Hua Xiangrong looked at the man with a sunny smile in front of her with a red face, and the girlish feelings in her heart that had been silent for a long time could not help but stir up. Suddenly coming back to his senses, he felt shy and lowered his head. Yang Peng felt a little weird when he saw that Hua Xiangrong's face turned red.
Yang Peng called the waiter and asked him to bring over two pairs of clean cups and saucers, as well as some tea and snacks. The waiter responded, stepped back, and came back a moment later with two clean cups and saucers, a pot of tea and a few snacks. After putting everything away, he said "use it slowly" and went down.
Yang Peng picked up the teapot and poured tea for Hua Xiangrong and the little maid. Hua Xiangrong was so flattered that she stood up in a hurry and said, "I'll do it." Then he went to get the teapot from Yang Peng's hand. Inadvertently touching Yang Peng's finger, Hua Xiangrong felt her heart skip a beat and hurriedly retracted her finger. Her heart was pounding, her face was red, and she looked at a loss.
Yang Peng smiled, poured a cup of tea for Hua Xiangrong and the maid, and then filled it for himself. Putting down the teapot, seeing Hua Xiangrong still standing there in a daze, he smiled and said: "You should sit down to drink tea." Hua Xiangrong came back to her senses and was so embarrassed that she almost wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and sat back down.
Yang Peng asked: "Isn't there a government agency adopting orphans now? Why do we still need you to do this?"
When Hua Xiangrong heard Yang Peng talking about this matter, she was no longer as shy as before, and said: "It was only after His Majesty recovered Jiangnan that the government began to adopt orphans. Before that, the government didn't care about orphans, widowed mothers, and lonely widowers. . I saw how pitiful the many orphans were begging for a living, so I rented a courtyard outside the city specifically to adopt orphans. Over time, we have become inseparable, although the government found me many times and expressed that I could adopt those orphans. Orphans, but I don't want to leave them, and they don't want to leave me, so I still take care of them." Yang Peng nodded, feeling that this was human nature. He looked at Hua Xiangrong and said, "This is the responsibility of the government and should not be borne by a woman like you!"
Hua Xiangrong's expression changed and she said hurriedly: "No, no, I am willing to take care of them, I don't want to leave them!"
Yang Peng smiled and said: "You misunderstood. What I meant was that the local government should spend money to support you."
Hua Xiangrong shook her head and said, "No need, I can bear it!"
Yang Peng waved his hand, "This is not a question of whether you can bear it, but a responsibility of the local government. If they don't support you, they are derelict in their duties, and I will hold them accountable!"
Hua Xiangrong was taken aback and said quickly: "Master Shen is a very good person. He has expressed his intention to support me, but I am unwilling."
Yang Peng smiled and said, "I heard that during the Song Dynasty, people called Shen Yuqiu a traitor. I didn't expect you to say that he was a very good person."
Hua Xiangrong glanced at Yang Peng and whispered: "Didn't His Majesty also use him to manage Jiangnan?"
Yang Peng was stunned and laughed: "You are using my spear to attack my shield!" Hua Xiangrong said with red cheeks: "I don't dare!" At this time, Hua Xiangrong was no longer as strong as before. She was nervous because after chatting with Yang Peng for a while, she only felt cordial and did not feel the slightest pressure. It felt like very close friends, so she was not as restrained as before.
Yang Peng looked out the window and said, "It's getting late, I should go back." Hua Xiangrong showed a look of reluctance. The little maid suddenly said: "Master, can't you stay with our lady anymore?"
Hua Xiangrong was shocked and said angrily: "Don't talk nonsense!" Yang Peng said with a smile: "That's fine. Then I will send the little girl back to the boat." Hua Xiangrong stood up, and the little maid also stood up. Hua Xiangrong looked at Yang Peng with a reddish face and said shyly, "How dare I, how dare I let my eldest brother give me a gift." Yang Peng said with a smile, "Isn't it natural for a brother to give his sister a gift? Okay, don't. Having said this, let’s go.” Then he immediately walked downstairs. The little maid quickly followed Hua Xiangrong. The guards paid the bill and followed.
The sun was about to set at this time, and the whole land was dim. The streets are still bustling with people, smoke is curling up everywhere, and the air is filled with the fragrance of all kinds of food; the mother is leaning against the door, calling loudly for her children to come home for dinner, while the urchins in the streets and alleys are shouting at their mothers. He ran back home amidst the shouts.
Yang Peng and Hua Xiangrong walked side by side on the street, with everyone else following behind. Hua Xiangrong lowered her head and remained silent, as if she was thinking about something. He suddenly stopped and said with a blushing face: "Brother, I, I have to go to the yard outside the city to see the children. You, you don't have to accompany me." Now in Daming, except for the cities near the border, The city is no longer locked at night, so there is no problem for Hua Xiangrong to leave the city at this time.
Yang Peng smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, I'll go with you." Hua Xiangrong looked at Yang Peng, suddenly became shy, and turned around to head out of the city.
When a group of people arrived outside the city, the sun had already set. The town outside the city gate was brightly lit, and jugglers were juggling in the middle of the street, attracting passers-by to stop and watch, and cheers came and went.
Yang Peng and his party were led by Hua Xiangrong to a courtyard. As soon as he entered the door, he saw dozens or hundreds of laughing children coming up, and suddenly they surrounded Hua Xiangrong, the master and the maid, in the middle, some calling her mother, and some calling her sister, it was a mess. Seeing this scene, Yang Peng couldn't help but laugh. Hua Xiangrong showed a pure and gentle smile among the children. Yang Peng's heart suddenly moved, and he felt that she seemed to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
"Sister, who is that big brother?" A little girl of five or six years old asked, pointing at Yang Peng with her chubby finger.
Hua Xiangrong then thought that Yang Peng and the others were nearby, and quickly led the children to Yang Peng and said to the children: "This eldest brother is my sister's, good friend, what should you do?"
The children all looked at Yang Peng, and then bowed together: "Hello, big brother!"
Yang Peng laughed and said, "Hello, kids!" As soon as the words came out, he felt so awkward.
An eight or nine-year-old girl suddenly raised her little hands and said excitedly: "I know, I know! The eldest brother is the one who likes his sister!" As soon as these words came out, Yang Peng was stunned, while Hua Xiangrong was stunned by Xiafei Shuang. Cheeks are extremely embarrassed. Another eight or nine-year-old boy said loudly: "Sister also likes big brother, otherwise she wouldn't have brought big brother here!" A group of children immediately started chattering, and everyone was asking questions. When will the eldest brother and eldest sister visit the church to get married? Yang Peng found it very interesting, but Hua Xiangrong wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into, and was extremely embarrassed.
Yang Peng walked among the children and said, "Big brother, would you like to tell you a story?" There was no child who didn't like hearing stories, and all the children immediately applauded. Yang Peng walked to the stone bench and sat down, while the children gathered around him. Yang Peng began to tell the story of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West. Children of this era had never heard of this story before. Their eyes widened when they heard it, and they looked attentive. The originally noisy courtyard immediately fell silent. Hua Xiangrong stood not far away and looked at Yang Peng, who was telling stories among the children, and became more and more fascinated. Suddenly her face turned red, showing a bit of shyness and a bit of joy.
Zhao's mother, who was responsible for taking care of the children, walked up to Hua Xiangrong and asked curiously: "Miss, who is this young master? Why haven't I seen him before?" Hua Xiangrong didn't know what to say. The maid said: "That's because the young lady recognizes the big brother!"
Zhao's mother showed a look of surprise, then smiled with understanding, and said with a smile: "So what the children said is true, this young master has taken a liking to the young lady! I must have the young lady also fallen in love with this young master, right?" This young master is a really good person!"
Hua Xiangyong was so embarrassed that she said angrily: "Come on, the children are young, ignorant, and talk nonsense. Why are you talking nonsense too!"
Zhao Ma laughed and said: "Yes, yes, my old lady is talking too much! Alas, but seeing that the young lady finally met a good man, the old lady was so happy!" Hua Xiangrong was feverish and ignored it. Zhao Ma.
Time passed unconsciously, and in a blink of an eye, the moon was at its peak. Hua Xiangrong saw that it was getting late and the children were still listening with interest, so she walked over and said to the children: "Children, eldest brother has something to do tomorrow and must go back to rest. Stop pestering eldest brother. , go back and have a rest." The children were a little unhappy, but they did not act coquettishly. They all stood up obediently and waved goodbye to Yang Peng. Some even asked their elder brother to come back and tell them stories tomorrow, and then they said: A large group of children followed Ma Zhao back.
Yang Peng stood up, looked at the children's backs and smiled: "These children are so cute!" Hua Xiangrong nodded and said: "That's why I must be with the children no matter how difficult it is."
Yang Peng nodded and said with some embarrassment: "There is something difficult to handle!"
Hua Xiangrong couldn't help but become nervous and looked at Yang Peng. Only Yang Peng said: "The children still want to listen to the story, but I will go back to Bianliang in two days. What should I do?" Hua Xiangrong heard that this was what he was talking about, and there was a look of disappointment in her eyes. Come.
Yang Peng looked at the sky and said, "It's time for me to return to the palace." Hua Xiangrong looked at Yang Peng, with a lingering charm in his eyes. Yang Peng didn't pay attention and turned around to walk outside. Hua Xiangrong sent Yang Peng out of the door. At this moment, there was the sound of horse hooves in the distance, and dozens of sturdy knights were seen galloping in under the leadership of a stunning beauty. Everyone showed anxious expressions, especially the beauty.
When everyone saw Yang Peng, they all showed surprise. They rushed up together, reined in their horses, and turned over.
The stunning beauty walked straight to Yang Peng and said angrily: "Your Majesty won't come back so late, we are all worried to death!" The little maid who was standing next to Hua Xiangrong looking at the stunning beauty with hostility suddenly heard, The word "Your Majesty" immediately opened his mouth in surprise. He turned to look at Yang Peng with an expression of disbelief.
Yang Peng smiled and said: "Okay, it's my fault. Isn't something wrong with me?"
Yan Ji glanced at the beautiful Hua Xiangrong, and immediately understood, and rolled her eyes at Yang Peng. Yang Peng knew that Yan Ji had misunderstood, but it was hard to explain, so he smiled and said, "Let's go back." A guard immediately brought Yang Peng's mount over. Yang Peng took the reins of the horse, got on his horse, and said to Hua Xiangrong, "I'm leaving." Hua Xiangrong bowed Yingying and said, "Farewell to Your Majesty!" Yang Pengle turned the horse's head, and Yan Ji took another look. Hua Xiangrong led a group of guards to follow. Dozens of riders flew away in a cloud of dust and disappeared into the night a moment later.
Hua Xiangrong looked into the distance and couldn't help but sigh, with a lonely look on her face. Thinking of some delusions that arose in his mind not long ago, he smiled bitterly.
The little maid finally reacted at this moment and exclaimed: "He, he, he is His Majesty the Emperor!?"
Hua Xiangrong nodded, looked into the distance, and said dreamily: "He is His Majesty the Emperor, the great hero who dominates the world and is so powerful!"
The little maid said in disbelief: "This, this is so possible! He, he looks so kind, like a big brother, not at all like the scary figure in everyone's legends!"
Hua Xiangrong smiled and said: "His terror is only for his enemies! We are all his people, we will not see his terror, only his gentle and kind side! This may be our greatest luck!" The little maid couldn't help but nodded, and suddenly shouted excitedly: "He actually likes the young lady, isn't the young lady going to become the imperial concubine!?" Hua Xiangrong felt her heart sting, and turned around to glare at the young lady. The maid shouted: "How can a woman like me be worthy of a god-like figure like my elder brother! Never say such things again!" The little maid encountered an inexplicable problem and was confused and depressed at the same time.
Yang Peng and his party were walking on the way back to the palace. Yan Ji saw that her lover seemed to be thinking about something, so she joked: "You have just left and you are thinking about it?"
Yang Peng came back to his senses and said with a smile: "What are you talking about?"
Yan Ji rolled her eyes at her lover and said, "Don't you like that woman? I think she is extremely beautiful, and she is one of the rare beauties!"
Yang Peng asked with a smile: "Do you know who she is?"
Yan Ji shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Yang Peng said: "Her name is Hua Xiangrong, she is an oiran from Hangzhou." Yan Ji showed surprise, then nodded and said: "No wonder she looks so charming, she turns out to be an oiran girl!" Then she joked: "My husband plans to take her as his wife. Harem, right?”
Yang Peng rolled his eyes and said: "I originally thought she was just a vain woman, but I misjudged her. Although this woman suffered great misfortune, she has a rare kind heart. Do you know? ? All the money she earned from selling her body and laughing was used to raise orphans who had lost their parents. There were more than a hundred orphans she adopted living in the big yard just now." Yan Ji couldn't help but be in awe and said : "This is truly an extraordinary woman! I asked myself that in her situation, she would never be able to do such a great thing."
Yang Peng glanced at Yan Ji and smiled: "You are also amazing. But you and her have different personalities, so what you will do in the same situation is completely different, but it is equally admirable!" Yan Ji She smiled sweetly and said: "My husband said that to me, I am so happy!"
Yang Peng chuckled, and then said distressedly: "There is something difficult to solve! Those children became addicted when I told the story of "Journey to the West". If I don't finish telling it to them, they will be very unhappy. ."
Yan Ji smiled and said: "Then let me finish telling them. I will accompany you."
Yang Peng glanced at Yan Ji and joked: "Accompanying your husband? Are you afraid that your husband will be abducted?"
Yan Ji pursed her lips and smiled, and said matter-of-factly: "Such a good husband is naturally worried about being abducted! It will be too late to regret it by then!" Both of them couldn't help but laugh. Yan Ji stopped laughing, glanced at her lover, and said, "I'm not worried that your husband has been kidnapped. I also want to have a good talk with that girl Hua Xiangrong." Yang Peng immediately waved his hand and said, "Don't act recklessly. , I don’t mean that by your husband." Yan Ji said in surprise: "Such a good woman, but your husband is not attracted to her?" Yang Peng rolled his eyes and said angrily: "These are two different things!"
Three days passed quickly. In the past three days, Yang Peng went to the courtyard to tell stories to the children almost every day. The children liked the stories Yang Peng told and the big brother who always laughed. In just three days, Yang Peng and the children We have become very close friends, as if we have known each other for a long time. In the past few days, Yan Ji and Wang Rong have been accompanying Yang Peng. The children have become familiar with them and like these two beautiful elder sisters. The two girls and Hua Xiangrong had some grudges at first, but they soon became good friends who talked about everything.
That night, Yang Peng was writing something in the study. Yan Ji and Wang Rong came over with supper. Looking at what Yang Peng was chasing, Wang Rong couldn't help but smile. Wang Rong exclaimed: "I didn't expect that big brother could write such a beautiful article. The gods and ghosts make people want to stop after reading it!" Yang Peng laughed. Laugh and keep writing.
There were footsteps at the door, and a guard came in, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Mr. Shen Yuqiu is here." Yang Peng nodded while writing: "Let him in." The guard responded, retreated, and for a moment Afterwards, Shen Yuqiu came in and said, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Yang Peng put down his brush, took a long breath, and said, "I'm finally done." He raised his head and glanced at Shen Yuqiu, and said, "No need to be polite!" Shen Yuqiu thanked Yan Ji, straightened up, and clasped his fists towards Yan Ji and said, " I’ve met your empress.” Yan Ji smiled slightly. Shen Yuqiu greeted Wang Rong again: "I've met the commander-in-chief." Wang Rong nodded.
Yang Peng said to Shen Yuqiu: "I have recognized the Hua Xiangrong you brought last time as my adopted sister."
Shen Yuqiu was very happy and hurriedly bowed: "Congratulations to Your Majesty for accepting a foster sister. This is also a blessing she received from her previous life!"
Yang Peng said: "She is a very good woman and should not suffer anymore." "Yes, yes, what your Majesty said is absolutely true. I will make proper arrangements for the flower girl."
Yang Peng asked with a smile: "How do you plan to arrange it?"
Shen Yuqiu suddenly became embarrassed. He was not sure what Yang Peng meant for a while. He felt that he favored Hua Xiangrong very much. It seemed that he should buy a decent property in Hangzhou for Hua Xiangrong and make her have no worries about food and clothing. But when I thought about His Majesty's hatred of using public funds for private purposes, I felt that I shouldn't do this. After a second thought, he suddenly thought of a way and said quickly: "I plan to use my own money to buy a property in Hangzhou and pay for Miss Hua's daily expenses."
Yang Peng didn't expect that he would think of such a method, and couldn't help but be stunned. Yan Ji joked: "Master Shen is really a good official who takes into account both personal affairs and the law!" Shen Yuqiu said quickly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Yang Peng smiled and said, "I'm embarrassed to ask you to spend money."
Shen Yuqiu said quickly: "This is what I should do. It is your blessing to be able to serve your Majesty!"
Yang Peng smiled and waved his hand, "This is not good. Please think of a way for me to arrange for Miss Hua at the official level."
Shen Yuqiu frowned and began to think. Then his mind moved and he quickly clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, why not let Miss Hua live in the palace. Anyway, the palace will be empty if His Majesty doesn't come."
Yan Ji said: "This is not appropriate. In what capacity? Do you want Miss Hua to be a palace maid? But Miss Hua is obviously her husband's adopted sister."
Shen Yuqiu said: "Let's do this. The palace still lacks a general manager, so why not let Miss Hua be the general manager of the palace."
Yang Peng nodded and said: "This method is good, let's do it like this." Shen Yuqiu was very happy when he heard Yang Peng's praise. Yang Peng said: "There are still those children, let's just put them in the palace. The palace is empty, so let Miss Hua lead a group of maids to take care of those children." Shen Yuqiu said quickly: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Yan Ji smiled and said: "In this case, wouldn't this palace become an orphanage?"
Yang Peng smiled and said, "Let's just make this palace an orphanage to take care of the younger children." He looked at Shen Yuqiu and said, "It's up to you to handle this matter." Shen Yuqiu bowed and agreed.
Yang Peng picked up the manuscript on the desk and handed it to Shen Qiqiu. Shen Yuqiu felt a little surprised, stepped forward and took it with both hands. Yang Peng said: "This is a story I wrote for the children. It's called "Journey to the West". You find a storyteller to tell the stories to the children." Shen Yuqiu responded: "I must do it!" Then he sighed: " Those children are so lucky to have been cultivated in their previous lives, and they are able to receive such care from His Majesty!" Yang Peng smiled and said, "Okay, nothing happens, just go down." Shen Yuqiu bowed and said, "My lord, please leave." Withdrew.
Yang Peng returned to the palace and saw that Wang Rong had already taken off his military uniform and was wearing a gauze, sitting in front of the dressing table not far away, looking indescribably charming under the light. Yang Peng's heart moved, he walked up and said jokingly: "Why are you not scared today?" Wang Rong looked at Yang Peng with red cheeks and said: "Sister Yan Ji said, since you are going back to Bianliang tomorrow, let me accompany you tonight. Accompany big brother!" Yang Peng was deeply moved. He sat down next to Wang Rong, held her delicate hand, and looked at her. Wang Rong was embarrassed by Yang Peng and said angrily: "It's not like I don't know you, why are you looking at me like that?"
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
