Wen Yantong sat in the room facing the imperial decree for a long time.
This imperial decree came suddenly, and she was not mentally prepared for it at all. Although the things rewarded by the imperial decree are not rare treasures, but a house in Chaoge and a plaque bestowed by the emperor are enough to make the family honorable.
If his parents in Chang'an knew about it, Yuemo would be so happy that he would come to Chaoge immediately in a carriage.
The imperial decree is not a simple brocade cloth. Most of the time, if the emperor rewards someone, he will reward it verbally, but if he wants to issue an imperial decree, it will give him a great honor.
Not many were given to court officials, let alone Wen Yantong, a commoner.
So when Mu Yang got the news, he rushed to Wen Yantong's room, opened the door without even knocking, like a foolish man, "Where is the imperial decree! Where is the imperial decree!"
Wen Yantong was concentrating on contemplation, and was startled by his yelling, and said, "What are you doing so recklessly! If you don't know, you might think a wild boar from a mountain came in."
Mu Yang didn't pay attention to her words, and stared straight at the bright yellow gold brocade cloth on the table, rushed over and lay down on the table, his voice also softened, "This is the imperial decree...why is it different from my family's?" ?”
Wen Yantong said, "How can ordinary people like us compare with the imperial decree obtained by the general?"
Mu Yang said, "It's amazing. There are very few precedents for Shaojing to issue imperial edicts to common people. When the Holy One succeeds you, you are the first."
When Wen Yantong heard this, she suddenly became a little proud, and puffed out her chest, "That's not true."
Mu Yang said, "Now you can be regarded as honoring your ancestors, and there will be green smoke on the ancestor's grave."
"Can you talk?" Wen Yantong disliked it.
Mu Yang stretched out his finger, eager to touch it.
Wen Yantong slapped it, mercilessly, "Don't touch it! I'm going to take this edict home and frame it."
The back of Mu Yang's hand was hurt, he retracted it and rubbed it, suddenly his eyes became fierce, and he nodded Wen Yantong's head, "Little cripple, I found that you are getting more and more courageous when you come in! How dare you hit me? How dare you hit me?" Do you know who I am?"
Wen Yantong rolled his eyes at him, "What's the matter, you want to beat me up?"
He snorted coldly, "I'm angry now, unless you tell me two ways to get closer to Fu Zixian, otherwise I won't forgive you."
Wen Yantong said, "Hurry up and get out."
Mu Yang patted the case, "Okay, Wen Yantong, how dare you tell me to get out? Today's me you love to answer, and tomorrow's me you can't afford!"
This sentence was learned from Wen Yantong's mouth. On weekdays, the three of them chatted and played in the same school. He listened to some vocabulary and sentences a lot, so he learned them naturally.
Wen Yantong rolled his eyes and said, "What exactly do you want?"
Seeing that she compromised, Mu Yang smiled triumphantly, "Fu Zixian has been in a bad mood since yesterday, and he didn't tell me anything when I asked him, why do you think that is?"
"How do I know? I'm not the roundworm in his stomach." Wen Yantong said.
"Then think about it."
Wen Yantong couldn't hold back Mu Yang's softness, and sighed to think about Fu Zixian's matter. After thinking for a while, she suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "What is hidden in the underground secret room?"
Mu Yang was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect her to ask this directly, he was a little confused, "This... Brother Xi told me not to tell anyone."
"Nothing, tell me." Wen Yantong said.
Mu Yang shook his head, "No way."
Wen Yantong clicked his tongue, "You want me to help you figure out why Fu Zixian is unhappy, but you refuse to cooperate with me, how can I figure it out?"
Mu Yang said, "Others are fine, but this one won't work, so I can't talk about it."
"Is there anything you can't say to me?" She nodded to herself, "I, Wen Yantong, a commoner who lives in Chang'an, don't get involved in the affairs of your court officials."
Mu Yang thought about it, and felt that what Wen Yantong said made sense, so he leaned closer to her ear, and said in a low voice, "It's a fire crossbow."
"Fire the crossbow repeatedly?" Wen Yantong was astonished.
"It is a weapon used on the battlefield. The arrowhead is made of special materials. It will ignite when it is shot. After shooting something, the kerosene in the arrow will flow out and burn the target." Mu Yang said, "It's a new type of drug. My father has a sample. I tried it. It's quite powerful."
Wen Yantong was horrified, and a lot of thoughts were drawn from this burst of fire, and he suddenly understood the reason why Fu Zixian was in a bad mood.
From the memories of the protagonists in the original book, we can piece together what happened to Chi Jingxi in Nian'an Temple after he was injured. At first, Nian'an Temple was sealed up for a month, and all the monks in it were sent to prison and executed.
Then the emperor dealt with a group of officials in the court, headed by Jiang Qi, Minister of the Ministry of household affairs, there were always sixteen or seventeen households. Among them, Jiang Qi was the worst. Jiang's family ransacked and beheaded, and no one survived. Others were degraded, exiled, and exiled, making a lot of trouble.
This Jiang Qi belonged to Prime Minister Fu's party, and it could be said that he was the most important arm of Prime Minister Fu. If the emperor cut him off at once, Prime Minister Fu's vitality would be seriously injured, and he would even become ill because of it.
This massive punishment completely opened the curtain of the bloody storm in the court. Prime Minister Fu was pulled out of his most powerful arm. In order to retaliate and eliminate dissidents, he killed the prince Cheng Yanchuan with the help of others.
The death of the prince is the beginning of all the stories, and then there is the struggle for heirs, the emperor's heirs killed each other, foreign enemies invaded, and then Fu Zixian and Mu Yang died in battle, Cheng Xin was killed, Anhuai Hou died of illness, the emperor passed away, Cheng Xiao ascended the throne, Chi Jingxi rebelled.
Nothing happened by accident, they were all victims of the struggle, even Cheng Xiao lost a lot, and sat on the throne with blood and bones.
The origin of this is the fact that a large number of fire crossbows were detected this time.
Wen Yantong was stunned for a moment, Mu Yang pushed her shoulder, "Why are you in a daze?"
She came back to her senses all of a sudden, took a deep breath, and reacted a little violently. Mu Yang was confused, "Are you okay?"
Wen Yantong shook his head, calmed down a little, and then said, "Have you ever thought about whether the fire crossbow firing at Nian'an Temple is related to Prime Minister Fu?"
Mu Yang was stunned after hearing this, "...you mean?"
"Don't forget, Fu Zixian is the son of Prime Minister Fu." Wen Yantong said.
The current Fu Zixian is only a sixteen-year-old child. Even if Fu Cheng treats him badly, he still treats Fu Cheng as his father. It is normal to worry about the Fu family, so he is in a bad mood.
Mu Yang nodded in a daze, "Yes..."
He seems to have forgotten that the Mu family and the Fu family have always been at odds, and this kind of confrontation can barely maintain a kind of peace now, but later on, there will always be times when gold and steel confront each other, and you will die.
"Are you reminding me not to get too close to Fu Zixian?" Mu Yang asked.
Wen Yantong saw that his expression was slumped, and there was a little unhappiness between his brows and eyes, and he said immediately, "I didn't say that. What I mean is that he is unhappy, maybe because he is worried about the Fu family, so don't think too much about it." too much."
Mu Yang had no choice but to nod his head, but his mood was still not high. Wen Yantong persuaded him a few more words, telling him that he should be sincere in making friends and don't need to worry so much, so he was happy. decree.
When it was getting dark, the carriage that picked up Chi Jingxi arrived at Nian'an Temple, and Wen Yantong and others followed him back to the city.
When they left, the sky was already dark, and many guards were standing around the carriage with lamps in their hands. Someone helped Chi Jingxi to walk towards the carriage.
The carriages of Wen Yantong, Zhang Jieran and others were behind. Zhang Jieran carried the luggage on the carriage, while Wen Yantong stood beside him and stretched his neck to look in Chi Jingxi's direction.
Seeing that Chi Jingxi's expression was still calm, wrapped in a luxurious cloak, he stopped and said something to the guards, and then was helped by Mu Yang into the carriage, and the long team left slowly after a while.
Wen Yantong also got into the carriage, leaned on the soft bed, and let out a long sigh.
This snow removal is really thrilling. It was originally an incident in which Chi Jingxi developed feelings for Fu Tanghuan. As a result, the two only met once when they were making snow statues, and they hadn't spoken yet. I don't know if they didn't follow the original story this time. Influence.
And there are three days left before the annual leave, Chi Jingxi will definitely not come to the academy again, so I am afraid that I will not be able to see him until the first month of next year.
Just as Wen Yantong thought, Chi Jingxi really took a leave of absence and recuperated at home.
The three days in the academy were fleeting. On the 16th day of the twelfth lunar month, Songhai Academy officially began to take annual leave. Many foreign students in Chaoge returned home one after another, and the academy will also be closed.
Wen Yantong originally wanted to go home during the annual vacation, but after all, it was only a month, and it was the severe winter, so it was very inconvenient to go on the road. After going back and forth like this, I was delayed on the road for about half a month in this month, so I decided to forget it after thinking about it.
It's not too late to go home again when the real vacation is in February.
Originally, he was worried that he could not find a place to stay, but who knew that the imperial decree directly granted a house, which directly solved Wen Yantong's troubles.
When Wen Yantong just returned to the academy, someone specially sent her the key to the door, and wrote the location on a piece of paper for her. After she left the academy, she took the carriage directly to that place.
The carriage drove on the road for half an hour, and the house was in the suburb of Chaoge. Wen Yantong thought it was quite good, although the house was a bit remote, but it was still Chaoge's house, and money couldn't buy it.
Wen Yantong unlocked the door and walked around the house first after entering. The house is a two-entry courtyard, with square rooms, east and west hatchback rooms, and a courtyard behind the main room. The arched carved gates are on both sides of the square. Walking inside, you can see a 100-meter-long yard and a row of back rooms.
On both sides are the outer corridors connected by Chaoshou corridor, Wen Yantong was almost fascinated in it when he left.
She has never entered such a mansion since she was born!
This kind of house, which is similar to a courtyard house and has a hand-painted verandah, is quite particular. It is presumed that an official's house has been sealed since it was copied, and then it was given to her by another hand.
A plaque from the imperial court has long been hung in the main hall, and the inscription: Great Wisdom and Great Courage. In the room, there are thousands of taels of gold, hundreds of silks and satins, and dozens of pearls.
Wen Yantong was so happy that he went to the street with a lot of banknotes. Then it was time to spend money. She spent almost a whole day on the street and bought a lot of things.
What kind of bed, quilt, soft, these are all necessities, and I also bought a lot of servants and maids, ordered a pair of plaques, engraved with the word "Wen Zhai", and various scattered things , in short, as long as you think about it, you can buy it immediately.
Within five days, Wen Yantong made a desolate house into a decent place. The servants wandered around the house on weekdays, and when they saw Wen Yantong, they respectfully called them masters. And Wen Yantong was also afraid of living alone, and temporarily lived with the servants in the first courtyard. He had no airs on weekdays and got along well with them. Although the house was big, it didn't feel deserted.
Mo Li and He Ying, who were originally serving Wen Yantong, were also promoted, and they became big maidservants. They were in charge of a whole yard of servants, but they also managed the house in an orderly manner.
Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming soon, everyone in Chaoge started to buy new year's goods. Wen Yantong couldn't be idle either, so she took Moli and Heying to run on the street all day long, and after several days in a row, she was exhausted and lay on the bed unwilling to move.
There is no news from Nian'an Temple, but Wen Yantong also knows that the current court is probably facing the wrath of thunder, and it is impossible to be peaceful.
Wen Yantong is idle at home, besides shopping in the street, he just wanders around the house, occasionally giving advice to people. However, he did not stop practicing calligraphy and reading on weekdays, as if he had developed a habit, he always had to practice calligraphy for a while before going to bed.
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Fu Tanghuan made a surprise visit, and Wen Yantong was taken aback.
"You are a girl, is it appropriate to come to me rashly? Are you not afraid of rumors from outside?" Wen Yantong asked standing at the door.
"Of course I was scared, so I brought my younger brother along." Fu Tanghuan smiled slyly and pointed to the back, just as Fu Zixian got off the carriage.
I haven't seen her for more than ten days. Fu Zixian was very happy to see her, "How are you doing recently? Has your leg healed?"
Wen Yantong was also happy, and stomped her feet, "It's been a long time ago."
Fu Tang said happily, "Don't stand at the door to say hello, I've booked a teahouse, let's go have a cup of hot tea together."
When a friend came to visit, Wen Yantong was naturally willing to go out to play together, so he left the house full of servants and got into the Fu family's carriage by himself.
The teahouse that Fu Tanghuan booked was not a well-known place, but the rooms inside were very elegant and quiet. As soon as the three of them were seated, someone came forward to make tea, and the aroma of the tea spread in the air.
Fu Tang said happily, "I didn't expect you to get the imperial decree. It's really enviable."
Wen Yantong bent his eyes and smiled, "Why should I be envious of this, it's thanks to the young master, otherwise I'm just a commoner, how can I get the imperial edict."
Fu Zixian took a sip of his tea and said, "That day was indeed a thrilling one, but luckily the young master is fine."
Wen Yantong had no news about Chi Jingxi since she left the academy, and she didn't dare to inquire casually. When she heard Fu Zixian mention it, she took advantage of the situation and asked, "How is the injury of the young master?"
Fu Tang said happily, "It should be fine, right? It is said that he will attend the annual banquet."
"New Year's banquet?" Wen Yantong looked at her curiously.
"That's why I came to you." Fu Tang said happily, "Do you want to attend the annual banquet?"
"The annual banquet is not in the palace..." Wen Yantong hesitated. Naturally, she had heard of the New Year's banquet, because Chi Jingxi was born on the New Year's Day, so the New Year's banquet and his birthday banquet were always held together, which was quite lively.
Fu Tang laughed happily, "I'll take you in."
Wen Yantong was dumbfounded, "How do I get in?"
For a banquet of this size, not to mention ordinary civilians, even the concubine sons of court officials were not allowed to participate, and people with an identity like Fu Zixian couldn't get in. Only people from direct descendants like Fu Tanghuan were eligible.
"You can pretend to be my maid." Fu Tang said happily, "With you here, I won't feel bored anymore."
"Isn't that going to work... What if we are found out?" Wen Yantong felt a little unreliable.
"It will definitely not be discovered. I have used this method to donate it before!" Fu Tanghuan promised.
Wen Yantong was taken aback, and looked at Fu Zixian, "Pretend to be a maid?"
Fu Zixian blushed, "I was still young at that time, only ten years old."
Fu Tang smiled happily, "You will definitely have no problems entering the palace in my carriage, don't worry. I saw that you didn't go home either, and you are the only one in the house. Do you need someone else for the New Year's Eve? "
Having said that, Wen Yantong was also a little moved.
"Besides, this year's banquet is different from the previous ones. It will be very grand. It is said that the palace invited foreigners to perform illusions. It would be a pity not to go." Fu Tanghuan spared no effort to persuade.
Wen Yantong was finally moved, and nodded in agreement. Fu Tanghuan was very happy, and made an appointment with Thirty-One to come to her in the late afternoon of that day.
Weishi is from 1 to 3 in the afternoon, and it will definitely take a long time to get from here to the palace road, and it will take a long time for the officials to enter the palace one after another, so Fu Tanghuan said they should go early.
By the way, he also gave Wen Yantong a bag, which contained the maid's clothes, and asked her to change on that day.
At the annual banquet, the officials and the children must be separated, and the boys and girls should also be separated among the children. There are too few women who have seen Wen Yantong, so there is no need to worry about being seen by someone dressed as a girl.
Wen Yantong played with the two siblings of the Fu family for a while, and didn't go home until it was dark, Moli and Heying were already waiting.
She went back to take a shower, slept comfortably, and it was New Year's Eve in a blink of an eye.
The house is full of red lanterns and Chinese knots made by Wen Yantong himself, full of the flavor of the New Year. Wen Yantong gave all the servants in the house a holiday, and gave each of them ten taels of silver to go back for the New Year.
Early in the morning, the sound of firecrackers exploded from the street to the end of the street, waking up the sleeping Chaoge, ushering in the Spring Festival under the severe cold.
The most important day of the year, even in ancient times, this year still makes Wen Yantong feel a lot of emotion. A long time ago, her family was poor, and every year during the Chinese New Year, there would be abundant meat on the table at home.
What braised pork feet, stewed chicken, braised fish, these are not eaten on weekdays. When I was a child during Chinese New Year, these things were Wen Yantong's. My parents didn't eat much, so I put them in her bowl, so she likes Chinese New Year the most.
But after the younger brother was born and grew up, the family became poorer and poorer, and there were fewer and fewer things on the dinner table during the Chinese New Year, and most of them went to the younger brother's bowl. Wen Yantong's place is small and poor, and patriarchal thoughts are very heavy. She didn't understand it when she was a child, and she had a few willful fights with her parents, so she would naturally be beaten. As time goes by, she also knows that she shouldn't mess with her brother eat.
When I grew up, I hated staying at home for the Chinese New Year even more, so that I left home to work, and during the Chinese New Year, I also avoided going home because of busy work, and prepared my favorite food in my rented house.
It's just that this kind of behavior will eventually be criticized by the family members, saying that they are not filial when they grow up. Wen Yantong can only endure the family's accusations again and again because of the kindness of nurturing. Looking back now, the past twenty years or so have been exhausting.
She is good at self-regulating her emotions, and she doesn't take unhappy things to heart, but occasionally when she thinks about something, her heart feels heavy and uncomfortable.
Wen Yantong got up early in the morning to tidy herself up and put on the clothes Fu Tanghuan gave her. The clothes are lotus root pink, similar to the color of the college uniforms. The upper body is two-piece, the inside is a snow-white jacket, and the sleeves are in a gradual concubine color. On the outside is a pair of lotus root pink half-sleeves, and the sleeves and neckline are made of snow-white rabbit fur.
Below is a long skirt embroidered with cloud patterns, Wen Yantong was afraid of the cold, so she added several clothes inside.
After packing up, she waited in the main hall until Fu Tanghuan sent someone to knock on the door before she went out. There were some servants who had no father or mother and nowhere to celebrate the New Year in the house.
She got into Fu Tanghuan's carriage directly, and saw a maidservant who was dressed like her sitting inside, and then ran to sit with her automatically.
Fu Tanghuan is also dressed up today. Due to the regulations of the New Year's banquet, these clothes are made by the imperial palace at the same time. The color is the red of firecrackers, snow-white fox fur, and loose half sleeves. It is embroidered with golden silk wishful patterns, representing auspiciousness.
The clothes were covered with red gauze, with bits and pieces of diamonds mixed on them, which looked extremely beautiful.
Fu Tanghuan smiled at her and waved, "Come here, sit with me."
Wen Yantong sat down with a smile, "Miss San is really beautiful today."
Fu Tanghuan rolled his eyes, "I came here to look for you without my eldest brother and second sister. If you want sweets, please give me a few compliments."
Wen Yantong listened to the words, and praised a few more words, which made Fu Tang very happy.
It took nearly two hours to go from Wenzhai to the palace, and after arriving at the palace, they had to queue up for inspection before they could enter.
Fu Tang said happily, "You will follow me today, when you have time to do your own activities, I will take you around."
Wen Yantong nodded, feeling faintly excited.
While the two were talking, someone suddenly knocked on the carriage, and they heard a voice from outside, "Miss, Master Mu Family is asking to see you."
Fu Tanghuan was stunned for a moment, "Where is the other person?"
"Just outside the carriage."
Fu Tang paused for a moment, then said to Wen Yantong, "You sit down first, I'll go down and have a look."
Wen Yantong nodded.
The maid beside her opened the curtain for her, and there were people below, so Fu Tanghuan got out of the carriage carefully.
Wen Yantong went to the window, opened it a little bit to look out, and saw Mu Yang standing not far away in formal clothes. He had a bright smile, a handsome appearance, and looked beaming in bright red, not as silly as usual.
When Mu Yang saw Fu Tanghuan, he smiled even more, stepped forward two steps, and opened his mouth, "Miss San, I haven't seen you for a long time, you are getting more and more stupid."
Fu Tanghuan:? ?
Wen Yantong: ...
The author has something to say: Mu Yang: I almost get√ with Ms. Fu San