A Thousand Hills

Chapter 132

Originally, Xie Moru and the five princes were pondering about how the matter of entrustment could be settled years ago. I don’t want to believe that there was still no confirmation a year ago, but the old lady Shou’an’s birthday party this year was uneventful. Since Xie Moru After rectifying the rules for Duke Cheng'an's mansion, Mrs. Shou'an's birthday banquet is no longer interesting.The bustle is still lively, but every time Xie Moru comes in person, Mrs. Shou An's heart is too late, so how can there be any thoughts of celebrating her birthday?It is Princess Ningrong, because of Hu Wu'er's matter, she has changed from private hatred to explicit hatred towards Xie Moru.Princess Ningrong is not afraid of people knowing that Hu Wu'er is her own daughter, and her daughter was slapped by Xie Moru, how is it different from slapping her?That's why, in the past, Princess Ning Rong liked to pretend to be affectionate in front of Xie Moru, but now she is too lazy to pretend anymore.

There are many grievances and grievances here. Once the two sides meet, it will be a miracle that this birthday banquet can be passed well.Fortunately, the gifts from Emperor Mu Yuan and Empress Dowager Hu are still generous, and the East Palace also gave good birthday gifts along with the two palaces. The most important thing is that Xie Moru just sat down and left. They all chant Buddha in their hearts.Xie Moru obviously discussed it with the fifth prince, and Xie Moru said at home, "Don't go, it's obvious that you won't give Your Majesty a face. But if I really go, Cheng'en Gong's Mansion will be uncomfortable, let's just go back early .”

The Fifth Prince had no friendship with Duke Cheng'en's House, and Hu Wu'er had spoken ill of his daughter-in-law to the Queen Mother back then. The Fifth Prince remembered it, so he decided to show his face and returned.

As soon as the couple left, everyone in Cheng Engong's mansion really sent them off with both hands and feet.

Xie Moru said in the car, "I don't know why, but I didn't see Mrs. An coming?" Mrs. An rarely came back to the imperial capital, and Emperor Mu Yuan asked Mrs. An to spend the New Year in the imperial capital.

The fifth prince immediately showed a gloating smile, and Xie Moru asked him, "Just say it, what's the point?"

The fifth prince smiled, "It's nothing, I also heard from the fourth brother that Mrs. An and Princess Ning Rong have a bad temper, and the relationship between the two is mediocre."

Xie Moru said, "Madam An is a straightforward person."

The fifth prince laughed with "puchi", and Xie Moru's lips curled up, revealing a hint of a smile.Just in time to have lunch in the other courtyard, Nanny Zhou and Nanny Zhang came up to meet her, and said with a smile, "We are talking, Your Highness and Empress should be back too." She took the maids to help them change their clothes and clean their hands, and passed the meal up.

Xie Moru never liked to be served by too many people when eating, so he said to the two nuns, Zhou and Zhang, "Go down and eat."

The two bowed and left.

The husband and wife sat and talked happily on the couch in the house after lunch, Xie Moru said, "When will Your Majesty return to the city?" Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, it is impossible to celebrate the Chinese New Year in the palace, and besides, there are many sacrifices Things have to be done in the imperial city.Xie Moru thought that he had to go back to the city before the twelfth lunar month, but it turned out that it was the old lady Shou'an's birthday, and it seemed that Yu Jia hadn't moved yet.

The fifth prince put a book on his lap, and snickered, "Father lives comfortably in the palace." His father used to be very strict with himself, and basically didn't use the palace, but this time it is really comfortable, and the fifth prince can see It can be seen that his father's face was rosy and ruddy after soaking in Tangquan Palace.The fifth prince also joked, "We never know when we will have to prepare a gift from the little brother and little sister."

Xie Moru suddenly thought of one thing, and said, "Speaking seriously, brother Xu's birthday is coming up, and there must be wine at the fourth prince's house. Don't say that brother Xu has a short nose when you go this time. Four Sister-in-law said, the fourth prince always pinches Brother Xu's nose, and once made Brother Xu cry."

The fifth prince laughed for a while, patted the couch and said, "Fourth brother is still pretending in front of me, insisting that brother Xu's nose bridge is not short at all. It's fine if it's not short."

"Remember that." The fourth prince loved his son very much, so he naturally didn't want someone to say that his son had a short nose.

"Remember, remember." The fifth prince shook his hands and smiled, "Actually, tell me, Brother Xu has a short nose, but he looks a bit like Mrs. An."

Xie Moru smiled, "Don't say that outside."

"Obey, obey."

So, at Brother Xu's second birthday, the Fifth Prince praised Brother Xu for having a high bridge of nose. The Fifth Prince held Brother Xu in his arms and looked at him carefully. Holding back his belly laugh, he said to the Fourth Prince, " I used to think Brother Xu's nose bridge was shorter, but now it's bigger, it has grown into a higher nose bridge, which shows that Brother Xu will grow."

The fourth prince was delighted and humbled, "Children's family is not the same every day." Hmph, it's fortunate that he often pinches the bridge of his son's nose.

The third prince also praised Brother Xu for being handsome, and the fourth prince smiled like a flower, but the eldest prince only responded with one or two. Afterwards, the fourth prince and his wife said, "The eldest brother may be jealous that our family has a son."

Hu smiled, "Don't talk nonsense, although Brother Xu is good, we look after him, how can he be loved by everyone? It's not easy for a sister-in-law, just look at her face." Although he said that his son can't Everyone loves her, but she thought in her heart that on such an occasion, it was her son's second birthday, and all the uncles would boast a few words, even if the relatives boasted, the Hu family might not take it seriously, but gave birth to the eldest prince Don't boast, but make people feel unhappy.

The Fourth Prince was not very close to the First Prince, but now he just complained and didn't say anything.

After Brother Xu's birthday, the royal driver got up and drove back to the imperial city.

The fifth prince was very skeptical, if he didn't want to go back to the city for the New Year, his father said that he would not spend the winter in the palace.

Following the emperor's return to the city, the relatives and noble ministers were very busy once they returned to the city. Needless to say, the errands in the court, no one dared to delay the emperor's immediate affairs.But apart from court affairs, relatives, friends, seniors, colleagues, and all kinds of people who are busy with their business all the year round wish they could give birth to three-headed and six-armed people.The Fifth Prince's Mansion was no exception. When it was so busy, Mrs. Xie even came to bring Xie Moru the things Xie Bo sent back. Xie Bo often sent people home with letters and gifts. When I come back, there will always be a share of Xie Moru in it.Xie Moru accepted it, and asked Mrs. Xie, "Second Uncle has been in Xining Prefecture for almost six years, and it will be time to report on his duties next year. I wonder if Second Uncle can return to the imperial capital?"

Speaking of this, Mrs. Xie smiled very comfortably, "The letter said that he would come back, and we must wait until the spring, and we will see His Majesty's will."

Xie Moru smiled, "I haven't seen my second uncle for several years, has it changed?"

Mrs. Xie smiled, "You are the father of two children, how can you not change?"

The grandparents and grandson chatted for a while, Mrs. Xie showed a little difficulty, she hesitated to speak, Xie Moru said, "Grandma, do you have something to tell me?"

He was hesitant to speak, but also hesitant to speak, Mrs. Xie sighed, and said, "It's not our family's business to talk about it, but your uncle and wife have told me several times crying and crying, three old ladies It’s also a sigh.”

Xie Moru was puzzled, the word "uncle and wife" refers to Mrs. Zhu, Mrs. Xie's natal sister-in-law, and the third old lady refers to the third old lady of the third bedroom of Xie's family. Familiar.Xie Moru really couldn't think of the meaning behind Mrs. Xie's words, so she said, "What can the uncle and the third old lady be so worried about?"

"It's Ah Yan, I've fallen in love with Miss Jiang." Seeing that Xie Moru really didn't know, Mrs. Xie was helpless, "This generation is not right."

Xie Moru heard this for the first time, nodded his head slightly and said, "Brother Yan has a good eye." Then he turned around, "He likes Xingyun, does Xingyun like him?"

Mrs. Xie's face froze immediately, Xie Moru said again, "Why does grandma bother about this matter?" This really has nothing to do with the Xie family.

Mrs. Xie said, "I always think that both parties are relatives, so naturally both parties must be consummated. What's more, if this kind of personal affair is spread, no one will be able to please it? Especially Miss Jiang, Even if a girl's house is pure and clean, once there are rumors, those foolish people outside don't care whether the rumors are true or not. The first disadvantage is the girl. Since people are in this secular world, they should think about it more. The rules of the secular world. Miss Jiang has always waited for idlers to catch her eyes. If others, I would not pay much attention to this matter. I thought, you and Miss Jiang have always been close. Since you are friends, it is better to remind her .”

Xie Moru nodded, "I see."

Mrs. Xie heaved a sigh of relief, and said, "Ms. Jiang is young after all. Although I mentioned Dai Fa's practice before, it's a pity that someone like her really has to practice for a lifetime."

"Everyone has their own aspirations." Xie Moru said, "Besides, life is short, so it's not bad to be able to follow your heart."

Since Xie Moru agreed to persuade Jiang Xingyun, Mrs. Xie felt relieved and resigned after lunch.

Xie Moru is not in a hurry to find Jiang Xingyun, Jiang Xingyun is busy in the new year, not to mention, if she doesn't look for Jiang Xingyun, Jiang Xingyun will come too.When Jiang Xingyun came over next year, he would give some New Year gifts to Xie Moru on the one hand, and talk to Xie Moru on the business accounts.Jiang Xingyun has always had his own rules, even if Xie Moru never checked the accounts, she would explain it to Xie Moru.

The two talked about business first, and after lunch, they were talking in the warm pavilion, and Xie Mo Rufang brought up the matter of Zhu Yan.Jiang Xingyun took a sip of hot milk tea and said, "Lord Zhu, I have been hunting with Madam An a few times, what's the matter?"

Xie Moru admired her so much, and said, "How did you know Mrs. An?" She had met Mrs. An a few times, but she didn't have the familiarity of hunting with Jiang Xingyun.

Jiang Xingyun put down the jade cup, stroked a rouge-colored ruby ​​finger on his left thumb with his right hand, and said, "I bought several forests in Zhili Mansion for hunting. When I came back from hunting, I met Mrs. An. I know her. A very cool old lady, good at martial arts and archery, Zhu Yan was originally an official in Nan'an Prefecture, and he and Mrs. An also know each other. I invited Mrs. An to go hunting, and he went with her."

"Grandmother came over and told me that Zhu Yan has a deep affection for you."

Jiang Xingyun laughed loudly, she was born extremely beautiful, but now she laughed heartily, the brilliance between her brows was simply indescribable, Jiang Xingyun said directly, "The imperial city has a lot of love for me, more than him Not one more, one less than him, no less, how he is is his business, although he is good, I have no admiration for him."

Xie Moru said, "Then I'll be a villain, how about telling him to restrain himself?"

Jiang Xingyun thought for a while, "Lord Zhu is not presumptuous towards me."

"If he wants to be presumptuous to you, I'm not just telling him to restrain himself." Xie Moru lowered his head and sipped his tea, "His thoughts shouldn't be seen, it's not good for you."

Jiang Xingyun is open and frank, so he will thank Mo Ru.

Xie Moru was straightforward, and sent someone to call Zhu Yan to the palace, Zhu Yan was still confused, thinking that although his aunt married Xie's family, he and Xie Moru had never known each other at all, let alone had no contact with each other. The people from the Prince's Mansion came to invite him over.

Zhu Yan was recalled back to the imperial court, and now he has no official position, and he has not been in the imperial capital in the next year, and now when he is at home, he has to communicate more with relatives and friends, so it is good to recount the cold and warm.While he was busy, the foreign steward of the fifth prince's mansion came, and the princess invited him to talk.The whole family of the Zhu family was shocked, don't say that the two families are relatives, they are not relatives, Xie Moru's reputation is now very resounding in the imperial capital.

Mrs. Zhu was heartbroken, and told her grandson thousands of times, "Since the concubine asked you to go, I think she has something to tell you. Listen carefully, and don't make her unhappy." In fact, there are famous people in the imperial capital. There are also a lot of women, like Princess Wenkang, who is also known as a domineering person, but no matter how domineering Princess Wenkang is, at best she does not save face for others, and domineering also belongs to the category of Wendou.Xie Moru is different, Mrs. Zhu's slap in the face when he slapped Mrs. Wei Shizi last year, Mrs. Zhu's grade is not up to the level of going to Cheng'en Gongfu to attend Mrs. Shou'an's birthday banquet, but she trembled with her heart when she heard about it For several days, I felt that Xie Moru had surpassed the realm of dominance, he was simply a domineering king!
Such a female overlord suddenly wants to call her grandson, what is she doing?Mrs. Zhu didn't even dare to think about it, so she had to tell her grandson not to offend Xie Moru, not to mention that Zhu and Xie's family are related by marriage, the third-bedroom old lady of Xie's family and Xie Moru are still elders of the same clan, Xie Moru still doesn't recognize each other.

Although Zhu Yan didn't know what Xie Moru was going to do, because of his status, it was not easy for Xie Moru to wait for a long time, so he had to pack up and go with the foreign steward of the fifth prince's residence.

Zhu Yan has never seen Xie Moru, but because there are too many legends about Xie Moru in the imperial capital, Zhu Yan occasionally feels incredible and has imagined that Xie Moru may have red eyebrows and green eyes. He followed five The outer steward of the prince's mansion went all the way to the fifth prince's mansion, and the outer steward took him all the way to the gate of Neiyi before he asked the gatekeeper's wife to go in and report.Not long after, two palace men in green clothes came out and led Zhu Yan to Wutong Courtyard where Xie Moru lived.

As soon as Zhu Yan entered, he knew why the courtyard was named after Wutongyuan. There is a very tall sycamore tree in the courtyard. Although it is cold now and the leaves are falling, you can see how the tree is covered in spring and summer by looking at the shape of the tree and the extension of its branches. The scenery of pavilions and enjoying the cool breeze.The Wutong Courtyard is the main courtyard of the Wangfu, with a slightly inferior layout than the Yin'an Hall. There are five upper rooms facing north and south, complete with east and west rooms.The first time Zhu Yan came to the prince's mansion, let alone entered the inner house, he usually thought he was a bold person, but here he didn't dare to take a second look, for fear of breaking the rules and etiquette.

The two green-clothed palace men asked Zhu Yan to wait outside the door, and went in to report. When the green-clothed palace men came back, Zhu Yan found that he was not going to the main room in the courtyard, but a place connected to the main courtyard. East courtyard.

The East Small Courtyard is naturally inferior to the Wutong Courtyard. This small courtyard has the meaning of small and exquisite, and the three main rooms are small, but it is neat and exquisite.Entering the room suddenly, Zhu Yan only felt a warm fragrance, which was not difficult to distinguish, as Zhu Yan expected. From the corner of his eyes, he could see flowers and trees everywhere in the room. In the celadon flower cup, there was a room of daffodils. It's just right.

Except for the flowers and trees, the bookshelves made of the four walls and the top are full of books. Zhu Yan came from a scholarly family, so he knew that this was a study.

Xie Moru was practicing calligraphy behind a desk, without raising his head, he ordered, "Master Zhu, sit down."

Zhu Yan hurriedly saluted, "Thank you, Madam, for sitting down." He sat down on the red sandalwood armchair under the desk.

Xie Moru finished writing a page, Fang put down his pen and said, "I have something, I want to ask Mr. Zhu."

Zhu Yan was very respectful, "My lady, please tell me."

Xie Moru said, "I heard Master Zhu is interested in Xingyun?"

Zhu Yan was originally sitting on the ground with very respectful eyes, but when he heard this, he suddenly raised his head, and looked sharply at Xie Moru with a pair of very clear eyes.Xie Moru's long hair is not the fierce red eyebrows and green eyes that Zhu Yan imagined, she has long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and the joy and anger in her eyes are indistinguishable. Seeing Zhu Yan's look, she is still just waiting for Zhu Yan's answer.After a long time, Zhu Yan pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "Ma'am, this is my private matter."

Xie Moru waved his hand, "I don't care if it's your private matter or not, I've never heard of a man having an affair with someone else. It's not a serious marriage proposal, but an indecent reputation first. If you don't know you With admiration for Xingyun, I thought you had a grudge against her and intended to tarnish her reputation."

Zhu Yan is also a person who has gone through a lot of troubles. Thinking of him, he was elected as a young man and sought an official position by himself. Although he is young, he has already experienced in the officialdom for many years. He thinks that his psychological quality is not bad, but his face is swollen when Xie Moru said these few words. .Zhu Yan said, "I have my own way to persuade my elders."

Xie Moru said lightly, "You want to persuade them. You are a man. It doesn't matter if you have more or less of these romantic reputations, but I don't want you to affect Xingyun because of your selfishness. I have already asked her, she I don't mean anything to you. I called you here this time to tell you clearly that you should be careful, and your family should also be careful."

Zhu Yanteng got up from the chair, and looked directly at Xie Moru angrily.Wisteria took a step forward and reprimanded, "Master Zhu, you are too presumptuous!"

Xie Moru's eyes remained unchanged, and he asked Zhu Yan, "Are you angry from embarrassment, or do you think that I am humiliating you by speaking so frankly? Or, do you feel that speaking frankly is a kind of humiliation to you?"

Zhu Yan sat back in the chair and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to say such things. Miss Jiang's affairs should be decided by herself. Even if your Majesty has a noble status, she can't control Miss Jiang's lifelong affairs, right?"

Xie Moru said, "Why do you need to make such a fuss. Why don't you start from the beginning, I said that your words and deeds are not sincere, do you agree with me?"

Zhu Yan really didn't want to agree, but it was indeed his negligence that his interest in Jiang Xingyun reached Xie Moru's ears. Zhu Yan said, "I will apologize to Miss Jiang, and I will explain clearly to the elders in my family. Those words no longer come out."

Xie Moru said, "Then do you think Xingyun has no intentions for you, I was wrong in saying this?"

Zhu Yan was quick-witted and defended himself, "I dare not say that the empress is at fault, but I also know that the empress is all for the sake of Miss Jiang's reputation. I was rude in front of the empress because of my deep affection. But, the empress Since we are sisters in love with Miss Jiang, how can we bear to see Miss Jiang alone for the rest of my life?"

Xie Moru said, "For example, if a person enters a treasure mountain, there are pearls, agate, gold, jade and jadeite in it, but this person returns empty-handed, what reason did Master Zhu say?"

Zhu Yan gritted his teeth, "I asked myself that my family's character is not bad, how can my empress be sure that Miss Jiang really doesn't like me? Maybe it's because she is shy, and my empress misunderstood her meaning."

"You say this, it seems that you really don't understand what kind of person Xingyun is." Xie Moru waved his hand and said, "Don't use tricks on me, Xingyun doesn't like you, you should restrain your words and deeds; If Xingyun likes you, I will take care of the matter of her wearing hair and practicing before..." Before Xie Moru finished speaking, Zhu Yan already looked happy, stood up and solemnly saluted Xie Moru, "Thank you, ma'am."

"You don't have to thank me, and I'm not doing it for you. Anyway, clean up what you caused."

Now what Xie Moru said, Zhu Yan didn't have any opinion at all, he replied seriously, "It was my negligence in the first place, please don't worry, Niang Niang."

When Zhu Yan resigned, he thought in his heart that although Concubine Xie is not kind and her words are not very pleasant, she treats those close to her sincerely.At this moment, he was loyal to Xingyun. Since Xie Moru was kind to Jiang Xingyun, in Zhu Yan's heart, Xie Moru was also a very good person.

(End of this chapter)