Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 82: Spend the Spring and Autumn Casually

Whenever Qiao Lili was at home, she would go to Zhenxiayuan with Qiao Zhen to have dinner with her grandmother in the evening.

Qiao Zhen also formed a habit. After returning from the academy, she would change her clothes and go to the outer study to find her sister.

At this time, Qiao Lili's mood is like the sunset in the sky, sweeping away the haze of the day. She has no guilt in her heart and spends her spring and autumn at ease.

All the way to Zhenxiayuan today, Qiao Zhen looked listless, completely different from her usual chattering self.

Qiao Lili had a hunch that something was wrong here.

"Zhen'er, did you have a fight with your classmates in the academy?" Qiao Lili asked, holding Qiao Zhen's hand.

This eight-year-old boy, who always considered himself a man, felt a little embarrassed when his sister suddenly pulled his hand.

"No, no." Qiao Zhen said awkwardly.

"Did you secretly eat the pig's trotter?" Qiao Lili asked him with a smile, "You glued your mouth shut."

Qiao Zhen's face suddenly turned red, and she was about to shake off Qiao Lili's hand: "Humph, sister, you're making fun of me, I won't pay attention to you anymore."

Qiao Lili stopped and squatted down, looking into Qiao Zhen's eyes and asked, "Can you tell me what happened? I'm worried about you because you're unhappy. When you get to my grandmother, she'll definitely be worried about you, too."

Qiao Zhen lowered her head, twisted a small stone with her toes, and said in a mosquito-like voice: "I had an argument with the teacher and was punished by him."

Qiao Lili pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, Zhen'er is so brave that she even dared to quarrel with the teacher. Can you tell me why? I'm really curious."

"Teaching a man to fish is worse than giving him fish."

"I said, this is not right. If this person has been hungry for a long time, he will starve to death when he learns to fish. It is better to give him fish first, let him eat his fill, and then teach him to fish."

"The teacher said I didn't know what he was talking about and asked me to stand outside the school." Qiao Zhen said dejectedly.

"Wow, sister, I feel so ashamed, but I still don't think I'm wrong." Qiao Zhen was still a child after all, and she started crying out of grievance as she spoke.

To be honest, Qiao Lili was being led astray by her brother at the moment, and she also felt that what her brother said made a lot of sense and there was nothing wrong with it.

"Zhen'er, I think what you said makes a lot of sense. Don't many people also think that what you said makes a lot of sense? This principle is not black and white. Yours is right and he is wrong. There is a saying called "seek common ground while reserving differences." Qiao Lili felt that it was too far-fetched for her to tell Qiao Zhen these things. Perhaps he needed a great scholar to give him some guidance.

"Now, you and Mr. share the same view that we should teach people how to fish. The difference is that you said we should give people fish first, but Mr. didn't say we shouldn't, he just said it's better not to."

Qiao Zhen said in a daze: "Is that so?"

Qiao Lili thought that if she continued to teach like this, she might be misleading the students, so she said, "Zhen'er, you should listen carefully to the teacher's lectures every day. If you feel that there is something that the teacher doesn't understand, or if you think it is wrong, just write it down. I will find a teacher who can answer your questions, and you can discuss these problems with him. What do you think?"

"Okay, sister." Qiao Zhen also felt that her sister's idea was good. It could express different opinions without being punished by the teacher.

"Then let's go now. Grandma must be waiting anxiously." Qiao Lili also felt relieved and took Qiao Zhen to Zhenxiayuan.

I only wish to be with my family in this poor home, to spend the day and night together, with my family sitting around and the lights shining brightly. Now, only the three of us, the grandparents and grandchildren, can eat under the lights.

After having dinner at Zhenxiayuan, Qiao Zhen went back to her Tingfeng Pavilion to study. Qiao Lili and her grandmother made tea and chatted.

The old Duke's wife suddenly remembered something, "Today, the Third Princess's Mansion sent an invitation, saying that there was a banquet for the skirt tent."

"Aren't skirt tent banquets usually held during the Shangsi Festival, around the third day of March? It's already April, why are we still holding a skirt tent banquet?" Qiao Lili opened the invitation sent by Yu Xinyao, and it really mentioned holding a skirt tent banquet.

"It's not the first time that the third princess has behaved in a rude manner." The emperor has four princes and two princesses, and now the youngest, Yu Jingyan, has reached adulthood.

The fourth princess was born to Concubine Xian. She married a prince consort at an early age. The couple lived in harmony with each other and there was no rumor about them in the capital.

"The third princess born to the queen is only a few months older than the fourth princess, but her personality is completely different from hers. She has a whole palace of male lovers. The eldest prince occasionally visits the queen who is confined to the palace and cannot speak, but the third princess never visits her mother all year round and lives a life of drunkenness and dreams every day." The old lady of the Duke curled her lips after she said this. Who would hold a banquet in April? Not only are there no flowers to wear in the hairpins, but what is the point of competing for grass? The grass has already grown ears.

If you want to hold a banquet, why not just hold a tea party, a poetry party, or a wine party? Besides, the treasury is empty due to natural disasters and man-made disasters in recent years, so the refugees have been relieved and sent back to their hometowns. No one has held a banquet in Beijing for a long time.

Whatever the truth may be, on the surface most people appear to be low-key and simple.

Ignorant of current affairs.

Qiao Lili didn't think so. The third princess was very cunning. She wouldn't hold a banquet without any plot. Wouldn't it be nice to eat, drink and have fun with her lovers? Someone who didn't even care about her own mother would think of actively inviting others to eat, drink and have fun. There must be a plan behind this.

Qiao Lili doesn't care what she wants to do, as long as it's not directed at her.

"The banquet is held tomorrow, but the invitation is sent today. This is not in accordance with the rules. You have to give people time to prepare clothes and jewelry. You say you don't want to go, but she is a princess and she invited us, and we can't lose face. But if you go, you won't prepare anything, and you will look shabby and make people nervous. She never has any good intentions." Yes, how many families can prepare clothes for a banquet? Most people will buy them right after receiving the invitation.

"Lili, tomorrow you will take the two girls, Caiqi and Caixing, with you. You must not have the intention to harm others, but you must be on guard against others. You must be close to the Sixth Prince, and then you will be on the opposite side of the First Prince and the Third Princess, who are also born to the Queen. There is no guarantee that they will not have bad intentions towards you." The old Duchess's wife had lived to such an old age and had seen everything. She immediately saw the crux of the problem.

Qiao Lili was thinking the same thing. This banquet was held in a strange way. She had a bad feeling. This awkward banquet might be aimed at her. Did she have the capital to ask the princess to host the banquet to target her?

Qiqiao had to go, but Chengqian could also go. But if you can't escape the first day, you can't escape the fifteenth day. Now that you've been targeted, how can you let it go easily?

Instead of guessing at home, it is better to be flexible and respond to situations as they arise. There is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

After returning to Luping Garden, Qiao Lili asked Caiqi to go to Yunxiao Palace. Since the last time Qiao Lili and Concubine Yun went to the Jokhang Temple together, their relationship has become even better.

Qiao Lili often went to Yunxiao Palace to accompany Concubine Yun, who also became her half-master and taught her martial arts.