Everyone loves Huo Qubing

"The Queen Mother is here!"

Before the eunuchs could finish their words outside the hall, a few attendants cleared the way, and a graceful and luxurious woman had already entered the hall.

"The empress dowager is thousand years old." Everyone knelt down one after another, and my cousin seemed to feel that I left her, and immediately burst into tears.

"Mrs. Wei has worked hard, so I won't have to bow down during confinement." The Queen Mother took the candle bag from her aunt, hugged and teased her lovingly, and the candle bag gradually stopped crying.The Queen Mother said happily, "The good granddaughter of the Ai family is good, she is not afraid of life!"

The aunt smiled and said, "Of course it's because the little princess is closest to grandma."

I looked at my aunt and uncle, who were holding their breath, and suddenly realized that I was actually the eldest of the younger generation of the Wei family, and this candle bag was my first cousin.

Immediately, brother Chen Xuan's face flashed past my eyes.

I was in a fugue, but I heard the Queen Mother pointing at me and asking: "Who is this child? The Ai family has never seen it before."

"This is the concubine's elder sister's child, named Huo Qubing, the cousin of the little princess."

"It turned out to be Huo Qubing." The Queen Mother suddenly said, "Come here, my child, let Aijia see you."

The Queen Mother knows me?In amazement, I raised my head and looked right into the eyes of the Queen Mother. The phoenix hairpin shook slightly, and the Queen Mother's eyes showed surprise and astonishment.

"Look at this child, it really is your Wei family." The Queen Mother nodded, "Qu Bing, how old are you this year? Did you ever go to school?"

"If you go back to the Empress Dowager, Qu Bing is almost five years old, and he once studied with Prince Cao of Pingyang." I replied respectfully.

"Study is good, study is good," the Queen Mother smiled, "Since Qu Bing is the grandson of Ai's family, you can continue to study with Xiang'er in the palace."

It is really a good treatment to be able to study with Cao Shizi in the capital.I said that I want to be a useful person. I can't be a knight, but I can still be a general, like Han Xin, Marquis of Huaiyin.

The Queen Mother beckoned, and the maids filed in.

"These were given to my little granddaughter by the Ai family," the queen mother pointed to the jewels presented one by one, "these were given to Mrs. Wei by the Ai family."

The sandalwood box emits a delicate fragrance, and the brilliance of jewelry and jade shines.The Queen Mother said slowly: "The Ai family was in this Yilan Palace back then, and they conceived Yangxin, Nangong, and Longli successively until they gave birth to the current emperor. Today, Mrs. Wei has added a new heir to our Liu Dynasty, and the Ai family is very happy. Rejoice."

The aunt sat up, and everyone knelt down to thank the Queen Mother for the reward.

"It's late, Ai's family will come to visit you tomorrow." The deep clothes and wide sleeves raised a piece of gold, the queen mother had already got up, and walked a few steps towards the palace gate, but she turned around as if remembering something, and her eyes fell on me.She told the eunuchs on standby, "You have to serve Mrs. Wei well, and you will take care of your health. The Ai family also hopes that Mrs. Wei can give the Ai family a big fat grandson as soon as possible."

***

The little princess and my aunt are tired and need to rest. The aunt invited us to sit in Gongsun Mansion.When he was about to leave the Yilan Palace, it happened that the morning court had just ended, and the officials in court uniforms walked to the various departments of the Weiyang Palace official office.

The snow fell yesterday and we walked east along the narrow road between Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace.Passing through the middle of Weiyang Palace, I saw the majestic front hall again, and the courtiers and eunuchs gradually dispersed.There were two sedan chairs parked outside the hall, presumably the distinguished elders were left behind for discussion.According to regulations, the elderly can take sedan chairs, while officials who go to other palaces, Lingyi residential areas, and government offices in various places in Jingzhao must leave the palace and transfer to horse-drawn carriages or chariots to go to various places.

It's the first time I'm so close to the front hall, I really want to have a chance to take a look at this majestic and sacred place.

"Qubing," my aunt seemed to read my thoughts, "as long as you study hard, you will have a place in this front hall sooner or later."

"Don't worry, auntie, Qubing will work hard!"

The carriage of Gongsun Mansion was parked outside the East Sima Gate of Weiyang Palace. I picked up the curtain and looked around. When I arrived at Changle Palace, a familiar figure caught my attention.A dark blue chariot was parked in front of the right, and a short man had just come out of Changle Palace and was stepping on the eunuch's back to get into the chariot.

"Look, uncle," I was shocked, "isn't that the down-and-out nobleman we saw at the porridge stall when we came to Beijing last year?"

"That's right, it's him." The uncle said firmly.

When our horses and horses passed the blue car, my aunt caught a glimpse of the nameplate hanging on the front of the car, put down the curtain and ordered us to go back to our seats.

"Don't stare at me any longer, the person in that car is Marquis Wu An." The aunt told her, "If you meet Marquis Wu An again in the future, remember to bow your head quickly and don't say anything, lest you get into trouble."

I felt a chill.Just now, Marquis Wu'an cast Yinyi's gaze towards us. I'm not sure if he recognized me, and I'm not sure if he still remembers the two "fake" Wei family members at the food stand.

***

In a blink of an eye, the day to go to school is approaching.The clothes given to me by Princess Pingyang before can no longer fit, but my brother-in-law carried them all the way to the capital for me after hard work.

"Your uncles don't know the styles that are popular in the capital today." The aunt sent several sets of regular clothes, dark clothes, and Hu clothes. The original Hufu, not the Han-made Hufu."

On that day, a group of people went to visit the mansion of my uncle Gongsun He, which is located in Maoling Town, a new city in the north of Chang'an. This mansion was built on a piece of land specially set aside by the emperor for my uncle. It was a newly opened mansion for marrying my uncle. , which was recently renovated.The ancestors of the Gongsun family were from the Huns, and the eldest uncle Congjing made great contributions to calming the chaos, and was close to the water. The uncle was selected as the prince's servant when he was young, and he has been an iron buddy with the current emperor for many years.

My uncle had a short curly beard on his chin, and a few brown curly hair protruding from the edge of the crown. He had a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets. He smiled all day long and showed his white teeth.In my eyes, it seems like an adult version of high ignorance.

Gongsun's mansion not only has the consistent taste of our Han people - it covers a large area, inlaid with gold and jade, landscape pavilions, magnificent; but also adds a lot of decorations of the Huns - there are bear heads and big horned sheep heads hanging on one side of the main hall wall , deer head, on the other side are the bows, crossbows, knives, and arrows used by the Huns, and there are leopard skin carpets on the ground. To the north, there are two tall horses from the Western Regions in the stables, and to the south, there are There is open space for grilling food.

One of my great uncle's hobbies is barbecue.The hospitality is hard to come by. Although the snow has not cleared today, it is also a sunny day. In order to show his superb cooking skills, my uncle ordered someone to light a stove indoors and treated the two of us to a Hu-style barbecue.The barbecue of the Huns pays attention to half-cooked. Although the venison is cut with a little blood foam, it is tender and chewy. With the special seasoning of the Hu people in the Western Regions, the taste is hundreds of times better than the Chinese-style single-steamed and single-boiled cooking method.

However, these men not only eat meat and drink by themselves, but also feed me, a child, unfamiliar food. My aunt really can't stand it. She forbids me to eat more barbecue and feeds me a lot of vegetables.

***

I didn't sleep well last night, because today I have to get up early to go to Taixue to start my new life.I lay on the bed tossing and turning, imagining the school of Taixue, the appearance of the Taifu, the appearance of the Taishi, and the faces of my classmates, both excited and nervous.

Today, there is no prince, so Taixuetang is open to the royal family and nobles under the age of ten, regardless of age, to take classes together, learning Zhouli, arithmetic, music theory, five classics, archery, imperial horse and other courses, among which arithmetic is graded teach.The prince may be born at any time, and this place is equivalent to the preparatory class for the future prince.The school in Pingyang Mansion was actually modeled after the Tai Xuetang, but it only served Pingyang Hou Shizi.

Just after dawn, I heard my second uncle knocking on the door.

"Little lazy pig, get up and go to school, don't be late on the first day."

"It's so noisy." The uncle stuffed his head into the quilt.I tentatively think that this is my uncle's jealousy, because I was allowed by the empress dowager to study in the Imperial Academy, and he can only learn craftsmanship from a weapon master.

The second uncle carried a water basin into the guest room that my uncle and I planned to occupy for a long time, washed my sleepy face, combed my hair, put on three layers of dark clothes, and fed me some naan Pancakes, and stuffed the remaining naan cakes together with bamboo slips into my little red book box.The servant brought the second uncle's horse and tied the bookcase to the side of the horse's buttocks.

The second uncle put me on the horse and sat down, then turned over and jumped up.During this period, I was hugged by my second uncle all the time, feeling drowsy and drowsy, until I heard "Sit still!" The second uncle raised the reins, the claret horse kicked its hooves, and happily trotted all the way towards the palace.

Entering the north gate of Weiyang Palace, you will find the Tianlu Pavilion you saw last time. After passing Tianlu Pavilion, you will find another pagoda-style building with a plaque called "Shiqu Pavilion".Taixue is located in the Taimiao between the two pavilions.

"Qubing, here!" I saw Cao Xiang waving to me from a distance.

"Brother Xiang!" Seeing my good friend here, I ran away happily, and there was an echo in the palace, and a group of Chang'an sparrows flew up.

"You can't call me brother anymore, you have to call me 'Shizi'." The second uncle chased after me with a bookcase in his hand, "Remember, you have to address others with honorific titles in the palace."

"Great, you've come here to go to school too." Cao Xiang took my hand and ran into the Taimiao, turning a corner and almost bumping into the Taifu.

"You can't run, you will fall if you run while wearing dark clothes." The second uncle shook his head helplessly and smiled.

At this time, the emperor did not establish a prince, so he was called Taifu by his master, who taught Confucius and Mencius in the Spring and Autumn Period, and wrote four books and five classics.The Taixue Taifu is Zhuang Zhu, the doctor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. According to the second uncle, this person is the most trusted civil servant of the emperor. , and successfully adjusted troops.The emperor compared Zhuang Taifu to a lobbyist who assisted the king during the Warring States Period, and praised him for his real talents and practical work, not superficial skills and embroidered pillows.

The second uncle was acquainted with Zhuang Taifu, and the two exchanged greetings when they met, and said something like "Although they are young, please discipline them strictly".The Taifu bid farewell to my second uncle, and led me into the Taimiao, and asked me to face east first, that is, the direction of Qufu in the State of Lu, and pay my respects to the sage Confucius three times.Facing north again, worship the spiritual seats of the two sages Zhao Wan and Wang Zang.Zhao and Wang were pioneers in promoting Confucianism, and Master Chang mentioned them to his students.However, in a short period of time, the two actually acted as scapegoats for the failure of the New Deal, which is embarrassing.The Taifu spoke Guanzhong dialect with a Chu dialect, and spoke earnestly, hoping that his students could inherit Zhao and Wang's behest, study hard, and help the emperor to carry forward Confucianism in the future.

When Taifu led me out of the temple, Cao Xiang waited anxiously outside, and went to the school first.Carrying the bookcase, I followed Taifu step by step.

My first lesson of Taixue was spent yawning.I can't quite understand the Taifu's accent, so I can only sit in the corner, flipping through the few books in my hand boredly.Hey, "The Legend of Gongyang", what kind of book is this?Pick up another one, "Zhou Guan", what is this book about?After searching for a long time, I couldn't find "The Analects of Confucius".Moreover, the characters on these slips are obviously not the round Xiaozhuan script I am familiar with, but the square clerical script commonly used in the capital. After staring at it for a long time, I hardly recognize any of them.

Looking around depressingly, these students are either royal family members or officials' children, but their clothes are expensive, they look arrogant and not easy to get close to, and they don't shake their heads like those students in Hedong when they are studying, but they always keep their heads straight.

The youngest of the classmates seemed to be six years old. The issues they discussed sounded quite profound, and they were like chickens and ducks to me, a five-year-old transfer student.Alas, I really miss the days when I played Cuju with my uncle in Wei Mansion every day. Even listening to Master Chang's "Analects" in Pingyang Mansion is better than listening to heavenly scriptures here.

Curious eyes fixed on a senior brother.This person was dressed in light yellow dark clothes, tall and slender, with yellowish hair; he was seated far away, from my perspective, I could only see a profile, with a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, a bit like an uncle.

I noticed him, in fact, because Taifu Zhuang often asked questions, and this person always raised his hands in response, and the answers were fluent, and he often won the praise of Taifu.When I didn't answer the question, I lowered my head and gnawed at the book, which was in sharp contrast to my absent-minded student.

"Your Majesty," I quietly teased Cao Xiang next to me, "Who is that person who is always rushing to answer questions?"

"He is Taifu's favorite student, his name is Han Shuo, and his great-grandfather was the King of Han personally conferred by Emperor Xiaogao."

"King Han? It's the King Han who handed over Mayi County to Maodun Shanyu, and helped the Xiongnu attack Taiyuan, and finally caused Emperor Xiaogao to be besieged in Baideng Mountain, and almost didn't come back alive?" I was surprised, It is well known that King Han besieged Emperor Xiaogao. These two are sworn enemies. "How could his descendants study in the Han Palace?"

"Han Tuidang, the son of the King of Han, returned to Han when he was Emperor Xiaowen. He was the leader of the heroes who quelled the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion, and he was named Gong Gaohou. Don't you know?" Cao Xiang asked me.

"So it's his son." I thought for a while and asked Cao Xiang, "Did Han say he's a barbarian?"

Cao Xiang smiled and said, "You think so too? This man has a nickname of 'Huang Mao' because his hair is yellow and curly, unlike you and me."

Hearing this tacky nickname, I couldn't help laughing out loud.

On the first day of Taixue, Cao Xiang and I were punished by Mrs. Zhuang for whispering.As I passed the door, I caught a glimpse of Han Said's front.Seen from the back, Brother Han is tall, with a long figure, broad and straight shoulder bones, and a steady waist, which is a good material for martial arts.Looking from the front, he is actually just a ten-year-old boy. At first glance, his facial features are indeed Han Chinese, with curved eyebrows, thin lips, high cheekbones and round face; however, in addition to the delicacy of Han people, he also has a bit of the depth of Hu people, with big and bright eyes. The tip of the nose is straight and straight, and the two sides are combined, like a fairy boy coming out of a painting.

"It's the first time I've seen such a good-looking little brother." I muttered.

"Good-looking? How can yellow hair be called good-looking." Cao Xiang patted my head and directly denied my conclusion, "I think you are cuter."

Seeing Cao Xiang's earnest and determined look, I didn't want to refute him directly, and silently chose to reserve my opinion.