Guanhe Hall.
Chen Bozong talked with his father for a while in Chunhe Hall and brought back a stack of red paper.
The red paper is the cut Spring Festival couplets paper, just waiting for the owner to write auspicious black words on it.
When Chen Tingjian was young, he liked to write Spring Festival couplets by himself. Now that his sons have become fathers, Chen Tingjian has handed this task over to his two sons who are both literary men. This year the eldest will write, and next year the youngest will write, and they take turns.
Dalang ran over to watch his father writing.
Chen Bozong glanced at Yu Xiu: "Why isn't Wanyi here?"
Yu Xiu smiled and said, "She went to Siyi Hall. The princess is looking for her."
Chen Bozong didn't ask any more questions.
He stood at this side of the table while Dalang ground ink for him. Yu Xiu continued to sit on the couch and do needlework. The silk in her hand was the one that her mother-in-law had just awarded her a few days ago. Yu Xiu picked out a color that her mother-in-law could wear, and she hurried to make a jacket for her before New Year's Eve.
The three of them were quiet, causing Wanyi to think that only her mother was in the room. Looking at the Shu brocade jacket on her body, the little girl, who was at the age of loving beauty, stood outside the curtain of the second room a little shyly and a little happily. After a pause, she pretended to open the curtain as if nothing had happened.
As soon as she took one step inside, Wanyi was stunned.
Chen Bozong looked towards the door, his eyes fell on his daughter's new jacket, then looked at his daughter's shy face. Chen Bozong smiled and asked, holding up the pen, "Did the princess give it to you?"
Wanyi nodded nervously.
She still remembered the day her grandmother sent several rolls of silk, and her mother took out two rolls to make new clothes for her father. Her father was not very happy, saying that he had not worn the two new sets made for this winter.
Chen Bozong praised his daughter: "She is very pretty."
Wanyi was not so relieved. She looked at her mother on the couch and explained in a low voice: "I declined from Fourth Aunt. Fourth Aunt asked me to wear it when I go out with her in the future. If Fourth Uncle hadn't come back suddenly, I would have changed out of this one before coming back."
Yu Xiu's eyes were gentle: "Since it was given by the princess, you can wear it with confidence. However, the material is too precious. Take it off first, be careful not to damage it."
Wanyi nodded, said goodbye to her father and mother, and went back to change her clothes.
Chen Bozong said to Dalang, "You should go back too."
Dalang left obediently.
Yu Xiu put down her needle and thread and came over to help her husband grind.
Chen Bozong said as he wrote: "The princess loves Wanyi, that is Wanyi's blessing, but the princess can do whatever she wants, but we should not be too ostentatious, you can explain this to Wanyi again."
Yu Xiu looked at the words he had just written and said softly, "I see."
The night the emperor issued the reward, her husband told her about the situation in the court.
It is true that the Emperor and the Empress value my father-in-law, and my father-in-law's new laws are beneficial to the country and the people, but they are not welcomed by other officials.
Take the performance evaluation system for example. Officials at all levels could have been perfunctory, making minor matters trivial for the people, flattering their superiors and paying them tributes, making their official duties easy and comfortable. However, the imperial court strictly evaluated the performance of officials. If they did not do their job well, they would be fined, lose their position or even their heads. It was like having another whip on their heads that could whip them at any time. Naturally, those cunning officials were unwilling to do so.
The laziness of local officials was the result of indulgence by higher-level officials step by step. When my father-in-law proposed the new law, he was also telling the emperor that the officials in the Ministry of Personnel were a bunch of good-for-nothings.
Now that my father-in-law is in a glorious position in front of the emperor, other officials are eager to suppress him. The simplest way is to keep a close eye on my father-in-law and everyone in the Chen family. Once someone makes a mistake, a big one is best, but even a small one can be reported to the emperor, so that the emperor will distance himself from my father-in-law little by little.
The Chen family has always been frugal, so if they suddenly wore Shu brocade to show off, they would be suspected of being arrogant.
.
On New Year’s Eve, the Chen family gathered together for a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner.
Huayang glanced at his father-in-law several times.
In the past six months, his father-in-law has been away early and back late, so Huayang actually has very few opportunities to see him. The more this happens, the easier it is for Huayang to notice any changes in his father-in-law.
Tonight, Huayang noticed that his father-in-law's hair, which was jet-black when he was in Lingzhou, was now covered with silver strands and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had become deeper.
Huayang lowered his eyes, feeling a little sad.
Worrying and working too much will accelerate a person's aging. It would be fine if other officials were willing to cooperate with my father-in-law, but those people wanted to go against me and tried every means to force me to give up. Although my father-in-law had the support of his father, the emperor, he still had to face endless troubles and obstacles in the early stage of implementing the new law.
In his previous life, my father-in-law had a hidden illness and lost a son while he was busy with state affairs. If he hadn't been too tired and in pain, he wouldn't have passed away in his fifties.
Compared with Huayang's complicated emotions, Chen Tingjian is very happy this New Year.
He did not care how those officials impeached or rebelled against him. As long as the emperor and the prince stood on his side and he was the chief minister of the cabinet, the officials under him had to listen to him and act according to the new laws even if they were unwilling.
As long as the new law can be implemented, the people can live in peace, the treasury can be full, and the court has money to pay the soldiers, everything else is not worth mentioning.
After the banquet, Huayang and Chen Jingzong went to Siyi Hall first.
This street is inhabited by dignitaries. Some of their houses were setting off fireworks, while others had hired opera troupes. On the contrary, the Chen family had the most deserted New Year's Eve.
The wind blew through the corridor, making people not want to talk. After entering the house and sitting on the warm couch in the side room, Huayang started chatting with Chen Jingzong, "Have you noticed that father is much older than when we first returned to Beijing?"
Chen Jingzong looked at her meaningfully.
Huayang: "Stop talking nonsense. Even if you stay in the garrison every day, you should know something about the situation in the court."
Of course Chen Jingzong knew about this. The old man had even called the three brothers to tell them to behave themselves and not give anyone else any handle against them.
"It's his own choice of path, so it's useless for you to feel sorry for it." Chen Jingzong took a sip of hot tea and said to the glazed window.
It was dark outside the window, and the glazed window was more like a mirror, reflecting his face clearly.
Chen Jingzong saw the old man's shadow in that face.
He sneered and looked at Huayang.
Huayang was silent.
Does she feel sorry for her father-in-law
Of course there were feelings, including admiration, guilt, and heartache, but she knew that her father-in-law would be in great danger if he took this path, and she still didn't think of dissuading him.
In other words, she tried her best to protect her father-in-law simply because she wanted to take advantage of his talents.
"What about you? Has anyone caused you any trouble in the past few months?" Huayang changed the subject. In her previous life, she had never talked about these things with Chen Jingzong.
Chen Jingzong: "Are you concerned about me?"
Huayang: "You are my husband, isn't it normal for me to care about you?"
Chen Jingzong: "It's normal. It's just that I've been married for three years and I've only waited for this time. I'm a little flattered."
Huayang glared at him.
She had cared about him many times, not just this time.
Chen Jingzong smiled and said, "I'm fine. I stay in the garrison most of the time. My eldest brother and third brother deal with officials every day, so they may be excluded."
Hua Yang: "If you continue to exclude them, it will only be some verbal disputes. Unlike you military officers, you will go to the battlefield together in the future. If you build good relationships with other experienced generals, they will also be able to help you."
Chen Jingzong: "Really? I'm not familiar with those generals. Can you tell me which ones are worth making friends with?"
Hua Yang thought for a moment and said, "Let's not talk about those far away. Let's just talk about those who are in the capital now. Marquis Jing'an has made great military achievements, but it's a pity that you hit his son, so he probably won't look good to you. Third sister-in-law's grandfather, Marquis Luo, is also a man. Although he has injured a leg and can no longer lead troops, he has fought in battles all his life. You can always benefit from visiting him more often. As for the younger ones, I only know..."
Before she finished speaking, Chen Jingzong suddenly pulled her into his arms, held her face and kissed her fiercely.
Huayang: …
When Huayang was carried into the inner room by Chen Jingzong, he could no longer hear the sound of fireworks outside the window, and all he could hear was his breathing.
.
On the first day of the New Year, Huayang and Chen Jingzong got up early, packed their things, and went to Chunhe Hall side by side to pay New Year's greetings to their elders.
Chen Tingjian first saw the Shu brocade robe on his son.
Knowing that his son would have to accompany the princess to the palace later, and that the princess would be dressed in brocade and it would not be a good match for his son to wear only silk, he did not say anything.
After the young couple left, Sun smiled and said, "If you ask me, although the fourth brother is a little thick, he is the best looking of the brothers. He looks quite good standing next to the princess."
Chen Tingjian had a complicated expression: "You are just too partial to him."
He thought the eldest brother was the most handsome and looked the most upright and steady.
But even if he is the eldest brother, he can only be a star next to the bright moon in front of the princess, and his charm is completely incomparable.
Outside the Chen Mansion, Huayang and Chen Jingzong had already boarded the carriage.
Chen Jingzong looked at the back of the sleeve. He was not used to wearing such precious material and always wondered if it had been pulled somewhere.
Huayang: "Look at what you have accomplished."
Chen Jingzong: "If you want to blame someone, blame the old man. He treated me harshly since I was a child and didn't give me good clothes to wear. And the clothes you have are always torn. How can I not worry?"
Huayang: …
She looked out the window and never spoke to him again.
The carriage stopped outside the gate of the imperial palace. When Chen Jingzong helped Huayang get off the carriage, he saw a carriage coming from behind. It was the princess's carriage, and it should be Princess Nankang and her family.
Huayang had no intention of going with Nankang, and Chen Jingzong didn't even want to look over there.
When Princess Nankang and her family stood on the ground, they could only see the backs of Huayang and his wife.
More than a month later, Nankang still couldn't help gritting his teeth.
When Meng Yanqing saw this, he thought his wife was still resentful of the punch Chen Jingzong had given him, and he was quite touched.
He was drunk and confused at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, which not only harmed himself but also caused his wife to lose face. His wife even took her anger out on Chen Jingzong.
He walked to Nankang holding his baby son and whispered, "Forget it, let's not bother with them." The main reason was that they couldn't afford to bother with them.
Nankang was short and happened to see his son in the cradle, who was white and plump.
Nankang felt relieved when he thought that Huayang had been married for so long but still had no pregnancy, thinking that it was either her problem or Chen Jingzong was useless.
"Let's go, Father may be waiting to hold his grandson."
Nankang said with a clear mind. Father has four children in total. Huayang has no child, the prince is still a child, and the prince is far away in Luoyang. Only she has both sons and daughters, which can let father enjoy being a grandfather.
Emperor Jingshun, Empress Qi, and the Crown Prince were all in the Qianqing Palace.
Nankang's family of four arrived right after Huayang and his friends.
Emperor Jingshun had some money this year, so he prepared two big gifts for his granddaughter and grandson. When he was holding his four-month-old grandson in his arms, he suddenly remembered something and glanced at Chen Jingzong obliquely.
Chen Jingzong: …
After the children left, Emperor Jingshun said to Empress Qi alone: "Huayang has been married for three years, why is there still no good news? The next time the prince consort comes to the palace to pay his respects, can you arrange for the imperial physician to see him?"
Empress Qi laughed and said, "Your Majesty has wronged the consort. I have already asked Huayang, and she is still thinking about having fun and is not in a hurry to get pregnant."
Emperor Jingshun understood. As a father, he was very satisfied with Chen Jingzong's cooperation with his daughter. Unlike Meng Yanqing, he only cared about his concubine.
Chen Jingzong followed Huayang and the prince to visit the Eastern Palace.
Just after he sat down for a while, Emperor Jingshun sent someone to bring him a reward, which was a precious spear made of fine steel and gold.
Chen Jingzong knelt down to thank the emperor for his grace, but his expression was a little strange.
Is this emperor, his father-in-law, hinting at something to him
(End of this chapter)