Daily life of noble ladies of the Three Kingdoms

It was a long way to Chengping, so Liu Yun specially prepared a few good horses for riding.

But when it was time to go on the road, Liu Yun rode ahead on a horse, and seeing Si Qi sitting in the car behind him, and Cao Zhi also sitting in the car, he felt a little unbalanced.

After walking for half a day, Liu Yun said to the accompanying officers that the wind is strong in autumn and the wind and sand are easy to attract the eyes, and then he also sat in the car.

Because of the lessons learned from the siege of He'an City in Chengping last time, before Si Qi left, he directly borrowed 3000 guards from Liu Xie.

Liu Xie selfishly gave Siqi more, so he secretly gave her more than 5000 people, and told her that he actually only allowed 3000 people to be recorded. If there are people who don't want to come back to Xudu, they can stay in Chengping.

After all, he came back to serve Cao Cao, and stayed in Chengping to serve their master of the Han Dynasty, his dear cousin Siqi.

Liu Xie can still calculate this account.

It's not that Cao Cao is unaware of Liu Xie's little tricks, but he also knows that Siqi's going out this time is quite special——

One is that there are indeed many rebels fleeing outside, and there have been recent changes in the rest of the Yellow Turban Army; the other is that Siqi encountered rebels on the way to Pingcheng before, and a Han girl with a noble status but no corresponding strength is outside. The gold, silver and treasures are so touching that they really need to be protected, especially his future daughter-in-law; the third reason is that Cao Zhi is going to Chengping, these people protect Siqi and Cao Zhi at the same time.

Because of the above three reasons, Cao Cao turned a blind eye to Liu Xie's petty actions.

After all, he still has a lot of business to do, and he doesn't have time to fight a puppet emperor every day.

Siqi sat in the car for two days, but he felt very bored. The official road is not as smooth and tidy as later generations, and the bumps are so severe that he can't even read books in peace.

The weather in autumn is more suitable for riding than other seasons. Siqi changed into his riding clothes, put on a homemade veiled cap and mask, and asked Cao Zhi to come out for a ride.

After all, Cao Zhi was the kind of boy who didn't exercise much at first glance, and his physical fitness was also very average. In the end, it is said that he died of illness because of being too sad.

Xie Lingyun once commented on Cao Zhi like this, "There is only one stone in the world, and Cao Zijian monopolizes all eight fights."

Cao Zijian, a highly acclaimed writer in later generations, is only a beautiful teenager in his teens. Si Qi sincerely hopes that he can live longer in the future, write more good-looking articles, and contribute to the literary cause of the Chinese nation.

Just as Si Qi thought, Cao Zhi did not exercise very much at home on weekdays, and he was not good at riding and shooting.

Everyone has a path that suits them. His path is different from Cao Pi and Cao Zhang's. He is good at writing, and he also uses reading to win his father's attention and love, so he doesn't put much effort into riding and shooting.

But for Si Qi's invitation to ride a horse together, Cao Zhi had a hard time not going.

Cao Zhi was originally embarrassed to refuse Siqi, and rode with her out of face.But after riding the horse for the past few days, Cao Zhi unexpectedly felt pretty good. After loosening his muscles and bones, his thinking became more flexible, and he was inspired to write a few new poems. He was ready to take it back to Xuchang to invite his father Take a look.

Now Liu Yun is even more depressed. A few days ago, when he was riding a horse alone, the two children were riding in the car. When he went to ride in the car, the two of them went riding again, talking and laughing outside. Relaxed and comfortable, making him, an elder, always a bit out of place.

It's head-scratching.

Along the way, Liu Yun was careful and caring for Cao Zhi, and Cao Zhi had read sage books since he was a child, abided by etiquette, and admired the Han Dynasty in his heart, so he also respected Liu Yun very much.

The journey to Chengping was also very peaceful, there were no rebels infested, and there were no minor intruders, unexpectedly it was peaceful and peaceful.

The day I arrived in Wangcheng happened to be September [-]th, and the next day was Siqi's birthday.

This was also the first birthday in Chengping County. When Chen Xing received a fast horse to report the time, he ordered people to make preparations for Si Qi's birthday early in the morning.

The prince is to the royal city like the emperor is to the court, and Siqi's birthday is also one of the most grand festivals in Chengping County.

On the first day of October, the whole city was decorated with lights and festoons, and it was very lively, and the curfew was postponed until half past midnight.

Si Qi was also very tired all the way, and after returning to the palace that Chen Xing had repaired, he fell asleep until noon the next day.

Chen Xing waited outside early in the morning, and asked Si Qi to change his clothes for the banquet through the screen, and said that there would be a bigger celebration tonight, to celebrate his birthday with the lord and everyone.

Si Qi didn't want to waste too much manpower, material resources and city resources to celebrate his birthday, so he said that he was tired from the trek all the way, so he asked Chen Xing to cancel the celebration, and she wanted to take people out for a walk at night.

Chen Xing knew that the lord had always had big ideas, and seeing her resoluteness, he knew that it would be useless to talk too much, so he had no choice but to agree.

Cao Zhi got up earlier than Siqi, and when Siqi finished washing and changed her clothes, Cao Zhi was already waiting for her in the hall outside.

Liu Yun still didn't get up in the room, so Si Qi took Cao Zhi to eat first.

In the two years since Si Qi left, Chen Xing has renovated the entire palace.After the two had eaten the court food, Siqi took Cao Zhi to his palace for a walk.

Since Da Siqi took over Chengping, the GDP of Chengping County and the assets of the small treasury of the Palace have greatly increased. Chen Xing is not a stingy person, he hired professional technicians and repaired the Palace with the best building materials he could.

Si Qi and Cao Zhi walked all the way, listening to him praise the palace with different kinds of praise all the way, the rhetoric is gorgeous but meaningful, every compliment is on point.

Liu Yun was still resting in his room. Although Si Qi was the lord of Chengping County, he was still unfamiliar with the place and didn't have any other friends to accompany him.

Because of this, the existence of Cao Zhi is very precious to Siqi. After going all the way, listening to Cao Zhi's beautiful comments and praises, Siqi's favorability for Cao Zhi has been greatly improved, and it has become more and more popular. I think it was worth bringing him here this time.

After visiting the palace, Si Qi went back to his room and took a nap, and the dinner after waking up was a grand banquet.Liu Yun and officials from the entire Chengping County and several counties under his rule gathered together to celebrate Si Qi's birthday.

Si Qi remembers being concerned about the hustle and bustle outside, and the meal was tasteless, and finally waited until the banquet was over, and after dark, Si Qi unloaded the outfit of the king, and planned to change into light clothes and slip out the door Go to the lights.

Just as Si Qi had changed his clothes and just walked out of the gate to sneak out, he saw Cao Zhi who had also changed into casual clothes outside.

Now that they met, they had to go together, the two looked at each other, walked out of the palace tacitly, and walked down the long street.

According to data, the manufacture of traditional lanterns originated in the Han Dynasty, and it is a carrier of festival celebrations that the people love to see.By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, many well-made lanterns with various shapes appeared on the market.

Si Qi and Cao Zhi walked on the street, while Zhang Ran followed behind with plainclothes guards not far or near to protect the safety of the two little ancestors.

The two of them walked and saw that the lanterns with the patterns of the twelve zodiac signs outside a shop were vivid and very beautiful.

Cao Zhi couldn't help but praise, and the hostess of the shop saw that the pair of young dolls were good-looking, so she had to come over and say, "Aren't you ordinary people? It sounds like the accent of the Central Plains, which is different from ours. Too much the same."

Cao Zhi answered yes, and the hostess took down a rabbit lantern and handed it to Cao Zhi: "Today is our lord's birthday, so we put up lanterns to celebrate his birthday. Although our lord is still young, But she is an extremely intelligent girl. Since she took over Chengping, our life has become more and more prosperous. I have heard people say since I was a child that I am different from those who only make a difference in middle age, like our king A girl like the Lord who has been different since she was a child will achieve great things in the future."

Si Qi was amused by the hostess's words: "I remember that there was a man named Jiang Ziya under Zhou Wu's throne, and it was said that he did not start to assist Wu Wang in doing a great job until he was 80 years old. According to my sister-in-law, Could it be that this Jiang Xiang is also incomparable to your lord?"

The hostess obviously had never heard of Jiang Ziya, but she answered Si Qi's questions fluently: "If Jiang Ziya was as smart as our king since he was a child, he would have been appreciated by others early in the morning, and he might have made contributions earlier. There will be greater achievements."

Si Qi was rebelled by the hostess, and he felt that what she said was quite reasonable, and he couldn't refute it, so he pointed to Cao Zhi and said: "Our son is also like this. He has been very smart since he was a child. He wrote it when he was five years old His poems can be easily obtained."

Cao Zhi's face blushed slightly, and the hostess clapped her hands and smiled, "It's just that our king is mainly running an official school, and the governor of Chen County is looking around to recruit a gentleman. Since the young master is so knowledgeable, why not go to the school to apply for a gentleman. Our king The Lord is a very thoughtful person, and the school he runs has never been seen before, if you are interested, you might as well stay and go to the school to have a look."

The urge to raise Chen Xing's salary instantly arose in Si Qi's heart. Sheriff Chen's job was so good that it would be a pity for his conscience not to give him a salary increase.

Today's Chengping County is as lively as it has ever been in these years. Si Qi and Cao Zhi ate while walking around, and they didn't return to the palace until it was almost midnight. At this time, Liu Yun didn't go to bed, but sat in the middle of the yard facing the moonlight. Pour yourself to drink.

After Si Qi sent Cao Zhi away, he sat down and chatted with Liu Yun for a few words before he learned that this set of cups was left by Chang Wang when he came to Chengping last time. up.

Since the victory of Cao Cao's Guandu Battle, He'an County, the fiefdom of King Chang, has also become more stable. King Chang lived in Xudu City for two years, experienced the ups and downs in the city, and deeply realized the "golden nest" A silver nest is not as good as one's own grass nest." With this profound truth, as soon as the fighting ceased, he packed his bags and returned to He'an with his luggage.

Everyone needs playmates, and adults are no exception. Now that Si Qi and Cao Zhi are getting along just right, the old father Liu Yun is inevitably left alone.

Seeing Liu Yun's listless look, Si Qi couldn't bear it, and promised to take him to see Chengping's melon, fruit and vegetable fields tomorrow, and learn from the experience of growing melons and vegetables here. Tell Liu Yun to grow better fruits and vegetables.

After hearing Si Qi's words, Liu Yun's mood finally improved.

Because of the king's order, Chen Xing brought people to pick up Siqi and his party in the early morning of the second day to visit the farmland and Zhuangzi in the suburbs.

The road from the palace to the outskirts is not too short. On the way, it passed the site where the official school was located, and it is currently under construction.

Seeing that Cao Zhi had been poking his neck and looking towards the official school, Si Qi hailed the car and took Cao Zhi to have a look.

Chen Xing's stalls are very large. Just looking at the half-built government school, you can tell that this is a big project.

Seeing that there were only less than a hundred craftsmen working hard there, Cao Zhi cast a puzzled look at Si Qi.

Chen Xing explained to Cao Zhi on behalf of Siqi: "According to the king's order, now is the busy season of autumn, and craftsmen with families and families can go home to work on the farm first, and come back to start work after everything is cleaned up. .”

Chen Xing originally thought of hiring craftsmen from other counties and counties, but Si Qi rejected his idea and instead selected laborers from Chengping County to work, which would allow them to have work and money in the winter when they did not have to work in the fields. Taking it will greatly increase the local employment rate, and it will also make the people's hands more comfortable.

Zhou Ke's drip irrigation device has been applied to the farmland. In addition, Zhou Ke also invented several organs that can be used for sowing and harvesting crops, which greatly improves the efficiency and reduces the burden on local farmers.

Siqi thinks this is a good momentum. In the future, after government schools start teaching agriculture-related courses, a group of professional technicians can be trained, so that local agriculture can be better guided and improved.

After looking at the farmland, Siqi still couldn't get enough of it, so he went to two nearby markets where agricultural products were exchanged, and bargained for a long time in front of a bean and rice vendor's stall.

Cao Zhi had never seen anyone bargaining with others in the market, and he was a little surprised when he faced Si Qi like this. Seeing that the two vendors were very imposing, and their words were tight, he was afraid that Si Qi would suffer, so he made a sound to smooth things over : "I also brought some silver here..."

Or buy it at this price.

Si Qi made a "silence" gesture to him, turned around and used the bargaining skills he had practiced in the vegetable market for more than ten years in his previous life, and continued to cut prices with the stall owner, and talked about it for about a quarter of an hour. After working hard, Si Qi finally chose to make a deal and bought a carload of Doumi.

Chen Xing led people to send Siqi's spoils back to the palace, and Cao Zhi and Siqi rode back slowly.

On the way back home, Cao Zhi couldn't hold back after all, and asked Si Qi, "Didn't Ah Ying bring enough money when she went out today?"

Why did you have to bargain with the vendor for nearly a quarter of an hour, and why did you still use the high price quoted by the vendor at the beginning to sell a carload of beans.

"It's not that I haven't brought enough money to buy rice and noodles, but I just want to inquire about the price." Si Qi said: "Only by asking the price of beans and rice in the city can we really know how the city's harvest is and how much money we can save for recruits and money." Food and grass used for military training."

Cao Zhi said, "I think the Governor Chen is a loyal man."

The implication is that it is impossible for Chen Xing to fabricate numbers to deceive her.

Si Qi said: "Even though Governor Chen is loyal, I'm not familiar with those people under him, and I can't figure out their routines. Governor Chen will not fool me randomly, but he may be fooled by his subordinates, or he may be deceived by someone who is interested. , so I still have to believe more in what I see. Since we are all here today, it is really not in my character not to ask the price in person.”

Now that the words have come to this point, Si Qi couldn't help but say a few more words to Cao Zhi: "I came here today to inquire about the price in front of Chen Junshou and several local officials. In fact, I also wanted to send them a message and let them know that I I am not a lord who is high above and does not eat the fireworks of the world. If they deliberately conceal and don't tell me the truth, I have other ways to get the truth. So today, no matter whether they are loyal or not, I will let them know that I am not a lord. It's so confusing."

Doing so is itself a kind of supervision. Only by taking precautions and establishing a good supervision mechanism can we nip possible problems like corruption and concealment in the bud early.This is far more worry-free, trouble-free and time-saving than punishing after a problem occurs.

After hearing Si Qi's words, Cao Zhi realized that he used to take things for granted.

For example, in the Sikong Mansion on weekdays, he always thought that his father was powerful and his mother was quite cunning. With such parents above him, he seldom controlled his subordinates, thinking that they must be afraid of their father's and mother's methods and would not dare to deal with them. Deceive yourself at will.

But after listening to Si Qi's words, he realized that what he had done was not enough.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhi was a little ashamed: "I really don't have enough restraint on my subordinates. When I first divided the courtyard, my second elder brother took care of me for a period of time. Later, he followed my father to fight outside and put this matter aside. Afterwards, those subordinates in our courtyard are indeed not as well-behaved as before."

Si Qi also knew that the cold relationship between Cao Zhi and Cao Pi was also one of the main reasons why Cao Zhi was unhappy in the second half of his life.

Cao Zhi is only 12 years old now. He was deeply loved by Cao Cao in the mansion and was well protected by his parents. This is the first time he has traveled so far since he was a child, helping Cao Cao investigate the folk customs of the Northland.

I don't know if it is because of Cao Cao's deliberate guidance, as he grows older.Cao Zhi's personality characteristics became more and more obvious.

A pure-minded person like him is more suitable for academics rather than playing tricks. He is the kind of writer and academic master who is not in the world, and he is not talented in communication and employment.

The more Cao Zhi is like this, the more Cao Cao's heart will be biased towards Cao Pi when choosing an heir.As Siqi and Cao Zhi have a good relationship, I naturally hope that he can have a good life, get along with Cao Pi better, and live a better life than in history.

Thinking of this, Si Qi said softly to Cao Zhi: "The Second Young Master has always been stronger than ordinary people in these aspects. Since the eldest son Cao Ang passed away, the Second Young Master has led troops to fight outside, shared his father's worries, and took care of his younger siblings at home. , honor your parents, and also take up the heavy responsibility of the former eldest son very well, and he is indeed a good person."

Listening to Si Qi's gentle and gentle words, Cao Zhi felt as if melting ice and snow fell into his heart, spreading out layer by layer like ripples.

Cao Zhi always had a feeling that Si Qi was worried about him and taught him some principles in easy-to-understand language.

But obviously he is two years older than her!

For a moment, Cao Zhi didn't know if he was delusional.

==

After entering Dongyue, Mrs. Zhang fell ill again.

After receiving the invitation from Jing Yuan, Fan Ah brought his daughter over to treat Mrs. Zhang Tai, leaving Fan Qian to help take care of the old lady.

Mrs. Bian also went to Jingyuan to visit the old lady's illness. After returning home, Cao Zhang came to pay her respects.

Cao Zhang heard that his mother had just returned from Jingyuan, so he also asked Bian about it.

Mrs. Bian said: "Looking at Mrs. Tai's face is fine, but she is a little sullen and doesn't like to talk. It seems that the condition is not serious, but most likely, she is still very worried about King Li and Ah Ying who are going out."

As soon as Bian said this, he reminded Cao Zhang, and he immediately asked his mother: "Zijian has been away for nearly two months, can you send a letter to my mother?"

He had heard from Cao Pi in the past that Chengping County not only has the most delicious melons and fruits in the world, but also delicious lamb and milk, and local specialties and snacks are also delicious... There are so many delicious things count less.

Cao Zhang really wanted to read Cao Zhi's description of Chengping. After all, he had a good literary talent and the articles he wrote were very exciting and worth watching.

In fact, he also wanted to go to Chengping with Aying at the beginning, after all, among the brothers in the family, he and Aying had the best relationship.

However, his errands in the military camp hadn't been completed yet, and Zijian was idle in the mansion, so he was sent by his father to inspect the local customs and conditions of farming in the north.

Dao Zijian of the Bian family has not yet received a letter.

Cao Zhang was a little disappointed. Not long after, Cao Cao came to the Bian Family of the main courtyard to have dinner again. Cao Zhang couldn't help but asked Cao Cao again: "Has Zijian sent a letter to my father?"

Cao Cao didn't realize it until he gave Cao Zhang a negative answer.

Cao Zhi has been away for more than a month, and he hasn't even sent a letter back to Xuchang!

Counting the days, Ah Ying and the others should have arrived in Chengping long ago. Even if Cao Zhi sent the letter after arriving in Daping, it should have been sent to Xuchang.

This child was always filial in the past, but this time he went out with Si Qi but forgot everything.

Once again, Cao Cao felt that his decision was too wise. The two of them got along together and fell in love with each other. If he thought about it, he would not be far from marrying a new daughter-in-law.

Bian also said with a smile: "Ah Ying is a good boy, and it is a good thing that A Zhi finds love with her."

Cao Zhang could tell now that his mother and father wanted to match Zijian and Aying.

But he felt that the two of them were not suitable at all.

The two people's understanding of things is essentially different.

Siqi himself is a very pragmatic person, and his dream is to do some practical things for the people, while Zijian has a naive personality, and his words and actions are too idealistic.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhang couldn't help retorting in a low voice: "The two of them may not be suitable, right?"

Father, it's better not to worry about Ah Ying as a daughter-in-law, it's better to be a daughter-in-law. In this way, everyone can be Ah Ying's elder brother, no one will suffer, right?

Cao Cao couldn't help giving Cao Zhang a blank look: "Can't you hope that Zijian will be better?"

The words were not speculative, so Cao Zhang had to change the subject: "Second elder brother said, because he has done a good job in the past few days, you also invited him to drink sugarcane wine at noon today. But I can't do anything for that job. At least, if you really want to talk about it, he and I did it together, why should you give me some sugar cane wine to taste, you can’t just favor him, right?”

Mrs. Bian heard that Cao Cao had given him a lot of rewards a few days ago because he liked Cao Chong. Now seeing that his son has been staying in the military camp on business, not to mention that he has become a lot darker, and he has lost weight, so he helped Cao Zhang talk about the matter. : "Azhang has really worked hard recently. Since you have rewarded his brother, it's not good to treat one more favorably than another."

Facing the offensive launched by his wife and children, Cao Cao had no choice but to agree, and asked someone to take sugarcane wine and send it to Cao Zhang.

Looking at the back of Cao Zhang leaving contentedly, Cao Cao suddenly remembered the scene of chatting with Liu Ye a few days ago.

Liu Ye was so angry at home these days that his son was so angry that he lamented to Sikong that his son was a debt, a self-sorrow, and one more is just one more worry.

Cao Cao remembers that he laughed at him at the time, saying that a half-grown child couldn't play well, and he talked about making achievements.

But as far as the current situation is concerned, what Liu Ye said is not unreasonable.

Cao Pi and Ren's relationship has become so rigid that they don't talk to each other, Cao Zhang refuses to marry Jiang Dong, Cao Zhi and Si Qi's affairs are not even mentioned, and He Yan and Cao Xin are also having an outrageous fight...

The first son in Liu Ye's family can be counted on one hand, and there are more than [-] sons in his family to take care of. It is really depressing to think about it.