Taohuaxi

Chapter 45

This was the first time I saw him cry.

I thought that such a resolute man like him would always be strong.He is the lintel of the Cheng Mansion, a newly promoted high-ranking official in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the successor secretly promised by Master Zhang.He practiced literature and martial arts since he was a child, read books by sages, and made strategies for the current situation.Practice martial arts and become strong.

He is like a boat, carrying the hopes of too many people.

For a few days, I traveled to the North Sea with the wind and returned to the head of the Yangtze River.My heart is like a magnetic needle, and it will not rest until it points to the other side.I can imagine how lonely he felt standing in the indifference of the court.

He tried his best to win the opportunity to inspect the disaster area.It is precisely because of this "unsociability" that the people trapped in the floods get a little attention from above.The king sitting in the Jinluan Palace just noticed the suffering people.

I leaned against him and said, "Everything will be fine, everything will be fine."

He stretched out his hand, put it against my still flat belly, and said: "With Madam's blessing, I will be a father. From now on, Madam, don't be too tired. I'd better ask for permission to leave the job of palace painter." .”

I said, "No need. Anyway, I'm only on duty every ten days, only three times a month. It doesn't matter. If I'm always at home and shut up, I won't be interested."

He thought for a while: "Okay. It's up to you."

Turning around, he asked again: "What book was Madam reading at that time?"

"It's just a leisure book. In recent years, there have been many story books on the market that were not available before."

I smiled and told him the general story of "A Spring in the Yutang Is Hard to Find a Husband".

After hearing this, he said: "The prince is not a good man either. Why did he spend all his money in the brothel, be stripped of his clothes and hat, and have no way out? He has insulted the dignity of a scholar and brought trouble to Miss Su. Such a person Even if he becomes an official later, he will not be a good official. He will be obsessed with the beauty of others and will not have the ability to control himself. Prevent disasters first so as not to hurt your feelings later. A serious man should not neglect his family and country. It's Fangqing who is mistaken. Then it's better for Prince Wang to say goodbye to Miss Su."

I smiled and said, "But Miss Su is willing to do it. The whole world pays attention to the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers. But these two people's pursuit of free marriage is considered a brave thing."

He shook his head: "Such courage is not called courage, it is called selfishness. It is like an animal if you don't care about your parents. Will parents harm their children? When a person lives in the world, he has lost all filial piety and righteousness. Even if he gets love, it is not considered a good thing. As an individual, what’s the point?”

I raised my eyes and looked at him.

Candlelight and red gauze cast mottled light and shadow on his face.

I suddenly understood his previous decision.A person like him will never and cannot betray me in his life.

He has a clear sense of right and wrong and a strong sense of self-discipline.From the moment he learned about me and his prayer tablet with his face covered on the pier, he has determined that his wife is me.

He hugged me, put his head on my hair, and said, "Madam, please pay attention when you read the book. Please ask Xiaoyin to light the lamp brighter to avoid hurting your eyes."

I suddenly asked: "Second Master, a few days ago, I heard from my sister-in-law that an old official in the court gave you a singer as a gift."

He said: "Sister-in-law is too talkative. I refused a long time ago. I didn't need to tell you."

At midnight, the wind finally started blowing outside.

Blows the heat away quite a bit.

I stretched out my hand to smooth the rolled up red gauze curtain.

He said: "Madam, you are pregnant, so don't think too much about it. I'm just telling you that I have no intention of taking a concubine. In this life, a virtuous wife and a harmonious family are enough."

I nestled in his arms and fell asleep with him.

He kept his hand on my belly all night long.

The next day, early in the morning, he packed up a few pieces of clothing and set off, without even bothering to eat breakfast.

I kicked him out and stuffed him with some cakes and hard-boiled eggs.

I said: "Second Master, the beams in that house that was washed away by the flood are not strong. When you pass by, you must be careful not to let the couch crush you. Don't stay outside for a long time. Once the calculation is clear, then return."

"know."

He smiled, stretched out his hand, touched my cheek, turned around and left.

I leaned against the door frame and waited until the carriage was far away and disappeared before my eyes before returning to the courtyard.

During my pregnancy, I always had a bad appetite and suffered from severe nausea and vomiting.

Can't eat anything.

After a few days, I looked at myself in the mirror and became much clearer.

The old lady invited a cook from Shandong to come to her home and cooked a lot of dishes from my hometown, but I still had no appetite.

On July [-], Feng Gao came to visit me.

Seeing that I had lost a lot of weight, he felt anxious and said, "What do you want to eat, sister? Since it was made by the imperial chef, I have the ability to get it for my sister."

I shook my head.

"My sister loved to eat spicy noodles when she was little. There are also pancakes rolled with scallions...I'll buy them." He racked his brains and thought.

I then said: "I remember that in the summer in Dongchang Prefecture, there was a small wild melon, the size of a fingernail, with a sour and bitter taste, which suits my appetite."

After hearing this, he flew away.

Within two days, a large box of small wild melons arrived.

He said eagerly: "Sister, try it quickly to see if it tastes like that."

I picked one up, rubbed it, and put it in my mouth. There was a kind and familiar taste between my lips and teeth.

I asked: "Where did you get it? From Dongchang Prefecture to the capital, it takes four or five days to travel by water."

He raised his face, like a child waiting for praise: "I will not use the ordinary water transport. Fruits and melons are no different from others. They are transported on the road for several days, so they taste bad and are not fresh. What happened to my sister if she ate them badly? Do it. I ordered people to send messages to all the inns, and sent them all the way with thousands of miles of horses, according to the emergency military report." I stretched out my finger and tapped his forehead: "Don't do this again. Military reports are a joke. Yes!"

"What are you afraid of? I don't care what other people think. Dongchang's reputation is bad. If it's bad, it's bad. I want to cause trouble for them."

He smiled and sat down next to me: "Sister, peas are ok, I'm ok."

There was a slight sound of footsteps, and Mrs. Qin came to look for me. She called: "Sangyu——"

Feng Gao's smile still remained at the corner of his mouth. He accidentally saw her and did not avoid it.

Mrs. Qin looked at Feng Gao blankly, making Feng Gao feel uncomfortable.I saw that he was getting angry, so I interrupted him and said, "You are very busy with official duties, so go ahead."

He was silent.

Mrs. Qin suddenly blurted out something.

I didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did you say?"

She still looked at Feng Gao and said: "How old is Mr. Factory Master? Where is Gao Tang?"

To Feng Gao, these words were obviously abrupt.

I pushed Feng Gao and signaled him to leave quickly.He frowned and pulled away.

After he left, Mrs. Qin said to me sadly: "The waves are rolling across the distant mountains. A smile is alluring. This is the word I just recited. It was given to me by Taiyue in the back garden more than [-] years ago. Sangyu , do you remember that I told you that the factory owner’s face is somewhat familiar?”

I said vaguely: "Eat a small wild melon."

She thought to herself: "I have been thinking about it for several days, but I can't remember where I saw him. Just now, the moment he smiled, I suddenly remembered -"

"He doesn't look like others, he looks like me when I was young." She said suddenly.

I am silent.

She said: "Sang Yu, don't you believe it? Before I left the cabinet, there was a small portrait that was still kept in Yangzhou. When you see it, you will know that what I said is true."

"Think about it, there may be one or two similar figures in the previous paintings of ladies. I am a painter, so I understand best. This is a common thing." I said nonchalantly.

She thought for a long time, nodded, picked up a small wild melon and put it in her mouth.

"Sang Yu, what you said makes sense. It was me who was reckless. I'm not a reckless person. I just seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit for some reason. Don't be ridiculous."

I sat under the eaves with her.

The wind lifted the corners of her skirt.

"The cloud has no self in its heart, and the cloud and I have no heart." She chanted softly.

Waves ripple across the distant mountains.A smile that captivates the city.At this moment, I knew that Mrs. Qin was living in the memory of the past and had never woken up.She who is as indifferent as water in the Qin Mansion is not really her.She has always been the girl who was charming with her smile in the back garden more than 20 years ago.

Leave your smile to yesterday.

Save the memories for tonight.

It was not until half a month later that Cheng Huai returned to Beijing.

Covered in dust and dirt, I had no time to clean myself up before I went to see the saint.

He wrote an excerpt of tens of thousands of words and presented it to Tianting.

In the court hall, he held out the bones he brought back from the disaster area. The bones looked as if they had been boiled.

He knelt on his head and the blood came out, and reported that long live the disaster, people were starving all over the disaster area, and they had reached the point of cooking human flesh. If the court continued to ignore it, heaven would not bear it.

Some ministers said: "Master Cheng may not be making too much of a fuss. Only one city was affected by the disaster, but the whole country was not. Your Majesty built 72 Taoist temples for the benefit of all people and for the blessing of nine states. Is the people of one city more important, or the people of the world? "

Someone else echoed: "As the old saying goes, people are divided into high and low, and their fields are divided into small and large. This has always been the case. How can the blessings and misfortunes of the untouchables affect the joy of Your Majesty? Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the Emperor's wisdom nurtures all living beings. Could it be that Cheng What do you mean, sir, that Your Majesty is not as smart as you and not as thoughtful as you?"

Cheng Huaishi said: "You have read poetry and books, live in temples, and the people call you 'parent officials'. Is there any reason in the world for parents to see their children die?"

He cupped his hands and said upwards: "I will give my blood as a warning to all the people, and I beg your majesty to provide relief."

After that, it’s time to hit the pillar.

Things got rough.

Long live orders someone to catch him.

Mr. Zhang was still recuperating in the mansion. When he heard the news from the internal prison guard whom he was familiar with, he hurried over.

Under such circumstances, Long Live agreed to the "disaster relief" matter.

But after going to court, when Cheng Huai was left behind, he secretly and openly asked him to control the amount of money.It’s not yet the autumn harvest season, and this year’s taxes have not yet been collected.The foundations of half of the Taoist temples have been dug, and the construction of Taoist temples must not be affected by funds from the treasury.Otherwise, the gods will punish you and affect the fate of the Ming Dynasty.

Cheng Huaishi agreed, and Long Live let him go to provide disaster relief.

However, after January, he still exceeded the court budget.He withstood pressure from many parties, beheaded first and then reported, and resettled all the victims before returning.

Long live Taoist temples, only built a dozen or so, and then stopped.

Upon hearing the report, Long Live immediately became furious.

At this time, things suddenly took a turn for the better——

(End of this chapter)