Xie Xiang

Liu Zao left the palace early in the morning, and went to the old house with a light car.

It's May [-]th, and the weather is getting a little hot.Hu Ao took the reins, followed Liu Zao, and said with a smile: "In a month or so, when His Majesty is going out, it's time to abandon the horse and take the carriage."

After more than a month, the scorching heat is unbearable, so it is better to be more comfortable in the car.Liu Zao smiled: "I would like to invite the old lady to live in the palace forever."

Last year, she also brought her grandmother into the palace, but unfortunately she lived there for more than ten days, her grandmother felt that the palace was too formal and not as comfortable as at home, so she refused to live any longer.When people are old, they are always a bit stubborn, Liu Zao can't force it, so he had to obey her, and he often went out of the palace to visit.

Hu Ao smiled and said, "Your Majesty persuaded me one more time, and the old lady is soft-hearted, so maybe I will agree."

Liu Zao didn't have any hope, but he still wanted his grandmother to live in the palace.The old man is old and needs someone to take care of him. Liu Zao often misses him in the palace.

When I arrived at the old house, there was still clear water in front of the door, which was the trace left by the morning sweep.The paint on the door seems to be new, a bit newer than last time. The peach charms hanging during the new year were removed, and wormwood was inserted instead to suit the season.

Looking at this door alone, it is full of the worldly atmosphere of life, which is not found in the palace.

Today is Duanyang, and there is also a festival at home. The old lady guessed that she was coming, and she had already made people wait at the door.When Liu Zaofang got off his horse, the door opened from the inside and welcomed her into the house.

The old lady was wrapping corn with some servants. Seeing Liu Zao coming, the women hurriedly got up to give way. Liu Zao greeted the old lady first, and then said to them: "You are busy, don't worry about me."

The old lady also said: "Don't worry about her, let her go."

Liu Zao smiled, and sat aside, only waiting for noon, there will be horn millet to eat.

Hu Aosu could understand Shangyi, he thought about His Majesty's mind, and then talked about some things in the palace.The old lady loves to hear anything related to Liu Zao. While she is busy with her work, she listens to Hu Ao's witty words.The atmosphere in the room is light.

Liu Zao sat for a while, then took the scroll of bamboo slips and flipped through them in his hands.Hu Ao gradually talked about how His Majesty couldn't worry about the old lady in the palace. When it was cold or hot, rainy or snowy, he would care about it once, and sent someone to visit, which made the old lady feel distressed.

Liu Zao saw that Hu Ao's paving was almost done, so he took the opportunity to take over the conversation: "Grandmother thinks the palace is too formal, so she can bring her own servants. I will take a courtyard and live only with my grandmother, and don't allow others to disturb. Isn't it the same as outside the palace?" ?”

Grandmother still refused: "I am a person with two surnames, how can I live in my granddaughter's house forever?" Then she said, "Weiyang Palace is so big, coming from your house to mine is almost the same as coming here."

Many servants and women were added to the old house, all of whom Liu Zao had found as proper people, and there was also a medical officer on hand every day, and there was nothing wrong with it, so there was nothing to worry about.

Liu Zao said: "If you can't serve your body, you will always feel uneasy."

The horn millet was almost wrapped up, the old lady stopped, looked at Liu Zao and said, "This mansion is where you lived when you were young, I will look after it for you, and you can come and visit often, wouldn't it be good?"

Liu Zao was distraught, the old lady was so persistent, she couldn't persuade her anymore.

The horn millet was ready, the servant woman brought the horn millet to cook, and the room gradually became empty.

The maidservant brought clear water, the old lady washed her hands, and asked to bring the freshly made oatmeal this morning to drink with Liu Zao.Liu Zao put down the bamboo slips, held the earcup, and took a sip slowly.

The old lady looked at her lovingly, and suddenly said: "Your Majesty is seventeen this year, do you have a son you like?"

Liu Zao smiled shyly and shook his head: "Not really, but I'm not in a hurry."

The old lady disagreed: "Your mother gave birth to you at your age."

Liu Zao just smiled and said nothing, glanced at Hu Ao, and motioned him to change the subject.Although the old lady's eyes have been blurred in the past few years, she still can't see so close. Knowing that she didn't want to talk about it, she didn't mention it at all, and talked about something else.As soon as he said it, he mentioned Xie Yi.

"The prime minister is also unreliable in marriage." The old lady knew that in the past few years, Xie Xiang had no time to spare, but now that Liu Zao has ascended the throne, she doesn't have to do everything by herself. She should think about lifelong matters, "You know There are many people, so please pay attention to the prime minister."

Hu Ao was in a hurry when he heard the words, and hurriedly went to see His Majesty, but seeing that His Majesty seemed natural, he said softly, "I will watch for her."

The old lady didn't mention it.

What follows is gossip, which part of the house is blooming, what good things happened next door, and so on.Liu Zao listened carefully, and asked in between: "Did someone come to disturb grandma's peace these days?"

The old lady smiled and shook her head: "It's gone."

Because His Majesty often came to the old house, many people's minds became active, and they regarded this place as a gateway, and people often came to talk and visit.I don't know how many names the old lady has received, but she is illiterate and has no intention of soliciting them, let alone the fact that the emperor rarely comes here and is troubled by trivial matters, so she simply sealed them up and didn't mention them when Liu Zao came over.

Until the day of cold food, the doctor once guessed that His Majesty would come today, and unexpectedly came to the door to meet him.This behavior attracted Liu Zao's attention, and he called the old man who guarded the gate to ask about it. When he knew what was going on, he immediately asked people to let go of the old house, and no one was allowed to come to the old house to disturb him, and then he calmed down.

Hu Ao was listening, and paid attention to His Majesty's expression from time to time. Seeing that she was calm and unconcerned, he didn't know whether His Majesty really let go, or buried his thoughts in his heart.

In the spring of last year, His Majesty and Xie Xiang went to the garden to enjoy the spring scenery. After returning, there was no smile for a long time.For more than a year now, His Majesty has never seen each other in private except for meeting Xie Xiang at the court and occasionally calling Xie Xiang into the Xuan Room to discuss political affairs.Even when discussing political affairs, other ministers were summoned, as if His Majesty deliberately avoided the opportunity to be alone with Prime Minister Xie.

Hu Ao guessed that something must have happened during the visit to the garden, and most likely it was Xie's refusal to His Majesty.

Others don't know His Majesty's mind, how can he not know when he is always serving him.If you say it's a bad fate, His Majesty has a heart, but Xie Xiang has no intention of doing so.Force cannot be forced.Seeing that His Majesty was sad, and seeing the Sacred Heart's resoluteness, he secretly ordered the palace people not to mention thanking Prime Minister before His Majesty. He also paid attention to it on weekdays, except for political affairs, he also avoided the word thanking Prime Minister.

Today, the old lady didn't intend to mention it, and what she was talking about was the matter of marriage, so he was a little nervous, fearing that it would hit His Majesty's heartache.Unexpectedly, His Majesty was not moved at all, and promised to pay attention to Xie Xiang.

Hu Ao couldn't see through it, thinking that His Majesty might really let it go, and thinking that the king's unpredictable mind may not be the case.

No matter how elusive he was, at noon, Liu Zao ordered him to eat too, instead of serving by his side.

Diurnal food is naturally horn millet.Corned millet is wrapped in wild rice leaves, wrapped in the shape of horns, boiled in water, and then eaten.The wild wild leaves are fresh, boiled in water, and the fragrance is even more tangy, mixed with the fragrance of millet, which makes people salivate.

Liu Zao ate one and was half full. Seeing that there was still a bamboo tube, he couldn't help asking curiously, "What is this? I've never seen it before."

Grandmother laughed and said, "This is also horn millet, but it is millet put into a bamboo tube and roasted on the fire. It is a custom in Wuyue area, not in Chang'an. I heard people tell me how to do it two days ago. I tried it and felt Wearing well."

When Liu Zao heard this, he became interested, took one and opened it.The grandmother handed over the plate, and Liu Zao picked up the millet from the bamboo tube with a long spoon.

I tasted it, and it tasted really good.There are not only millet in the bamboo tube, but also diced meat, shrimp, and other condiments.

Liu Zao ate another half of the tube, filling his stomach to the full.

Seeing this, the old lady asked her to pack a few raw bamboo tubes, and asked her to take them with her when she went back, and put them on the fire to roast them before they could be eaten. She then said: "I will ask you to write down the recipe, and you can take it with you. When you want to eat, you can eat it." It’s also good to make people do it.”

Liu Zao nodded in agreement, and when she received the bamboo slices with recipes written on them, there was a touch of regret in her eyes, the regrets were fleeting, and she smiled and said to the old lady in a flash: "The cooks in the palace can only know a few things. In addition to the method and theirs, I can’t think of anything other than the delicious food from my grandmother.”

After she became the emperor, her mouth became a lot sweeter. She was not so eloquent in the past.

The old lady was very happy to hear her flattery, but she couldn't help but feel distressed. She thought that there would be many troubles in the palace, and she was required to take care of her busy work and force her to think carefully about her words. After a long time, she would naturally be able to It's eloquent.

At dusk, Liu Zaofang got up to say goodbye.She likes this place very much, and also likes to get along with her grandmother so peacefully. Every time she comes here, she is always reluctant to leave.

The attendant has gone to lead the horse and wait outside the door.When Liu Zao went out, he suddenly felt worried, so he ordered the old man on the door to come forward and asked, "Has anyone come to visit your house recently?"

The old man hesitated.

Liu Zao's expression sank, and he said, "Tell me the truth."

The old man was afraid of her power, so he didn't dare to hide it, and said honestly: "Yes, there are also women who come to the door. The old lady is not easy to say goodbye, and she often has customers."

Liu Zao was angry, and was about to ask why it was hard to quit?But after these few years, she was already in the city, and before she could say anything, she realized that it was probably because she got angry last time, and let people know the weight of her grandmother in her heart.People with low status dare not come to the door, but people with high status pay more attention to the favor here.

They offered rich gifts without asking for words. They only communicated with relatives and friends, and even the female relatives came to the door in person, saying that they were visiting the elderly.Even if she is the emperor, it is not easy to issue an edict to blame her.

Grandmother didn't refuse, and it was because of her.

She was born in Yeting, grew up outside the palace, and grew up in the hands of the common people. Her grandmother was afraid that she would refuse the invitation of the minister and be said to be unreliable, so they speculated on her.

The ease of the day is gone in an instant.

Liu Zao waved his hand, telling him to go, and got on the horse by himself, but there was no smile on his face.She thought about what to do in her heart.While thinking about it, he took the reins and walked forward. When he reached the inner gate, he suddenly saw a group of people coming towards him.

Liu Zao casually tugged on the rein, intending to go out, but her body froze when her eyes swept over the carriage in the middle.

This is Xie Xiang's car.

Xie Yi over there heard the sound and looked over.

The two just looked at each other.