Mrs. Su's illness has worsened in the past few days. It seems that she has insomnia every night and has to hug Master Guanyin to fall asleep. Su Jinye checked Mrs. Su's pulse and said she was frightened, and prescribed a few posts.
I asked Mrs. Su to take the medicine to calm the nerves first and see the effect.
Xu Xiuyi also met Li Huanhuan in Su Jinye's room. It was two days ago. Mrs. Su Li brought Li Huanhuan over to see her in the morning.
This Li Huanhuan is not as bad as Jin Yu said. She is quite delicate, with a small mouth, nose, mouth and ears. If it is ugly, it is probably because these small and irrelevant things are placed on a rather large face, and it looks like
It's a bit disharmonious.
Li Huanhuan behaved well in front of Xu Xiuyi. Li Huanhuan's family was quite poor, and she was a girl from the countryside. She was brought to the capital by Su Li's father when she was twelve years old, and was taught the rules and understood. That's it.
, I still have the smell of a wild girl that I can’t get rid of, and I act lavishly.
Xu Xiuyi does not reject these. What she cares about is Su Li's "enlightenment" and "virtue".
Su Jinye has been coming back from the shop later and later these days. Xu Xiuyi asked, and the shop was not that busy. It was obvious that Su Jinye was avoiding going home.
In this matter, Mrs. Su Li is always wishful thinking, but this wishful thinking is really funny.
Su Yalan, the grandma who was returned from the Su family, made a rare trip to visit a thousand Buddhist temples to pray for good health charms for the old lady.
The day before yesterday, I started asking the kitchen to prepare vegetarian meals, and today I told Xu Xiuyi that I wanted to buy some sesame oil money for Qianfo Temple.
Ever since Xu Xiuyi asked Jin Yu to instruct the accountant not to allow anyone to come and take change without her permission, the accountant's rules were enforced. Now everyone knows to use money, unless they use their own monthly silver. If they run out, they will pay back
If you want to use it, you have to get Xu Xiuyi's approval.
What Su Yalan wants is a large sum of money, three hundred taels of silver.
She came to Xu Xiuyi in person, probably because she was worried that Xu Xiuyi would be worried about her taking money, and she also invited Xu Xiuyi to go up the mountain to worship Buddha together.
It was difficult for Xu Xiuyi to refuse due to emotions, reasons, and pretentiousness.
The old lady of the Su family believed in Buddhism. Seeing her sick appearance, Xu Xiuyi said nothing and agreed to Su Yalan.
On the morning of the third day of June, two sedan chairs of the Su family slowly went up to Thousand Buddha Mountain. Su Yalan was dressed plainly and elegantly. After all, she was kicked out of the palace, so it was not good for her to dress up like she did when she was a girl or empress. Besides,
Today is the time to come to the pure place of Buddhism.
Xu Xiuyi also wore a lotus root pink dress with a tulle jacket over it. Purple orchid flowers were embroidered around the skirt of the lotus root pink dress. Only a thin layer of powder was applied on her face. Her whole body was as elegant and noble as a clear water hibiscus.
Su Yalan was also a beauty. The two beauties stopped at the pure place of Buddhism, which also aroused the hearts of the young monks. Normally, they were not as enthusiastic about pilgrims as they were towards her.
When he heard that he belonged to the Su family and wanted to donate money for sesame oil, he warmly welcomed them in, saying that he wanted to invite the abbot.
He is a smart person and knows that the Su family's sesame oil money is not a small amount.
Su Yalan had to worship every Buddha she saw along the way. As the name of Thousand Buddha Temple suggests, there were many Bodhisattvas, big and small. Seeing Su Yalan's body rising and falling, kneeling down to worship, Xu Xiuyi felt like it was hard work.
But she also pretended to pray a few times with her hands together, which was really boring. She didn't object to other people's beliefs, but she herself was a non-believer. Looking at the golden Bodhisattva, she thought if there really were any gods or ghosts.
Bodhisattva, there won’t be so much injustice in the world.
After a few more bows, she told Su Yalan to go for a walk in the backyard. Su Yalan nodded.
Xu Xiuyi walked alone to the backyard of the Buddhist temple, which is a canteen for people to eat vegetarian meals. From a distance, she smelled the aroma of vegetarian steamed buns.
Xu Xiuyi found a secluded place, randomly broke off a flower, and picked and played with it piece by piece out of boredom.
There were footsteps behind her, and she thought it was some young master from Thousand Buddhas Temple, so she didn't look back. Anyway, she just wanted to wait until Su Yalan finished praying to the Buddha, donated the money for sesame oil, and gave her a vegetarian meal, and then she could leave.
The footsteps stopped a few steps behind her, and a fragrant breath was carried by the wind.
She turned her head and was surprised.
Then he hurriedly knelt down and said, "Fifth Prince."
"I saw your Su family's sedan chair. I saw a person acting foolishly here from a distance. I looked at you from behind, and it turned out to be you. Why, you came to worship Buddha too, what's bothering you?"
Xu Xiuyi has actually always been curious about what happened to the fifth prince and Xu Lanqing in the backyard on the night Xu Lanqing got married. However, it has been a long time since she heard that her brother and sister-in-law are doing well now, so she just kept it in her mind.
.
Besides, it was impossible for her to ask Wu Mo directly.
"I don't have anything to worry about. Our old lady is very ill, so my aunt and I came to pray for a peace charm."
"Auntie, you should give her some respect. The person who was kicked out didn't even have an uncle, so he could still call her auntie."
That's true, it's just that when Su Yalan came back, everyone called her aunt, and Xu Xiuyi didn't bother with the title issue. Now that I think about it, only married people are qualified to be called aunt. It's really inappropriate to call someone who is divorced and returned.
But it would be even more inappropriate to call Su Yalan Miss Yalan.
It's just a title, just call it casually.
She then changed the subject and said, "The fifth prince is here alone?"
Wu Mo raised a cynical and mischievous smile: "Is it possible that there is someone else you want to see?"
Xu Xiuyi blushed, thinking about the friendship between Wu Mo and An Chengshao. Wu Mo already knew that she and An Chengshao were together, so he stopped being coy.
"How is he these days?"
"It's very bad." Wu Mo sighed, the seriousness in his expression startled Xu Xiuyi.
But when Wu Mo burst into laughter, Xu Xiuyi realized that she had been deceived. She was a little embarrassed at the moment, but she had a different view on the fifth prince.
At first, I only thought that he was a high-ranking royal nobleman who could not be desecrated, but now it seems that he is also a lively person.
Compared with An Chengshao's calmness and restraint, his words are too naughty.
"Xu Xiuyi."
"kindness."
"Your brother..." Wu Mo opened his mouth, but finally smiled sadly, "...Why don't you come and sit in my house? I got many interesting little things from the emperor's brother, and some from my daughter's house.
I don’t need the rouge and gouache either. It’s a pity to leave it alone. Come and I’ll give it to you.”
Xu Xiuyi said hurriedly: "Thank you very much, Your Majesty. Your Majesty likes to drink tea. When I asked people to collect medicinal materials from Guixi, I also collected some tea leaves. If I come to visit next time, I will bring them to Your Majesty."
She didn't dare to speak too brazenly. After all, this was ancient times, and the distinction between superiority and inferiority was so clear.
Although this Wu Mo doesn't look dangerous at all, he must not be easy to mess with if she can make the Duke Protector's Mansion fear him for so many years.
Wu Mo looked at the sky and said, "It's time to have a vegetarian meal. Why don't we have a meal together? I am a lay disciple of Qianfo Temple. I occasionally go up the mountain to practice. I have my own Zen room. I will ask someone to bring the vegetarian meal in."
Xu Xiuyi did not expect that Wu Mo's temperament would actually practice Buddhism.
However, it was hard for Xu Xiuyi to refuse his invitation, so she just said, "Then I'll have a word with my aunt."
"No need, I'll just let someone tell me. The vegetarian chicken here is delicious, you must try it."
Xu Xiuyi smiled slightly and nodded.
This was the first time I had dinner with Wu Mo. During the meal, Wu Mo occasionally told a few jokes, making Xu Xiuyi giggle. There was no pressure at all when getting along with her.
Xu Xiuyi also gradually started to let go and told Wu Mo some funny things. She was never a joke teller, but the few jokes she had been holding back made Wu Mo laugh.
"Xu Xiuyi, that guy Su Jinyuan really doesn't hesitate to be blessed, but he has made our young master Cheng get a big advantage. With a woman like you, whoever marries you will be lucky."
"The prince is joking."
Wu Mo put down his chopsticks, a look of ecstasy appeared on his face, and his eyes were bright: "I really envy you."
His expression seemed to hide a lot of worries and melancholy, but he still pretended to be free and easy.
Xu Xiu recalled that his words were almost related to her brother.
Sure enough, she wanted to ask just now, but pretended to change the subject easily. This time, she still asked.
"How are your brother and sister-in-law?"
Xu Xiuyi seemed to be able to feel that the room was instantly filled with deep sadness. This sadness choked the word "good" in her neck, and she couldn't say it out.
She remembered that when Wu Mo left that night, his eyes were red.
Although it is the love of the cut sleeve, love does not distinguish between genders. If Xu Xiuyi is allowed to watch An Chengshao marry another woman...
She couldn't imagine how painful it was.
"Haha, forget it, you don't have to reply to me. In fact, I know that they are living a good life. It's time for me to go back. I haven't been to court for some time. Brother Huang is probably going to give me another lecture. We will go down the mountain together in a while.
Bar."
Xu Xiuyi and Wu Mo went down the mountain together, and naturally they were accompanied by their aunt Su Yalan from the Su family.
When Su Yalan saw Wu Mo, her face was full of humility and embarrassment.
Wu Mo didn't take Su Yalan seriously and just nodded as a greeting.
The three sedans arrived at the foot of the mountain and parted ways. When they returned to Su's house, it was just dark. Xu Xiuyi and Su Yalan went in. Su Yalan's eyes were obviously red, and the handkerchief was still in her hand. She must have cried.
Also, as a woman who was kicked out of the palace, she was naturally very embarrassed in front of Wu Mo, and she couldn't help but feel sad when thinking about the past scenery. Xu Xiuyi did not comfort her or ask anything.
Amelia Su will eventually have to adapt to this kind of time.
*
Wu Mo came down the mountain. He had been going up the mountain since the night Xu Lanqing got married. In the past ten days, he had fasted, chanted Buddha and chanted sutras. He only went down the mountain once. He and An Chengshao got very drunk. When he woke up,
He came back obediently and continued practicing.
The days are getting calmer and calmer, and my heart is gradually calming down.
The Buddha said, what is not attainable cannot be attained.
Xu Lanqing is what he can't get, what he can't get.
She was willing to stay for a few more days, but when she saw Xu Xiuyi today, she finally realized that even if she lived on the mountain until she grew old, there would be no possibility for her and Xu Lanqing.
All hope was gone. She confessed her identity to Xu Lanqing. Given Xu Lanqing's disgust for her, if she kept stalking her and kept Xu Lanqing from exposing her identity, she would already have something in Xu Lanqing's hands.
This handle was brought to the door by herself.
She was not drunk that night, and she personally sent this information to her, just to completely cut off her thoughts and give her a reason not to get close to Xu Lanqing again.
She is destined to be alone all her life, just like the ancient Buddha with a green lantern.
After going down the mountain and returning to the palace, the eunuch Yan Jing sent a bunch of letters in, saying that he had received them in the past few days.
She didn't look at it, but just said to Yan Jing: "Put it aside."
"Your Majesty, in one month it will be the Emperor's birthday. What kind of gift do you want to prepare for the Emperor?"
"Your Majesty, I don't need anything, and I will give you the same gift. Just like in previous years, I will pick some rare things from the library and customize a beautiful box."
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince said that this year is different. The Emperor has not been very happy this year. It is best to give the Emperor some good things to make him happy."
Wu Mo and the third prince were from the same mother, but the year the third prince was born, her mother-in-law’s family committed a serious crime and was almost executed. Emperor Xiaowen was so angry that he sent the third prince to the imperial concubine who was then the imperial concubine and is now the imperial concubine.
Keep it around.
The reason why her mother-in-law's mother-in-law was so proud of her innocence was that she gave birth to her third brother in March and got pregnant with her in September, so the sins of her mother-in-law's family were able to be postponed. Finally, the imperial doctor
After it was diagnosed that her mother-in-law was pregnant with a dragon child, the emperor was overjoyed and granted amnesty to her mother-in-law's family.
Therefore, her existence, from the moment she was in her mother's womb, has affected the lives of many people. She was used to pretending to be a man, and it was Xu Lanqing who made her strongly want to return to the female beauty makeup.
Now, this thought is gone, so I can just pretend to be a man for the rest of my life, bear the reputation of a broken sleeve, refuse to marry or accept him, and just stay alone until I grow old.
But time passes so slowly. She hopes that in the blink of an eye she will be gray-haired and old. But now, she is only twenty-two years old, and her royal brother is only thirty.
Four years old.
Next month is the thirty-fourth birthday of her royal brother. His body was severely injured and he suffered from unspeakable diseases throughout his life. She wanted to make him happy. After all, his brother had always been very kind to her.
"Then let me think about it and prepare my court uniform for going to court tomorrow."
I have been decadent for too long. After all, I cannot grow old instantly. Life still has to pass slowly.
*
In the court hall, someone said, "If you have something to report, please leave the court if you have nothing to do." The hall was quiet for a while, and then the Minister of Rites came out and wrote a memorial, which was revised by the Hanlin Academy.
The editor of the Hanlin Academy was none other than Xu Lanqing's father-in-law.
Wu Mo was originally wandering in Taixu when he heard from the Minister of Rites that the Imperial Academy's revisionists secretly copied the Hanlin Academy's classics out of the palace for students to browse and read, and even leaked all the previous scientific examination questions to make profits from them.
Wu Mo's eyes instinctively fell on Xu Yuan's face.
Seeing Xu Yuan, his face turned green. He didn't expect that his in-laws and subordinates would do such an unflattering thing. He only felt that his face hurt like being scratched, and his fists were clenched tightly.
Master Zhong, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, was sweating in waves and his face turned blue and purple because what he said was true.
The emperor frowned. Many of the Hanlin Academy's classics were historical records. Once these historical records were spread outside the palace, people outside the palace would compile them into short stories, treating serious matters in the palace as entertainment jokes.
.
Moreover, the answer sheets of the scientific examinations over the years are kept sealed and must not be leaked.
This Hanlin Academy correction officer saw that an honest man could do such a shameless thing of surrendering and selling the emperor's letters.
Is he really poor and crazy?
"Zhong Huafeng, is what the Minister of Rites said true?"
"emperor!"
The correctional officer trembled and threw himself on the ground, trembling like chaff all over his body.
The emperor understood immediately and said coldly: "Make a wish, is this how you take care of your subordinates, or is it because their family is related to your family that you dare to be so tolerant?"
"Brother Imperial!" Wu Mo was the one who knelt down before making a wish.
Everyone's eyes fell on Wu Mo. Everyone knew that Wu Mo had failed to win love over the years and had developed a grudge with the Xu family. Everyone thought that Wu Mo was going to add insult to injury like usual.
But he didn't want Wu Mo to say: "From my younger brother's point of view, it is because Zhong Huafeng and the Duke Protector's family are related to each other, so he became bolder and dared to do such a thing. Mr. Xu has been in charge of the Hanlin Academy for many years, and the Hanlin Academy has always been
It's all in good order and no mistakes have been made. Mr. Xu is a good man and has a noble character. How could he condone his subordinates even though they knew they were doing such a thing?"
Everyone, including Xu Yuan, was stunned.
Xu Yuan thought this was a good opportunity to add insult to injury. This matter could be big or small. Although Zhong Huafeng, the Minister of Rites, was involved in the performance, if his family was to be implicated, the Emperor had been in a bad mood recently, so he would have to suffer a lot.
crime.
He panicked when Wu Mo knelt down. He didn't expect that what Wu Mo said was actually like this.
I don't know whether I should be grateful or grateful.
The emperor has always valued Wu Mo, and Wu Mo's words also have a heavy weight in the emperor's heart.
He thought that the person who made a wish was not like this. It was Zhong Huafeng who got married to the Xu family and started to act unscrupulously.
He would not accuse a good person unjustly, and said to Zhong Huafeng: "Your teacher told me, how long have you been doing this kind of thing, and is there anyone accomplices?"
Zhong Huafeng knew that the death penalty was not inevitable, but he was unavoidable by being demoted and demoted, so he became more open-minded: "I am the only one who can investigate if the emperor does not believe me. I have nothing to do with Mr. Xu."
Even when he said this, Xu Yuan's face was still ugly.
The Shangshen version of the Book of Etiquette also came out: "Quuzi was also on duty at the Hanlin Academy. At this time, it was Quanzi who reported the matter to Wei Chen. Wei Chen really felt that something was wrong so he reported it to the emperor. Quanzi detailed it and said that Master Zhong secretly copied it.
When I was here, I always avoided Mr. Xu, and a few times when I saw Mr. Xu coming in, I would hide things under the desk."
The Minister of Rites did not want to implicate Xu Yuan. Although he and Xu Yuan were not friends, he did not want to become enemies. Now he was just telling the truth.
This matter now seems to be completely separate from making a wish.
The emperor didn't want to express his anger. After all, Xu Wan's family had been loyal to three generations, and he also took Xu Wan's character achievements into consideration.
A pair of black men looked at Zhong Huafeng on the ground coldly, and he hummed: "Drag this man out. He steals things with both hands, and the ten fingers he pinched are crippled. He will be stripped of his rank and exiled back to his hometown."
The emperor was indeed in a very bad mood. Zhong Huafeng had not taken advantage of the opportunity. He thanked him sadly and was extremely annoyed by his behavior.
A pair of eyes looked at Xu Yuan, full of pleading, but what he asked for was not that Xu Yuan would help him, but that Xu Yuan would not vent his anger on his daughter.
This is a bit difficult to make a wish.
When he got home, he asked someone to call his daughter-in-law. Before the news in the palace reached home, Zhong Yaqin looked at her father-in-law's dark face. She didn't know what happened and asked cautiously: "Dad, what's wrong with you?
"
"Kneel down!"
Xu Wishan had never been so embarrassed in his life. He was full of anger. Although he knew he shouldn't vent it at Zhong Yaqin, he was furious when he thought that it was Zhong Yaqin's father who put him in such an embarrassing and humiliating situation.
Zhong Yaqin was startled, her mouth was open and she was about to cry, and she knelt down in aggrieved manner, not knowing what mistake she had made.
"Do you know how embarrassed your father made me in court today?"
Xu Yuan said angrily, and Zhong Yaqin's shoulders shrank.
"My dad."
"I can't even relieve my anger even if I divorce you."
"Daddy!" Two big tears fell from Zhong Yaqin's eyes, and her face was red from crying.
The door was gently pushed open. When Xu Lanqing saw the scene in the room, her eyebrows tightened: "Dad, what's going on?"
"My husband, my father wants you to divorce me. My husband, my husband, I can't live without you."
Zhong Yaqin lost all her restraint now, knelt down and hugged Xu Lanqing, crying so hard that it made people feel heartbroken.
Seeing her like this, Xu Yuan finally felt that she had gone too far, sighed, and said to Xu Lanqing: "Your father-in-law has dirty hands and feet and stole things from the Hanlin Academy. The emperor was angry. If it weren't for the fact that the fifth prince didn't know how to eat today."
Please give me some wrong medicine. I don't know if I can come back to your home today. I have lost all my face. I have made a wish for so many years and I have never felt so embarrassed."
Hearing this, Zhong Yaqin fell to the ground.
Xu Lanqing was shocked: "The fifth prince is back?"
This shouldn't be what he asked, right?
But the only thing that came out of his mouth was this sentence.
He didn't care what happened to his father-in-law, nor what happened next. He just wanted to know that the fifth prince, who disappeared like the wind, was back.
Xu Wan did not hear any other meaning in his words, but just thought to herself: "If the fifth prince adds insult to injury today, I will become your father-in-law's accomplice, and these hands will definitely be destroyed by now.
"
"Abolish it, dad, my dad..."
Zhong Yaqin burst into tears, and Xu Yuan sighed deeply. After all, it had nothing to do with the child. He was really angry and vented his anger on Zhong Yaqin. Seeing Zhong Yaqin's appearance, he softened his tone.
"Get up, your father's hand can't hold a pen anymore. Fortunately, the emperor didn't ask for confiscation of the property. Tomorrow and the day after, your father will leave Beijing and return to his hometown. You can go back and stay for two days. I'll see you later.
It’s difficult.”
Zhong Yaqin cried so hard that she trembled, feeling so sad that the sky was about to fall.
However, Xu Lanqing didn't want to comfort the beautiful girl who was crying. She just said: "I'm going out for a while" without saying where she was going, and walked out the door.