Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 153 Lantern Festival
Preface: In this book, except for the poems of historical figures, which may be copied from the original text (I will note it), the other poems and songs are all family words, not the style of the late Han Dynasty. It is impossible because the author himself cannot fully appreciate the poems and fu of that time (probably the pronunciation has changed in all aspects, and it is often difficult to read). He can only write some that he can understand, which is in line with the current pronunciation and rhyme, and is also written in a language that most readers can understand. Just because someone often asked me about this recently, so I made a note. And once again, this book is not history, please do not take it personally.
I always remember this night, although it was extremely long, it was precious. But at this time, I still felt very sleepy and didn't have much mood to savor it slowly. I was really tired after rushing all the way and doing so many things last night.
I can still remember that day when I went out, I turned around and closed the door, but when I turned around, I saw a maid coming forward, bowing her head and asking me if I had any instructions.
I asked her when she was waiting for me here, and she said that I saw her when my father left, so I asked her to lead me back to the house.
I asked her how long she had been waiting for me;
I know this is bullshit.
I didn't waste any words and let her lead me back to the room prepared for me. I didn't have to go to the sacrifice ceremony tomorrow morning, so I planned to have a good sleep because I was afraid that I would not have a rest for the next few days.
But I still asked her if she could have a good rest. She couldn't sleep for long. Today was the Lantern Festival, and there would definitely be a lot of people visiting in the afternoon, and there were many things to prepare.
I saw a couch not far from the door, so I went up and moved the table away. I went in and searched through the cabinets, and found some new bedding, so I took it out and said to her, "Today you will serve me, you sleep here, and when I get up, you go to work."
Having said that, I said nothing more. I went straight in, let down the curtains in the room, and went to rest on my big bed.
I lay down, but found that there was no movement over there.
Why don't you take a break
I dare not.
If I tell you to go to sleep, just go to sleep and bolt the door. If someone comes to call me, you can wake me up. If they ask, this is how I arranged it. You have been waiting outside to serve me.
I really dare not do this. If the Madam knew about this, how would I live in the future
When did you come to this house
In the twelfth lunar month, I came from the residence of your former master, the Inspector of the Imperial Guards and the General of the Cavalry.
Oh, my mother is kindhearted, and since it has nothing to do with me, I will not pursue it. Since you were in my house before, just listen to me and rest when I tell you to, don't be too long-winded.
A word of promise came out slowly from the other side.
I don't know why, but I suddenly couldn't fall asleep even though I was very sleepy. I wanted to talk to her, but I heard her slowly and tiptoeing to clean up the place. Although I felt there was nothing good to say to her, I still said a few words to her.
Where are you from? Why did you become a maid? Are your parents still alive
I don't know where I am from. Ever since I can remember, I have been following my mother to do chores in the palace. My mother doesn't even know who my father is.
I thought that the child was probably born from the intercourse between a maidservant and a man. The mother must be very sad about her daughter. I know that many palace maids who got pregnant after intercourse were afraid that people would use drugs to abort the fetus. But there were no men in the palace. Most of them were unruly young men like Langguan. Suddenly I felt that this word was not good for people, and it included myself.
Is mother still there
Not here anymore.
The voice was so low that I couldn't bear to ask any more.
The last thing I want to say is, take a rest, you don’t need to be busy today.
Not long after I lay down, I felt a little sleepy. I thought about what happened last night and fell into a deep sleep. I dreamed that a man wanted to kill me, but I could tell that I was in a dream, so I was not afraid. I was about to fight with that man when I suddenly felt someone shaking me and I woke up.
But I saw a dagger was really placed on my neck, and the owner of the dagger was dressed as a maid!
I was not surprised. If she really wanted to kill me, why did she shake me up? And when I just talked to her, I didn't detect any murderous intent. It's not that I'm shameless. I have fought for so many years and been sniped so many times. If I were still alive, I would always have some special feelings in such a critical moment.
Who are you and why
My mother died tragically in the palace because of your plot. If I hadn't been sick, I would have spread the disease to others and temporarily stayed in the hospital in the other courtyard. How could she be alive now? As a son, how can I forget to avenge my parents
I suddenly realized that I should have thought of this when she mentioned it. But although I took the blame for Brother Meng De in public, it actually had nothing to do with me, so when she mentioned it just now, I didn't feel touched at all.
Then why didn't you kill me, but pushed me awake; now that I was awake, how do you still have a chance
In order to avoid a change of situation after saying this, you should push up hard in the quilt, use the quilt to push away the dagger, then roll your body into the couch, support yourself with one hand, and half-squat on it.
I saw that she was somewhat stunned and a little panicked. Her right arm was straight, and her stiff right hand was holding a dagger and facing me. I could tell at a glance that she had no martial arts skills at all.
You can't use any strength this time, not even a little bit.
She was not a stupid person, she pulled back her arm and bent it beside her ear, but the tip of the blade was still facing me. I smiled and sat down instead.
Why are you teaching me? Don't you know I want to kill you
If you want to kill me, why did you wake me up? You don't want to kill me. Put the knife away
No way? Of course I want to kill you... But you... let me sleep outside, I don't think you are a bad person, but you... It is rumored that you asked Cao thieves to slaughter all the eunuchs and maids in the palace. Is this true
This made me hesitate for a long time. How to answer her? I have already admitted that this matter was my idea, and I must not be fickle. But killing many eunuchs and innocent palace maids was not my wish, and this can also be true.
It was indeed my idea, but I did not let them kill everyone except the eunuchs. Those soldiers treated eunuchs and women similarly. Some eunuchs even disguised themselves as palace maids to avoid disaster. The soldiers were afraid of leaving any of them alive and being retaliated against, so they killed everyone in the palace.
I also put on a gloomy expression to show that this matter was indeed caused by me.
Then... should I kill you
It was impossible for her to kill me, but suddenly I wanted to take a gamble, so I walked forward and sat on the edge of the couch, then turned around.
As a child, it is only natural for you to avenge your parents. This incident was caused by me, so I deserve your stab. But after you stab me, whether I live or die, can you let this matter go, because there are still many things in the world that I need to do. Moreover, after you stab me, you should leave this house quickly. If I am not dead, I will definitely have an assassin to cover for you; if I am dead, you should leave quickly, but you may not be able to escape, so you should pretend that nothing happened... This is not good either... Well, then you should quickly open the door and shout that there is an assassin, that's it.
After saying that, I lay down again and turned my back to him, with only one more sentence: please.
No one moved for a long time, and I felt that my bet was right.
Can you answer me a question
Please ask.
Why do you care about a servant like me and even consider how I can rest
When I was eleven, I had an older sister, who was about the same age as you are now. She was a sleepyhead, but I was the most naughty at that time, and I always pestered her to play with me. She was very tired, but she still forced herself to accompany me. Later, when I grew up, I understood and was particularly annoyed about this, so I have always been reluctant to disturb others' rest, no matter who it is.
Yours is... Princess Yinling
That's right, you should also know that she is not my sister, but my adoptive father's daughter. We just live together. Now she is my Pingguo Lady.
Do you love Princess Yinling
Love, I miss her almost all the time.
But didn’t you marry another woman
That was the marriage my parents had arranged between me and me. As a son, I must fulfill the promise made to my parents.
So do you love her
I was silent for a while.
I must love, I can't let her feel my love, although I think I'm doing a bad job. But I try very hard, I can't let her be unhappy. This is a responsibility and obligation, because she is also my wife. I think love is a tool. The heart loves something, there is no other love. If the heart has two people, this is not love, it is just embrace.
I felt much better in my heart. I actually said so much to a strange woman. Maybe I had been holding it in for too long, and now I had this chance to let it out.
We both forgot, she only asked me one question.
After a long while, she suddenly blurted out: I won't kill you... not for you... but for Princess Yinling and your wife. If I kill you, they will be very sad. Wouldn't I destroy another family
She has stayed in my house and must have met both of my ladies. I think she must have a very good impression of them.
Then, she suddenly came up to tuck in the corner of the quilt for me and said, "My Lord, have a good rest. I will be at your service outside."
I heard her footsteps going out softly, but she didn't go out. It seemed that she was lying on the couch outside.
You are a good girl. I will ask my mother for you tomorrow and I will let you go wherever you want.
Oh, thank you, sir.
Neither humble nor overbearing, someone who came out of the palace can really have such a proud character, which is really admirable. This woman is kind-hearted, which is really not easy, it would be best if we could help her find a good in-law.
I actually fell asleep again, as if nothing had happened, or it didn't matter what happened.
"She'er, She'er..." A gentle voice sounded. Perhaps I was still dreaming. I was wandering among the flowers. It seemed as if I was only a few years old, not even as tall as the flowers. I could only stare blankly at the flowers around me, waving my fists, and smiling foolishly. A young and beautiful mother appeared in front of me, picked me up gently, called my name, kissed my cheek, and I called her mother.
I seemed to be in my mother's arms, being carried to a pavilion, where two young men were chatting across a table. One of them seemed to be a familiar name, Tan Shihuai. Next to her was a woman who looked very much like my mother, and in her arms was a girl of my age.
I called them father and uncle. They seemed to like me very much. They threw me on the table and let me play however I wanted.
It seemed that my uncle was going to the north to conquer the Xianbei people, and he even teased me that he wanted to become a great general in the future.
It seemed that time had passed quickly and I had grown up, but I was standing alone on a cliff, with no way to retreat and I didn't know what to do. Dozens of horses were galloping towards me, and the one in front drew his bow and shot at me. The arrow seemed to be very slow, but suddenly it pierced my heart.
I fell to the edge of the cliff, and it seemed that I was about to leave, and someone stopped his horse in front of me and said, "Everything should be like this."
I woke up with a start, and the last voice sounded like Lieya's.
Recalling the scenes that I can still remember in my dream, if Tan Shihuai had not died, if I had not been exchanged for Xie Zhi, and if I was still Shen Gongshe, who knows, what I would be facing would be the scenes in my dream.
Maybe this is another world, everything is the same, but something happened or didn't happen and changed everything. There may be people in that world who are the same as ours, but they are playing different stories. Suddenly I feel very lucky that I am not there. But when I think back to my time there, I feel it's a pity. Maybe I will never see Yinling again.
"She'er, She'er..." Although the voice was still very soft, I was no longer in the dream.
My mother's head was reflected on the window, and I was about to respond. Suddenly, through the gauze curtain, I saw the maid hurriedly tidying up the couch and fixing her hair. I felt it was inconvenient to say anything. I nodded to her and waited until she saw me. I was about to respond after seeing her finish fixing her hair.
"Mei, let Zirui sleep a little longer." His father's voice rang out: "He was on the road recently and didn't go to bed until a long time ago."
"No, I have to go to the palace for a banquet at noon, and I haven't tried on this dress yet."
"Don't call him She'er..." The father came over quickly and whispered at the window, "This matter should not be made public yet."
"But he is our She'er..." The mother actually felt a little aggrieved.
"I know, I know, Mei, now that your son is back, don't worry about it so much." The father seemed to embrace the mother in his arms and comforted her softly.
I leaned on the couch, looking at everything reflected on the window, wanting to laugh, and feeling warm in my heart.
Just as I was about to sit up, I forgot that I was standing next to the couch, and my left elbow slipped and I fell off the couch. Fortunately, the couch was not high and I didn't get hurt, but my big body made a lot of noise when I fell down, and people outside were immediately alerted.
"Shan... Zhier, what's wrong?"
While I was beckoning the maid to open the door, I cried out, "Mother, nothing happened. I dreamed that I was riding a horse to Luoyang and fell on the bed without realizing it."
The maid immediately rushed to open the door, and my parents came in, only to see a maid rushing back to help me up, while I was holding my waist.
"Oh, Father is here too." I asked knowingly.
"Oh, well, I was afraid I would fall asleep, so I asked her to make a promise for me outside."
The mother didn't care about this at all. "Where did you get hurt? Zhi'er doesn't sleep well. Sleep on the couch from now on. Hehe... Well, my child, you have worked hard. You have been traveling for a long time. It's really hard. Then get up quickly and follow me to try on clothes. It's getting late."
But my father said to the maid: You worked hard last night. You stayed with my child Zirui all night. Go and have a rest. Tell Aunt Zhang not to assign you any work, just mine.
The woman agreed and left.
My mother noticed it, and while she was tidying up my clothes, she asked my father, "Wang, what's going on with that maid?"
"Last night when I went out, I happened to see her walking outside. I asked her what she was doing, and she said nothing, just following orders. I thought Zirui didn't know his room yet, so I asked her to lead him there. I let him wait here, but I didn't expect that she would still stay in Zirui's room until now. This kid must be exhausted to death."
"Oh." Mother suddenly realized and looked at me: "You didn't do anything, did you?"
"What does mother think of me?" I immediately said righteously, "But you should give her to me to serve me. She has a kind nature and is willing to endure hardships. In fact, I took a nap in that room and she was waiting for me when I came out."
Both parents groaned and looked outside. Of course, the girl was no longer visible. "At your age, it's rare for someone to be so honest and reliable. But Zirui is a little bit uncaring. Now that you know, how can you let someone wait outside just for you? How can a girl of your age bear that? But when I think of the battle you fought in Hanzhong, I know that you are a bit sick. In this respect, you are really a bit like Huo Gong Qubing back then."
Naturally, I quickly reviewed it.
My mother smoothed things over for me and dragged me to try on my clothes. I have always been a clothes hanger, so my mother was very satisfied and helped me remove a few threads, and then there were no problems at all.
When I went to look for my father, he was also setting up a rack and arranging clothes under the clothes of several maids.
Father, are we going alone
Well, that's natural. The banquet at noon today was held by the emperor. Only the princes and officials above 2,000 stones in the court can go. At noon today, you should be quiet. If the emperor asks you, just say it. If he doesn't ask you, don't chat with others. Follow me back after the banquet. Jin'er should be back in the afternoon. In the evening, you should follow me to the Taichang Mansion for a banquet, and then go to pick up your mother and your sisters to enjoy the lanterns. You can be casual at the banquet in the evening, but I'm afraid you won't say anything at that time. There will be banquets every day in the next few days, both at noon and in the evening, so don't attend them. Tomorrow you should rush to Shanglin Garden to make some arrangements, especially for safety. The emperor will go there in a few days, so you can't be careless. When you are leaving, there will be fewer banquets, so I will prepare a big one. If you prepare it too early, you don't know what others will prepare. If you prepare it too well, you will be afraid that others will think you are extravagant. If you prepare it poorly, you will lose face. Eat a circle and know what they will prepare. When the time comes, the banquet will be neither too high nor too low, and it will be special.
Well, I understand. Is there anything else you want to tell me
It's nothing, the boy is very handsome.
I laughed and my father laughed too.
I followed my father obediently all the way to the place where we were going to have dinner. Someone announced it and someone led the way. I met many acquaintances and strangers along the way. I just said hello and bowed to them. Only Zishi and I could exchange a few words with our eyes and gestures. For example, when I asked him where his wife was, he said that his wife was not qualified to attend today's banquet.
Zishe probably couldn't come today, and Ziyu probably came directly from the palace, so they naturally didn't meet on the way.
I sat up high, Meng De talked a lot, and the teacher was often approached by people, but I didn't talk to anyone. Next to me was Zi Shi, and across from me was our second son. They didn't talk much today, so naturally I was much quieter. At most, we would exchange opinions with our eyes, not even using gestures, such as "this maid has some looks, what do you think, not bad" and so on. I didn't really say much, and I would only answer when others asked first. During this time, the emperor even laughed at me. The older I got, the bolder I became.
In response, I acted honestly. I had never attended such a banquet and didn't know how to behave properly.
Now everyone around me laughed, and my father looked at me with great appreciation. I felt very happy, and seeing other people's smiles, I responded with a more sincere smile.
When I came back, the sun was setting. My father asked me how I was. I said I was full. My father raised his hand and slapped me, "You glutton." He was asking me if I felt anything strange about the banquet.
I thought that the sauce today was very salty and I couldn't dip too much of it, but since I had been slapped before, I naturally didn't dare to do so here.
However, the atmosphere was a bit strange and the young people didn't talk much.
Yes, that's right. You guys, especially you and Zishi, rose too fast. There are many old officials who have been in the court for forty years before reaching the rank of 2,000 shi. You have been promoted countless times in less than four years. Although none of them are as glorious as you, some people are always cunning; Zishi was promoted to General of the Cavalry right after he came up, so it is inevitable that the old officials will complain. At today's gathering, you should keep quiet and don't be too ostentatious. This is also a kind of respect for these old officials and can suppress some gossip.
Before I even reached the door, a beautiful girl rushed out, calling me "brother, brother" and making me feel very happy. But I didn't seem to have any special gifts prepared for her, so I had to ask Song what we brought. I just got off the horse early and let her hang on one of my arms while she asked questions.
But she was also dressed in a men's hunting suit, which made me feel a little strange. I chatted with her and answered some of her rather absurd questions, but she asked in front of my father, "Why is my sister dressed like this?" Yesterday, my elder sister was also like this.
This is popular in Luoyang recently. It was left by the woman passing by the wine shop in Luoyang. Because Lord Cai came back, this woman was dressed in black men's clothes, but she did not deliberately hide her female body, and she was naturally chic and calm. The women he taught also wore black men's clothes when singing this song. Once this song spread, this kind of women wearing men's clothes also became popular in Luoyang. Rich ladies like this look recently. In addition, Zhou Yuchang, who called you brother, rode a horse through Luoyang in armor, and this trend became even more popular.
Of course, my father answered for me, and I led my sister home with a proud and confident look. My father seemed to dote on my sister and younger sister, and he never criticized them at all. I seemed to have heard from my father and mother that my younger sister was adopted from my mother's family. My mother fell seriously ill after I left, and she never had any more children. I suddenly felt that my shoulders were very heavy. It seems that I need to work harder with Yinling and Pei'er.
My mother was waiting at the door, and she smiled when she saw us. She supported my father and held my hand, asking him questions, and he answered them one by one. But my mother interrupted him in the middle of his reply, asking me and him to change clothes quickly, and nagging us to go to the banquet in the evening, come back early, and then watch the lanterns with the whole family.
At dusk, as the lights gradually came on, we changed our clothes together. I felt it was troublesome, but I didn't do anything. I just let my mother and a few maids help me put on my clothes, and my father stood face to face with me, also dressing with his arms outstretched. My sister lay on the mat beside us and watched us giggling.
My brother does look a bit like my dad. From the side of his face, his eyebrows and nose, wow.
That's natural, I thought to myself.
However, Dad’s belly is not as big as my brother’s.
What's wrong with dad's stomach
My father pretended to be angry and bent his waist, but he was so tired that the belt he was fastening suddenly slipped and fell off, causing the whole family to laugh, including my father.
Who is attending the Taichang banquet tonight
Of course, there were people from his Taichang clan, all of whom were scholars and elegant people, and there should be some other officials, most of whom were well-educated people; Meng De might have come to the scene, and he was probably called by the emperor to accompany him. The emperor kept saying that you had just returned and asked us to reunite with our family more often, so he would not let us accompany him on this day.
Why invite us? I don't think I'm a gentleman.
It’s all because of you... Lord Cai wants to meet you, a warrior who is three parts drunk and seven parts frivolous.
But I could understand that it was probably because of Huang Yi's song that made Mr. Cai interested in me.
Regent, are all the three ministers going
Your teacher was not invited, and only Sikong was invited among the Three Dukes.
Ah, how come Lord Cai is so incompetent as an official
I really admire his literary pride... There is not much more to this. Someone, bring some water. I don't know why the palace kitchen made the meat sauce very salty today. It almost turned me into salted meat.
The mother and sister laughed loudly, and the maids beside them also laughed softly, and one of them covered her face with her hands.
I felt a look from my father, as if he was going to kill me right away. But I also agreed with what he said next, and laughed.
It's a bit chaotic tonight, don't run around alone, come with us.
What's wrong
I could almost immediately sense what my father meant.
It was not at that time. It was obviously none of your business, but you scolded Meng De for being a cruel official, and at the same time you took the blame for the massacre of the palace maids for Meng De. You were being righteous, but it was hard not to make some enemies. Since you knew what happened last night, why do you need to tell me more
Suddenly, a familiar "Ah!" voice came from behind the screen.
Then I heard the sound of a water cup falling to the ground.
Qiu Luan, didn't the master tell you not to work today? You didn't sleep all night, so it's inevitable that something bad happened. You must have been in a trance and tripped.
I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm sorry, ma'am. Qiu Luan has woken up and came over to help, but I still failed just now. Qiu Luan deserves death.
Forget it, forget it, let’s go get some more water. The old master and the marquis will be attending the banquet soon, let them drink some water quickly.
Hearing the footsteps getting farther away, I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt a little grateful to my father.
Especially when I took the water cup from the tray and saw her slightly raise her head and look at me, I knew she no longer had any resentment towards me. Only then did I take a closer look at her face, and suddenly I felt that this woman looked very fresh and refined. The women in the palace were naturally not bad, and those eunuchs were all kinds of outstanding people, so it was not surprising that they had such a refined appearance.
But I was thinking about my own court. The fourth son had married a long time ago. Nan had Wenwen. Although there was a commotion every three days and a big commotion every five days, generally no one was killed. Uncle Zhang was too old, and Lord Xu had many wives and concubines. Brother Bō was too quiet, and Han Xian was too talkative. Suddenly I thought of **. If this woman followed me back to Yue, this guy would definitely be eager to do it, and it would inevitably cause trouble for me along the way. However, this guy was too rough and lustful, and I always felt sorry for this woman. Song was very suitable, but ** needed to be sent away.
After making up my mind, I drank with my father for a while, and then left with him in a very happy mood, laughing all the way, leaving my mother with a few words of comfort and returning a few words of understanding from time to time.
My father usually doesn't ride in a car, and I don't like it either, so it always feels good to ride a horse with him, especially when he's in a good mood. Father, the State of Zhao is at war, and we'll need to ride horses more often in the future, so we can't waste our horseback riding skills. Even my teacher, a scholar, often rides a horse, so my father can't be worse than him. This reminded me of something, so I asked about the clothes I just changed. My father slowed down the horse's pace, asked the people following behind not to come over for the time being, leaned over to greet me and leaned over. He whispered to me on the horse, "You should know that your teacher was bought as the governor of Jingzhou, and Zhang Wen's position as the Taiwei was also bought, so he has always been despised by scholars. Even Cui Lie, who had a great reputation in previous years, donated five million yuan to buy a Si Tu position, so scholars despise him."
Situ only wants five million
No, Cui Lie was already a 1,000-stone official, so he could have bought it by donating less. He may have taken refuge with your teacher and was attached to him, so the court would try to support Dong Hou. No, Zhang Wen donated 40 million coins to get promoted from a few hundred stones. (In history, Zhang Wen was originally a 2,000-stone official, and then donated money to get promoted, and he also created the history of the first Taiwei who was not appointed in the court. Author's note.) Do you want to know how much your teacher donated
No, father, goodbye. No matter what, he is my mentor.
I know that the teacher bought an official position, but I don't want to hear anyone talking about it anymore. But I suddenly realized that when the teacher became the governor of Jingzhou, no one from the major aristocratic families in Jingzhou came to work for the teacher. I traveled in the north, helping the teacher to recruit people along the way. Except for Brother Yuanhao, who sympathized with me and sent his brother to come, no one else came. Only foreigners and some people who didn't care about these things followed me. As a result, we were very short of people and could only rely on the teacher's students, many of whom were sons of merchants and farmers, to support us. Suddenly I thought that the various righteous deeds of the teacher later might also be to win the hearts of the scholars.
The two regents are so diligent that they even attended the Lantern Festival banquet to discuss confidential matters. My teacher specially ordered Ning to wait for the two regents.
I don't know when this person appeared in front of me. He was bowing and saluting. He was wearing a tall hat and a wide belt, was seven feet tall, and was a little thin.
My father quickly asked me to dismount, and then he helped him up. He was a man of my age, well-mannered, with an extraordinary appearance, especially his eyes, which were full of spirit, his eyebrows raised with spirit, and his mouth revealed a hint of elegance and uninhibitedness; I looked in the mirror frequently, knowing that such a temperament was beyond my reach, and I wanted to make friends with him, just as I, a fool, was trying to show off my elegance. But his face was a little pale, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
Should I call you Dr. Wei or Wei Jijiu
Ah, this is the Doctor and the Chief Priest
This Doctor Jijiu is the one who leads the fourteen doctors of the classics. If he is my age and can become a Doctor Jijiu, he must be a great talent. Since Taichang even disdains my teacher, then his student must have achieved this by his own ability.
Of course. Come, come, let me introduce you. I have been living in seclusion for a long time. I don't know what talented people have emerged in the court these days. My knowledge is shallow, and I am sorry to make you laugh. Zirui, this Lord Wei Zhongdao, whose real name is Ning, is currently serving as a doctor and a priest. I won't say much, nephew Zhongdao, everyone in the world knows this Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun, but he is young and frivolous, and has done many absurd things. Only the emperor still dotes on him and lets him do whatever he wants. You are one year older than him, so don't let him act old. Zirui, I have met Brother Zhongdao. Note 1.
I naturally hurried to pay my respects, but the other man panicked, saying that since you are the famous Marquis of Yue, and you are also an important minister of the Regent, I am just a lowly official with a salary of 600 dan, how can I dare to accept it.
Naturally, my father continued to be humble. It was New Year's Day, so he let go of all the official status. We were all old friends, and as soon as we entered the house, we were family, so there was no need to be like this.
Brother Zhongdao, you are a humble man, you have not read many books, and you are very lazy in the academy. In the past, I always envied and admired talented people. If you are not abandoned by your family and call me your brother, I would feel honored just for this title. How dare I use my official rank to bully others
Yue Hou's words are too serious. I didn't expect that Yue Hou, who has made many outstanding achievements and is famous all over the world, would be so humble. He is really a national tool. If I don't follow your words, it will make Ning look angry. So please, uncle, let my brother Zirui follow Ning to the Taichang Palace.
Brother Zhongdao led my father in front, and I followed behind him. Someone had announced loudly that the journey was quite grand, and all kinds of etiquette were done. I met people along the way, and they were all elegant and noble people, worthy of being the family of Taichang.
There was a certain etiquette for the introduction. Lord Cai's name was Cai Yong, and his courtesy name was Bo Ji. Yin Ling taught me the word Ji, which seemed to mean the sound of birds. I never used it before, so I was not very clear about it. However, using this word as a courtesy name really fits the fact that Lord Cai is proficient in music. My father asked me to call him uncle because he is several years older than my father. I seem to have seen this uncle Cai at noon when Cui Lie, the prime minister, was in charge. He had naturally seen me before, and he just praised me as a young hero in front of my father, and he was humble and polite. There seemed to be some deep meaning in the exchange of words.
While they were greeting each other, his father stopped the Imperial Household Official. He asked how he had time to run out. The Emperor was still in Luoyang, how could he dare to leave the palace. He replied that the Emperor and the Empress had gone to visit the new residence of Yuan Gong, the head of the Imperial Clan, today. Duke Qi, Marquis Sui, Earl Song and other relatives of the Yuan clan had gone to accompany them. Marquis Qin and the princess had also gone. Therefore, there was nothing to do in the evening. Even the Empress's Zhanshi Zhu had gone to rest, so he had nothing to do. As long as he returned to the palace before the Emperor finished watching the lanterns, there was nothing else for him to do.
Just as this was happening, a hearty laugh was heard from outside, and Uncle Cai said, "It's Duke Wei who has arrived."
Oh my, I have come here to confess my crime. Today, the emperor ordered someone to summon me to the new residence of Yuan Gong, the chief of the imperial clan. I cannot stay for long, so I can only apologize with wine. I hope that Lord Taichang will forgive me.
He was not afraid of the stage, and when he opened his hand, a maid brought him a few glasses of wine, and Meng De drank them heartily, thanking everyone after each drink. He did not seem to be drinking to apologize, but to quench his thirst.
After three lanterns, he turned to his father. He said that his father-in-law had forgiven him and that he had gone to pick up Sister Qi. We would talk again at the Imperial College tonight. My father was relieved and nodded to Brother Meng De. Brother Meng De even laughed with me casually for a few times. It was probably because I had been too cautious in the past few meetings, and I didn't have the posture of the former Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun. He asked me to relax. When he was about to leave, he suddenly saw the Imperial Official in the crowd again, and walked over to find this person.
My Lord Privy Councilor, have you murdered a salt seller? Do you want to destroy the evidence at noon today
The people around us didn't understand what was going on, only a few of us and Uncle Cai laughed. The Imperial Official also thought it was funny, but a little awkward, so he laughed along, but it didn't seem natural.
Lord Wei Rong reported that the truth is that the Emperor wanted to eat something saltier in recent days, so when I was preparing the sauce, I added more brine, and the people below followed my instructions to prepare the amount specifically for the Emperor, but I also made the sauce for the important ministers saltier.
Why does the emperor want to eat salty food recently
But there was someone here who was helping the official to speak.
This cannot be blamed on the Grand Secretary. Lord Wei, your Majesty's meridians have been invaded by dry evil recently, which has penetrated deep into your lungs, causing heat inside and cold outside. Therefore, I have prescribed some cooling medicine for your Majesty, and asked your Majesty to stay in a warm place more often to rectify your Qi.
Oh, no wonder, I felt strange when I went to see the emperor these days. The weather is so warm recently, but people in the distance are lighting braziers and sometimes boiling water. Two or three days ago, I heard the soup boiling and no one cared. I thought the Imperial Official was doing something again, but it turned out that it was your Imperial Doctor, Brother Zhongjing, who was causing trouble.
Haha, please forgive me, Duke Wei. Because of the medicine, Your Majesty has been sweating a lot recently and lacks salt in his body, so he likes to eat salty food. I was originally treating Your Majesty, but I have dragged you all down. I am very ashamed.
Meng De laughed and waved goodbye.
Uncle Cai felt a little regretful that Duke Wei was not around, so tonight's discussion of poetry and music was less interesting.
My father, however, dipped his chopsticks into the sauce, tasted it, and said with a smile: The taste of this sauce is a little less than that of lunch. It seems that Lord Bo Ji is in good health.
After laughing at each other, I will introduce them to you. I don't recognize many of the doctors, and I'm afraid I can't remember their names, so I'd better pretend to be an honest child and act stupid and obedient.
After some refusing and even pushing and shoving, my father sat at the top seat, Lord Cai sat second from the left, and I sat first from the right. The others took their seats in order, and Uncle Cai waited for Lord Sikong to arrive before the meal could begin.
Sikong Wang Yun couldn't come, but because Zishe came. Of course, this reason was totally unreasonable, it was just because Zishe came to confess his crime, but his father-in-law was also called to accompany the emperor. He was asked to come to make up the number and apologize.
Uncle Cai naturally let Wang's son-in-law sit up, but Zishe was very obedient and refused. In the end, he helped Uncle Cai to sit up, but he sat down in Uncle Cai's original seat. When he sat down, he made a look at me, and I would naturally fight back. Although the doctor who was looking at me wanted to make friends, he actually hoped that he would change seats with the one opposite first. So that I could have a good chat with Zishe, of course, it was not just for chatting.
The atmosphere of this dinner was indeed quite good. Listening to people talking about poetry and Yi Chunqiu, there were often wonderful ideas, and laughter accompanied by clinking glasses, which made people feel very free. However, there were many hidden concerns for me, and the person I took action against was the first to bear the brunt.
Brother Zhongdao was a very polite man. He didn't ask me anything while he was watching me eat. In fact, I had too much respect for the knowledge of this doctoral student. I was afraid that he would ask me questions that I couldn't answer. My face didn't matter. If these scholars despised the teacher even more, how could I face the teacher in the future? So, I kept eating.
Suddenly I remembered that I was lazy in school at the beginning. Although it was true, it would be easy to explain if I was really asked a question next.
It's not that I suddenly figured it out, it's mainly because people have limited appetite. I ate a lot at noon, and I came back to eat again not long after I got home. My rice bucket has a lid, and after a few moments, I couldn't eat anymore. I had to make up my mind and see how much my quick wit could help me this time. But the first question was not asked to me by Brother Zhongdao.
At that time, Lord Bo Ji's daughter suddenly appeared. She was a girl of about eleven or twelve, wearing an elegant dress. She was not very tall, but her appearance was already a bit girlish, except that she still had some round cheeks like a child. Her big eyes were very bright and clear. She appeared in front of everyone with an innocent smile, very fresh and bright, and people couldn't help but admire that she would be a very beautiful woman in the future.
I thought of Kong Ming. I was very reluctant to let Mr. Huang's daughter be with Kong Ming. This girl was much prettier. Looking at the look in her eyes and the way she walked, I liked her even more. Kong Ming was ** years old. I had to arrange a marriage for him in two years. I wanted to see if I could use my connections to get him in through the back door.
The more I look at her, the more I like her. I like children, and this girl is even more likable. If she wasn't really too old, I would have wanted her to be the daughter-in-law of my unborn son, but I'm afraid my son would dislike her for being too old.
When Lord Bo Ji saw her appear, he was also delighted, so he summoned her to his side and ordered her to pour wine for the distinguished guest. At the same time, he introduced her to his father as the daughter Cai Yan.
Cai Yan was very polite. She bowed to her father, walked gracefully to my father's table, bowed first, held up the wine vessel with one hand, and poured wine for my father.
The father also liked the child very much. He stared at the girl for a while, nodded frequently, and praised the girl for her beauty and dignified manners, saying that she would be extremely wealthy in the future. He wanted to adopt her as his adopted daughter, but didn't know if it was okay. Lord Bo Ji naturally thought that this was a blessing for the girl, so he asked Yan'er to greet her adopted father.
I thought to myself, this is not my son's fortune, I have to give up this idea, otherwise, she will call my father her foster father and her father-in-law, and I will be lost in this life. But Kong Ming still has some hope.
Cai Yan had already paid her respects and called her father "adoptive father" very obediently. Her father was very happy and felt that it was his blessing to have such a good adopted daughter.
After a while, Cai Yan turned around and poured wine for me, her sworn brother. I expressed my gratitude, but she paused and looked at me carefully. She looked at me so hard that I began to wonder if there was anything missing from me.
Is my brother the one who is three parts drunk and seven parts frivolous
Yes, it’s me.
How come I can't see your frivolousness? You should be three parts cautious and seven parts careful.
My brother has grown up.
So that's how it is. Cai Yan suddenly became serious with me. It's better for me not to grow up.
Well, I am serious too: I think so too.
She went downstairs to pour wine for the Doctor and Master of Wine, whom she called her senior brother, but threw a question to me, "Can I ask about the sister who was so drunk with you that night?"
Note: Her first husband died of coughing up blood one year after marriage, probably due to pneumonia or something like that. Of course, everything was different in the change of the heavens, and how long he could live was left to be determined later. Cai Yan's original name was Zhaoji, but it was changed to Zhaoji in the Jin Dynasty to avoid the taboo of Sima Zhao. In fact, she should have been called Zhaoji until her death. However, dear readers, I will still use Wenji in the future, just because Zhaoji is not a good homonym.
Note: This official has been mentioned frequently in the last dozen chapters, so I would like to make a note of it. In fact, this official existed in the Western Han Dynasty, the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and all dynasties after that, except the Eastern Han Dynasty. After thinking about it, I still don’t understand why, but because the plot requires this official who specializes in serving the Queen and the Crown Prince to be in the middle and play a certain role, I kept him in the Heaven Change.
Note: Zhang Zhongjing, also known as Ji, was from Nanyang. He was later called the Saint of Medicine. He left behind a book called Treatise on Injury and Miscellaneous Diseases. The prescriptions and medicines in it are still used by Chinese medicine practitioners today, and some people in Japan and South Korea still use his prescriptions. In official history, he was an official, but never the Imperial Physician.