An old lady's life

In the east courtyard, Mrs. Zhang was lying on the bed, and Jia Lian was sleeping soundly in front of her. Jia She looked at the mother and son with eyes full of reluctance, and Mrs. Zhang pulled Jia She to him.

"Master is doing business, I won't blame you, so you go, don't worry, I'll be fine at home, and you'll see me when you come back." Mrs. Zhang straightened Jia She's collar and went along. Smooth the folds of the clothes that are not noticeable at all.

Mrs. Zhang never undermined Jia She's self-confidence. No matter what Jia She did, as long as it was a serious matter, she would support her. Just like this, Jia She was held in her hands bit by bit, and Jia She was willing to do so.

Jia She nodded, babbled a lot of words, and then left.

Walking out of the east courtyard, I happened to meet Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen at the gate, and Jia She immediately smiled, "Second brother, Zhen'er, you go out too!"

Jia Zheng nodded and said calmly, "Brother."

Jia Zhen was unaware of the strife between the two uncles, so she said obediently, "Uncle Pardon."

Jia Amnesty put his arms around Jia Zheng's shoulders, and the two brothers talked as they walked, "Second brother, you have become a teacher too. Not bad, keep working hard."

The corner of Jia Zheng's mouth twitched, not wanting to bring up this troublesome question, so he simply changed the subject, "Brother, where are you going?"

Jia Zhen followed the two of them, thinking that the two uncles had a very good relationship.

The three of them got into the carriages heading to different destinations in front of the gate of Rongfu, and the two carriages galloped forward, one on the left and the other on the right.

It's still early in the session, Lin Hai has been in the Hanlin Academy for about an hour and a half, and they always go to work early in the morning, so they can take a short break in the middle of the session.

When he was pouring water to make tea, he saw the gatekeeper at the gate of the Imperial Academy running to him, saying that someone was looking for him at the gate.

Lin Hai was quite puzzled, he hadn't mentioned the people who came to him early in the morning, and this hour was really early for most people.

Seeing Jia She from a distance, Lin Hai became more and more confused. Didn't he just meet Jia She yesterday?Why did you come to the Imperial Academy to look for him today?

"Ru Hai!" Seeing Lin Hai, Jia She was waving from a distance, quite happy.

Lin Hai approached: "Brother looking for me?"

Jia She grinned: "If you don't have anything to go to the Three Treasures Hall, it's only because I have something to do with you!"

Lin Hai looked a little helpless. For some reason, this uncle, like his mother, always choked people to death when he said something, but he was telling the truth.

And he couldn't afford to offend these two people!

Jia Amnesty came closer, and then explained the background one by one, Lin Hai nodded, this is not difficult, many officials often come to the Imperial Academy to borrow books, especially the officials of the Dasinong and the Ministry of Agriculture, especially!

"Brother, come find me around Shen Shi this afternoon, and I'll tell you again."

Jia Amnesty patted Lin Hai's shoulder: "It's been hard work, and I'll give you a good word when I see Sister Min next time."

Lin Hai's expression was strange for a while, Min'er is his wife, so does the eldest brother need to speak nicely?And the relationship between their husband and wife is good, not to lose to the uncle and sister-in-law!

Jia Amnesty left happily. Lin Hai watched the carriage go away before returning to the Imperial Academy, thinking about what the two uncles had done since the death of their father-in-law. Big difference, mother-in-law is amazing!

The person Lin Hai knew best in the Imperial Academy was Zhou Su, and the first person he asked was Zhou Su, and what Jia Amnesty asked for was not shady.

However, Zhou Su is a child of a poor family, and his connections and other connections are not as good as Lin Hai's. What he knows is only limited to borrowing books and chatting with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Zhou Su mentioned two officials from the Ministry of Agriculture that he had a better impression of. He felt that the two officials had unique views on farmland water conservancy and other aspects, and they often went to and from Huangzhuang to inspect the experimental fields on Huangzhuang. , can be regarded as officials of the Ministry of Agriculture who often come into contact with the fields. Most of the others are putting on airs and don't know more about farming than they do.

After Jia She said his goodbyes, he didn't go home directly, but went to the bookstore, intending to look for some books on farming, he also took a look, at least he wasn't so ignorant.

Bought a lot of books and spent a total of 50 taels of silver. Jia She didn't feel much about it. He was born as a man of gold and jade and grew up. The 50 taels were just going out to have a good time with friends in the past. expenses.

Suddenly thinking of his previous life, Jia She felt in a daze that he was a little far away from him. At this moment, someone called him from behind. At first he thought he had heard it wrong. He didn't want a few people to jump out from behind and slapped him heavily. , almost made him unable to hold the book he just bought.

"You can do it, Enhou, I thought you were keeping your filial piety at home, and I don't want to see you here, how about it? Go have a drink with us." One of the visitors said with a playful smile.

Another person saw the book in Jia She's hand, and exaggeratedly said: "Oh, Enhou is really different, when did he become bookish? Look, are you serious about reading now?"

"What nonsense, you don't want to make progress yourself, so you can't allow Enhou to make progress? Enhou is now the head of the famous Rongguo Mansion. Unlike you and me, I still get some money and drink under the wings of my parents. How about it? Enhou Hou treats you today!"

.. ......

Several people talked to each other, did not give Jia Shen a chance to speak at all, and all pushed Jia Shen to go to the restaurant on the street.

Jia Amnesty was a little depressed, why didn't I find these people so noisy before?He stood still, frowning and glanced at the large group of people. They were all his friends who used to drink and play in the garden, and they were all unmotivated children from various families in Beijing.

"It's just been a few months since we haven't seen each other. Why are you all working together to trick me?" Seeing everyone's embarrassing expressions, Jia Amnesty touched his nose and said, "Don't tell me about theaters and restaurants, hum! My filial piety doesn't mean I can't go out, do you want me to break the precepts during the filial piety period? Then the emperor will be happy when he takes away my title?"

Jia Amnesty glanced at these friends, always felt that everyone's expressions were a little fake, and their eyes were floating. Did he read it wrong?

"I will invite you to drink in the future, but now I really can't." Jia She patted everyone on the shoulder, "I still have something to do, let's go first. If you have something to do, you can come to Rongfu to find me. By the way, I got another one." Son, because the filial piety period is not a big deal, I didn't inform you, remember to bring a gift when you come to the door!"

Those people were just joking. For things like keeping filial piety, people who care about it care about it, but they are not the ones who care about it. But since Jia She cares about it, they naturally can't pick on Jia She's beard.

"Sister-in-law gave birth? Is it safe and sound?" They remembered that Jia She's wife was pregnant. When Jia She last drank with them, he kept drinking, worried about his father who was sick and bedridden, and worried about his wife who had a bad image. They also attended the funeral of Jia She, but it was a pity that Jia She was busy at that time, and they couldn't speak to him at all.

"Congratulations to Enhou, next time I come to visit and give my nephew a big gift."

Jia Amnesty chatted with this group of pig and dog friends for a long time, and then returned to the carriage with the books he bought. Inside the carriage, Jia Amnesty looked deep in thought, always feeling that something was wrong.

He casually flipped through a book on the surface, although he didn't read it carefully, but the uncomfortable feeling just now disappeared, and Jia She was too lazy to think about too complicated things.When the carriage returned to Rong Mansion, he happily returned to the East Courtyard with a stack of books in his arms. It took no more than an hour from the time he left to the time he came back.

Here, Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen are different in the bookstore. Jia Zheng is used to it, and Jia Zhen stands by in a daze, not knowing where to start.

After these days of busyness, the front of the bookstore has almost been renovated, leaving only the library.However, the decoration of the library is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and better quality must be ensured.

Seeing that the entire bookstore and building were on the right track, Jia Zheng began to think about the styles of tables, chairs, benches, etc. in the bookstore. He wanted to order a unique design.

Jia Zhen didn't know where to go in the bookstore. Seeing that the craftsmen ignored him, Jia Zhen felt a little wronged. As the only eldest son of the Ningguo Mansion, he was admired by many stars since he was a child, but now he is The little craftsman was ignored, and Jia Zhen was a little at a loss, thinking that when he went back in the afternoon, his uncle would ask him about his homework. Jia Zhen thought about it, and it seemed impossible to continue like this.

With a cheeky face, Jia Zhen took the initiative to get close to the nearest craftsman. The craftsman was really busy, and in this era of scholars, farmers, businessmen, and craftsmen, the status of craftsmen was relatively low.

During this morning, Jia Zhen only figured out one thing, the order of the decoration, and lunch at noon was a big pot meal with the craftsmen. The only thing that was better was that the soup he and Uncle Zheng made was much more delicious than the craftsmen.

"Uncle Zheng, what are you thinking?" Jia Zhen hugged the rice bowl and leaned in front of Jia Zheng. When Jia Zheng was eating, his eyes were not focused, and Jia Zhen knew that Uncle Zheng was still thinking about something.

Jia Zheng came back to his senses, glanced at Jia Zhen, and did not answer his question, but instead asked, "How many of the homework your uncle gave you have you completed?"

Jia Zhen immediately fell into depression, pulled out the food in twos and twos, drank the soup, and said weakly: "One."

Jia Zheng didn't laugh at him, nodded and said: "Then you can continue in the afternoon, ask them more, you will know, be thick-skinned, at the beginning..." Jia Zheng pondered for a moment, then felt relieved, "I also came here like this, I was completely unclear from the beginning to the end, but after groping bit by bit, I now understand.”

Jia Zhen stared at Jia Zheng incredulously, and said depressedly, "Then Uncle Zheng, tell me, how did you do it?"

Jia Zheng laughed suddenly: "How do I do it? Back then, I spent several days to buy a shop, and I almost ran all over the capital."

Jia Zhen listened with her ears open, feeling that there was nothing new about it, and then asked the last few questions left by her uncle and grandmother. Jia Zheng was not silent, and explained them one by one. It is impossible to lie to mother.

It was another busy afternoon. Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen returned to Rongfu at the end of Shen Shi. Jia Zhen cheered herself up and went to Rongxi Hall without hesitation. Tables, chairs and benches are then made by carpenters.

Jia Amnesty went to wait for Lin Hai at the gate of the Imperial Academy as early as Shen Shi, and Lin Hai appeared on time. Lin Hai had already fully understood how many officials there were in the Ministry of Agriculture, and selected five officials who had learned a lot. This will just tell Jia Amnesty one by one.

At this moment, a familiar voice sounded from behind Lin Hai. Jia Amnesty looked up and was overjoyed, "Hey, Brother Hao, it's you!"

Lin Hai turned around, the corners of his mouth twitched, and Jia She and Hao Ding complimented each other as if they were brothers.

"I'm so lucky today, I met Enhou!"

Lin Hai only thought that Hao Ding knew his eldest brother, but he didn't expect the relationship between the two to be so good.

"Master Lin, I will rest tomorrow."

Jia Amnesty said quickly, "Brother Hao, rest, where are you going now?"

The two of you talked to each other, completely forgetting about Lin Hai. Does Lin Hai feel that his sense of existence is so low?

In the end, Jia Amnesty took the list of personnel and left with satisfaction, and agreed with Hao Ding that they would have time to play together in the future. Hao Ding still got into Lin Hai's carriage and followed Lin Hai to Lin's house.

Hao Ding is now a regular visitor of the Lin family, everyone in the Lin family is very familiar with him, he comes and goes freely.

It's not surprising for Ai Cao to see him, more than a dozen of them are all orphans, brought up by Commander Wu as guards, with too many rules, too many restraints, fewer friends, and they don't know where to go on holidays.

Hao Ding talked a lot, but he never revealed the secret information in the palace, even when he talked about his colleagues, he didn't name them by name, and what he talked about was just trivial matters, such as how much he lost and won in private gambling.

"The palace examination on the ninth, the draft on the tenth..." Hao Ding began to look away, he wanted to marry a wife, Ai Cao couldn't help laughing when he saw this.

"The draft is over in half a month. When is the outing you plan to do, old lady? Let's take a break." Hao Ding asked calmly, blinking his eyes.

Ai Cao thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'm afraid it's too late for the original April. How about after the Dragon Boat Festival? It starts on the eighth day and ends on the fifteenth day."

Hao Ding's eyes sparkled, and Ai Cao laughed again, rubbing the cutie's head.

Now the weather is starting to heat up, and the temperature at night is not so cold. The curved upper moon hangs high in the sky, occasionally hiding a corner shyly in the clouds.

Wormwood went to look for Hongye again. Since the last big breakthrough, it only took half an hour to fuse with the buds each time, and it couldn't take a little longer.

As soon as the two met, Ai Cao talked about the body space, and then Ai Cao knew that Hongye was a little faster than her, and Hongye talked about her understanding of the body space these days, and Ai Cao suddenly understood that the body space still needs to be developed. The research, which she had shelved before, was a waste of money.

The two chatted a lot, and they didn't part until more than half of the time passed.

After returning to Lin's house, Ai Cao decided not to be so lazy in the future. She obviously has such a good plug-in, but if she doesn't use it well, she can't blame others if she can't beat her own useless material in the future.

The following time seemed to pass quickly, and the palace examination was a few days later, and the capital suddenly became quiet, and there was no noise after the examination.

Ai Cao also pays special attention to the palace examination. She wants to know who the top three are in this year's palace examination, especially if Tanhualang is still a young and handsome handsome man.

Before noon, the results of the palace examination will come out.

The first three champions, the second place, and Tanhua really follow the rules. Tanhualang is very handsome, the champion and the second place are middle-aged men in their thirties, and Tanhualang is only 24 or [-] years old.

Xiaoqi is worthy of being an ancient paparazzi, and soon found out the origin of the top three.

The number one scholar is a child of a poor family, of course it’s just that he came from a poor family, but he has worshiped a famous teacher. He is a famous Confucian in Tianlu Academy in the south of the Yangtze River.

The role model comes from a scholar family in Qingliu. He is thin and thin. I heard that the reason why he took the imperial examination at this age is because of his poor health.

Tanhualang's family background is not obvious, he came from a farming and studying family. To put it bluntly, his family is not a big family, but before the exam, he joined Mr. Boyang's sect and became the last closed disciple of a generation of great Confucians.

Xiaoqi spoke happily, and Ai Cao and Jia Min looked a little funny.

Mr. Boyang?There was also one of his disciples in the last imperial examination. After the imperial examination, he won No. 1 in the second class. He was worried about not being in the first class. Even if he saw Lin Hai now, his eyes were not eyes, and his nose was not a nose.

"Old lady, lady, that's it. The champion and the second place are married, and they have several children. Tanhua is young and has no marriage contract. Now there are so many people in the capital vying for Tanhualang to be his son-in-law. The threshold of Mr. Boyang's house will be trampled. gone."

Ai Cao said indifferently: "I hope he didn't lie, otherwise it would be unfair to the two women." The ancient rules and regulations were very unfavorable to women. Fortunately, the Great Phoenix Dynasty allowed women to reconcile, and also allowed remarried wives and widows. The royal family also advocates remarriage. If the first consort of the royal princess dies, the princess is allowed to remarry, and it is up to the princess's will.

"However, Mr. Boyang picked up a big deal, which is very good. His reputation has been raised to another level." Mr. Boyang's ability to know people is not bad, and the disciple who has only been in the door for less than two months has passed the test of Tanhua !

Lin Hai had already sent a servant back to report that he was going to the palace to attend the Qiongfang banquet at night, so he didn't go home for dinner.

Ai Cao just remembered that there is still such a day, Qiongfang banquet?Isn't this a chance for all students who pass the imperial examination to cast a wide net?

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are eating home-cooked food at home, Lin Hai can be said to be a little dumbfounded in the palace.

At the beginning of Qiongfang Banquet, Emperor Changping attended, and all the ministers showed their faces, especially Emperor Changping praised Mr. Boyang. , the newly recruited disciples of this year's imperial examination passed the examination, and they are worthy of being a learned and talented gentleman.

Mr. Boyang is very reserved, and he looks very modest while stroking his beard.

On the contrary, King Qi and Lou Gao Jiyang, who stood in the corner of the main hall with a weak sense of presence, had some special thoughts in their hearts. They must have seen Mr. Boyang select disciples in Yueyang Tower with their own eyes, but they did not expect to be selected by him. See Mr. Lai Boyang still has real talents.

The hall was crowded with people, Lin Hai and Zhou Su sat together, and after the emperor left, they exchanged pleasantries with the people around them. In such an occasion, everyone had a sense of proportion, and no one would easily offend anyone.

While taking a sip of tea in the gap, he heard someone calling him, he looked up and turned around, it turned out that it was Qian Yongwang and the new Tanhua.

Qian Yongwang was about the same age as Lin Hai, but the new Tanhualang was about a year older than them, but he was inferior to Qian Yongwang, and was Qian Yongwang's junior.

Lin Hai didn't know the reason why Qian Yongwang brought his younger brother to find him, anyway, it doesn't matter if everyone is friendly.Qian Yongwang was deeply influenced by Mr. Boyang, so he was a bit arrogant, but the new Tanhua Lang looked personable, polite and humble.

It wasn't until Qian Yongwang and the two left that Lin Hai breathed a sigh of relief.For some reason, getting in touch with Qian Yongwang and this new Tanhua Lang always makes people feel uneasy.

After drinking too much tea, he wanted to go to the toilet, Lin Hai and Zhou Su said something, and then went outside the hall.

After coming out of the latrine, he walked for a while, and happened to meet Luo Jin, Qian Feng and a group of people. Lin Hai just followed the etiquette to say hello to a group of officials, and then fell far behind.

You can't walk around in the palace, people who come to Qiongfang Banquet can only walk in a fixed place, there are guards outside, it is impossible to run to the imperial garden.

But in this yard, there are groups of people in twos and threes, chatting in full swing.

On such occasions, Lin Hai has always kept a low profile, so he never gets close to King Qi or the prince, even if he knows King Qi and the seventh prince.

However, when he saw King Qi, the prince and other princes surrounded by many people, Lin Hai still stood at the outermost edge until the seventh and tenth princes greeted him from afar.

"Lord Lin, I'll rest tomorrow. I'm going out of the palace. Tell the old lady first. I'll go find the old lady." The tenth prince said with a smile.

The Seventh Prince felt a little helpless, nodded and said: "Master Lin, please don't be deliberate, we just walk around at will."

No matter what Lin Hai thought in his heart, he said calmly on his face: "Okay, I will tell my wife and mother, and I am waiting for the arrival of the two princes at any time."

The tenth prince waved his hands quickly, and leaned closer to Lin Hai's ear, "Don't, Mr. Lin, don't mobilize the crowd, it will make me embarrassed to face the old lady."

Lin Hai still nodded with a smile: "Don't worry about the tenth prince, it's just to make people prepare in advance to welcome the arrival of the two princes, and it won't add extra work."

The three of them stood in the corner. Because of the light at night, it was not very bright, and they couldn't see others if they didn't pay attention.

Unexpectedly, the three of them were talking happily, and King Qi's voice came out, "I just heard that the two nephews are leaving the palace tomorrow. Where are they going? Uncle Huang will accompany you naughty children."

The tenth prince made a face at King Qi, "Uncle Huang, don't meddle in it, why do you want to get involved everywhere?"

King Qi laughed: "I'm still a child at heart, I'm old enough to have some fun, why am I hindering you, a brat?"

The Seventh Prince didn't say a word, but the Tenth Prince said quickly, "That's right, you're getting old, and I'm still so young, I don't want to play with you, an old man."

"Hey, do you dislike me for being old? Your royal father is no more than two years younger than me!" King Qi smirked.

The tenth prince snorted: "Father is always strong and strong, and the sword is not old!"

Lin Hai maintained a gentle smile, and said in his heart that apart from the disputes in the royal family, there is also family affection. I hope that the tenth prince will always be so innocent in the future.

After Qiongfang's banquet was over, it was late at night, and when Lin Hai returned to Lin's house, it was past midnight.However, neither Ai Cao nor Jia Min fell asleep, waiting for Lin Hai.

Because it was too late, Ai Cao didn't ask about Qiong Fang's banquet, but after Lin Hai greeted his mother, Fang said: "Mother, the seventh and tenth princes will come to the house tomorrow, and they came to visit you specially."

Ai Cao was a little surprised, nodded and said: "Okay, Hai'er, don't worry, the two princes, Min'er and I will know about the reception."

Lin Hai earnestly told his mother to rest earlier, and also said that he would not have to wait for him in the future, otherwise he would be worried about his mother's health. Ai Cao sent him and Jia Min away impatiently.