Passing through the towering screen wall, you are the first to enter the courtyard. In the courtyard stands a jade pillar carved from a whole piece of white marble. It was a gem given to Zheng Zegong by the previous dynasty to show the commendation to Zheng Zegong and the Wei family.
After the first front yard is the second yard. There is a school ground on the east side and pavilions and pavilions on the west side. There are not many people. Follow the servants through the two cloisters and you will find the middle yard, where the host's guests receive guests. It is used to receive visits from government officials and other public and private matters. Two gilded couplets are engraved on the main hall: "In the east pavilion, there are couplets, and there are guests recalling the poems and poems of thousands of years. Looking across the south tower, this door faces the country of the Six Dynasties."
Shen Yinxiao's heart skipped a beat, he lowered his eyelids and didn't look again.
After passing the middle courtyard, the remaining few steps are into the inner courtyard, which is where the Wei family members live.
The kitchen and the banquet place were not far away. The servant took her to the kitchen. "Everything is ready and placed here. If Mrs. Shen wants anything else, you can ask me to get it."
"good."
This kitchen seemed to be specially used for making snacks. There were all the ingredients on the chopping board. Shen Yinxiao cleaned her hands and made batter in the porcelain basin.
——
Wei An changed his clothes and went fishing on the waterside pavilion.
Lanterns were hung in the mansion, and the shadows of red and yellow lights were hung under the eaves and by the pool, strung like bead curtains.
Wei Zheng walked slowly along the meandering corridor of the waterside pavilion, and suddenly thought of the beaded curtain in the Douhua shop.
Behind the rolled-up bead curtain, there was a thin layer of sweat on Shen Yinxiao's cheeks, and her porcelain-like cheeks and neck were lightly powdered. Her hands stained with bright red flower petals were behind her back, stroking the scattered hair on her temples behind her ears, and facing her. The maid on the side whispered instructions on how to deliver the goods and how to look after the store.
Not common.
"Already arranged?" Wei An heard the footsteps and turned his back to him without turning his head. The fishing rod in his hand remained motionless. It had been half an hour and no one had been hooked.
Although the name was Wei Xian's birthday, the government didn't plan to do it in a big way, it was just a small birthday, let alone a concubine without a biological mother.
Wei Zheng slowly rubbed the pads of his index finger and thumb, and the fragrance of the rose lingered on the tip of his nose like a lingering ghost.
His voice was calm: "It's arranged."
"Zhong Yang won't come back suddenly, will he?" Wei An picked up the tea beside him and took a sip.
"I just received the news from the northern suburbs that Zhong Yang is preparing to receive the surrender ceremony tomorrow morning and will not be back."
Wei An nodded and breathed a sigh of relief: "Send her the message."
He stood up and put away the fishing rod.
Wei Zheng suddenly felt a little irritable.
She shouldn't have come.
"She is still doing it, my nephew will urge her."
"Go." Wei An waved his hand and remembered something: "Don't be too harsh. Girls from small families are timid, so don't be scared."
"yes."
Wei Zheng strode towards the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Shen Yinxiao finished making bean curd and was preparing sweet-scented osmanthus cake.
The dough had been mixed, but the only thing missing was the osmanthus nectar. She couldn't find it on the stove. When she heard the footsteps behind her, she thought it was the servant who had helped her. Without raising her head, she said: "Excuse me, help me get some." Here comes the sweet-scented osmanthus honey.”
Wei Zheng paused for a moment, then turned around and looked around to help her find osmanthus honey.
After rummaging through the cabinets, he found half a bottle of oily and sticky osmanthus honey on the first floor of the cabinet and handed it to her.
She poured some osmanthus honey, but couldn't find the honey. She continued to give instructions without raising her head: "Excuse me, please pass me some more honey. The osmanthus cake still needs to be steamed. I don't know if it will be late. I'm afraid it will be delayed." ....."
"Thank you." Shen Yinxiao took the honey and just poured a few spoons in when he heard a familiar voice in his ears.
The voice was slightly low, with an imperceptible smile. It was very pleasant to the ear, like the low ringing of a bell, echoing in her eardrums, "Don't rush, do it slowly."
Shen Yinxiao paused and turned around to look. Wei Zheng was standing two steps away from her, lazily leaning against the cupboard and looking at her with a smile.
Seeing that she had noticed, he straightened his back and his smile faded: "It's still early, don't worry."
Shen Yinxiao was in a hurry to finish his work and go home. When he heard what he said, he just nodded and continued to do his own thing.
"Ms. Shen is very familiar with my second brother?" Wei Zheng suddenly asked.
Shen Yinxiao's face turned red, and he didn't know how to answer. After a long while, he held back the word "knowing".
Wei Zheng didn't take it seriously, and pointed his fingers leisurely on the stove. His white fingertips, the same color as jade, traced randomly across the brick stove, "He's getting married."
The dough in Shen Yinxiao's hand fell into the basin with a "pop" sound.
"Today's dinner is nominally a family dinner, but in fact, my uncle wants to see you."
Shen Yinxiao didn't know what he meant when he said he could see, so he laughed dryly: "You want to see me? Why?"
"My uncle feels that you resemble an old friend of his."
"Why do you want the eldest son to tell me this?"
Wei Zheng chuckled to himself. He was not stupid, but rather smart.
"After all, my second brother has some feelings for Mrs. Shen."
"Does he know what happened today?"
After a break from the wind and snow in the past few days, winter thunder broke out again. The rumbling sound made the window edges seem to tremble. The north wind carried the dead leaves in. Wei Zheng moved his body to block the wind, and also Shen Yinxiao was in his own shadow.
"I'll find out soon."
Shen Yinxiao hesitated for a moment, "Will he come?"
Wei Zheng shook his head and said gracefully: "I don't know, the Wang family's wife is with him."
Wei Cheng said that women were not allowed in the military camp.
But Wang Yuanjun can.
She was stunned, the loneliness in her eyes flashed, she lowered her head and concentrated on what she was doing, poured out the dough, divided the dough into small balls one by one, put them on the mold and pressed them into square pieces. Square shape, steamed in a pot.
She raised her hand to wipe the steam on her chin and neck. She didn't know if it was steam or sweat caused by the heat. Her tofu-like skin was pink like cherry blossoms, and her slender neck was long and shiny. The two were so close, Wei Zheng smelled the fragrance of jasmine in his hair.
It is the jasmine balm sent as tribute from Youzhou to Chang'an.
He approved the official letter of tribute sent to Chang'an. The wealthy merchants in Youzhou wanted to send their property to the palace to be used as royal tribute, firstly to expand sales, and secondly, to increase their worth.
Naturally, many wealthy businessmen gave him gifts openly and secretly.
He doesn't often accept, and he won't refuse again and again. In the field of human relationships, it is not a wise move to be too cold.
The jasmine ointment on Shen Yinxiao's body was only a small amount specially supplied to the Youzhou family. He also had it. It smelled good, so he accepted it. Someone at the dinner party teased him about whether he was a hidden beauty in a golden house, so he accepted the ointment. , he smiled and said nothing.
He was not Wei Cheng, and he didn't like the idea of hiding a beauty in a golden house, but he just thought it smelled good, so he stayed.
The little girl in front of me is wearing it on her head. I don’t know if she knows that this ointment is precious. A few young ladies in Youzhou have gotten this ointment. They only use it when they have parties and banquets or go out to enjoy flowers. On the other hand, she was treated like a street commodity, but Wei Cheng pampered her.
I don't know whether it was because of the heat or because she was crying, but her eyes were sparkling, and her crow-feather-like eyelashes were slightly moist.
She didn't want to go, but offending the governor would not do her any good.
She thought for a while, then bit her lip and followed Wei Zheng along the road with the prepared snacks in hand.
