The old man in gray robe named Chu Zhong was tall and tall, almost eight feet tall. He had a kind face and kind eyes. He led Mei Siyuan and the others to walk, turning back and smiling from time to time, but did not speak a word. Mei Yuanchen followed at the end, taking a good look at the palace. Passing by on the way, it can be regarded as a beautiful palace with carved railings and beads, which really dazzled Mei Yuanchen. However, recalling the doubts and worries that had passed in her mother's eyes, Mei Yuanchen suddenly lost interest again.
The four of them arrived at Jinghu Garden in just a short while. The fragrance of flowers wafted from it, making people feel relaxed and happy. Chu Zhong covered his mouth and nose and said in a muffled voice, "Master Mei, Mrs. Mei, young master, Jinghu Garden is here. Please go on your own. I won't accompany you." Upon seeing this, Mei Siyuan said, Unexpectedly, Chu Zhong might not be able to deal with this pollen, so he immediately clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your work. I'll just reward myself. You're welcome, father-in-law!"
This Chu Zhong was originally an eunuch serving in the imperial palace. He had been serving King Jaw since he was five years old. When King Jaw came of age and left the palace, he took him with him. At this time, he had been with Xia Mu for more than thirty-four years. Chu Zhong rarely spoke because he didn't like his hoarse voice.
Seeing that Chu Zhong had left, Bai Lisi shook Mei Siyuan's sleeves and said with a smile, "There are many flowers inside, let's go in quickly!" There was undisguised joy in his words.
In fact, there is no lake in Jinghu Garden, but a sea of flowers. Various small and medium paths crisscross the sea of flowers, dividing the sea of flowers into sections. The flowers in each section are of different colors, which is really colorful. Bai Lisi looked very excited at this time, with a smile on his face.
Entering the Jinghu Garden, Baili Si seemed to have temporarily forgotten his previous worries, and looked as if he was intoxicated by his little daughter's home. From time to time, voices of surprise were heard in the garden, "This is magnolia", "This is Daphne and Erythrina japonicus", "Look, the lily of the valley is the coryza", "Brother Yuan, come on, come on! Here it is!" There are actually zedoary, peony, and blue snow!" The deeper they walked, the more joyful and surprised Bailisi's words became. When he heard her shouting again, Mei Siyuan stepped up his steps. Followed forward.
The way of heaven is constant, and all things begin and end at their own time, just like the change of spring and autumn, the change of sun and the movement of stars. "Melons and fruits are in season, but flowers never last." What they saw in this garden made Bai Lisi and Mei Siyuan not surprised! Spring peonies, summer peonies, autumn chrysanthemums and winter orchids. It’s not unusual to see magnolias here, but Daphne, Erythrina and lily of the valley are spring flowers, while coriander and coryza are only for autumn. Curcuma, peony and blue snow It was blooming in the middle of summer, but it was already the middle of winter. The two of them were naturally surprised beyond words.
Mei Siyuan also looked puzzled and murmured, "It's really magical."
"Haha, how about my Jinghu Garden?" A voice sounded from behind, it was Xia Muchao who was walking quickly.
"Your Majesty," the three of them approached, and Mei Siyuan replied in a serious voice, "This garden is so strange that I have never seen it before."
"Haha, that's right." Xia Muchao walked at the front and asked Mei Siyuan and the others, "Do you know why?"
"Siyuan really doesn't know," Mei Siyuan answered honestly.
Xia Muchao was not surprised and spoke slowly, "It is indeed extremely mysterious. Oh, what I am talking about is not the Mirror Lake, but the realm of the palace."
At this moment, not only Mei Siyuan was puzzled, but Bai Lisi and Mei Yuanchen were also quite surprised. However, they were unable to ask, and all three of them looked thoughtful.
I just listened to Xia Muchao's eloquent words, "Have you noticed that there has ever been snow in this palace?" Without waiting for the three people to answer, he continued, "Haha, it is indeed mysterious to say that the palace is completely different from the outside world all the time. The difference is that it is not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also the loam has a special effect. Planting flowers and trees, as long as they are carefully cared for, they will bloom and bear fruit regardless of the season." When Xia Mu met Mei Siyuan and his wife, they looked at each other and looked at each other. He was quite surprised, "Maybe it's because there is a huge hot spring under the boundary of Prince Jaw's Mansion," Xia Mu said in a non-surprising tone.
Mei Yuanchen wasn't too surprised before, but this time he was really startled. He looked at his parents and saw that they were both staring at each other with raised eyebrows, looking at each other in silence.
"There are all kinds of wonders in this world, how can ordinary people like us imagine it. This place was originally a garden attached to the imperial palace. When I was crowned prince, I asked my father for it. Unexpectedly, my father actually agreed to give it to me, which made all the royal brothers happy. It's unfair." Xia Muchao said slowly, with no trace of satisfaction on his face. Bai Lisi could clearly see a hint of worry in the plainness on his face.
The meaning of Jinghu Garden is flowers in the mirror and moon in the water. This is what Xia Mu explained to the three of them.
"Okay, there's Jinghu Pavilion in front of us, let's sit down and chat!" Without waiting for the three people to react, they moved forward, and the three people from the Mei family followed closely behind.
After walking for about five times, an octagonal pavilion appeared at the intersection of several paths. Xia Muchao led the three of them there, and saw a stone table built into the pavilion. There were already maids standing around. "You go down first, Siyuan, sit down, and today we will open our hearts and have a talk!" Xia Muchao sat down in the east seat and said to the two maids and the Mei family respectively.
After the maids retreated and the three of them sat down, Xia Muchao suddenly asked, "What do you think of me?" After asking, he looked directly at Mei Siyuan with a pair of tiger eyes.
Mei Siyuan was startled and was about to stand up. He finally steadied himself, calmed down and thought for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, with his civilized skills and military skills, his wisdom and virtue, and his etiquette and virtuousness as a corporal, he is a dragon and a phoenix among men!"
After hearing this, Xia Muchao was noncommittal and asked again, "How is Dahua doing today?"
Mei Siyuan could no longer resist, and stood up suddenly, holding his hands and saying in panic, "Siyuan dare not discuss the matter in court!" Bai Lisi and Mei Yuanchen immediately stood up and stood beside the stone table.
Xia Muchao sighed and said slowly, "Although you have followed me for ten years, you are still wary of me. It's my fault!" He poured a glass of wine, drank it down, and then said, "You are good at everything, that's all. , I am very unhappy! You and I have known each other since childhood. Even though we are divided into monarchs and ministers, we are also old friends. If you are not in front of others, you can express your feelings and speak freely. Why should you be so timid! Sit down. "
Mei Siyuan's father, Mei Wanting, was a veteran of the two dynasties and served as the head of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Mei Mansion considered itself a prominent nobleman in the capital. The Yunyuan couple and the Fu brothers received the life-saving grace of Mei Wanting at that time and voluntarily became slaves, intending to repay the Mei family for the rest of their lives. Even when the Mei family fell into decline, they never left and protected the young man. The main bumps between north and south, of course, this is all the story before.
The Great China Dynasty attached great importance to education. There were official schools in every state and county. Students who were admitted to the official schools not only did not receive tuition fees, but also received a lot of money every month as a family subsidy. Students admitted to official schools will have a special status awarded by the school department. Although this status is not included in the status system, with this status, they can also travel freely to prefectures, counties and prefectures, which is more noble than ordinary civilian status. The highest official education system in Dahua is Huazijian, which is where the heirs of the royal family study. Heirs of court officials of the second rank or above of the current dynasty can also enter school after passing the assessment. Mei Siyuan entered Huazijian at the age of fourteen, and became classmates with Xia Muchao at that time. The two could be considered to have known each other since childhood.
The three of them sat down as they were told. Mei Siyuan looked ashamed, and Zheng Yan said loudly, "Siyuan is worried too much. Don't blame me, Your Majesty. In today's great China, although the chaos has not spread to the whole country, the court has been in turmoil. Local wealthy households colluded with officials in Datun Salt, rice, and oil, the people are living in misery due to lack of rice and salt. The wealth of the rich is comparable to that of the country, and the poor starve to death on the streets. The Border Kingdom and the Xianma Kingdom are increasingly stationing troops close to the border, and secretly bribe local merchants to smuggle large quantities of goods. To trade goods; kings of different genders in the four places each have their own private affairs, it is really a country within a country!" After saying this, he looked directly at Xia Mu Chao with bright eyes.
Xia Muchao nodded and said worriedly, "That's exactly it."
After two breaths, Xia Muchao suddenly smiled and said with sincerity, "Isn't it nice to speak so freely just now? Xia Muchao has many people around him who are responsible for the work, but he only lacks a close friend!"
Mei Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Siyuan has fallen into a rut and should change himself.
"That's the best!" Xia Muchao's smile became even brighter and he asked again, "That day at Ruiyun Tower, I said that the Anxian Salt Transportation Bureau was 100% sure. Do you know why?"
"I am hesitant. Prince Yi and Prince Zhi will definitely strive for the important position of Anxian Salt Transportation Secretary. Although the prince also recommends me, the chance is only less than 50%." Mei Siyuan originally wanted to say 30%, but when he said it, I said 20% more, which is an extremely optimistic idea.
"Haha, that's how it should be." Xia Muchao smiled, stood up, looked at the sea of flowers, turned around after a while and said, "The flowers in the mirror, the moon in the water, there is no way to take them away, just enjoy them! The Anxian Salt Transportation Secretary gave it to me , I will control the salt shortage, but after the salt shortage is over, I will not be allowed to participate in the battle for the reserve position. In fact, over the years, King Yi and King Zhi and I have often restricted each other in the court and in government affairs, which has really harmed the foundation of the country. Now that the country is in unrest, if you continue to seek personal gain, you are really a sinner!"
"Your Majesty," Mei Siyuan was shocked and said on one knee.
"I just praised you, why are you like this now!" Xia Muchao helped Mei Siyuan up and said in a deep voice, "There are undercurrents surging in Dahua. If you are not careful, there will be chaos. By then, life will be ruined and the country will be harmed. Ben. The family and the country are currently in crisis, so you should know your choices!"
When Mei Siyuan heard this, he couldn't control himself for a moment. A stream of tears streamed down his face. He immediately clasped his hands into fists and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty is very righteous. Siyuan is willing to serve as a dog and horse and tie a rope to repay!" Bai Lisi and Mei Yuanchen The two of them also had solemn expressions on their faces, and their hearts were agitated.
Xia Muchao waved his hand, poured a drink, and said in a cold voice, "Jue and Xianma have seen the decline of our country, and they can no longer bear it. In the past five years, the situation has continued to be disturbed. Huangfu and Gongyang have been operating for many years. , secretly expanding the army by more than 300,000, it is really a wolfish ambition!" After a pause, he said in a deep voice, "As the emperor's son, I, Xia Muchao, am determined to save the people from fire and water, and save the building from collapse. Both Yi Wang and Zhi Wang He is a first-class talent. No matter who becomes the emperor, he will definitely be able to calm down the internal affairs and intimidate Xiaoxiao, and sweep away the fifty-year decline of Great China!" Xia Muchao patted Mei Siyuan's left shoulder again and said warmly, "Siyuan, in Qingxi for more than ten years, What you have done proves that you are indeed a talented person who manages the world, and you are definitely not comparable to the people recommended by King Yi and King Zhi. This is why I strongly recommend you to be appointed as the Secretary of Salt Transportation in Anxian. Saying this, may you feel relieved?" After that, he looked at Bailis with a smile.
Bai Lisi was embarrassed for a while, and then he bowed and said, "My lord, please forgive me, but I was too worried!" On the side, Mei Yuanchen's heart was filled with excitement and admiration.
