Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 470: School and Envoys [Thank you! Thank you again! 38k more to go]

In late June,

Cloudy with rain.

At the end of Chenshi (9:00 a.m.), west of Wansheng Gate in the west of the city,
On the roadside of Shenbaoguan,
A team of capable guards rode on horses.

Chai Zhengzheng sat in the exquisite carriage, looking at the scenery of the Hulu River not far away through the gauze.

"quack"

"quack"

Frogs in the pond or river are croaking happily after the rain.

A humid summer breeze blew into the carriage.

"Da da da"

There was the sound of raindrops hitting an oil-paper umbrella.

Chai Zhengzheng withdrew his gaze from outside the car.
After a while,
Yunmu, whose clothes were wet by the raindrops blown off the trees, lifted the car curtain and walked in.

"how?"

Listening to Chai Zhengzheng's question, Yunmu said with difficulty: "Miss, I found the master of the temple, but no matter what I said, the master did not nod."

"How much money should we add to the incense oil?"

“I said it, but the master still shook his head.”

Inside the car, the maid said, "Miss, which family of nobles is this? They can actually queue in front of our family."

Chai Zhengzheng quickly looked at Yunmu and asked, "Have you asked which family will burn the first incense stick that day?"

"I asked, but the master just smiled and shook his head."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded with regret.

"Girl, since we don't have the chance to light the first incense stick, should we still stay here?"

Fu Yi asked carefully.

Yunmu looked at Chai Zhengzheng and said, "Miss, don't be too upset! Earlier this month, we had already offered sacrifices and prayed at Cui Fujun Temple. We can't burn the first incense stick at Shenbao Temple. Actually..."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded: "Let's go."

Yunmu said to the outside of the car,
A line of carriages and horses began to turn around and head towards the city.

After passing through the tall gates of the outer and inner cities,

When Chai Zhengzheng arrived at the cross street south of Xingguofang by car, he ordered: "Let's go to Xingguofang and visit Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion."

"Yes, girl."

After Fu Yi responded, she lifted the carriage curtain and said to the Chai family guards who were following her,

Soon the horse picked up speed and rushed towards the Gu family.

Arriving at the second gate of Gu's house,

Chai Zhengzheng looked at Gu Tingyi standing at the door and walked down with a smile.

"Why did you come to my house all of a sudden?"

Gu Tingyi held Chai Zhengzheng's hand and walked towards the yard, asking with a smile.

Chai Zhengzheng said: "I wanted to go to Shenbao Temple this morning to ask for the first incense, but it turned out to have been reserved by someone else."

As she said this, she shook her head somewhat disappointedly.

"Oh~!"

Gu Tingyi responded with a somewhat exaggerated expression.

Chai Zhengzheng noticed and glanced at Gu Tingyi: "What's wrong?"

Gu Tingyi pursed his lips and said nothing.

Chai Zhengzheng's heart moved and he grabbed Gu Tingyi's hand tightly, saying, "Could it be that the Marquis' Mansion decided it?"

Gu Tingyi took a deep breath and said, "I guess so. My mother had been planning this two days ago, but unfortunately the abbot refused to allow it after going to the temple twice."

Chai Zhengzheng: "Oh? How is that?"

Gu Tingyi glanced at Chai Zhengzheng and said, "It was when my sister-in-law went back to her parents' home that I heard from Madam Xu that the Taoist priest of Shenbao Temple knew that Jing Ge would take the provincial examination in August, so he sent the incense stick to the Xu family."

"Oh!"

Chai Zhengzheng nodded briskly, and then asked, "Is it because of the reason that Xu Jia Wulang rescued people outside the temple before?"

Gu Tingyi hummed and continued, "So Madam Xu called my mother, Princess Pingning, and Madam Wang from the Sheng family to go to Shenbao Temple to burn incense together."

"Sister, do you want to go with me?"

After hearing the question, Chai Zhengzheng seemed to think for a while and nodded: "Yes! I want to pray for my brother too."

Gu Tingyi looked at Chai Zhengzheng with a smile on his face: "Which brother?"

Chai Zhengzheng seemed puzzled and replied: "Big brother, Jing brother, second brother Bo brother."

Gu Tingyi: “Oh!”

noon,

Sheng family,

School yard,

The morning was still cloudy and rainy.

At noon, the sun often appears from behind the clouds.

A cloud blocked the sunlight in the yard.
A refreshing breeze blew through the classroom.

Zhuang Xuejiu sat behind the table, holding the mock exam papers of Xu Zaijing and others in his hands, and nodded from time to time, saying, "Not bad, not bad."

As he spoke, Zhuang Xuejiu picked up the brush and wrote a word on the test paper.

Then, Zhuang Xuejiu picked up another test paper and continued looking at it.

Zai Zhang, Qi Heng and others in the school all looked at Master Zhuang with concern.

Qi Heng leaned against Chang Feng's desk and whispered, "Chang Feng, who answered the question that the scholar just nodded in appreciation of?"

Chang Feng, who was in charge of collecting the papers, scratched his eyes, leaned forward and whispered, "It seems to be mine."

"Oh!"

Rulan, who heard the noise nearby, propped up her chin with her hand and looked at the two of them with sleepy eyes.

Minglan behind Rulan,
He looked at Xu Zaijing on his right without saying anything.

If she remembered correctly, that photo should belong to Cousin Jing.

Xu Zaijing naturally heard the conversation between the two, but he did not interrupt. He just stared at the clouds in the sky outside the window in a daze.

After watching for a while,

"Brother Jing, Brother Jing?"

Chang Feng on the side called out in a low voice.

"Ok?"

Xu Zaijing looked over.

Chang Feng raised his chin and gestured in the direction of Zhuang Xuejiu.
Xu Zaijing glanced forward and saw Zhuang Xuejiu, who was frowning and looking at the paper in his hand.

"Brother Jing, that's yours!"

Chang Feng whispered.

Qi Heng also looked at Xu Zaijing and nodded repeatedly.

"Oh? It seems I still have room for improvement."

At this time,

There were footsteps outside the house.

Mother Liu came in with a group of maids carrying lunch.

After setting the table, Mother Liu took everyone away, while Master Zhuang ate while correcting the papers.

As Zhuang Xuejiu was revising the paper, he took a deep breath, shook his head, put down his bowl, walked over to the Luohan chair nearby and lay down.

Rulan turned around and whispered to Minglan, "Sixth sister, is it because of cousin Jing's test paper that the scholar is so angry that he can't handle it?"

Minglan shook her head: "Maybe it's because it's hot and the scholar has no appetite."

When the two Lans were talking,
Molan, who was sitting at the front row, stood up pretending to drink tea and glanced at the table.

But there was a cool breeze blowing through the hall, causing the paper to move around, and Molan couldn't see clearly.

After a while

Mr. Zhuang began to snore softly.

After lunch, everyone began to feel sleepy and took a nap at their desks or in the reclining chairs they brought with them.

At the end of the school,

When Qingcao, who had been sleeping on his knees and had marks on his face left by the wrinkles of his hair and clothes, raised his head, the scholar had already sat down behind the desk again.

in the afternoon,

When Master Zhuang was holding the corrected papers and preparing to comment on them, Chang Feng raised his eyebrows at Xu Zaijing with a smug smile on his face.

Zhuang Xuejiao, who was standing behind the desk, picked up the first paper and said to Xu Zaijing with a pleased smile, "Wulang, your paper is well done! I have marked the parts that need to be revised."

Xu Zaijing stood up and walked to the desk of Zhuang Xuejiu. He bowed and took the paper: "Thank you, Xuejiu."

Walking back to his seat with the test paper, Xu Zaijing smiled at the stunned Chang Feng.

The scholar still had a smile on his face: "Changbai."

Changbai stood up and took the paper.

Then Zhuang Xuejiu's smile disappeared: "Zai Zhang, your article"

When it was Chang Feng's turn, Zhuang Xuejiu looked at Chang Feng at the table and frowned: "After school, Chang Feng, please stay for a while."

Chang Feng took the paper with Zhuang Xueji's marks on it with an embarrassed look on his face, and bowed, "Yes, Xuejiu."

Mo Lan, who was sitting in the front row,
Listening to Rulan's words behind her, "You said it was cousin Jing, but it turned out to be third brother himself",
After looking at Chang Feng with an unpleasant expression,
He fanned it faster and faster.

Sheng’s backyard,

At the gate of Anzhai today,
Mother Liu walked in with Xiaodie, who was dressed as a woman, with a smile on her face.

Looking at Qiu Jiang who was in a daze in the yard, Mother Liu smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Go and tell Xiao Niang that Miss Xiao Die is back."

Qiu Jiang nodded and walked quickly into the house.

When Xiaodie and Liu's mother arrived at the door,
Wei Shuyi, dressed in summer clothes, walked out with a smile.

"My dear, Miss Xiaodie just kowtowed to the old lady and the eldest lady."

Wei Shuyi smiled and talked to Mother Liu, who nodded. She supported Xiaodie as she was about to kneel down, glanced at her from head to toe, and said, "She looks much prettier than the last time she came back!"

Xiaodie's eyes were full of smiles, and she looked at Wei Shuyi shyly.

"Come on, come in."

"Ok!"

Xiaodie nodded and followed Wei Shuyi into the house. Looking at the house which had changed a lot since she got married and left, Xiaodie sat on the embroidered cushion and looked around curiously.

Looking at the new account books, abacus, wooden boxes for silver and money and other things in the room, Xiaodie said nothing.

"Miss Xiaodie, you sit with my wife. I'm going to go to the mistress. Qiu Jiang will bring you a cup of tea later."

"Thank you, Aunt Liu. You can go and do your work." Xiaodie stood up and said.

"Hey!"

Mother Liu smiled, bowed, and left the house.

Soon after Qiu Jiang served the tea, he was also sent out by Wei Shuyi.

When there were only two people left in the room, Xiaodie felt much more relaxed.

"My dear, I never thought that you would be the head of the Sheng family."

Xiaodie said with a sigh.

Wei Shuyi smiled and shook his head, looking at the extra things in the room and said, "I didn't expect that either."

Xiaodie looked towards the door and whispered, "Humph! It's only because I'm not by your side, otherwise I would have taken control of those people in Linqi Pavilion! Let them experience what life is like in Yangzhou!"

Xiaodie was angry when she thought about the past, and continued angrily: "Back in Yangzhou, they tortured us to death."

Wei Shuyi looked out the window and nodded, saying, "I still remember those days! In fact, I was able to manage the family only because the Sheng family and the Wang family wanted to give some explanations to the Marquis' Mansion. If you have to ask the old lady and the eldest lady for permission for everything, you won't be able to do it for long."

"Besides, with the master's preference, Linqi Pavilion will be a little harsh on us..."

Xiaodie nodded in agreement: "If Lin Xiaoniang is treated harshly, she will cry ten times harder."

Wei Shuyi said: "Let's not talk about that. Is it good to stay at the Ni family these days?"

Xiaodie couldn't help but smile and nodded, "Okay! With the help of my relatives, I rented a shop on the street."

Wei Shuyi was slightly surprised and asked with a smile: "Oh? What do you do for a living?"

Xiaodie pursed her lips and said, "It's just some sewing, washing, starching and mending business, and also some embroidery works of the women in the house."

Wei Shuyi nodded with satisfaction: "Then what is the embroidery you asked me for before used for?"

Xiaodie said with a smile: "The use is that if someone asks me for a high price, I will take out my embroidery and say, 'You have such embroidery skills, I will buy it at a high price'."

Hearing this, Wei Shuyi laughed: "Has it been achieved?"

Xiaodie nodded: "Yes, but too few! By the way, little girl, I have also seen the embroidery of a head of a guild!"

"The head of the embroidery business seemed to have come back from outside the city. He wandered around the shop and took out his embroidery and asked about the price."

Seeing Wei Shuyi's curious expression, Xiaodie continued: "There is still a gap between your skills and mine."

Wei Shuyi looked at Xiaodie's smug look, smiled, and then earnestly warned: "You can deal with women in these businesses, but for the rest, you should find a trustworthy woman."

"Girl, I know. With my brother's supporters around, I won't be bullied! And, I..."

Xiaodie looked at Wei Shuyi shyly.

Wei Shuyi was stunned for a moment and then smiled and said, "Is there any movement in your stomach?"

"Well, it's been more than a month."

Wei Shuyi gave some more instructions.

time goes by,

It's July now.

Yongtai Gate in Bianjing,
On the tall city gate tower,
The city gate tower blocked the scorching sun, allowing the imperial guards on the city wall to fight in the shade. At this time, in the soldiers' field of vision, a long convoy was slowly entering the outer city like a snake.

Hot weather,

There were knights who had taken off their hats next to the caravan, and their hairstyle was obviously different from that of the common people of the Great Zhou.

The horses you ride are usually the best ones picked from among thousands.

Downstairs at the city gate,

In the convoy of the Northern Liao envoys,

Zhao Weigan, the fifth son of the Northern Liao noble family, Lulong Zhao, rode on a handsome horse, looked up at the majestic walls of Bianjing, and shook his head slightly.

Zhao Wei dared to retract his gaze and looked at the roadside with interest again. There, because the Qixi Festival was approaching, there were vendors selling Mohelo, Shuishangfu, Guban and other things on the roadside.

Seeing the look in his companion's eyes, Liu Jun, who was born in the Changping Liu family, said, "Brother Gan, don't look at it. I heard from the elders at home that these things will be more exquisite after entering the inner city!"

Zhao Wei nodded and looked forward.

After walking for a long time,

Turn right again, pass through the doorway and enter the main street of Panlou in the inner city.
Zhao Wei dared to look at the more prosperous street and said, "Jun Ge'er is right!"

Liu Jun shaded his eyes from the sun and said, "My elders have been on diplomatic missions to the Great Zhou many times. Many people in Bianjing may not be as familiar with Bianjing as my elders."

Listening to the hawking on the street, the music and noise in Panlou,

Looking at the towering five-story wooden building, the busy people on the street, the rich people riding horses and carriages, and the idle people running on the street carrying food boxes to deliver dishes.
There was also a brothel girl in a wooden building nearby, wearing light clothing and coming out early for work.

And horse-drawn carts busy transporting goods and ice on the streets.

Zhao Wei sighed, "It's really better to see it in person than to hear about it! Compared with Xijin Prefecture and Zhongjing, this place is really prosperous!"

After walking for a long time,
Turn across the bridge
The long convoy finally arrived at Beiliao Posthouse.

After a group of noble families from Northern Liao entered the courtyard, they quickly dismounted from their horses and quickly went into the wooden building of the inn.

In the spacious hall,

Everyone felt the coolness brought by the ice and sighed comfortably.

At this time, the official from Northern Liao who was congratulating the Emperor of Great Zhou on his birthday walked to the middle and said loudly:

"You are all talented people from Northern Liao. I believe you have heard a lot about the most important things after entering Bian Jing along the way. I will reiterate it here."

"The Great Zhou is not Northern Liao. We cannot provoke those people in Bian Jing. If something really happens and someone catches us and takes the blame, we envoys may not be able to protect them."

The official looked at the expressions on everyone's faces and continued, "The former Prince Baigao is an example. Please remember this."

"My Lord, it wouldn't be wrong for us to play polo, right?"

Zhao Wei dared to ask with a smile.

"Hehehe, let's see the polo level of Bianjing."

Han Honglie, one of the two Hans of the Northern Liao family, said with a smile.

The official nodded: "Polo is fine. I heard that the player with the best record in the Bianjing Polo Field is also named Han, and he is the son of a prince."

"Oh?"

Han Honglie and the others looked at each other and said, "Everyone, we are rivals in Northern Liao, but in Bianjing, we must work together."

"Then we have to take good care of our mounts, otherwise my fighting power will be reduced!" Zhao Wei said as he walked out.

Everyone followed suit,

"I don't know if there are any good horses in Bianjing. I hope we won't be outdone by them!"

"Hahaha!"

Listening to the laughter of the crowd,
Many of the Changping Liu family members had elders who were sent as envoys to the Great Zhou. Liu Jun and the Northern Liao official looked at each other and said, "Uncle, are there any good horses in Bianjing that can compare with the ones we ride?"

(End of this chapter)