After binding the loving mother system, I was so bad

At sunset, as Gu Nanxi stepped out of the palace gate, he heard a loud bang, followed by the crackling and endless sound of firecrackers.

"Are we celebrating New Year's Eve so early?" Gu Nanxi saw from afar that the shed in front of Kaifeng Mansion had been set up.

The standing tree is facing the Xuande Tower, but the corridors on both sides of the Imperial Street are already filled with tourists.

"When offering sacrifices to Brother Wan Hui this year, there was a strange phenomenon in the sky. The court officials all said that this was a good omen and that there might be a reunion next year. The people spontaneously set off firecrackers in advance, but the colorful lantern show of the Caishanjia will have to wait until New Year's Eve."

The imperial guards guarding the palace gate had anticipation in their eyes. Although they still had to be on duty on New Year's Eve, the performances on the Imperial Street were so dazzling and magnificent that one could experience them even in front of the palace gate.

After Gu Nanxi thanked the imperial guards, he got on the carriage of the Yongchang Marquis' Mansion, and his ears were filled with the sounds of joy and excitement.

After a busy whole year, no matter how tiring or hard it is, I always look forward to a better next year.

Gu Nanxi lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, and saw an old man with white hair and a gray face being forced by an even older woman to wear a spring shirt and a silver banner.

This silver banner is made of gold, silver and colorful silk, and is a gift often given to each other during New Year's Day greetings. Even the emperor would give gold and silver banners to his ministers at this time as a reward.

The white-haired old man had a helpless expression, but the joy in his eyes could not deceive anyone.

Gu Nanxi lowered the curtains, looking gloomy. This time when families are reunited is often the saddest time for her...

"Mother, come back!"

"Godmother! Come quickly! We have reserved a seat for you!"

The noisy sounds dispelled the loneliness surrounding Gu Nanxi.

The boys and girls chattered energetically, as if a group of ducks were jumping freely on the lake of Gu Nanxi's heart.

"Mom, sit next to me!" Su Yunyan kept calling out.

Chen Yixuan pouted: "No! Yunyan, you are about to lose, don't cheat!"

Gu Nanxi looked carefully and saw that the pavilion was filled with curved pipes made of bamboo poles.

The two ends of the pipe are high and low, and finally converge into a large water tank to form a closed loop.

Someone scooped water from the water tank with a ladle and poured it down from the higher end. The water flowed like a stream, rushing down the pipe.

The servants around then lowered the wine cups into the water.

The flat wine cup was like a wobbly little boat, floating gently on the flowing water, drifting toward the people sitting on both sides of the pipe below.

Everyone selected one person, asked him to turn his back to everyone, tap the copper chime with copper chopsticks, and then suddenly stopped.

At this time, the person in front of the cup should pick up the cup and then recite a poem to express his feelings to the person he likes.

"Why are we playing Liushangqushui in winter?" Gu Nanxi chuckled.

These little kids were afraid to drink alcohol, so they drank papaya juice, osmanthus soup, bayberry water, etc. instead.

This bayberry juice is made from the best bayberries that Su Yunyan purchased this year. She squeezed the juice and filtered it four or five times. She put it into a casserole and simmered it over low heat until it became thick and water did not drop, and then stored it.

When using, add one pound of plum juice, three pounds of honey, and a little musk. It tastes sweet and sour and is very appetizing.

Su Yunyan liked the bayberry water the most. If Gu Nanxi hadn't stopped her, she would have eaten the water as a meal.

So, when she saw Yangmei was thirsty for water, she couldn't move and insisted on being the first person to play the game.

Unexpectedly, this game was not about reciting poems or confessing one's love to one's loved one, but about answering Mr. Cui's academic questions.

Suddenly, she was dumbfounded.

"Godmother, you are not allowed to help her!" Li Mingde pulled Gu Nanxi to sit next to him to eliminate the possibility of Su Yunyan cheating.

Facing Su Yunyan's pleading eyes, Gu Nanxi was helpless.

Old man Cui stroked his long beard and laughed, "Since Yunyan can't answer, I will punish you by sending you to Baichuan Academy to study!"

It was said to be a punishment, but in fact it was an attempt to pull Su Yunyan up.

Although there were schools for women in the Zhou Dynasty, what they generally taught were things like women's speech and women's work, and how to be a virtuous wife and a qualified mother.

Old Man Cui glanced at Gu Nanxi and said meaningfully, "Your mother was not a qualified wife to begin with. It is normal that you are not good at this because of what you have seen and heard. Knowledge in the world is like fruit hanging on a tree, and everyone can get it."

"Eleventh sister, hurry up and take advantage of this cup of bayberry thirst quenching water to become my disciple!" Li Mingde urged.

Su Yunyan was in a daze. Seeing that her brothers all had expectant looks on their faces and her sister Wen Yu beside her was also full of joy, she kowtowed to Old Man Cui firmly.

The wind pavilion and the waterside pavilion flow into the winding marsh.

Unlike the elegance of scholars and writers, the gathering of young boys and girls is more like an alternative teaching session.

Old man Cui is worthy of being a contemporary literary master. His laughter, anger and scolding are all full of knowledge.

Jiang Guanghai was fascinated by what he heard. Although Li Mingde and others did not fully understand the meaning, they all remembered it in their hearts and would savor it later.

Only Xiao Hei, who was huddled in the corner, felt as if sitting on pins and needles, with eyes as red as mosquito coils and as confused as if he was in a cloud of fog.

When the moon rose to the top of the sky, this banquet with flowing wine and winding water came to an end.

"Da Lang, I'll go and see the other gentlemen off." Xiao Hei took the initiative to take the job, driving the carriage to send Jiang Guanghai and others back home.

In the carriage, Jiang Guanghai was chatting with several brothers.

"Master Cui is a man of great learning. Listening to his talk is worth ten years of study!"

Li Mingde also praised him: "It is indeed well-deserved! Godmother has recognized Lord Cui as her adoptive father, so can we also call him our adopted ancestor?"

Chen Yixuan said happily: "How can Yizu compare to my mentor? Have you seen what my elder brother looks like today? His eye sockets are dark, which shows that he was disciplined by my mentor."

"No wonder godmother said that we should let the assessment take its own course. With Lord Cui in charge, there is really nothing to worry about."

Xiao Hei silently kept what the few people said in his heart, and after sending everyone back home safely, he slipped into a small courtyard.

"Butler! Is the master here?" Xiao Hei imitated the cat's meow a few times, and the gate of the courtyard opened in response.

The housekeeper yawned, his eyes half asleep. "No. What do you want?"

Xiao Hei flashed into the courtyard, his beautiful eyes sparkling in the darkness: "I have important news! Master Cui only gave one class, and Su Xuanming and others' grades have improved significantly!"

The housekeeper blinked in disbelief, "That's impossible. Everyone knows how bad Su Xuanming's grades are. His teacher once said in public that if it weren't for the generous gift from the wife of the Marquis of Yongchang, he would have expelled Su Xuanming long ago!"

Xiao Hei got angry. Mr. Jiang clearly said that a few words are worth more than ten years of reading!

Su Xuanming hung out with Old Man Cui every day, and he even saw with his own eyes that Old Man Cui gave him special treatment. How many more years of studying must he have done!

"I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears, how could it be false? Go and tell the master that if we compete in knowledge, we will definitely lose!"