Empress Chu

"Everyone is playing in the garden." The maid said, "Miss A Tang came here to tell you, if Miss A Zhao wants to go, then go and tell Mrs. Master, and go for a walk in the garden."

Chu Zhao sighed, and stood up as she wished: "I don't need to tell my uncle and aunt when I go to the garden. My uncle said to ground me. Is it okay if I don't go out?"

After all, he strode out.

"Miss Ah Zhao." The servant girl pretended to be uneasy and called out, "Then servant girl, please go and ask for instructions on your behalf."

Chu Zhaocai ignored whether she was going to ask for instructions or file a complaint, and went straight to the garden.

The maidservants in the garden were also watching, telling Chu Tang and the others, "Miss Ah Zhao has gone out." "Miss Ah Zhao has walked to the stone bridge." "Miss Ah Zhao broke a bamboo——"

What do you fold bamboo for?As a weapon?The girls were a little uneasy, but fortunately, the maidservants soon sent news that Miss Azhao poked a fish in the stream with a bamboo and dropped it.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's terrible." Qi Leyun was angrily, "What's wrong with the fish?"

While the girls were playing the piano, playing chess and drawing pictures while pretending to be calm, Chu Zhao finally appeared in sight.

Looking at the girl who was wearing a blue semi-new dress, with black hair pulled high, showing a slender fair neck, with a smiling expression but cold eyes, everyone was a little strange, and they couldn't remember what Chu Zhao looked like before—— Who cares what she looks like.

The girls in the pavilion by the lake were either sitting or standing, the sound of the piano stopped, and there was a moment of silence.

"What are you guys playing?" Chu Zhao asked without anyone talking, just sat down on the chair and looked around.

Ten years ago and ten years later, the girls still played those things, playing the piano, playing chess, writing and drawing, always being dignified and quiet, sitting, lying and walking pleasing to the eye and picturesque.

The same is true for the concubines in the palace. Wherever Xiao Xun goes, he can enjoy the wonderful sound of the piano, and there are concubines who can play chess with him at any time. There are paintings of landscapes, birds, insects and figures hanging in every palace.

She is nothing special in it.

No matter how much you learn, you can't compare to these women who have been carefully taught this since childhood, and Xiao Xun doesn't even bother to read her, let alone read her piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

She couldn't entertain herself with it either, she had learned it to entertain others.

Her casual posture and slightly gloomy face brought the girls back to their senses, it really wasn't a good visitor!

Qi Leyun snorted and said, "What? Do you want to blame us for not taking you to play?"

Chu Zhao also snorted: "No, I don't like playing these things."

This remark made everyone stunned again. It turned out that Chu Zhao never said that he didn’t like it, but only flattered him and said that he liked it and wanted to learn. My sisters taught me——

So now it's a broken jar, don't learn?

"Yeah, you didn't like it at first, so why insist on playing with us." Qi Leyun said, "If you are not having fun, you still blame us for treating you badly and bullying you."

Chu Zhao smiled, looking at her, she couldn't remember who this girl was.

"You are?" she asked.

This attitude made Qi Leyun stare angrily, what are you pretending, Chu Tang said it long ago, Chu Zhao wrote down the names of each of them and memorized them every day.

"I'm Qi Leyun." She stopped being polite, and said angrily, "My father is a magistrate in the Sikong Mansion, and I also said bad things about your father, come and beat me!"

Chu Zhao was amused, the children are hateful, they are still different from the concubines in the palace, now I think it is a bit funny.

As for this Qi Leyun, she also remembered that Qi Lingshi's family was also quite unlucky. During the chaos in the capital, his family was thrown a torch by the thugs, and it happened to be thrown in the woodshed, causing a fire.

The fierce and tender girl in front of her was turned into a coke.

"I'll hit you—" Chu Zhao said.

Qi Leyun looked nervous, and the other girls couldn't help tensing up too.

Chu Tang stood up, but didn't make a sound, planning to stop the fight when it started.

Chu Zhao didn't rush over, instead he leaned on the back of the chair with a lazy expression.

"—It's not just you, you've all said it." She said, "If you fight, how can I get over it, so I hit Ms. Liang as a warning, and you don't want to do this in the future."

The girls were all stunned, Qi Leyun was also dumbfounded, and then became more annoyed.

"Chu Zhao, you still look magnanimous." She shouted, "You are justified in beating someone. What's wrong with saying bad things about your father? Is that bad? That's the truth. Your father never let go of bandits." Is it about thieves? Has your father not disrespected His Majesty?"

Chu Zhao was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, my father did."

"Since I've done it, I can't let people talk about it!" Qi Leyun sneered.

The other girls also returned to the way they were before, with expressions of disdain or sneer, talking about what happened back then.

"Your father beat my second uncle back then. We were all captains because my second uncle didn't allow your father to leave the team without permission."

"Back then, your father even sent troops to snatch the memorial to his impeachment, and burned it in the street. Many people saw it."

Chu Tang sighed quietly: "Why bother, it's all over, Azhao and you too, because of this noise, you kept saying over and over again, who is humiliating Second Uncle?"

Hearing these words, Chu Zhao still didn't rush over to hit anyone, sat on the chair, stretched out his hand and fiddled with the strings of the piano, and interrupted the girls' voices with a bang.

"But Your Majesty did not question my father for this." Chu Zhao said, "The imperial court did not punish my father, so he is not guilty."

Qi Leyun sneered: "That's His Majesty's magnanimity and benevolence, but officials and people don't need to be magnanimous. This kind of bad behavior, your father can do it, and others can say it. Why, do you want to stop the mouth of the world?"

Chu Zhao stood up.

Qi Leyun took a step back subconsciously, and the other girls were also taken aback.

"You are all right, but to me, unless His Majesty the court convicts me, my father is innocent. I can't listen to your humiliation and remain indifferent." Chu Zhao still didn't rush over to beat anyone, but walked over slowly , "You can say whatever you want behind your back, but don't let me hear it in front of my face, otherwise, you will insult my father. If I don't teach you a lesson, then you will be unfilial and hide yourself from your relatives , protect each other dearly, it is only right and proper for me to beat you."

She was already getting close to Qi Leyun while talking.

Qi Leyun's body stiffened and he didn't retreat any further - if he did, he would fall out of the pavilion.

"I'm here today to tell you this." Chu Zhao stretched out his hand and patted Qi Leyun's shoulder, "From now on, don't come to me, don't appear in front of me again, we have nothing to do with each other."

Damn girl, they haven't said anything yet, but she said to stay away from her first, Qi Leyun stared and gritted her teeth.

Chu Zhao didn't look at her anymore, but glanced at Chu Tang.

"A Tang." She said, pointing around, "Is our garden nice?"

what?Don't let the girls come to play?Our family has a name, and Chu Zhao does not own this house alone. Chu Tang said with a smile, "It's beautiful."

Chu Zhao said: "Such a beautiful garden has been kept in the hands of the Chu family for so many years. What do you think is the reason?"

Of course the Chu family's garden will stay with the Chu family, why?Chu Tang was startled.

Chu Zhao didn't speak any more, walked out of the pavilion, broke off a willow branch, waved it as he walked, and hummed a ditty.

The girls looked at the swaying and slow figure like a willow branch, and Chu Zhao's humming echoed in their ears, and they didn't know what to say for a while.

A girl was startled and couldn't help saying, "She sang the song I played earlier."

This song is very difficult, she practiced it for a long time, and came here to show it to people.

At this time, Chu Zhao hummed and sang melodiously, and his voice was not bad, even more proficient than her.

Chapter 19 Thoughtful

The girls were preparing to leave when Jiang rushed over with his maid with a sullen face.

It seemed that his complexion was not very good, but he was not embarrassed after the fight.

Seeing Mrs. Jiang, the girls gave her a polite farewell. Several girls hesitated and even said to Mrs. Jiang: "I often come to disturb my aunt. My mother said that I must entertain you once."

Mrs. Jiang was a little surprised. Their family’s Chu Garden had hosted many dignitaries, including those from the capital and from other places, but she was rarely invited to these dignitaries’ homes. She could receive invitations a few times a year, but no matter how she looked at it Some perfunctory.

Although the young people who associate with Chutang Chuke are courteous and considerate to her, their attitudes are also alienated.

Jiang also understands that these people seem to be friends with the Chu family, but they are actually just here to come to the Chu family's garden, but she doesn't care, as long as they can make friends and have a place in the capital, anyway, the people will benefit in the end.

What's going on here?How dare these little girls invite her for their mother?

What happened?

Jiang asked a few people with concern: "Is the game okay?" Looking around, "Has Zhao come over? Has she messed around?"

The girls looked unnatural, they didn't answer her question, but they didn't say anything, they just said, "Ah Zhao has gone back." After saying that, they said goodbye and left.

Mrs. Jiang asked the housekeeper's wife to send them out in person, looked at Chu Tang again, and asked, "What's the matter? Did Ah Zhao beat and scold them?"

Chu Tang sat in the pavilion, staring at the lake in a daze, and turned his head when he heard his mother's question.

"Mother." She didn't answer the question, but asked, "Our garden is so nice, does anyone want to buy it?"

What is this thinking, Jiang smiled and said: "Of course, it has been going on since the beginning."

"Don't talk about the ancestors." Chu Tang said, "Is there anyone who wants to buy these years?"

Jiang's expression was proud and complacent: "It happens every year. No one in our garden wants to see it. There are so many people who want it. Your father is in the academy, and there are still people looking for it."

Chu Tang asked, "Then why wasn't it bought?"

Jiang laughed: "Because we are reluctant, how can we sell such a good garden?"

Chu Tang said: "Just because we are reluctant, we won't be bought."

What else?The child spoke so strangely, Jiang reached out to touch her forehead, didn't she bump into something in the garden?

Chu Tang pulled Jiang Shi's hand away. Although her mother hadn't realized it yet, she had already thought of a lot.

She is a child, but a child who grew up in the capital can be considered to have seen and heard all kinds of things in the world, especially how the rich and powerful plunder, rob houses and real estate, rare antiques and even a rare peony flower, if you have no right or no Just wait to be bought and sold by force, or even be plotted to the point of ruin——

"Mother, you said that if we are not willing to part with it, but they insist on buying it by force, what should we do?" Chu Tang said softly.

Jiang quickly asked: "Who? What's the matter? Who told you this?"

Which family's little girl came to test for the family?

"Don't worry about her." Jiang stroked her daughter's shoulder, was she scared?Alas, it's really not easy for my daughter. Among these rich ladies, she comforted her with a distressed face, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, no matter who she is, don't bother."

Chu Tang asked, "What if someone from the Zhao family wants our garden?"

Jiang was taken aback, Zhao family, the Zhao family her daughter mentioned must only refer to the noble concubine Zhao——

Is it?

Before she could ask, Chu Tang wrung his fingers again.

"What if the Yang family wants it?"

"Where's the crown prince? Where's the third prince? The third prince likes gardens the most, and he owns His Majesty's Wangchun Garden."

Jiang was originally worried, but when she heard this, she put it down and smiled: "What's wrong with you? You're just thinking wildly, how could those people take it by force?"

Chu Tang raised his head and looked at her: "Mother, stop joking, why don't those people take it by force? Not to mention them, a few years ago when Dad was in the academy, he wanted to monopolize the mountain spring, but he didn't snatch it from the bottom of the mountain. Landlord—"

Scholars like Chu Lan have the heart to snatch good things when they see them, let alone those people.

Jiang's face froze, and she was quite embarrassed: "What are you talking about, why did your father take it by force? That is, it was a negotiation, and besides, the mountain spring should belong to the academy."

Chu Tang didn't listen to her mother's explanation, and she didn't just stay in the inner house in the capital to hang out with the girls in the boudoir, she also went to the academy for more than a year and a half, and she saw a lot of local people in small towns outside the capital.

Father instinctively wanted to monopolize that mountain spring, but unexpectedly, the landowner finally moved out of his distant relatives and became involved with the Zhao family, so my father had no choice but to give up.

At that time, my father and elder brother still complained, saying that it was all because of my second uncle's inability to keep up the appearance, which made the family have to live with their heads down.

Mother was still whispering in her ears, but Chu Tang stopped listening, and leaned on her chin to look at the lake, this garden is really beautiful, surrounded by lake water, exquisite halls and pavilions, lush flowers and trees, hiding the beauty of the four seasons.

If no one comes to plunder, it is not because they are good people, but because robbing is impossible.

So who is the Chu family that cannot be robbed?

It will never be the father, the teacher.

She raised her hand and slapped herself in the face. After all these years, why didn't she think of it?

If she had thought about it earlier, she would have made Chu Zhao treat herself as her biological elder sister and her second uncle as her biological eldest daughter!

"Oh my son." Mrs. Jiang grabbed her hand, "This is really a bumper! Go and invite Liu Daopo here."

……

……

On this day, many girls talk about old things at home.

"Mother, mother, do you think so? Isn't that Chu Zhao's father, Chu Ling, a criminal?" Qi Leyun pulled his mother's sleeve and said.

Qi's mother smiled and said yes, and gave her a plate of snacks: "Eat some more, why don't you want to eat? Did someone say you are fat again?"

"Don't worry about this." Qi Leyun pushed the dim sum away, and said with righteous indignation, "Why didn't your majesty question him at the beginning? Otherwise, he wouldn't let that Chu Zhao be so arrogant now, mother, do you know what she said? She said she Father is not guilty, if you say that His Majesty will not convict you, if others say that again, you will be disobedient, and you will have no respect for your majesty!"

Qi's mother was a little helpless, and smiled at the servant woman beside her: "Why is my daughter starting to give advice on court affairs?"

While talking and laughing, Qi Lingshi came in slowly, and asked curiously: "What is Ah Yun's advice? Let me let my father learn."