Time is weird, it always makes you suffer when you don't care about it.
But when you cherish it, it is fleeting.
In the blink of an eye, it is March 12th, and the spring in Jiangnan is becoming more and more gorgeous every day. Suddenly, like an east wind blowing overnight, thousands of pear trees are blooming. The flowers inside and outside the capital are in full bloom, full of fragrance.
~
Outside the Zhengyang Gate, in the Jieguan Pavilion, countless guards in royal robes line the street.
The wildflowers blooming on both sides of the road and the lush fields in the distance make the spring day especially beautiful.
Duke Cao Li Jinglong was sitting in the pavilion, wearing a goose hat and a brand-new python robe, obviously waiting for someone important.
His status has the hereditary privilege of being rewarded with wearing python robes. Although the princes, princes, and even first- and second-rank officials of the Ming Dynasty can wear python robes given by the emperor, most of them are rewarded with python robes. The difference between "reward" and "reward" has different meanings.
But it is in heaven and on earth.
In the former case, the python robe is given to you to wear. If you wear it out or the color is old, you can make a new one at your own expense and wear it again.
The latter is just one piece. You can wear it if you like it, or keep it at home if you don't like it. If you want to buy it, I'm sorry no one dares to make it for you.
"Hey!" Li Jinglong picked up a cup of herbal tea, "How many months has it been so hot?" He said, taking a sip, "I'm sweating all over my head!"
Next to him, Deng Ping, who was also sitting on the stool, glanced at him and said to himself, "You're damned if you're not hot. You look like a hot bun, wearing a red python robe with gold threads and thousand-layer official boots, with three layers on the inside and one on the outside."
Can the three layers be as hot as rice dumplings?"
Although I thought so in my heart, I couldn't say it with my mouth. I turned to the side and asked, "Where is the princess's car?"
"In reply to your words!" said the Jin Yiwei next to him, "there are still twenty miles of land!"
"Yes!" Deng Ping nodded. Now he is one of the commanders of the emperor's bodyguard and has some official authority.
Today he and Li Jinglong came out of the city to welcome Princess Shouyang of the Jin family, who was also Li Jinglong's future daughter-in-law. Logically speaking, it was not appropriate for him, the husband of the princess, to come in person, but Jin Wang Zhu Jixi personally escorted her here, so he
I have no choice but to come forward.
"Why!"
At this time, Deng Ping suddenly heard Li Jinglong sigh and said in surprise, "Brother-in-law, why are you sighing on this happy day?" Then he added, "But I'm afraid Brother Qi will have a hard time in the future? Don't worry.
This princess is the direct descendant of the late King Jin, and she is the most virtuous and virtuous..."
"I'm sorry that some people can't do things!" Li Jinglong gritted his teeth.
"Who?" Deng Ping frowned.
"Who else could it be?" Li Jinglong sneered, "That Minister Wang from the South Study Room!"
"He?" Deng Ping immediately thought of the fat, harmless figure in his mind, and whispered, "Why did he offend you?"
Li Jinglong looked around. The guards were all far away. He came closer and whispered, "Do you know about the Japanese envoy? I have already made a decision here. I will delay them for a little longer. Who would have thought that he would just say a few words to him?"
I'm so angry!" He said, shaking his head regretfully, "I didn't even see the emperor, so I just boarded the ship and went back to Japan!"
Deng Ping was even more puzzled, "He can just leave. How can he make you unhappy?"
"You're stupid!" Li Jinglong rolled his eyes at him, "Brother Qi is getting married soon, and the Japanese envoy is asking for something from me. What do you think of this gift..."
"My good brother-in-law!" Deng Ping didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "You...hey, your family has a big business, why do you still care about this?" He said, shaking his head and saying, "What did I think it was? Where is all this?
"
"The family is big and the business is big?" Li Jinglong curled his lips, "To tell you the truth, because of Brother Qi's marriage, the whole house is empty." He said, spreading his hands, "There are rats in the warehouse!"
Suddenly, Deng Ping panicked and quickly moved his butt out.
"Hey, that's right!" Li Jinglong continued to speak, "Taipingnu, Brother Qi is your eldest nephew. As the saying goes, your mother is your uncle, and you are your uncle..."
"A few days ago, I was rummaging through boxes and cabinets at home and scraped together two hundred taels of gold." Deng Ping sweated for no reason. "As you know, I am the youngest in the family. I have a short time when I work as an errand. My brother and sister-in-law are housekeepers, and I have all the gold in my hands."
Not much income.”
"I'm kidding you!" Li Jinglong joked with a smile, "I know you are poor, so how can I really ask you for a big gift? It's all you want!" After saying that, he sighed again, "Human, if you don't resist chaos in this life,
In the blink of an eye, I will be in my forties, and in a few years I will be my grandfather. From now on, it will be you young people who rule the world!"
"You are the only one in our family who is considered promising and has dignity in front of Long Live Lord. Brother Qi will be in need of your uncle's help in the future!"
"I'm needed everywhere!" Deng Ping said with a smile, "Brother Qi is the person close to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince will be here in the future!"
"You've only been an official for a few days, and you're talking like an official to your brother-in-law!" Li Jinglong scolded with a smile.
Deng Ping smiled on his face and said nothing.
In fact, he didn't agree with Li Jinglong's statement. From now on, one of their uncles and nephews will be with the emperor, and the other will be with the prince. It would be better not to get together all the time, but to keep some distance to be real.
As for why?
The Emperor is in his prime, and he will be considered old in another thirty or forty years. And in thirty or forty years, many things can happen.
He also has some understanding of the emperor he serves all day long. This long-lived man seems to be someone who misses old friendships, but he will definitely distinguish who is involved in the matter. If he turns against you, he will not ask you what matters involve who.
.
Accompanying you is like accompanying a tiger!
He, Deng Ping, was not related to Li Jinglong and the royal family, so it was better to be careful.
As for these favours, you can avoid them if you can. In terms of dignity, who has the dignity of the Chang family? They are the emperor's relatives. They all honestly don't try to favour, and they jump up and down when they are full?
"Hey!" At this time, Li Jinglong suddenly sighed again.
Deng Ping frowned, "Brother-in-law, why are you sighing?"
"I sigh, Brother Qi's wedding is right next to Prince An's thousand years old!" Li Jinglong said with a bitter face, "When the time comes, we will need another huge sum!"
In fact, what he wants to say is that I am just a passing god of wealth. When my son gets married and receives the wedding money, he is afraid that he will turn around and give it to King An.
"The thousand-year-old wedding of King An was all arranged by Guanglu Temple. All the ministers need to do is express their feelings!" Deng Ping said, "Are you tired from thinking so much?"
"Stupid!" Li Jinglong snorted again, "Let me ask you, how old is the old man? Prince An is the youngest son, and now he is getting married at the same time, just for the sake of the old man, the emperor must do it decently!" As he said, he added
Taking a sip of tea, "How much more do I think? This is all about human nature and knowledge. If you don't want to? If you don't want to, just wait for someone to tell you your shortcomings, right?"
"Bah!" Deng Ping cursed in his heart, "How come you are so considerate? Why didn't you give me a big gift when I got married? That's fine if you don't give it to me. You even go to my house to search for it every now and then!"
At this time, a sedan came out of the city gate and landed directly next to the official reception pavilion.
The consort Hu Guan, who was wearing brown uniform, came out and smiled as soon as he got off the sedan chair, "I'm going to hurry up and hurry up, so I won't waste any time!"
"Prince-in-law!" Deng Ping quickly stood up and saluted.
"No one's here yet!" Li Jinglong also stood up and said with a smile, "It's cool inside!" After saying that, he picked up the teapot with his own hands and poured a cup for Hu Guan.
After passing it over, he smiled and said, "What are you busy with? You're so sweaty."
"I just came from Chang'an Street!" Hu Guan took the herbal tea and drank two sips, then smiled, "It's about the house used for Prince An's wedding!"
"Prince An was not in the palace after his wedding?" Li Jinglong asked.
It stands to reason that King An should have become a vassal after his wedding, but now he has never believed it, so he is hanging on like this. In fact, the ministers all know that the emperor is not willing to let these uncles become princes with real power. So
Up and down the court, the emperor pretended not to know about it unless he said it. Moreover, the civil servants were even more happy to see this happen.
"The Emperor said that there are so many rules in the palace that the young couple will not feel comfortable living there!" Hu Guan sat down and said with a smile, "There happens to be the Qijin Mansion on Qianmen Street that was vacant earlier. I will quickly have people sort it out. Whatever is missing will be filled.