Naturally, the Shi family wants to make friends with the Zhao family.
However, the Shi family is also self-aware. Now that the Zhao family is gaining favor, they are the target of various families in the capital competing to make friends. As for the Shi family, the situation is a bit embarrassing.
If the status of both parties is unequal, communication will be difficult to maintain.
Even Shi Zhengmao took the initiative to bring Shi Zheng and his son to the door to explain that he just wanted to show his face in front of Governor Zhao. After he took office as Minister of War and had the opportunity to be promoted, he would not deliberately leave him out.
Everyone in the Shifu never thought that the two houses could continue to have contact.
Who would have thought that only one day later, Young Master Zhao would come to the door on his own initiative.
This made the people of Shifu somewhat overjoyed.
Although adults are not visiting, the interactions between children can also build a relationship between the two houses.
Young Master Zhao was a junior, and it was difficult for the adults to come forward, so they had to ask Uncle Shi and his two younger brothers to come forward to entertain him.
Uncle Shi had changed his clothes and was just about to go to the front hall to pick up the guests when he saw Mrs. Shi coming to his yard: "Mother, what's the matter?"
Mrs. Shi signaled Mr. Shi as she walked away and said, "Young Master Zhao is here probably because of your fifth and ninth brothers. You have to be aware of this."
Uncle Shi smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, mother, I know this."
Mrs. Shi was silent for a moment: "What mother means is that the protagonists this time are your fifth and ninth brothers. What you have to do later is to sit and chat with you. You must not steal your fifth and ninth brothers.
The limelight."
"Not only that, Young Master Zhao comes from a distinguished family and has a certain temper. Your fifth and ninth brothers grew up in the border areas, so there must be a lot of things they don't know about how to deal with people. You need to be more careful and don't cause any unpleasantness.
"
Uncle Shi's expression was slightly dull, but he quickly recovered: "Mother, my son understands."
Mrs. Shi sighed: "Our family...has not had any distinguished guests for a long time. You have to remember that your fifth and ninth brothers are members of the Shi family. If you are friends with them, you are friends with the Shi family."
Well, only when the Shi family is well will we be well."
Uncle Shi nodded silently.
The mother and son kept walking and talking about the hanging flower gate, when the eldest lady stopped.
...
Uncle Shi did not go directly to the front hall, but first went to the Jidi Hall to call up Shi Dingxuan and Shi Dinghao, who were still in class.
"What, Zhao Shenghao is here? What is he here for?"
Looking at Shi Dinghao, who was not very welcoming, Uncle Shi was a little silent: "The visitor is a guest. Since the guest is here, we should entertain him well."
Shi Dinghao reluctantly nodded: "That's okay."
Uncle Shi: "..." This younger brother is very difficult to take care of, but fortunately Wulang is good. Who would have thought that when he turned around, he saw Shi Dingxuan's mouth was full of words.
"Goro, what are you talking about?"
Shi Dingxuan's silent recitation was interrupted: "I am reciting Sun Tzu's Art of War."
Uncle Shi: "..." Really hard work.
Shi Dingxuan noticed that Uncle Shi's expression was wrong, and immediately said: "Brother, it should be fine for Mr. Zhao to come over. Just let Jiulang receive him alone. There is no need for the two of us to go there and waste time."
What?!
waste time?
Wulang calls receiving guests a waste of time?
Uncle Shi took a deep breath: "Wu Lang, your idea is wrong. Young Master Zhao comes to your door. As the host, we cannot be rude."
Shi Dingxuan: "Brother, I know this, but we and Young Master Zhao are not of the same age, so we can't agree to go together."
Uncle Shi: "...it's good to show your face."
Shi Dingxuan didn't argue: "Okay, brother, let's go faster."
His accumulation of knowledge is too thin. The more he studies, the more he realizes his shortcomings. If he wants to take the martial arts examination next year and get a ranking, he must seize the time to study.
Uncle Shi was a little tired, so he didn't say anything more and quickly went to the front hall with his two younger brothers.
On the way, Uncle Shi felt deeply that his two younger brothers were unreliable, and he kept thinking about what he would say after meeting Young Master Zhao so that he would not be left in the cold.
But when he got to the front hall, he realized that he had thought too much.
In addition to greeting him and Shi Dingxuan when they met, Young Master Zhao only talked to Shi Dinghao throughout the whole process, treating them as nothing.
"Brother Shi, Brother Shi Wu, Jiulang is with me, you can go about your business."
Young Master Zhao considerately told Uncle Shi and Shi Dingxuan that they did not need to greet him, and then pulled Shi Dinghao: "I have taken you to visit my yard, you can also take me to see everywhere."
Shi Dinghao's eyes widened as he was pulled away: "I mean, I'm not that familiar with you, right?"
Young Master Zhao glared: "You didn't say that, we don't know each other without fighting, are we already friends? I also gave you three pots of my grandmother's top quality winter chrysanthemums, do you want to admit it?"
Shi Dinghao choked: "No, I was just joking with you."
Seeing the two of them walking away, Shi Dingxuan looked at Uncle Shi and said, "Brother, let me just say we don't need to come." Young Master Zhao looked like he couldn't sit still, so there was no need for them to accompany him.
.
Uncle Shi paused: "Are Ninth Brother and Young Master Zhao already so familiar?"
Shi Dingxuan was silent for a moment: "Maybe... they have the same odor."
Uncle Shi: "..."
Young Master Zhao played at Shi's house until noon and left without staying for lunch.
As soon as the people left, Shi Dinghao was called to Yixiang Hall.
When Shi Dinghao came to Yixiang Hall, he saw that all the adults were there. Even Shi Fuxin and others came after class. His face was speechless. Such a big battle made Zhao Shenghao look like a big shot.
"Jiulang, it's lunch time soon, why don't you invite Mr. Zhao to have dinner at our house?" Mrs. Shi asked Shi Dinghao with a smile.
Shi Dinghao: "I said so, but Zhao Shenghao said no."
Mrs. Shiwu smiled and interjected: "That's Mr. Zhao's modesty. Next time Jiulang can invite you two more times, Mr. Zhao will definitely agree to stay for dinner."
Shi Dinghao didn't agree very much. Why did he invite three times and four times when others rejected him? This was very annoying.
Mrs. Shi glanced at her grandson and said directly: "Jiulang, Mr. Zhao is your friend. It's up to you to decide how to get along with him." As she said that, she lowered her eyes, covering up the worry and anxiety in her eyes.
.
It seems that the current attitude towards the Shi family is not clear!
The interaction between children, you come to my house and I go to yours, does not mean anything, but if they stay for dinner, the meaning will be different.
This at least means that the adults in the family do not object to their children being close to the Shi family, and it can somewhat show that the Zhao family is willing to make good friends with the Shi family.
But Young Master Zhao did not stay to eat.
Young Master Zhao's personality is similar to Jiulang's, he is straightforward and upright, and if he doesn't stay, it's probably because of his family's instructions.
Why?
The Zhao family is worried about the attitude of their superiors towards the Shifu.
Governor Zhao is deeply favored by the Holy Spirit, and he is so cautious, which shows that the emperor's attitude towards the Shi family is not much better than that of the late emperor.
However, the emperor had clearly appointed Zhengkun to the Hanlin Academy before. Didn't this mean he wanted to revive the Shi family?
As for the Cai family, the second son's family has been back for a few months. The Cai family has definitely received the news, but they haven't expressed anything at all...
Mr. Cai Xiaohou is the only child of the Cai family. When his savior comes to Beijing, no matter what, he should come to see him.
Could it be that the Cai family also saw the emperor's attitude towards the Shi family, so they didn't want to get involved with the Shi family?
No one noticed Mrs. Shi's worries. Mrs. Shi was still asking: "Jiulang, why did Young Master Zhao come to you?"
Shi Dinghao: "He came to me to exchange for jade cabbage." As he said that, he took out a string of red coral beads and handed it to Shi Fuxin with a smile. "That guy Zhao Shenghao was quite generous. He gave me an ivory boat.
My sister has a string of coral beads."
Looking at the bright red and translucent coral beads, Mrs. Shi and others' eyes flashed.
Ivory boats and coral beads are so precious!
Shi Fuxin played with the coral string in her hand with a smile. Only she knew in her heart that the reason why the Zhao family gave up such a valuable thing in exchange was because the ointment she gave worked.
Not long ago, Shi Dinghao went to Qihuaxuan to find Shi Fuxin and asked her for two bottles of ointment.
Today, Young Master Zhao apparently came to exchange for the jade cabbage, but in fact his real purpose was to come to Shi Dinghao for ointment.
The ointment was prepared using recipes from her previous life, and its effect was several levels higher than the current medical prescriptions.
People like Mr. Zhao who practice martial arts regularly are the ones who can most appreciate the benefits of the ointment.
An ivory boat and a string of coral beads were exchanged for two bottles of ointment that could quickly heal muscle injuries. The Zhao family did not lose money.
Mrs. Shi smiled and said: "Young Master Zhao is so generous. Jiulang will have to get along well with him in the future."
Shi Dinghao nodded. He also felt that Zhao Shenghao was pretty good and he could get along with him, but he did not forget to complain about him: "That guy Zhao Shenghao actually has no knowledge. He is extremely excited when he goes hunting in the winter, and he also looks proud.
He looks complacent, I look at him, I haven't seen much of the world."
As soon as these words came out, the room suddenly became quiet.
Mrs. Shi thought of something and twitched the corner of her mouth: "Young Master Zhao is talking about winter hunting, right?"
Shi Dinghao nodded: "Yes, it's the winter hunting held during the Laba Festival." He said with a sneer, "When I was at the border, I ran in the mountains every day, and the prey I hunted was like a mountain push.
He also wanted to show off in front of me, so I just gave him a big eye roll."
"What kind of hunting is this in the winter? Why don't you just stay at home?"
The room became completely quiet, and everyone in the Shi family looked at Shi Dinghao silently.
Shi Dinghao realized something was wrong belatedly: "What, did I say something wrong?"
Mrs. Shi looked at her grandson with a helpless smile: "What Mr. Zhao told you should be the royal winter hunt, which was held in the royal paddock on the outskirts of Beijing."
Shi Dinghao felt inexplicable: "Why don't you go hunting? It's not like I haven't hunted before."
Well......
No one knew what to say.
Is it the same if I go hunting in the mountains by myself or go hunting with the emperor?
Seeing everyone's speechless expressions, Shi Dinghao finally came to his senses: "Is it possible that the emperor will also go hunting in the royal paddock?"
Finally figured it out!
Everyone secretly complained in their hearts.
Shi Dinghao's reflex arc was indeed a bit long. After a moment of silence, he suddenly hissed: "The hunting ground where the emperor is going must be very lively, right?"
Shi Dingxu couldn't help it anymore and trotted over to sit next to Shi Dinghao and told him: "Of course, the most lively event in the capital in winter is the winter hunting during the Laba Festival."
Shi Dinghao: "How lively is it?"
Shi Dingxu: "The emperor is going, the princes are going too, the emperor's relatives and civil and military officials are going, as well as the imperial guards, the imperial guards, the fierce generals from the Gyeonggi camp, and countless experts have gathered together to hunt, you
Is it hot or lively?”
"If you win the first place in hunting, you will receive a personal commendation from the emperor."
Shi Dinghao's eyes lit up: "With so many people, it must be fun." As he said that, he looked at Mrs. Shi and others, "Then our family will go too?"
As soon as these words came out, Mrs. Shi and others looked a little embarrassed.
The Royal Winter Hunt is a grand event for the high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the capital. However, Shifu has been excluded from the circle of nobles for many years, and there are no officials in important positions in his family, so he is not qualified to participate in the winter hunt.
Mrs. Shi barely maintained the smile on her face, directly ignored the topic, and said to the maid: "Everyone is hungry, please pass the food quickly."
Shi Dinghao wanted to ask about Dong Xun, but Shi Fuxin stopped him, and the two of them started to bite each other's ears.
"Don't ask, the Shi family can't go to the winter hunting." Shi Fuxin could see the embarrassment on Mrs. Shi's face at a glance.
Shi Dinghao stared: "Why, isn't the Shi family the uncle's house? The uncle's house is not even qualified to participate in hunting?"
Shi Fuxin sighed in her heart, yes, she didn't expect that the uncle's mansion would decline to this point.
"Jiulang, aren't there classes tomorrow? Let's go find Zhao Shenghao and ask him if he can help us get a pass or something, so that we can go experience the so-called Royal Winter Hunt."
Shi Dinghao nodded: "Okay."
Mrs. Shi glanced at her two grandchildren who were whispering to each other in low voices, with a bit of expectation in her eyes.
The predicament facing the Tokifu may really need to be solved by the second son and his family.
Wulang has outstanding martial arts skills. Even if his strategy is not good in next year's martial arts competition, it will not be difficult to get a ranking based on his martial arts.
The most important thing is that Wu Lang is only sixteen years old. At the age of sixteen, he can tie with the extremely powerful Master Zhao. He will definitely shine in the capital.
As for Jiulang, he is very sincere and is very rare. I am afraid that he will have to rely on him to maintain the relationship with the Zhao family.
Mrs. Shi didn't have much expectations for her two granddaughters, Shi Fuxin and Shi Funin. Sister Xin was somewhat clever, but no matter how smart the girl was, she couldn't really do much.
Just like her eldest granddaughter, she tried her best to train her and help her get admitted to the National Women's Prison, but in the end she just found a husband who was barely good enough.
That night, Shi Zhengmao returned to the uncle's house with a bad expression.
When Mrs. Shi saw it, she quickly asked: "Master, what's going on?"
Shi Zhengmao showed a wry smile: "I thought that after going through the Zhao family gate, I would have a smoother career in the Ministry of War, but I didn't expect that good things would happen, but it wouldn't be my turn."
Mrs. Shi frowned: "What happened?"
Shi Zhengmao sighed: "For the winter hunt during the Laba Festival, the Ministry of War also wanted people. Even people with lower qualifications than me were selected, but there was no place for me."
Mrs. Shi was silent: "After all, Governor Zhao has not taken over the Ministry of War yet. It should be fine next year...next year."
Shi Zhengmao raised his head and sighed, with uncertainty on his face: "Who knows."