Xue Qing walked past the gate of Guo’s family, and the shops on both sides of the street were closed. There were no children walking on the water and playing, no adults joking and scolding. When they passed through the alley yard, there were no children running around. It was not just because it was raining, but because of the distinguished guests from the Guo family came to clear the scene.
I wonder if that adult was coming? Xue Qing listened with his ears, and seemed to hear the sound of string music of silk and bamboo, and it seemed that there were only noisy voices walking around.
Nuannuan ran over and saw him shouting, "Young Master, you are back, and my aunt is about to pick you up."
Xue Qing smiled and said, "What are you picking me up for? You can't find your home."
Nuannuan laughed and continued running forward, the direction was the Guo family mansion.
Xue Qing stopped her and said, "What are you going to do?"
Nuannuan said: "The master came to the house and there was not enough staff in the kitchen. Wu's mother asked me to help."
Nuannuan was originally a servant of the Guo family, and she was really mobilized. Xue Qing thought, it was understandable.
"Do work more and talk less, don't get in front of others." She reminded.
Nuannuan laughed and ran away. Xue’s mother had already walked out and waved happily and uneasy when she saw Xue Qing: “Are you tired when you walk back? Your clothes are wet… It’s okay to ask a car to pick it up.”
Xue Qing asked her to pinch her clothes and said, "It's not wet. Mom, the straw hat you are going to come here is very good."
Xue's mother smiled and said, "Then you need two more sets to go. Get up."
Xue Qing said: "Mom is the best at living." He helped Xue's mother in, "Today, the Guo family is living a big life, so let's live a small life behind closed doors."
Xue’s mother said: “Can you write a good poem today?”
Xue Qing smiled and said, "Okay, I've eaten and thought seriously, what food did I cook today? I'm so hungry..."
Xue's mother stroked her shoulder and said, "It's done, your favorite fish head..." Close the yard door, the lights were lit in the kitchen, and the small table was set up. The mother and daughter sat opposite each other and started eating.
At this time, the Guo family had not yet started a banquet, and the kitchen was in a mess.
Nuannuan couldn't help, so she squatted aside to catch up with the scene. Suddenly, a group of girls ran around and shouted that they were coming. Nuannuan couldn't help but follow her, and was grabbed from behind before she could run a few steps.
Nuannuan turned around and said, "Sister Chanyi, are you here too? Yi... it's new clothes."
Chanyi wore new clothes today, just like the other girls from the Guo family, saying, "Let's help."
Nuannuan pinched the corner of her clothes and said enviously: "I'm here to help too, why don't I give me new clothes?"
Chanyi pinched her braid and said, "Aunt Xue has a lot of your new clothes... Why are you running around? Do more work here and don't run around."
Nuannuan rubbed her nose and said, "Cianyi, what you said is the same as the young master."
Xue Qing? Chanyi smiled and pulled Nuannuan back. When he saw several stewardess hurried in, he said, "Hurry up, the master has a new order."
What new instructions? Chanyi and Nuannuan stood curiously.
"Don't move those wines and vegetables..."
"...The adult's entourage ordered only girls aged eleven to fourteen to deliver food."
This sounds really weird, and the people in the kitchen whisper.
"It's not surprising, that lord is a eunuch..."
"The eunuch is said to have many strange rules..."
No matter how you say that there are rules, you must follow them. The women in charge urgently selected girls of the right age, and cicadas were among them.
Nuannuan said with envy: "I really wish I could grow up all of a sudden... I could see what the eunuch looks like."
Chanyi laughed and told her not to run around. After tidying up, she followed the other girls with wine and food to the hall. Although she was not a girl from the Guo family, it was not the first time she was handed over the dishes. It was just that the guests who were invited this time were very big and a little nervous.
The Guo family's house was not big, and soon arrived at the front hall. The three brothers of the Guo family and their families were accompanying each other. The lights were already lit in the hall, and it was quite lively when you looked through the rain and fog.
Guo Zi'an and Guo Ziqian were showing their martial arts in the hall. Chanyi and other girls were blocked in the corridor. The figure of the red robe on the main seat could be seen through the carved doors and windows.
There was a squelch in the room, and a voice said OK.
The eunuch's voice was no different from that of ordinary people. Chanyi thought, and thought flashed by, and she had waved her hand to enter the hall. She hurriedly returned to her senses and bowed her head and took a step.
After crossing the threshold, his vision suddenly became bright. The cicada's gaze drooped around the women's side. Seeing Guo Baoer standing up, he was pressed down by Mrs. Guo.
"...I also want to practice martial arts...I can do it," said Guo Baoer, very dissatisfied.
Mrs. Guo's face turned green, she pulled her hard and whispered: "Be honest with me... I won't let you be a general when I go to the capital."
Go to the capital? It is said that this adult chose a palace maid for the empress dowager. Will Miss Guo be selected? Then what should Xue Qing do? Chanyi thought to himself, and he had not stopped walking past this table and came to the middle.
"..... I said that Master Guo is not a dog-slave."
The sound in my ears said, clear and joyful.
“…I should make a poem about dancing fist.”
With his sleeves raised, Cicada put down the wine and food in his hand. He saw a slender white jade-like hand, with the sleeves white and red folded together, which looked very beautiful.
"This is an honor for my Guo family." Master Guo stood up excitedly.
Chanyi hurriedly retreated to the side, and someone stood up beside her, and the tall figure covered her. She looked up and saw the man in red robe as beautiful as a flower.
"Come on the pen and ink." He said, raising his hand, and then he saw the cicada robe standing next to him, "The little girl stepped back."
Chanyi hurriedly lowered her head and stepped back quickly. The other maids started to leave after serving the dishes. She hurriedly followed and heard the man chanting: "Gongsun Wu's sword moves everywhere..."
The cheers of Mr. Guo Er and Mr. Guo San were heard in the hall. The cicada serks down his head and walked over the threshold. He couldn't hear the rest of the words, and his vision became dim again, but it made people feel relaxed.
She was more than just relaxed, and the girls who walked out immediately squeezed together.
"Hey, have you seen it clearly?"
"It looks very good when I saw it."
"I kept laughing and looked very kind..."
"You can also write poetry..."
Everyone whispered and communicated in a low voice, and the managers next to them were forced to come and drink. An Jing told him not to leave.
"Lord Zong is generous and kind, and he will give rewards to his subordinates." They whispered.
The master was generous, so the servants naturally had to support him. The maids stood in the corridor happily, listening to the jokes in the hall, occasionally leaning their heads and looking inward.
Chanyi stood behind, thinking of hearing the poem just now, remembering it hard, and tell Xue Qing to listen tomorrow... What is Xue Qing doing now? Should she be studying? She looked up and saw that the rain stopped at some point, and a full moon jumped out of the sky.
.........
The banquet did not last long. Perhaps the difference between military generals and literati was the Guo family, and the interesting story of killing enemies in battle. Zong Zhou wrote two poems, lamenting the magnificence of the battlefield frontiers. Both sides tried their best to find fun from their own preferences. It was really tiring.
What's more, both sides knew the purpose of Zong Zhou coming, so Lord Zong waved his hand to end the boring praising conversation.
"Thank you, Mr. Guo, for your hospitality, I will say goodbye." He said.
Everyone in the hall stood up, the women looked a little nervous, and Mrs. Guo even held Guo Baoer tightly.
Zong Zhou did not look at Guo Baoer, and swept the wine and dishes on the table and said, "The food is fresh and the wine is fragrant, and I am willing to do it. Thank you all for your hard work, please see the gift."
These are all the procedures that have been found out. Master Guo immediately thanked him and signaled to the managers.
The stewards immediately brought the maids waiting outside, and a man in a big red robe handed a bag of money to the stewards. The maids serving tea, kitchen, and singing and dancing came forward to kowtow and thanked each other outside the hall. Zong Zhou nodded and stood up, said goodbye again and walked out loudly.
Guo Huaichun took the second and third masters Guo San to see him off. He did not turn around until Zong Zhou's men disappeared into the night.
The servants had already stepped down, and only Mrs. Guo was restless in the main hall. When she saw Guo Huaichun coming in, she hurriedly welcomed her.
"How, did he say he likes who he likes?" she asked anxiously, "Baoer..."
Guo Huaichun shook his head and said, "Don't worry, I won't say it now. According to the news, he will tell the person the day before he leaves."
Mrs. Guo murmured: "I just said it before leaving, it's too late to pretend to be sick."
Guo Huaichun said: "It's just to not give everyone a chance to escape, not to mention now, don't think about pretending to be escaping... Pretending to be ill, can he make you really sick, or even die of illness, and is there anything worse than death? Entering the palace is better than dying."
Mrs. Guo wiped her tears and said, "I can't see you even if you enter the palace, it's like you're dead."
Guo Huaichun spat and said, "Why can't you see me after entering the palace? How many people want to enter the palace?"
Mrs. Guo shook her sleeves and said, "I want to enter the palace to be a noble man, not a palace maid... Your Majesty is only seven years old. When he grows up, there will be no turn for those who are thirteen or fourteen years old."
This is also the reason why the eunuch of Zongzhou was avoided by various major families. It is completely useless to send his daughter to him. If he chose a girl of seven or eight years old, there would be no need for Zongzhou to threaten him, and everyone would have been scrambling for a long time.
Guo Huaichun said: "You don't have to think too much. You may not fall in love with Baoer. You have chosen all the people at home, so there is no omission, right?"
Mrs. Guo wiped her tears and nodded, "I have chosen all of them, and even those who live in the slums are missing."
It is said that Zong Zhou likes to serve girls in food, clothing, housing and transportation. In fact, everyone understands that this is just an excuse. Zong Zhou visited these daughters at the Shuangyuan banquet before, but now he visits each family not only the ladies, which means that as long as they are of the right age, Zong Zhou doesn't mind his background.
That's good. As long as you choose not your own daughter, each family will be willing to flatter you.
Mrs. Guo regretted it a little, "It's a pity that these girls didn't let them read and read, and I don't know if they like it."
Guo Huaichun said, "The eunuch is suspicious and weird. Don't speculate with ordinary people's hearts. Now things can only be left to fate."
That's all. Mrs. Guo left with sorrow. Guo Huaichun stood outside the hall, watching the dim full moon in the sky with a flash of light and dark expression.
"The master is also worried that the lady will be selected. That master sect praises the lady in Shuangyuan for her heroic power." Manager Wu sighed.
Guo Huaichun said: "I can't say it..."
Yes, what does it mean if you can’t say it? Manager Wu looked at Guo Huaichun.
Guo Huaichun looked at the full moon and said, "It's sad to choose, and it's also happy to choose."
So am I happy or sad? It sounds like I want the eldest lady to be selected to enter the palace? Do you still want the eldest lady to go to the palace to fight for a storefront for her family? Manager Wu's expression was a bit complicated. The master wanted to get back to his devilishness.
The master and servant looked at the moon and were ecstatic, while the little girls who did not have to consider their family's livelihood were happy.
Nuannuan watched the cicada come out, and greeted her with envy, saying, "How much does it cost for sister?"
The cicada spread out the palm of his pinched hand, and ten big money under the hazy moonlight.
Nuannuan snatched her face and said, "That adult is so generous. Sister Chanyi, you not only have new clothes to wear, but also have so much money to get."
Chanyi smiled and didn't say anything, she walked out with Nuannuan. After finishing the work here, those who did not belong to the Guo family could leave.
Nuannuan trotted into the house and shouted: "I'll get rich tonight."
Chanyi hurriedly grabbed her and said, "Don't quarrel... Qingzi is studying." She looked inward and saw the boy standing in front of the table under the lamp in the room, pacing with his hands behind his back, thinking something... When she heard the movement, she turned to look over and smiled.
Xue Qing said: "How much reward did Nuannuan get?"
Nuannuan frowned and said, "I have no money." She pointed at Chanyi, "It's Sister Chanyi who got rich."
Xue Qing whispered, saying, "Canyi, have you gone too?"
Chanyi walked in and said no, Nuannuan had already told the story, and Xue Qing, who was confused, understood it, and her expression was a little strange.
"…A girl from eleven to fourteen years old serves..." she said, "This is really..."
Xue’s mother said: “A eunuch, an incomplete person is always weird.”
Well, this is true. There are many eunuchs in history who are all kinds of quirky eunuchs, but the situation of this Lord Zong Zhou is a little different. At this moment, this purpose is combined... it doesn't seem like choosing people, it seems like looking for people.
Girls aged 11 to 14 seem to be casting a wide net. So wouldn’t they rather kill a thousand and not let one go?
Xue Qing stood in front of the table with his hands behind his back, looking at the cicada yi who was joking with Xue’s mother.
Nuannuan looked at her again and said, "Young Master, do you think it's a good luck to Chanyi?"
Xue Qing said with a oh, "That's right, I can't tell."
What's wrong with this? Chanyi smiled with her lips and Nuannuan said boredly: "Young Master, you are stupid in your studies."
Xue Qing smiled and listened carefully to Xue's mother and Nuannuan Chanyi's gossip about the eunuch, and did not read anymore.
After a rain, the sky in Chang'an City became hotter and the city became lazy again. The tension brought by Zong Zhou had disappeared without a trace. No one died suddenly due to illness. The prefect no longer sealed the riverside streets to entertain this noble man. Zong Zhou seemed to have disappeared in this city. Except for the servants from time to time, they were busy purchasing wine and vegetables. They said that they were to entertain Zong Zhou, and everyone remembered that there was such an adult in Chang'an City.
For most people, this kind of adult is too far away, it is just an interesting story used in the busy life, and it is also true for children who read books.
"…. Lord Zong has visited more than a dozen families... Every time a banquet is held, a poem must be heard..." Su Fang said while standing in the school.
Chapter completed!