The next day, Chu Baning, Ananda and Wen Liang went to General Zhao's mansion to pay New Year's greetings.
The group seemed to be a friendly visit during the New Year and did not attract any special attention.
The General's Mansion is two streets away from the Chengshou Mansion, and it only takes about a quarter of an hour to walk there, which is not too far away. After lunch, they set off.
When he came to the gate of the general's mansion, he saw He Chengshou and his wife waiting in front of the gate of the general's mansion from a distance, waiting for the gatekeeper to report to him.
"Prince, Concubine, military advisor, you are here." He Chengshou and his wife stepped forward to greet them, but they did not salute because they were outside.
Chu Baning waved his hand, signaling that they don't need to perform such hypocrisy.
Ananda pursed his lips and smiled at them, nodding in greeting.
Several people were exchanging greetings when the gate of the general's mansion opened, and the old slave who guarded the gate opened the door and respectfully invited them into the mansion.
The area of the General's Mansion is not as large as that of the City Guard's Mansion, and the layout is extremely simple and modest. It can be seen from the decoration that General Zhao Geng is not a person who likes extravagance. He probably spent most of his life in the military. In the middle of the war, I am used to killing the enemy immediately and the battlefield changes rapidly, so I don't enjoy much material enjoyment.
The steward of the general's mansion came out to greet them in person, until behind the main hall, steward Zhao retreated his servants outside, and said to Chu Baning and others with a sad face: "My lord, I am sorry that the general cannot come out to greet you in person. .Because a few days ago, the general's old illness relapsed, and he has been lying in bed for several days."
Both Chu Baning and He Chengshou showed solemn expressions, Chu Baning and Wen Liang exchanged glances, Wen Liang smiled and said to the butler: "Butler, let's go and see the general first."
The housekeeper nodded, looked up at the two female relatives, bowed and made a gesture of invitation, and then led them to General Zhao's bedroom.
A group of people walked through the corridor and courtyard, and soon arrived at General Zhao's bedroom.
The indoor layout is also simple, because the earth dragon is burning, everyone feels a burst of hot air mixed with the smell of medicine as soon as they enter. Surprisingly, there are not only maids serving in the outer room, but also several beautiful women, who are sitting together and chattering, seeming to be arguing, the mess looks like a vegetable market . If it hadn't been confirmed from Steward Zhao that this was General Zhao's bedroom, they would have thought they had gone to the wrong place.
In this situation, not only Steward Zhao's complexion became rare, but even Chu Baning and others also showed displeasure.
The people in the room were stunned when they saw Butler Zhao bring a group of people in, and their voices stopped abruptly. Although they didn't know the identities of the young man and woman walking in the front, they did recognize the city guard couple behind them. And seeing that the butler was respectful to the man walking in front, he had already knelt down in a hurry, only the two stunned heads watched, and knelt down belatedly.
"You guys..." The housekeeper looked ugly, and wanted to scold something, but because of his status, he couldn't behave properly, and the cold weather made his head sweat.
These women are General Zhao's concubines. At this time, General Zhao is sick, but they are arguing in General Zhao's room like no one else. This situation is normal, but now they are seen by the guests, making the housekeeper blush with a square Chinese character. Get flushed. Ever since the general's old illness relapsed and he couldn't get out of bed, these concubines relied on their identities to boss around in the mansion, and even ran to the general's bed to cry about some trivial matters, which often caused General Zhao a headache. Like now, these concubine servants came here again because of some trivial matter. Because the general is not in good spirits and doesn't bother to care about them, these few people insist on telling good or bad here.
This kind of thing has happened several times in the past few days. Now that the guests see such an ugly situation, Butler Zhao can only feel ashamed, thinking that he is incapable of managing it.
"The distinguished guests are here, what are you still doing here?!" Butler Zhao hurriedly shouted, trying to drive them out.
The women looked at it, and one of them mustered up the courage to ask: "Housekeeper, who are these..."
Their behavior of ignoring orders made Butler Zhao look ugly, but he still said: "This is King Su and Princess Wang, and they are here to visit the master."
When the few women heard this, they showed a little panic, but there were also bold ones who secretly raised their eyes to peek. They had heard about King Su, but because they were all concubines in the general's mansion, it was inconvenient for them to meet men easily, so they had never seen the legendary prince. Although it was just a glimpse just now, the young, handsome and dignified Yongzheng man is still impressive, especially after hearing that he is Queen Su, I want to take a closer look.
However, when his eyes met a pair of serene and serene eyes, the concubine who was peeking couldn't help but yelled "Ah—", and the whole person was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground and trembled.
ok, so scary...
"You guys step back!"
The butler was anxious and angry, and asked the maids to drag these women down, especially the woman who was so frightened that she collapsed on the ground, and was almost carried away by the maids.
Ananda and Wen Liang looked familiar with Chu Baning's frightening behavior, He Chengshou and his wife looked a little surprised, only the housekeeper of the general's mansion probably felt ashamed and angry.
Due to the early death of General Zhao's wife, there has never been a decent hostess in the General's mansion, and the inner house is all taken care of by Miss Zhao's nanny. Zhao Qihua's nanny was originally the confidant of General Zhao's wife. After the general's wife passed away, General Zhao was afraid that his only daughter would be wronged, so he handed over the inner house to the nanny to take care of. This nanny is also a scheming woman. Over the years, she has not only managed the general's mansion in an orderly manner, but also tidied up all the concubines in the mansion. No one can surpass the young lady.
However, because Zhao Qihua was ordered by Chu Baning to go back to her hometown to get married, the nanny was worried about the young lady who had been underestimated since she was a child, so she went along with her. For a while, the general's house was gone without the nanny's suppression and Zhao Qihua's whip. The minds of a group of concubines who had been overly suppressed became active, and all of them wanted to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to seize the housekeeping power. And although Steward Zhao in the General's Mansion is a confidant of General Zhao's, and he is used to fight in battles, but he really can't manage the inner house, which makes the General's Mansion more and more shameless.
After a group of women left, the air seemed to be a little fresher.
Housekeeper Zhao looked wide, and respectfully invited the group into the inner room.
Since Ananda and Mrs. He were female relatives, it was difficult for them to enter a man's bedroom, so they stayed in the outer room and waited.
Entering the inner room, there is only one maid serving there, and a bowl of medicine is warming on a small stove next to it.
"Housekeeper." Seeing the people who came in, the maid recognized He Chengshou and Wen Liang, and immediately stepped forward to salute, "Lu Liu has seen some adults."
"Green Liu, is the general awake? The prince, the city guard and Wen have come to visit the general."
"Not yet..." The servant girl said with some embarrassment: "It's time for the butler general to drink the medicine, and the servant girl is also thinking about whether to wake up the general."
"this… "
Butler Zhao also looked hesitant. He didn't expect that the general was still awake at this time, and the distinguished guest couldn't let the prince wait. However, since the general's illness, he has been in poor spirits, and such drowsiness is normal.
Thinking about it, Housekeeper Zhao said to Chu Baning and others apologetically, "My lord, Lord City Guard, and Lord Wen, the general has been in a bad mood for a while, and sleeps from time to time, and usually when he is in a coma. Much, sometimes hard to wake up…”
Chu Baning nodded, "Wufang, let's sit for a while and wait for the general to wake up."
Housekeeper Zhao hurriedly asked the maid to make tea, while he himself waited for orders.
"Steward Zhao, what did the doctor say about the general's condition?"
Butler Zhao said truthfully with a bitter face: "The doctor said that this is the root cause of the disease caused by the battlefield in the past. I can only rest and rest, and I can't work any more. If I continue to work hard, the general may, may..." Butler Zhao's voice choked, I can't say any more.
Although he couldn't say it clearly, everyone already knew it.
The situation is more serious than imagined.
For a while, the room was very quiet.
After the maid made the tea, the maid named Luliu used to check on General Zhao, but seeing that the person on the bed had opened his eyes, he couldn't help calling out in surprise: "General, you're awake."
Hearing this, Chu Baning and others also stood up and walked over.
Steward Zhao lifted the sluggish General Zhao up, General Zhao was taken aback when he saw Chu Baning and the others, and then smiled wryly: "The prince is so tired that he is worried about the old minister, sorry that the old minister is sick and can't get up to greet him now. "
"It's okay, how does the general feel?" Chu Baning asked with concern.
General Zhao smiled wryly, "I'm old and useless." As he spoke, the vicissitudes of life showed on the face of this titan on the battlefield. General Zhao's temples were already grizzled, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have deepened during this sudden illness, and his normally burly figure was not as tall as he thought. However, the firmness between his brows let them know that he was still that heroic man who stood upright on the battlefield.
"General..." Wen Liang and He Chengshou couldn't help calling out emotionally.
At this time, the maid brought the medicine warm on the stove, and General Zhao drank it without frowning. Although his face was a little tired, his spirit was much better.
"However, please rest assured, my lord!" General Zhao showed determination, "As long as I have a minister here, I will not let the North Vietnamese step into the territory of our Great Chu! Plunder a grain of millet from my people!" General Zhao naturally Knowing what they were here for today, and although he was entangled in old illnesses that drained his body's energy, but failed to drain his will, he was still that iron-blooded man.
Chu Baning smiled, "General, I believe in you. However, at this time, I still hope that the general will take care of your health. Tongcheng cannot live without you."
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. The minister will."
The next few people chatted for a while, and saw General Zhao's tired face, so they left with a sense of humor.
Leaving the general's bedroom, Chu Baning personally went to a doctor stationed in the general's mansion to inquire about General Zhao's condition, and the answer he got was not much different from what Zhao steward said, and even more detailed, let several people know The situation is not optimistic.
No matter how firm a person's will is, no matter how great his ambition is, it can't withstand the cripple of illness.
General Zhao's condition is not suitable for being a general anymore.
After understanding the situation, several people bid farewell to the general's mansion.
Before leaving, Chu Baning gave Steward Zhao a death order with a serious face, and no one should go to the general for various reasons to harass him to recuperate from his illness. Steward Zhao naturally knew the so-called origin of King Su's order, so he couldn't help but blushed and promised again and again.
After leaving the general's mansion, the men did not go back directly to the mansion, but went to the barracks. Ananda and Mrs. He watched them leave with worry on their brows.
Ananda had nothing to do for a while, so he went to Chengshou Mansion together with Mrs. He, and did not return until evening.
Back at the mansion, Ananda was not surprised to find that Chu Baning and Wen Liang hadn't returned yet.
*************
In the next few days, both Chu Baning and Wen Liang left early and returned late, and sometimes Chu Baning came back after Ananda fell asleep, and then she was quickly awakened by his movement of getting into the bed with a cold air.
After being woken up by him, Ananda didn't have time to get angry, so he was hugged directly into his arms again. The man put his chin on the top of her head and hugged her silently. Ananda knew that he had a lot of things on his mind, so he made himself a very submissive little wife, let him hold her quietly, and fell asleep slowly. Ananda doesn't understand politics, although she vaguely understands what will happen if General Zhao's illness is not good, but she was born in this era, in the eyes of the world, women are just accessories of men, so she wants to say something I don't know what to say to comfort him.
A few days later, on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, people came from the capital again.
"Doctor Wang, Doctor Sun?"
Ananda stared wide-eyed, looking at the two old imperial doctors who had gone to work and the two young and beautiful girls, not knowing what was going on.
Doctor Wang and Doctor Sun were the imperial doctors who were specially rewarded by the emperor to King Su's mansion shortly after she got married in order to prevent her from "all kinds of deaths" like the folklore. Ananda really didn't expect to see them appearing in Tongcheng this New Year's day. Could it be that he set off from the capital a few years ago? Do they need to make such a fuss
What made Ananda even more confused was the two young girls who came with the two old doctors. Looking at the clothes, they didn't look like ladies or maids, and they were all beautiful and beautiful. Trek, so complexion is not very good.
Of course, there is another reason why Ananda pays more attention to them. They are not as respectful to her as the two imperial doctors. , but there are also some manners.
When Ananda heard that they were sent by the Queen Mother, Ananda was not surprised.
The Queen Mother will definitely know that Chu Baning did not return to Beijing for the New Year due to injury. Although the queen mother likes to make things difficult for others, she also loves her youngest son very much and wants to give him the best things in the world. Hearing that his son was injured on the battlefield, he probably jumped up and down. Ananda felt that, according to the empress dowager's temperament, it was nothing to send two imperial physicians here, and the two women who didn't look like ladies or maids were the most important thing.
"Princess Wang, these two girls are medical girls from the imperial hospital, they are the two sisters of the Yao family." Imperial doctor Wang treated Ananda when she was newly married and passed out. A young girl said, "Princess, don't look at them young, they are the most talented sisters in the Medical Women's Bureau, and they are also young ladies from the Yao family."
Ananda heard the words, his eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded with a smile.
Although Wang Taiyi's words were an introduction, they also revealed some information to Ananda. Ananda knew that because of the needs of the times, some concubines who were not favored by the aristocratic families would be sent to the palace's medical women's bureau as medical women. When they reached their age, they could choose to stay in the palace or leave the palace to marry. Generally, the medical women who stay in the medical women's bureau can be supported by the imperial court for life, and usually treat the nobles in the palace and the wives and ladies in Beijing. And those who choose to leave the Medical Women's Bureau and go out of the palace, the palace will also reward them with some dowry for them to marry on their own. However, most medical girls enter the palace at the age of ten, and they have to serve the palace for fifteen years before being released. The age of twenty-five was considered an old girl in ancient times, so when the average medical girl reaches her age, she will no longer choose to leave the palace to marry, and will usually stay in the medical women's office to be supported by the court.
And the two female medical sisters in front of them don't seem to be more than sixteen or seventeen years old. The elder sister is Yao Yiren, who is charming and romantic, with a pair of charming eyes that are so soft that water can drip, and the flirtatious coquettishness revealed by Gu Pan makes people's hearts go cold. As for the younger sister Yao Keren, seeing her gave Ananda a sense of familiarity. Yao Keren's facial features are extremely delicate, but there is still some baby fat on his face, which looks round and smooth, very lovely, and there is a little beauty mole under the corner of his mouth, which adds a bit of cuteness.
Ananda accepted their salute, and when he listened to his self-introduction, he couldn't help but scrutinized him carefully, then clicked his tongue inwardly, and thought to himself: Not only are these two people from the Yao family, the Queen Mother's own family, but they also look so beautiful. I feel like half of my soul has been hooked away.
Moreover, the young ladies of the Yao family are all very precious, and the queen mother was so willing to send two of them at once... Ananda only thought for a while, and then understood what the queen mother meant by sending the two sisters here, and his head was instantly covered with black lines down.
Since it was the queen mother's order, Ananda couldn't say anything, so he asked them to take them down to arrange a place to live.
After they all left, Ru Lan's originally calm face suddenly darkened, and Ru Cui also looked aggrieved.
"Empress Dowager, what do you mean by this? It's okay to send a medical girl, why did you send two little girls? Especially that Yao Keren, who is obviously a copy of Miss, and looks even better than the original one, It's so unreasonable!!" Rucui groaned for Ananda, then turned her head and said to Ananda: "Miss, you have to guard against that Yao Keren in the future, she is not a good thing..."
Ru Lan frowned, and said cautiously: "Indeed, this Yao Keren is very similar to the princess in terms of body and smile, so we really have to guard against it."
Listening to what the two said, Ananda finally understood why he felt that Yao Keren was familiar before, wasn't he somewhat similar to himself now? Except for her own facial features, she is not as exquisite...
Ananda's heart twitched a little, thinking that the Queen Mother's move was quite clever.
First of all, they are medical girls. No matter how much Chu Baning doesn't like them, he will not send them away this time, because there are very few doctors in Tongcheng, and even fewer women who are good at medicine, so it is much more convenient to have them. Secondly, one of them is flirtatious and charming, and the other is pretty and charming. If the flirtatious and flirtatious cannot seduce Chu Baning's heart, they can also send Yao Keren, who is similar to her princess, to perform seductive techniques...
Summary: The Empress Dowager stuffed people over from a thousand miles away!
"Miss, did you listen?"
Rucui's dissatisfied voice pulled Ananda back from his thoughts, and Ananda blinked at her.
Rucui thought that Ananda was worried about the existence of the two medical girls, so she couldn't help but relieved: "Miss, don't worry, although those two people can poke you half to death if they stand in front of you, but their little goblin appearance, we Someone as serious as the prince will never like it. And that Yao Keren is only similar in appearance, and his demeanor is far from yours!"
The corner of Ananda's mouth twitched slightly, why is this girl so honest and hurtful every time she comforts someone? I really want to gag her!