Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 450: I come here every year after I came to Beijing [Thank you! Goodbye! I owe you 40k more]

In Jinming Pond,

On the top floor of the dragon boat,

Mr. Shen was already standing by the railing, smiling as he watched Xu Zaijing walking towards the dragon boat on the deck below.

Next to Grand Chancellor Shen, the high-ranking official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Lord Wang Shao, who was equally senior, also stood by the railing and said softly, "Brother Shen, you are really amazing to be able to persuade the youngest son of the Marquis of Yongyi to come to power!"

Turning his head to look at Lord Wang Shao, Grand Master Shen said with a smile: "This is not my invitation. The younger generations have already discussed it! They are considering the face of the Zheng family and the relationship with my brother Rui."

"Hahaha!"

Lord Wang Shao stroked his beard and laughed, then continued, "So that's how it is!"

Time to speak,
Huge oars extended from both sides of the dragon boat.
The big dragon boat began to move slowly under the paddling of oars and the towing of dozens of small boats in the pool.

Lord Shen glanced at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne and said, "Your Majesty now has great plans in mind. It is not a bad thing for us civil officials and military officers to live in harmony!"

"Only by working together as one can we defeat the powerful enemy in the north!"

Lord Wang Shao nodded in approval: "Although Brother Shen has not been in the capital for a long time, his thoughts are much longer-term than mine! So, I have an idea about my son's marriage."

"Lord Wang is too modest! Wow, the little dragon boat that this Xu family boy is on is rowed very well."

Listening to the words of Prime Minister Shen, Lord Wang Shao also looked over there.

Small dragon boat in the pond,
There is a thick rope decorated with colorful threads tied to the tail of the dragon boat.

Although the dragon boat had oars on both sides, it would turn upside down when approaching the Linshui Palace without having to turn around.
But such a large dragon boat has two floors of buildings on top, so in order to ensure the stability of the hull, there must be heavy objects in the cabin.

There were dozens of table-sized iron ingots shaped like gold ingots used as ballast stones at the bottom of the cabin of this large dragon boat.

Therefore, the cable at the tail of the dragon boat was pulled straight.

At this time, Xu Zaijing had already tied up his sleeves with his arm loops, and was sitting at the stern of the dragon boat near the helmsman, paddling hard with a paddle in his hand.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The drummer in front of us beats rhythmically.

There were fifty people in total, including Xu Zaijing, on the small dragon boat, and the rhythm of their paddling was in sync with the beat of the drum.

"Wu Lang, you can use more force!"

The elderly helmsman behind Xu Zaijing shouted.

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing paddled even harder.

The old helmsman felt the change in the dragon boat's 'power' and adjusted the tiller in his hand to keep the dragon boat moving forward.

This old helmsman came from the navy of the Huyan family. Steering a ship is a skill he has acquired for decades and he has superb skills. After adapting for a while, he adjusted the rhythm of steering.

quickly,

The big dragon boat left the shore and stopped in the pool.

"Reel in the cable!"

A shout came from the big dragon boat,

The cable at the tail of the dragon boat was untied and taken back.

Dozens of small dragon boats gradually moved away and headed for the starting point of the dragon boat race.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed at this time. Xu Zaijing was paddling while talking to Zheng Xiao, Gu Tingye and the Li family's Taotie brothers who were moving in the same manner in front of him.

"Brother Jing, did you see that thief today?"

Gu Tingye tilted his head and shouted towards the spring breeze in the pool.

"not coming!"

"You were very fierce yesterday! Why are you such a coward today?"

After saying this, Gu Tingye paddled hard, as if the person who chased him yesterday was right under his oar.

"Erlang, don't waste your energy like this, or you'll be exhausted later!"

Zheng Xiao shouted from the side.

After shouting, Zheng Xiao looked at Gu Tingye and stopped using force. He turned back to look at Xu Zaijing and said, "Wu Lang, don't be impulsive! After all, that guy is also the emperor's personal guard. We can't hurt his life easily!"

"I know the pros and cons!"

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded at Zheng Xiao.

The dragon boat slowly stopped at the starting point, and some people were busy putting up each family's flag and sticking it on the dragon boat.

"Gu Erlang, I heard your horse ran very fast yesterday!"

"Tomorrow we will invite the Zhang family brother to play polo outside the city. Do you want to go?"

On the small dragon boat nearby, the sons of the nobles in the capital shouted with laughter.

Gu Tingye turned his head to look, and then replied: "Han Wulang? This young master has no time to play polo with a sissy!"

"Who are you calling a sissy?!" Han Chengyun shouted.

"No time? Gu Erlang, you don't dare to go, do you?"

Hearing the voice, Gu Tingye glared over: "Lu Sanlang, what does this have to do with you? Why are you interfering, you kidney-deficient person?"

"Tomorrow I will form a team with Brother Han Wu! Why am I not involved? Kidney deficiency? Who the hell has kidney deficiency!"

Gu Tingye stared at Lu Sanlang, who had been at odds with him since childhood, and suddenly had an idea, saying, "Okay, then I will team up with Jing Ge'er and wait for you at the polo field tomorrow!"

"Okay, it's a deal!"

Han Wulang and Lu Sanlang, two disciples of the Duke's Mansion, looked at each other as if their plan had succeeded.

They knew what happened yesterday, and they wished they could see Xu Zaijing beating someone up on the polo field tomorrow, or even better, killing someone! That way, Xu Zaijing could be put in jail!
When the distant pole is set,

A naval lieutenant holding a flag appeared on the big dragon boat.

"Get in the water!"

Xu Zaijing and others put their oars into the pool.

shore,

The best position which was where the Xu family's tent was located in previous years was now filled with the women of the Zheng family.

Watching the big dragon boat stop in the pond and the small dragon boat untie,
The ladies and noble ladies in each tent looked towards the pond one after another.

In the Zheng family tent,
Madam Zheng looked at Zheng Ni, who was surrounded by noble ladies from the capital, such as Gu Tingyi, Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, with a hint of smile in her eyes.

"When we got married, there was no such gimmick!"

The British Duchess on the side said as she looked at the girls with a smile.

"Madam is right! But the meaning of this Jinmingchi jade carving is really good!"

Madam Zheng replied softly.

"Look at Sister An from Xu Hou's family, and the girl from the Tao family who married into your family. They both had happy marriages, and Sister An even had a son!"

Thinking of her husband Zhang Fangling and his wife's growing belly, the smile on Lady Yingguo's face deepened.

Mrs. Chai on the other side said with some concern:

"Speaking of which, those guys all got on that little dragon boat at once, and they've never practiced together before! I don't know if they can get the jade sculpture."

Madam Zheng waved the handkerchief in her hand and said, "Brother Shen Jiarui is weak and he is also on the boat now! I am happy that he has such a thoughtful thought! Whether he can win the bid or not is up to fate!"

"It's about to begin! It's about to begin!"

Zhang Jia Wu Niang pointed at the big dragon boat in the distance and shouted.

"Let's go out and take a look!"

As they spoke, the noble ladies surrounded Zheng Ni and walked out.

Subsequently,

The navy lieutenant in front of the dragon boat waved the flag in his hand vigorously.

The sound of drums in Jinming Lake suddenly became louder.

In the beginning,
The small dragon boat with the flag bearing the Chinese character "申" was not near the front.

But after rowing about ten feet,
Every time the rowers on the Shen family's dragon boat paddled hard, the dragon boat moved forward a lot.

Just four or five breaths,
The Shen family dragon boat stood out from the crowd.

And the advantage is constantly expanding.

When they approached the bamboo pole with the peony jade carving hanging on it at the end, they actually slid over it. Shen Herui at the bow stretched out his hand with some disbelief on his face and gently took the jade carving in his hand.

Shin He-seo moved gently, but the old helmsman at the stern was panting heavily and wiping the sweat from his forehead, looking at Xu Zai-jeong in front of him with some disbelief in his eyes.

The old helmsman has been at the helm for many years, but has never encountered a situation like today.

Fortunately, when he was pulling the dragon boat and heading to the starting point, he had adapted to the "powerful" new rower.

Plus, he has decades of accumulated experience in steering, otherwise this little dragon boat would have most likely gone off course today.

At this time,

Xu Zaijing pulled back the oars, smiled at the old helmsman who was steering the boat easily, and said with a bow, "You are so skilled, old man!"

The old helmsman smiled: "Wulang too."

"Ha ha!"

Xu Zaijing smiled and bowed.

Talking
The small dragon boat then sailed towards the shore of Jinming Lake.

shore,

Zheng Ni was surrounded by noble ladies and stood behind Madam Zheng, watching the small dragon boat approaching in Jinming Lake.

In Zheng Ni's eyes, the man standing at the bow looked much thinner than during last year's Lantern Festival.

The little dragon boat came to the shore.
Shen Herui, like the previous winners, walked up to Madam Zheng holding the jade carving and started talking.

Zheng Ni looked at Shen Herui,
Gu Tingyi was looking at his second brother Gu Tingye.
Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan looked at the young man in brocade clothes who was standing on the boat and making a fuss.

Because there's another show coming up later.
After delivering the jade carving, Shen Herui returned to the dragon boat and headed towards the starting point.

ashore,

in the crowd,
Chai Zhengzheng took Mrs. Chai's arm and walked towards the tent.

Seeing the noise around me and no one paying attention,

Madam Chai whispered to Chai Zhengzheng, "Look at how lively Jing-ge is, he must be not injured!"

Chai Zhengzheng nodded.

"The Zhang family kid has a very weird personality."

As she spoke, Mrs. Chai shook her head.

Entering the Zheng family's tent,
Chai Zhengzheng, Gu Tingyi and a few others went to Zheng Ni and admired the first-class things in Jinming Pool.

"It looks a little different from the one in Sister Anmei's room!"

Zhang Jiawu Niang said as she looked at the jade carving in Zheng Ni's hand.

Rong Feiyan replied with envy in her eyes:

"I heard that this is a new design made by the master craftsman of the Li family! If it were the same every year, it would be meaningless!"

As she spoke, Rong Feiyan looked at the peony jade carving that Zheng Ni handed over, and quickly waved her hand to indicate that she didn't need to take it.

After another round of gongs and drums,

The second round of dragon boat bidding ended.

The two winning dragon boats sailed under the big dragon boat, and Shen Herui and another person boarded the big dragon boat.

When Xu Zaijing was about to take Qi Heng on the dragon boat to go fishing with Liang Liulang and Qiao Jiulang at Aowu, a young eunuch walked to the side of the boat.

After bowing slightly to Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye and the others, he smiled and said, "Wu Lang, His Highness wants you to come over and talk."

Gu Tingye looked a little disappointed and said, "Alas, Wu Lang, I may not be able to compete with you in fishing skills today."

Qi Heng, who was on the dragon boat, nodded repeatedly, with a look of disappointment on his face: "I think Liu Lang must be even more regretful."

Xu Zaijing, who was very self-aware, looked at the two and waved his hand, saying, "Go away! How dare you say such things! Taotie, Chimei, you two go with them, or we will lose our prestige!"

The Li brothers smiled and bowed.

Xu Zaijing went straight onto the dragon boat.

The little dragon boat sailed towards the shore on the Aowu side.

Gu Tingye sat in the small dragon boat without rowing, but just talked with the Li brothers and asked a few questions about the battle at Baigao.

After rowing for a while, when they were almost at the shore, Qi Heng, who was sitting nearby, pointed to the Ao House and said:
"Uncle, look!"

Gu Tingye looked up and smiled, "The maidservant beside Liang Han looks pretty! And she even touched my hand, you bastard!"

"Uncle, doesn't that maid look familiar to you?"

"Hiss! Brother Heng, you look familiar now! It seems like you went to Aowu with Liang Han last year."

The little dragon boat approached quickly.
Liang Han also let go of the hand of the maid beside him early.

Looking at the people getting off the dragon boat, Liang Han blinked: "Where is my brother Jing?"

On the big dragon boat,

Xu Zaijing and Zhao Fang stood by the railing.
The eunuchs and the ladies-in-waiting were standing not far away.

Listening to the questions Zhao Fang asked in a low voice,
After Xu Zaijing looked around, he coughed lightly and whispered something into Zhao Fang's ear.

Zhao Fang turned his head to look at Xu Zaijing: "Brother Jing, does that mean he has given up?"

Xu Zaijing nodded: "If he really dared to answer, he would still be a man! Now it seems that he is a cowardly person!"

"If he came today, Jing'er, you would really hit him hard!"

"I won't offend anyone unless they offend me! I will treat him the same way he treated me yesterday. How can you say I was being too harsh?"

Zhao Fang glanced at Xu Zaijing, hesitated and said, "I heard from the eunuch beside my father that the Zhang family will live in the house in the Imperial City's Forbidden City in the future, and will not leave the palace easily in the future."

Xu Zaijing bowed to Zhao Fang and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhao Fang smiled and said, "Brother Jing, so many soldiers from the Western Army returned yesterday. We will do the same as before."

Xu Zaijing was stunned: "Your Highness, this matter still needs the approval of His Majesty!"

Zhao Fang sighed.

Sheng family tent,

The position is the same as last year.
However, there are a lot more people in the tent than last year.

Listening to the drumbeats of the dragon boat race in Jinming Lake and the cheers of the winners,

Wang Ruofu glanced at the eldest wife, Mrs. Li, who was full of surprise, and raised the teacup with a smile on her face and said proudly, "Sister-in-law, have some tea!"

"Alas!"

Madam Li leaned over to hold the teacup, looked outside, and sighed, "I heard in Youyang that the opening of Jinming Lake in March in Bianjing is a grand spectacle. Today I see that it is indeed as famous as it is said to be!"

Wang Ruofu smiled and said, "Alas, I have come to see this every year since I came to Beijing. I am tired of seeing it too much!"

Mrs. Li thought about the nobles of Bian Jing dressed in jewels and jade in the tents along the coast, and smiled and drank a sip of tea.

Wang Ruofu put down the teacup and said, "Come to think of it, I accompanied you to the dragon boat last year!"

"Ah? Yo!"

Madam Li was surprised, then leaned forward and said, "Didn't they say that His Majesty is on that big dragon boat?"

"Yes, I also met His Majesty and His Majesty at that time!"

Listening to the conversation in the tent,

Shulan and Pinlan, who were looking at the scenery at the door of the tent, looked at the three Lans in the second room in surprise.

Rulan nodded.

Minglan said softly, "It's true."

Molan turned sideways to look outside, secretly rolled her eyes, and between her lips she vaguely said, "What's the big deal?"

Then, as if she didn't know what she saw, Molan's face suddenly turned into a smile, and she bowed towards the place not far away.

This action caused Rulan to look over and she quickly bowed: "Young Master! Second Uncle!"

Qi Heng smiled and nodded, Gu Tingye smiled and waved his hand: "I'll go fishing with your brother!"

As he spoke, he walked towards Sheng Changbai, Changwu and Changfeng who were standing on the shore.

(End of this chapter)