Chen Tingjian and his son were like water and fire, and they would quarrel whenever they met, which made it hard for Chen Tingshi, who was waiting outside with his shoulders hunched.
Chen Tingshi has lived in the shadow of his brother since he was a child.
My elder brother was a genius. He passed the examination for a student at the age of nine, a scholar at the age of twelve, passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, and became the top scorer at the age of nineteen!
Chen Tingshi, however, had no talent for studying. He was not very smart to begin with. The more he was compared with his brother, the less he could concentrate on studying. In the end, he simply gave up and stopped striving for fame and fortune, and went to farm in his own fields! Although it was physically hard, no one expected him to study anymore, so Chen Tingshi felt particularly relieved, as if a big stone had finally been lifted off his shoulders!
Chen Tingshi, who farmed honestly, did not resent his brother because of those things. On the contrary, he admired and was grateful to his brother very much!
If his brother had not become an official, he and his mother's lives in their hometown would not have gotten better and better. If his brother had not become an official, he would not have been able to marry the most beautiful girl in the town!
"Brother, I was the first one to stand up, don't blame Jingzong."
When he came back in, Chen Tingshi advised with a guilty look, blaming him for standing up to greet his nephew and confusing the hierarchy, which resulted in his nephew being scolded instead.
Chen Tingjian waved his hand, not wanting to talk more about his own stubborn son.
Chen Tingshi looked at the letter on the desk again and asked anxiously, "Princess, is this letter to the emperor? Will he dislike our simple home?"
Chen Tingshi, who had been farming for most of his life, had never thought that a princess would live in his house!
The princess showed up very few times after she came, and she wore a veil every time. But just by looking at her figure and the blurred eyebrows and eyes under the veil, you can tell that she must be a fairy-like beauty.
Thinking that the princess would complain about her family to the emperor, Chen Tingshi's forehead began to sweat, and reading the two letters was like reading a death warrant.
Chen Tingjian looked at the words on the envelope for a while, stroked his chest-length beard and said, "You worry too much. The princess is sensible and will never waste time and effort on such trivial matters."
Looking at the princess's light and peaceful handwriting, and recalling what his wife said yesterday that the princess actually called her mother, we know that the princess is not dissatisfied with the arrangements at home, except for the fourth child.
Chen Tingshi believed in him. His brother had been like this since he was young and was confident in everything he did.
He stole a few more glances at his brother's beard.
Not only is his brother a million times more talented than him, he is also handsome. Not to mention his youth, he is now fifty years old and still very elegant. His long beard is smoother than a woman's hair, with each strand clearly visible, and does not make him look sloppy or bloated at all.
Do all officials in the capital like to wear this kind of beard
Chen Tingjian suddenly said, "I also want to write a letter to the emperor. Second brother, please go back first."
Chen Tingshi nodded, called the servant, and carried the two boxes of account books back.
Their family lived in the east courtyard of the Chen residence, and consisted of Chen Tingshi, his wife Qi, and their son Chen Jizon and his family of three.
Qi was sitting in the main room.
Like Sun, she only wore white mourning clothes and had no rouge or powder on her face. However, Qi was beautiful and good at taking care of herself. She didn't look like she was already forty years old. She had bamboo-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and she had the shrewdness and strength of a lady in charge. Usually, Chen Tingshi stood beside her, not like a husband, but more like a steward, obeying her orders.
Seeing her husband bringing the account book back, Qi curled her lips and smiled: "Brother, didn't you see it?"
Chen Tingshi sighed: "Brother believes in us and tells us to continue to manage it."
Qi drank her tea leisurely. After the servants left, she whispered sarcastically, "What do you mean believe it or not? My eldest brother is in the capital, holding a high position and a high salary. He has both rewards from the emperor and respect from the officials below. He simply doesn't care about our family's land and shops. If he is not in mourning this time, but is rejected by the emperor and loses his position, the first thing he will do when he returns is to fight with us for our property."
Chen Tingshi didn't like to hear this, so he reasoned with her: "Our family's ancestral property is only 50 acres of land. Now we have more land and several shops. It's all thanks to the money that eldest brother sends home every year. Even if eldest brother really wants to go back one day, it's what he deserves."
Qi: "Bah! He did send some money, but that was his duty to honor his mother, and it was just a small amount of money. If I hadn't carefully planned and chosen a piece of land today, looked around for a suitable location to buy a shop tomorrow, and racked my brains to make the money continue to make more money, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to get enough money for mother's medicine!"
Chen Tingshi: "You are lying with your eyes open. In the past thirty years, the amount of money that my elder brother sent home has added up to three or four thousand taels. This time before returning to Beijing, he sent another five thousand taels..."
With a "bang", Qi slammed the tea bowl heavily on the table.
Chen Tingshi's shoulders trembled and he looked over with a bit of fear.
Qi glared at him and said, "Let's not talk about the money I sent before. Most of the money I spent on taking care of my mother, repairing the house and increasing the family property was all for public use, and there was almost nothing left. Just take the five thousand taels I sent this time. More than half of it was spent on repairing the Siyi Hall for the fourth son and the princess. The step-out bed in the princess's room alone cost one thousand five hundred taels. You watched over the bed and it was sent here. Have you forgotten this? Did I cut corners in any way?"
Chen Tingshi hung his head. Siyitang was extremely expensive. Even the locust trees in the courtyard and the peonies in the flower beds were all famous products. He could not appreciate them, but he knew they were very expensive.
Qi: "Five thousand taels, more than half was spent on Siyi Hall, and the rest was all used for mother's grand funeral. In order to wait for my eldest brother to come for the burial, we bought so much ice alone. We also subsidized one thousand taels from the public account. How could he, a cabinet minister, not know this? It was obviously our two families who paid for the money, but you actually thought it was all paid by my eldest brother. You are so stupid, no wonder you can't even pass the examination to become a scholar!"
"Here, the account book is here. Every expense is clearly written down. Take a look for yourself!"
Qi opened a box, took out the account book on top, and threw it directly into Chen Tingshi's hand.
Chen Tingshi instinctively grabbed the account book but did not open it.
What is he looking at? Every time his wife spends a large sum of money, she has to tell him about it in his ear, and he almost knows it by heart.
He is a rough man, and it is indeed his wife who has taken care of everything at home over the years, including looking after the shop, repairing the house, and entertaining people.
The eldest brother provided the money and his wife provided the labor, but he was the only one who was useless.
"Forget it, let's not talk about it. Anyway, it's rare for Big Brother and his family to come back to stay for two years, so let's not quarrel over money. It won't look good if we get involved."
Qi sneered: "I didn't mean to quarrel, it's you who only have your brothers in your eyes and don't treat me as a human being."
Chen Tingshi sighed helplessly, and no matter what Qi said next, he would not retort.
.
Chen Tingjian was writing memorials in the study, Chen Bochong was studying, and Chen Xiaozong was responsible for teaching his sons and nephews their lessons. The three of them, father and sons, all had something to do.
Only Chen Jingzong was trapped in a small courtyard, feeling extremely bored.
The bow and arrows for yesterday were already made, and he still wanted to go into the mountains.
"I may not be back until dusk. If the old man comes looking for me, you can find an excuse to help me get away with it."
Carrying a bow and arrow, Chen Jingzong came to the side room to discuss with Huayang.
He was dressed in grey cloth, and if you looked only at his figure and not his face, he looked like a mountain hunter.
In the past, Huayang didn't like him running to the mountains every day, as it violated the etiquette of mourning and was considered as not doing his job properly.
Now I don't want to care about these things, and I think it's a good idea for him to go to the mountains. Diligence makes one proficient, while laziness makes one lazy. Hunting is also a way to practice martial arts.
This is the only skill he can boast about. His martial arts have been completely wasted, which is even more embarrassing to watch.
"Go ahead, but be careful not to let anyone recognize you." Huayang reminded while flipping through the book.
Chen Jingzong looked at her contented expression and his look became strange again.
When she first moved in, she was like a canary locked in a cage. Although Yinhua did not struggle desperately, her face was full of reluctance to be trapped.
How come it changed overnight
"Aren't you bored staying here all day?" Chen Jingzong was not in a hurry to leave. He sat opposite her and asked.
Huayang looked out the window and said calmly, "I'm used to it."
The palace is a big cage, the Chen residence is a small cage, and the Princess’s mansion is neither big nor small, but it is also a cage.
So what if she is a princess? She is just like all other women in the world and can only be trapped in the inner house. At most, she can go for a stroll on the streets or visit other people's houses for banquets.
The only difference is that as a princess, she has the best food, clothing and other necessities in the world and does not have to worry about money.
Chen Jingzong couldn't understand what she was thinking, but he could tell that if she had a choice, she wouldn't want to stay at home all day.
Thinking about this, Chen Jingzong asked, "Perhaps, you can go into the mountains with me? We can go there every few days to relax."
Huayang's heart moved slightly, but he gave up the next moment.
There are also some mountains near the capital. When she traveled, there were guards in front to lead the way, and palace maids and nannies behind to surround her. The mountains in the suburbs of Beijing are beautiful, and the stone steps for climbing are neatly paved. However, the mountains behind Shiqiao Town are nothing but wild trees and mixed forests. Chen Jingzong's shoes and trouser legs would be covered with mud every time he came back, which shows that the roads inside are just ordinary dirt roads.
Plus there might be snakes and insects in the mountains...
Chen Jingzong did not force it. Before leaving, he said, "If you feel like it one day, just tell me."
Huayang looked up, but his figure had disappeared.
.
Without Chen Jingzong, Siyi Hall seemed even quieter. After a while, the clear and orderly sound of children reading could be heard from the school in the main house.
Huayang sat under the shade of a tree in the yard and couldn't help but think about what his nephews and nieces looked like.
Including the baby in his second sister-in-law Luo Yuyan's belly, Chen Jingzong has a total of three nephews and two nieces.
Huayang is not a person who likes children very much, but Wanyi, the niece of Chen Jingzong's eldest brother, is sweet and well-behaved, and has always been to her liking.
An eight-year-old girl is just beginning to learn needlework.
My eldest sister-in-law, Yu Xiu, comes from a poor family and may not have any good things in her hands.
Huayang called Zhu'er and said, "Go to Guanhe Hall and tell the eldest lady that I miss the eldest lady. If the eldest lady is willing, please come here to eat at noon today."
Zhu'er went to Guanhe Hall immediately.
Yu Xiu was sewing summer clothes for the children. When she saw the princess's younger brother and sister-in-law sending their maids over, she quickly put down her work and came out to greet them.
Zhu'er smiled and conveyed her master's words.
Yu Xiu was flattered and responded in a panic, "Okay, go and tell the princess that I'll ask Wanyi to come over and pay her respects as soon as she comes back."
Zhu'er bowed and left.
Yu Xiu was still standing under the eaves in a daze.
Chen Bozong walked out of the study.
Yu Xiu saw her husband, walked quickly to him, and said nervously: "Why did the princess think of asking Wanyi to go over there? Wanyi is clumsy, don't accidentally break the things over there. I heard that the princess uses things given by the emperor..."
Chen Bozong frowned and said, "Wanyi is already eight years old, how could she be clumsy? Don't be so nervous as to belittle the child."
He looked the most like Chen Tingjian, and had the most similar temperament as well, being dignified and serious. After being scolded, Yu Xiu turned pale and lowered his head.
When Chen Bozong saw this, his brows furrowed even deeper, knowing that her cautious nature was unlikely to change, he said no more and went back to his room to continue reading.
Yu Xiu was depressed for a while, but then she thought of the princess and went to prepare herself, taking out the best clothes she had brought for her daughter when she came to Lingzhou this time.
Around noon, the children came back.
Yu Xiuxian took her daughter into the house to change clothes. When Chen Bozong saw this, although he did not agree, he did not say anything more, in order not to ruin his wife's appetite and make her unable to eat later.
"Dad, Mom, I'll go over there then." Wanyi said with a smile.
Yu Xiu: "Go ahead, but don't talk nonsense when you are around the princess."
Wanyi smiled and walked away briskly.
Yu Xiu looked at her daughter's back and felt a little envious: "She is really brave. When I met the princess, I didn't know where to put my hands."
Chen Bozong lowered his eyes and drank tea.
The five-year-old Dalang was obedient and he was not afraid of the princess's fourth aunt. It was just that the fourth aunt seemed to only like the sisters and never invited the boys over.
Siyi Hall.
Huayang guessed that Wanyi was coming, so he stood at the door of the main room waiting. When the eight-year-old girl walked into the yard with a sweet smile, Huayang's eyes softened.
When the Chen family was exiled, Wanyi was just fourteen years old, just the age of a budding flower. Huayang could not imagine how much suffering she would endure in the bitter and cold border area.
"Aunt Si, you've lost a lot of weight."
Since the old lady was buried, Huayang has never left Siyi Hall. After such a long time, Wanyi immediately noticed the changes in her.
Huayang smiled and said, "This is my first time in Lingzhou. I am not used to the climate there, but it will be fine after a while. How about you? Are you tired of studying?"
Wanyi shook her head: "I'm not tired, it's just that Third Uncle seems to be very hard-working. By the way, why don't you see Fourth Uncle?"
Hua Yang pointed to the inner room and said nonsense: "He is taking a nap in there. Let's eat first and ignore him."
Wanyi was surprised. Fourth Uncle was too lazy. He was still sleeping in the noon. How could he have the nerve to do that!
Wanyi glanced at the inner room quietly. In front of the princess, she even wanted to blush for her fourth uncle!
Huayang saw it and laughed secretly.
Who can you blame? Since Chen Jingzong refuses to stay at home honestly, don't blame her for making such an excuse.
With a lovely little girl by his side, Huayang ate lunch with gusto. After the meal, he asked Chaoyun to take out a silk handkerchief she had prepared and give it to Wanyi.
There was a lifelike peony embroidered on the handkerchief, and a colorful butterfly flew over and was about to land.
This was embroidered by an embroiderer in the palace. Her needlework was exquisite, and with Yu Xiu guiding her, Wanyi was able to benefit greatly from learning from her.
"What a beautiful handkerchief, thank you, Fourth Aunt!"
Wanyi loved this gift so much that she held the handkerchief in her hands tenderly, her dark and bright eyes filled with joy.
Huayang smiled and touched her head: "Go back and have some rest."
Wanyi hugged her coquettishly, then bowed and left.
Guanhe Hall.
Chen Bochong and Yu Xiu were both waiting for their daughter. Yu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief when she learned that the princess had given her daughter an exquisite handkerchief.
Chen Bozong didn't look at the handkerchief and asked casually, "How do your fourth uncle and the princess get along?"
He wanted to know if his fourth brother had curbed some of his indecent habits.
Speaking of Fourth Uncle, Wanyi showed a look of disappointment: "I haven't seen Fourth Uncle. Fourth Aunt said he was still sleeping in."
With a "puff" sound, Chen Bochong almost vomited the tea he had just swallowed.
Yu Xiu was also incredulous. The children didn't dare to sleep in for so long, so how could the fourth brother...
"How disgraceful!" Chen Bozong put down his tea bowl, unable to hide his anger.
Yu Xiu and her mother looked at each other and walked away tacitly.
Chen Bochong decided to discipline his increasingly mischievous brother.
In the afternoon, he sent a maid to Siyi Hall to invite his fourth brother over.
The little maid ran back with a complicated look on her face: "The princess said that there was a mouse in Siyi Hall last night. The fourth master spent the whole night catching mice and is still asleep. If you have anything to do, he will come to see you after he wakes up."
Chen Bozong: …
(End of this chapter)