a pillow in autumn

There was a summer rain, and the sky was like a wash. It was Lixia when Zhou Mubai and his party returned to Ruijing. After entering the city gate and walking through Qingshi Long Street, they saw many people weaving silk rope into small bags and dropping boiled eggs and duck eggs in the In a small bag, hang around the neck of the child, which is called the thread of longevity.Just hanging on, the egg went into the child's mouth, and even more mischievous, drew pictures on the egg and fought each other with it.Mu Bai looked at the fun, so the horse walked more slowly, Shen Yan and Shen Lan accompanied the horse, and the entourage protected them in the middle, talking about folk customs along the way.

There are twelve squares a few miles away from the imperial city, and autumn kapoks are planted all over the twelve squares. It is the time to bloom after the rain, and they are scattered all over the ground. Walking on horseback is like walking on the hot sparks. house.Passing around Twelve Squares, I suddenly saw a group of people hurrying over, and they also stopped their horses at the street corner. Mubai looked up, and immediately a young man in Chinese clothes raised his eyebrows and smiled under the kapok tree, approaching him, gently Call her: "Brother Xiaobai, you are back."

While Mu Bai was in doubt, another young man called out loudly: "Third brother!" He rode up and stood beside the well-dressed young man, it was the fourth prince Zhou Muyi.

"Why are you here?" Mu Bai went up to meet her with a smile, slapped her brother lightly on the horse, and then carefully looked at the young man in fine clothes, his eyes were so familiar, he was stunned for a while before he lost his voice and said, "Mudi!"

"Brother Xiaobai recognized it." Zhou Mudi smiled so brows and eyes, coughed again, and clasped his fists together: "Little brother is being polite."

"You're naughty again." Mu Bai frowned slightly in anger, but couldn't help smiling.

The two parties saluted each other, and the palace was kept simple, and it was not easy to run around in the city. The three brothers and sisters lightly clamped the horse's belly and walked slowly.

"I heard that you entered the city early in the morning, so I asked my father to let me go out of the palace to welcome you." Mu Yi lightly waved his horsewhip, pouted, "Little Huang Jie must follow after she knows, and she doesn't even look at the sedan chair along the way. One after another, I can't explain to the queen mother where I bumped into."

"If it weren't for me to help you talk, how could you come out so easily? You are only allowed to go out of the palace to play and I am not allowed to meet Brother Xiaobai? There is no such reason in the world." Mu Di pouted, "Also, you What did you call me just now?"

"..." Zhou Muyi really wanted to roll his eyes, but under Zhou Mudi's oppression, he could only reluctantly say: "Little... Brother Huang." After saying that, he also laughed.

After a while, he ran to the palace gate, the attendants led the horse away, and the three brothers and sisters went back to the palace arm in arm.At this time, the imperial court had already come down, and Zhou Lin was reviewing the memorial in the Chongwen Hall. Zhou Mudi followed her brother's example and knelt down on one knee to pay respects to his father. Seeing his father's fierce face, he only stuck out his tongue and leaned over to act like a spoiled child. Zhou Lin Tapping her on the head with the booklet, they each went back to change their clothes, and lunch was served in the Queen's Jinyu Palace.

On this day, the royal chef bought fresh red cherries, poured milky white cheese on the freshly picked cherries, poured amber ice cane syrup on top, served them in a jasper bowl, just looking at the crystal clear Makes people happy.

When Zhou Muchen came to greet the queen, Zhou Mudi was nestling next to the queen, eating condensed cherry cheese in small bites. After the crown prince greeted him, Mubai and Muyi bowed to salute. Seeing the emperor sitting in the hall, Zhou Mudi had no choice but to stand up too After receiving a blessing, he called out: "Brother Huang." He was still holding a small bowl of cherry cheese in his hand.Zhou Muchen didn't care too much, just smiled and said: "I heard that the third and fourth younger brothers have all returned, the mother must have asked someone to prepare good things, and the sons and ministers have come to enjoy the blessing of the father and the queen."

During the meeting, Zhou Lin asked about the current situation in Qiongzhou, Zhou Mubai answered them one by one, and finally said: "Qiongzhou is warm and fertile, the old family who planted chrysanthemums still make a living from chrysanthemums, and the government diverts the newly moved farmers to the new policy development, the two are not inconsistent. Now it is only the first year of planting oilseed flowers, and it has already seen some results. Shen Youtang stayed in Qiongzhou with his two sons, and together with the local officials led merchants to set up oil refining workshops. After the oilseeds were refined in spring and the soybeans matured in winter, Then let Kezhou Mu set a unified maximum and minimum oil prices, and the private sector can compete for oil prices.”

"What does the prince think of this trip?" Zhou Lin turned to ask the prince.

"The third brother's trip can be said to kill three birds with one stone. It not only quelled the banditry, but also implemented the New Deal. It also made merchants and farmers live side by side. Rice was harvested in autumn and soybeans were stored in winter. The people became more and more prosperous. Qiongzhou will become the granary of our country from now on." The prince clapped his hands together. Zan, the young face was full of spirits, seeing the approval in the eyes of the emperor, his heart became firmer, and he continued to ask: "Which two sons are staying with Youtang in Qiongzhou?"

"Zhang Minzhi, the eldest son of Minister Zhang of the Household Department, and Xu Youci, the second son of Minister Xu of the Ministry of War."

Zhou Muchen nodded: "They are all young talents."

"Why don't you keep the Shen family brothers to help, wouldn't it be more convenient?" Zhou Muyi was thirteen years old, and he mostly studied under the general. cooked.

Zhou Mudi glanced at him: "Always avoid suspicion."

"Oh." Zhou Muyi responded, half understanding.

After the meal, the table was removed, and fresh fruits and vegetables were placed on the table. Mu Bai and Mu Yi sat for a while, then stood up and said goodbye. Zheng Xuan asked them to bring some new dim sum from the Imperial Dining Room to their brothers. Zhou Mudi blinked and blessed, Also quit.

As soon as they got out of the door, Xiaotuanzi Xiaoguozi and Zhou Muyi's two servants were waiting on the corridor. Seeing the two brothers coming out, they both bowed and retreated to the sides. They walked side by side towards the outside of the hall. Muyi was a little envious and envious. Congratulations for Mubai: "Third brother has done a great job this time, the emperor will definitely reward you generously."

"When you reach the age of fifteen, you also have to share your father's worries. Now you are studying art, and then the third brother will see you return home with great reputation." Mu Bai looked at him with raised eyebrows, smiling brightly.

Mu Yi's eyes were bright, and he nodded vigorously: "Yeah!"

Back at Quanqing Palace, Shuyao Biyue led a group of palace attendants to kneel in the inner courtyard, welcoming Mubai back.Everyone heard that His Highness's trip won the heart of the Holy Lord, and they congratulated one after another, with joy in their eyes.

Zhou Mubai raised his hand, and everyone stood up to welcome her back to the inner hall.Biyue took two maids to wait for her to take off her ring and change her big clothes. Water was already prepared in the bathing pool in the side hall, and twelve dark-striped crocodile leaves hanging down to the sky were hanging from all sides. hot pool water.During these days outside the palace, there was never a moment when she could let go of her heart, and she was afraid that if she accidentally revealed this shocking secret, what would happen.

She rubbed the center of her brows, sighed softly, water droplets slipped from her fingertips, and scattered on the petals along her cheeks, pink, white and light red, filled the room with a sweet fragrance.

In Jinyu Palace, the emperor left the prince to play chess, Zheng Xuan looked at the black and white for a while, said no, and went back to the palace to rest, leaving the inner hall to the father and son.

Halfway down the chessboard, Zhou Lin raised his eyes and looked at the serious eyes of the prince. When the child was born, he was still fighting on the battlefield. When he came back, he saw such a small group of him, and holding him in his hand was the joy of being a father for the first time. , but already on par with himself.Now, he also has his own son, and that little child is carved with jade, just like him back then.

"Father?" Zhou Muchen looked up and saw the emperor staring at him in a daze.

Looking at the chessboard, Zhou Lin made another move. "Just now your mother said, Mubai went out of the palace this time, and he has been away for more than half a year. He has lost a lot of weight when he comes back. He is no better than you. He has no mother or concubine by his side, and he has no family. As an elder brother, take care of him more. some."

"My son understands. After a while, I will ask the internal officials to send the festival rewards of each season to Quanqing Palace, and my father will reward me with a cloak inlaid with silver sable fur. Before the New Year's Day, I have been sent to Qiongzhou The third younger brother keeps out the cold." Zhou Muchen replied respectfully, thought for a while, and then said: "It's just that my son is thinking, the third younger brother is now grown up, whether he wants to see the rich lady, and in the autumn he will be sixteen, and he can be registered Concubine Lizheng. Young couples, love each other deeply, and the sun is warm and cold, so it is good to have a considerate person."

"You and your mother thought about going together." Zhou Lin smiled lightly, "Is there a suitable candidate?"

"The marriage of younger brothers and sisters has always been decided by the father and the queen, and the son dare not discuss it." The prince lowered his head slightly, his eyebrows drawn into his temples.

Zhou Lin held a white piece and blocked the black piece's game, "Do you know why you married Xiao Guogong's daughter, but Muye married the daughter of the already fallen Xiao family."

The crown prince's eyebrows twitched: "Princes have never been crowned kings, and it is not appropriate to have close relations with powerful officials." After a pause, he said slowly: "Father is planning for his son."

"I heard from your mother that Taifu Shen's granddaughter made a piano piece for Mubai?"

"I heard Mudi mention this matter. She is Shen Youtang's own sister. She is known as a talented woman. She is good at playing the lyre. She studied under Master Wu. When she was seven or eight years old, the song Oulu Wangji was famous in the capital. Later, Master Wu fell ill. Chong, I would like to have a look at the Guqin music in Zangzhen Pavilion. Mu Bai got the Guqin music and gave it to the Shen brothers and sisters. He also invited Imperial Physician Pei to come to the mansion for diagnosis and treatment, and finally recovered. I think the Shen family brothers and sisters were grateful and made the piano. The spectrum is a gift. This matter has also been reported to their father, Shen Dashi."

"It turns out that there is still this relationship." Zhou Lin nodded, "Mubai has been very affectionate and compassionate since he was a child. When I was down and down in Haiping Town, he didn't know me before, but he did everything he could to save me. I once When asked what his wish was, he said that he only wished that there would be no more people in this world who died of cold and starvation like his parents."

"The Taifu often told me that the third younger brother is extremely talented and willing to work hard. In the future, he will be a general when he goes out, and he will be a minister when he enters. I hope that I can treat scholars with sincerity so that I can drive talents away." Prince Edward What he didn't say was that the Taifu had also secretly told him that the third prince was deeply favored by the emperor, but he was not of royal blood and had no possibility of succession, but he could help him return to the world.

Zhou Lin glanced at him calmly, but that glance was like looking into his heart: "I said this to you today, because I want you to remember that he is your brother and your subject, even though he is your subject, he is also your subject. Don’t forget, it’s always your sibling.”

The crown prince thought for a while with deep brows, stood up and cupped his hands and said, "My child will remember. My child will follow the teachings of my father."

Early summer is cool, in Quanqing Palace, Zhou Mubai wakes up after taking a nap, Biyue brews a cup of cloud, Mubai sips slowly, Shuyao recalls the things that have happened in the palace for more than half a year, seeing that Mubai is still a little sleepy , then retreated with Bi Yue, and just walked into the inner hall, there was a little girl back and forth, and people from Lingxi Palace came.

I saw that it was the little princess Zhou Mudi's personal girl Yiru, Yiru Qushen Yifu, who said to Shuyao Biyue: "Hi two sisters. Today Lixia, Your Highness the Princess asked me to invite His Highness the Third Prince to come to Lingxi Palace, one is to celebrate the first festival, and the other is to clean up the dust for His Highness."

"Sister, wait a moment. Your Highness is resting in the bedroom and waiting for me to report back." Biyue said that she had left, but came back after a while, and said with a smile: "Your Highness said that I am sorry, and my sister is concerned. I will definitely go at dinner time." Disturb me."