Tranquility

By the time Tangning returned to the mansion, smelling of alcohol, it was already full moon.

The Tang mansion is old and young, and they all go to bed early. Usually, the mansion is already dark at this time.

But after Tangning entered, he found that the mansion was brightly lit tonight, and he felt a little apprehensive as he didn't know what happened.

At this moment, Butler Tao trotted forward with a lantern in his hand. He saluted in a hurry before moving closer to Tangning and whispering, "Master, I have something to tell you. Don't be too sad, Xiao Jin Both Xiaoyin and Xiaoyin are gone today."

Tangning's hand holding the information box trembled, and she could barely grasp it. Butler Tao quickly took the box.

Tangning's voice trembled a little, and she asked anxiously, "What's gone, why is it gone, it's still fine this morning!" As she spoke, she quickly ran inside.

Butler Tao chased after him and said: "Master, it's getting dark, look at your feet, Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin are old, not to mention dogs, even people have such a day, don't get excited, they are too It’s a happy death.”

Tangning felt her nose sour. The feeling of putting the two small dumplings into the bookcase seemed to be still there. Who would have thought that they would have died of old age.

In other people's homes, the dog dies as soon as it dies, and burying it in a place is regarded as benevolence of the owner, but the Tang family is different, no one needs to be ordered, Tao Ping deliberately chose a room early on, and made a room for the two dogs. Small mourning hall.

Butler Tao led Tangning to the door. Tangning, who was still very eager, stopped at this moment. The scene of Qiuqiu's death suddenly rushed into his mind, and he was a little afraid to face it.

In the end, he took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to step into this small mourning hall.

What catches the eye is the oil painting he painted for Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin. In the oil painting, the two dogs are sleeping next to each other, just like they are in the coffin now.

This small coffin was made of Tang wood. Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin had already aged long ago, and everyone had already made preparations, but Tangning was still very sad when he received the news suddenly.

Butler Tao saw Tangning holding the coffin, looking like he was about to cry, so he didn't want to disturb him here. He was about to leave, but Tangning suddenly asked, "Why is there a scar on Xiaojin's head?"

Butler Tao paused, thought for a while, and then said: "At noon today, after dinner, when everyone was taking a nap, Xiao Jin suddenly screamed wildly and hit his head against the pillar. After we heard the movement, we realized that Little Yin actually fell asleep, and when Little Jin found out, he wailed endlessly and bumped against the pillars, and when we came, it was too late to save him..."

"Hey." Tangning let out a long sigh, then asked after a while, "How is the rest of the family? Is Yu'er okay?"

"Everything is fine. The young master cried a lot. He was tired from crying and was taken to sleep by the old man."

Tangning reached out and stroked the two stiff bodies in the coffin. Their fur had long since faded, and it was no longer soft and smooth. It was hard to touch.

A tear fell on it. Tangning lowered her head and waved her other hand indiscriminately. Butler Tao quietly backed out.

After a long time, a hand was placed on Tangning's shoulder. Tangning looked up and saw Shu Hongyu looking at him with worried eyes.

Shu Hongyu's gaze was particularly gentle, with a soothing power.

Tangning slumped her shoulders and sat down leaning against the coffin. Shu Hongyu also sat down. The two leaned together, silently reminiscing about the past.

After a long time, Shu Hongyu seemed to be remembering something, took out a little furry thing from his bosom, and said: "Xiao Hei is very sad today, I have never seen a monkey cry, but today I saw a tearful monkey. "

Seeing Xiao Hei, Tang Ning's painful heart finally felt relieved. He stretched out his fingers, stroked its little head, and said, "Is it tired from crying too?"

"No, I was afraid that it would hurt itself if it cried too much, so I gave it some soothing incense."

Tangning suddenly asked, "How long can a monkey live?"

Shu Hongyu was silent for a while, and said: "Generally 20 years, with me here, it is not a problem to make it live for another ten years. I have also seen a monkey that lived for 40 years."

"30 years. After 30 years, I will only be 54 years old." Tangning sighed quietly.

Shu Hongyu fell silent again. He really wasn't very good at comforting people. After holding back for a while, he touched a black lump from his bosom and handed it to Tangning. He originally wanted to please him, but now he could only use it as a comfort.

"What is this? Mo?" Tangning asked in confusion.

"It's medicinal ink. It's just been tested recently. It's for Xiao Hei. The master prescribed it. I smoke it in the ink. It's good for Xiao Hei to lick or sleep on it. It's good for his body."

"Why can't I smell the medicine?"

"It's just that you can't smell it, or Xiao Hei doesn't like to lick it."

Tangning put away the ink and patted Shu Hongyu, "You've got a heart."

Shu Hongyu said embarrassingly: "This ink is an experimental product, not a good ink. Choose some ink that Xiao Hei likes and give it to me tomorrow."

"Yeah." Although Shu Hongyu didn't say anything to comfort Tangning, Tangning felt much better. Then he remembered that Shu Hongyu used to get up early and would usually go to bed early, so he said, "It's getting late, you should go to bed too. I'm fine."

"Third brother, you should also go to bed early. It seems that you drank a lot of wine. I will help you go back to your room first, and then go to bed after drinking the hangover soup."

Only then did Tangning feel a little dizzy. She drank a little too much today. After hearing the bad news for the first time, Tangning felt that she couldn't stand up anymore, so she had to let Shu Hongyu pull her up.

Seeing that Tangning couldn't stand still, Shu Hongyu simply carried him to the bedroom.

Tangning lay on Shu Hongyu's back, with her head resting on Shu Hongyu's shoulder. The tip of her nose was filled with the faint scent of medicine that Shu Hongyu possessed.

Tangning was a little confused. Before he knew it, his chest was warmed by Shu Hongyu's generous back. Tangning suddenly felt that the little guy who was squatting behind the door had finally grown up...

The consequences of the hangover were very serious. Tangning had a terrible headache the next day. Anyway, he was in a bad mood and wanted to bury Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin properly, so he simply sent a housekeeper to Zhan Shi's Mansion to complain.

Accompanied by the morning glow, Tangning led the people in the house to bury Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin in the garden. There was no monument, and only two osmanthus trees were planted.

Tang Yu kept rubbing against Tangning's leg, following Tangning wherever she went, Tangning led him to the study.

He picked up a charcoal pencil and drew a draft on the paper. After a while, the lively and vigorous figures of Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin appeared on the paper.

Tang Yu picked up the desk and wiped away tears again.

Tangning sighed, dragged a chair and sat down, picked up Tang Yu and placed him on her lap, gently wiped away his tears with her left hand, and said softly, "Our family's bully can actually cry, who is it?" Say a man bleeds but not tears?"

"Father, did Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin die because they followed me into the water?" Tang Yu asked, sobbing.

Tangning paused, then rubbed his head, and said firmly, "No, Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin are old. They are old, and they will leave you one day."

Tang Yu rubbed her face against Tangning's chest, hugged his waist tightly, and said anxiously, "Then grandpa and grandpa are getting old too, will they leave me too? Will daddy leave me too? Where's brother Hongyu?"

Tangning was stunned. He found that his education for his son was still wrong. He was either blindly indulgent or blindly strict. He always looked at Tang Yu from his own perspective, but he really didn't understand his heart well.

Originally, the departure of An Ran and An Yue had left Tang Yu without playmates. Xu Lian, who cared for and cared for him like a mother since he was a child, followed him, and now Xiao Jin, who had been with him since he was born, died again. How can you not be uneasy, how can you not be sad.

Tang Yu has been quieter recently. Tang Ning thought it was because of Dr. Lu and Mr. Cheng's good education, but now it seems that it may be more because of the departure of Xu Lian and Tang Mu's family. Parting always makes people grow up.

Tang Yu didn't get the answer for a long time, and couldn't help but feel even more uneasy. He raised his small head and stared at his father's beautiful chin.

Tangning hurriedly patted Tang Yu reassuringly. He really didn't want to talk about such a heavy topic with his son, so he could only comfort him, "No, we will always be with you. Don't forget that Grandpa is the only one in this world. The best doctor, who specializes in ensuring people's longevity, with him, all of us will live a long life."

Tang Yu finally laughed, pointed at the drawing paper in front of him and said, "Father, I want to learn painting too, can you teach me?"

Tangning breathed a sigh of relief, and teased him, "Aren't you the one who loves to be a hero and does justice more than draw?"

"I heard from my grandfather that Daddy is the best painter in Dazhao. I am Daddy's son. How could I not know how to paint? I am so embarrassing to Daddy. Besides, if I learn how to paint, I can make my aunt, uncle, brother My sister and Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin drew them down, just like the portraits my father gave to my mother, I also want to draw my mother, so that I can see them every day."

An indescribable emotion suddenly filled Tangning's chest, and he could hardly hold back the tears. His son, his mischievous and domineering son, actually said such sensible words. Tangning didn't know that she should be relieved. Still should feel sad.

Tangning felt even more guilt and self-blame. It was his irresponsible father who didn't realize that his son had shed his domineering outer shell. Inside, he was actually a good boy with a delicate thought and a caring heart.

He should not only treat his son with an educational attitude, he is Tang Yu's heaven, and Tang Yu's spiritual support and sustenance, he should listen to Tang Yu's heart with an equal attitude.

Tangning calmed down and talked to her son patiently, "Painting is not an easy task. Yu'er needs to spend a lot of time and thought on practicing, and she has to persist, just like learning martial arts. In this way, Yu'er will have no time to play. Yu'er But have you really thought about it?"

Tang Yu frowned and struggled for a while, and said, "Can't I play anymore? Can't I go to Brother Zhan's house to play?"

Tangning immediately realized that she had a problem expressing herself, and quickly corrected it, "Of course you can play, but you can't play for as long as you want. There must be a time limit. You can only play for two hours a day. Going to Brother Zhan's house is the same."

Speaking of this, Tangning suddenly remembered that since Xu Lian left, Tang Yu hadn't been to Zhennan Palace for a long time, and he himself only met Xie Baiyun occasionally. Both of them had their own things to do, and their identities were No, no matter what the inner house is, at least the two of them should not get too close on the surface, so they separated in a hurry without saying a few words.

Just as Tangning was thinking about taking Tang Yu out to visit more in the future, a young servant ran in with a distasteful look, breaking the warmth of the room.

"Master, there is a matchmaker surnamed Zhou asking to see him outside."

Tangning wasn't happy to be disturbed, but when she heard that she was a matchmaker again, she felt even more disgusted.

This matchmaker is a dog nose, and the news is too well-informed.In the past, there were no female relatives in the Tang residence. Dr. Lu and Mr. Cheng didn't care about their affairs. Shu Hongyu was unmarried. Tangning went out early and returned late to hide in Wuyizhai. The matchmaker couldn't find anyone. This made Tangning clean for a few days.

Now he just took a leave of absence, and within two hours, the matchmaker came to him.

But the matchmaker is not easy to offend. He is now an official, and he values ​​his reputation the most. No matter how disgusted he is, he has to invite people in kindly on the face, and finally has to send people out in a nice way.

So Tangning had no choice but to put down Tang Yu, waved her hands helplessly, and said, "Please wait at the flower hall, Zhou Bingren, I'll go right away."

After a while, Tangning changed into the clothes she was wearing, and sat in front of the matchmaker gracefully.

This matchmaker looks neat and tidy, but the color of the clothes is brighter, the puff is thicker, and the fragrance is stronger. Her peach blossom eyes should have been attractive when she was young, but unfortunately, the corners of her eyes are full of crow's feet, and the bags under her eyes are big. Protruding, looking like a frog.

Tang Ning is not a person who judges people by appearance, seeing her straight eyes, she gave her a good face, but when the matchmaker opened her mouth, her broken voice pierced Tang Ning's eardrums, and the veins on Tang Ning's forehead burst out.

"Oh, I don't know, I don't know if I see it, I really look at my old eyes! Mr. Tang is a hundred times more beautiful than what the old lady heard! The old lady is here to say congratulations to Mr. Tang!" As soon as the matchmaker came up, her eyes lit up and her voice was loud, boasting Tangning all over her face.

Reaching out to not hit the smiling face, let alone people still praising him, Tangning could only continue to talk, "Zhou Bingren is being polite, why do I like it?"

"Tsk tsk, Mr. Tang is like this, as long as you turn around, there are girls all over the capital who can't beat their heads. If you say that Mr. Ding has a vision, he immediately fell in love with Mr. Tang. I don't want to make a move first. Qiang, I called you to be his son-in-law!" The matchmaker was a straightforward person, and she immediately pointed out her intentions.

Tangning's eyelids twitched, and she said calmly, "Oh? May I ask who is Mr. Ding? Speaking of which, my promising colleague is also surnamed Ding. Could it be him?"

"Oh, Mr. Tang is really powerful. This guess is not far from it. Although he is not Mr. Ding of Zhan Shifu, he is also Mr. Ding's cousin. Mr. Tang must have heard of it, but he is. Mr. Ding Yunding, the head of the Ministry of Industry, is the cousin of His Royal Highness the First Prince."

Tangning raised her eyebrows, and said with a half-smile, "Oh, I'm still a relative of the emperor."

The matchmaker is an official media, so she doesn't know any news. Hearing this, she immediately remembered the unspeakable relationship between Tangning and Lin Qingyu, and said embarrassingly, "Then how dare you say it? It's all about the generosity of the Lin family. Let's say it nicely. However, to be honest, in terms of blood relationship, this Ding family is genuine."

Tangning didn't want to be too entangled, she was a little impatient, but her eyes were still warm and she said, "I wonder which girl Zhou Bingren wants to match for Master Ding?"

"Master Tang is not clear. This Master Ding has only one pearl in his palm. Speaking of Master Ding, he really looks like an eyeball. This girl from the Ding family has bright eyes and teeth. Together with Master Tang, then It's really a perfect match. When the daughter of Ding's family was not yet young, the matchmaker was about to smash the threshold of Ding's family. For the marriage of Zhangzhu, Mrs. Ding was really dazzled, and she was reluctant to marry her daughter early. It didn't take long for her to reach the age of 19. It is said that the family should be anxious when the daughter's family is at this age, but Mr. Ding is not, he must choose the best for his daughter..."

The matchmaker opened her mouth and spit straight out, finally said she was tired, took a big mouthful of tea, and Fang concluded: "No, Mr. Ding has taken a fancy to you all of a sudden!"

Tangning was just wandering, when the matchmaker's exaggerated "gudong" sound of sipping tea made her tremble, and she came back to her senses.

Tang Ning exhaled secretly, comforting her bristling hair, Fang Youyou said: "I have been an official for several years, but I have never met Mr. Ding, but I have met Mr. Ding's son once. How did Mr. Ding know about this?" official?"

The matchmaker froze, and immediately realized that she didn't know, so she started talking about horses and cars, and praised Tang Ning vigorously, "Master Tang is a Sanyuan Jidi who has never met in a hundred years. Wen Quxing came down to earth, and he looks like a fairy. Who in Beijing I don’t know who doesn’t know, Master Ding has also heard about your reputation..."

Tang Ning snorted coldly to herself. The matchmaker didn't know, but he had some guesses that this matter must have something to do with Ding Jiugong.Except for the colleagues of Zhan Shifu, who could get the news of his leave so quickly, they didn't think about it.

After working together for a few months, Tangning knew exactly who Ding Jiugong was. This man was very good at planning, and Tangning suffered a lot from him.But sometimes he overcalculated and his thinking was different from ordinary people. Tangning didn't care about the obstacles he caused Tangning.

This kind of person is more than successful than failure, Tangning didn't take him seriously at all.This would suddenly encourage Ding Yun to propose marriage. Based on Tangning's understanding of him in the past few months, he could guess that he must be thinking that after Tangning married his cousin's niece, he would be regarded as Tangning's elder who hadn't given birth to five clothes.

In the officialdom, seniority is the most important thing, and those who have done too much credit are another story; under normal circumstances, if a student and a teacher are in the same position, the teacher must be promoted first if they want to be promoted.In the same way, if he became Tangning's elder, even for the sake of fame, Tangning would have to let him go.

As for why Ding Yun agreed to propose marriage, Tangning couldn't figure it out. Could it be that he was trying to win him over?

No matter what, no matter how nice the girl from the Ding family is, Tangning would never marry him. What's more, this girl from the Ding family is still a 19-year-old girl. According to the ancient rules, it must not meet the requirements of the ancient people.

Therefore, Tangning rejected the matchmaker on the grounds that her elder brother was not yet married, how could her younger brother presume.

After sending off the matchmaker, Tangning received a message from Lin Zizhang before she could catch her breath.

Upon entering Lin Zizhang, Tangning saw that he was sweating, and wondered, "The weather is not so hot yet, why is Zizhang in such a hurry?"

Lin Zizhang smiled embarrassedly, took a sip of tea and said, "I just went to Zhan Shifu to look for you, and when I heard that you were on sick leave, I came to visit you."

Tangning replied with a faint smile, "Thank you Zizhang for your concern. I drank too much yesterday and blew the night breeze. I accidentally caught a cold. I can rest for two days."

"That's good. I think Zi'an's complexion is still a little pale. Zi'an still needs to see a doctor." Lin Zizhang actually believed Tangning's words, and his concern was not fake.

Seeing that he was serious, Tangning was a little embarrassed and said, "Why did Zizhang go to Zhan Shifu to find me?"

Lin Zizhang blushed a little when he heard this, and his voice became much quieter, and he said weakly, "I, I'm here to pay back the money. The inkstone incident last time was thanks to Zi'an's help. Zizhang is here to thank Zi'an."

Speaking of which, Lin Zizhang got up solemnly, and bowed to Tangning.

Tang Ning quickly helped him up, and said, "What does Zizhang mean by this? You and I are the same age, and we have been working together for three years. We should take care of each other. If we are in trouble in the future, I believe Zizhang will do his best at that time." helpful."

Lin Zizhang is soft and soft, but he has principles in the end, "The future is unpredictable. At this time, it is Zi'an's help. I should thank him. If Zi'an does not rescue him, Zizhang will definitely be entangled for a long time by those villains, that is, the inkstone. It must not be taken away."

As he spoke, he handed the money bag in front of Tangning with both hands.

Tang Ning knew that with Lin Zizhang's temperament, refusal would be tantamount to embarrassing him, so he took Lin Zizhang's money unceremoniously.

After the two sat down again, Tangning said, "Speaking of which, Zizhang and I should be good friends."

"nature."

"Well, there are some things that I have to tell you as a good friend. Zizhang is really weak. When Mr. Qiao was around, the people who pestered Zizhang respected Zizhang. In a blink of an eye, they bullied him , It's really a villain's move.

Although there is a saying that it is better to offend a villain than a gentleman, Zizhang will stay in Hanlin in the future, and they may be colleagues for a lifetime, so he should stay far away.Of course, some people won't trouble you unless you hide. At this time, Zizhang should show his momentum to deter these villains. "

Lin Zizhang listened, and said sadly: "I didn't want to have any entanglements with them, but I really didn't feel angry. Although Han Yun did not pretend to be polite to them, they were responsive to their needs. When Han Yun was in trouble, they actually I didn't even give it away. So, I argued with them a few words, but I didn't know that they hated me.

That day, I accidentally found the inkstone left by Hanyun. I have been with Hanyun for many years, but I don’t even have a single painting by him. So I wanted to take this inkstone home and think about it. . "

Perhaps it was because Tangning was the only one who knew what he was thinking about Qiao Hanyun. In front of Tangning, Lin Zizhang's words that he was usually ashamed to speak out came out very naturally.

Lin Zizhang said a few more words, and after he finished speaking, he became very embarrassed, blushing, and left in a hurry without waiting for Tangning to stay for dinner.

Seeing Lin Zizhang away, Tangning thought he was shy and avoided him for a long time.

No, within half a month, Lin Zizhang came to visit again.

This time, his eyes were red and he looked very haggard. When he saw Tangning, he burst into tears before he could speak.

After a while, he choked and said, "Zian, do you know that in the past half a month, every time I saw the inkstone, I missed him more and more. I often couldn't sleep at night and missed you very much. Three days ago, I heard a song from a distant place. My relatives talked about the chaos caused by the barbarians in the north, and those exiled military slaves were building fortifications day and night.

Lin Zizhang couldn't go on, wiped his tears, adjusted his voice and said: "I don't know anyone, my father and brother only want me to be a Hanlin in the Imperial Academy for the rest of my life, I didn't want to at the beginning, I only know Zi'an, I know It is too much for me to ask so much, but I am really desperate..."

Talking about his knees going limp, Tangning hurriedly pulled him back and said repeatedly, "What's the matter, please speak slowly, you don't have to, as you said, we are good friends, I should help you. "

"Zian..." Lin Zizhang choked up again when he heard the words, Tangning comforted him for a long time before saying, "I want to go to the Northland, even if it's just to be a document, as long as I can see Hanyun, no, even if it's only in time If you know about him, you can..."

After hearing this, Tangning felt a little embarrassed, and frowned.

Seeing him like this, Lin Zizhang's eyes suddenly dimmed, as if all his energy had been sucked away.

Seeing this, Tang Ning couldn't bear it, and couldn't help laughing at herself. She also said that Lin Zizhang was weak and could be bullied, but he was eaten to death by such a soft person. Strictly speaking, their friendship was not good, but he just couldn't see Lin Zizhang's pathetic look. So, I can't help but reach out every time.

What Tangning didn't know was that maybe he subconsciously sympathized with the couple and hoped that they would have a good result.He couldn't do it to Gao Run and the others, and he couldn't do it to Xie Baiyun, so he tried his best to make up for Lin Zizhang.

"Zizhang, you are a prostitute in the court. You have some power in your family and a bright future. You are usually sent to the north to be a civil servant. Either you have no one in the court, or you have made a mistake or offended someone..."

Before Tangning could finish speaking, Lin Zizhang's eyes burst into light, and he grabbed Tangning's hand tightly, causing him pain. He interrupted, "I, I am willing to make mistakes, so I will offend others..."

Within a few days, Lin Zizhang, who was notoriously weak, had a fierce quarrel with a group of people in the Imperial Academy, and even fought violently. Especially in such a noble place as the Hanlin Academy, the nature is extremely bad, and the impact is extremely serious.

Therefore, this group of people were quickly demoted from the capital, and Lin Zizhang was demoted to the north to become a small county magistrate...