The sound of the clapper was louder and shorter during the fifth watch, but this time, it seemed to hit the old lady's heart hard.

She couldn't calm down anymore, her old eyebrows slowly opened, then she picked up the wooden mallet on the ground and tapped the bronze chime.

when.

The servant was startled, and immediately rubbed his sleepy eyes, trotted into the ancestral hall, hunched over and shouted: "Old Madam."

The old lady held the gavel and propped it up on the ground. She said slowly: "It's already five o'clock in the morning. You can go down for breakfast later."

The servant immediately bowed and said, "Here. Thank you, madam."

The servant exited the door and called the servants and guards to have breakfast, but there was only one servant with a face as fair as jade and a guard who, even though he was wearing a helmet, was still handsome, beautiful and cold at first glance. Walk.

The servant didn't force him, and the three of them went straight to the kitchen.

The old lady held up the gavel and tried to stand up, but after sitting on the futon for a long time and being old, she became a little unsteady and stumbled forward.

"Madam, be careful." The guard rushed into the ancestral hall like an arrow and hurriedly supported the person. He supported the person and said, "Madam, please slow down."

"It's funny to you, you are old, but you are young and have sharp eyesight." The old lady smiled warmly, and when she looked sideways at the guard, she was suddenly startled, "You are new in this courtyard, right? Everyone recognizes you, but I’ve never seen someone like you before.”

"My humble duty is to be the bodyguard in front of Mr. Ting Wei Zheng." The guard let go and took two steps back to salute, "I'm from Yanzhou."

"You look young, and you look strangely handsome. Haha." The old lady smiled, raised her hand to support the case, and suddenly came closer and asked, "What's your name?" Chinese website

The guard bowed his head in salute and said: "Madam, my humble position is called Yuanji, the Yuan of Kaiyuan, the auspiciousness of Ji."

"Yuan... Ji..." the old lady murmured while looking at the candlelight, then looked at him and smiled, "What a good name. Happy. Come, give me a hand, and let's go have breakfast together."

She looked like she was reciting Yuanji's name silently, or recalling it.

Yuan Ji helped the old lady out of the ancestral hall. At this moment, the sound of the wheels of a cart suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

The servant in front of the door immediately came forward and saluted and said: "Madam, the third master is back."

Yuanji glanced at him and saw that this man was one of the four generals of the Chamber of Commerce, dressed in white, who was pretending to be a servant.

"Humph, come back as soon as you come back. What does it have to do with me?" The old lady took the crutches handed over by Yuan Ji and said with a smile, "It's five o'clock in the morning and I'm drunk and drunk. It's not appropriate. I'll take a detour so I won't see him."

Bai Yi nodded immediately, then took the lantern and led the way.

The old lady asked as she walked: "Tell me, how is my eldest son Qiu Sheng doing in Yanzhou?"

Yuan Ji supported the person and said respectfully: "The letter case involves a lot. Mr. Mu Lao of Yanzhou is also a local snake and is loved by the people. Mr. Tingwei handles the case strictly and enforces the law impartially. He does not cause the people to make trouble. Everyone is convinced. I admit it."

"Well, it should be like this." The old lady walked slowly, and the crutches fell on the ground in an orderly manner. "The lintel of the Chen family is always there. It is not buried by this generation. It is just pity for my flat hill. Alas."

Yuanji responded and carefully looked at the road on the ground.

Green grass sprouted on the bluestone ground, and the steps made a rustling sound. The old lady looked at her feet walking in an orderly manner, and suddenly asked: "Where is Jinqiu? How is he doing in this case?"

Yuanji glanced sideways quickly, pondered for a moment and said, "My lord, please follow me and handle it properly."

"It's OK." The old lady looked at the green grass all over the ground, "It's showing its signs, it's majestic. This is not bad in Yanzhou, Qiusheng is the one who beats him. Although there is no trouble, I am still afraid. Now he returns to the capital alone,

The whole prison is counting on him to make decisions. In recent years, the world has not been peaceful, there have been natural and man-made disasters, and unjust, false and wrong cases have piled up. I am afraid that he will make a mistake. Even if he makes a mistake, we, the Chen family, cannot afford to make a mistake."

Yuanji comforted him and said, "The old lady is worrying too much. The third master is now a well-known figure and has his own opinions."

"Haha, you are such a handsome young man, you are so sure of your words." The old lady looked up at him with a smile, and said in a forceful tone, "Don't think I'm too talkative. I'm a woman. Women should abide by the ways of women. Three.

from

"Four Virtues." She looked forward thoughtfully, "I estimate that it has been more than forty years since I entered the Chen family. I couldn't leave the front door or step forward. I learned to be the daughter-in-law of the Chen family with trembling hands. They all say that there is nothing in the world.

Raising a family, I have learned a lot since entering the Chen family."

As she spoke, she raised her head slightly and smiled softly, and Yuanji also curled up the corners of her mouth and smiled.

"The old lady is virtuous and virtuous." Yuan Ji bowed his head and complimented, "It is a mother's virtue to raise a son like this."

"Junjunsheng, you have honey in your mouth, right?" The old lady pointed at him jokingly, "Sweet."

Yuanji smiled shyly and did not answer. Not long after, the two of them had already crossed to the middle corridor and walked towards the backyard.

But Baiyi stopped.

Baiyi stepped aside and whispered: "Third Master."

The dim morning light of the fifth watch fell on the tiles, and the corridor under the eaves was a little dark, but the lantern dimly illuminated it, revealing Chen Jinqiu's face.

There was no smile on his face, only submissive respect.

"Mother." He bowed and saluted, "My child is—"

"The family rules are strict, you are confused." The old lady's voice suddenly turned indifferent, and she turned sideways to be disrespectful, "I went crazy drinking and eating, and I didn't come back until five o'clock. Look, it's almost dawn."

Chen Jinqiu knelt down, straightened his back and lowered his head, and said softly: "My child knows he was wrong."

"Now that you are in charge, what you say and what you do, how could you be wrong?" The old lady looked at the shadow of the trees in the dim light, "You are right."

Chen Jinqiu sniffed and said, "The child is wrong. The mistake is that he should not come home late. There is a family law that says, "Start at the Mao hour and return at the You hour. Don't forget the lessons. If a person wants to honor the sages, he should not be impatient if he knows his roots.

Think twice and decide——"

"You're not following the rules of the family." The old lady interrupted with a heavy cane, and then pointed at him and said in a strong voice, "Look at you like this, drunk and full of alcohol. Sage, think twice, why think twice, you

Let’s talk about it instead.”

Chen Jinqiu looked up at the old lady, his eyes a little red.

He said slowly: "Think about retreat, think about change, and think about danger."

"When you think about progress, you must first think about retreat; when you think about change, you must first think about tranquility; when you think about danger, you must first think about concentration. Remember the sages." The old lady clicked her cane and made a banging sound, "It must be done."

Chen Jinqiu held the gift with both hands without putting it down and said, "Kid, remember this."

"Now you are in charge of this family. As a woman, you are not allowed to interfere." The old lady turned around and walked towards the backyard. "The family laws are strict, so you can do whatever you want."

Baiyi immediately hurried forward, holding a lantern and waiting at the foot of the steps. Yuanji helped the old lady cross the corridor and turned into the entrance of the courtyard.

Chen Jinqiu watched longingly, and after a while he bowed his head and said, "My son is sending my mother off."

The wind picked up in the morning, the clouds were blown away, and the morning light illuminated the shadows of the trees under the eaves brightly.

The roots of this tree are slightly twisted, but the tree body is upright and tall, looking up to the sky in the dark earth.

Yuan Ji helped the old lady into the side room. He bowed and stepped back and was about to leave, but the old lady called him.

"Junjunsheng, you sit down, you sit down." The old lady waved her hand to him, "I have been frightened for the past few days, and I don't dare to tell others if I have something on my mind. I see that you are a down-to-earth person, so just sit with me.

Let’s talk for a while and won’t bother you anymore, okay?”

Yuanji squatted down, supported his knees with his arms, and said, "Madam, please tell me."

"Young young man, I see that you are young and not very old, but what you say is extremely down-to-earth. You look a bit like my eldest son when he was young. You are also very handsome like this, but without this armor you look like a woman." I said.

The person put down his crutch and lightly beat the back of his leg, "As I get older, I can't remember some things clearly. In my free time, I embroider and fold flowers, and I can see things and recognize people, and think of some past events. Maybe I'm getting old and homesick.

." When she said this, she suddenly looked at him kindly, "I heard you say that you were born in Yanzhou. When I heard that, I thought it was a coincidence that I was also born in Yanzhou. After marrying away to Chongdu, I never returned.

I've been to my parents' house, and looking at you now, I feel like I've met a native of my hometown."

Yuanji smiled and nodded, then asked: "Madam, why don't you go home and have a look? Although Chongdu is far away from Yanzhou, if you want to go back and have a look, it's quick to arrange a carriage for a walk."

"I can't go back." The old lady's old smile was mixed with worry, "I can't see you even if I go back...

It’s gone. My natal family was washed away by the flood, and all my family members are gone.”

Yuanji was startled for a moment, then slowly lowered his head and replied melancholy: "So that's how it is."

"Hey, don't be so pretentious, I've already forgotten." The old lady smiled and patted the back of his hand, "How are your parents at home? Tell me."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ji raised his head and stared at the old lady, and remained silent for a long time.

The old lady's smile gradually faded, and she asked softly: "Big water?"

Yuanji's eyes narrowed, his thin lips pursed, and he said, "Water and fire."

The old lady nodded and leaned back on the chair. She seemed to be reminiscing, and said slowly: "Yanzhou has suffered from floods and natural disasters for many years, and corpses are everywhere in the country. During the Chongwu Year, I and the noble concubine Zhao of the palace were in the boudoir.

My dear friend, she is a generous and kind-hearted person, and she is also His Majesty's favorite concubine. I begged her to talk to His Majesty about the water control in Yanzhou. Concubine Zhao made the most of her words and agreed. His Majesty also rarely made a decree for her to bring the three princes to Qi Wang.

I went south to Yanzhou with the Fourth Princess to see it for myself, just to enjoy the mountains and rivers. But I know that she went there because of a promise and compassion. I didn't expect that this trip would actually mean goodbye forever."

Yuanji's heart sank. He suppressed his emotions and asked, "Is Madam talking about the fire on the Yanzhou flower boat in Chongwu Year?"

The old lady nodded and said: "Exactly, the fire burned to death Concubine Zhao, King Qi, the fourth princess, and the governors of seven states. The trial of this case was also conducted by the Chen family, but after repeated investigations, there were no clues.

, has become an unsolved case. Alas, Jun Housheng, you are talking about being angry, could it be..."

Yuan Ji opened his mouth and hesitated, but in the end he couldn't bear the curiosity in his heart and said, "My mother, Xu is on that flower boat."

The old lady's eyes widened little by little. She looked at him and suddenly looked around inexplicably. She said in her mouth: "Could it be...could it be..."

Yuanji didn't know why, so he just looked at him in confusion.

The old lady suddenly patted the table for a while, holding on to the armrest and trying to stand up. Yuanji immediately supported her.

With support, she groped for the big box beside the collapse, searched for a while, and suddenly pulled out a scroll from the box, and said happily: "Found it, found it!"
Chapter completed!