were getting more and more dirty. Only Wang Ning always adhered to the rules and did not break the rules. A player from the blue team swung a baseball bat at Wang Ning's horse's legs. Wang Ning controlled the reins and directed the horse to lift its legs and jump back to avoid the attack.

Wang Ning was furious. This was his beloved horse and his closest comrade-in-arms, who had saved his life on the battlefield, and yet someone had murdered his beloved horse.

Wang Ning was determined to teach his opponent a lesson. He swung the stick and hit the ball, which hit his opponent's bun accurately.

Wang Ning's calculation was very accurate. The wooden ball would only knock off the opponent's hair and embarrass him, but would not take his life.

Sure enough, the wooden ball knocked the wooden hairpin off the opponent's bun, causing the bun to come apart and become disheveled. A wig made of a ponytail also rolled out from the center of the bun.

It turns out that this man is handsome, but he is bald.

The heroic Wang Ning rode past this man on horseback. One was a fairy from heaven, the other was bald. If there was no such thing as fate, why did he meet him again in this life? Ah... Ah... Ah!

The author has something to say: The last sentence "Langyuan Xianba" comes from the theme song "Wang Ningmei" of the 1987 version of "Dream of Red Mansions". It was not written by me. My writing skills are very poor and I can't write such a beautiful sentence.

100 red envelopes will be given out tonight. There is also a 100-point big red envelope question.

This chapter "This is a distortion of human nature and a decline in morality. The jealous Mu Chun sees no one as a good person." This is a line from a famous CCTV program "This is a distortion of human nature and a decline in morality." May I ask, what is the name of this program:

a Moral Observation b Today's Statement c Sa Beining Time d Legal Lecture Hall