I heard my brother is a tyrant

Naturally, the palace is much smaller than the capital. The residences and other courtyards of the princes and dignitaries in the capital are concentrated at the foot of the mountain for several miles, and each family is next to each other. This makes it much easier for each family to communicate and communicate.The other courtyard of Prince Zhong's Mansion is not far from the other courtyard of Xuanpinghou's Mansion. Guo Zijin asked someone to pass a post to Ye Yu when he returned, and wanted to come to the Han family's other courtyard to meet his aunt.

At this moment, Ye Yu wished he could expose her with his own hands immediately. Where would he have the leisure to deal with her, so he reasoned that he had a minor ailment and was unable to treat guests, so he had to rest for a few days, so Guo Zijin couldn't go.

Han Jin'er's wedding is approaching, the eldest daughter-in-law and the second daughter-in-law of the Hou Mansion are still in the northwest border, Ye Yu, as a daughter-in-law, can't stay in Yingshan to escape the summer heat and enjoy the blessings, and let her mother-in-law go home to work hard for Han Jiner to get married.She came here specially for the past few days, saying that she was sending her mother-in-law and Han Jingshu, but in fact, she wanted to stay until the Duanyang Festival, Ye Chu's birthday.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Han Jingshu excitedly said that she was going to cut wormwood. She came to the palace like a fish in water. She had been playing like a fish in water these few days. I don’t know how to hear people say where there is wormwood, so she decided to pick some by herself. Ask Ye Chu if he wants to go.

The two little girls have seen wormwood. Not only is it inserted at the door and used for vases during the Duanyang Festival, but the dried wormwood leaves are also used for various purposes.But the two really don't know how it grows, and they haven't picked it by themselves.Ye Chu was also very interested when he heard it, so they hit it off immediately, and the two rode to look for it.

The two little girls found the place, which was a large green vegetable field, but the wormwood did not grow in the vegetable field, but grew in clusters on the ridge next to the vegetable field, which was planted by the mountain people near the palace.

The mountain people near the palace knew that the emperor came to escape the summer heat this year, and there were soldiers patrolling the guards every day. When they saw Ye Chu and Han Jingshu, they knew that they must be noble girls from the capital. When they heard that they were looking for wormwood, they enthusiastically pointed They look.

"I thought it grew by itself, but it turned out to be planted by farmers." Han Jingshu ran over to compare, and there was a large clump of wormwood on the edge of the field, which was very lush. She bent down to look, and asked the side The farmer's aunt said, "We want to pick some, do we need money?"

The aunt smiled and said, "You don't need to pay for it. We just dug it from the mountains and planted it on the edge of the field. Once it grows, don't worry about it. How can we ask for money?"

Ye Chu was also very happy when he heard it, and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Auntie."

The farmer's aunt saw the two girls' homes carved with jade, delicate and soft, not as lofty as the nobles she usually sees, it made people happy, and then she was yelled at by Ye Chu's aunt All of a sudden, he burst into laughter, and quickly took a sickle to teach them how to cut.

The two of them each cut a bunch of wormwood, asked the servants to take it, and rode back happily.When she came back, she saw someone racing horses at the foot of the mountain, so Han Jingshu ran there quickly.

At the foot of the mountain, there was a huge open field where more than a dozen fast horses were chasing each other, so the two stopped to watch.

Han Jingshu was an acquaintance. After watching it for a while, she asked the person who was riding a horse to watch the battle: "Who is racing the horse? The white horse in front seems to be winning."

"That's the princess of Jiayi County." The woman who was asked was wearing a pink dress, staring at the horse racing team on the field, and said proudly, "The county princess is worthy of being the daughter of a general. I just think of her as playing piano, chess, calligraphy and painting." Who knows that she is also so proficient in riding, she is really an example of a noble lady in Beijing."

Han Jingshu pursed her lips when she heard that it was her cousin of the county lord.

The noble girl looked back at them, and couldn't help but be taken aback when she saw Ye Chu, the sky was a bit gloomy, there was no sun, and Ye Chu's cap was on her back, so she didn't wear it on her head.The noble girl stared at her face again and again, and said in surprise: "Why do you look a little like the county owner? Are you a relative of the county owner's family?"

"I don't know." Ye Chu shook his head and said, "My brother said that I am not like her at all."

The lady looked suspicious, and asked with a smile: "Which family are you from, do you want to race horses with us?"

Ye Chu shook his head, and Han Jingshu also shook his head.

Another lady in a green skirt smiled and said, "Look at the two of them, one is a child, and the other is riding a pony, yet you invite them to race horses with you, isn't it to embarrass them on purpose?"

While talking, the woman in the bi skirt couldn't help staring at Ye Chu's face. Ye Chu felt displeased, and looked back with clear eyes, and the woman avoided her eyes embarrassingly.Ye Ling who was beside him suddenly took a step forward, separated the woman in the green skirt, and stood beside Ye Chu.

It is about the reputation and dignity of Little Pearl, Ye Chu said: "My horse is not a pony, it is a pony from Fanbang, it is just born small, it runs very fast."

"Yes, you just don't know yourself." Han Jingshu said.

The woman in the bi skirt didn't quite believe it, she looked at Ye Chu and said, "Forgive my ignorance, I haven't seen it before."

Ye Chu felt a little uncomfortable hearing her tone, and said seriously: "Yes, you haven't seen it, it's just your own shallow knowledge."

Ye Hui couldn't help bursting out laughing, thinking that the girls in their family are not competitive, they are just pure and honest.

The woman in the bi skirt couldn't help her complexion changed, she held back, and asked with a frown, "Which family do you belong to? Why didn't you report your family name? Why have I never seen you in the capital before?"

Han Jingshu looked at the racetrack, turned her head and glanced at the noble girl, and said, "Which family do you belong to? You should report yourself first when people tell you your family name."

"You..." That noble girl is angry, but it's not easy to get mad because of the high-ranking family, who is virtuous and talkative, and it's not easy to get angry when she is a girl. Besides, the other party is a child, and there are many high-ranking officials in the capital. Afraid of accidentally offending people.

At this time, she would feel ashamed whether to report to her family or not, and she couldn't help but blushed for a while.

The woman in pink was busy trying to smooth things over, and said with a smile: "This is the granddaughter of Lord Cheng Wang in Yushi Zhong."

She kept staring at Ye Chu and Han Jingshu's faces as she spoke, but Han Jingshu was young and had just returned to the capital not long ago, and Ye Chu didn't understand this at all. Did not give.

Hearing cheers from the field at this time, Han Jingshu glanced away, Guo Zijin's white horse took the lead and had already won.

The woman in the bi skirt looked unhappy, and asked: "I haven't asked the two family members yet, but you want to play a round with us?"

Han Jingshu said: "I'm the granddaughter of Xuanpinghou in Suizhou. I can ride a horse as soon as I can walk. Who is afraid of anyone?" She turned her head and asked Ye Chu, "Sister Ye, do you want to come?"

Ye Chu shook his head and said, "No, I'm going home. It's time for my brother to find me."

The woman in the bi skirt seemed to have grasped her weakness, and said loudly: "Don't go, didn't you say that your pony runs fast, the next round, we will admit you if you win."

Ye Chu asked: "Then what if you lose?"

The girl in the bi skirt couldn't figure out her way at all, she was stunned for a moment and said: "If you lose, then... you will lose."

However, Ye Chu had no desire to win at all, let alone understand the twists and turns of the noble girls in Beijing, so he said flatly: "Then you just treat me as a loser, I don't want to play. Shu'er, I'm going home .”

Han Jingshu said: "Sister Ye, you should go back first, I'll play a round with them, who is afraid of whom?"

Ye Chu said: "Then you can go back after playing for a while, don't make your mother worry about looking for you."

She didn't care about the expressions in the eyes of the two noble girls at all, she shook the reins, turned the horse's head and rode on Little Pearl and left on her own, Ye Hui and Ye Ling rode to follow.

She was a little worried about Han Jingshu when she walked out, she looked back and asked Ye Ling: "Is Shu'er good at riding a horse, do you think she can win?"

Ye Ling smiled and said: "Girl, you don't care about her, just let her play well. Miss Shu'er is only seven years old. If she wins, these people will lose face. If she loses, others will only If you say that many noble ladies in the capital have won against a child, you might have to praise her for being able to ride at such a young age, these people don't want to take advantage of her."

Ye Chu: ... That's right.

As Ye Ling said, Ye Hui couldn't help laughing, and Ye Chu couldn't help laughing too.

***

Guo Zijin was not stupid either, she had already won a game today, and when she saw Han Jingshu coming, she stopped playing and stood on the sidelines to watch.

Tomorrow's Duanyang Festival is her birthday. This horse race was originally a prelude to the celebration of her birthday tomorrow. If she ends up in the race, whoever has to steal her limelight wins her. If she doesn't end, the competition on the field will become more intense. .

Han Jingshu is young, but she is good at riding. On the racecourse, I saw her little person riding the bay red horse without showing any weakness, following the team closely, and there is a faint tendency to lead.

Guo Zijin sipped the tea handed by the maid and sighed in his heart, these people, how serious are they with a child.

Queen Si, the grandson of Yushi Zhongcheng, was deflated just now, and now she was upset, so she followed Guo Zijin and said, "Master, isn't the third young lady of Xuanping Hou's mansion related to you? The little girl on the field is Which house in their house did it come from?"

Guo Zijin said: "She is the eldest daughter of my aunt."

"Oh, it turned out to be the cousin of the county lord."

Wang Si was always reluctant to speak ill of his cousin in front of the county magistrate, and besides, although Xuanpinghou's mansion was far away at the border, it was not so easy to provoke, so he had to give up and brought up Ye Chu.Wang Si smiled and said, "I don't know which family the woman was with her just now, and I've never seen her before. Speaking of it, the county lord may not believe it, but the girl looks somewhat similar to the county lord."

Guo Zijin was taken aback, and quickly asked, "What woman?"

Wang Si and Zhao Jinniang in pink talked about what happened just now in detail, and Zhao Jinniang also said, "That girl really looks like the county magistrate."

Wang Si said: "The eyebrows and eyes are a bit similar, but they don't know etiquette. I'm afraid they came from a small family. Naturally, they can't compare with the dignified and dignified upbringing of the county magistrate. Does the county magistrate know which family it is from? She Seems to be very familiar with your cousin."

When Guo Zijin heard this description, he knew that it was the woman riding a pony and wearing a veiled hat that he met a few days ago.

She looked at Han Jingshu on the field, and after a while she came back to her senses and said, "Maybe they are relatives in my aunt's family, and they are also relatives of my mother's family."

Wang Si smiled and said, "No wonder he looks a bit like the county lord. The Ye family is not in the capital now, so it might be some distant relative who came to join Mrs. Han."

***

When Guo Zijin returned to the palace, Guo Heng came to look for her after hearing the news.

Guo Yu has been detained in the capital for several years, and he finally had a chance to relax when he arrived at Mount Ying these few days. Since he came here, he has been hunting with horses in the paddock at the northern foot of Mount Ying all day long, and he has not seen anyone for several days.Guo Heng stayed at home to arrange matters for Guo Zijin's birthday celebration tomorrow, and told her that King Zhong should be able to come back tonight, and celebrate her birthday and Duanyang Festival at home tomorrow.

Guo Zijin agreed, and told Guo Heng what happened today, saying that she met a woman who looked very similar to her.

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes. Both Wang Jue and Zhao Jinniang said they look alike."

"I have never met before." Guo Heng thought, "You said she is a relative of the Ye family?"

Guo Zijin said: "It should be that she was with Han Jingshu twice, and Han Jingshu called her Sister Ye. I haven't seen this person in the capital before, that is, I met him in the palace these two times. I guess it was after my aunt returned to Beijing. Come here. There seems to be an older brother in her family."

"I know almost everyone in the Ye family, but I've never heard of such a pair of brothers and sisters." Guo Heng said, "Didn't you ask Han Jingshu?"

"Han Jingshu is a child, and she is not close to me. I asked her and she couldn't say anything." Guo Zijin sighed softly, and said silently, "I'm afraid my aunt doesn't want to see me. After returning to Beijing, I will invite you She has not been here a few times, but now she has come to another hospital, I sent a post a few days ago to visit, but she also refused."

Guo Heng said: "Sister, you are the county lord of the Zhongwang Mansion, and your rank is two levels higher than Madam Xuanpinghou. If she doesn't take the initiative to get close to you, and you have never lost your courtesy, you simply ignore her. This Han Madam really don't open your eyes, the two families are officials in the same dynasty, both are military generals, your uncle is not the son of the Hou family, his position is low and his status is embarrassing, if he doesn't get close to our Prince Zhong's family, who will he rely on in the future."

Guo Zijin said: "For some reason, I always feel that this matter is a bit strange."

"My sister, if you mind, I'll check it out later."

Guo Heng said, "Don't pay attention to these small things now, you have seen that the father-in-law lives in the capital, and he has come to Yingshan for a few days to relax a little bit. His hopes are all on you. Many people in the government and the opposition They all support you as the empress. The Chu family belongs to the empress dowager line. The emperor must be taboo. The Wei family’s foundation is still weak. In my opinion, these two families are nothing to worry about. The empress must belong to you. Waiting for you to become empress , our Zhongwang Mansion can be elated, and it will not be in vain that the father-in-law spent his whole life as a soldier, and how many military exploits he has made for the country and society of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

***

Ye Chu rode a pony slowly along the southern slope into the palace, and when he returned to Yuqianzhai, Xie Dan had already returned, sitting on the swing in the shade of a tree in her courtyard, using the swing as a stool.He was flipping through a book in his hand, looking very relaxed.

Just as Chun Jiang was about to meet him, Ye Chu hurriedly made a hissing gesture, walked up behind Xie Dan lightly, and stretched out his hand abruptly to push him.

However, she is small and weak, Xie Dan has long legs, and there is no need to use any force when putting her feet on the ground. The swing stopped after a sway, and it didn't frighten him at all.

"It's not fun." Ye Chu pouted and coquettishly wanted to pull him down, calling him, "Who told you to grow such long legs, you get up and push me."

"Still pushing," Xie Dan raised the scroll in his hand as if to knock on her forehead, and said angrily, "Where did you go, and you don't even know you're coming back after eating."

"Han Jingshu and I went to pick wormwood. I cut it off with my own hands." Ye Chu compared to behind, Ye Hui held a large bunch of wormwood in his hand.

She proudly called Ye Hui, "Ye Hui, go and help me find a bottle to put it in, and we won't have to cut wormwood for the holiday tomorrow. By the way, brother, we also watched other people's horse races. The county that looks like me Lord, there are many other people, they seem to be ladies from various families, and Han Jingshu ran to race horses with them."

"Losing or winning?"

"I don't know." Ye Chu washed his hands and face in the copper basin, took the handkerchief Xie Dan handed over to wipe his hands, and said at the same time, "If you lose or win, there's nothing you can do. I'll be back first."

Xie Dan thought about it in his heart, how could he raise his sister so non-competitively, without desire or desire.

The little girl said so obediently and looked up at him, smiling.Xie Dan understood what she meant, and said with a smile, "Then do I still have to praise you for coming back first?"

Ye Chu giggled, and Chun Jiang came over and said, "Girl, the servants are going to pass on the meal, you have to apply the flower dew to your face first, you can't be so sloppy."

"No need?"

"That's not okay, girl, don't try to save trouble." Chunjiang nagged, "Young girl has a fair complexion, and her skin is like soft tofu, so don't get sunburned."

Ye Chu said: "It's half cloudy today, there is no sun."

"You'll get sunburned without the sun." Chunjiang said solemnly, and told the little maids to bring the flower dew that had been frozen in advance.

The little girl lay down on the bed, and let the servant girl apply the cool dew on her face, while talking to Xie Dan about the racetrack.For some reason, Xie Dan couldn't help but want to laugh when he heard it.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Chu asked innocently, "Am I wrong? If she said that I am not good at riding, I would admit it, but why should she say that my pony is not good?"

"Cough, yes..." Xie Dan covered his mouth with clenched fists and coughed, but he couldn't help laughing.

"I knew you were laughing at me." Ye Chu looked at him accusingly.

"No, I didn't laugh at you." Xie Dan denied without changing his face, "What kind of horse race are you competing with those people? Those so-called noble girls in the capital have their eyes high above their heads and are pretentious. How could they be serious? The horse racing is just a show, trying to show that you are talented."

"Oh." Ye Chu nodded in response.

When the heat rises, the kitchen will cook a few more cold dishes every day.The red-oiled morel tripe delivered today is Xie Dan's taste, and a dish of soy-flavored mushrooms is Ye Chu's dish.

The taste of fresh mushrooms is particularly positive at this time. The freshly picked mushrooms are quickly oiled until they are cooked. Mix well with the special sauce, add shallots, minced garlic, and coriander stalks, pour hot oil, let cool and serve. The mellow aroma of itself is intertwined with the aroma of the sweet, sour and slightly spicy sauce. Take a bite with lotus leaf rice. It is delicious and slightly spicy, refreshing and appetizing, and has a particularly strong taste.

Ye Chuxia didn't like meat dishes very much when she came to Japan, and she didn't want to eat meat at all if she had this dish.Xie Tan took a chopstick of shredded chicken with sesame oil and put it in her bowl, the little girl stopped her chopsticks to look at it, and obediently ate it.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" Xie Dan asked.

Ye Chu: "I don't want to celebrate my birthday now, it's not good for people to grow up."

Xie Dan said: "Nonsense, can people grow smaller and smaller?"

Ye Chu said: "Brother, take me up the mountain to play, you don't mean what you say, you said you would take me up the mountain, and you haven't fulfilled it after seven or eight days."

She picked up a piece of beef for Xie Tan, nodded her head and said, "You broke your promise and got fat, brother, if you become as fat as Mr. Chen, you won't look good."

"Is Mr. Chen fat?"

"His face is too fat, like a big white steamed bun."

Xie Dan: ...Okay.

Not long after he arrived at the palace, all the important officials of the court followed, which means that the power center of Dazhou has completely moved to the palace. Xie Dan needs to sort out the relevant affairs first, and with the political affairs delayed for a few days on the road, he is indeed a little busy.

"Tomorrow I will take a rest. I will do nothing all day tomorrow and take you up the mountain."