Ordinary clear day

Chapter 153 The Upstart
Tong Ying's paintings were quickly framed and dried, and the day before the Dragon Boat Festival, he packed up his things and went back to Beijing.

Shu Ning was a little annoyed that he scared Xu Xu, but later found that in that short hour, Xu Xu's admiration for Tong Ying had withered before it grew into a flower bud, so she vaguely guessed Tong Ying's love. original intention.Seeing that when Xu Xu saw Tong Ying again, her face was no longer flushed, and her attitude was quite generous, Shu Ning knew that she was fine, so she was not angry with Tong Ying anymore.When seeing him off, she also specially sent a large basket of rice dumplings made by herself for him to take home to eat.

She said: "Brother Tongying said all day long that he misses the zongzi from Huzhou. We don't know how to make zongzi, so we had to make up the zongzi from Guangdong. But remember to finish eating quickly so that you don't spoil it."

Tong Ying was a little touched, took the rice dumpling, sniffed it, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Shuning." But he changed his mind, and asked again: "What kind of stuffing is this? No... there is something weird Bar?"

Shu Ning gritted her teeth, pulled the corners of her mouth and said: "There are all kinds of fillings, and there are white cloth strips tied on them. Every filling is clearly marked, so you can tell when you want to eat it."

Tong Ying grinned: "Okay, thank you, sister Shuning." After saying goodbye to everyone, he got on his horse and set off.

Shu Ning turned around and asked her elder brother: "Why... can't he talk properly? To make people angry?" Duan Ning patted her head and said, "This is his bad habit, but he didn't have any malicious intentions." Then he turned I went to ask my parents: "Aren't we going to go back to the mansion for the Dragon Boat Festival this year? Isn't it good?"

Tong Shi smiled: "It's okay, that incident just happened a few days ago, and now I'm going back home, I'm afraid your aunt will panic with embarrassment, so let's just stay here and treat it as a summer vacation."

Zhang Baodao: "According to me, the weather is hot now, why not set up a meal in the garden at noon? It will be cooler when the wind blows."

The wife and children all said yes in unison, and even Xu Xu showed a look of joy.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhang Bao and Tong's husband and wife sat under the big tree in the courtyard, eating fresh melons and fruits, and chatting with fans.After a while, a woman came to report that the brothers from the Li family had come to visit.

Mrs. Tong frowned, and said: "We have very little contact with the Li family, what are they doing all of a sudden?" Zhang Bao said: "I met Mr. Li outside the day before yesterday. Come here to talk. Both the parents of this nephew of the Li family are deceased. He is guarding a few houses and dozens of acres of land in Shanxi. He is looking for an errand nearby, so that he can take the exam next time. He didn't know where he heard that I was looking for a master, and he probably wanted his nephews to come over today to find out."

Tong Shi said: "Since that's the case, you can go, just don't chat for too long. I bought two very fat wild ducks in the kitchen today. I have already ordered people to pick lotus seeds. I asked Shu'er to stew them to eat in the evening. "

Zhang Bao moved his beard when he heard the words, and his eyes flashed: "Okay, I understand."

Sure enough, he only chatted with the guests for less than an hour, and sat down at the dining table on time before the meal, and ate with a smile on his face.After the meal, Mrs. Tong poured him a cup of hot tea and asked, "How do you feel about seeing the Li family's nephew today?"

After Zhang Bao drank tea, he said slowly: "It's a pity, the talent is good, and the writing is passable. It seems that he is worse than Mr. Yang, but he is far less sophisticated than Mr. Su. And his temper is too straightforward, and there is no room for sand in his eyes." , if he can pass the exam, he is expected to be an imperial envoy, but he is not suitable to be a staff member."

Tong sighed: "Since Mr. Su was preparing for the scientific examination, we have been looking for a good master. Why is it so difficult?" Zhang Baodao: "Actually, my elder brother also recommended a few to me, and I have seen them all. After that, those talents are there, and they can deal with the paperwork, but it is difficult to expect them to come up with good ideas. Besides, I see that they are not able to keep their own, so I am afraid that they will be brought in. Those around us will cause trouble for us."

Mrs. Tong was a little worried: "But in October, you will have to recover. It would be shameful for you to have no one to help you then." Zhang Bao glanced at her, and said with a smile: "Madam, I remember wrongly. This year, I have a baby." In May, we will be fully served in September." After Tong's calculation, it was indeed true, and said embarrassedly: "I remember wrongly."

Zhang Bao waved his hand and sighed: "Nowadays, there are at least a few hundred scholars looking for a way out in Beijing, but the person I am looking for must not only be able to handle paperwork, but also be able to help with official affairs. If you can't find Mr. Su For such capable people, we have to hire a few more, and let’s divide the work and cooperate.”

Mrs. Tong thought for a while, and then said: "My husband, you don't have to worry too much. There are many people who have failed in this course. I'm afraid that many people want to find jobs in Beijing. When the turmoil in the court is a little calmer, you can go back to Beijing to look for it." That's it."

Zhang Bao nodded: "That's the only way."

However, it is not so easy for the turmoil in the court to calm down.Fortunately, Chen Liangben fought the drought in the south of the Yangtze River, and he did a good job. Many people praised him. When the news spread to Beijing, the emperor felt that he had read him right. One month's salary, plus a half-level drop, but still retain the original post.

Some people were not reconciled and wanted to continue to make trouble. Unexpectedly, the Ministry of Household Affairs submitted a memorial saying that since Chen Liangben took office for nearly two years, he has recovered 50 taels of salt tax for the court, and he has contributed a lot.The emperor was very happy to promote him to the official position of co-organizer, and then promoted the half-level.

However, the emperor also knew that it was not easy for Lao Chen, so he transferred him back from Jiangnan in order to protect his ministers, but at the same time he promoted some of his cronies stationed in Jiangnan to official positions, and sent someone to replace the seriously ill governor of Jiangxi. , The political situation in the south of the Yangtze River has regained its balance.

Now the people in the court finally saw clearly that the emperor was powerful. They had been arguing for several months, but in the end they had nothing to fetch from the bamboo basket.

At this moment, General Wu Dan of Guangzhou returned to Beijing to report on his duties and brought a surprise to the emperor.He presented three extremely exquisite chime clocks, saying that they were all made by local craftsmen after learning clock-making skills from Western craftsmen, and dedicated the craftsmanship to the royal family.

Emperor Longyan was very happy, and rewarded a baron in Wudan, and appointed his second son Chongli as a third-class bodyguard (the fifth rank), and at the same time rewarded his family with a large farm and real estate, and personally named his grandparents.In addition, he also ordered Wu Dan to remain as the general of Guangzhou, and to take full charge of the establishment of a self-ringing bell factory in Guangdong.For a time, Wu Dan's family was in the limelight in Beijing.

His eldest son, Chongsi, has already married a wife and had children, but his second son, Chongli, and his daughter, Zhenzhen, are not yet married, and they are both talented and beautiful, so many princes and ministers have proposed a marriage marriage, hoping to win over the emperor's confidant important minister.

Since Wudan accompanied the emperor out of Beijing to inspect the embankment, Chongli also accompanied him as a bodyguard, so there were only Wen and Zhenzhen left in the general's residence in Beijing.Every day, Wen's family was given headaches by people who came to say goodbye, but he didn't dare to offend others, so he could only presume that he was ill, and took Zhenzhen to the Xinde Liangxiang Zhuangzi to recuperate.

Two days later, Shu Ning received a small letter in Fangshan Bieyuan, which said: "There are many wine companions in the South Garden, and we have an appointment to wait for the new sunshine." The address of the tea house in South Garden.

Liangxiang is in Lin County, and it takes less than an hour to get there by carriage.Shuning reported to her mother, took her maid and several male and female servants, and took a car to the Nanyuan tea house.As soon as she entered the elegant room, she saw Zhenzhen standing gracefully by the table, looking at her with a smile.

I haven't seen each other for two years, Zhenzhen looks more and more beautiful, her clothes are more gorgeous than before, her whole person is like a sparkling gem, when Shuning sees her, she is stunned for a moment, and then she hears her smile Said: "Idiot, what are you doing? Don't you recognize me?" Only then did she realize that Zhenzhen was still the same Zhenzhen, and she also smiled.

The two held hands and bowed to each other. Zhenzhen looked Shuning up and down, and said, "You are indeed worthy of being sister Shu, and she should be like this." When I came back, I didn’t expect you to have already arrived. It’s a pity that my brother went to Beijing with Ama yesterday, otherwise I would have brought him with me.”

Zhenzhen pursed her lips and smiled, but didn't answer, she pulled her to sit down at the table, and asked about the post-parting matters in detail.The two girls talked enthusiastically for a long time, and they didn't even bother to eat. They just drank three or four pots of tea with a few dishes, and they were satisfied.

Zhenzhen smiled and said: "It's been a long time since I spoke so bluntly. I'm used to being comfortable in Guangzhou. After returning to Beijing, I have to be careful when I say a word and walk. It really suffocates me. If my second brother sees him, he must laugh." I've become a talker."

Shu Ning took a sip of tea, gasped slightly, and said, "I've found that I've been able to speak more and more recently, and I can no longer laugh at other aunts and six wives."

Zhenzhen said angrily, "Okay, what do you mean by that? It's all about you, but you actually imply that I'm also a aunt and a wife? See if I won't forgive you." As she spoke, she bullied her and tickled her.

Shu Ning dodged around and almost knocked over a vase in someone's shop, causing Xiao Er to ask what happened outside.The two of them broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly helped to fix the vase, and with the help of the maids, they each arranged their hair and clothes, looked at each other, and both thought it was funny.

Shu Ning said: "Just now when I saw Miss Zhen Zhen, I thought you had changed a lot, now I feel relieved." Zhen Zhen glanced at her: "I don't understand what is changing." Shu Ning smiled slightly , asked: "Since you have returned to Beijing, why didn't you ask someone to tell me? Just send a letter to our capital mansion, and someone will report to Fangshan. It took a few days for my family to know about your return. My brother will take the exam in two days, so I specially went to Beijing with Ama in advance, but I didn't expect you to come here instead."

Zhenzhen pinned the broken hair on her sideburns behind her ears, and said with a light smile: "We were also scared of being stalked in Beijing, so we simply hid here. What's more, this new Zhuangzi should also come and have a look. Er Niang originally I planned to visit your house yesterday, but I postponed it for a few days because I wasn't very cheerful. I think, in two days, I will send someone to your house to say hello." She suddenly smiled and glanced at Shu Ning: " Then there will be a big surprise.”

Sure enough, two days later, Mrs. Wen took Zhenzhen to Fangshan as a guest, accompanied by a "big surprise" - Mrs. Liu.

(Please let me be lazy, the shoulders are really hurting, and the cervical spine is also rebelling. I wanted to massage it to soothe it, but I didn’t expect to push it too far... 不_不)

(End of this chapter)