Lin Rong said: "In the past, I could still make the decision for you, but now I have neither the will nor the power. Unless Shen Yan asks for a master himself, there is nothing I can do. He is now following Junhou south, you are Don't you want to stay in the house and wait for him? If you wait for him and still work by my side, I'm afraid you won't be able to get what you want. If you go to the old lady's courtyard, she is kind and kind, but it's the same after all. "
Feng Xiao cried and shook his head: "We never talked about this. He only gave me a hairpin and nothing else."
Lin Rong went to stroke her tears and sighed: "Silly girl." Feng Xiao cried all night, and finally knelt in front of Lin Rong the next day: "This slave is willing to go back to Jiangzhou. In the future, I will not be able to serve the county master. Please master." Take care.”
Although the Yanshan Courtyard was still under guard, the old lady took good care of it, and paid for food and drink very carefully. She also sent five more experienced nuns to take charge, and she usually did not ask those little girls to wait on her. Every three days, the doctor was asked to bring Ping Anmai, and a small kitchen was set up for her in the courtyard, and they discussed supplements every day. After four months, Lin Rong stopped vomiting. Lu Shen was not around anymore, so he got a promise to return to Jiangzhou, so he got better day by day.
The old lady came to see her every five days and asked her several times: "What happened that day to make Sixth Brother hate you so much and treat you like an enemy? You and your wife have been loving each other for a hundred days, and you have been doing this for two years." How can we be a married couple without any affection at all?"
Only then did Lin Rong realize that Lu Shen had not told the truth, and only said vaguely: "Old lady, in short, it's all my fault. Make it clearer, so that even you, the old man, will not hate me."
The old lady could only sigh, patted Lin Rong's hand, and suddenly laughed: "When you first married in Xuanzhou, Grandma Yu came back to report that this new lady was an authentic Jiangnan woman in appearance and temperament. , As long as you make a correct decision, you may not be unable to capture the king in the future."
Lin Rong was puzzled. The old lady took the bird's nest from the maid's hand and hummed: "Don't pretend not to understand. I have done more things than you have eaten. How can you not see through it? What is he doing?" , you don’t care at all. He cares about everything you do. Doesn’t this count as taking hold?”
Lin Rong just lowered his head and didn't answer. What did it matter if he didn't care? He was silent and said: "The old lady said this, and I feel ashamed. In the future, when I leave, good things will come. The old lady is a person who has both good fortune and longevity, and she will naturally enjoy the blessing of great grandchildren in the future."
The old lady just shook her head: "How can he easily like someone who can't control him?" She stood up again and sighed slowly: "When I left, I talked a lot and did everything perfectly. If I can't do it, then it's still two dollars." What do you say?"
After finishing talking, he returned to Rongjing Hall, sat down and changed his clothes. He couldn't bear the craving, so he asked the kitchen to bring another late night snack. While he was drinking tea, he saw Aunt Yu running over in a hurry: "The old lady is going to give birth. She is going to give birth." She gave birth and said her water broke."
The old lady stood up immediately in shock: "Counting the days, it's not here yet. I was fine when I left. Why did the amniotic fluid break just now?"
Aunt Yu replied: "Grandma Yu Si was chatting with her, and she seemed to have told a joke. Madam was also amused and laughed for a long time. After a while, she said she felt uncomfortable and called for the doctor and midwife. Madam didn't say anything at first. Well, when the doctor and midwife came to take a look, they realized that the amniotic water had broken, and I'm afraid I'm going to give birth tonight."
The old lady hurried to Yanshan Courtyard, where all the female relatives were waiting. The Second Grandma and the Fourth Grandma Yu hurriedly stepped forward and helped her sit down: "The doctor said, it's still early, I'm afraid there won't be three or four." I won’t be able to get out for an hour.”
The wife sat aside: "Look at her body and bones, she has been born for two days. The old lady will go back to rest first. I will watch here. You, the old lady, are not as good as before. You don't have to endure such a life."
The old lady just waved her hand: "Just sit and wait. Even if we go back now, where can we sleep?"
Lin Rong stayed up until dawn. He was covered in sweat, his lips were bleeding from biting them. He was so groggy that he didn't even have half the strength to do so. He almost suspected that he would die here.
The midwife on the side force-fed ginseng soup, pressed Lin Rong's belly, and advised: "Madam, if you try harder, you can already see the head, you can already see the head."
Lin Rong had never hated Lu Shen as much as he did now. He clung to the bed curtain with his hands, gritted his teeth and used his last strength: "I can't make it, life or death is up to me."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a baby crying, telling her to wake up. The midwife held the baby to Lin Rong's face and said, "Congratulations, madam, she is a girl. She is as handsome as my mother."
Lin Rong turned his head and saw that the baby was red and wrinkled, and could not be called handsome. She was so lively right after she was born, and her wet fetal hair rubbed against Lin Rong's cheek. It was as furry as early spring. Young grass.
Lin Rong burst into tears suddenly: "It's great, it's a daughter." He closed his eyes again, waved his hands, and said firmly: "Take her and go! I don't want to see her again."
The midwife was slightly surprised. It was appropriate to carry her out to show to the elders, but what did "don't see me again" mean? It was hard to ask anything in such a deep house and compound. After all, he took the child out and said repeatedly: "Congratulations to the old lady, madam and all the masters. Madam has given birth to a girl."
The wife's expression immediately changed, she put down the tea and stood up: "It's a girl? How could it be? I think she likes to eat sour food most of the time. Isn't it wrong to be a sour girl? Even the doctor said that she is most likely to be a sour girl. Male fetus?"
Although the old lady could not avoid being disappointed, it was the first child of her beloved grandson. After hearing what her daughter-in-law said, she immediately picked her up and said with a smile: "Look at the child, she is crying so vigorously. Let her be her father." .”
For a moment, he made a point: "It's fate that all the girls here are born in our family. Those middle-class families outside know that the girl's family is more noble than the boy's, not to mention our family." He smiled and teased the girl. Little Baby: "Besides, your surname is Lu. How can your aunt from the Lu family be easy to get along with?"
The baby's cries gradually became quieter. For a moment, everyone in the room was surprised and flattered: "Our eldest girl, is this great-grandmother Huanxi? How is it that such a young person was born? Are they connected by blood?"
Everyone only paid attention to the baby and did not ask anything about Lin Rong. However, Grandma Yu opened the curtain and came into the room. She saw that Lin Rong had been packed up, changed clothes, wiped her forehead, and sat on the bed to eat.
Grandma Yu Si waved her hand and asked her mother-in-law to take out the crucian carp soup: "You are about to leave. After drinking this soup, your breasts will swell and your breasts will become bloated, which will make you feel uncomfortable. Get something else that is easier to digest. I ate jujube mud cake at that time. It’s high in calories, similar to chocolate, so if you eat two pieces, you’ll have more energy.”
Lin Rong ate a large bowl of chicken noodle soup, then put down his chopsticks and looked at the girls in the room: "Aren't you afraid that they will listen if you tell me here?"
Grandma Yu Si shook her head: "I'm not like you. I've been housekeeper for nearly ten years. These people are just objects in my eyes. I can pinch them as much as I want. If you dare to spread the word, you don't care about your own life." , but also to take care of the lives of her family. Well, I know how to survive in this place better than you."
Lin Rong didn't speak, just ate the pastries in silence, and heard Grandma Yu Si laugh: "You are quite smart. I never show anything and ask you to guess. If you can guess, I know how to look at people's faces and don't ask me. . In fact, you are right. Pei Linggong, your senior brother, did leave something for you and asked me to get it in advance, but I did withhold it and refused to give it to you."
She said and took out a piece of black iron token: "Whether you believe it or not, although I can't stand you, I don't want you to die. I have a lot of blood on my hands."
Lin Rong didn't speak to her. He took the token and rubbed it carefully. After a while, tears welled up in his eyes.
Grandma Yu Si sneered and said with a smile: "You look like this, what men love the most, and what I hate the most. I was born as a concubine, and I tried to please my aunt at the age of four or five. After I entered the Junhou Mansion at the age of eight or nine, I I helped my wife with the housekeeping and made suggestions. I polished off all the edges and corners of my body until my knees were broken, and I was able to stand upright."
She suddenly said bitterly: "I broke my spine and had to kneel so hard to survive here, but you just refuse to kneel and don't bother to kneel. How can this be made sense in the world?"
Lin Rong laughed: "I refused to kneel, so I was abandoned and returned to my hometown. If you kneel well, you can enjoy the glory and wealth. It is true that no pain is no gain!"
Grandma Yu Fourth shook her head and twirled the jade bracelet with excellent water quality in her hand: "You don't have to ridicule me. In this world, there are gains and losses. If in modern times, I, a small clerk with a monthly salary of 6,000, This kind of bracelet only found in museums cannot fit on my wrist."
Lin Rong raised the token in his hand and said, "Thank you very much."
Grandma Yu Si stood up and said, "I will only help you this time out of friendship with my fellow countrymen. From now on, we will pretend that we don't know each other."
Chapter 84
Lin Rong took a boat south in March when the grass was growing and the warblers were flying.
At first, the old lady said that Lin Rong had not yet given birth, and that this woman's confinement period was the most difficult. If she went on the road in a hurry and got winded, it would be a lifetime thing. After Lin Rong was out of confinement, he said that the weather in Yongzhou this year was extremely cold. Even in the first month of the year, the canal going south was blocked by ice and could not be opened to navigation. He also ordered the wet nurse to hold the baby and wait in front of Lin Rong.
Lin Rong asked the old lady to force the baby into her arms and she couldn't laugh or cry, and said: "Old lady, why are you doing this? I will have to leave sooner or later. If I hold you too much now, the wet nurse will be changed. The baby will have to admit it." He will cry for a few days. It would be better for you to carry him and ask the wet nurse to take good care of him."
The old lady said: "This child has had a hard time not having his mother by his side since he was a child. There is nothing we can do about what happens in the future. You can hold her for as many days as you can while you are still here. It's just that she is young. If you don’t remember anything, I will tell her about it in the future and she will be happy.”
Lin Rong couldn't respond to these words for a long time. He held the child's little hand and finally nodded: "Okay, let's ask the child to stay here. Thank you, old lady."
After a hundred days passed, the child could no longer be dragged on. The ice and snow melted and the river flowed. Before the old lady could say anything, she had already prepared the boat to go south: "I know that the old lady is kind-hearted, but I have pity on Mrs. Cui. No, I am willing to send her back to Jiangzhou. But you, the old man, also know that there is no way to change the decision made by Sixth Brother. Everything must be done in a legitimate manner and in compliance with etiquette. She lives in the house without any explanation. Sixth Brother How can we recruit virtuous people from high-ranking families and have a long line of descendants?"
The old lady didn't say anything. She had a cup of tea and asked, "You haven't been doing anything for a long time. Why do you think of these things today?"
The lady covered her handkerchief and coughed a few times, with a very bad look on her face: "Old lady, I don't know how many years I have left in my body, but I always want to see my sixth brother have an heir son with my own eyes." After saying that, he took out a brochure and handed it to the old lady: "Take a look, this is what Sixth Brother meant."
The old lady didn't believe it at first, so she opened the origami and saw that it was a note written by the post officer of Yongzhou. She said that Mrs. Cui was going south. How many ships were prepared? How many people were sent to escort her? Where to disembark is very carefully arranged. At the end of that line, there was Lu Shen's flying phoenix command - yes, do it.
The wife took out another list: "After all, it is considered that she has contributed a lot in giving birth, not counting the dowry she received when she came. In addition, she will be given thousands of taels of gold and thousands of silk ribbons. This can be considered as fulfilling the benevolence and righteousness of our Lu family."
The old lady looked at it and could only nod: "Okay, since it's Brother Six's wish, then I'll do as you say."
On the day of Jingzhe, it suddenly started pouring rain in Yongzhou. The old lady hugged her great-granddaughter and went to the pier to see Lin Rong off.
Lin Rong touched the sleeping child's cheek, which was flushed and warm. He bent his knees and said to the old lady: "In the future, this child will cause trouble to the old lady. Although I am far away in Jiangzhou, I still feel grateful every day. The kindness of the old lady.”
The old lady sighed and said, "I want to express my gratitude. It's his turn to express my gratitude, not your turn." Then she patted Lin Rong's hand and said, "You are a very transparent child, but this word "transparent" is hurting you. I am getting very old, and now that you are gone, will it be time for us, grandson and grandson, to meet each other again?"
During the more than a year in Yongzhou, the old lady never felt sorry for her, but took care of her more. Lin Rong could not answer such parting words, and could only say: "Old lady, you will live a long life, I... …”
The old lady waved her hand: "There is no one who is a hundred years old. If he lives to seventy, he has lived a long life." Then she asked: "Do you know what the name of this child was?"
Lin Rong shook his head. The old lady handed over a piece of letterhead. When she opened it, there was a large, square and round character - Zhao.
The old lady said: "Sixth Brother picked it up before he left. I have a guest, Deyin Kongzhao. I just don't think this name looks like a girl's name, so I sent another letter to inquire. There is a lot of war there. It's tight, the military affairs are busy, so I only replied to the letter in the past few days, saying that all men and women should have the character Zhao."
Lin Rong muttered: "Lu Zhao!"
After saying this, she said no more. She took three steps back, saluted the old lady once more, and boarded the ship without looking back.
The old lady stood there, unable to avoid muttering to Xiao Lu Zhao: "You two parents, one is more cruel than the other, I don't know which one is first..." The voice gradually became inaudible.
Lin Rong stood on the bow of the boat, looking south. The river wind was blowing, his sleeves were fluttering, and he looked like he was flying in the clouds. Until the dusk, he saw a scene of half a roaring river and half a red river. Suddenly he saw a lone sailing boat in the distance. There is a melodious tune coming from it - pairs of new swallows fly on the spring shore, and light gulls fall on the evening sand. The song is misty, the boat is dumb, the wine is like dew, and the wine is like flowers. (Ancient poems)
The song was light and graceful, and even though it was very far away, everyone could hear every word clearly. For a moment, everyone in the dock came to the deck and asked: "What is that girl singing, so happy?"
Lin Rong had a peaceful smile on his face, watching the river birds in the center of the continent drifting away, and silently said: "It's great!"
We sailed for twenty days in a row, stopping and going. The weather became hotter and hotter as we went south. I read medical books in the boat for a while and fell asleep at my desk. Suddenly I heard the maid outside rolling up the red curtain and saying: "Mrs. Cui, General Hu sent a message back, stating that he would arrive in Jiangzhou at noon tomorrow. The governor of Jiangzhou will greet you at the ferry. I wonder if you will see my wife or not?"
Lin Rong only said: "Tell him not to come to pick her up. I will go directly to Sixth Sister."
The maid said yes. Just after leaving for a while, she heard the rapid sound of rain, and there was lightning and thunder. Although it was not yet time to turn on the lamp, she saw black clouds pressing down on the boat and it became pitch black.
Lin Rong hurriedly stood up and went to close the window, but a huge wave hit her, making her almost unable to stand. Then suddenly I heard the maidservant and sergeant's screams, running, and crying outside.
"No, it's raining too hard, and this section of the waterway is dangerous. The ship is afraid of getting caught in the whirlpool."
"Come here, come here, someone has fallen into the river, please save him..."
"This boat is not working anymore. Please ask Madam to come out quickly and let the boat go..."
Before he could finish a few words, another huge wave hit, almost capsizing the boat, and Lin Rong could no longer hear any sound.
…
In March, Lu Shen occupied four fortresses and pressed forward step by step, completing the siege of Luoyang. The country seemed to change hands in an instant.
On this day, Lu Shen and his ministers climbed Mang Mountain and looked at Luoyang in the distance. Degong was at his side, stroking his beard and sighing: "Luoyang is the capital of the east, with Mang Mountain to the north and the canal to the south. It is a battleground for military strategists, and it has always been easy to defend." It is difficult to attack. The previous dynasty, Emperor Zhongxing Hui, attacked Luoyang and spent 500,000 troops and besieged it for a year and a half before he was able to enter the city. Even in these troubled times, he has not lost the enemy for eighty years. Now the lord has sent four armies to break through the city first. The fortress and stronghold were gradually approaching, and within eight or nine months, Luoyang was completely surrounded."
A military general reported back again: "My lord, according to the report from Tan Ma Si, Luoyang City has been cut off from food, and the people have almost eaten all the bark, grass and roots. I think the King of Hejian will not be able to defend it for long."
Lu Shen stood with his sword in hand and said calmly when he heard the words: "There are nearly a million people in Luoyang, and these are the food of the King of Hejian." He then asked, "Have the 50,000 remnants of Qi Wang Yang's troops arrived?"
One person spoke up and replied: "My lord, the Yang Mansion in the middle of Shu is very obedient and only sent 10,000 people to Jiangzhou. The rest are at Poyang Lake."
Suddenly a man came on horseback and knelt in front of Lu Shen: "My lord, a letter from Yongzhou family."
Lu Shen didn't even look at it, but instead scolded: "I am dealing with military affairs, but you are going to start with family affairs?" He also ordered his left and right: "Get out."
This discussion lasted most of the day. When Lu Shen returned to the Chinese army camp, it was already late at night. He sat in front of the case again and meditated on the march map until dawn.
Shen Yan came in with hot water: "Master, you haven't slept for several days, please wash your face first!"
Lu Shen nodded, stood up, and suddenly knocked down a scroll. The scroll fell to the ground and slowly unfolded. He saw a woman holding a baby under a wisteria flower. The woman was calm and happy. He seemed to be humming a song to gently lull him to sleep. The baby held tightly to a strand of her mother's hair and refused to let go, looking like a happy family.
Lu Shen stood still for a moment, looking at the scroll and saying nothing for a long time.
When Shen Yan saw this, he immediately leaned over to pick it up and patted the soil on it: "Jun Hou, the old lady ordered someone to send it here a few days ago. You said you don't want to read it, so I ordered someone to put it away. I just sorted out the bookcase. I accidentally put it here." For a moment, he was afraid of Lu Shen's anger, so he quickly put it into the blue and white porcelain vat, and was about to go out when he suddenly heard Lu Shen ask: "Did she say anything when she left?"
Shen Yan was stunned, turned around, and was about to reply, but before he could say a word, Lu Shen waved his hand: "Forget it, let's go out!"
Shen Yan said yes, and when he was about to leave the military tent, he heard Lu Shen's instructions: "Escort Hu Xinggong to Jiangzhou. When he comes, call him in immediately to answer."
Within a few days, news came out in Luoyang that the King of Hejian had died of illness. Some generals guarding the gate secretly asked for surrender. Lu Shen ignored them and only asked: "Is the emperor okay?" This is what it means to want the emperor to die. The emperor will not die for a day. , Lu Shen did not enter Luoyang for a day.
That day, it rained heavily, and Lu Shen developed a high fever. He had not been sick for many years. For some reason, he might have suffered a cold due to the climb that day. At first, he just had a headache, but the high fever did not subside for a few days. The attendants were so anxious that they hurriedly transferred the imperial doctor from Luoyang.
Lu Shen's temper became calmer for some reason. Beside the sickbed, most of his subordinates, Chen Ce, nodded: "Okay, you can do it!"
Shen Yan has been following him for many years, and today he took charge of foreign affairs. He became more and more uneasy, and asked tentatively: "Master, do you have something to ask this servant to do?"
Lu Shen raised his eyelids slightly, turned over a page of the book, and said calmly: "No."
Shen Yan came out of the yard gate and saw Hu Xinggong coming on horseback. He watched Hu Xinggong fall off his horse and said with a pale face: "Madam, we returned to the boat and sailed to Jiangzhou. There was a heavy rain and the boat suddenly capsized. I I quickly ordered people to put down the boat, but it was too late. Only eighty or ninety people in the boat survived. The prince once ordered me... I didn't dare to report back. I salvaged in the middle of the river for several days, but my wife was nowhere to be seen. Although I stayed I am in Jiangzhou, but Madam is afraid that the worst will happen..."
Hu Xinggong was frightened and kept wiping his sweat and holding Shen Yan's hand: "Brother Shen Yan, how should I reply to the prince? We are both from the same family. This time, you must help me. …”
After hearing this, Shen Yan turned around and looked at the Zhongjun tent. Only a touch of orange candlelight was dimly visible in the darkness: "It cannot be said in the past few days. Junhou's condition has just improved."
Hu Xinggong was anxious and asked: "But...how long can this be hidden?"
