When she heard the knock on the door, she put down the palace ribbon in her hand and put it into the box: "Lord Lian, please come in."
Lian Shiqing saluted and went straight to the topic: "Greetings to the general's wife. The general has returned from Xunjiang."
Don’t have to stay for more than a day? It seemed like nothing had happened. When Xiao Luolan heard this, he was relieved, but still worried and asked: "The general didn't go to the Lu Mansion, right?" As long as he didn't go to the Lu Mansion, there shouldn't be any conflicts.
"No." Lian Shiqing said: "The general cut off his tongue when he arrived at Xunjiang River and left."
Xiao Luolan suspected that she heard wrongly, and her eyes widened in shock: "Cut your tongue and leave? Whose tongue?"
"Reporting to the general's wife." Lian Shiqing bent down and said, "It belongs to Peng Hui."
Chapter 151
When I never tied up my boat and looked at Jing Lake, I realized how big the lake was and how vast it was and how foggy it was.
Xiao Qingxue sat on the bench at the railing, holding a round and chubby snowball in her arms. With her other hand, she grabbed a few fish food from a small sky-blue porcelain bowl and sprinkled it. The brightly colored koi carps were swimming in the cold winter. Several fish emerged from the bottom of the lake and competed for food, stirring up countless ripples that slowly spread to the calm lake surface.
Xiao Qingxue lowered her head and stared at the shallow, almost flat water waves. Seeing that the fish were eating happily, she sprinkled some more fish food.
The pink jade hibiscus hairpin is clear in the sun, reflecting the girl's face as white as jade, but at this moment, her delicate and beautiful face is full of boredom.
"Fang Yun, are you going to see if my mother-in-law is back?" Xiao Qingxue said to Fang Yun behind her.
Fang Yun curtsied and said, "Yes."
"Wait a minute." Xiao Qingxue thought of her mother-in-law telling her to come back at noon, and added: "First let sister Dongxue go to the kitchen to see if lunch is ready, and then bring the lunch to you. Let’s eat here at Tiezhou, not in the outer hall.”
"Yes." Fang Yun asked, "Can we add some more charcoal basins in the house?" After all, this place is close to Jinghu Lake, there is a lot of water vapor, and it is surrounded by water on three sides. It would be bad if the cold air enters the body.
"No need, today's meal is hot pot." Xiao Qingxue said. She also asked the kitchen staff to add more spicy food. The other half was thick white bone soup, which my mother-in-law must like to eat.
"yes."
Xiao Qingxue looked at Fang Yun's retreating figure in boredom. The verandahs were turning, the vegetation was green in winter, and the courtyard was deserted. Only the red palace lanterns under the four corners of the boat were brightly colored, giving off the feeling that the New Year was approaching.
The New Year is approaching, and her birthday is coming soon. This time of year is the time that Xiao Qingxue looks forward to the most and is the happiest time. After her birthday, she celebrates the New Year, which feels like a double surprise, not to mention that in previous years, her mother-in-law would carefully prepare it for her. birthday present.
But the girl's eyebrows were expressionless, even though it was her birthday in a few days.
Dongxue led the people to put the ingredients for the hot pot on the table and arranged them again. They all moved lightly. Through the double gauze curtains and the cold wind blowing, you could see the mistress's beloved little one in the house. The lady was leaning against the railing, as if in a daze.
His beautiful eyes suddenly looked at her, and then he smiled like a flower, and his whole person came alive.
"Auntie, you're back!" Xiao Qingxue held Snowball in her arms and lifted the gauze curtain and came over, her voice as clear as a bell.
Xiao Luolan smiled when she saw her daughter. She put the box on the table aside: "Well, it's been a long time."
"No, grandma, you came back just in time, let's eat quickly." Xiao Qingxue sat down next to grandma, then told Dongxue and Fangyun not to wait here, and just left them alone.
"Are you hungry, grandma?" Xiao Qingxue prepared the dipping sauce for the two of them, then put the hard-cooked cabbage and radish into the spicy pot of the hot pot, and divided into thin slices of fish, mutton, and shrimp balls. Served in a small dish, the hot pot is steaming hot and the aroma is overflowing.
"A little bit." Xiao Luolan was very moved by her daughter's thoughtful gesture. She took a spoon and poured a bowl of bone soup for her daughter, and then also poured a bowl for herself.
"Is it beef bone soup?" Xiao Luolan took a sip of the soup and tasted it immediately. The milky white beef bone soup contained a few pieces of soft and sweet stewed radish and a few chopped green onions.
"I wanted to drink it, so I asked the kitchen to make it." Xiao Qingxue felt a little guilty when she said this, mainly because the cattle in ancient times were not like modern ones. The cattle here were used to tend crops and were much more expensive than people. But she You can still eat it if you want. Cows are raised in Zhuangzi. Even in ancient times, there was a psychological pressure to eat cows. Usually, mutton is mostly eaten in the house. Xiao Qingxue saw that her mother was busy these days, so she wanted to get some cows in the kitchen. Bone broth replenishes my body.
Xiao Luolan was stunned for a moment and hid her slightly sour feeling. She used to buy beef bone soup for her daughter to drink. Beef bone soup has many benefits. It can supplement calcium and make her grow taller...
Xiao Luolan rubbed her daughter's head and said softly: "Drink more, dear baby."
"Grandma drinks it too," Xiao Qingxue said. She asked the kitchen staff to cook it specially for grandma.
Xiao Luolan smiled and said, "Let's drink together."
The table was filled with the favorite dishes of mother and daughter. The small boat was full of smoke and smoke. Xiao Qingxue put a piece of shrimp balls into her mother's bowl, and white mist rose from the hot pot.
"Auntie, is daddy coming back?"
Seeing that her daughter had finished the soup, Xiao Luolan served her another bowl: "Yes, I estimate that she will be home in three or four days, and it will be your birthday."
Xiao Qingxue was eating. She found that everyone in her family was acting strange these days. Her father suddenly went to Xunjiang without telling her. Her brother was also very strange in the past few days, even though he went to the hospital every day. I work in the government office, but when I get home, I will lock myself in the study to study.
"Mom, why did dad suddenly go to Xunjiang County?" Xiao Qingxue asked. She didn't ask clearly, and she always felt uneasy in her heart.
Xiao Luolan sorted out her thoughts and told the story. She mainly started with Lian Shiqing, and finally talked about the conflict between Shen Zhi and Zhou Zongzhi at Dengyun Tower. In fact, she was also a little worried. How to resolve the conflict between father and son.
Xiao Luolan has nothing to hide. Her daughter will know these things eventually, so she might as well tell her now. Originally, she thought she could explain it to her calmly. She didn't care about the title given by the emperor at all. The family didn't care at all. No need to create gaps.
But she can't do whatever she wants.
"The emperor gave me two titles, and I didn't feel well at first glance. I thought the family didn't have to worry about that, but your father didn't listen." Xiao Luolan frowned.
As the saying goes, it is difficult for an upright official to deal with family affairs. Seriously speaking, everyone is justified, but in Xiao Luolan's view, this matter was basically initiated by the emperor.
After Xiao Qingxue listened for a while, she lowered her eyes and asked, "Daddy didn't do anything in Xunjiang?"
"He..." Xiao Luolan always felt that she would lead her daughter wrong when she said it, and cutting her tongue hurt when she heard it.
"Auntie, tell me." Xiao Qingxue regained her lively appearance and pestered her to ask. If her father didn't do anything, she would be particularly disappointed.
"He cut out the tongue of the eunuch who delivered the order." Xiao Luolan patted the back of her daughter's hand: "Don't worry about this matter. When your father comes back, we can have a meal together as a family and make things clear. , the family should not have any estrangement."
When Xiao Qingxue heard her father cut off the tongue of the man named Peng, she put down her hand wrapped around the whip at her waist and let out a cry, but she was thinking about the Shangqing Guanhuo Medicine.
After the meal, Xiao Luolan sat on a bench outside, waved her daughter over, and opened the box. It was a ready-made palace ribbon.
The green color of the garden is fresh and lovely.
Xiao Qingxue stood obediently in front of her mother.
"Originally I wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but I made it in advance just to see if it would fit. After two days, I will make a forbidden step to press up your skirt." Xiao Luolan said naggingly, She tied the palace ribbon around her daughter's waist, and the green color of the courtyard outlined the girl's slim figure.
"Yes, it's really pretty." Xiao Luolan became more and more delighted as she looked at it, feeling that the color really matched her daughter.
Xiao Qingxue lowered her head and saw that the lavender fringe of the palace ribbon hung down to the edge of her skirt, fluttering: "Thank you, Auntie."
Xiao Luolan straightened her daughter's skirt and thought it would be great if she had a mobile phone so she could take photos.
Xiao Qingxue fiddled with the sachet on her waist and the small whip on her side. She looked at the gentle grandma and couldn't help but said: "Aren't grandma angry? The emperor gave me the broken title, and my brother. Protect the Lu family for the first time..."
At the end, Xiao Qingxue's voice was muffled. After all, she was still angry. Even if her father cut off the eunuch's tongue, he couldn't make her happy.
"What's the point of being angry about being banned?" Xiao Luolan stood up and saw her daughter's bulging cheeks. She pinched her little face in a funny way: "I don't care at all. Don't worry about this ban. The emperor did it on purpose." Doing this, am I going to be angry every day as he wants? It's not worth it for an outsider."
Xiao Luolan pulled her daughter to sit next to her, her voice always gentle and soft, and her tone calm.
"As for Shen Zhi protecting the Lu family..."
"Brother, what I did this time was wrong." Xiao Qingxue was a little sad.
"I still think Shen Zhi is Shen Zhi, the Lu family is the Lu family, and what the Lu family did cannot be blamed on Shen Zhi." Xiao Luolan held her daughter's hand: "This time it was also about Shen's biological mother, and Shen Zhi's reaction was just human. It’s normal.”
Xiao Qingxue thought of her brother's usual kindness to her, feeling awkward and sad, so she remained silent.
"You see, because I am your grandma, you want to give me all the good things, and I do the same to you." Xiao Luolan said softly: "And Shenzhi also has a grandma, right? He also wants to do the same to you." His mother-in-law had a good time, but his mother-in-law has already passed away, and I have no chance to be nice to her. Isn’t it a very sad thing?"
Xiao Qingxue thought about it for a moment and found that she couldn't imagine the day when her mother would leave her. She leaned on her shoulder and said obediently: "Okay, then I will fall in love with brother after a few days. It won’t work for two days, and if the Lu family comes again, I won’t play with them.”
Xiao Luolan was amused by her daughter's cute words.
Xiao Qingxue saw her mother-in-law laughing at her and snorted angrily. After a while, she got tired of being next to her mother-in-law. She just didn't want her mother-in-law to suffer a little injustice. Her mother-in-law was so kind.
"Aniang, why are you so nice?" Xiao Qingxue gradually became more cheerful after being enlightened by Aniang. She felt that everything she looked at was pleasing to the eye. She looked at Aniang, her eyes like little stars.
Xiao Luolan looked at her daughter's smiling face, tied her scarf tighter, and looked gentle. Her daughter was by her side now, as healthy and lively as before. Every time Xiao Luolan thought of this, she felt very happy.
But thinking about the recent troubles, she sighed in her heart. In fact, she didn't feel that she was doing very well. Sometimes she was worried that she would annoy people if she talked too much. In this world, everyone has their own difficulties. , they are now a family with Sect Master Zhou and Shen Zhi. If the relationship between family members becomes tense, it is really not what Xiao Luolan wants to see.
The most important thing is that Xiao Luolan can feel the care that Clan Master Zhou has for Shen Zhi and Qingxue. The two New Year's copper coins have been kept in the bag that Clan Master Zhou carries with him, waiting to be given out during the New Year.
Shen Zhi also respected her, was full of brotherly love and care for Qingxue, and even worshiped and admired Sect Leader Zhou.
Since the whole family loves each other, don't hurt each other.
Sometimes, the deeper the love, the deeper the hurt.
Chapter 152 (Shen Zhi’s plot)
"Shenzhi, why don't you go out today?" Xie Deyong shook a gold-plated folding fan and a white fox fur and green jade crown. He looked elegant and elegant. He lay on the only rocking chair in Luobi Pavilion and looked up first. The sun in the sky looked at Zhou Shenzhi, who was still in the study, and asked in a loud voice.
Through a door, Xie Deyong could only see Zhou Shenzhi practicing calligraphy at his desk.
What exactly was written is unknown.
In fact, his good friend also had a strange temper. Xie Deyong felt so. He stood up and leaned against the door. Just as he was about to ask again, he heard Zhou Shenzhi's cold voice.
"Take a break today."
It's Xiu Mu. Xie Deyong smiled awkwardly and said, "I thought you were going to be passive and sabotage your work. This is not good."
"The Chinese New Year is almost here, why don't you go back to the small courtyard you bought outside?" Zhou Shenzhi arranged the things on the desk and returned the pen, ink, paper and inkstone to their places.
"There are only a few old servants in the courtyard. It's no fun to talk to them." Xie Deyong shook his fan: "I'll wait until the actual New Year's day before returning."
He walked in and sat down on the chair in the study. Thinking of the rumors he had heard recently, he coughed lightly: "Shenzhi, I heard that Lord Jieduzhi cut out Peng Hui's tongue. Then Peng Hui is the emperor's confidant. The close minister, the eunuch in front of the emperor, and Concubine Xi are also a famous person in the palace. If the news of Master Jieduzhi's move reaches Chang'an, it will not be justified without being accused of contempt of imperial power by the Gonggun princes in the court."
When Xie Deyong first heard the news, he subconsciously touched his mouth.
This move is really cruel, it is more uncomfortable than killing Peng Hui.
Xie Deyong thought about this for a day yesterday, and he felt more and more that Master Jieduzhi had done this step extremely delicately, decisively, and extremely cruelly. Most of the people he had interacted with before felt that warriors were unintelligent and only knew how to wield swords and guns. Now, , Xie Deyong just wanted to sneer three times at his former arrogant self.
The titles of the two imperial edicts are treated differently. To put it more broadly, the titles of the two are as different as clouds and mud. The higher and lower are clearly visible, and the emperor's intentions can be seen through without much guessing.
People are not worried about poverty but inequality. He just wants to stir up disharmony between Jieduzhi and his family, discord between father and son, discord between husband and wife, discord between mother and son, and discord between children. This is an upright and bright conspiracy, but it just doesn't work. Can include everyone.
In this plan, everyone has very few escape options, especially his good friend.
Dachu has been ruling the world with filial piety for more than three hundred and almost four hundred years. Filial piety is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Filial piety is the first of all good deeds. Crows feed back and lambs kneel to their mothers. If a person does not respect his parents, how is he different from an animal? There are even many remote small areas that still have the promotion method of filial piety and integrity.
Therefore, filial piety is very important.
Xie Deyong looked at the word "filial piety" hanging on the study room. It was written in thick ink, just like his good friend. There was a small bright red seal below, which was his friend's cousin's name, Zijia.
Zijia's choices are even less, and he can't retreat. One is his biological mother, and the other is his stepmother. Both were married by Master Jiedushi, and their status is the same. However, Zijia's biological mother died early, and Lu The status of the family is also lower than that of the Xiao family in Biqinghe. Now that the Holy Emperor has given the Lu family such a big deal, Xie Deyong can guess what the Lu family is thinking.
They wanted the legitimate son's status to be more stable, and on the other hand, it could also show Zijia's filial piety and respect for his biological mother.
