carved heart

Chapter 42 Suizhou apprenticeship (1)
"I am 25 years old, and I like to carve with you."

"Ayin, Ziye wants to marry you."

Ah Yin was a little dazed. In the past 20 years, it was the first time someone proposed to her so sincerely.

Yongping is about to arrive, Shen Changtang got off the boat.

The people in the Hou Mansion had already received the news, and they were waiting at Chenjiang Wharf two days in advance.Shen Lu got Madam Shen's order and brought a box of new clothes for the carriage.Originally Mrs. Shen also wanted to come to pick up Mu Yanghou, but it was raining heavily recently, Chen Jiang was two days away from Yongping by car, and Mrs. Shen was ill, so she had to stay in the Hou's mansion, but she did it for nearly half a year. The clothes of the car, fearing that Mu Yanghou would not be able to see them immediately, he asked Shen Lu to bring them over.

Shen Lu is the chief manager of the Shen family. Originally, his surname was not Shen, but Chen. He was an orphan. Later, he performed outstandingly and was very capable of management. Feeling that he had worked hard for ten years, he was specially given the surname Shen.

Shen Lu saluted Shen Changtang.

"See you Lord Hou."

Shen Changtang asked him to get up, but he didn't say much, but turned to look at Chen Jiang, tilted his head slightly, and asked, "Is there a letter from Gongcheng?"

The person who answered Shen Changtang was Yan Shen.

"The Yellow River flooded half a month ago, I'm afraid it was delayed."

When Shen Lu heard this, there was a trace of surprise in his eyes.

Gong Cheng's letter?

He has served Mu Yanghou for 20 years, and his tone just now clearly meant that he cared.This time I went to Suizhou for half a year, did something happen?He thought about it for a while, and seeing that his Lord Hou had never spoken again, he said, "I would like to report to Lord Hou, Madam made new clothes for Lord Hou, and they are all in the carriage."

Shen Changtang said indifferently: "Thank you for your mother's care. I will tell my mother on behalf of the Marquis that there are many embroidered women in the Marquis's residence, and this Marquis is not short of clothes. I don't need to bother my mother with these things in the future."

Shen Lu was not surprised by Shen Changtang's reaction at all, and asked in response, "Master Hou, do you want to go back to the Hou Mansion first? Or enter the palace first?"

Shen Changtang said: "Enter the palace."

Shen Lu responded again, and respectfully invited Shen Changtang to get on the carriage.Two days later, Mu Yanghou arrived in Yongping.Someone had already opened the road and cleared an empty street, allowing Mu Yanghou's carriage to enter the palace without hindrance.

The Xuanjiawei sent each other off all the way, and the flying Shen character flag was majestic under the sun.

"So angry." The silk merchant who came to Yongping for the first time exclaimed, and asked, "Which Shen family is the Shen family?"

Someone gave the silk merchant a contemptuous look and said, "Who else in the world can have such honor and prestige except Mu Yanghou? Mu Yanghou doesn't even know that you dare to come to Yongping for business. When will you offend me?" No one knows it. That is the Yongping Shen family with one person under one person and above ten thousand people! That is the only Lord Shen who is allowed to carry a sword to face the saint!"

The south gate is wide open.

The guards guarding the gate bowed their heads to greet them. Mu Yanghou, who had already changed his horse, entered the south gate without stopping. Behind him, Xuanjia guards were stationed outside the gate. Yan Mo and Yan Shen passed the guard's inspection. After all the swords and daggers were removed, he was allowed to enter the palace.

Ever since Mu Yanghou revealed the emperor's meaning last time, Yan Shen and Yan Mo had lingering fears and waited at a distance, as far away as possible from the imperial study room, for fear that the emperor would see them and get up again. Without other thoughts, if you ask for it in front of their Lord Hou, it will be a dilemma.The two of them naturally didn't want to see them, so they had no choice but to hope that the emperor would not see them.

At this moment, Mu Yanghou was outside the door of the imperial study.

The servant Wang Quan smiled and said respectfully: "Returning to Lord Hou, the Holy Majesty is discussing state affairs with several ministers, please wait a moment. The servant has already communicated, and the Holy Majesty specially ordered the servant to not be called because it is hot outside. Master Hou is hot." As he spoke, he winked at the little servant beside him.

Not long after, the waiter brought in a yellow pear wood carved dragon and painted phoenix armchair, and matched it with a table with the same pattern, on which a cup of tea was placed.

There are palace maids standing on both sides, one holding a bamboo bone umbrella, and the other holding a simple and elegant round fan, fanning the wind and shading the sun, each performing its duties.

Wang Quan personally waited on Mu Yanghou, poured a cup of tea, handed it to him, and said: "Your Majesty knows that Lord Hou likes the taste of Junshan silver needles, and the tributes sent from Wuling a few days ago included the top Junshan silver needles. A few days later, the Holy Majesty specially ordered the servants to put it away carefully and cook a pot when Lord Hou comes."

Shen Changtang heard it lightly, and said: "It really is good tea."

After a while, he put down his teacup and said casually: "Why are you serving in front of the imperial court today? Where is Deng Zhong?"

"Returning to Lord Hou, Eunuch Deng went to Suizhou on the orders of His Majesty, and he was supposed to pick up Lord Hou on the way, but unexpectedly there was an accident in Suizhou."

As for the accident, there was nothing in Suizhou other than something related to the nuclear carving.Shen Changtang didn't ask any more questions, but picked up the teacup again, smelling it once, smelling it twice, and smelling it three times, the lingering fragrance of the tea made him feel at ease physically and mentally.

About the time of touching a stick of incense, there were footsteps coming from the imperial study.

Shen Changtang also didn't get up, still smelling the tea.

At this time, the door of the imperial study room was pushed open, and several court officials walked out one by one. The one in the front with a fat head and big ears was the current prime minister.When Wang Xiang saw Mu Yanghou who was not far away, he stopped immediately, he was still chatting and laughing just now, but now his face was as cold as the twelfth lunar month.

Shen Changtang said unhurriedly: "Coincidentally, I met Wang Xiang here."

The two court officials in the back quickly saluted Mu Yanghou, but they didn't dare to get involved between Wang Xiang and Mu Yanghou. You must know that the two never had the same political views in the court. He hurriedly made up his words and left in a hurry, so as not to hurt Chi Yu.

When Wang Xiang saw Shen Changtang, he felt a pain in his head, eyes, nose, shoulders, and spine. All the problems of middle-aged people began to occur.What Mu Yanghou did in Suizhou, no matter how big or small, made his liver hurt with anger!

He sneered and said: "I am the prime minister of the imperial court, so I come to the imperial study to discuss state affairs. How can I say such a clever word? It's not like some people wandering around for a year and a half. They don't do much serious business and follow crooked ways."

"Oh? This Marquis was ordered by the Holy Majesty to accompany Zhang Yushi to Suizhou to arrest corrupt officials and fill the treasury, but in the mouth of Wang Xiang, it became a crooked way. Wang Xiang has peaches and plums all over the world. I don't know what kind of knowledge he taught back then." He pretended to be worried and sighed softly: "Sometimes, Ben Hou is really worried about the pillars of the country in Daxing, and he almost couldn't sleep at night for several days in Suizhou."

Wang Xiang was so angry that his beard was about to stand on end.

But at this time, an unhappy voice suddenly sounded in the imperial study: "Having been away for half a year, why haven't you tempered your temper yet? Come in."

Only then did Shen Changtang get up slowly, and said to Wang Xiang: "Just now, I offended you a lot with my words, please forgive me, Wang Xiang." The words are so, but the expression is another matter.Wang Xiang left with a flick of his sleeve, and Shen Changtang entered the imperial study.

Standing in front of the imperial table, Emperor Yongsheng was wearing a crow-blue five-claw dragon uniform. Although he had a face that was too young, he was still majestic, and he rushed towards him without saying a word.

Emperor Yongsheng looked at him and said: "It's good of you. As soon as you come back, you will argue with the king. Tomorrow, when I go to the morning court, there will be bloody storms."

Shen Changtang laughed, and said: "I think the Holy One has already gotten used to it."

Emperor Yongsheng said: "I'm used to it, I'm used to it. If you listen to it a lot in court, you will inevitably get bored. It's a pity that I am the king of a country, so I can only listen. Mingmu is back, and the court can be a lot of fun."

"The court hall is the place where the country's major affairs are discussed, how can the holy majesty want to be interesting?"

If there are outsiders here at this moment, they will be surprised and suspicious of the familiarity and closeness between Emperor Yongsheng and Mu Yanghou.When Shen Changtang was six years old, he accompanied Emperor Yongsheng, who was seven years older than himself, and the monarch and his ministers had been together for 22 years, so they were very familiar with each other.

The monarch and his ministers chatted again, and Emperor Yongsheng asked about Suizhou.

Hearing Emperor Yongsheng's question about Suizhou, Shen Changtang also changed his words, calling him a monarch and a minister.Just because of the familiarity, Shen Changtang was particularly aware of Emperor Yongsheng's temperament, because he was familiar with him, he couldn't mess up the status of the emperor and his ministers.

Emperor Yongsheng was very satisfied with the harvest of Shen Changtang's trip to Suizhou this time, and nodded frequently.

Shen Changtang entered the palace this time, in addition to reporting on his duties, there was another important thing.He probed calmly, and said: "Suizhou is really a holy place for nuclear carving. No matter Suizhou or Gongcheng, nuclear carving skills can be seen everywhere, and nuclear carving products are everywhere, especially there is a nuclear carving outside Gongcheng. Town, Mingmu went to see it once, and it felt fresh. Shangguan’s house also held a fighting nuclear conference, and I went to see it too, and there are many excellent nuclear carving technicians in it." After a pause, he said: "One of them The female core carving skill is not bad, Mingmu saw the artistic conception, and bought a lotus pond moonlight core carving from her."

He took out the moonlight core carving from the lotus pond, and asked, "How does the Holy Majesty look at it?"

Emperor Yongsheng glanced at it, then retracted his gaze: "After all, it's from outside, not as good as in the palace. Mingmu, you are even more distant. If you like nuclear carving, there are many nuclear carving masters in the palace. Let them carve for you what you like." Yes. If you want a nuclei carver from a female nuclei carver, there are not none in the palace, and the newly promoted nuclei carver is a girl."

At this time, Emperor Yongsheng took over the lotus pond moonlight nuclei again, and said casually: "You can have as many of these nuclei as you want. I will have someone send them to you tomorrow." After one flick, he threw it away, with a smile that was not a smile: "You have been in Suizhou for half a year, did you meet some confidante?"

Shen Changtang said: "Your Majesty is joking, Ming Mu can't get close to women, so how can he have a confidante?"

"It's best if you don't have one. If you have one, it's good to be a confidant. It's just that you have to pass my test. When my father was alive, he often told me that I need to take good care of Mingmu's marriage. If you choose someone People with low status and not worthy of Ming Mu, I will not be able to explain to my father after a hundred years."

Mentioning the late emperor, Shen Changtang's heart twitched slightly, feeling somewhat touched.

He became Emperor Yongsheng's accompanying student at the age of six, and he spent much longer time in the palace than in the house.Although companions are like companions to tigers, whether it is Emperor Yongsheng or the first emperor, they all treated him very well, and it was one of the few warmths in his dark and heavy childhood.

It was precisely because of this that he was willing to give Emperor Yongsheng a sharp knife against his relatives.

Muyang Hou Mansion.

"Mingmu entered the palace directly?"

"Returning to Madam, Master Hou has entered the palace to report on his duties." Shen Lu frowned slightly, and said again: "Master Hou also specially asked me to tell Madam, thank you for your care." As for the second half of the sentence, Shen Lu did not say.

In the Hou Mansion, the relationship between Master Hou and Mrs. Shen was unfamiliar and stiff, and everyone had long been accustomed to it.

Mrs. Shen asked, "What else did you say?"

Shen Lu said: "Returning to Madam, Lord Hou hurried into the palace without saying anything else."

Mrs. Shen leaned on the back of the chair, a trace of melancholy appeared on her dignified and luxurious face, she sighed softly, and then sighed several times: "Forget it, I gave birth to him in October, how can I not know his thoughts, you don't need to tell me. Having said that, it only makes people sad."

"Ma'am, don't think about it too much. Master Hou is really in a hurry to enter the palace, and he didn't say a few words to me. Master Hou also saw the cart of clothes that Madam made, and sent them back to the mansion, and put them aside. In the cage. How could the Marquis not know Madam’s wishes? It’s just that reporting is the most important thing. As soon as Marquis enters the city gate, he will go straight to the palace city without stopping.” Shen Lu also said: “Marquis is doing things for the Holy One. , the trip to Suizhou has been more than half a year..."

When Mrs. Shen heard it, she felt distressed even more, and she didn't care about hurting the spring and autumn, she wiped the corners of her eyes, and hurriedly ordered the servants in the Hou's mansion to prepare meals.

Seeing this, Shen Lu breathed a sigh of relief.

It's not an easy job to be the general manager in Muyanghou's mansion.

Suizhou.

On the evening of the second day when Ah Yin claimed to be ill, Shangguan Shixin came over.

The entourage behind him carried large and small packages of medicine and two food boxes.He said apologetically, "It's because Shixin didn't make good arrangements. My bosom friend came to Suizhou, but didn't make proper arrangements, and made you feel wronged."

He asked Jiang Man to put down the medicine and food box, and said: "I heard that you are not acclimatized, so I specially asked the doctor to prescribe a good medicine. The doctor specially instructed that this medicine is very mild. If you drink it when there is nothing to do, it can also clear the liver. Eyesight to reduce fire. We use our eyes too much on weekdays, so we asked the doctor to open a few more packets. There are also food boxes, which are the cooks brought by Shixin from Gongcheng. Come back, I thought it was good, so I dug the cook over, I didn’t expect that you came here and made a fuss, so I asked the cook to cook some food from Gongcheng. If you are not used to Suizhou food, you can just try it.”

Ah Yin did not expect Shangguan Shixin to be so proficient, and he really lived up to the word bosom friend.

From the time he met her, she didn't say a word, and he knew the whole story, and he was extremely gentle, and he didn't expose her as pretending to be sick, and he prepared these things so thoughtfully.

She coughed lightly, and said: "I can't say I'm wronged, and I came to Suizhou in advance."

"As for Miss Lu, I thought I would tell you immediately when you came to Suizhou. Unexpectedly, you found out before me. Shixin is ashamed. I once said that when my bosom friend came to Suizhou, I would definitely entertain you, but in the end It violated the original promise. In order to make up for Shixin's fault, Shixin will personally welcome the girl into Shangguan's house as soon as you recover from illness."

When Jiang Man heard this, the corners of his mouth trembled.

Does their young master know what it means for a gentleman to welcome a girl in?As soon as their young boss met a bosom friend, it was as if they had lost all reason, and they wanted to give each other their heart and soul.

Ah Yin hurriedly said: "The official letter is serious, how can such a big gift be needed?"

Shangguan Shi said: "You are my bosom friend, you deserve such a big gift."

Ah Yin still wanted to worship Shangguan's family, but he didn't want to make such a big fuss.Before they came in, the Young Master's family greeted them personally, and they were all unmarried men and girls, so it was inevitable that they would cause gossip when they talked about nuclear carvings in the future.

Shangguan Shixin really understood her.

When she was thinking about how to decline, he had already taken the initiative to say: "It's Shixin who didn't think carefully again, making it difficult for bosom friend. After you recover from illness, I will tell Uncle Yuan to pick you up." After a while, he told her about Lu Lan again, detailing everything.

A Yin asked Fan Haohe to go out to inquire about it before, and she had already understood seven or eight points. When Shangguan Shixin said it, she completely understood the ins and outs.

She said "thank you".

Shangguan Shixin said again: "This matter is a bit tricky, but you don't need to worry about it. Even if the emperor of Yongping put a knife on his neck, Yuanbo will not change what Yuanbo believes. I have never accepted apprentices, and although the rest of the nuclear carving masters do not want to cause trouble, there is still room for turning things around. When you come to Shangguan's house, you will know that we rely more on nuclear carvings to speak."

Hearing this, Ah Yin asked again: "Shangguan's family must have many excellent products."

Mentioning this, Shangguan Shixin was very proud, and said: "Of course there are excellent products. You are my bosom friend, so it's okay for me to show you a few. But if you become a nuclear carving artist of Shangguan's family, you can enjoy it to your heart's content. Enjoy."

When talking about nuclear carvings, the two seemed to have endless words to say, and after talking for half an hour, Shangguan Shixin took his leave.

Before Shangguan Shixin left, he said: "If you have any difficulties in Suizhou, just tell me."

Hearing what he said, Ah Yin remembered the fake Chen Dou.

But just a moment of hesitation, Ah Yin held back his heart and waved him farewell.After Ah Yin returned to the room, Jiang Xuan asked: "Why didn't my sister tell the young master? With the strength of the young master, it shouldn't be difficult to deal with that person."

A Yin shook his head and said: "The person who can quietly deal with Zhen Chendou must have a lot of background behind it, and we don't know what the background is. I trust the official letter, but I don't want to cause trouble for him. That person Even Mu Yanghou's people dare to do it, let alone the Shangguan family's people?"

Besides, if she really told Shangguan Shixin, how would she explain that Mu Yanghou would send a secret guard to protect her?She still doesn't want others to know about her relationship with Mu Yanghou.

Jiang Xuan said distressedly: "Yes, what should we do? Tiger Eye and Tiger Fist are good, but yesterday they both asked Chen Dou to point them out, neither of them was Chen Dou's opponent. After all, it’s not like Tiger Eye Tiger Fist who has specialized in martial arts. We have three gentlemen, but we are still no match for that fake Chen Dou.”

Ah Yin said, "I'll think of a way."

In the next few days, Ah Yin has been carefully observing the whereabouts of the fake Chen Dou.

In the past, Chen Dou had a mediocre appearance, and he didn't stand out at all in the crowd, so he was easily overlooked.But now because of the burns, wearing a bamboo hat is still conspicuous, but not wearing a bamboo hat is even more conspicuous.Although he was more agile than before, as a hidden guard, his appearance was no longer suitable.

Ah Yin tested Chen Dou several times in a few days.

(End of this chapter)