One of the passers-by

The first year of Yong'an, the twelfth lunar month, winter.

There are five drums in the sky, and the city of Chang'an, which has been sleeping all night, gradually wakes up to the melodious sound of drums.The sound of the drum starts from the tower of the Chengtian Gate of Taiji Palace, and gradually radiates around from this center.As the sound of the drums spread, the gates of the palace, the imperial city and the gates of various cities gradually opened.

In the back house of Duke Wei's mansion in Chongrenfang, Xue Yan, who had been traveling with the army for many days, was lying on the couch and sleeping with his eyes closed.The whole inner room was quiet, Princess Pingyang, who woke up early, knelt and sat on the outer hall to do needlework after seeing off Duke Wei who was about to go to court.From time to time, he looked up at the wind and snow in the courtyard, and whispered to the maidservant in the house to add charcoal fire.

Xue Yan woke up at this moment.

Across the tightly hanging bamboo curtain, Princess Pingyang still heard the movement in the inner room, and hurriedly asked with a smile: "Is Yan'er awake?"

Xue Yan replied with a smile.After receiving the affirmative answer, Princess Pingyang immediately ordered: "Quickly roll up the curtain and wait for Da Lang to wash up."

The maidservants standing around bowed and agreed.Someone went out and stood in the porch to give an order, and the second-class maidservant, who had been prepared for a long time, immediately entered the inner room with warm water, pigtails, willow branches, bamboo salt and other washing things.Xue Yan sat up in a daze, stared out of the window for a while, then Fang said in a daze, "It's snowing."

Princess Pingyang curled her lips slightly, and replied in a warm voice: "It came down last night. You were a sound sleeper, so you didn't hear me."

After a pause, he smiled again: "You never sleep well, you didn't even know it snowed so much last night. It can be seen that you are really exhausted these days. After returning home, my heart is at ease, and I immediately slept soundly. Ah Mother secretly came to add a quilt for you last night, didn't you know?"

Xue Yan heard what Princess Pingyang said, and only then noticed that there was a thick wolf fur mattress on top of her quilt.Seeing that there were two more braziers in the room than before falling asleep, he was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled: "I really don't know. I slept so badly last night."

Princess Pingyang curled her lips with satisfaction.Ever since her husband Xue Ji quietly mentioned to her about Xue Yan's lightness when he was in Youzhou Camp, she was afraid of disturbing Yan'er's dream, so she never dared to go to him in the middle of the night.Fortunately, the three of them lived in the same tent before, and when Pingyang got up at night, he could only sit on the couch by candlelight and moonlight to see if Xue Yan had kicked the quilt.

But yesterday evening when everyone arrived in Chang'an, after returning to Duke Wei's mansion, she had to find a resting place for Xue Yan.Although the two of them had prepared this inner room more than ten years ago, it was also close to the main house where their husband and wife lived.But Pingyang was worried after all, he couldn't help getting up and wandering outside the door at night, and even went in quietly... Xue Yan didn't notice.

Seeing Princess Pingyang silently laughing, Xue Yan smiled.After getting up and washing under the service of the maidservant, she changed into a light crimson round-neck gown embroidered with dark patterns of auspicious clouds. A head of blue silk that had grown to her shoulders was tied up by Princess Pingyang with a small and delicate white jade crown. Putting on a belt decorated with white jade, a maidservant knelt in front of her, and carefully hung up exquisitely crafted embroidered leather bags, needle cylinders, knives, whetstones, etc. on it.

After Yi Ying was dressed properly, Princess Pingyang looked at it carefully.After thinking about it, he hung on his waist a white jade pendant with double chibibi-shaped sash rings that was given to Xue Yan by Duke Jiang Zhi when he recognized his adopted son.Yin said with a smile: "Yan'er was born really well, this is the demeanor of Mr. Pianpian Zhuoshijia."

Xue Yan chuckled, and complimented, "That's thanks to Aye and Aunt."

Princess Pingyang was taken aback when she heard the words, and then chuckled lightly.The maids serving in the room couldn't help but twitched their lips, thinking that Mr. Lang is really funny.

After laughing for a while, Princess Pingyang ordered breakfast to be served, very common wontons and hummus.However, the wontons are specially made with pork stuffing according to Xue Yan's taste, and the Hubing is also specially asked the servants of the family to queue up to buy it in Fuxingfang early in the morning.After a breakfast meal, it was pure, fresh and crispy. After eating a large bowl of wontons, my whole body became warm.

While having breakfast, while listening to Princess Pingyang slowly mentioning the matter of entering the palace to meet the holy——

"...Today is the 21st, and there is a grand meeting. We are entering the palace now, so we can go to the Lizheng Hall to meet the empress first. Anyway, after His Majesty is here, he will definitely go to the Lizheng Hall. Then we can go to Tai Chi together Gong to the Supreme Emperor... When you were young, you liked the Supreme Emperor the most. Every time you took you to see your father, you were stuck on the Supreme Emperor's lap. The Supreme Emperor also likes you the most, and I am very happy every time I see you, because You were very good at coaxing people when you were young, so the Taishanghuang always thinks of you when he has delicious and fun things... That year on the Lantern Festival, you were kidnapped by a kidnapper, and the Taishanghuang cried a lot, and he blamed himself I thought you were abducted because of the poor public security in Chang'an. So the curfew in Chang'an was very strict in those two years..."

"...We will go to the Taiji Palace to greet the Supreme Emperor later, and you should try your best to make the Supreme Emperor happy...Since what happened last June, the Supreme Emperor has been depressed and rarely sees outsiders. Even you and I Father wants to visit him in Taiji Palace, but he often refuses to see him. Now that you are back, father loves you the most, and he will definitely see you..."

"...Your Majesty has four sons, but only Dalang and Shiro are the sons of the empress. Dalang is His Royal Highness, and Shiro's nickname is Qingniao. You don't know them, because when you were kidnapped, they hadn't Birth. But the prince and Qingniao are very good children, you must get along well... The queen is even more gentle, dignified and approachable. Your majesty is very majestic, but Yan'er need not be afraid, because your majesty is in the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace. Your Majesty, when he arrives at the Lizheng Palace, he will be your uncle, and he has to listen to the queen..."

Xue Yan knelt on the table, patiently listening to Princess Pingyang's nagging.I just feel that these family members who have never met before are gradually clearly appearing in front of my eyes.

Xin Ran finished the meal, the servants of Duke Wei's mansion had already prepared the carriages and horses to enter the palace.

Princess Pingyang put on a white fox fur cloak for Xue Yan with her own hands, and carefully tucked up the corners of the clothes for him. Then she put on the coat under the service of the maidservant, and took Xue Yan's hand to sit in the front yard. Get in the carriage.

All the way into the palace with nagging.Princess Pingyang narrated these important national affairs and trivial family affairs, so that Xue Yan could not take his eyes off it, and even forgot his initial plan to appreciate this magnificent palace thousands of years ago.

When I arrived at the Lizheng Hall, I met the empress who had been waiting in the hall for a long time.Then kneel down in the hall.

Empress Wei Wuyou exchanged greetings with Princess Pingyang, and happily looked at Xue Yan beside Princess Pingyang.Smiling to Princess Pingyang, he said, "This kid has eyes and nose like yours, but eyebrows and mouth like Wei Guogong. He looks very heroic and handsome."

Princess Pingyang heard the queen's words, and replied with a smile: "I still said it this morning...it's the credit of my husband and I."

After finishing speaking, he repeated Xue Yan's joke in the morning, and Empress Wei also laughed.

Princess Pingyang asked, "Why don't you see the prince and the blue bird?"

Empress Wei replied with a smile: "Xi'er is going to study with the prince and grand teacher, but it's about the same time, and he will come soon. Qingniao is still sleeping in. I have already sent a message to the palace to wake him up."

Before the words fell, they heard a crisp "A Niang" from outside the hall. Everyone followed the prestige, and saw a child of about seven or eight years old, wearing a prince's crown, and walked into the hall led by the nanny.The white fur on the neckline makes the young man's face more rounded, and it is carved with jade.

It is the second son of the queen, the fourth prince of Da Chu, Wei Wang Zhuangtao.

The young man went to the hall, knelt down to pay respects to Empress Wei, and then greeted Princess Pingyang.Finally, he turned to Xue Yan and asked, "Are you the son that Aunt Huang has been looking for for a long time? Why are you so misbehaving and Aunt Huang has been searching for so long?"

After a pause, he continued: "But you must be very good at hide-and-seek. Because every time I play hide-and-seek with the maids and eunuchs in my palace, they quickly find me."

Hearing Wei Wang Zhuang Tao's childish words, Xue Yan smiled, looked at Princess Pingyang, whose eyes were slightly red, and Empress Wei, who was full of sorrow, Xue Yan said with a smile: "I have seen Wei Wang. Wei Wang said very well. Yes, I was not good before, but I won't hide it from now on."

When Wei Wang Zhuangtao heard the words, a look of pity appeared on his face, and he pouted and said, "Really? I still think that you will often come to the palace to play hide-and-seek with me in the future. The palace is so big, no one will play with me. When I was in Prince Qing's Mansion, Cheng Yi and Cheng Yu often played with me, but now they are gone. So living in the palace is not good at all."

King Zhuang Chengjiang of Pu'an is the third son of the former prince Yin Wang; King Zhuang Chengyu of Jiangxia is the fourth son of King Qi. Both children were killed in the Xuanwumen Incident in June last year.But Wei Wang Zhuangtao is young and has not yet realized what death is.I just thought that the former playmates stopped playing with him.

Princess Pingyang and Empress Wei looked at each other, and changed the topic in a tacit understanding.At this time, the prince Zhuang Xi, who was studying with the prince's grand master, also went to the Lizheng Hall to pay his respects.Empress Wei pointed at Xue Yan, smiled and introduced to Crown Prince Zhuang Xi: "This is Xue Yan, the eldest cousin of your imperial aunt's family."

Prince Zhuang Xi is nine years old this year. Although he is only one year older than his younger brother Zhuang Tao, because he was taught by the prince, his words and deeds are relatively more stable and mature.

But as Princess Pingyang said, the prince and King Wei are good children.

Several children knelt and knelt beside their mother, and Empress Wei ordered the palace servants to bring yogurt and some snacks that children liked.Because she asked Princess Pingyang if she wanted to drink alcohol, Princess Pingyang, who usually likes to drink a few cups, waved her hands and said with a smile: "I want to be like Yan'er, so give me a bowl of yogurt."

Empress Wei just smiled and said nothing.Originally, I wanted to have a few drinks with Princess Pingyang, but because Princess Pingyang mainly ate yogurt, she couldn't drink alone.I had to ask for a bowl of yogurt as a joke.

Unexpectedly, when the palace servant brought yogurt and some meat and vegetarian snacks, Empress Wei, who usually didn't notice anything, felt a fishy smell rushing towards her face, and she was so disgusted that she wanted to gag.

Seeing this, Princess Pingyang and several children were also frightened.Hurry up and wake up the doctor.