Xia Houshu placed the ashes of Master Qubai and Mr. Qiu in the secret room of Yixiang Garden, and repeatedly told Xia Houyi to keep a strict watch on them and not make any mistakes before he got on the carriage and returned to the Yue Kingdom Palace.
Zhong Yuqing heard that she did not go home first after returning to Beijing, but went to Yixiang Garden. She couldn't help but ask a few more questions. Xiahou Shu had already guessed that her mother would have this question, so she lied and said that she had promised Xiahou before leaving Beijing.
Yi wanted to bring him some plants from Wangcang Peak, so he went to Yixiang Garden to plant them.
Zhong Yuqing was so busy during this period that he had no time to verify whether what she said was true or false, so the matter was passed over like this.
Then came the Mid-Autumn Festival. After Xia Houyuan came back from the palace, he shared a family banquet with everyone in the palace in the courtyard. In the middle of the banquet, the concierge suddenly came to send a message, saying that someone from the palace was here, and his majesty was serving more than a dozen families in Beijing.
He was given vegetables, and the Duke of Yue was one of them.
Everyone knelt down to thank them, and then the messenger who delivered the dishes said in a high-pitched voice that they would not stop at the next restaurant as they were going to the next restaurant. Zhong Yuqing quickly ordered someone to prepare a reward.
After the people in the palace left, Xia Houyuan and Zhong Yuqing suddenly lost their smiles, and even looked a little solemn. Guo Lianbi's face didn't look good either.
Xia Houshu didn't understand what was going on with the elders. She was obviously very flattered just now and was smiling. She moved closer to Xia Houyi and asked secretly: "Second brother, why don't I think everyone's faces look good? Your Majesty gives you food.
Isn’t it an honor? Many people can only dream of it.”
Xia Houyi shook his head and whispered: "It is indeed a favor, but in the past, only the palace would give vegetables on the first day of the year. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, this is probably the first time since the founding of Nanqi. And this time, your majesty gave you gifts.
They are all relatives of the emperor like the Palace of Wei, Prince Zhao, the Prime Minister and Uncle Yao. They are not even gifted by Prince Gong’s Palace, but only our Duke of Yue’s Palace."
"Ah?" Xia Houshu was stunned for a moment, silently put down his chopsticks, and continued to whisper to his brother, "I've been away from home recently. Could it be that my father has some achievements that I don't know about?"
After the Jixian Pavilion incident, Xia Houyuan became disillusioned with those in the court who only cared about their own interests. Then he was continuously smeared by the Prime Minister's Palace and Prince Zhao's Palace. He had no intention of making any more innovations and went to court step by step every day.
, after going to court, he went to the western suburbs camp to train troops as usual. Slowly, those in the court who impeached him stopped. But now that His Majesty suddenly gave him food, something must have happened.
"No, nothing happened." Xia Houyi said thoughtfully, "Father has only gone to court to train troops as usual recently and has not done anything else. I don't know what the meaning of your Majesty's dish is."
Xia Houshu rarely got involved in government affairs, so he didn't know the inside story, and he didn't know that there were so many details about giving food in the palace. But judging from everyone's reaction, it was obviously not a good thing to give food this time.
To reward other royal relatives together is tantamount to inciting hatred to the Duke of Yue.
She took a closer look at the dish given by the palace. It was a dish of steamed crabs. The crabs in this season are big and fat, which is a good time to eat them. However, the capital does not grow crabs, so if you want to eat crabs, you have to transport them from outside.
, the price is not cheap, and this dish is rarely seen in ordinary people's banquets. Moreover, crab is different from other chicken, duck, fish, beef, etc. It must be steamed and eaten hot. It will become fishy when it is cold, and it will become fishy if it is reheated.
It's not the original taste. What does it mean that the palace specially gave this dish?
Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming heavy, Xia Houyi raised his glass and said, "It is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the stars are brilliant, the moon is full, and people are reunited. It is a rare reward from the palace. I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you, brothers and sisters to drink this cup together."
Xia Houyuan immediately smiled, thinking that it was his son who had figured it out at this time. Instead of making random guesses and ruining the atmosphere of the family reunion, it would be better to enjoy the moment. Whether it is a blessing or a curse will be revealed in the future. So he also raised his glass and took a sip.
Drink.
Zhong Yuqing also felt that there was no need to be distracted by this, so he called on everyone to drink and have fun together.
The Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet passed without saltiness. Later in the evening, Xia Houshu and Xia Houyi returned to their residence carrying a rabbit lantern. When passing by Changxu Hall, the brother and sister stopped in unison.
Xia Houshu sighed: "If eldest brother were still here, we would be more reunited today."
Xia Houyi's smile became increasingly bitter and he said, "Brother, he will always be here."
Xia Houshu was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it was time for Xia Houyi's crowning ceremony. Fu Xi made a special trip back to Mianxiang Mountain and invited Taoist Master Lingqiu to crown Xiahouyi.
On the day of the crowning ceremony, Xiahou's clan elders and in-laws all came. Those with official status wore official uniforms, and those without official status also wore formal clothes. The scene was very grand.
The crowning ceremony is divided into three steps. First, the master, Taoist Master Lingqiu, bundles Xiahou Yi's hair and adds a silk crown. He also wishes: "On the auspicious day of the month, I will start adding Yuanfu. I will give up the word "you" and "you will be virtuous."
Wei Qi, Jie Er Jingfu."
Later, his uncle Zhong Zan added a skin number to him and made a speech: "On the day of the auspicious month, it is the time for Shen Erfu, respect for your majesty, and Shushen virtue. My eyebrows will live for thousands of years, and I will always be blessed by Hu Fu."
Finally, Xia Houyuan personally awarded him the title of Bian, wishing: "In auspicious years and months, the crown and uniform will be promoted again. Filial piety, loyalty and trust, harmony and peace, long life, and a happy life."
After the crowning, Taoist Lingqiu gave him the title "Zi Shan".
From then on, Xiahou Yi had a pseudonym, Xiahou Zishan.
After the crowning ceremony, Zhong Yuqing had people clean the Jinghe Garden and Lan Yuexuan inside and out again, saying that brother and sister Xia Houhui and Xia Houchun would arrive in the capital soon.
Jingheyuan is the former residence of Xiahoutan and his wife, and Lanyuexuan is the residence of sisters Xiahouqi and Xiahouchun. It is usually repaired and maintained by dedicated personnel, but it still has to be cleaned again before the owner comes.
This time, Xiahou Tan ordered his eldest son Xia Houhui to escort Xia Houchun back to the capital in person. First of all, he considered that Xia Houchun had been living at the border all year round and had a loose temper. He wanted to ask Zhong Yuqing to teach him and learn some etiquette and rules in Beijing to avoid getting too much trouble.
People gossiped about the fall of the Wei family; secondly, Xiahou Chun was the legitimate daughter of the second wife, and she married into the Taiwei family. Naturally, she had to marry in the beautiful ancestral home of the Xiahou family in order to maintain her dignity.
Xia Hoshu herself has no biological sisters, and has a good relationship with several cousins from her uncle's family. However, the one she is most attached to is her cousin Xia Houchun, whom she has only known for the past two years.
I remember that she had just returned to Beijing from Boyunguan seven years ago and was very unfamiliar with everything in the mansion. She was also talked about privately by the mothers-in-law because she did not understand the rules of the Duke's mansion. At that time, it was Xia Houchun who stopped them and continued to talk to them every day.
He came to play with her, taught her etiquette, and brought her exquisite snacks and fancy gadgets from Beijing, so that she quickly adapted to life in the house.
As Xia Houchun grew up, his mother, Mrs. Zhang, had always held her in the palm of her hand like a jewel. She had never been away from her mother for more than a day. Although she had already decided to return to Beijing to get married, Mrs. Zhang was very reluctant to part with her daughter.
After crying for several days, Xiahou Chunshao had no choice but to stay and comfort him, so they set off a little late.
This time when she returned to Beijing, Xia Houchun not only brought her personal attendants, but also the dowry prepared for her by Xiahou Tan and his wife, which was loaded into twelve carts. For this reason, Xia Houtan also spent a lot of money to hire more than a dozen guards with strong martial arts skills.
Escort. A group of people set out from Jinfeng City in a mighty manner. There were many people and things going on, and the walk was slow. It took eleven days to reach the seven or eight-day journey.
It was rare for Xia Houchun to not have the supervision of his elders. He just went out to enjoy the mountains and rivers. He paid attention to the scenery and customs along the way and enjoyed the delicacies from various places. He did not feel bored at all.
After Xia Houchun and his sister returned home, they first went to Songya Hall to greet Xia Houyuan and Zhong Yuqing, conveying their parents' concerns and greetings, and then talked to Xia Houyuan and his wife for a while before going back to their residences to rest.
Xia Houchun immediately became Xia Houchun's little tail. Not only did he follow Xia Houchun to Lan Yuexuan, he also volunteered to pack his sister's luggage. In fact, he pulled Xia Houchun to greet him, but ordered Yunxi and Yuhu to help Xia Houchun.
The maids and maids in the house were arranging things.
The two sisters chatted together for a few days, and Xiahou Shu followed Xiahou Chun to check her dowry. Xiahou Tan was a rough man, but he loved his daughter very much. When his eldest daughter Xia Houqi got married in Jinfeng City, she was the daughter of Shili Hongzhuang.
, it was so grand in that border city that it was still praised by people many years later. Xia Houchun's dowry was prepared according to Xia Houchi's standards. Basically, everything that could be purchased was prepared, and there were some border issues that were not good.
Those who purchased it also wrote a list and asked Zhong Yuqing to help them complete it.
Xia Houshu was thinking that his cousin had been away from Beijing for several years, and he was afraid that he would be unfamiliar with many people and things in Beijing. After getting married, he didn't know whether he would be able to come and go freely, so he decided to take advantage of the fact that everyone was still free.
Take Xia Houchun out for a walk.
The two sisters hit it off immediately, so they went out on the pretext of going to the Silver Building to make jewelry, but ended up entering Luoyuefang. The two ordered all the specialty snacks in the store, tasting them carefully, and looking through the fence wherever they looked.
They looked at everything in the imperial city and chatted about their experiences.
As soon as Xia Houchun finished telling an interesting thing she saw on her way back to Beijing, Xia Houshu immediately laughed and danced. However, out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently saw Qin Nan sitting not far away, and the smile suddenly solidified on his face.
It's not unusual to meet someone by chance, but there's definitely something fishy if you meet the same person frequently over a period of time. Especially if the other person is Qi Nan.
Xia Houshu looked over there, his expression full of caution.
Xia Houchun also noticed the change in Xia Houshu's expression, followed her gaze, and saw a strange man not far away who was leisurely drinking tea. She was suspicious for a while, then looked back at her sister, and asked in a low voice: "
Do you know him?"
Xia Houshu slowly withdrew his gaze and shook his head to deny it. She had indeed met him several times, and he also told her his name. He also "invited" her to visit where he stayed, and even chased him to Wang in order to force her to accept the gold leaf.
At the foot of Cangfeng Peak, it remains to be verified whether meeting each other can be regarded as acquaintance.
After all, you know people, faces, but not hearts.
It was rare for Xia Houchun to see her sister look so nervous, so she became even more curious. She couldn't help turning her head to look at the man in purple not far away. At this glance, she seemed to remember something, and said: "Look carefully, this man
It does look a bit familiar."
Xia Houshu was startled when he heard this and asked, "Second sister, have you seen him?"
"Not sure, I just feel familiar." Xia Houchun shook her head gently. She had been away from Beijing for four or five years, and the people she knew in the past, except for the occasional correspondence, had basically been forgotten. But the facial features of the man opposite her
The look and expression on her face did seem inexplicably familiar to her, but she just couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
"So, the second sister must have met him before." Xia Houshu said with certainty.
Xia Houchun smiled and said, "Why are you so sure?"
Xia Houshu stared at the man in the distance and said with a serious expression: "He has a capital accent. Even if he is not from the capital, he should have lived in the capital all year round. The second sister has been in the west in the past few years and does not come back often. If
If I haven't seen it before, how can I say it looks familiar?"
"Maybe I remembered it wrong." Xia Houchun still smiled, then took a deep look at Xia Houchun, lowered his voice and reminded, "But I think he is not too young. I think he has a family. My sister
Don’t give your heart to the wrong person.”
Xia Houshu was stunned for a while, then he quickly waved his hand and said, "Second sister, please don't accuse me unjustly!"
Xia Houchun frowned: "Isn't it..."
"Of course not!" Xia Houshu immediately interrupted her, "I have nothing else on my mind. It's just that I often meet this person recently. It's very strange."
"Do you encounter it often?" Xia Houchun was a little surprised, "Then you really need to pay more attention."