Zhao Defang's road to the virtuous king

"I think that De Yi is only 19 years old, and his elder brother De Long died of illness in less than three months. If he has such a heart of love for the people, Yizhou will definitely govern and prosper in the future."

"Yes, there is still a long way to go." Defang nodded, "Madam, where are the children?"

"They're all doing their homework. Except for Nangong, everyone in the study room is a child now, hehehe"

"It's true, we can play together in our free time."

"The children are all together, and they take care of each other, so the concubine can feel at ease."

"Well, that's good. It's really reassuring to have someone follow, and Madam won't be so tired."

"My lord, you are really right to choose Xiao Shanzi to follow Xian'er."

"Oh? What do you say?"

"Xian'er is very active. He runs around when he is playing. Few of the servants can catch up with him. Xiao Shanzi is different. He really follows closely, for fear that he will lose sight of Xian'er."

"Really? Hahaha, that's great. Now I'm not afraid that Xian'er will run around and find him." Defang turned her head and said, "Baili, give Xiao Shanzi an extra two taels of silver. His parents come to visit him Then give me another five taels."

"Yes, my lord."

"My lord," said Concubine Di, "those five children are all very good, we should reward them all."

"What madam said is, Baili, then reward them all. The small list is so tiring. Make him some more underwear and a few pairs of shoes."

"Yes, my lord." Baili turned around and took out the fruit, "Your lord, ma'am, this is a newly planted fruit, and I've given some to the last brewing."

"Okay, Baili, it's time for the children to finish their homework, let's take them to the garden to play."

"Yes" Baili trotted to the study, and brought the children here in a short while. Defang brought fruits and snacks for the children, and the four servants and maid Meijia also each got fruits and snacks. Seeing the nine children eating, Defang and Concubine Di were also very happy, Weixian ran to the lace, Xiao Shanzi hurriedly followed, Defang said, "Xian'er, don't run around while eating snacks, I'll choke you."

"Father King" Wei Xian pointed at the flowers, "The peonies are really big."

"Does that look good?"

"nice"

Defang looked at the children and asked, "Do you know the legend of Peony?"

Several children shook their heads, and Defang smiled and waved, "Come on, sit down, my father will tell you."

Weixian ran back to the stone bench to finish the work, and lay on the stone table with his arms under his chin. Defang hugged Weiling and preached, "It is said that on the first day of the twelfth lunar month in the second year of Tianshou in the Tang Dynasty, it was winter in Chang'an, the capital city, and it was snowing. All over the sky, Empress Wu Zetian poured fine wine and recited poems to make a match. When the wine was hot, she wrote an imperial edict. All the flowers in the city bloom overnight, and the only peony does not violate the season, and the core does not bloom. The queen was furious when she heard this, and decreed that the peony was exiled from the capital, distributed to Luoyang, and sentenced to fire. The peony suffered from this disaster, and its body was like coke , but the roots and branches do not scatter, standing upright in the severe cold, and when the spring blooms, the flowers bloom more beautifully than in previous years, and it is known as the scorched bone peony by the world."

Wei Xian asked, "Father, will the emperor's grandfather decree that the flowers in the capital will also bloom in winter?"

"This is a legend, so it can't be taken seriously," Defang said. "This peony flower began in the Sui Dynasty and flourished in the Tang Dynasty. There is a poem by Liu Yuxi in the Tang Dynasty: The peony in front of the court is invincible, and the flower on the pond is pure and unfeeling. Only the peony is really beautiful. The capital is in full swing during the opening season. It can be seen that peonies were in full bloom at that time."

"Father Wang's peony is more beautiful."

"Yeah" Defang listened to this and looked at Concubine Di, "Of course my father's peony is the best, hehehe"

Concubine Di pushed Defang, "The child is here, don't make trouble."