Tanhualang

The days in Henan were unexpectedly peaceful.

King Yu seemed to have settled down in this mansion.For the next two or three days, I would read and write every morning in the specially prepared study in the backyard, and after taking a nap, I would take a walk in the courtyard, enjoy the flowers and trees in the yard, sometimes call out for silence, and play chess in the gazebo in the front yard One round.

Because it was inconvenient to go out, King Yu stopped using fumigation to cure his legs in the capital.Shen Jing is the same as before, cooking porridge or soup with yellow ginseng for him every morning, and then taking care of everything related to King Yu in the mansion, from the kitchen to the guards, big and small.He was smart already, after these three or two days of familiarization, he gradually got used to everything around King Yu, and he was able to arrange everything in an orderly manner, and he was no longer in such a hurry as he was in the first few days.

The life is similar to the situation in the capital, but it is not as leisurely as in the palace of the capital.

There is one more difference.

Since arriving in Henan, Cao Feng, the eunuch of the warlord, had to go to the mansion every day to meet with King Yu; at noon on the third day, Fang Tingxiang, the commander of Ningxia who was transferred from Ningxia to Henan to quell the chaos, also rushed here, and met with King Yu, Cao Feng stayed in the study until dinner time before leaving.

The next morning was sunny again.

Shen Jing sent ginseng soup to King Yu as usual, and asked about the big and small things around King Yu, and made a thoughtful arrangement before going to eat.Although King Yu was a bit picky about his taste, he never put on airs when eating and dressing, and he didn't need to be accompanied by others, which saved Shen Jing a lot of trouble.

After dinner, Shen Jing was about to go back to her room when she saw a little boy coming:

"The prince asked Mr. Shen to come over. It's in the pavilion in the front yard."

Shen Jing hurried over.

I don't know which family's old house it is here, the place is not very exquisite, but it is spacious and simple, every brick, every tile, every plant and tree, it can be seen that they are all old.There is a gazebo in the front yard of the mansion, outside the pavilion is the running water drawn from outside the yard, there is a stone bridge on the water, there is a rockery under the bridge, and there is a shallow pool under the rockery. The style is somewhat different from the simple style of the whole yard.

The weather was getting hotter, King Yu was only wearing his regular clothes and a luan belt, and he was sitting by the edge of the gazebo, feeding the fish in the pool.

Shen Jing came anxiously, seeing this scene, he was relieved three points.After asking, seeing chess pieces on the stone table in the pavilion, I asked first:

"Does the prince want to play chess?"

King Yu threw a handful of fish food into the pool, and only looked back at Shen Jing with a teasing look on his face:

"I can't play anymore. Shopkeeper Shen has a lot of things to do every day, so how can he have the heart to play chess with me? In the past few days, he has lost more than once."

"..."

Quiet and helpless.

Although nothing happened in the mansion these two days, he was either thinking about one or the other in his heart, and he couldn't calm down. Naturally, he couldn't do his best when playing chess with King Yu. Indeed, he lost more than once, no wonder King Yu played chess. It was tasteless.

"How about I invite Captain Wei to play a game of chess with the prince?"

"Forget it, he is far worse than you." King Yu turned around and pointed to the banana under the bridge, "I haven't been to the south for many years. I didn't expect to see the banana here, but it's not very big. Maosheng. Remember that shopkeeper Shen is from Suzhou, when did you arrive in the capital?”

"It's one year and one month until May."

"Suzhou is to the south. Plantains must be everywhere?"

"I haven't seen it much." Shen Jing thought for a while, "It's more common from Hangzhou to the south."

"Oh? You've been to Hangzhou too? Then you should have been to Nanjing too."

Nod quietly:

"Yes. It's just that I stayed for a short time and didn't know much about the customs and customs."

"Too humble. From south to north, you are well-informed."

It just so happened that the boy brought a tea tray to drink hot water at this time.

Shen Jing didn't answer the conversation, but took the tea tray and concentrated on making tea, scalded the teapot with hot water, and brewed the tea leaves. After the tea slowly smelled, he washed the tea bowl, poured tea, and put the tea tray with the hot water. The handkerchief was carefully brought to King Yu:

"My lord uses tea."

King Yu put down the fish food, wiped his hands clean, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip slowly, then looked at Shen Jing and asked:

"What does shopkeeper Shen do at home?"

Hearing King Yu suddenly ask about his family life, Shen Jing was not very surprised: the various things he got along with Xiaoyou in the past few months made him realize that Xiaoyou must have checked all his family background, identity and experience, and he should be rough. I mentioned it to King Yu, otherwise I wouldn't let him stay in the palace, let alone let him be by King Yu's side.It's just that King Yu may not remember these small things in his heart.

So he answered simply and truthfully:

"Cao Min's father studied books when he was young. After his grandfather passed away, he became a businessman."

"Have you ever traded with your father?"

Shaking his head quietly:

"My father didn't want me to inherit my father's business."

"Looking at your situation, you should have read a lot of books."

"When I was young, I hired a teacher at home, and I read scribbled for two years."

King Yu lowered his head to drink tea, but his eyes glanced over the tea bowl, he glanced at Shen Jing and said:

"I've seen your handwriting. It's scribbled, and you still write with a good face?

"..."

"Didn't you take the test?"

"If you haven't succeeded in your studies, how dare you waste the royal salary in vain. Besides, grassroots people don't have the status of students, so they don't have the qualifications to take the exam." The grassroots will be content."

Obtaining the status of a student requires an examination or recommendation by the governor of the state or county.Shen Jing has been educated and is talented, but has no student status. It can be seen that the two roads must not be smooth, either he has not taken the exam, or he has no money to get through.Furthermore, from being able to afford a husband at home to teach him to read, to being reduced to working as a cook in a barren suburb, presumably the backwardness of the family is also a bit of bitterness that cannot be understood by outsiders.

When King Yu heard this, he was sensible and didn't ask any more questions.Shen Jing added tea for him again, he drank it slowly, and suddenly asked again:

"Shopkeeper Shen, do you have words?"

Shen Jing was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head:

"Caomin has never formally taken the characters."

"Since your father has read books, shouldn't there be some informal ones?" Zhao Heng asked, and then he personally brought the teapot to refill half a bowl of tea for himself, explaining, "I've been calling you Shopkeeper Shen, it's a shame some."

Shen Jing had no choice but to say:

"When my father was around, he used to take small characters for me... Miao'an."

King Yu nodded:

"Shen Miao'an. Good."

"..."

King Yu suddenly changed the topic:

"I don't know if Xiaoyou has mentioned it to you. He has been with Gu since he was a child, and followed Gu from Gansu to Ningxia and then to Henan. He has worked hard for so many years and has gone through a lot of things. It can be said that Gu is the most useful people."

Shen Jing didn't know why King Yu suddenly said this, but she had a vague premonition, and couldn't help feeling uneasy again:

"The housekeeper is really shrewd and capable."

"You have been in the mansion for half a year, and you have spent more time with him. Xiaoyou has always praised your character and talent." King Yu looked calm and said earnestly, "He trusts you so much, even if you are lonely I can trust you."

"... Thank you, Your Highness, for your favor."

King Yu paused:

"There is something that I haven't found a suitable opportunity to tell you in detail."

He put down the tea bowl, turned around and faced Shen Jing, although his face was still pleasant, his tone was no longer as relaxed as when he was chatting just now:

"You are a smart person, you must be aware of it, right?"

Quietly paused:

"...Please make it clear, my lord."

"Miao'an should know how to ride a horse, right?"

"meeting."

"What about driving?"

"……meeting."

King Yu nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and walked up to Shen Jing with one hand behind his back:

"Then I'm afraid you will have to work hard for a while. For safety's sake, from Kaifeng to Nanjing, the guards will no longer follow Gu in the open."

Shen Jing looked up in surprise:

"What does the lord mean...?"

Looking at his rarely surprised eyes, Wang Yu's thin and stern face also showed a rare smile:

"Miao'an and I, you and I will go to Nanjing together."