Wang Zili followed the old man to the study at the back. Although the Wang family came from military backgrounds, the border is basically stable now, and the emperor's opponents inside have all been eliminated. The status of a literati is slowly becoming more valuable than a general.The Wang family also became more educated, and the inner study and study room were all neatly repaired.Wang Changchun's inner study is in the deepest part of the back yard, next to the back door. That place is very quiet. The children of the Wang family were told not to disturb the quietness of their grandfather. They usually avoid that place when they go out to play.

This is the first time Wang Zili has come to this place. Looking at a small courtyard from a distance, with white walls and black tiles, there are lush pines and cypresses and tall ginkgo trees in it, surrounding the whole courtyard. I saw some eaves and wind chimes under the eaves.Wang Zili followed her grandfather all the way, and her mind was in a state of flux. The longer she came here, the more she realized that this old man was really an unpredictable person. Rather than talking about the four major families in Jinling, it is better to say It is the five major families.Zhen's family is even more powerful than Jia Shi Wang Xue's four families.Or their Zhen family's power has exceeded the local limit, and it can be called the top three in the national overall ranking.Among the four families in Jinling, the Jia family and historians are more famous.The Xue family and the Wang family are much more ordinary.At least the clues can be seen from the titles. The Shi family is a feudal lord, the Jia family is two princes, and the Xue family has only one title. Their identities are neither yin nor yang. They seem to be officials and businessmen.In modern times, he is just a red-top businessman with an official background.

The ancestor of the Wang family was only a county uncle, but Mr. Wang used to be a general. He was still in the Ministry of War for a long time.What is even more admirable is that Mr. Wang's footprints in the officialdom are simply pinching the turning point of history. Every time he happened to catch up with the right time to do the right thing.When the imperial court wanted to use troops abroad, Mr. Wang happened to be at the border gate.He led a team of troops and followed the coach and luckily went deep into the enemy's rear on the grassland. He didn't get lost and didn't meet a strong enemy. Instead, he stepped on shit luck and suddenly attacked the enemy's base camp.Although it was hard for the old man to run for thousands of miles, he escaped the fighting on the battlefield and even got the credit for capturing the enemy chieftain alive.From a second lieutenant to a major general, he became the commander of the military region.

Next, the old man stood firmly on the side of the current emperor. At that time, the current emperor was still a small feudal lord. In fact, all Qing emperors were unhappy about being an uncle and seeing his nephew, a puny kid, be the emperor.Jinshang is a man with a big heart, and he did his best to push his nephew off the throne.Anyway, at that time, it could be written as a tome, like the Three Kingdoms, where the court and the prince played tricks on each other.

Mount Tai was not built in a day, nor was the rebellion successful in a day.We must know that even if the emperor's uncle was overthrown in that era, the probability of success was not high.At the beginning, the current emperor was really at a disadvantage.Unexpectedly, it was at this time that Mr. Wang quietly submitted a certificate of honor to the current emperor, and what happened next was like the sesame seeds that the old mother at home said were blooming steadily.The Wang family got on the sailing boat of today's Holy Majesty and began to get lucky.Sometimes Zili couldn't help secretly thinking, could it be that the old man also came through time travel?

What is the girl thinking?The old man looked at Wang Zili with a half-smile, his eyes under his long eyebrows were like black gems, shining brightly, and he could see through Wang Zili's heart.It turned out that she had already followed into the small study room. Wang Zili looked around at the unfamiliar environment. The yard was very large, but there were many pine and cypress trees planted. The lush shade covered most of the yard, and the sun was blocked by the treetops. , giving people a feeling of being in the ancient tea deep in the mountains.

Moreover, on the road facing the main house, there is a copper crane with a white jade plate to catch the dew in its mouth.It looks like a small study room devoted to reading the books of sages, but it's almost like a gymnasium.Wang Zili looked at the furnishings in the yard very confused, and answered the wrong question: "Why do I feel like I have arrived at a Taoist temple? Will my grandfather still undertake dew alchemy?" That thing is unreliable, and the heavy metals exceed the standard. Longevity, if you don't eat it, you will die.

"Haha, the second girl in my family is still smart. What alchemy is, it's just an excuse to be lazy. You wait and see if my alchemy is ready." Mr. Wang laughed happily, and pulled his granddaughter up to the backyard go.Wang Zili thought about what he said was not ridiculous at all, but as soon as he turned around, Wang Zili smelled a scent, but it was the scent of tangerine peel, aniseed, and pepper condiments.Is there a kitchen hidden in the backyard?What kind of alchemy is grandfather making?There is a small red clay casserole on top of a small clay stove under the eaves of the porch at the back, and there is no one knows what is cooking.

The grandpa and grandson sat down, the old man lifted the lid of the pot, and Zili immediately laughed when he saw what was inside: "It turns out that my grandfather is refining the foundation building pill, it smells so good!"

Mr. Wang Changchun was cooking a pot of delicious tea eggs. Hearing what his granddaughter said, the old man's eyes sparkled: "It's still my second girl who knows the goods. They all put on a serious face with me and advised me not to listen to Taoist priests. , Am I that stupid? But I deliberately pretended to be confused. I was vague about what they said, and I said something when they said something. After a few times, they didn’t bother me. I just stay here quietly After a few days of comfortable life, people like to be quiet when they get older. Try it, do you see that my cooking is delicious? I remember when I was fighting, I was ambushed just after crossing the Yellow River, and the army dispersed immediately. I I was unlucky and got injured. I took a few soldiers and hid in the crop field by the river. At that time, I heard that there was going to be a war, and the people in the countryside ran away. After a few days, I was about to die. Fortunately, my life was not to die. I met an old fishing boatman. He was a kind man and healed my wound. I lived with him for a month and learned a lot from him. I remember that he gave me a kind of boiled egg when my wound was not healed. It tasted really good. Unfortunately, I will never eat eggs with that taste again.” It turned out that the old man was missing the glory of the past Years, tinkering with the taste of memory in the small study.It turned out that the old man suddenly became superstitious about the fact that a Taoist priest wanted to make alchemy. The truth was that Wang Changchun was looking for the best recipe for boiled tea eggs in the small study.

Wang Changchun fished out an egg from the pot, and he and his granddaughter ate slowly one by one.It's true that the boiled eggs are not very delicious, too many spices are put in, and there is no official assistant, all the flavors are mixed together in a mess, but as far as the old man is concerned, Zili also thinks the taste is good.

"How many maids and wives do you have by your side?" The old man didn't answer Wang Zili's question directly, but chatted with his granddaughter.

"There are two big girls by my side, four little girls, and four wives, together with the nanny and the nanny, that's six wives. There are twelve people in total." Wang Zili thought about it and answered truthfully. Hadn't Wang Dingqian reached out for money, wouldn't she be able to live a comfortable life as a young lady?

"In a blink of an eye, my second girl also grew up, and now you live alone in a courtyard. If you want to ask me about the accounts, I will tell you today. What does this look like to you?" Wang Changchun pointed out. He pointed to the ledger in Zili's hand.

What is it, a ledger? "Back to my grandfather, this is the account book that Mr. Cheng taught me to read. He said he read the account book, wrote an article, and then found out the mistakes in it." Wang Zili replied honestly.She hasn't seen a teacher who reads the ledger and writes her reflections.

"In your opinion, it's just an account book, remembering your father's accounts in the river engineering, but if you want me to say, this thing is a big article. How can things in the world be so clear-cut? Taiji Liangyi produces four phenomena, the world Thousands of different things are the same when put together." Wang Changchun took a sip from his teacup, he looked at Wang Zili's confused look, and the old man continued: "Let me ask you, now that you have grown up, the people around you Things are also arranged by myself. How do you use your monthly money? Everyone in your yard has their own monthly money. Why does your mother quietly give an extra five slings and a tael of silver every month? ah?"

Wang Zili seemed to understand something, and she suddenly realized: "The girl and mother-in-law around me all pay for food and clothing, so they are also monthly money. But once I want something, the kitchen will ask for more money." I add the money myself, and I will also give errand money to those who pass the message back and forth. Or if the servants around me serve well or they are leaving, and something happens to the family, I will also take out some private money to supplement them. If According to the rules and regulations, it is unreasonable to do some things. I think the money in the ledger is also a kind of human relationship with the river workers. How many people are there on a construction site? There is a lot of money in one day."

Wang Changchun patted his thigh happily, and the old man beamed with joy: "That's the reason, you see, you need a few strings of money a month and a tael of silver for favors, let alone a project involving tens of thousands of people. You She usually makes you shoes for a few hundred dollars, and she is so happy that she forgets the needle holes in her hands. One of the river workers will die if they don’t pay attention. work. Your grandmother sent someone to give you things, and you naturally want to reward them. Although your father is a river channel, he also has superiors and subordinates to settle, and river workers are often involved in land disputes, and they also have to use money to buy land. Life is alive No one can just live in a rigid frame. There are natural principles and human feelings. If you only talk about natural principles with a black face, you will be hated by others first. Everyone likes reasonable people. People who stand on a high commanding height and point at others, if you do that kind of person, you will either be driven crazy by yourself or be disgusted by others to death."

Zili listened carefully to the old man's words, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the old man was a smart person. Ordinary parents would not scold their children with a straight face when their children asked about unspoken rules and gray areas: "You don't learn well at a young age. If they do illegal things, accidents will happen sooner or later." Or it is time to push it: "You will understand when you grow up." What's more, you simply say to your children: "That's what they have, you have to study hard, and later you will understand." You can also lie down and make money!" As a result, the child either became a greenhouse strawberry who didn't know the world, or became a gangster, taking taking advantage of loopholes to make money as the ultimate goal.It is also her blessing to have such a wise and shrewd old man.

"I probably understand that it's like a family. Although there are rules governing the family, the rules of the family can't be written down in every detail. The general rules are good, like how much the master wants to reward the slave for serving well. Who thinks today? If the food is not to your liking, ask someone to add something to it, and you can’t write it down in the family rules. Wouldn’t it be a joke? It’s just for those of us who come later to decide what to do. It’s like the court’s law, It is impossible to frame every move of the people in the world. For officials, especially local officials, the most important thing is to be flexible. Mr. Cheng probably means that we should know how to be flexible, so that we can understand the morals of the world and people's hearts." Zili held up his hand. The ledger winked at the old man.

"A child can be taught, but it's a pity that you are not a boy. If you are a boy, I will definitely take you by my side. Maybe your future is better than your brother." The old man fished out another egg from the pot and gave it to Zili.

"Whether I'm a grandson or a granddaughter, it's possible that grandpa still dislikes me. I also want to learn how to raise my eyebrows and lower my eyes, so that I can learn to treat people well in the future!" Zili acted like a baby to the old man, talking to the old man rather than sitting It is much more fun to embroider with your head bowed in front of the embroidery frame.Taking a ten thousand step back, no matter how good the embroidery is, it can only add to the icing on the cake. I learned to detect people's hearts with the old man, and being a human being is a true skill that will never be used in a lifetime.

Hearing Zili's words, Wang Changchun's smile grew stronger: "Okay, I'm worried that there's no one to talk to. Come and be me a little Taoist who fanes the wind and watches the stove."

........................

The news of the emperor's southern tour became a clear and certain matter for the world, and the officialdom in the south of the Yangtze River suddenly became tense, and the officials who were about to pick him up had their hearts raised in their throats.Wang Dingqian is also very busy these days. He has to be busy with the emperor's military parade. He has to tidy up all the armor, mounts and weapons. Suspiciousness is not so serious.He can't wait for the ministers to only work and not eat, and it is best to bring their own dry food every month. If the emperor thinks that you have embezzled their family's money, you will be in bad luck.In fact, on the surface, in the officialdom, everyone seems to be doing what they like, and everyone seems to be very clean, but in fact, in private, the bold and the timid are starved to death.

It was already dark when Wang Dingqian returned home. He went to see the old lady before returning to his yard.Mrs. Tang was busy taking the girls out to greet her, changed her clothes, washed her hands and face, Wang Dingqian sat down with tea and said, "You have worked hard these days, and you are going to tidy up Jia's yard? Why don't you see the children? "

"Shengjia has already set off from the capital. I heard that Rong Guogong has arrived in Shandong to meet Shengjia. The yard has been tidied up, so you can rest assured. In fact, there is something missing in their house, and they still have to rely on the help of their friends. , Living in our house is also based on the previous love. Of course, they will prepare for the supply, we just need to do our best. You don’t even look at the current time, they have already eaten and are ready to go to bed It's the second girl, the old man took the second girl to study in the small study in his spare time these few days. Her mother told me that the girl only wanted to play and didn't even want to learn sewing." Mrs. Tang complained to her husband When she got up, she didn't dare to directly complain that Wang Changchun was unreliable. In Madam Tang's opinion, Zili was a girl, she should learn from female workers and be a housekeeper.The old man was talking about it, he was hiding in the small study all day, either enlightening Taoism and practicing Zen, or making troubles to burn alchemy and refine mercury, Zili is still a girl, what's the matter with messing around all day long?If the reputation of the Second Miss of the Wang family practicing Zen and Taoism spread at home, that family would dare to have a daughter-in-law who wants to practice Taoism in the future.

"The old man is getting old and likes to talk to his grandchildren. Zili is lucky to have the old man's attention. My wife has been a daughter-in-law for many years. You still think that a girl will be a female star all her life, and she can live well if she knows how to settle accounts and housekeepers." Maybe our girl will be blessed even more." Wang Dingqian's expression was ambiguous, and there was something in his words.

"What the master said is—" Mrs. Tang's heart skipped a beat, she suddenly thought that her grandson was also getting married.

Wang Dingqian smiled inscrutably, and took out a letter from his sleeve: "The emperor wants to see the old lady of Jia's family first. Their eldest young master, second young master and his wife have already served their old lady and came out of Jinling in a few days." We're in Hangzhou now. Let's get ready to welcome them."

"The old lady of their family was the Holy Majesty's nanny back then. The Holy Majesty still misses the old days. I think it is certain to be a holy lady." The wife of Jia Yuan, Duke of Xianrong, served as the nanny of the present Majesty.The emperor specially ordered the Jia family to serve the old lady to come to Hangzhou. It seems that the emperor really looks at the Jia family differently.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like