In the thirteenth year of prosperity, there was a severe summer heat in the Zhang Mansion.
The poisonous sun is in the sky, the heat is steaming, and the cries of cicadas and frogs are heard one after another, making people upset.
It was noon, and there were almost no people to be seen. Even the servants were hiding in the corridors and behind the houses to take a rest.
The courtyard of Qinghui Hall was whitened by the sun, and a man was kneeling in the middle.
She has a pale complexion and no makeup, and only has a plain silver hairpin on her head. She wears a green short-sleeved jacket with a dark green narrow-sleeved shirt, a one-piece tube top and a blue-white three-pleated skirt. Although she is simple and elegant, she can't hide her arrogant appearance. .
It's just that he looks so horny.
Shen Que's knees were swollen and his bones seemed to be broken. They were staggered by the sun and almost fell down.
"Madam." Zelan supported her and said urgently: "My slave, please go and beg the old lady. Madam will die if she is exposed to the sun any longer."
Shen indeed shook his head feebly: "It doesn't matter, just hold on a little longer."
Zelan was about to say something more, but when he found someone coming out from the Qinghui Hall, he quickly stopped talking and stood aside respectfully.
"The old lady has finally woken up. You go and bring some ice drinks to relieve the heat of the old lady and the ladies."
The speaker was Song Qingyue, the wife of the second master of the Zhang family, and also the old lady’s distant cousin.
After giving her instructions, she looked over here and sneered: "Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work. Brothers and sisters, I'm going to ask my mother for permission and see if I can forgive my sister-in-law for once."
After saying that, she put down the curtain and twisted her waist to go back to the house. Zelan was so angry that she grabbed her handkerchief and gritted her teeth: "She has a heart of snakes and scorpions, and she only makes sarcastic remarks. No matter how much our lady gets blamed, it will not be her turn to act like a wolf here."
"Zelan." Shen Que interrupted her, "Be careful with your words and actions."
"Madam." Zelan said angrily: "Why, you are the only one who took care of the old lady when she was sick day and night, boiling and feeding the medicine yourself. It's just that I accidentally dozed off early this morning. Being punished like this, what about them? They have never served before. They just accompany the old lady to have tea and talk to relieve their boredom."
"There are children in the second and third bedrooms. The children are still young and they can't get away. I am the only one free." Shen Que felt that his throat was dry and itchy and burning. As soon as he said the words, his stomach was filled with butterflies in his stomach. He quickly covered his dry mouth and nose with a handkerchief. Vomited several times.
"Madam, what's wrong? Don't scare me." Zeelan panicked and quickly knelt down and patted her back.
She was so thin that her bulging back hurt her hands. The little girl burst into tears when she was so anxious.
People in the Qinghui Hall heard the commotion. Mrs. Gu, the old lady of the Zhang family, sat on the bed and asked with a cold face: "What's wrong with her? How long has she been kneeling before showing this delicate look to someone?"
"Hey, mother, why is she still angry?" Wang Peilan, the third wife, advised: "Why? The worst thing is to punish her to kneel for a longer time. Mother should make up her mind quickly. The day after tomorrow is the lotus banquet in the palace, let's Wu Niang’s whole life depends on this.”
"Third sister-in-law is right." Zhang Guanhua said: "We will choose concubines for several princes at the lotus banquet. Grandma, I don't want to miss it."
Zhang Guanhua is the fifth daughter of the Zhang family. She has four brothers and sisters-in-law. She is the youngest and the most favored. Mrs. Gu is even more obsessed with making her prosperous. She calculates that His Majesty has six or seven sons now, and even if they are of the right age, there are only four or five. This year's lotus banquet even the eldest prince who has been away for many years has returned to the capital. The Empress intends to give a few The son chooses his wife.
This lotus banquet invited officials and women of the fifth rank and above. It was an unprecedented grand event. It had already spread throughout the capital. Everyone was busy buying jewelry and making clothes, striving to be the most beautiful among the others.
No matter which prince it is, grab one first and then talk about it.
The maids opened the curtain and presented them with iced drinks and fresh fruits. Gu took them in her mouth and immediately felt relieved from the heat, and ordered:
"Go and tell her that she will be solely responsible for the jewelry, hairpins, and clothes and shoes that the Fifth Lady will wear for the Lotus Banquet this time. No expense will be spared, and she must satisfy my son. She has also purchased all the items that the Second Lady and the Third Lady need. "
Song Qingyue and Wang Peilan looked at each other in the room, stood up and thanked each other with smiles on their faces, their pride evident in their expressions.
The two masters and servants who were exposed to the sun outside the house took the order. Shen Que was too weak to speak and could only nod his head, but Zelan really couldn't stand it:
"Although the lady is in charge of the house, one person comes to ask for money today, and the other person comes to ask for money tomorrow. The monthly salary of several men in our family together is not enough to fill the gap between the teeth. If it were not for the personal benefits of the eldest lady in these years, With the support of silver, this family has been unable to untie the pot for a long time, how can it still have the face..."
"Ze Lan, the more you talk, the more you talk." Shen Que scolded her, but she only felt dizzy, and a golden world appeared in front of her eyes.
There are two suns, and... a magnificent palace, which seems to be a royal palace... there are many shirtless... men in the palace...
Zelan's voice calling her urgently sounded in her ears: "Madam, madam, wake up."
Shen Que felt like she had become an immortal and flew away in the clouds. It was warm and comfortable, there were no disputes, no one asked her for money all day long, and there was no humiliation or difficulty from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law... Everything here was so beautiful.
*
Under the scorching sun, the oily steel and iron bones were being drilled under the golden sun.
On the training ground, Shuofang's troops were uniformly uniform, and they all went into battle shirtless, fighting, facing each other, and fighting... The man on the examination platform had sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, his temples were as sharp as a knife, his nose was straight, and his deep eyes were shining with stars, as if To suck people in.
The whole person stood there with broad shoulders and narrow waist, tall and strong, frowning and inspecting the soldiers' drills.
This is the now popular eldest son of the emperor who has just returned with great honors, His Royal Highness Prince Li Luansong. In these years, he has been guarding the border and leading Shuofang's army to protect Daye's security. It can be said that he has military power and great military exploits.
A figure in the distance looked like a bean sprout, holding on to his hat and stumbling towards the examination desk.
Father-in-law Shi was the eunuch beside Li Luansong and had been following him since he was a child.
"Your Highness." Eunuch Shi knelt down and kowtowed: "There are people coming from the palace, they are... sent by His Majesty to rebuke His Highness."
"Just take it." Li Luansong didn't care and continued to stare at the soldiers' training.
"Your Majesty said that you should accept it in person." Eunuch Shi's head was almost buried in the ground.
"Hey, trouble." Li Luansong wrinkled his facial features and reluctantly picked up the clothes and put them on. The strong muscles under the thin shirt were clearly visible.
The people in the palace had already approached. Eunuch Shi quickly stood up, helped His Highness tidy up his clothes, and knelt down to listen to the Holy Master's rebuke.
The person in charge of scolding was a young eunuch. Knowing that His Highness had a bad temper, his two sides were already fighting at this moment, and he trembled:
"Your Highness, this is your Majesty's wish. I will kowtow to you first. I hope your Highness will hear something later and don't...don't be angry."
Bang bang bang, before Li Luansong could react, the little eunuch had already finished kowtow.
Not surprised that there were so many people doing the ceremony, Li Luansong said impatiently: "Read it quickly."
The little eunuch stood up shakily and cleared his throat:
"By the fate of heaven, the emperor issued an edict: The country has laws and the family has training. Without rules, there will be no rule. The eldest son of the emperor, Li Luansong, is lawless and does not go to court for no reason. This is..."
The little eunuch paused for a moment, took a peek at Prince Jin who was kneeling there with an angry look on his face, swallowed his saliva and said:
"This is too outrageous. Li Luansong, do you still think of me as the emperor? Who allows you not to go to court, who allows you not to study, it is simply lawless. Therefore, this matter is not over yet. I ordered Jin King Li Luansong to complete the strategy of governing the country today. If I can’t finish this essay on the strategy of the Jin Dynasty, all those who can’t finish it will get out of here.”
After reciting, the little eunuch's clothes were already soaked. He didn't have time to wipe away the sweat, so he said: "His Royal Highness, King Jin, Your Majesty also said that you must attend the lotus banquet the day after tomorrow. If you dare not go again, you will... just... you will be grounded. Seize the military power and stop letting you fight, and then...then...read and write every day, and then find a powerful woman to take care of you."
The little eunuch recited the last few words very fast. After he finished reciting, Bang Bang Bang kowtowed three more times, stuffed the imperial edict into Eunuch Shi's arms, shouted "Slave, please retire", and he had already disappeared.
The sun was scorching, there was not a breath of wind, and the examination platform was completely silent, so quiet that it made people want to die.
Eunuch Shi secretly glanced at Li Luansong, his handsome face now as black as ink.
"Your Highness." He wanted to say something to persuade. "Your Majesty really loves Your Highness, so he hopes that you will be both civil and military. Now that it is imminent to establish the throne, I think I have high hopes for you, Your Highness."
Li Luansong was silent.
Eunuch Shi cleared his throat again and said: "Your Highness is indeed not good at writing, but you have been smart since you were young, and you are the most like His Majesty among the many princes. I think that as long as you study hard, you will be able to make a name for yourself. Well, Your Highness will..."
"snort."
Eunuch Shi's words were interrupted by a cold snort. On this hot summer day, it was as if a basin of ice water had been poured into his pocket, and Eunuch Shi actually shivered.
"He himself is not literate, why should he force me?"
Li Luansong's voice was low, "To say that I am lawless is because he has forgotten how my grandfather scolded him."
Eunuch Shi:...
Is this what I can hear?
Looking up at the blazing sun, Li Luansong stood up expressionlessly and said: "In May, let them practice one more stick of incense and then disperse."
Wuyue said yes, and then watched His Highness towards the main hall with sympathetic eyes.
Eunuch Shi quickly followed behind with the imperial edict in his arms: "Your Highness, there is still half a day, so I can write it now."
Li Luansong didn't say anything. There was wind under his feet and he walked very fast.
"Your Highness, Your Highness." Eunuch Shi realized that he was not going in the direction of the study, "The study is over here."
"Your Highness, don't you want to write a policy statement?"
"Don't write." Li Luansong waved his hand impatiently.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"I'm sleepy, go to sleep." He walked away without looking back, muttering, "Awesome lady, tomorrow I will become the most powerful lady, let's see who cares who..."
Under the sun, Shi's father-in-law was holding the imperial edict alone and wanted to cry without tears.
Are you really going to pack up and leave this time? This is His Highness who he has served for half his life, so he cannot bear to part with him...
