After leaving Yicheng and heading north, the weather was getting colder and colder. Everyone put on the winter clothes that Mu Xia carefully prepared.
Lin Sui'an's cotton-padded clothes are all black with narrow sleeves and short waist. They are warm, breathable, clean and suitable for sports. The long red cotton robe with square carvings is the most eye-catching, like a festive firecracker; Jin Ruo and Yita's clothes are all made of the latest civil and military robes designed by Yangdu, which reflects Mu Xia's high expectations for the two of them. Be able to study hard, make progress every day, and be both civil and military. The clothes of the Four Saints are from the same series as Lin Sui'an, but the colors are different, Qinglong cyan, Zhuque scarlet, white tiger gray, Xuanwu gray and white.
The most colorful one is Hua Yitang. Except for Mu Xia, no one knows how many sets of clothes and accessories he has. After walking on the road for more than half a month, the clothes and accessories are never the same. The basic color is white and flawless, and the details are refined and ever-changing. , which can be seen from the names of the clothes.
Incenses such as "Floating flowers and cold shadow robes", "A night of clear frost dyeing boots", "Plain snow beads and beautiful hairpins", "Qiongshu Yaohua condensing spring fan", "Jade steps leaving a bright moon all night", In addition, he wears a fox fur cloak that is "awesome in the light of the moon" - the velvet-like fox fur surrounds Hua Yitang's gorgeous face, making him look like a vixen.
The more gorgeous Hua Yitang's clothes are, the more worried Lin Sui'an becomes. He doesn't know when his mental illness of relying on fine clothes will get better, but Lin Sui'an also understands that this matter must not be rushed. , the best strategy is to figure it out slowly.
After passing Pancheng and Liucheng, we arrived at the boundary of Andu.
The day we arrived at Andu City, we caught up with the first snowfall in Andu. The majestic city was wrapped in a bright white snow, and the large tracts of roofs were like an endless sea of silver scales, extending all the way to the city. The junction of sky and earth.
Andu was founded 370 years ago and served as the capital of the Tang Dynasty for more than 200 years. There are "eight rivers" passing through the city, 25 streets criss-crossing the city, and a permanent population of more than one million.
Whether it is the grand scale, magnificent architecture, the Suzaku Street that is more than 200 meters wide, or the rigorous layout of the city, the temples scattered like stars, and the prosperous trade bazaars, they all highlight the ancient and diverse metropolis. Tang State plays an important role.
There are 108 squares in Andu City. According to the characteristics of "rich in the east and rich in the west" and "empty in the south and solid in the north", it is roughly divided into several parts: central area, wealthy area, trade area, core area, civilian area, and suburban area. The Governor's Office is located in the northernmost central area. The trade area mainly refers to the East City and the West City. Surrounding the "two cities", there are a total of 44 squares in the core area and Fugui District, and the outer areas are civilian areas and suburbs. district.
Hua Family's Eight Residences is located in Taipingfang, one Xinglufang across from the central axis of Zhuque Street, across the street from Andu Governor's Office, and only takes two-quarters of an hour to walk to the West Market. It is a well-known prime location in Andu City.
Mu Xia did not choose to enter through the Mingde Gate due south of Andu, but chose the Jinguang Gate on the west side. This gate was closer to the West Market and Taipingfang, and could save an hour's journey.
Andu is currently the only major capital city in the Tang Dynasty that strictly follows the curfew system besides Dongdu. When we arrived at Jinguangmen, it was just past noon, the opening time of the East and West markets. Standing under the city gate, I could hear When the market opens, the afternoon drums rumble. Compared with the dawn drums and evening drums, the drums of the afternoon drums are shorter, with only thirty-six beats, lasting about half an hour.
This half hour is the midday rush hour at Jinguangmen (near the West Market) and Chunmingmen (near the East Market). The East Market is near the Fugui District, and most of the products are high-end products. The goods are not the best but the most expensive. The West Market is mainly for the common people. It is large in scale, has many varieties, and has high quality and low prices. It is located on the Silk Road. Foreign trade is prosperous, and there are especially many foreign businessmen.
Hua's six-carriage convoy is usually quite impressive, but it was completely underwhelming in the crowded midday rush hour in Andu City. The trucks in charge of the Four Saints were scattered by the camel team. Muxia retreated to the second line and let Ita drive. Originally, Lin Sui'an was still wondering why such an arrangement was necessary, but he soon understood.
It was so crowded in front of the city gate, almost all of them were foreign caravans - horses had their heads pressed against camels' butts, monkeys squatted on the heads of old oxen pulling carts, mules and donkeys butted heads, and the snow on the ground mixed with camel dung into ink. Green mud - difficult to move forward. At this time, Ita's foreign language talent came in handy. She kept shouting Persian, Tang, Korean, Tocharian, Dashi, Fusang, Tianzhu, and other languages she didn't understand. He took advantage of every opportunity and argued with reason, and finally squeezed out a bloody path.
The Fuso caravan next door was cursing and wanted to jump in. Lin Sui'an actually understood a few words. Feeling unhappy, Hua Yitang pushed the window open and cursed back. Her voice was louder than Ita's, and her voice was ups and downs, like singing. , which made the Fuso caravan confused. The Persian camel caravan in front burst into laughter, the Tianzhu caravan behind them beat the leather drum, and the monkeys on the cow's head danced to the rhythm.
Hundreds of caravans were noisy, crowded, and slowly flowed into the Golden Light Gate. As soon as they entered the city gate, their sight suddenly opened up. The street facing them was nearly four feet wide, grand and bright. The caravans breathed a sigh of relief and moved much faster. After passing Qunxianfang, they poured into the West Market.
Passing Yanshou Fang to the east, you will reach the gate of Taiping Fang. The guards and attendants from the eight residences of the Hua family lined up to greet him and have been waiting for him for a long time. The leading housekeeper in Andu was an aunt who was over fifty years old. She was full of energy and had a simple and honest smile. Mu Xia respected this person very much and specially got out of the car and saluted her, calling her "Sister-in-law Mu Sheng".
Hua's Eight Residences occupies only one-third of the square, and is the smallest among the five major capitals. Probably to match Andu's long history and culture, the style of the Hua's Residence here is actually much more refined and simple, and the Qingming Canal The river just passes through the flower house, forming a natural Qingming Lake. In winter, the lake turns to ice, is covered with white snow, and is filled with cold smoke, just like a fairyland.
Everyone was exhausted from the long journey. After a hasty lunch, they all went back to their rooms to rest. Lin Sui'an fell asleep and slept for two hours.
When Lin Sui'an woke up, it was almost midnight, the sky was extremely dark, and it was probably going to snow again. In his previous life, Lin Sui'an lived in the north and was well adapted to the climate of Andu. As he walked on the corridor, the white air between his mouth and nose aroused a strange feeling of homesickness in his heart every time he breathed in and out.
The main hall was very warm because of the burning earth dragon. Hua Yitang was the only one there, and Fang Mo was obviously still sleeping. Mu Xia said that Jin Ruo had taken Yita and the Four Saints for a walk in the city, and he probably wouldn't be able to come back for a while. Come.
Hua Yitang wore a snow-colored cotton robe, her hair was tied loosely, and she had cotton slippers on her feet. The cotton slippers were designed and made by Mu Xia based on Lin Sui'an's description. They are warm and convenient, and the finished product is very popular, especially Fang Ke, stocked up on five pairs.
Hua Yitang is reading the letter.
The chairs in Hua's Eighth House were all equipped with soft and comfortable goose feather cushions, which were almost prototypes of lazy sofas. Lin Suian settled in and yawned.
"Brother said in a letter," Hua Yitang said, "that the Bai family in Longxi intends to marry me, the Hua family in Yangdu."
Lin Sui'an was startled, "Longxi Bai family? Bai Ruyi's family?"
Hua Yitang: "Bai Ruyi worked as a school clerk in Dongdu for eight months. Because of his profound knowledge, elegant writing, low-key and modest manner, he was highly valued by the saints. Three months ago, he was promoted to the post of Collecting Relics, from the eighth grade to the fourth grade. Although he is not high in rank, he is a close minister of the emperor and his future is limitless. Since then, the head of the Bai family has frequently expressed his goodwill to my brother and expressed his willingness to bring about good relations between the two clans, Qin and Jin."
Lin Sui'an: "..."
Bai Ruyi was too miserable, being used as a bargaining chip for marriage every time.
"Wait a minute, who does the Longxi Bai family plan to choose?" Lin Sui'an was heartbroken, "Is it Hua Sanniang?!"
Don't! Then handsome guy Ling, isn't he going to be heartbroken?
"It's my second sister Hua Yifeng." Hua Yitang scratched his head, "Speaking of which, these two are both bookworms, so they might be a good match."
Lin Sui'an breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that handsome guy Ling's wife was temporarily saved.
"Brother also said that he discovered the flow of some money from Cicada Shop. They are probably the ones who defrauded the Su family in Suizhou. They are currently investigating. Let us pay attention in Andu and communicate in time if there are any clues."
Lin Sui'an shrugged. This part is a high-end capital bureau, and she can't help.
Hua Yitang changed the page and said, "Brother also said, Hua Silang, you are a fool who has failed in success and failed in disaster..." He suddenly stopped.
Lin Sui'an was curious, "What's the point of not succeeding enough but failing?"
Hua Yitang quickly scanned the contents of the letter with his eyes, and his face turned red. He quickly folded the letter paper and stuffed it back into the envelope. He put it in his arms and said, "Ahem, it's nothing. It's just a daily lesson that teaches me not to make progress and live in a state of confusion. such as."
Lin Sui'an stared at Hua Yitang's red face and thought to himself: I believe your evil!
Mu Xia swept the snow off her shoulders and walked in hurriedly, presenting a message, "This is from Andu governor Jiamu, saying that today, on the third day of Xu Zheng's reign, a reception banquet was held at Chongyang Tower in Taipingfang, and Shiro was specially invited. Go with Mrs. Lin."
"I guess it's almost time to post this post," Hua Yitang stood up and stretched, "Mu Xia, change your clothes."
"Yes, Shiro." Mu Xia bowed and saluted, stepped back, and Mrs. Mu Sheng walked directly to the opposite side of Lin Sui'an, "Ms. Lin, let's go too."
Lin Sui'an pointed to his nose, "Should I change clothes too?"
Sister-in-law Mu Sheng smiled kindly and said, "It's natural to dress up properly for Governor Andu's reception banquet."
"No, it's not necessary——"
"The maids have been prepared for a long time. Madam Lin, don't let everyone down."
"..."
Mu Sheng's wife is tall and thin, half a head taller than Lin Sui'an. Her smile is kind and irresistible. Her maids are all beautiful little girls, chirping around Lin Sui'an like little birds, wearing matching robes. , choosing boots and socks, and picking out hair accessories, I was very busy.
Taking Dr. Fang's lesson into account, Lin Sui'an was worried that she would be dressed up like a moth, but he never thought that the robe would turn out to be an elegant and simple style, with narrow sleeves, short waist, waistband, trousers, short boots, and cuffs. The sleeves were embroidered with silk-like branch and leaf patterns with gold thread. Lin Sui'an felt familiar. He seemed to have seen them on Hua Yitang's clothes. It must be the embroidery pattern of the Hua family.
Sister-in-law Mu Sheng said with emotion, "I didn't expect that I would have to prepare such plain clothes one day. I'm really not used to it."
Lin Sui'an: "..."
Their understanding of "purity" seems to be different.
This outfit looks nothing special at first glance, but as the light changes, the surface of the fabric will reflect different colors, sometimes lavender, sometimes dark blue, and a faint light will appear when the movement is larger.
Good guy, it’s expensive at first glance!
Mrs. Mu Sheng seemed to have noticed Lin Sui'an's thoughts and said with a smile, "This is a new material from Yangdu. It's called 'Dongfang Jibai'. It takes the color of the sky before dawn. Silang said it was most suitable for Mrs. Lin, so he Let Yangdu Buhang work hard to transport it here."
Lin Sui'an: "How much, how much - forget it, don't tell me."
Mrs. Mu Sheng laughed out loud, "Silang loved gorgeous and fancy things since he was a baby. Suddenly he ordered something so simple. Yangdu Buhang thought it was a mistake and sent someone to ask three times before he was sure. "
"In infancy?" Lin Sui'an was startled, "Didn't Hua Yitang only like gorgeous clothes after he was six years old?"
Mrs. Mu Sheng laughed even harder, "When Shiro was born, I was the deputy steward at the Yangduhua Mansion. I remember clearly that from the moment Shiro opened his eyes, he had to lie down in Shu Brocade to sleep. He even had to be a top-grade man. Shu brocade, low-grade Shu brocade will not sleep. When you can crawl, you will be even more picky. If the color of the Shu brocade underneath you is not pleasing to your eyes, you would rather lie down for an hour without moving. At that time, the whole flower house almost lost it in order to choose Shu brocade for Shiro. The Shu brocade trade in Yangdu was emptied out, and in the end, Hua Ermu had to be sent to Yidu to specially open up the Shu brocade trade route from Yangdu to Yidu."
Lin Sui'an: "..."
Wait a minute, so Hua Yitang likes fancy clothes not because of any childhood psychological trauma, but because she is born with it? !
"Then...Hua Yitang can be eaten -"
"Silang has a big appetite, and even three mothers can't feed him enough. He eats well, grows well, and has pink and white skin. Everyone who sees him says that Yangduhua Shiro is born to be rich." Sister-in-law Mu Sheng said proudly.
"..."
"However, later on, Shiro's clothes became more and more sophisticated. In addition to Shiro's own liking, there was another reason."
"What?"
"Silang is handsome, and the materials and styles he wears sell very well, so the head of the family ordered Hua's Cloth Shop and Garment Shop to prepare a copy of all new styles for Shiro so that he can wear them every day. , the effect is amazing. As long as it is the same style as Shiro, it will be sold out within three days. It is no exaggeration to say that half of the business of Hua Shi Cloth Co., Ltd. is due to Shiro."
"..."
Lin Sui'an looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes widened and his forehead twitched.
When he returned to the main hall, Hua Yitang, who had finished dressing up, was radiant and radiant. He spread his arms and crossed his feet, allowing eight attendants to circle around him with incense burners. The incense was flowing in, and his expression was a joy. .
Mu Xia guided the homework, "This 'Moon Soul Flower Spiritual Fragrance' is the most suitable for the 'Sunset Miaomiao Robe' worn by Shiro. If it is less, it will be lighter, and if it is more, it will be stronger. Hey, hey, take three steps away, right?" That's right, walk faster and don't forget the cloak of 'Smoke willows and catkins'."
The eight attendants were sweating profusely, but Mu Xia was still dissatisfied, and went to arrange Hua Yitang's incense balls himself, "Silang, this new set is the work of Yangdu Garment House, can it be sold in Andu?" To occupy a place in the market depends on Shiro’s performance today.”
Hua Yitang: "Don't worry, I will definitely dress with style and uniqueness. I will be more gorgeous than Andu and become a blockbuster!"
Lin Sui'an held Qian Jing and watched with cold eyes, his forehead twitching more and more frequently.
Hua Yitang showed off proudly, "Are you handsome? Are you beautiful?"
Lin Sui'an: "You are born to love stinky beauty, right?"
Hua Yitang: "Ah, Hua is so pretty, so naturally he has to contribute to Hua's industry."
"The evening mirror gauze dress you ordered——"
"After bathing, I admired myself in the mirror, just in time for the occasion."
"..."
Lin Sui'an was so angry that her head was buzzing. She was so careless that she felt sorry for this guy. Haha, even if the world ends, this kind of scourge will still be alive and well for generations to come!
Lin Sui'an left in a huff. Hua Yitang stopped his flamboyant movements and took a long breath. He turned to look at Mu Xia and Mu Sheng's wife, and they both lowered their heads and clasped their fists at the same time.
small theater
The night before entering Andu, Hua Yitang called Mu Xia into the room.
"Who is the steward of the Eighth House of the Anduhua Family?"
"Back to Silang, it's Mrs. Mu Sheng."
"Very good. Please discuss it with Mrs. Mu Sheng and let her find an opportunity to explain something to Lin Sui'an casually."
"What's the matter?"
"Let's just say that I like fancy clothes, and having a big stomach and eating food are my preferences that were brought up in my mother's womb."
"But Shiro, these two habits of yours clearly came about after you disappeared when you were six years old-"
Hua Yitang frowned.
Mu Xia understood, "Does Silang regret telling Madam Lin about this?"
"The moonlight was so beautiful that night... I said it without realizing it... Although I don't think there is anything wrong in telling her... but..." Hua Yitang sighed, "After that day, she became depressed and frowned. Suo, she is so smart, she must have discovered it... I really can't bear her feeling sorry for me."
Mu Xia looked at Hua Yitang's unparalleled beauty in the night and felt that the hair on her head, which was only fifteen years old, was starting to turn gray.
"Shiro, why do you have to suffer so much?"
"I would rather suffer myself for the rest of my life than have her suffer for me even half a cent."
"..."
"Go and do it, be careful, Lin Sui'an is not easy to deceive, don't let his feet be exposed.
"...obey.":,,
