Yan Cigui.

Chapter 397 It looks like it’s smoking from a distance (two updates in one, please vote for me)

Rainy day with thick clouds.

Even after a break, it's still gloomy.

The water vapor was so heavy that my clothes felt extremely damp, making me feel uncomfortable all over.

Li Shao came out of Jinluan Palace feeling extremely tired.

He doesn't like this kind of weather. The spring rain that stops and falls all day long is not as good as the heavy rain in summer here.

At least it was easy enough.

Before people arrived at the Yamen, rain began to fall in the air again. Wang Gouzi hurriedly opened his umbrella and followed Li Shao step by step.

After entering the room, Li Shao glanced at the tips of his shoes with disgust.

It's wet.

It's hard to use an umbrella in this weather. Not only my shoes, but also my clothes are a little wet.

"Your Highness."

Li Shao heard the sound and turned to look out.

Xu Jian had just arrived and was closing his umbrella in the corridor. Li Shao looked at his shoes and sleeves and saw that he was not much cooler than himself.

"It's rare for you to get there later than me." Li Shao said.

The time for the next dynasty is uncertain. When there are few things to do, they disperse early, but when there are many things to do, they can last for more than an hour.

Xu Jian did not return to the court, but he would not let Li Shao wait for him. He would come to the Yamen early every day. No matter when the Jinluan Palace left, he would be waiting here when Li Shao arrived.

Xu Jian naturally came a little late on purpose.

When they saw the courtiers arriving at Qianbu Corridor one after another, they knew they were leaving the court, so they let the carriage slowly and leisurely move from west to east. When they approached the outside of the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, they saw Li Shao's figure, and they arrived one after another.

"There is a lot of water on the road, so the carriage dare not move fast," Xu Jian said, frowning, "It's really inconvenient on rainy days, and it's not fun for people."

Li Shao was amused.

Row!

He is not the only one who worries about the rain.

Xu Jian was more annoyed than he looked. Li Shao couldn't help but feel secretly happy, and then a little worried.

Joy is subconscious. Xu Jian has tricked him too much in the past two years. How could Li Shao be unhappy and take pleasure in others' misfortune?

Worry is the rationality after happiness. Humid weather is not good for leg injuries. He is still waiting for Xu Jian to recover better and help him in court.

Li Shao thought and his eyes fell on Xu Jian's right leg.

Xu Jian followed Li Shao's gaze and said, "I've put a hand stove here as a spare. I'll warm it up later."

Wang Gouzi had already put away his umbrella. After hearing this, he said actively: "Your Highness, you and the Duke will sit down for a while. I will prepare tea and warm the stove."

Li Shao naturally responded.

It had been raining in the morning, and it stopped for a while near noon, and there was a faint hint of bright skylight. However, before it cleared up for two quarters of an hour, the rain clouds came again, and the entire afternoon became as dark as night, and lights were lit everywhere.

Under this situation, Li Shao was inevitably absent-minded. He only felt that the chairs under him were damp and he couldn't sit still at all.

Xu Jian saw it and didn't say much.

He focused more on observing the sky, and he judged the same as when he got up early in the morning. There should be thunder and lightning later.

By the time I got to the office, the rain was getting heavier, and the rainwater flowed down the eaves and formed a curtain of rain.

Now is really not a good time to go home.

Not only Feng Shangshu, but other officials also stayed and continued to do what they were doing, hoping to wait until the rain eased before leaving.

Li Shao's face showed a bit of impatience.

Xu Jian said softly: "Your Highness, please wait a little longer, or do you have other things to do after returning to the palace?"

"What can happen to me?" Li Shao clicked his tongue and said smoothly, "I had somewhere to go before, but where can I go now?"

Speaking of which, it was almost the same time last year. Xu Jian followed him to observe the government in the Ministry of Rites, and then went their separate ways after leaving the Yamen. He often asked Liu Xun to go to Chenmi Hutong...

Li Shao's expression darkened when he thought of that house.

Liu Xun was really unreliable in his work. He found such a place to have fun. Li Mi's gold bricks and Gu Yue's envoy's gold paper were all mixed in there.

It's all about him.

Putting aside the conspiracies, the house is actually pretty good.

The drinks are good, the dancers are also good, it’s a bit of entertainment.

Xu Jian looked at Li Shao and heard the mockery in his words.

"You don't have to look at me," Li Shao said, "I'm not stupid, I know I can't go to those places now. If I am surrounded by Shan Shen again, I will be in big trouble, and you will be in trouble too."

Xu Jian lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness knows what's going on, so I can rest assured."

Li Shao stood up and saw the hand stove placed by Xu Jian on his lap. He raised his eyebrows and said, "I am not as good as you now. When you go to the Yamen and go home, Ning'an will accompany you when you eat, drink and sleep. I can only stay in Yu." Qing Palace, there is no one to accompany me even for a few sips of wine. Oh, you said, I asked my father to find me a marriage partner?"

Xu Jian didn't accept this.

Li Shao spoke casually, and it seemed like he was talking casually without thinking. Xu Jian didn't need to express much opinions on this. She also analyzed with him whether finger marriage was feasible, when to ask the Holy Father for instructions, and which girl was suitable. There was no need for it at all. .

Sure enough, Li Shao didn't care and walked to the door to watch the rain.

He kept talking here and there without thinking, and by the time the rain started to subside, two-quarters of an hour had passed.

The officials took advantage of this and hurriedly went to the Yamen. There were carriages and sedan chairs outside the Yamen on both sides.

Li Shao was about to leave when he saw a small official coming looking for him.

After meeting with the two people, the clerk said: "My lord, someone came outside just now to send a message, saying that the wheels of your carriage were stuck when it was halfway through, and I might not be able to reach it for a while. Can you please stay in the Yamen?" hold on."

Xu Jian thanked the clerk and waited for them to leave, looking troubled.

Li Shao said: "If we don't leave now, I'm afraid it will rain again later."

"Yes, it's not convenient to find another carriage and sedan now. I don't know how long it will take to get back home," Xu Jian sighed and said, "When I went out early in the morning, the princess also said that the bamboo shoots these days are delicious, so let's let him go in the evening. Prepare a few more dishes in the kitchen for drinking, the dishes will be cold now..."

Li Shao couldn't help but raise his hand and touch his belly.

I was a little hungry, and I couldn't help but feel greedy after hearing the food and wine.

Xu Jian seemed to have just thought of this, and said to Li Shao, "Why don't you go to the minister's place and have a bar?"

Li Shao was very moved when he heard this.

He has a carriage, just a few Xu slips, and he can leave now.

He hadn't had a drink outside for a while, and it was really boring to be in the palace all day long. Although there was no fun in the Fuguo Palace, having wine with Xu Jian was acceptable to his father.

As for whether this drinking match was a good match or not, it no longer mattered to Li Shao.

"Where are you?" Li Shao immediately made up his mind and asked, "The cook in your house should be pretty good, right?"

Xu Jian said: "The princess likes it very much."

Li Shao then nodded as if he was relieved: "Ning'an is used to eating snacks in the imperial dining room. If she likes it, I can get used to it too."

After saying that, he motioned to Wang Gouzi to prepare the carriage.

Wang Gouzi rolled his eyes.

Recently, he was not as wary of Duke Fu as before, but when there was a branch in front of him, how could he not take a second look?

After looking at it, if it is broken, it will not be broken by hand.

He has no identity and no clear reason.

"Young man, let's go now," Wang Gouzi said, and asked Li Shao for instructions. "Young man, I'll also send someone to the palace to tell you to go to the Duke Fu's house to have dinner, so that Eunuch Guo won't have to wait all the time. On."

Li Shao would not stop him. Wang Gouzi galloped away, arranged the carriage and came to hold an umbrella for Li Shao.

As he walked, he thought, it's just a matter of having a drink, it's best to have nothing to do. If there is any trick, then the tail of Fu Guogong will be exposed.

When the carriage drove out of the Qianbu Corridor, it still couldn't pick up any speed.

Pedestrians were in a hurry, and the rain gradually became heavier, making people on the road wail.

Xu Jian glanced at Yu Jing and said to Li Shao: "Looking at this posture, if I hadn't taken His Highness's carriage, I really wouldn't be able to get home in a short time."

Li Shao raised his chin.

In the Duke's Mansion, Lin Yunyan stood by the window.

Just as she thought, Uncle Chengyi's house delivered fresh bamboo shoots this morning. She asked people to bring them to the kitchen. She also asked her to make soup and prepare more dishes to go with wine in the evening.

Mother Ma had just gone to look for the steward, and when she came back, she told her that she could smell the rich aroma even some distance away from the kitchen, which made people want to eat.

Lin Yunyan laughed after hearing this and waited patiently for Xu Jian's progress.

It was at this time that someone came from the front and reported that the Duke of Guo had returned in His Highness's carriage, and that His Highness would stay at the mansion to have a meal.

Lin Yunyan went to the flower hall holding an umbrella.

Meeting Xu Bai on the way, she whispered: "We will set up a table in the flower hall later and serve more wine to the Duke and His Highness.

Send some more to the backyard for Madam and A-Ping to use in the house, and don’t come here if it’s not necessary.

I'll look at it later. It may be used back in the main courtyard, or it may be left in the flower hall. "

Xu Bai couldn't help but nod: "Don't worry, the Duke has already explained everything."

Lin Yunyan breathed a sigh of relief. She closed her umbrella when she entered the corridor outside the hall. When she walked outside the flower hall, she turned her head and saw Xu Jian.

As if hearing footsteps, Xu Jian followed the sound and looked over.

The two looked at each other.

Xu Jian pursed her lower lip, with a slight smile in her eyes. In just one look, Lin Yunyan understood what he meant.

Things have gone smoothly up to this point, and we will continue to move forward from now on.

Lin Yunyan blinked at Xu Jian, looked past him and saw Li Shao on the other side.

Li Shao saw her coming and asked, "Did Xu Jian say that she made bamboo shoots tonight?"

"Yes, I asked the kitchen to stew bamboo shoots and meat into a soup. It's a wet and cold day. Your Highness, please drink two more bowls of soup to warm yourself up." Lin Yunyan replied.

Li Shao was very interested. When Xu Bai asked someone to set the table, he looked at the dishes and raised his eyebrows.

Lin Yunyan also knew Li Shao well and knew his taste preferences very well.

When preparing food tonight, the dishes ordered were also homemade, with more side dishes to go with wine than usual. There was only one dish that Li Shao didn't like to eat, and the rest were mostly ones that he would like to try with more chopsticks.

She specifically avoided Li Shao's favorite dishes, so that he and Wang Gouzi would not notice that these dishes had been arranged long ago, and she had already known that he would come to have a drink tonight.

Lin Yunyan also deliberately asked: "I didn't know that His Highness was coming, so I didn't make any preparations in the kitchen. If Your Highness wants to eat anything else, I'll have someone check to see if there's any ingredients in the kitchen. If it doesn't work, I'll go to the street and buy it." The wine shops on West Street are not too far away."

Li Shao sat down at the table and said cheerfully: "It's enough, no need to bother."

After saying that, he saw that there were only two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and he said again: "You don't want to use both? Let someone add a pair. I won't force you to drink. You can drink whatever you like."

Lin Yunyan looked at Xu Jian.

Xu Jian didn't say anything else and just asked Xu Bai to add dishes and chopsticks.

The two of them finished singing the whole play, and then they all took their seats.

There was no need for Wang Gouzi to wait on him during the banquet. Xu Bai served some more food and wine in the side hall and let him do what he wanted.

Wang Gouzi had some time to relax and ate the food without touching a drop of the wine. He kept his ears open to pay attention to Li Shao's movements.

Li Shao is drinking.

It had to be said that the cooks in Duke Fu's mansion were very good. The soups and vegetables were delicious, and there were several dishes to go with the wine, which made the wine even more mellow, making him unable to put it down even if he wanted to.

Xu Jian drank with him.

Li Shao couldn't drink him, and gradually showed his drunkenness.

The wind and rain outside intensified, and it was pitch black and only shadows could be seen.

Suddenly, the sky seemed to be split open by lightning, and half of the sky was illuminated.

Lin Yunyan couldn't help but squeeze the wine cup in her hand and exchanged a look with Xu Jian.

The lightning and thunder they had been waiting for finally came.

The lightning was dazzling, and it seemed that it was not far away. She was just about to say that the thunder was probably loud, when she heard a rumble, and the movement was so loud that the ground seemed to tremble.

Li Shao was also startled and exclaimed: "This thunder is really powerful."

Following his words, thunder and lightning crisscrossed the sky.

Xu Jian said: "Your Highness, there is such a severe thunderstorm, so be careful on the way back to the palace next time."

Li Shaoshen agreed: "Let's go later, we haven't finished eating yet. Maybe we will stop by then."

Wang Gouzi touched his chest amidst the thunder.

The noise was so loud that it was really bluffing. If you heard this for a while in your sleep, you would be frightened and wake you up.

After Li Shao drank several more drinks without realizing it, he raised his hand and pressed his swollen eyebrows. Just as he was about to say a few words, he heard someone coming in the rain from outside.

It was Xu Bai who came.

He didn't even bother to hold an umbrella and ran along the corridor. He was mostly wet: "Your Highness, the Duke and the Princess, a thunder just fell not far away and it exploded badly."

Li Shao was stunned.

Xu Jian asked: "Where did it fall? Did you hurt someone?"

"I haven't heard that anyone was injured. It seems that it fell into some yard, which caused a lot of discussion."

Xu Jian thought for a while and said, "Then go and find out."

Not long after, Xu Bai came back from asking, his expression much worse than before.

Lin Yunyan saw this and asked, "What? Did it really blow up someone?"

"There are discussions on the streets. The house was hit by the earthquake, and it was smoking from a distance. Fortunately, the rain was heavy, so it shouldn't burn. But the specific situation," Xu Bai paused and glanced at Li Shao, "Suffer." The one who was struck by lightning was the Holy Mansion, and the common people did not dare to get close..."

Li Shaoteng stood up: "Where did you say? Where is Lei Luo?"

"Qianfu." Xu Bai said again.

Li Shao took a breath of cold air.

Xu Jian stood up, held Li Shao's shoulders, and asked, "Your Highness, who lives in that mansion now?"

"Father, he keeps it for himself and doesn't give it to anyone else," Li Shao said. "At most, it's just for those in charge."

"Since it is a Qianfu, even if the government is notified, Mr. Shan would not dare to lead people to break in," Xu Jian said, "I don't know where the thunder landed specifically. It is said that it cannot burn, but it is smoking... In this way, I Let someone report to the palace, I hope there will be no serious harm, otherwise the Holy One will definitely feel uncomfortable."

Li Shao's throat rolled, and the smell of alcohol came up: "Are you not far from Qian's Mansion? I'll go over and have a look. It's not good for Master Shan to go in rashly. I'll just take the lead."

　Thanks to Xiaoyuan for the tip.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)