The rare summer wind blows all over the small courtyard. The summer flowers in the small courtyard are blooming brilliantly. Even the cherries are hanging brightly red on the trees. At this moment, the incense is curling under the green screen window of the small courtyard, and the flowers in the house are full of incense. The fragrance of osmanthus is refreshing.
A wet nurse used a fan to fan a slight cool breeze for a young boy who was carved in pink and jade to dispel the scorching summer heat. At this time, in a small house, only the master and the servant were enjoying the long and long summer together.
"Mother Yao, don't fan yourself for me. You've worked too hard. I'm fine. I'm just a little hot." Qi Lan, who was still a child at this moment, said very sensibly.
"It's okay, little master, just study with peace of mind. I'm not tired. You just have to study hard. When you become famous in studying, good times will come." Qi Lan's wet nurse, Yao Shi, comforted her with a smile. .
"Mother Yao, don't worry, I will study hard. When the time comes, I will definitely pass the exam so that you and I can live a good life together. Then, my father and mother... will be happy, right?" ...you will come to see me more often..."
Qi Lan nodded and said, but at the end of the sentence... Qi Lan lowered his head in envy as if he had thought of something...
"There are no parents in the world who don't love their children. It's just that... Young Master Qilin is still young, so... he moved all the ice cubes to the third young master's house. The prince and his wife love each other. your.
It’s just that Master Qi Lin is the youngest...it’s inevitable that he has to care more. You are the elder brother, so naturally you have to think more about your parents and younger brother, so that the prince and the prince can rest assured~" Qi Lan’s wet nurse, Mrs. Yao, is a A kind-hearted middle-aged woman, she has never felt any contempt for Qi Lan because she was not favored, and she also very carefully protected the young Qi Lan's admiration for her parents...
After hearing the comforting words from wet nurse Yao, Qi Lan pursed her lips, then nodded sensibly and said:
"Mother Yao, you are right. I am the elder brother and Linlin is the younger brother. I want to protect my younger brother. Just like my elder brother protects me, I must also love and protect my younger brother!"
"But... but... why, there are... ice cubes in the eldest brother's yard... I don't have them... it must be my father and mother... who think I can take good care of Linlin and be a good brother... so... so ...just took mine, right..." Qi Lan said a lot to himself, but in the end, he still said to his wet nurse Yao with a smile and full of longing.
A bitter smile flashed across Yao's lips, but he still nodded and said:
"Yes, yes, the eldest son and the eldest concubine did this because they thought that the second young master was a good brother. The old slave thought that the second young master of our family was really a good boy. Look back, old slave, I have more How about going to the small kitchen and asking for a bowl of egg custard? Second Young Master, this is your favorite food."
"Okay, okay! Then, sister, can you...can you ask Grandpa Gardener for some more fertilizer?
My father and mother gave me a pot of flowers, and I wanted to plant them properly.
When the flowers bloom, why don't you give them to your eldest brother? Your eldest brother loves flowers the most. "Qi Lan was very happy when he heard that he was going to be rewarded with delicious food. He immediately clapped his hands happily. At the end, as if he had thought of something, he ran to a pot that was growing in the hot summer environment. said the very good chrysanthemum.
Wet nurse Yao Shi nodded, and Qi Lan couldn't help but feel distressed in her heart. The huge Prince Shouguang's mansion didn't have any precious rare herbs...
It's just...it's just...it's a pity that the young master of his family was born in a noble family, but he didn't receive the treatment of a noble man. A pot of chrysanthemums that were picked up by several masters in the house and none of them liked, with mother's love and reward. The name was given to her...but it made her young master so happy...she kept it like a treasure...
Perhaps she was too sentimental as a middle-aged woman. Thinking of this, wet nurse Yao felt a little sad and wanted to cry. However, in order to prevent Qi Lan from feeling abnormal, she quickly found an excuse and went out. She left Qi Lan alone to read the book, but she didn’t know... what she said... was... she would never come back...
The shadow of the sun on the mountain suddenly sets in the west, and the moon on the pond slowly rises from the east.
Qi Lan loosened his grip on what he had been writing for a day, and then, looking at the moonlight outside the window, he opened the courtyard door with a sigh of relief and walked outside.
Under the starry moonlight, the young Qi Lan was curious about why the wet nurse hadn't come back yet, but then she thought, maybe it was too late to ask Uncle Hua Jiang for fertilizer, so she didn't think much about it and was left alone. I found a small lounge chair, not too big or too small, and lay down in a quiet and spacious place.
Qi Lan lay outside very comfortably, smelling the fragrance of lotus flowers brought by the evening breeze, listening to the clear sound of dew dripping from the bamboo leaves, looking at the stars in the sky, feeling very satisfied, but in her heart But I was thinking, when... I can be like my big brother, with my parents accompanying me to enjoy the moon...
This idea became more and more important in the little Qi Lan's heart, and a trace of jealousy and unwillingness began to sprout in the depths of the little Qi Lan's heart. However, Qi Lan, who was keenly aware of his own thoughts, quickly shook his head. Shake the thought away.
My father and mother are really too busy. It is normal to have no time to spend with me. Why can't I understand my parents' hard work...
He is really too much...
As for the fact that they have time to spend with their eldest brother, that is because the eldest brother is very good. Outstanding children can always be rewarded. If they are not as good as their eldest brother, they should work hard. How can they be jealous of their eldest brother...
Moreover, I am not the youngest child in the family, so I don’t need so much company. I should be as sensible as my elder brother...
…
…
At a young age, Qi Lan was still making many excuses for his parents' lack of care. Just when he was about to convince himself completely, the wet nurse's child, his little book boy, stumbled around. He ran in and knelt in front of Qi Lan with a plop.
"Second Young Master, Second Young Master...please...please...save mother...mother has always been very good to you, please..."
As soon as Zuo Zuo came in, he cried and said a lot of nonsense, and he knelt down and said.
Suddenly, Qi Lan was confused by some Zhang Er monks, but at such a young age, he also understood that something might have happened to his wet nurse, Yao Shi, so he immediately stood up and helped him up, asking:
"Don't cry, don't cry, don't be anxious, please tell me slowly, what exactly happened?"
Although he was young, he only knew that Qi Lan might be the only one who could save his mother at present. Therefore, he had to calm down temporarily with Qi Lan's comfort, but he still said anxiously:
"Second Young Master! Second Young Master! My mother was arrested by the Imperial Concubine! She was beaten in the Imperial Concubine's yard! Please, please, Second Young Master, please go and beg the Imperial Concubine... Let her let my mother go..."
When Qi Lan heard this, he immediately became anxious, but he still continued to ask:
"What did Mother Yao do? Why did mother want to arrest her? Mother Yao is a very good person, and so is mother...how could this happen..."
"Because... because... today, when my mother went to the kitchen to get the egg custard for you, the second young master, on the way back, she met the third young master. The third young master saw the egg custard and fought for it.
But...but...that was what mother promised to you. How could mother break her promise to you? So, mother apologized to the third young master and said that she would prepare another one for him later. This one is the second one. Master, your...
But I didn't expect that the third young master would be unhappy because of this. He insisted on breaking away from the care of the slaves and grabbing the egg custard from his mother's hand. Although... my mother was already trying to be careful...
But... the egg custard still spilled on the floor, and the mother was burned... The third young master also accidentally stepped on the egg custard... and fell... accidentally...
When the Crown Princess found out about this, she was so furious that she had my mother arrested... The Crown Princess said... she... she... must beat my mother to death...
I beg you! I beg you! Second young master! In this world, you are the only one who can save my mother! I beg you! "
Zuo Zuo cried and explained the ins and outs of all this. After Qi Lan heard this, he immediately rushed out of the small courtyard and ran towards his mother's courtyard...
Prince Shouguang's mansion is very large and has many courtyards, but generally speaking, children's courtyards are always very close to their parents. But I don't know why, Qi Lan's courtyard is not as close to his parents as his elder brother and younger brother. Instead, it is He was assigned to a small, secluded courtyard on the opposite side of the road.
His yard was far away from his parents' yard, and he had to walk for a long time every morning when he got up to pay his respects. However, Qi Lan never disliked the distance, nor complained about the length and twists of the road...
But tonight, on a starry summer night, for the first time... he began to complain about how far this road with only a few small lights was...
He almost wished... he could not wait... to run to Zhengyizhai immediately, but... the road was so far, and even though he had gone as fast as he could... he ended up being... a step slower...
When Qi Lan finally ran to the door of the first pavilion in the yard where his mother was, she only heard a sudden sound coming from inside.
"ah!"
Afterwards, the whole courtyard fell into silence. Qi Lan stood at the door of the courtyard in disbelief. He pushed open the door almost in disbelief and saw his mother sitting gracefully on the steps. He looked at the beaten and unresponsive Yao with disgust at the bottom of the steps.
Qi Lan stumbled up to Yao Shi, silently calling Yao Shi's name, shaking Yao Shi's body crazily... but never received any response...
"You, a child, look closely when you see a lowly and erring servant. But when you see my mother, you don't know how to bow. It seems that you are really spoiled by this slave! You don't know the rules!" Mrs. Yu looked at her. His second son, Qi Lan, couldn't help but become even more angry because a servant ignored her, his biological mother, and reprimanded her.
"My son is guilty... But, mother, Mother Yao is my son's wet nurse. Why can't you let Mother Yao live? It's obvious that the nurse of the third brother burned me before, but you can't do it because of the three brothers." Brother and let her go..."
The young Qi Lan looked at the person who was still alive during the day, but at this moment suddenly turned into a cold corpse that would never respond to him again, and then looked at the wet nurse who had killed his third brother on his hand last month. He was scalded with hot water maliciously, and the scars still haven't healed. He couldn't help but ask his mother aloud.
"Hmph! You and your brother are the same, it's just a burn. Why are you being pretentious! It's not like your face was burned!
Your brother fell down and broke a lot of skin. Did you see it? He is your biological brother! I don't care about your brother, but instead come to blame your mother for a dead man. How good is it!
It seems that I was too indulgent towards you in the past, which is why I let you compare with your brothers everywhere! You don’t even know how to be grateful for how kind your father and I are to you! " Seeing her son questioning her for an outsider, Mrs. Yu actually laughed angrily and said sarcastically.
"I'm not... I don't have... a son. I just think that Mrs. Yao didn't mean it and shouldn't be beaten to death..."
"What about the books you read about saints and sages? Where did you read about being filial to your parents and being friendly to your brothers? You didn't learn a word of it! Instead, you learned to sympathize with your servants. Ha! It's really good!" They looked at each other. Lan even spoke up for Yao, and Yu was almost furious. She went down the steps, harshly lifted Qi Lan, who was kneeling next to Yao, and pushed her angrily.
Qi Lan was pushed hard by Mrs. Yu and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Qi Lan was supported by Qi Qi who just returned to the yard.
"Father." Qi Lan looked at his father Quanquan with admiration, but only received a faint look.
After Quan Quan watched Qi Lan stand up on his own, he immediately let go of his hand, walked to Mrs. Yu and said:
"It's the fault of a naughty slave. Why are you arguing with the child? The child is young, education is all you need. Don't hurt the relationship between mother and child."
When Mrs. Yu saw her husband coming back, she calmed down and said hello.
"You child, it's just a slave that died. I'll choose a few for you later. Why are you arguing with your mother? Why don't you admit your mistake to your mother quickly?" Quan Quan persuaded his wife for a few words, and then said sternly to Qi Lan. .
"But...that is my son's wet nurse..."
Before Qi Lan finished speaking, Quan Quan yelled angrily:
"Insolent! Apologize to your mother!"
Although Qi Lan still felt that her mother had done something wrong, looking at her father's angry look, she still lowered her head, walked to Mrs. Yu and said:
"Mother, I'm sorry. It's my son's fault. Don't be angry with your son..."
"Well... go back to your yard, study hard, and don't be afraid of humiliating your identity for being a slave." Yu Shi reluctantly accepted Qi Lan's apology and said immediately.
"Exactly, your mother is right, she is just a slave. You have the nerve to vent your anger on your mother. You are so confused. I will punish you not to play for a month when you go back, and then copy the entire Book of Filial Piety. Go back." Quan Quan agreed. .
"Okay... but son, I want to take Mrs. Yao back, okay..." Qi Lan has already understood from his parents' attitude that in their parents' hearts, Mrs. Yao is just a dispensable slave. , if I go on... maybe, even Mrs. Yao's body can't be brought back to you, so I said softly...
As soon as Mrs. Yu heard this, she walked into the room angrily, while Qi Qi also looked at Qi Lan and said:
"I'm indecisive. I don't know who I look like. Huh, if you want to take him back, then drag him back yourself. Otherwise, leave this body for me!" After finishing speaking, Quan Quan returned to his place as if determined. He didn't care about Qi Lan who was still standing outside the house.
Qi Lan looked at the closed door of his parents' room and felt mixed emotions in his heart. But in the end, he turned back to look at the body of his wet nurse Yao Shi, silently shed tears, and then walked to Yao Shi. said:
"Mum, let me take you home..."
(End of chapter)
