Tap, tap, the sound of footsteps echoing on the stairs.
Entering the Hanging Garden, everyone including Lizong, Xie Daoqing, Yan Guifei, Mou Zicai, Princess Ruiguo and others were immediately stunned.
It's late autumn here, and it feels like spring in March.
The flowers are fragrant and the trees are lush and full of life.
The yellow ones are chrysanthemums, and the bright red, orange and pink ones are roses.
Although there are no butterflies, there are still bees buzzing around.
Pines and cypresses are green, bamboos are bowing their heads, camphors are tall and straight, orange fruits are abundant, and evergreens seem to be welcoming.
I heard that a noble man has arrived, and he is also the owner of the hanging garden. How dare the waiter come up.
The waiter put down the fairy stove, teacup, Zui Chunfeng tea leaves, teapot, etc., gave him a respectful gift, and then ran away.
Concubine Yan was like a little lady, curious and came to the flowers to look everywhere.
Not only did she take the flowers away, but she also stretched out her head and sniffed the fragrance of the chrysanthemums.
The twelve-year-old Princess Rui is extremely delicate, with fair to rosy skin, an oval face, red lips, white teeth, willow eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes.
She watched her adoptive mother do this, followed her, sniffed the flowers as well, and laughed happily.
"Dad, mother, these chrysanthemums smell so good. They are indeed worthy of being called a hanging garden." Princess Rui was like a butterfly wearing flowers. She also picked some flowers, made a small garland and put it on her head, and presented her face to Lizong and Xie Daoqing. , Yan Guifei showed off proudly.
Lizong looked at his only daughter, his majesty was gone, and he nodded kindly.
Xie Daoqing tried her best to smile and nodded, but she couldn't help but lament in her heart, but she, the real mother, didn't have custody rights.
But the real adoptive mother was Concubine Yan Guifei, which made her feel a little resentful.
Princess Rui didn't know what her mother was thinking, so she had a great time.
"Dad, mother, there is a rockery here, and there is a pond in the rockery. Wow, there are fish and water plants in it." Princess Rui came to the pond and exclaimed in surprise while pulling water from the fish. .
Concubine Yan held up her skirt and imitated her in pulling water into the water while looking at the small pond.
Concubine Yan looked carefully and felt that the small pond was about a hundred paces in diameter.
There are carp, crucian carp and other fish in the pond constantly swimming, burrowing in and out of the aquatic plants, and constantly spitting bubbles.
Lizong nodded and did not go to watch. Instead, he drank tea and looked around.
Xie Daoqing sat next to him and drank tea with him.
Xie Daoqing actually wanted to go up and have a look, but when he saw that he was old, he was no longer the age to like looking for beauty.
It was rare for her to accompany Lizong usually, so she just took this opportunity to do so.
After looking at the pond, Princess Rui raised her eyes and saw that there were railings around it, and she couldn't help but be overjoyed.
She saw railings all around, carved with dragons and phoenixes, which were both practical and beautiful.
Princess Rui jumped up and ran over, grabbed the railing with both hands, and immediately shouted: "Dad, dad, mom. Come and have a look."
Seeing Princess Rui running toward the railing, Concubine Yan was worried and ran after her while holding up her skirt.
In fact, Princess Rui is already twelve years old and already sensible.
But Concubine Yan had to look caring and caring in front of Lizong, otherwise Lizong would think that she was incompetent as an adoptive mother.
Sure enough, Lizong Yan Guifei finally followed her, and her tense old face finally softened.
Facing Princess Rui's yelling, Lizong shook his head and continued to look at each other with Xie Daoqing, still drinking tea calmly.
"Dad, eldest lady, come and take a look. There are a lot of ants walking around below." Princess Ruiguo was a little unhappy when she saw that Lizong and Xie Daoqing didn't come over, and she kept saying nothing.
Lizong picked up the tea cup and shook his head at Princess Rui while drinking tea: "Why did Rui say that? There are no ants in the sky garden at such a high height."
"Dad, eldest lady, of course they are not ants in the hanging garden, but ants in the royal road below." Princess Rui Guo immediately turned her head and waved to Lizong and Xie Daoqing.
Lizong drank tea and shook his head: "Rui Guo is talking nonsense again, how can you see the ants in the royal road clearly up here?"
Seeing Lizong drinking tea wholeheartedly, Princess Rui suddenly left the railing and ran over.
"Rui Guo, if you don't look at the ants, why did you come here?" Seeing Princess Rui Guo coming, Lizong put down his tea cup and looked up at her lovingly.
Princess Rui Guo grabbed Lizong's arm with both hands and kept shaking it, her eyes shining: "Dad, hurry over and take a look, there are many big ants moving around below."
"Dad, my eyes are dim, how can I clearly see the big ants below?" Lizong often lived in the palace. There were no tall buildings anywhere. He was afraid of heights and did not dare to go there, so he made an excuse not to go.
When he said this, he picked up the teacup and drank tea again.
"How old is Daddy? He is only over forty years old." Princess Ruiguo refused to give up, shook Lizong's arm, and begged: "Daddy, Daddy, today you will accompany Ruiguo to see the big ants." "Good job. "Okay," Lizong glanced at his only son and daughter.
Although he was a little afraid of heights, he patted Princess Rui's arm, put down the teacup, and was about to get up.
Lizong didn't want to see the giant ant, but actually some people wanted to see it.
This person is none other than Xie Daoqing.
She came here just to have some fun.
However, Lizong didn't want to move. He just drank tea and watched the scenery.
Lizong was an official, and she was a saint.
Concubine Yan can put down her arrogance and play with Princess Rui.
But she can't. She is a saint with a motherly demeanor in the world. She is a saint with all kinds of manners. She should know etiquette and moral integrity.
The official is the head of the family, so her gait should be consistent with that of the official. This is what she should do. This is etiquette.
When Lizong sat down to drink tea, she had no choice but to sit down and drink tea with Lizong.
At this time, Xie Daoqing felt a little unhappy when he saw that Princess Rui was only pulling Lizong.
She also wanted to see the scenery outside the railing, but she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought that Princess Rui didn't invite her.
In order not to let others see her disappointed expression, she simply lowered her head and drank tea.
Princess Rui Guo pulled Lizong, and suddenly thought of Xie Daoqing, turned around and shouted: "My Lady, please come and see the big ant too."
Because Xie Daoqing was a saint and a member of the main palace, Princess Rui called her the eldest empress and her adoptive mother, Yan Guifei, the empress.
Seeing that Lizong was struggling, Dong Songchen had sharp eyes and hurriedly came over to support Lizong.
The husband and wife were deeply in love, and Xie Daoqing hurriedly put down the tea cup in his hand and came over to help Lizong.
"Sage, Song Chen, I haven't reached the point where I need your support yet." Lizong shook his head and slowly got up from the chair.
Lizong rarely exercised, and he was sedentary for a long time, so his movements were not as good as those of ordinary people.
Seeing that Lizong finally stood firm, Dong Songchen and Xie Daoqing finally felt relieved. They followed Lizong and walked towards the railing.
Feeling the people coming and going on the royal road, Lizong, who was a little afraid of heights, suddenly felt dizzy and hurriedly grabbed the railing with both hands.
He took a closer look and couldn't help but be surprised: "Rui Guo, where are the ants down there? Why didn't my father see them?"
"Pfft," Concubine Yan smiled at Lizong, "Rui Guo is so naughty. There is clearly a human down there, but she wants to think it's a big ant."
"Rui Guo is right. Looking down from here, people are like ants." Lizong sighed and said, "Taibai didn't have a poem to say, but he didn't dare to speak loudly for fear of shocking people. It's the same feeling, right? .”
"Sure enough, this place is the highest in Lin'an," Xie Daoqing also nodded. "Wang Jiling said in his poem, if you want to see a thousand miles away, you have to go to a higher level. You can already see the Leifeng Pagoda on the edge of the West Lake from here."
"Sage, I heard that the Stork Tower only has three floors, but the Sky Garden is on the fifth floor." Concubine Yan reminded her superficially, but she was actually challenging Xie Daoqing's status.
Xie Daoqing looked at Concubine Yan lightly and said coldly: "Concubine Yan, if you want to see far away, go to a higher level. It is not suitable for the third floor, but all floors are suitable."
Concubine Yan couldn't help but think about it. This was indeed the truth, and she couldn't help but be stunned.
She originally wanted to hit the saint, but she didn't expect that it would hit her.
"The saint is right, but my sister is wrong." Concubine Yan suppressed her displeasure and had to admit her mistake.
After all, the saint is a queen and has the six seals of the harem.
Although he did not have the power of life and death over her, Xie Daoqing could still find a reason to deduct her expenses.
Princess Rui did not see the overt and covert fight between the saint and her adoptive mother. After watching The Big Ant, she suddenly saw the layer of things above Lizong and the saint drinking tea.
She pointed at this thing and asked curiously: "Dad, what is this thing?"
"How did daddy know, Song Chen, do you know?" Faced with his daughter's curiosity, Lizong was at a loss and had no choice but to ask Dong Songchen.
Dong Songchen had a wry smile on his face and bowed his hands: "The official family, the old slave has been in the palace all the time, so naturally he doesn't know about this."
Lizong couldn't help but suddenly realized that Dong Songchen had been with him all the time, and naturally he didn't know.
"Tell the officials, this is a grape trellis." Mou Zicai suddenly got up from his seat, put down his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, came to Lizong's side, and answered with a respectful salute.
Mou Zicai did not dare to look at Lizong, let alone the saint and Concubine Yan. He only looked at Lizong's nose.
"Cunsou, it turns out this is a grape trellis," Lizong came under the grape trellis, raised his head and took a look at this thing, and couldn't help but be surprised, "Why are there no grapes?"
"I have informed the officials that grapes bear fruit before the Mid-Autumn Festival. After this season, the vines will dry up and die," Mou Zicai handed over his hands and bowed to the host, explaining in detail, "If you want to see the grapes, you can only wait for the next year."
He did not dare to say that the official family was indiscriminate. He could only say that the official family had been busy with major national affairs and had no energy to pay attention to these trivial matters.
"I see, why do we need to set up a grape trellis here?" Lizong was immediately interested, wearing an empty grape trellis with a look of regret on his face. Mou Zi thought about it for a moment, then bowed his hands and replied: "Reporting to the officials has three uses."
"Such a small grape trellis, there are actually three places, tell me." Lizong couldn't help being surprised, he didn't expect that a small grape trellis could have such a great knowledge, he asked while stroking his beard.
Not only did he have a curious look on his face, but Princess Rui, Xie Daoqing, Concubine Yan and others also looked at him with wide eyes.
Mou Zi didn't dare to look at others, he just looked under Lizong's nose.
After bowing his hands in a salute, he clasped his fingers and said: "First, it is beautiful, otherwise this place would be empty. Second, it can provide shade, especially in summer, where you can drink tea and enjoy the cool breeze, which is a different flavor. Second, it can provide shade." Third, you can also taste grapes.”
He had been here in the summer, so he was naturally able to talk.
Princess Rui almost drooled when she heard that you could also eat grapes here.
She ran over again and shook Lizong's arm: "Dad, you must come next year and see the grapes here."
Mou Zi just saw him and almost slapped him. He blamed himself for talking too much. Do you still hope that the official family will continue to come here?
If you say these words yourself, what difference does it make if you are a sycophant?
"Cun Sou, if you don't tell me, don't I know this? You know, this is my profession, and I know what's not easy here." Seeing Mou Zicai's face rebuking himself, Lizong was happy to see him deflated. It was so extreme that I couldn't help but comfort him.
Only then did Mou Zi realize that he had said something wrong, so he simply returned to his original seat, looking at his nose with his eyes, his nose at his heart, and all his thoughts were on his daily life.
When Lizong saw Mou Zicai's actions just now, Lizong was both comforted and a little disgusted.
It took a lot of effort to see that this living man had a touch of humanity, but he didn't expect that he would become rigid again.
What is daily note? It is to record every word and deed of an official.
This record is to record it truthfully. Of course, whether it is good or bad must be recorded.
Which emperor doesn't want to be famous for eternity, who wants to be infamous for eternity?
But this daily note just records the words and deeds of the officials. If it is not said well, it is actually to supervise the officials.
Writing notes about daily life must be very human. Like the imperial censor, they are all clean people. This is a thankless job.
What disgusted Lizong was that if you wrote a note on daily life, you would write a note on daily life, and you would also stop him from leaving the palace.
My private visits incognito are my own business, not just going to a brothel.
You, a common man, just jumped up and used the country and the country as a shield to prevent me from leaving the palace.
But in the face of these innocent people, not only could he not show a trace of disgust, he also had to show a smile and look like he was listening attentively.
Thinking of this, Lizong looked at Dong Songchen and was extremely satisfied with him.
Although Dong Songchen suffered many hardships, he finally achieved his goal of leaving the palace to see the hanging garden.
At this time, while drinking tea, he looked at Xie Daoqing and Yan Guifei.
Concubine Yan was in her prime, and she was as beautiful as a flower.
The two are now together, and the gap quickly becomes apparent.
Xie Daoqing's appearance was not as good as hers, and because of her age, she was a standard yellow-faced woman.
Lizong felt that the two of them did not look like sisters, but rather like a mother and daughter.
Seeing the disappointment of Lizong's family, Dong Songchen felt that hope had returned.
He was talking eloquently just now when he saw Mou Zi, and he obviously knew everything about this place.
If Mou Zicai wanted to compete with him for favor, it was obvious that he, Dong Songchen, was no match.
Mou Zicai not only had literary talent, but also knew everything about Lizong's family's favorite hanging garden.
Thinking of this, Dong Songchen turned his nose and smelled another fragrance besides chrysanthemum.
He looked towards the place where the fragrance came from and saw orange tangerines on the orange tree, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed.
He found a basket, quickly picked it off, and washed it clean with water.
When he peeled it open, the rich orange aroma suddenly overflowed.
Lizong, Yan Guifei, Xie Daoqing and others immediately turned to Dong Songchen, which made Dong Songchen feel proud.
But he didn't dare to show his pride on his face and try after peeling it off.
He couldn't help being overjoyed, tasted the washed oranges, nodded and said, "Officials, saints, concubines, princesses, these oranges taste delicious."
After saying this, he immediately gave a portion to the official, the saint, the concubine, and the princess of Rui, but Mou Zicai was left behind.
The guards are clearing out today, and the entire teahouse is full of guards. Of course, they will not come to join in the fun and disturb the official family.
They were also dressed in plain clothes, with weapons hanging on their waists, and they were happy to enjoy the spring breeze below.
Mou Zicai had already expected this result, but he was not upset at all.
He put down his pen, ink, paper and inkstone, found a basket, picked it off and washed it himself, peeling it off and praising how delicious it was.
While eating, Concubine Yan turned her eyes, the water rippled, and asked in an extremely delicate voice: "Guan family, does this hanging garden belong to our family?"
