Ma'am, is there someone out there?

When the sun rises in the winter solstice, the ruler of the monarchy, according to the law, the imperial court holds a ceremony to sacrifice to the heavens, which is called "the suburbs of the winter solstice".

On the winter solstice day of the ninth year of Changqing, after the emperor climbed to Linxiantai to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for blessings, the imperial court will be on vacation for three days.Hundreds of officials congratulated each other by stabbing each other, common people visited relatives and friends, and the whole country celebrated and communicated, just like New Year's Day.

In modern society, the festive atmosphere of the winter solstice has dissipated a lot, and it is difficult for modern people to appreciate the lively atmosphere of the winter solstice in ancient times like a new year.

On this day, the market in Qingzhou was only busy for a while in the morning. After noon, the vendors began to pack their goods and return home, preparing for the ancestor worship on the winter solstice and the family banquet that night.

Around the time of the hour, the common people will burn paper money and light firecrackers. The sound of bang bang bang one after another, I will appear on the stage after you sing, and the whole street will be full of smoke before the end of the scene, and then there will be food. Aromas waft from every kitchen.Passers-by walk by the corner of someone's courtyard, and being reminded by the aroma of this food, passers-by will speed up their pace and rush to their home.

The winter solstice in the General's Mansion is also lively.

The old butler has always been very concerned about this kind of festival, and he is often the most diligent in making arrangements.

In fact, there are not many people in the general's mansion. Compared with other rich and noble families, the population is really sparse.There are no elders and no younger ones, the backyard is withered, and a few aunts don't come out behind closed doors. The only one who can be called the master is Shen Qing.The general's mansion also doesn't have the most servants, the old butler won't be complicated if they can be simplified, and Shen Qing doesn't like to be served by a bunch of people.

The usual general's mansion seemed a little deserted.Therefore, when it came to this kind of New Year's Eve, the old housekeeper tried his best to make the general's mansion lively.

The servants can go down to rest early after receiving the silver reward today.

Although Shen Qing usually avoids greetings from those aunts, on this day the aunts in the backyard still need to pay their respects in person.Shen Qing looked at this row of beautiful girls who even the general didn't know who was who, and silently cast aside ancient men.

According to the time when Shen Qing entered the mansion, Shen Qing distributed the ceremony one by one.The first woman to enter the mansion was actually sent by some eunuch when Lu Chenshiwu won the first battle.This kind of behavior of sending women back and forth as objects, the modern Shen Qing can't understand at all.He mentioned to all the aunts that if he chooses to leave the mansion, he will choose a destination for him.

The aunts disagreed one by one. The general's mansion has food and clothing, and they don't want to leave. Besides, some people think that this is the head of the house. The mistress wants to persecute them because she can't see people competing for favor in the backyard!

Shen Qing was also dumbfounded when he heard this kind of remarks for the first time, and then he let them go.

The old housekeeper Zhang Luo was lively, but in the end, Shen Qing was the only person eating at the dinner table, and Shen Qing forced the old housekeeper's family to eat together, which finally gained some popularity.It's just that except for the old housekeeper, the rest of the people were trembling, Shen Qing had a dinner together like this once, then gave up and let them go.

Everyone has their own home, and it is futile to force them to be tied together, and there will be no real family atmosphere.Shen Qing accepted his fate, who told him to be a lonely person without father or mother.

The old housekeeper can't count on it, everyone in this mansion has their own small family, but he occupies such a huge mansion, but he is alone.Sometimes he also thought that if Lu Chen was here, maybe he wouldn't be eating this table alone.

This year's winter solstice, Shen Qing had some hope.This mansion can be like him, the only one who is isolated and helpless is Xuan Shen and his son living here.

Shen Qing looked over and saw those two people were watching the old housekeeper roll out the dumpling wrappers.

Shen Qing's cooking skills are good, but he is an authentic southerner, and he is not good at pasta. He can adjust stuffing, make dumplings, and cook, but he just can't roll noodles.The old butler is also an out-and-out southerner, and he didn't know these things in his early years, and he learned them later.

The old housekeeper said that it was because Lu Chen loved to eat dumplings, so he went to learn them.

Lu Chen wasn't in the General's Mansion from the very beginning, and the General's Mansion wasn't even called the General's Mansion in the first place.

While kneading the dough, the old housekeeper told Shen Qing about Lu Chen's childhood.

Lu Chen was not a native of Qingzhou. When the old butler first met Lu Chen, Lu Chen was already seven years old, and he was wearing a Rakshasa mask that year.At that time, the plaque in front of the general's mansion was Huan Guogong's mansion.

When Qi Yuanzheng, the Duke of Huan, resigned from office and returned to his hometown in Qingzhou 20 years ago, he brought such a skinny boy with a mask by his side.Under everyone's shocked expressions, Qi Yuanzheng introduced Lu Chen.

"This is Qi Chen, my direct son of Qi Yuanzheng, the future sole heir of Duke Huan's mansion."

Qi Yuanzheng's tone was steady and calm, and he looked at Lu Chen with admiration and anticipation hidden in his eyes. Everyone was shocked, questioned or disappointed, but Qi Yuanzheng remained firm.

Duke Huan is a relative, a cousin of the current Empress Dowager, who devoted himself to the late emperor's campaigns and made great contributions.Duke Huan's mansion is the closest to the imperial city, so it is the most expensive.After the attack was completed, everything was established, but Qi Yuanzheng remained unmarried all his life and had no sons or descendants.I don't know how many people sighed secretly.

Until he retired and returned to his hometown, Qi Yuanzheng suddenly had a legitimate son, and his mother's order was unknown.

Lu Chen's mask was worn from the first time the old housekeeper saw him, and he never took it off for so many years.The former emperor once said to Lu Chen when he was young that he was ugly and unable to see others, and he gave him a Rakshasa mask. If there is no pardon, he will not be able to take it off until he dies.

As soon as this remark came out, no one dared to take off Lu Chen's mask so far.Even though many people were curious about how ugly and unsalty Lu Chen was.

In the year of Lu Chen's twelfth year, Qi Yuanzheng died of illness. After three years of filial piety, Lu Chen went to the border, started as a soldier, and finally became famous all over the world in one battle.

Above the court hall, the former emperor laughed heartily, bestowed the surname Lu, and served Qingzhou Huanguo's mansion, which was also renamed General Lu's Mansion, and gave him a gold inlaid jade Raksha mask, and made Lu Chen the Raksha general, while the people called him Nickname - General Ghost Yasha.

General Ghost Yasha, who kills like hemp, has an ugly and vicious face.There are many rumors among the people that it has the effect of stopping children from crying at night.

Having said that, the old butler put the dough aside, straightened his head, showing displeasure on his face.

"It's just these people talking nonsense and spreading rumors. General, how could they be so vicious!" Even if it was the emperor and Lao Tzu, the old housekeeper still hated him.

"Whether it's ugly or not, people, it's the same after death, bones and loess. The old man, from the first time I saw the general, he was just a quiet and quiet child. The rumors of the villain are all People in this world turn their mouths to talk out of thin air, and ask the hundreds of thousands of servants in this mansion, and then ask the tens of thousands of soldiers in the general's barracks, and ask them to talk about what the general is evil about. Where!"

The old butler still remembered that Lu Chen was shy and quiet when he was young, and it took him a lot of effort to get close to Lu Chen.That year was also the winter solstice day, and the old housekeeper learned how to roll dough for the first time to make dumplings. Little Lu Chen, who was only as tall as the old housekeeper's waist, was so obedient, and stayed beside him without saying a word.

Like a pure ordinary child, he stared at the old housekeeper curiously, and the Rakshasa mask on his face did not make people afraid.

Having said that, the old butler's mood became obviously depressed.He didn't take little Lu Chen for a long time, from seven to 15 years old, only eight years in between, the children grew up to teenagers.When he was fifteen years old, Lu Chen had already left home, put on his battle clothes, stepped onto the battlefield, and became an eagle leaving its nest.

The old housekeeper suddenly fell silent, so Shen Qing had no choice but to answer the conversation and divert this slightly heavy topic.

"What fillings do you want to make?"

"Is pure pork stuffing okay?" Xuan Shen listened quietly for a long time, then suddenly interrupted.

The old housekeeper looked at Xuan Shen with a little surprise: "You also like pure pork stuffing, and my general also likes it."

"Can you make pure pork stuffing?" It was the first time Xiao Lu Chen spoke to him, and the old butler was so excited that the dumplings in his hand were about to drop.

Xuan Shen nodded, and Xiao Bao poked his head over, "I need to put a lot of green onions, Daddy is so cute!"

"Hey!" The old housekeeper liked Xiaobao when he saw him, and wanted to rub his little hairy head, but unfortunately his hands were covered with flour dust, "Grandpa, I'll make it for you."

Xiao Bao was smiling all over his face, with small dimples on his slightly rounded cheeks.The appearance of the little general under the vicious mask is probably the same, a little joy, no matter how beautiful or ugly.

The old housekeeper finished cooking the dumplings, as usual he just ate a bowl and then went back, Shen Qing didn't leave him behind, and for a while there were only the three of them left at the dinner table, not even a servant to serve.

At this moment, it was suddenly quiet, only the sound of a few people eating and drinking in the room.

With the steaming food and the flickering candlelight under the red lampshade, Xuan Shen was eating the meat dumplings, while Xiao Bao was scooping up the sweet dumplings with a small spoon, with sesame filling on the corner of his mouth.

Outside the courtyard, there is a desolate winter scene that is completely different from the indoors.

Shen Qing looked at the lonely dead branches of the old tree in the courtyard, and the crescent moon pressed down on the dead branches.The lights of thousands of houses are dim, and a new moon hovers.The homeland is hopeless, and the soldiers can't sleep at night.How many people read it?

At that time, the ninth year of Changqing, the winter solstice.

Where are people?