"Third Sister, I'm here." Wu Niang Qiongyu, wearing a pink skirt, jumped in from the door with a smile. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Liu Jinyu who was helping Li Xuan organize her court clothes. She stopped immediately and felt a little He stuck out his tongue playfully.
At this moment, Fourth Mother Liu Shubi's voice sounded outside the door: "Fifth Mother, please slow down."
Immediately following Liu Shubi, she entered the room. She was wearing a thick rose-patterned red skirt, with a double bun on her head. Her pretty face was a little white due to the cold weather, but she was brought along again as she ran quickly. flush.
As soon as she entered the room, Liu Shubi saw Liu Jinyu and Li Xuan looking at her with funny faces. A trace of embarrassment suddenly appeared on Liu Shubi's face, and then she saluted Liu Jinyu and Li Xuan: "Third sister, third sister. Brother-in-law!”
Wu Niang Qiongyu, who was on the side, seemed to also be interested. She came over and stood with Liu Shubi, and then said awkwardly: "Third sister, third brother-in-law!"
Seeing a nine-year-old and a thirteen-year-old girl standing side by side and saluting, both Li Xuan and Liu Jinyu couldn't help laughing.
Li Xuan waved her hands and smiled, and said: "Everyone, get up. I don't have any new year's money today. I will give it to you two tomorrow."
Lucky money is also called lucky money.
However, the winning money is given to one's children on New Year's Eve and placed under the pillow to suppress evil spirits.
On New Year's Eve, it is a blessing to give it to a relative's child.
"Ah, Third Sister is going to give you the New Year's money this year." Wu Niang Qiongyu only realized it at this time. She immediately stood up and ran to Liu Jinyu, grabbed her arm, and muttered: "Third Sister, you are giving me the New Year's money." You have to give more, otherwise you will be worse than my mother..."
Liu Shubi looked at Wu Niang Qiongyu with some envy. She raised her head and saw Li Xuan standing in front of the bronze mirror, arranging her court uniform.
Purple narrow-sleeved round-neck robe, embroidered with five pythons and five chapters, black three-color seven-beam crown, two long red tassels falling straight to the chest, and a red gold and jade belt with a gold and jade belt tied around the waist, with fish charms, jade ornaments, and ropes hanging on it. , wearing thick black leather boots with jade patterns.
A two-foot-six-inch ivory wat is placed on the table.
Ivory wat from the first-grade king.
Liu Shubi looked at the ivory wat with envy in her eyes. In her family, only her grandfather was qualified to hold the wat in court.
Although my father had the title of Shangzhu Kingdom, his title alone did not qualify him to enter the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace.
…
"The clothes are a bit tight. I can still wear them this year, but I have to change them next year." Li Xuan glanced sideways at Liu Jinyu, then glanced at Liu Shubi, who looked curious, and smiled.
"Mr. Lang, why don't we make a new one? Just make it bigger, so we don't have to modify it every year." Liu Jinyu helped Li Xuan pull the corners of her clothes, and they are now very tight.
Li Xuan hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded directly.
During the prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, when all the nations came to court, there was no need for him to do anything about it.
Too much frugality would undermine the majesty of the Tang Dynasty.
Tomorrow is the big court meeting, no matter what, nothing can happen.
While Liu Jinyu was arranging her clothes, Li Xuan turned to look at Liu Shubi on one side and asked with some curiosity: "Sixth Mother, why did you hear that your third sister said that the Chen family is going on a wedding trip this New Year?"
"Yes!" Liu Shubi nodded gloomily.
Liu Jinyu on the side saw that Liu Shubi didn't want to talk, so she answered: "Originally, we agreed that we would have a wedding in May, and we would get married in mid-August. We would be back home during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but suddenly she mentioned that the wedding should be at the beginning of the year. That’s early April.”
"April?" Li Xuan suddenly frowned, and then said a little funny: "It seems that the Chen family is also thinking about it. The beginning of April is just right..."
Li Xuan stopped immediately mid-sentence, and Liu Jinyu rolled her eyes at him angrily.
Li Xuan smiled helplessly. Although the Western Expedition to Tibet was not a secret among the high-level officials of the Tang Dynasty, and even Tubo had heard about it, and might even have been actively preparing for war, but for the people of the Tang Dynasty, even someone like Liu Shubi The daughter of the Prime Minister’s Mansion also knew nothing about it.
But the Chen family... Li Xuan raised his head and glanced at Liu Jinyu. Liu Jinyu nodded gently, and Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The Chen family still had some concerns. Although the Chen family was the largest family in Fujian, it was too far from the center. The emperor seemed to want to drive the entire Gushi Chen family to Fujian.
Naturally, the Chen family was unwilling to give in, and the marriage with the Liu family's daughter was one of their methods.
Liu Shubi was born as a concubine. Although the Liu family's children were harmonious and no one cared about it, it would be different outside.
Although the person who married Liu Shubi was the nephew of Chen Zheng, the official of the court, the general of Guide, and the commander-in-chief of the Lingnan March, Chen Liulang's parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother. No one in the upper and lower circles cared about this, but once When we get to Fujian, it’s hard to say what people’s hearts are like.
If Chen Liulang could stay in the north and take advantage of the war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo to gain a foothold in the court, there is no doubt that the entire Gushi Chen family would have a chance to return to the power center of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, they thought about making a big decision at the beginning of the year, getting married in April, and then stuffing the people into the army before the army set off.
Maybe the Chen family has found a way out now. After all, they can't trouble the Prime Minister's Mansion because of this matter.
"This is a good thing. Maybe the Chen family can keep Chen Liulang in Beidi, and Si Niang won't have to marry far away from Fujian." After Li Xuan finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Liu Jinyu, who also nodded and smiled. Looking at Liu Shubi, she said: "Siniang, when you get back, you can prepare for the wedding with peace of mind. This time, the Chen family's preparations for the wedding are weak, and I will never let them go."
"Yeah!" Although Liu Shubi was still uneasy, he felt much more relaxed. .
Liu Qiongyu on the side didn't seem to pay attention to their conversation. Instead, she kept looking outside the door and turning her ears as if listening to something.
Li Xuan glanced over, and then asked curiously: "Wu Niang, what are you waiting for?"
"Third brother-in-law, don't you know? There is a Shehuo Festival Dance today. It starts from Pingkangfang, goes west, passes through Chongyifang, Kaihuafang, to Zhuquemen Street, then goes south, goes around the city, and then returns to Pingkang Square." Liu Qiongyu gestured repeatedly, her eyes full of desire.
"So you came to my brother-in-law's house today just to watch the social dance." Li Xuan was a little funny for a moment.
The two young ladies of the Liu family did not go to Pingkangfang, but came to Kaihuafang in advance.
Compared to the bustling and crowded Pingkangfang, Kaihuafang is quieter but also safer.
This must be the idea of the Liu family.
Li Xuan turned her head and seemed to hear the sound of gongs and drums in her ears.
"Okay, it seems we're almost here. You guys should go out quickly." Li Xuan waved her hand, looked at Liu Jinyu, and said, "Sanniang, take them with you. Take the maids at home to see what they want to see." , just don’t get lost.”
When Liu Qiongyu heard that the third sister took them out together, her face was immediately filled with smiles.
Liu Shubi on the side asked in surprise: "Third brother-in-law, aren't you going with us?"
"No, the third brother-in-law still has something to do..." Before Li Xuan finished speaking, Liu Jinyu on the side couldn't help pushing his arm and said: "You haven't been out in the past few days since you got home, and now you are here It’s New Year’s Eve, so it’s okay to go out for a walk. At worst, just stand at the entrance of the square and don’t go out.”
Li Xuan pondered slightly, nodded, and said, "Okay, I just want to go see what's going on outside."
When Liu Jinyu heard this, she knew that Li Xuan had other plans and rolled her eyes at him angrily.
The people who live in Kaihuafang are all members of the royal family, and even the servants below know each other well.
Outsiders can be easily recognized when they enter, and it is even easier to be discovered if they keep a close eye on a certain house.
When the time comes, they will not report to the official at all, but will just go out with swords and sticks. These are all from the army.
So if there is anything, it will definitely not be inside the workshop, so it can only be outside the workshop.
…
At the entrance of Kaihua Fangfang, there are two huge paintings of door gods, Shen Tu and Yu Lei, posted on the huge door.
Li Xuan stood at the gate of Kaihuafangfang, followed by the three sisters Liu Jinyu, Li Zhu and Meng Sheng behind him, and the guards, servants, maids, and other servants of the Prince's Palace of Nanchang scattered all around.
Outside the square gate, Taichang Temple officials in charge of sacrifices and etiquette were at the forefront, wearing ferocious masks and props. Fang Xiangshi, dressed in red and black trousers, was beating drums and jumping around.
Behind them were hundreds of masters of fire breathing, lion dancing, dragon dancing, colorful flags, gongs and drums, stilts and many more.
Some were wearing masks of Gonggong, and others were wearing masks of Zhu Rong, Huang Di, Shennong, and King Yu. During their movements, they were making unique postures, carrying the story of ancient mythology, which was quite eye-catching.
There were people standing on both sides of the street, wearing clean new clothes, watching the lively social dance with curiosity on their faces.
Li Xuan's eyes fell on the crowd opposite. Standing at regular intervals was a police officer from Wannian County. He looked at the crowd with vigilant eyes. In addition to maintaining law and order, he also focused more on those kidnapping children. of human traffickers.
Now is the New Year, which is when these people are most active.
Li Xuan's eyes fell on a middle-aged man wearing a blue plaid round-neck robe. He was wearing a black hat and holding a sword in front of his chest, but his eyes kept looking towards Li Xuan. Looking forward.
Across the long street, there was more than one such person, all of whom seemed to be staring at Li Xuan.
Li Xuan's brows frowned slightly. What on earth is going on? Why are there people from different forces staring at him?
After he returned to Chang'an, he followed the emperor's order and did not go out at all. Why did this happen?
Li Xuan immediately knew that something happened in Chang'an City that he didn't know about, but many people must know what it was specifically, but no one informed Li Xuan.
Sometimes this kind of thing is not a bad thing. If you don't know, you can completely stay out of it.
Once you know it, you will immediately be involved in all these storms.
After the social dancers had finished leaving, Li Xuan's figure was no longer visible under the gate of Kaihuafangfang.
…
In the middle hall, Li Zhu stood in front of the hall and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, there is news from the Jinwu Guards that the cause of the death of the Leng family's mother and son has been found out?"
Li Xuan seemed to have expected it. She glanced at Liu Jinyu and then looked at Li Zhu: "Say?"
"Before Leng Lin went to Hangzhou, he borrowed a sum of money from someone at high interest. He originally planned to buy some goods from Hangzhou and bring them back to Chang'an to sell during the New Year. But he didn't expect that he died on the way and his things were seized by the Ministry of Punishment. Got off."
"That day when the mother and son went to the Ministry of Punishment, they didn't see Pei Shangshu at all. They only met with the doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, but the things were not distributed back. At night, someone went to Leng's house to persecute them. The next day, the mother and son hanged themselves."
After Li Zhu finished speaking, he slightly arched his hands.
Li Xuan sighed softly, waved her hands, and said: "Tonight, everyone in the mansion will receive an extra monthly payment. In addition, send a message to Jin Wuwei that if nothing happens this New Year, we will take good care of those people who sell interest in Chang'an City. Especially from those gambling houses, the property should be used as a memorial to the brothers in the Punishment Department."
"Here!" Li Zhu turned around and walked away.
Liu Jinyu's voice sounded behind Li Xuan, and she asked softly: "Lang Jun, do you believe this?"
"Believe it or not, this is the case." Li Xuan raised her head, looked at her caring wife, and said softly: "We will all know tomorrow what is going on."
(End of chapter)
