The bear's usual agility disappeared in winter.
The family walked down the mountain, and Aunt Wang came back halfway, "Your Highness, there is no one around the mountainside."
Li Yue nodded, she walked down the mountain contentedly, and then the family returned to Chang'an City.
The closer it gets to night, the colder the wind becomes.
Zhang Yang drove the carriage. In the middle of winter, there were no pedestrians outside Chang'an City. The outside of the city seemed deserted. Once inside, it was another scene.
The city is very lively, and more and more people come to Chang'an City during the New Year.
After entering the city gate and walking for a while on Zhuquemen Street, the family turned into an alley and returned home.
There is a strong smell of gunpowder smoke on the body, which will attract people's attention.
When I got home, my aunt prepared hot water.
Li Yue took the clothes she was going to change and said, "Husband, do you still want to wash them in cold water?"
"You guys use hot water to wash, I'm used to cold water bathing."
Seeing that his wife was still hesitant and entangled, Zhang Yang took off his coat and walked into his bathroom and rinsed himself with cold water.
In such a cold season, a husband can still take a bath with cold water.
Li Yue was used to it, but Xiao Wu was surprised.
In Chang'an City, Xu Jingzong, Elephant, and Da Su returned to the Diplomatic Academy. The few people who were greeting envoys from various countries outside the city were already freezing.
Xu Jingzong put the hot pot on the stove, "It's better to have a hot pot and wait until your body warms up before going back."
Zhang Elephant nodded, "That's what I meant, the weather is so cold."
Zhang Dashu was sorting out the files and also wanted to write down all the experiences recorded during this trip to Tubo in memorials.
The wind and snow in Chang'an City were intermittent, and the snow had just stopped at dawn.
After he began to rest, Zhang Yang had a lot of time to do things at home and in the village. He took out three duck eggs from the basket and used them to make omelettes.
Xiao Wu dragged the little bear out of the house and asked him to grind the beans at home.
The bear clawed at the ground and resisted.
Seeing that it would rather die than give in, Master Xiao Wu scolded it, saying that it was also a member of the family and could not just eat and not work.
Finally, under Li Yue's gaze, the bear finally gave in and kept grinding as if resigned to its fate.
The family ate breakfast and watched the little bear pull the millstone in circles. Every time it was about to relax a little, Li Yue coughed lightly, and it worked harder.
The aunt sent news that because Yan Shigu had made great contributions in assisting the prince in annotating Han books, his majesty rewarded him with many ancient relics and a good horse.
Zhang Yang had no interest in people like Yan Shigu.
The little bear had good endurance, and he kept grinding until noon when he couldn't handle it anymore and fell to the ground.
Seeing that her husband was still observing the wool, Li Yue also looked at it carefully, "The wool after soaking it in water and then drying it becomes more like cotton."
Zhang Yang explained: "Wool can be used to make wool, and it can be used to make textiles just like cotton. In addition to using cotton to make quilts, wool can also be used to fill quilts."
Holding a ball of wool in one hand and a ball of cotton in the other, compacting them at the same time, Zhang Yang let go and asked, "See how they change?"
The wool slowly returned to its original shape after being squeezed, while the bottom of the cotton was caked after being squeezed.
Li Yue smiled, with some pride in his expression, "We can make more money again."
Zhang Yang crossed his legs, relaxed his back and leaned on the chair, took a sip of tea and frowned: "We will need a lot of wool by then. As for wool textile technology, I need to study it more."
After giving the little bear a piece of dried meat as a reward and watching it chew it happily, Li Yue stroked its hair and said, "It's time to lay the groundwork for future cotton spinning."
】
The couple looked at each other and smiled in understanding.
One more business is a gratifying thing, and the couple decided to go to Qujiangchi to have barbecue.
Xiao Wu wanted to drag the little bear with him, but the little bear clutched the ground and refused to let go.
"Don't embarrass it."
"Okay, I'll teach it a lesson when I come back." Xiao Wu raised his proud chin and walked out of the house.
At this moment, Qujiang Pool has become a forbidden area, and only this family can enter here.
Qujiang Pool is very quiet in winter, but in spring and summer it is full of life and you can hear the chirping of birds.
In winter, Qujiang Pool is lifeless and there is still some snow here.
As soon as I reached Qujiang Pool, I heard voices at the entrance. It turned out that it was Li Tai who was about to enter.
Zhang Yang said loudly: "Let His Royal Highness the King of Wei come in."
Only then did several guards let him go.
Li Tai complained with beeps on his lips, "What's going on with Qujiang Pond? No one is allowed in."
Ever since Li Shimin mortgaged Qujiang Pond, outsiders could no longer come in except his own family, and the rich and powerful had no place to relax for a while.
Li Yue and Xiao Wu were preparing to light a fire and barbecue in the waterside pavilion.
It's freezing outside, but the water in Qujiang Pond is not frozen.
"My father sent the prince's Han script annotations to the library. Not only did he praise the prince, he also gave Yan Shigu a reward."
Zhang Yang washed the prepared mutton while listening to Li Tai's complaints.
"Brother-in-law, you worked hard to teach the prince in the East Palace. Now he, Yan Shigu, is very proud of himself in the East Palace. When it comes to rewards, brother-in-law should also be rewarded."
Zhang Yang skewered the meat and gave it to Xiao Wu, asking her and his wife to roast the mutton.
Seeing that his brother-in-law was unmoved after hearing these words, Li Tai added, "Brother-in-law, don't you think that my father favors one over the other?"
Zhang Yang asked in a low voice: "His Royal Highness, King Wei, how is the recent compilation of Kuo Di Zhi?"
Li Tai nodded, "It went smoothly."
"Recently, Zhang Dashu is writing about Tibetan affairs. If you have time, you can go and read it. It is very useful to learn these geographical knowledge."
Smelling the aroma of barbecue, Li Tai came to the waterside pavilion with his head hanging down, "Sister Huang, I always feel that my brother-in-law has lost his spirit."
"What's wrong with you?" Li Yue smiled.
"The spirit of competing with others."
"Who are you fighting with?"
Li Tai crossed his arms with resentment in his eyes, "With the prince, Yan Shigu."
Li Yue looked at the man who was washing his hands, and then at the food cooking on the stove, "Actually, Qing Que thought wrongly."
"What does the imperial sister mean?"
"My husband has always been very high-spirited. Now that he is the Minister of Rites, he has never taken people like Yan Shigu seriously, so why bother with them."
Li Yue added: "Qingque always cares about temporary gains and losses, so that the relationship with the prince is not harmonious. When climbing, one is full of love for the mountain, and when watching the sea, one's thoughts are overflowing with the sea. When one's eyes are on temporary gains and losses, it is also possible to gain something. It’s just temporary.”
"Some people look at the mountains and can only see the scenery in the mountains. But if they look at the vast ends of the world, they can only contain the entire mountain."
Li Tai thought carefully about his imperial sister's words. Even if Yan Shigu and others tried hard, they would not be Zhang Yang's goal after all.
No matter how talented Yan Shigu and others are, they are no match for Zhang Yang and Sheji.
Sitting down by the waterside pavilion, Li Tai said decadently: "Brother-in-law and the emperor's sister are going to live to be saints."
Li Yue shook her head and smiled: "As my husband said, instead of worrying about these things, it is better to pay more attention to the compilation of Diankuo Dizhi. Maybe that will be one of the achievements of His Royal Highness the King of Wei."
As the imperial sister, she also has to teach her younger brother. As the prince, Li Tai can mobilize sufficient manpower and material resources. With Li Shimin's support, if he wants to achieve something, he can mobilize a lot of resources.
Li Yue said patiently, "Li Chunfeng has now created the armillary sphere of the zodiac. This is his achievement, and numerology is also his achievement. Yuan Tiangang is solving a huge mystery. If he can really solve it in his lifetime, it will also be his." One of the achievements.”
It's always uncomfortable when someone talks.
Seeing the decadent look on his face, Zhang Yang smiled and said, "It would be a great achievement for His Highness King Wei to earn a lot of money in the future."
Li Tai nodded, "I must make a lot of money."
As Li Tai's sister, Li Yue prefers Qingque to work towards achievements that are recognized by others, and Kuo Dizhi is one of them.
How much money you make is just a partial thing at best. No matter how much money you make, you won't even have a name in the annals of history.
You are a prince. At most, you can add one note in the history books. You are a prince who likes to make money.
The mutton skewers were ready. Xiao Wu sat upright, opening and closing her little mouth and chewing the mutton in her mouth, silently looking at the book on her lap.
The juices from the meat skewers dripped onto the scroll, and she would wipe them off carefully.
Li Tai had no appetite, so he took the series and left.
This little fat man has been troubled by more and more things recently.
Zhang Yang whispered: "His Royal Highness King Wei is about to become rebellious at this age, and he still needs to be corrected."
Li Yue whispered: "Li Ke had the power to be a long-term official in the past. Xu Xiaode was a long-term official in the East Palace. It seems that there is no long-term official around Qingque."
Zhang Yang nodded and said, "That's because he hasn't grown up yet."
"If someone else were to be Qingque's chief official, I don't know if they would be able to teach him well." Li Yue whispered: "But my husband has been taking care of Qingque for these years, so you might as well supervise him more."
Zhang Yang shook his head helplessly, "The King of Wei is usually very shrewd, and he is a person who will not suffer losses."
Children will take detours if they lack guidance. Li Tai has many things to do now, including compilation of geographical records and some business matters.
This kid has a lot to do every day, not to mention having fun like other kids.
While other children in the entire grade are still indulging in riding and shooting, Li Tai manages a business worth thousands of dollars.
These things took up most of his time, and he had no time for other things.
Use up all his rebellious energy.
If it weren't for the New Year's Eve and Li Tai was still in the village watching the construction camp deliver goods, he wouldn't have much free time.
First, serve a bowl of rice, then remove the meat from the skewers, put it on the rice, and then boil two spinach to relieve the greasiness.
The family ate quietly and looked at the scenery of Qujiang Pool.
It is so quiet here that you can hear your own breathing. The water surface without waves is no longer as lively as it was in spring, summer and autumn, and there are no fish jumping up from the water surface.
Back home, Aunt Wang was talking to the maid from the palace.
Listening to their stories, this year they invited the princess and the prince-in-law on New Year's Eve as in previous years, as well as the newly canonized little princess Xiao Wu.
Li Yue frowned and agreed to the matter first.
Originally, I planned to set off fireworks with Li Yue at Lishan Mountain this year, and I didn't plan to go to the palace to celebrate New Year's Eve.
My daughter-in-law is in trouble, even if she refuses, her previous plans will be ruined.
Noticing her pleading look, Zhang Yang lowered his head and continued drawing.
Looking out of the corner of his eye, he didn't know when she was sitting next to him.
She supported her chin with one hand and looked at the drawing, "Why do you need to put such a shelf on the bathtub?"
The tone was somewhat complaining...
Zhang Yang continued to draw the drawing, "This is for carrying water. It must be fun to jump into the water from the height of our shelf."
Li Yue looked left and right, "Then why are there so many beds beside the bath? Does the husband have to bathe in the open air and sleep after bathing?"
"This is a lounge chair for resting and sunbathing."
"My husband's hobbies are getting weirder and weirder."
The drunkard's intention is not to drink, and the focus of the words is not these, but New Year's Eve.
My daughter-in-law is a rich woman, and she also likes romance. Originally, she had planned a romantic night for New Year's Eve, but she was about to be disturbed by someone in the palace.
If you ignore her, she may keep asking endless questions.
Zhang Yang put down his pen and took a sip of tea.
The couple sat next to each other on a bench, and she would probably be unable to continue drawing if she kept sitting next to him.
"The words were sent by your mother."
"Yeah." Li Yue nodded in response.
"This means that your father has a candidate in mind for the banquet, but the decree has not yet come down."
"I think so too, but my father's will may come tomorrow."
Zhang Yang thought for a while and then said, "Make some more dishes and bring them to the palace tomorrow."
After saying this, Li Yue was willing to leave.
Looking at the drawings in front of me, I didn't have the intention to continue drawing because of my wife's fuss.
After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Yang calmed down and put the drawings away.
New Year's Eve was coming. On the morning of the next day, before it was completely bright, Zhang Yang went out early to buy groceries.
I plan to go to the palace to treat the Queen and His Majesty to a meal first, and then I can take my wife with me to Lishan to set off fireworks on New Year's Eve.
Every time when the New Year comes, the city of Chang'an is very lively.
"I came to buy groceries so early today." The uncle on the side said with a smile.
"There will be more people coming when daybreak." Zhang Yang was picking at his uncle's shop. "Cut all these ribs and sell them to me."
Pork ribs have always been a good ingredient. Now that pork is not popular in Chang'an, few people will buy this kind of ribs.
While cracking the ribs, the uncle continued: "It's better to come early. After a while, there will be more and more people in Dongshi, and it will be crowded and noisy."
Zhang Yang nodded and put away the ribs, "How much money."
"Some bones for you."
Zhang Yang still paid ten cents and went back to buy two freshly slaughtered rabbits.
It was a coincidence. It was very strange for a Tibetan to come to Dongshi. It was unreasonable to think that the other party was doing it deliberately. Seeing Lu Dongzan walking towards him, Zhang Yang turned around and pretended not to see him.
Thinking of pretending that he hadn't seen him today, Kelu Dongzan strode forward anyway, unable to hide from this Tibetan man who felt very good about himself.
"I said I would come to Chang'an City again."
"You, a Tibetan, are not eating or drinking in the post house. What are you doing in Dongshi?"
