Ordinary clear day

Chapter 34
Mrs. Tong hurriedly went up to ask for details, Duanning took a breath, took the tea from Ermo, drank a few sips, and said, "That's the imperial envoy in a yellow jacket from Beijing, who came to deliver an edict that the emperor and the empress dowager in the twelfth lunar month The Empress Dowager is going to Fengtian to worship her ancestors. I heard that it was the empress dowager's intention, and the time is a bit tight. As soon as the Lord Fuyin received the order, he sent people to gather all the officials in the city to discuss the matter. The Imperial Envoy lived in the yamen That's why there are so many guards."

Mrs. Tong asked urgently: "Is the news reliable?" Duanning nodded: "Reliable, among the few friends I know from Mr. Wei Lun, some of them are the little princes and grandsons of various princes' houses. The news is that one of them told Mine, I heard that they had gotten wind of it a few days ago, and only today did they get the letter. Don't panic, Er Niang, Ahmadang was summoned by Mr. Fu Yin to discuss the pick-up, it's all right."

Only then did Tong heave a sigh of relief, and called everyone to go back to work: "I'm afraid I'm going to come home soon, so I'm going to prepare dinner. Chun Xing is going to cook ginger soup, boil water, and prepare for my master to wash his feet when he comes back. Huzi, let's go." Tell Ah Song not to worry, we will have dinner at our house tonight. Old Wu drove to the Yamen to wait for someone to pick him up, and brought Ma San'er back. Xiaomei went to change clothes for the young master, look at this wet suit , I don't know if it's sweat or snow." Everyone scattered, Duanning also smiled and went back to the room with Xiaomei.

Because it was too late, Mrs. Tong asked everyone in the family to eat first, and then kept the food warm in the kitchen until Zhang Bao came home to eat.Later, because it was too late, she decided to wait for her husband in the main room by herself, and asked Shu Ning and Duan Ning to go back to sleep first. The two children were unwilling, so they insisted on waiting with her, which made her very relieved.

Zhang Bao didn't come back until one o'clock. When he entered the door, he shouted that he was hungry. Mr. Su followed behind and saluted Mrs. Tong. He didn't say anything, and looked a bit haggard.Mrs. Tong hurriedly asked someone to bring up hot rice, and the two of them ate hurriedly, drank another bowl of hot tea, and sat down to talk.Duanning saw that there was nothing wrong, so he dragged his sister to confess the crime first.

Zhang Bao sat down to speak, and said: "It is said that the empress dowager made a temporary decision, and the emperor also had the same intention. In the past two years, he has won the war with Lao Maozi, and he has opened up the territory. The emperor decided to come to sacrifice to heaven and tell the ancestors Lie Zong, it was supposed to be next year, but for some reason, the Empress Dowager suggested that it is better to come here to celebrate the New Year, so she hastily called someone to pass the decree. Speaking of which, Shengjia has not come to Fengtian for several years. The last time the Empress Dowager came was two years before Jingqi returned to the village. None of the high-ranking officials in the government office have taken over."

Mr. Su said: "Indeed, it's okay if you don't have experience. After all, there are not many people who have gone through this kind of battle. It's just that time is too tight. Now it's the twelfth lunar month, and Shengjia will come in more than ten days. There is nothing in the city. I’m not prepared. Although there are people cleaning and taking care of the old palace, after all, it has been empty for a long time. If there is a place to be repaired, I don’t know if I can make it in time. Moreover, the imperial decree said that this time is a temporary idea, so it is not allowed to spend too much, and everything is kept simple. But, for the people of Fengtian Mansion, how can we really keep it simple?"

Zhang Bao nodded: "That's right, I can only pretend to be simple, but in fact I still have to have what I should have." He turned his head and said to Mrs. Tong: "I'm afraid I'll have to come home late every day for the next month. Madam, please don’t worry, just take care of the house and send some snacks and clothes to the yamen during the day, I’m afraid you won’t even have time to eat when you’re so busy.”

Tong said hurriedly: "My husband, don't worry, I am in everything at home." Zhang Bao nodded.

Mr. Su continued: "Your Excellency has been discussing inside for a long time today, but I am not allowed to enter. I don't know the specific situation, but I heard that the arrangement for picking up the driver cannot be discussed?"

Zhang Bao said: "Yes, it is not an easy task to spend less and have more ostentation. We have discussed for a long time, but we have not settled on a regulation. It is just that the holy car is coming, and we must not let people in the city freeze to death and starve to death." Fortunately, they had experience last year and prepared early this year, and now those poor people are living well, and the people in the city can still be said to live and work in peace and contentment."

Mrs. Tong interjected, "When someone from Beijing came to deliver the decree, because there was no news from the yamen, there was some chaos outside and rumors abounded. I heard that some people took the opportunity to make trouble."

Zhang Baodao: "I've heard about it, Mr. Fu Yin will make his own decision on this matter, I'm afraid he will lock up a few people, so as to avoid accidents when Sheng Jia arrives."

Mr. Su said: "The arrangements for picking up the driver have not been made yet, but time is not waiting for us, so it is better to make some preparations first."

Zhang Bao nodded: "Someone has already proposed that tomorrow morning, we will arrange for people to clean the streets and clear the snow on the roads. The streets that Shengjia passed through the city, the houses on both sides have to be renovated, and the people living in them have to be one by one. Check and beware of anyone disturbing the holy driver. The renovation of the palace is in charge of the chief steward there, and the imperial envoys who come to pass the decree will also temporarily live in the government office for supervision. Qin Tongzhi has arranged for a florist to plant flowers and plants in the palace .It’s just that in this season, I’m afraid it won’t open well.”

Mr. Su comforted him: "This is something that manpower cannot do. You don't have to worry about it. If you think about it, the emperor will not blame the Fengtian government officials for this matter."

Zhang Bao also knew this truth, and the two continued to discuss for a while, but they couldn't handle it anymore, so they went back to their rooms to rest.

Mrs. Tong prepared hot water for Zhang Bao to wash his face and take a bath. While he was still awake in a daze, he asked him: "What about the annual gift sent back to Beijing this year? I have already prepared some, but I'm afraid there won't be any." Why do you care about these things, but if you don’t send them well enough, you’re afraid that your family will blame you.”

Zhang Baoqiang opened his eyes and said: "They have made a fortune this year, so they don't care about our little annual gift. Didn't someone send some century-old ginseng last time? Bring a few plants, together with the things you prepared earlier, tomorrow Arrange for someone to send it back the day after tomorrow, and ask them to send a letter saying that we will pick you up this year, and we have neglected the etiquette, so just tell them not to be offended." He was tired all day, and he could hardly keep his eyes open. Climb into bed and fall asleep.

Tong had no choice but to ask someone to clean up the washbasin and towel in a low voice, and fell asleep.

From the next day, Zhang Bao went out early and returned late every day, busy in the yamen, and sometimes even stayed there overnight.Tong's is in charge of the family affairs, and everything is taken care of properly, which makes Zhang Bao feel at ease.As for the annual gift, Tong did not dare to follow Zhang Bao’s advice and arrange for random things to be delivered. In addition to four sticks of 300-year-old ginseng, he also packed two carts of wind sheep, chicken, and rabbit as usual. Another load of high-quality silk and satin fabrics was added, some exquisite gold jewelry was made, and twenty or thirty pearls from the bead field were added, all of which were loaded into the load.This year she sent Ma San'er and Xiaomei couple as representatives, hired some reliable and familiar drivers, and sent them back to Beijing early.Changfu and Ermo stayed in Fengtian this year to help her with housework.

The husband is working hard in the yamen, and Tong will also send him some food and clothing from time to time, and sometimes some snacks for his colleagues in the husband's yamen to enjoy together, and carry out some small public relations work.Although it is only a trivial matter, it still won the favor of many others for Zhang Bao.Compared with the "good old man" Qin Tongzhi whose wife can't be a man, Zhang Bao's image as a "good old man" is more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and his boss also thinks that he can be a man and is a malleable material.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in Duanning, there will be the last big exam before the suspension of classes for the new year, and I will study and review at home every day.Shuning didn't want to disturb him, and sometimes she felt bored. One day, she suddenly saw some melted and deformed ice lamps piled up in the corner of the yard, and remembered that she hadn't played with them after they were finished.After making the ice lantern that day, I originally planned to light candles that night to play, but the whole family was nervous for a long time because of the passing of the decree in Beijing, how could I have the time to remember it?
Shuning quickly summoned Huzi and A Song to help, moved out a few ice lanterns, arranged them in the yard, re-carved their shapes, found a few candles, and prepared to light them up as soon as it got dark, so as to enjoy the "Ice and Snow World" " view (although there are only a few four or five lamps).

When the ice lanterns were lit at night, several children gathered in the yard to watch, and even Duanning, who had been studying hard in the room, joined in the fun.The light of the candlelight in the ice is faintly visible, and through the ice cubes of several colors, it is reflected in the courtyard like a dream.Everyone was amazed, several servants dropped their work and crowded around the yard to watch.Tong was very happy, and hurriedly said to Shuning: "Don't put out the candles, just let them light like this. Your Ama has worked hard all day, and she must be very happy to see you when you come back. Let him be happy too." Shuning said After agreeing, Ermo also found a new pack of candles, ready to relight them.

The multicolored light reflected in the night sky, and even alarmed several neighbors. Some children were naughty and even reached out to touch them. The family's servants inquired, thinking of getting one or two for themselves, and some of them looked at the lights while chatting around Tong's gossip.Tong Shi was very happy at first and thought she was very decent, but when there were too many people, she got annoyed, and after a few words of greeting, she sent everyone away, and those people kept staring at the ice lamp as they walked.

When Zhang Bao came back, he saw the colorful ice lanterns as soon as he entered the door. He was very surprised. He called someone to ask, only to find out that it was made by several children, so he smiled and admired it carefully.After hearing the reason, Mr. Su, who was following behind him, bowed his head and remained silent.It wasn't until after dinner that he sat in the study room, took a few sips of tea, and then said to Zhang Bao: "Don't be ridiculous, my lord, this is the first time a student has seen an ice lantern. I have read Fu Qingzhu's poems before, It's called "Lengyunzhai Ice Lantern Poetry", and I once wondered what this ice lantern looks like, could it be possible that fire can be ignited in ice, and the ice won't melt? Today I have seen it."

"Oh?" Zhang Bao said, "It turns out that someone wrote a poem with the theme of ice lanterns before? But I don't know who this Fu Qingzhu is?"

"Actually, besides Fu Qingzhu, Gu Chifang of Qizhou also wrote ice lanterns in his poems, but there are not many people who know about them. The Fu Qingzhu mentioned by the students just now, his real name is Fu Shan, his style name is Qingzhu, and he is known as Qiaohuang in the world. Sir, we are from Shanxi. He is very knowledgeable, excellent in both poetry and painting, and the most rare thing is that he is good at punching. He once opened a school to teach apprentices, and his students also practiced a few moves when they were young, but they just forgot. Have you never heard of Shanxi's 'Fu Quan'?"

"So it's him? It's said that he likes to box when drunk, so some people call his boxing "drunken boxing", isn't it? I heard that he passed away a few years ago?"

"Yes, when his family held a funeral, the students went to burn incense. My father loved his paintings very much and even collected a few of them. But now..." Seeing Zhang Bao's very interested expression, Mr. Su was shocked. I have already left the topic: "Hey, actually what the student wants to say is not this. The student wants to say that this ice lantern seems to be easy to make, and it costs very little, and it is really beautiful. I wonder what you think about it?"

(End of this chapter)