In the capital city not far away, there is a warm autumn sun.
The sun shines in through the slanted open coffin, Zhao Yanran is wearing a moon-white gown today, with a jasper-colored skirt under it, her hair is pulled up high, and her slender and beautiful neck is plated in the sunlight. A layer of velvet. Zhao Yanran was sitting under the window sill leaning on the mahogany table, sewing embroidered stretchers stitch by stitch in her hands.
Between her fingertips, the two colorful butterflies on the embroidered cloth came to life.
Fang Ling came in through the curtain from the outside, and took the hairpin and turned over the incense in the gilt copper incense burner in the corner. Only when she walked to Zhao Yanran, she screened off the redundant maids and maids, and took out a picture scroll from her sleeve.
"Ma'am, I asked for it in every possible way, but Aunt Lu finally gave it."
Zhao Yanran took the scroll unhurriedly and unfolded it slowly. When she saw the woman in the painting, her pupils shrank.
Like, really like...
The beautiful woman in the painting looks at the water, and seems to be playing by the lake. Her eyebrows are crescent, and her eyes are cut by water, reflecting the surging water waves, showing a dazzling splendor. What she wore was a brocade skirt with a dark-colored dark pattern, layered upon layers like clouds and mist, which made her look more sober and bright. On the contrary, the two carmine birthmarks at the end of her eyes became the finishing touch, adding a few strokes of coquettish beauty. It seems that the whole person is alive and agile, smiling brightly and movingly at the person holding the picture scroll.
Zhao Yanran couldn't help but squeeze the scroll, Fang Ling hurriedly said: "Miss, please be kind, don't break it. This is what Aunt Lu stole from the prince's study, and we have to pay it back after the lady has finished reading it. go back."
Zhao Yanran loosened her fingertips and smiled, "I know."
Fang Ling looked away, tilted her head and looked at it for a while: "Don't say goodbye, Madam, this Miss Meng is really similar to you."
Zhao Yanran sneered: "It's better that I be like her rather than me."
Fang Ling sensed the coldness in Zhao Yanran's mouth, and felt that it was a little different from the usual gentle and virtuous Zhao Yanran, so she shrank her neck and said nothing.
Zhao Yanran's fingertips slowly touched the pair of eyes of Meng Eqi in the painting: "Her eyes are really interesting, even in the painting, it's like a conversation."
"Isn't it? I heard from the aunties in the kitchen below. The reason why Miss Meng is highly regarded by the prince is because she is really not simple. She can take people's heads from thousands of miles away, and even take things from the air! Those aunties are amazing. , but the slaves don't believe it, how can there be such a miracle in the world?"
"Oh?" Zhao Yanran seemed to be intrigued: "There is still this one, so what's so strange about you..."
Fang Ling glanced at her complexion, and said eagerly: "How does the servant know. Madam, we should return the painting, Aunt Lu is still waiting."
Zhao Yanran slowly closed the scroll: "We keep this scroll. Later, the prince asked me if I had a way to fool me."
"Ma'am!" Fang Ling shouted in a hurry, "Aunt Lu is the prince's love, if we take it now, Aunt Lu will not be able to eat it if we give it to us, so you should let the servants send it back. "
"It's precisely because it's the love in my heart that I can't repay it," Zhao Yanran gave her a soft look, but when she came out, it made people feel a chill behind her: "Aunt Lu is just a slave, if she talks nonsense, let her do it again. Don't even speak."
Fang Ling shuddered, not knowing what to say.
Zhao Yanran asked her to put away the scroll, and looked at the beautiful autumn scenery in the garden outside: "It's been a long time since I saw Sanniang, you go and invite her over, it's just my newly-pressed Guizimi, she'll like it. "
In the Prince's Mansion, not far from the Prince Regent's Mansion, the Prince, who was dressed in a red-bottomed and obedient, was throwing a tantrum in his study.
"Damn Sheng Jiayan! For such a tricky thing for this prince, he didn't treat me as a brother to respect and love me at all! It's really abominable!" He threw the memorial that Sheng Jiayan gave him on the receipt to the ground, furious. Drank a cup of tea.
This year's harvest in Lushou County was problematic. Officials kept a backlog of grain, and people there began to flock to surrounding counties and counties hungry. Some are very hungry, and there will be looting of good houses. Officials in Lushou County turned a deaf ear, and they ignored the impeachment sent by the court, and even sent officials who were either killed or never mentioned it after returning to Beijing.
It was the prince who was in charge of this matter. The news that the prince's subordinates were doing bad things came to Sheng Jiayan's ears, but Sheng Jiayan scolded the prince. The tone in the book was very similar to their old father, and he almost made the prince kneel to read every sentence in the book.
Sheng Jiayan advocated that the prince himself go to Lushou County, and the original words were: "Anyway, you recruit cats and dogs all day long, and now the opportunity to travel is here, I hope you take good advantage of it."
The prince didn't want to go, the remote people in Lushou County were sturdy, and the officials were all dominant, so he **** Sheng Jiayan: "Can you not go?"
He also eloquently wrote two chapters of the reasons why he couldn't go, such as the queen's health is not very good recently, her crown princess may be about to be pregnant, and she really can't go away and other excuses.
Who knew that Sheng Jiayan read them and directly replied to them—
"No."
The prince clapped the table angrily, mourning constantly: "My prince is really embarrassed! This kind of thing even has to go to the prince himself, what do the people below eat! I usually feed them for nothing."
The doorman has been standing quietly, hearing what he said, he took the initiative to pick up the book and pat Fuchen, then bowed and placed it on the prince's desk: "His Royal Highness's words are not good, just because you are the prince, and your shoulders The important task is bigger. This is also easy to handle, you only need to send a trusted friend to represent yourself. The officials sent in the past did not have your token, and those officials in Lushou County are just as talented. Of course, it will not be taken seriously in front of you. But if you can hand over the East Palace token to your cronies this time, all the officers and soldiers in Lushou County will obey your orders. If those officials do not obey, they will be executed directly on the spot, regardless of the reason. If you kill one by this and set an example, there must be some people who are afraid to open warehouses and release food first."
After hearing this, the crown prince applauded fiercely: "Sir, what a plan! These darn scoundrels should have been killed long ago! I'll find someone to replace me!" Suddenly he thought of something, and said suspiciously: "The regent knows Won't you scold me?"
After all, it is terrifying for the regent to lose his temper. Although he is the elder brother as the prince, he still feels guilty when he thinks of Sheng Jiayan's angry face.
The doorman tried his best to hold the face of a worthy minister, suppressing the wild laughter that he wanted to burst out in his heart: "Why, you can do it without knowing it."
The prince nodded hesitantly: "That's the only way, since this is the case for you, go and handle it with full authority! You go to pick a suitable official to send to Lushou County, and then you follow along and supervise him for me by the way. So as not to do anything with my token."
The doorman put his hands forward to make a compilation, bowed his head and said respectfully: "It must live up to His Highness's expectations."
The prince leaned back on the Taishi chair with satisfaction. It turns out that this kind of thing is easy to solve! Thinking of this, he felt no more burden in his heart, so he lifted his robe and got up to go out.
"Where are you going?" the doorman asked behind him.
"Prince Concubine recently got a Peking Ba, which is less than a month old. It's so cute. I have to take a look!"
It's not wrong to invite cats to tease dogs.
…
In the city of Yangzhou, it is drizzling.
Meng Eqi snuggled up in the room, peeling off the special offering kumquats. Mrs. Lin stood behind her and pulled her hair on the temples.
"I've always wanted a daughter," Mrs. Lin smiled and pulled up her long hair, "Jing Xing is too naughty, not as caring as a daughter."
"You and Manager Lin are in their prime, so you can ask for another one."
Mrs. Lin's movements were very gentle: "No way. When I gave birth to Jing Xing, I had a difficult labor, and I almost closed it in one breath. After adjusting for more than a year, my body is better, but I can no longer give birth to my husband."
Meng Qiqi saw through the mirror that Mrs. Lin behind her looked regretful, she rubbed her face against Mrs. Lin's rough hand: "You are so good, I must be very happy to be your daughter. Jing Xing is also good, when he grows up In order to get you a gentle and virtuous daughter-in-law, the same is true."
When Mrs. Lin heard someone mention her son, she couldn't stop laughing.
"I don't know how long I'll have to wait, but sometimes I think about it, and I'm looking forward to it." Mrs. Lin took out a completely white hosta from her sleeve and reclined it in Meng Qiqi's hair: "Back then I was married to my husband. I rescued a brother Meng before, and he left a hosta as a token. I couldn't find it, but I hid it from you. At that time, I didn't know you well, and there were many people in the rivers and lakes knocking on the side. I've asked about the hosta, and I'm afraid this hosta will be troublesome, lest it lead to disaster."
"Young Master Sheng can see that he is not an ordinary Jianghu person. You and your group have accompanied and protected our family for so long. I don't think it is because of the expensive employment fee alone. I have observed it for a long time. Only this hairpin of unknown origin can attract a lot of attention from others. The surname of the person I rescued back then was Meng, and your surname is Meng, so I have the right to make a coincidence and give you the hairpin."
Meng Qiqi looked at the hosta in her hair in the mirror, her tentacles were warm, and it was actually a warm jade.
"We will be parting soon, and I don't know when we will meet again." Mrs. Lin touched the end of Meng Qi's hair lovingly: "I hope you and Mr. Sheng will eventually become family members. Every day wandering like this is for you, a woman. It’s really hard to come here, and I can settle down early when I go home. When I go back and give birth to a son for him, are you afraid that he will run around?”
Meng Eqi almost fell off the chair: "I don't have that kind of relationship with Gong... Gongzi."
How can this be mentioned as a biological child!
Mrs. Lin laughed a few times: "I haven't seen anyone in my life? I can tell at a glance if there is anything between the two of you. You don't understand your age, so I want to persuade you not to miss out on your good luck."