The return of the son-in-law

While eating the melon seeds, Huo Yu listened with relish to Jia Huan's description of how Guo Zhan'an was in front of Guo Xiantong every step of the way, holding Guo Xiantong and Liu Pianpian by the nose, leading them into his pre-set trap, and how he threatened Guo Feng'an, Forced him to tell the truth.

"Brother is really powerful." Huo Yu put the small box for collecting melon seed shells aside, clapped his hands and said, "Now the second son of the Guo family sneaks into brother's yard in the middle of the night for some food, and he will definitely harm him for profit in the future. "

Guo Zhan'an didn't care: "I can't even lie, so don't care about this kind of person."

Huo Yu didn't know what he was thinking of, so he couldn't help frowning, and said: "Actually, it's good to send him to the academy. Even if he doesn't pass the exam, it will be good for him to study more and understand the principles of life. It's just brother, It's almost Chinese New Year, if you make such a fuss, don't you completely fall out with Mrs. Guo?"

Guo Zhan'an doesn't care about this even more: "Don't worry, she doesn't like to put on airs of a loving mother on weekdays. Those who are a little closer to the Guo family in the capital know that we are jealous of each other. It's just because of her It's from the Liu family, and has a good relationship with Concubine Liu in the palace, so I need to be more flattering."

Huo Yu didn't want to talk about these troublesome things when he was with Guo Zhanan, and remembered the post Fuquan sent yesterday, so he smiled and said: "Brother, I almost forgot, someone sent a post to my brother yesterday, please brother Going to the tea party."

With that said, he got up and took a post from the side and handed it to Guo Zhanan.

Guo Zhanan took it, opened it with a glance, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect these people to still think of me."

Huo Yu poked his head curiously: "Hasn't my brother been with them for a long time? Do you want to prepare some local products that Xuzhou brought over? I can let Jia Huan take these local products with my brother the day after tomorrow."

"No need," Guo Zhanan said, "Didn't I write you a list before? Then there are people from this tea party on it, and they have been sent to them before. The day after tomorrow, I will bring Jia Huan's younger brother Jia Le In the past, Jia Huan handled things quickly and asked him to stay and help you prepare for the New Year together."

Huo Yu was stunned: "Aren't you celebrating the new year with Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Guo?"

"Then let you stay in this yard alone?" Guo Zhanan asked him back with a smile.

Huo Yu really hesitated: "This, but this is the Guo family, my brother didn't live with them, but with me, this is inappropriate, and it will not be good for my brother's reputation if it spreads."

Guo Zhan'an said with a smile: "This Guo Mansion is not our Guo Mansion in Xuzhou, it's just my home in name. The reunion dinner is naturally to be eaten, but the reunion dinner every year in the past was just a scene The rules of many families in this capital are to worship ancestors on New Year’s Eve, and to worship ancestors on the morning of New Year’s Day. My birth mother’s ranking is also among them. Today’s Mrs. Guo’s heart is so proud, how could she want to submit to her mother? My birth mother’s ranking salute? So every time it’s almost New Year’s Eve, I get headaches, brain fever, and all kinds of diseases all come together, and when the afternoon of New Year’s Day, they’re all gone! On New Year’s Eve, my second brother committed another crime this year. Damn, I will be sent to the academy after the Chinese New Year, and the wife of the Guo Mansion will not want to see me even more. When the time comes, the front will be separated, they will belong to them, and the two of us will watch the new year together."

Huo Yu was both happy and distressed when he heard this, nodded and said, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely organize this year's reunion dinner."

Guo Zhanan pinched his cheeks and said, "Don't arrange two tables of dishes, your table is full of vegetarian dishes, and mine is full of meat."

Huo Yu was a little embarrassed: "I wear filial piety, so I can't drink and eat meat with my brother."

Guo Zhanan simply put the post aside, reached out and hugged Huo Yu into his arms, couldn't help but opened his mouth and took a bite on Huo Yu's tender face: "Do I need to remind you? Since we have nothing to do with ordinary couples, Yi, you are filial piety and you can't touch meat, of course I will accompany you at home."

Huo Yu touched the place where Guo Zhanan had bitten, and could vaguely feel the teeth marks left by him, blushed, nodded and said: "I understand, brother, let me go quickly, don't let anyone see you .”

"Jia Huan just went out. There are only two of us in this room. How can anyone see it? Come on, don't move. Let me take a good look at the bruise on your arm. Is it too small?"

When the day of the tea party came, Guo Zhanan left Jia Huan behind, and took Jia Le and several other attendants out to attend the appointment.

Most of the tea parties at this tea party were inscribed on the gold list in the same year as him. Some of them served in the Imperial Academy with him later, and some were sent to other places at the beginning, and returned to the capital step by step from Zhimaguan.In addition, several other family members also came to join in the fun.

Guo Zhan'an and these people have not seen each other for two years, and many of them are not familiar with each other, but they just nodded and talked about each other when they met.

A group of people gathered together to taste tea and discuss tea at first, but within an hour, they dispersed in twos and threes, each finding a secluded place in the huge garden.

A few people with Guo Zhanan, one is Guo Zhanan's number one scholar in that year, Pei Ji who is still in the Imperial Academy; Ke Yan; there is another, although he did not participate in the imperial examination, but still has a close friendship with these heavenly favored children, Zhuang Xianzhu.

For some reason, a few people talked about something that is popular in the capital now.

"This is a good thing I just got a few days ago, the authentic Ningshen incense from Dayue Kingdom in the Western Regions." Zhuang Xianzhu handed three kits to the three of them respectively, and said, "You officials go to bed late and get up early , this thing is suitable."

The three of them were not polite, and accepted it after thanking them.

Ding Keyan is the most talkative among the few of them, and the chatterbox can't be closed once it is opened: "Brother Zhuang, does your Ningshenxiang use the same place as His Majesty?"

Zhuang Xianzhu waved his hand and said: "Although His Majesty's is also a tribute from the Western Regions, the origin of the Ningshen incense he uses has always been kept secret, and I don't know it very well."

Guo Zhan'an just came back a few days ago, obviously he still doesn't know these things, so he couldn't help asking: "Why is Ningshenxiang so popular recently?"

Pei Ji was young and mature, and replied solemnly: "It seems that it was rumored in the palace, and now His Majesty likes Ningshen incense very much, and every day before going to bed, the servant will light it for him."

Regarding the matter of the emperor, Zhuang Xianzhu was extremely cautious, and said in a low voice: "I heard that about a month or two ago, I don't know the exact time, but His Majesty was suddenly haunted by a nightmare! The imperial doctors couldn't diagnose anything at all. illness, I had to say that His Majesty was overworked, and prescribed some prescriptions for His Majesty’s health. But these didn’t work at all! Later, the Queen Mother couldn’t sit still, and invited the abbot of Huguo Temple and others to come over to exorcise Your Majesty. Useful. The fourth prince is still filial, spent more than half a month looking for a lot of supernatural powers in the rivers and lakes, and finally one of them has real skills! The man went to the palace to exorcise the evil spirits for His Majesty, and said that there is a fragrance in the Western Regions. It was handed by an expert from the Western Regions, and it has additional functions. This fragrance of concentration happened to be among the many treasures tributed by the Great Moon Kingdom in the Western Regions. After using it for several nights, not only did he not suffer from nightmares, but he also felt refreshed after waking up. I feel more than ten years younger. This incense has become His Majesty's favorite thing, and it was also rewarded to Concubine Liu and Concubine Yu. It has become a symbol of the favorite concubine, and everyone is scrambling for it. Later, it spread outside the palace , Ordinary people can't afford Ningshen incense from the Western Regions, so they buy Ningshen incense from other places, at least they have the same preference as His Majesty, right?"

He does not mean that.After hearing what Zhuang Xianzhu said, Guo Zhan'an felt concerned.Then he glanced at Pei Ji calmly, only to find that Pei Ji had been looking at him too.

Guo Zhan'an just didn't know, and turned his eyes to Ding Keyan again.He just turned around like this, as if he didn't mean to look at Pei Ji, but just looked at the audience habitually.

"I heard that the Great Moon Kingdom is different from other places. They believe in the moon and regard the moonlight as the most holy thing. A person must receive the blessing of the moonlight on the first night after birth. If there is no moonlight that night, then This newborn is doomed to have a miserable and tortuous life. After worship, childbirth, and funeral, all major events in life must be witnessed by the moonlight. Every high priest of the Great Moon Kingdom will blind his own eyes in order to be able to focus on nothing else. The earth communicates with the moon. In order to help the high priest get rid of distracting thoughts, the people of Dayue Kingdom also developed a special Ningshen incense, which can cut off the five senses of people, so that they will not be disturbed by the outside world. I don’t know what is so magical about the Ningshen incense used by Your Majesty effect."

Ding Keyan was stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help giving a thumbs up and praised: "As expected of our Tanhualang back then, look at this knowledgeable man, he knows even these things."

Zhuang Xianzhu also listened with gusto, but he was worried: "This thing can cut off the five senses of a person, isn't it very dangerous? I don't know what material this incense is made of, and whether it will be harmful to the human body. Your Majesty The Ningshen incense used should have been checked by the imperial physician."

Guo Zhan'an smiled and said, "There are so many people in the Tai Hospital. If there is something wrong with the Ningshen incense, it would have been found out long ago. No matter how courageous the Great Moon Kingdom is, it would not dare to offer something with a problem as a tribute."

Zhuang Xianzhu nodded and said, "That's true."

Pei Ji, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said: "In the past, among the treasures that the Great Moon Kingdom paid tribute every year, Ningshen Incense was the most inconspicuous and least loved by His Majesty, so the number of Ningshen Incense has been very small in the past two years. I heard Said, His Majesty has sent someone to bring Jinqianliang to Dayue Kingdom to purchase Ningshen incense."

Guo Zhanan glanced at Pei Ji: "Why is Mr. Pei so clear?"

Pei Ji explained: "A fellow villager who took the imperial examination together, is now on duty in the Ministry of Rites, and happens to be in charge of the affairs of the countries in the Western Regions. Actually, this is not a secret, I just know it a few days earlier than you all. Your Majesty's thousand taels of gold It’s not taken out from your own private treasury, it’s money from the national treasury. A censor has already heard about this, and I’m afraid this year will be a troublesome one.”

"It's him who is uneasy, but not me."

Two days later, Guo Zhan'an took the opportunity of going to Jiang's house to meet Li Shaojun.

The head of the Jiang family's generation is Jiang Yannian's father, Jiang Zihua, who is very stable at a young age. Even though he has been suppressed time and time again by the emperor Li Chonghao for so many years, he still has no influence.

Jiang Zihua is Empress Jiang's elder brother and Di Wanyan's cousin. Even if Li Shaojun is the third prince, he only treats him as a junior of his own, not to mention Guo Zhan'an.

In fact, Guo Zhanan heard about it at the tea party. He already knew it, but he didn't think as much as Guo Zhanan.

At the beginning, he heard that it was the so-called supernatural beings that Li Shaojin had hired. Jiang Zihua was really worried that Li Shaojin would play tricks on them, but there were five imperial doctors in the imperial hospital who had examined Na Ningshenxiang, and none of them found out. If there is any material that is not good for the body, Jiang Zihua will feel at ease.

"The king of a country secretly used a thousand taels of gold from the treasury for a little incense, and the censor will definitely hold on to this." Jiang Zihua sighed, "You don't want to touch this matter at all, lest Someone took the opportunity to make a big fuss."

Li Shaojun nodded and said: "Uncle, don't worry, Li Shaojin is involved in this matter, of course I won't go into the muddy water. I went to visit the Queen Mother two days ago, and the Queen Mother didn't like this Ningshenxiang very much. Concubine Liu and Li Shaojin have ulterior motives."

Jiang Zihua sighed: "The empress dowager is too impatient. Now the capital is proud of using Ningshen incense. Isn't it because the emperor likes it? If the emperor knows what the empress dowager said, the estrangement between mother and child may be Deeper."

When Guo Zhan'an and Li Shaojun and Jiang Yannian were studying together in the study of the palace, they also met the queen mother a few times.The Queen Mother may not know the news of the emperor's use of the treasury this time. When the Queen Mother finds out, there will be a censor in the court taking turns to play, and the Queen Mother will be in charge in the harem. I'm afraid there will be another good show.

"The third prince should send someone to pay more attention to this incense." Guo Zhan'an had his own considerations. He told the two of them the incense used by the high priest of the Dayue Kingdom, and said, "There are some things in the Western Regions that we don't have. , if the imperial doctor has not seen it, I am afraid that they will not be able to test it. Although the Great Moon Kingdom will not mix some harmful things in the tribute, but the people of the Great Moon Kingdom do not think it is harmful, it does not mean that this thing is really harmless."

As he said that, Guo Zhanan took out the Ningshen incense that Zhuang Xianzhu gave him and put it on the table: "This is what Zhuang Xianzhu gave me a few days ago, and it is also the Ningshen incense from the Dayue Kingdom in the Western Regions. The incense is not the same class."

Just as Li Shaojun reached out to get it, Jiang Zihua took the first step and put the Ningshen incense into the secret pocket in his sleeve, and said: "Jun'er finds someone to inspect this Ningshen incense. It's too easy for people to find out. The Jiang family has two The disciples have been to the Western Regions, I will show them."

Li Shaojun was also polite: "Please, uncle."

Guo Zhan'an was inconvenient to stay for a long time, seeing that Jiang Zihua took over the matter, he stood up and left.