Chang'an is good

Chapter 651: Huanghua Dahan Zhongyong Hou (asking for monthly ticket)
After leaving Luo's house, Chang Kuo went to Xingningfang.

Chang Kuo couldn't wait to go to the palace to meet his daughter, but in his hometown, there was a custom that after attending a funeral, one had to return to one's own home first to unburden the deceased before visiting relatives and friends' homes.

Moreover, we have come all the way from Jiangdu, and it has been a bumpy journey. We must first bathe and change clothes, and then enter the palace in a clean and decent manner.

His current status is different from before, and he must not lose face as the adopted father of the princess. Besides, Li Rong might also be in the palace.

When the carriage approached Xingningfang, Chang Kuo could not help but look outside the carriage with an expression of deep emotion.

It has been four or five years since he left.

Everything has changed but not drastically, and most of it is still the same as I remember.

Chang Kuo and Deputy General Jin, who was riding beside the carriage, sighed, "That year, I was ordered to leave the capital to attack Xu Zhengye, and I left home from this alley..."

The alley is still the same, but the master of the capital has changed again and again, and the houses in Xingningfang have changed hands several times.

Lieutenant General Jin nodded, feeling both emotional and envious.

When he left, he was an old veteran, and when he returned, he was the princess's father... The general also rose to prominence after his trip to the capital.

And... the general is more than just the princess's father - thinking of the jade pendant, Lieutenant General Jin added in his heart.

Then thinking of the Grand Princess who was also in the capital, Lieutenant General Jin couldn't help but feel the heat of facing gossip, and he could not even hear the rest of the general's sighs.

Amid Chang Kuo's sigh, the carriage soon approached the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

Before the carriage came to a stop, Chang Kuo heard a commotion.

When he got off the carriage holding the tiger-head stick, he saw a crowd of people rushing towards him.

"Welcome the Marquis back to the capital!"

"I've been waiting here for a long time!"

"It has been several years since we last met. My Lord, do you still remember me?"

"I heard that the Marquis was seriously injured while fighting against the Japanese enemies. I wonder if you are in good health recently? Are you feeling unwell after the long journey?"

"I see that the Marquis is still as heroic as ever!"

"..."

Chang Kuo had no idea how these people knew that he would arrive in Beijing today.

Listening to these respectful and concerned voices, looking at those flattering and enthusiastic faces, Chang Kuo was filled with only one thought in his mind - the ancestral tomb seemed to have turned into a volcano, it had really exploded.

Chang Kuo was surrounded by a crowd of people and walked forward. The crowds made him feel as if he had no ground to stand on.

Xier and Azhi, carrying their bags, got off the carriage at the back. They stretched their heads but could just barely see their master's head. At first glance, the marquis, a burly man over seven feet tall, seemed to have been carried into their mansion alive.

The Mansion of Marquis Zhongyong had also been looted and occupied by Bian's army. Like Prime Minister Ma's Mansion, Wu Chunbai had simply had it rearranged and assigned more than ten slaves. The rest would be added slowly after Chang Kuo returned to Beijing.

Chang Kuo naturally did not have the resources to employ so many people, so these ten or so slaves were enough. But at this moment, fifty or sixty officials and dignitaries swarmed in, and the mansion became bustling.

Xier, Azhi and the others put down their bags, rolled up their sleeves and started working. Deputy General Jin and the others followed suit, moving chairs and stools, turning out all the teacups and tea bowls, and fetching buckets of water before they could serve tea.

Knowing that Chang Kuochu had just returned to Beijing, no one would blame him for anything. Besides, he was not a guest, so he naturally could not put on airs. Officials helped to make and pour tea, and the atmosphere was harmonious and lively.

Chang Kuo chatted with everyone for about two quarters of an hour, then bowed and said goodbye. He had to go to the palace today to wash and change clothes. If he delayed any further, he would not be able to arrive before dark.

As soon as these words came out, everyone naturally understood and urged him again and again: "Entering the palace is an important matter, Lord Marquis, please go quickly!"

Someone accompanied Chang Kuo out of the front hall, and saw Chang Kuo off and bowed to him again and again, and was just about to go over to help scrub his body.

Chang Kuo, whose patience was almost running out, walked quickly with his crutches, leaving the person behind.

Watching Chang Kuo disappearing from the scene, some people couldn't help but sigh: "Lord Zhongyong is indeed still strong despite his old age..."

The other man looked around, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "This mansion is still lacking a female mistress to take charge..."

Someone jokingly asked, "Why, does the master have a wife waiting to be married?"

When the others heard this, they couldn't help but be moved.

Although the Loyal and Brave Marquis is a little older, he still has a handsome appearance and a heroic spirit. Isn't that charming?

More importantly, once she marries, she will be the adopted mother of the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess's status as the crown prince is only temporary, and it won't be long before...

Hiss, if one marries like this, one can have a respected status. Not to mention ordinary girls, even they would be envious!

It was not uncommon for high-ranking officials to marry young wives, and many people immediately considered it carefully.

After Chang Kuo had packed up everything, he found that most people had not left yet.

The crowd gathered around again, looking at Chang Hou in front of them, and were not stingy with their words of amazement and praise.

It's true, after Chang Hou's cleansing and tidying himself up, his messy beard was trimmed neatly and majestically, his official robe was clean, and he looked refreshed. He looked more majestic and majestic, as if he was seven or eight years younger.

Everyone became even more enthusiastic and insisted on seeing Chang Kuo out.

The loyal and brave Marquis, who was unable to tell who was the host and who was the guest, was "carried" out again.

Chang Kuo stepped out of the threshold and looked up to see Deputy General Jin and Lao Kang, who were going to accompany him into the palace, already waiting there, but no carriage was prepared.

Chang Kuo walked down the stone steps and was about to ask, but he saw that Lieutenant General Jin and Lao Kang had something interesting on their expressions. The two of them stood there, Lao Kang watching their noses and their noses watching their hearts, while Lieutenant General Jin had his hands hanging down and clasped in front of him. He seemed honest and embarrassed, but in fact he was secretly happy and expectant.

At this time, a woman came forward, and Chang Kuo took a look and found it was a piece of gold.

Yao Jin bowed to Chang Kuo and said bluntly: "My prince is also going to the palace, so he can take Chang Hou with him."

Chang Kuo raised his thick eyebrows, turned his head and looked not far away, and saw a luxurious carriage with draped curtains parked there.

Listening to the faint discussions behind him, Chang Kuo remained reserved and did not move until Yao Jin leaned over and asked, "My Lord, please come in."

Chang Kuo then walked towards the oil-walled car with the help of crutches, chest puffed out, and square steps, in the surprised eyes of everyone.

Seeing the procession of carriages and horses rolling out of Xingningfang, the crowd outside the Mansion of Marquis Zhongyong finally went wild.

They all saw it. That was the carriage of Princess Xuan'an, and Marquis Chang got on it so gracefully!
Some older officials could not help but feel heartbroken. This Li Rong actually laid his hands on Chang Hou. Chang Hou had not married for many years and kept himself clean. He was a good young man!
Having said that, Lord Chang is really something. Now that he is the adoptive father of the Crown Princess, why does he still want to climb the high branch of the Grand Princess? Why does he have to be so pessimistic?
Not to mention Li Rong, who is clearly the aunt of the princess, but she wants to usurp the position of Chang Hou, the princess's adoptive father. She wants to occupy both positions? She is so greedy!
Chang Kuo could not hear all these discussions in person, but he could roughly guess them. At this moment, he sat upright in the carriage and said solemnly, "If I get on your carriage in front of everyone, I'm afraid my clean reputation will be in jeopardy!"

"Did I force you with a knife?" Li Rong glanced at him, curled his lips and said, "These old pedants are always making a fuss. Getting on a carriage is nothing. They will be surprised when they know Sui'an is my son." Chang Kuo pretended to be shocked: "What? Are you going to announce it to everyone?"

Seeing that he was making fun of her, Li Rong curled his lips in his heart, but with a proud look on his face, he said slowly: "It's not that I want to do this. In the end, it's for Sui An's consideration. Since he and I have already recognized each other, it's not good to not even tell him my identity, right?"

Chang Kuo said "Oh" and seemed to be unconcerned: "Then wait for this rebellious son to come back and ask him if he is willing or not!"

Neither of them was willing to speak up first, and the pressure was put on Chang Sui'an, who had not yet returned to Beijing.

Yao Jin sat on the shaft of the carriage with the driver, listening to the voices in the carriage behind him that grew from faint to loud.

But the noise was mostly mutual bickering, far from the point of overturning the table or jumping off the car, so Yaojin felt satisfied and even felt that life was peaceful.

The noise continued until the carriage stopped in front of the imperial city gate.

Outside the Forbidden Palace, someone was already waiting to greet us.

The leader was Zhai Xi, and there was also Adian.

Seeing Chang Kuo, Ah Dian was overjoyed: "Uncle Chang!"

"Hey!" Chang Kuo responded with a smile, and hurriedly stopped and leaned on his crutches, trying his best to stabilize his lower body, but he was still knocked back four or five steps by Adian who was running towards him.

Chang Kuo, who was tightly hugged by Ah Dian, said: "My child, I finally came to Beijing, and you almost pushed me back to Jiangdu again!"

Ah Dian then let go of Chang Kuo, feeling a little embarrassed, but still smiling innocently: "Uncle Chang, it's all my fault for being too happy!"

As he spoke, he held Chang Kuo's hand and enthusiastically introduced him to Zhai Xi, who was greeting Li Rong and Chang Kuo: "Eunuch Zhai, this is Uncle Chang!"

Of course Zhai Xi could tell the difference, but he still smiled at Ah Dian, nodded slightly, and then bowed to Chang Kuo alone: ​​"My name is Zhai Xi, and I am currently serving Her Royal Highness the Princess. Today, I am here to welcome Lord Chang to the palace on Her Royal Highness's orders."

As he said this, he stepped aside and bowed his head to ask, "Your Highness, you are tired from the journey. I have asked someone to prepare a sedan chair for you."

Then he bowed respectfully to Li Rong and said, "Princess, please get on the sedan chair and follow me to the East Palace."

There were two sedan chairs, one of which was originally prepared for Chang Kuo. The other one was temporarily brought over by Zhai Xi when the eunuch at the outer palace gate came to inform that the Grand Princess and Chang Hou would enter the palace together.

After Chang Kuo and Li Rong got on the sedan chair one after another, Zhai Xi straightened up and went into the palace with a group of eunuchs.

Adian followed behind and talked with the accompanying Lieutenant General Jin, Lao Kang, and Xier.

However, it was Xi'er's first time to enter the palace. Even though they had accompanied him to the imperial city before, they could only wait outside the forbidden palace gate. It was something they had never done before. Therefore, everyone was extremely nervous and serious, looking straight ahead, and did not dare to chat with Ah Dian at all.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Ah Dian seemed to realize something. He moved closer to Xier and lowered his voice to the lowest level possible: "Xier, I haven't seen you for a long time! Did you bring the oranges and chestnuts? I asked His Highness to bring you a message!"

Xier was so nervous that she even nodded very slowly, and spoke as softly as a mosquito: "I brought them...but we were in a hurry to follow the Marquis, and they are behind us. We have to wait two or three days before we can enter the capital."

"That's great!" Ah Dian accidentally raised his voice again. He covered his mouth for a moment and continued to ask in a low voice: "Xi'er, did you bring the jujube paste cake?"

"Not yet... I will do it for General Adian tomorrow."

“Okay!” Adian’s voice switched back and forth between loud and soft: “This place is very big, right? I still get lost... But don’t be afraid, His Highness said that this will be our home from now on!”

After Adian's comfort, Xier actually felt better, at least her legs were not so weak anymore.

It is hard for people who enter the palace for the first time not to be shocked.

The value of imperial power has never been an empty talk, but is reflected in all aspects, the most direct impact of which is the regulation of architecture.

The palace walls, palace roads, and palaces are all built with the highest standards, far beyond the reach of ordinary mansions. The colors, materials, and height are all insurmountable. It stands majestically, demonstrating the imperial power, looking down and scrutinizing every visitor, making people feel terrified, as if they are walking on ice, and feeling insignificant.

Xier did not dare to look up along the way. When they arrived at the East Palace, they saw a group of officials retreating from the main hall.

Most of those officials were over 40 years old, with a calm and dignified air. Xier couldn't help feeling a little intimidated, but when she thought about who was sitting in the hall, she felt more confident... Although she still bowed her head respectfully, she straightened her back unconsciously.

Xi'er did not follow him into the palace. Zhai Xi took her to a corridor and said to a group of dozens of palace maids, "This is Aunt Xi'er. From now on, all matters concerning the daily life of the princess will be taken care of by Aunt Xi'er."

Xier's eyes widened in astonishment. Aunt? Who? Her?

Xier was almost about to point her finger at her face.

Such a big place, is she going to be in charge? This is her first time here!

Seeing the palace maids bowing to her in unison with neat movements and pleasant manners, calling out "Greetings, Aunt", Xier felt that she had never felt so guilty in her life, yet she had to try hard to pretend and not dare to show any timidity.

After recognizing the person, Zhai Xi asked the maids to go back to work, leaving only two to follow Xier. The two maids followed behind. Zhai Xi led Xier out of the corridor and asked her with a smile, "Aunt, do you know why they respect you?"

Without waiting for Xi'er to answer, Zhai Xi continued, "It's because my aunt has served Her Highness the Princess for many years and is someone Her Highness trusts and is close to."

"No one can take this away from you." Zhai Xi said, "As for the rest, you just need to slowly get used to it, and you will eventually be able to learn it."

After hearing these words, Xier felt relieved, the tension was relieved, and her nose suddenly felt a little sour. After suppressing the inexplicably proud tears, she turned to Zhai Xi and said, "How can I get used to it slowly? I learn things very quickly!"

Think of Xier, who started by accompanying the girl in crying, and then accompanied the girl in “pulling up the weeping willows”, from the capital to Jiangdu, from the boudoir to the army... The reason why she could always stand firm in front of the girls was because of her real ability!
Xier regained her confidence and motivation, and immediately turned around and told the two palace maids to take her to familiarize herself with the affairs.

Inside the hall, Li Suining was talking to Chang Kuo with tears in his eyes. Not long after, Wu Jue arrived after hearing the news, and Chang Kuo hurriedly wiped away his tears.

When everyone was closing their offices, Qiao Yang also arrived.

Li Suining invited everyone to have dinner together in the East Palace, and sent someone to secretly bring Meng Lie into the palace. Wei Shuyi also stayed for a meal.

Chang Kuo was extremely happy and drank heavily until he was drunk. He was first put into a sedan chair and then stuffed into a carriage.

Lao Kang and Lieutenant General Jin followed the Grand Princess's carriage on horseback, but as they went on, they saw the carriage turn a corner and go directly towards the Grand Princess's palace.

Lieutenant General Jin was stunned for a moment. Doesn’t the Grand Princess intend to send their Marquis back?

Wait, the Grand Princess has kidnapped the Marquis!

Deputy General Jin was shocked and came back to his senses, and asked Lao Kang: "Should we chase them?"

The always conservative Lao Kang just felt that it was too much to watch, and said conservatively: "... You can't afford to lose that person, go back."

Lieutenant General Jin hesitated for a long time, but finally nodded. When he came to his senses, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful. If he had followed more closely, he would have been one step closer to the gossip.

But it doesn’t matter. Tomorrow he will go and pick up the Marquis personally!
The brisk sound of horse hooves and wheels, rolling over the moonlight of the capital, fades away in the late spring night.

(The Yellow Flower Man Loyal and Brave Marquis asks for a monthly ticket!)

Good night~