The First Young Master of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 15 Laba Festival

A few busy days passed, and it was the Laba Festival in a blink of an eye. According to previous years, Xuan Shijing was going to enter the palace to see His Majesty Li Er. Early in the morning, Long'er woke Xuan Shijing up and dragged him back to the palace. Xuan Shijing, who was not fully awake, was washing and dressing in front of the bronze mirror.

"Long'er, it's just entering the palace, it doesn't have to be so early, the chicken crowed for the first time." Xuan Shijing muttered indistinctly.

"Master Hou, it's getting late. When I entered the palace today, my wife said that she would not go with you. Daoist Sun happened to be going to the palace too, so I asked you to go with Daoist Sun. You have to prepare gifts for your majesty and empress. Besides, this Laba Festival is also the annual winter hunting day for His Majesty and nobles, His Majesty specially asked someone to come to the mansion to send a message, saying that the young master will also go and have a look this year." Long'er helped Xuanshi Jing combed her hair and said.

"Prepare a gift!? Winter hunting?" Xuan Shijing woke up a lot when she heard Long'er said that she would prepare a gift for His Majesty: "That's great!"

"Master Hou, what's the matter?" Long'er felt that her Master Hou had regained her spirits in an instant.

"Good news, Long'er, our shop in West Market also opened yesterday, how is the business?" Xuan Shijing asked.

Long'er shook her head: "It's not that good. Most people just come in to have a look, and there are very few people who buy it. Young Master, are we selling it too expensive? It only costs one penny to collect an egg, but it costs a penny to sell it." Sell ​​it for ten cents..." Having said this, the little girl Long'er was filled with a deep sense of guilt, and looked timidly at her little lord.

"Long'er, if you don't make money from doing business, what are you doing? Don't forget, how much did we spend to buy the shop in West Market? The shopkeeper transferred from Erxian Village is all cost, and it all comes from here. You can make money out of ten cents, right? Say, if we take this preserved egg out, we can take advantage of the winter hunting today..."

"Young Lord, you mean to promote preserved eggs among nobles." Long'er's eyes lit up. Ten cents for a preserved egg is temporarily unaffordable for ordinary people, but honorables are fine. Chang'an Most of the nobles are from aristocratic families, each of them is rich and powerful, so naturally they don't care about this small few tens of pennies.

"Long'er, what's the matter, do you want to go with Master Hou?" Xuan Shijing turned her head and asked Long'er.

"Okay, okay." Long'er cheered happily: "Staying in this Marquis Mansion all day, I'm bored to death, just this time, Long'er can show her talents."

Xuan Shijing laughed it off, this girl is still thinking about her Jianghu dream: "Long'er, we are going to go winter hunting with His Majesty, not to go sightseeing in the mountains and rivers."

"Long'er knows, hehe, when the time comes, Long'er will definitely surprise Lord Hou, and will never embarrass the Hou family." Long'er said with a smile.

"I'm only four years old, even if I go winter hunting, I'm going to go through the motions and talk about whether I'm ashamed or not." Xuan Shijing didn't care.

"How can you say that the young master is going through the motions? The field hunting on the Laba Festival is very grand, otherwise His Majesty would not have specially organized the nobles to go out of the city. The Laba Festival is the beginning of the transition from the old to the new year. The prey that comes back from the field hunting are all It is used to worship the ancestors and gods, also known as the Winter Sacrifice. The young master must cheer up. In the past, we only had our own family in the house, and the young master went to buy some rabbits and roe. That’s how it went. You But don't forget, there is still such a family living in the other courtyard of the Hou Mansion." Long'er said sourly.

"If you don't tell me, I still can't remember. I haven't seen my cousin's family since they lived in the Hou's Mansion." Xuan Shijing said with a smile.

"Little Houye saw what they were doing, out of sight and out of mind, Madam ordered them not to move around in the Hou's mansion when they moved in, and, little Houye, that Li Shiqing, relying on his young age, I stay in the mansion all day, with the airs of a little master, I don’t know, I think he is the master of the mansion." Long'er said angrily: "What kind of parents teach what kind of children? child."

"Didn't I ask you to hire someone to watch them? Why, there has been no movement these days? Who is this Li Shiqing?" Xuan Shijing asked, it seems that he ran around the study and bedroom all day in this mansion, missing something. A lot of information ah.

"I haven't noticed any abnormal movements for the time being. This Li Shiqing is your cousin according to his seniority. I heard that Mr. Cousin. No, Butler Zhong said let us call him Mr. Xuan Lindao. I heard that Mr. Xuan Lindao has already I'm married to Li's family, really, a big man, at least he is also my husband's cousin, how can he go to marry him?" Having said this, Long'er stomped her feet angrily.

"Okay Long'er, there's no need to be angry. You were always by my mother's side when I was not born. Don't you know who is in my cousin's family?" Xuan Shijing comforted.

"It's because of the understanding that I'm angry." Long'er said with a serious face and glances.Then his face relaxed: "Forget it, young master, you should hurry up and have breakfast. After breakfast, we will go to the palace. The kitchen has already prepared your buns and porridge."

Xuan Shijing and Long'er finished breakfast in the side hall, the groom had already set up the carriage and was waiting at the gate of the Hou Mansion, Long'er took Xuan Shijing into the carriage.

"Long'er, have you brought everything for Your Majesty and the Empress? There is also lunch for the two of us and the princes." Xuan Shijing's career as an explorer in his previous life made him insist that no matter where he goes, he must The habit of checking good things is also a kind of responsibility to oneself.

"Don't worry, Lord Hou, everything is ready. This field hunting will only take one day, and it will be at the royal hunting ground on the outskirts of Chang'an." Long'er got into the carriage and sat beside Xuan Shijing.

Sun Simiao had been waiting in the carriage for a long time, and seeing Xuan Shijing and Long'er got into the carriage, he ordered the servant to drive to the palace.

"Young Lord looks good. It seems that these few days, Young Lord has been practicing seriously according to the Five Animals Show given to you by Pindao." Sun Simiao said with a smile.

"It turns out that the illustrations that Daoist Sun gave me with the characters are the famous Wuqinxi. No wonder Shijing feels much more relaxed these days. Thank you, Daoist." Xuan Shijing bowed his hands to Sun Simiao earnestly.

Sun Simiao smiled and waved his hands: "Young Lord, don't be polite to the poor. Your father and mother are old friends with me. The son of an old friend should take care of him more."

"Sun Daochang, I don't know if you have been in the palace to see a doctor these few days, how is your condition?" Xuan Shijing asked.

"As in the past, what Pindao can do is to stabilize the condition of the empress. The basic medical skills found in the library of the mansion these days have benefited Pindao a lot, and he has also found some good prescriptions for treating Qi diseases. In winter, Niang Niang can relax a little more than in previous years."

Chatting with Sun Simiao all the way, we arrived at the palace. There were already some ministers gathered in the palace. On weekdays, the well-mannered civil servants all changed into Hu clothes with narrow sleeves and round necks, and they all still wore black-winged gauze hats, standing in twos and threes. talk together.

As soon as the carriage drove in, there was a small yellow gate to greet him, and Sun Simiao got out of the carriage first.

"It turns out to be Daoist Sun, Daoist Sun. Your Majesty wants you to go with the brigade for this Laba Festival field hunt. After all, this time, the empress is also going to travel with Your Majesty." Xiao Huangmen stood in front of Sun Simiao and said bowing.

"Your Majesty, do you know that your mother's body is not suitable for traveling?" Sun Simiao looked serious.

"This...Your Majesty knows it, but the Empress insists on going, saying that the annual Laba Field Hunting is to worship the gods of the ancestors. As the mother of a country, if you don't go, you will be disrespectful to your ancestors , disrespectful to the gods." Xiao Huangmen said in fear.

Sun Simiao thought for a while, sighed in his heart, and then straightened Xiao Huangmen's bowed body: "Forget it, it's okay to go this poor way, not to mention, I can take care of the little prince."

Xuan Shijing was also carried off the carriage by Long'er.

"Slave and servant see Lord Xuanwei." Xiao Huangmen hurriedly saluted Xuan Shijing.

(End of this chapter)