The old woman has gray hair and wrinkles on her face, but her complexion is delicate, her cheekbones are rosy, and her eyes are sparkling.
"Little aunt," Gu Shouqian hurriedly stepped forward to salute, then pointed at Han Xiying and Zheng Haizhu and said, "This is the third lady of the Han family, and this is Ximeng's maid. The Han family is here to give a thank you gift to General Ma today."
This energetic old woman was the concubine of Gu Mingshi, Gu Shouqian's grandfather, Miao.
After Gu Mingshi won the Jinshi title, he served as Shang Baocheng in the capital. When he returned to Songjiang, there was a woman with elegant manners and good charm beside him, namely Miao.
Miao worked in the palace for ten years. At the age of twenty-four or five, she was considered a senior palace servant. She was about to reach the rank of female official in the inner court in the Sixth Bureau and the First Division, but she seemed to have no intention of promotion. In the end,
The queen, who liked her very much, took the initiative and appointed Gu Mingshi as a concubine, which was considered to be a peaceful home for her to return to the common people and support her husband and raise children.
Because of this background, although Mrs. Miao is not the principal wife and has only given birth to one daughter over the years, she is highly respected in the Gu family.
After the death of Gu Mingshi's first wife, Mrs. Miao took charge of the Gu family for more than ten years. Only a few years ago, she handed over the power of the inner house to her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Liu, who is Gu Shouqian's aunt.
The first time Zheng Haizhu met Miao was at this year's Dragon Boat Festival.
That day, after Han Ximeng who fell into the water due to crowding was rescued, Zheng Haizhu was about to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Han Ximeng based on the remaining memories of modern people. However, a group of celebrities around her scolded her for not being able to untie the knot of her eldest daughter in the market.
skirt.
Before Zheng Haizhu could get angry, Mrs. Miao, who was bringing her family members to see the boat, was helped by her maids. She calmly said to the people around her: "In urgent matters, you all should shut up and listen to this loyal man."
Otherwise, Miss Han’s treatment will be delayed. I will go to your husband and file a complaint one by one!"
Therefore, Zheng Haizhu has a good impression of the old lady of the Gu family.
Not expecting to meet him in the academy today, she was busy, surprised and happy as she stepped forward to give him a blessing.
Mrs. Miao said to Zheng Haizhu: "I know you kid. You saved Ximeng from the water on the Dragon Boat Festival. This time, you have made a great contribution to the court. The whole Songjiang River knows you."
Then he looked at Han Xiying again, sizing her up meaningfully.
Han Xiying had a sweet look on her face and blessed her obediently. With a jujube core in her mouth that she couldn't swallow, she said in a soft and greasy voice: "Auntie is well."
Mrs. Miao said pleasantly: "Oh, it turns out that you are the little girl from the third room of the Han family. No wonder you look a bit like Ximeng, and you are quite upright."
"Qi Zheng" means "beautiful" in Wu language.
Han Xiying smiled even wider: "Thank you, Mom, for the compliment."
Mrs. Miao nodded: "The weather is getting cooler. It's time for you to go out for a walk. Don't talk about you little girls. Even an old woman like me will suffer from being bored at home. Yesterday I heard Shou Qian come back and say that General Ma
Leading the troops to live in my academy, I came to see our Ming Dynasty's majestic men and horses. Look, how often has Jiangnan seen such beautiful horses?"
Hearing this, Zheng Haizhu quickly glanced at the basket in the hands of the maid next to Miao, saw clearly the brushes and paint jars inside, and asked respectfully: "Do you want to paint those horses, madam?"
"Exactly. When I was in the capital when I was young, I had the honor to follow the Holy Master and watch the fifth military camp practice. Those war horses were majestic and majestic, like celestial horses. When I returned to the palace that day, the queen ordered us to embroider a picture of the martial arts performance in the capital."
Speaking of this, Mrs. Miao's eyes fell on Gu Shouqian's face, showing even more affection.
"Ah Qian, you are going to marry Miss Han next spring. I would like to give you a picture of a divine horse as a gift. My eyes are a little sluggish when it comes to needlework, but it is not in the way of writing. I will draw it first.
, and let the masters from the younger generation embroider it for you and Ximeng, I hope you can see it."
Gu Shouqian scratched his head and grinned: "My grandson likes it, he likes it very much!"
Zheng Haizhu also hurriedly followed up: "My maid would like to thank my eldest lady, Madam."
Miao said sincerely and stared at Gu Shouqian: "A scholar from the south of the Yangtze River would be weak if he only knew poems, books and articles. He couldn't just play with rocks and listen to music. Ah Qian, weren't you just reviewing swords and guns with the soldiers? Then
Just stop gossiping with us women."
After Gu Shouqian was dragged over by his future sister-in-law, he felt impatient and wanted to leave for a long time, so he smiled and said, "I'm coming over, little aunt", and returned to the Sichuan soldiers in the corridor with relief, and discussed the war with them again.
.
Mrs. Miao looked at her grandson with loving eyes for a while, then turned her head and scolded Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, you are here to do some courtesy for the Han family. What does it look like to let Lao Peng chat with General Ma alone? You also
Go about your business."
"Madam's lesson is right, but it's probably inappropriate for Third Miss to be here alone..."
"It's okay," Mrs. Miao turned to Han Xiying, her eyes full of the expectation of an old man, "Third girl, how about you follow my mother to see the horses? While my mother is painting the horses, you can help me grind the powder and start painting.
.When your servants finish their work, they will call you."
Han Xiying felt a lump in her throat.
This old lady from the Gu family is so annoying!
When she went to the Jiaoyuan Poetry Club where ladies often gathered at noon today, she met Gu Caiying, the youngest daughter of the third-bedroom master of the Gu family. She was secretly happy when she heard that Gu Caiying said that her second brother Gu Shouqian was at the Wen and Zhe Academy, so she turned back to her cloth workshop.
She pestered Lao Peng and Zheng Haizhu to bring her over.
Since the beginning of her love affair, Han Xiying has secretly admired the elegant and elegant second son of the Gu family. After learning about the engagement between her eldest sister and the second son of Gu, she hid in her bed and cried for three or four nights.
This time, I finally pride myself on being brave and clever, and I seize the opportunity to be so close to Brother Gu and have a heart-to-heart talk with Brother Gu, who has always been accomplished in Kunqu Opera.
Just now, Brother Gu also softly praised himself for his ability to write lyrics. The look in his eyes clearly showed that there was no shyness or dodge at all. The more he talked with him, the happier he would become.
Unexpectedly, just as he was entering Zhilanya's room, the old concubine of the Gu family came in and caused trouble. Brother Gu disappeared in the blink of an eye. He wanted to see some horses with the old lady.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! What's so good about horses? What's so stinky?
It's like falling from the orchid room into the baosi.
Zheng Haizhu looked at Han Xiying's awkward and sympathetic expression, and guessed that her heart must have been "ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong," and she felt refreshed.
Older gingers are more spicy.
Mrs. Miao in Gu Mansion is a bit interesting.
While she was thinking, she walked towards Ma Xianglin's place with the reed cloth in her arms.
…
Ma Xianglin was leading a few tooth soldiers to hand over the distribution of cloth to Lao Peng.
He was not wearing the Feiyu uniform today, only a short green cloth robe with narrow sleeves. His majesty was much weaker, but at a glance, he still had a capable and strong aura.
Ma Xianglin has always paid attention to Zheng Haizhu's figure since people from the Han government came in to transport things.
Finally, the old man from the Gu family who came to paint the horse greeted the young daughter of the Han family and left, and Miss Zheng turned over.
Ma Xianglin hurriedly picked up a bundle of cloth and went to greet him.
"Miss Zheng, I have been lying in wait in the bandit village in Suzhou Prefecture for more than half a year. I have long heard the water bandits say that I can't buy all the Songjiang cloth and I can't collect all the Weitang gauze. Today I saw the Songjiang cloth in your house. As expected, although it is cotton
It is made of soft, glutinous and supple material, and is not much inferior to the Hu silk and Hangzhou brocade that Qiu Wanliang loves to snatch."
Zheng Haizhu smiled and thought to himself, Qin Liangyu, the son of a heroic general, has many adjectives, he is both civil and military.
Then he twisted the reed cloth in his hand and said: "General Ma, this kind of Yexie reed cloth is not to be considered thin and light. It is very comfortable to wear as lining. It can indeed be compared with silk. The nobles in the capital like it very much. It is said that in the palace, the little prince
The diapers for the little princesses are only made of our Songjiang Yexie cloth."
"Oh, so, I wonder if this thick rhombus cloth can be used to make cotton armor for the sergeants?" Ma Xianglin asked Zheng Haizhu with great interest and enthusiasm.
This sentence really cheered up Zheng Haizhu.
Just like when entrepreneurs face knowledgeable angel investors, they are waiting for questions like this.
Zheng Haizhu looked cautious: "General Ma, the cotton armor you are talking about is the kind you and your followers wore when fighting in the bandit camp that day?"
"Exactly."
"That's a pity. The beauty of Songjiang cloth lies in its dyeing and weaving. The cotton armor that the general mentioned should be made from a large amount of unspun cotton and ordinary coarse cloth, sewn into a coat, soaked in water, and dried repeatedly.
, can it be made as hard as a thin plate and resist the sharp edges of swords and guns, right?"
Ma Xianglin was quite surprised.
I didn't expect that she, a young woman, understood the principles of armor.
After thinking about it again, I couldn't help but feel that I was narrow-minded. How could a woman not understand this? The two porcelain thunders that prevented Qiu Wanliang from escaping and saved his life were also carried by Miss Zheng and thrown decisively.
What's more, isn't his mother, Qin Liangyu, who leads the Shidao White Lancers in battles and is invincible, also a woman?
"Miss Zheng is right, then these rhombus cloths should be used to make robes for the sergeants."
But Zheng Haizhu shook his head again and said: "It's not like this material can't be used to make armor. Cotton armor is not good, but has the general ever heard of 'dark armor'?"
Ma Xianglin answered honestly: "I have never heard of it. We Sichuan Army sergeants wear paper armor, cotton armor, and iron armor. My father and mother wear bronze armor. What is the dark armor that the girl is talking about?"
Zheng Haizhu tried to be concise and concise: "Dark armor takes the advantages of cotton armor and iron armor, fixing the iron pieces inside the cloth jacket with rivets. Dark armor has three advantages. First, cotton wool can be stuffed between the iron pieces and the cloth layer to keep warm;
The iron pieces are stuffed in cotton wool and cloth and are not easy to rust. Soldiers do not need to dismantle the strings and polish them frequently, saving manpower. Thirdly, if rivets replace ropes, the fish scale armor can be turned into large pieces of flat armor, which not only saves money but also saves money.
The key to the consumption of iron is better mobility, so soldiers are less likely to lose their strength in close combat."
Ma Xianglin opened his mouth slightly and said in a daze: "Miss Zheng, how do you know so much? Is it like making porcelain thunder from your brother's collection of books?"
"No, this time, I didn't read it from the book, but heard it from the Mao Wenlong Mao garrison. Does General Ma know about the Korean War? Li Rusong, the eldest son of Li Chengliang, the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Army in the Ming Dynasty, defeated the Japanese invaders in Pyongyang.
In the army, the soldiers under my command wore dark armor."
Ma Xianglin's eyes were filled with light.
Then, the pair of eyes briefly lost focus, indicating that the owner of the eyes seemed to be deep in thought.
With his brave nature and acquired military qualities, he could imagine the Ming army wearing battle armor and bathing in blood on the walls of Pyongyang without too much effort.
The land of Sichuan and Sichuan, which is located on the southwest border and is inhabited by native people, is actually the same as the northern part of the empire, and there are often disasters of war. Heroes cherish heroes, from their parents to several uncles, Ma Xianglin's elders who are good at fighting, for
Several figures who can fight in Liaodong are also often mentioned.
After silence, Ma Xianglin showed a complicated expression and sighed softly: "Reading hundreds of military books is not as good as experiencing hundreds of battles. My mother and I used to fight chaos in the southwest. When I come back to suppress bandits in the southeast, it is not a big battle."
War. The climate in these places is warm and not as cold as in Liaodong. Therefore, I have never thought about dark cloth armor."
Zheng Haizhu said without any embarrassment: "Then please ask the general to mention it to the Ministry of War when he returns to Beijing this time. Not only Li Rusong, but also Qi Shaobao used this kind of dark armor when he attacked Mongolia. Mongolia is also a bitterly cold place.
.By the way, this year I heard that the Jurchen chief of Jianzhou called himself the Great Khan. I am afraid that from now on, the northeastern border of our Ming Dynasty will be even more unstable. If the Ministry of War wants to make dark armor, use our Songjiang cotton."
Ma Xianglin knew that the woman in front of him was not a pretentious girl who could take a long time to speak, but he was not prepared for her to be so direct in her business.
For a brief moment, Ma Xianglin felt slightly lost.
The sassy beauty who met by chance and fell in love with her suddenly seemed to have transformed into one of those female shopkeepers who diligently recommends good wines in her shop.
Zheng Haizhu sensitively caught the change in his eyes and hurriedly apologized: "I am speechless and disrespectful. How can I arbitrarily discuss state affairs and say anything unfair and unfavorable?"
The corner of Ma Xianglin's mouth twitched slightly: "That's okay, everyone in the world can discuss the world's affairs."
While comforting the people in front of him, he reflected on himself in his heart.
Thinking about it from another angle, what Miss Zheng said was clearly "our Songjiang cotton", not "our Han family's cotton". Perhaps she was proud of the beauty of the local cotton, and she was particularly fond of the uniforms of the border officers.
What about concern?
Taking a step back, even if she hopes that the Han government can buy and sell military uniforms, it is still the duty of a loyal servant.
As a general, it would be very satisfying if all the soldiers under his command were so aggressive and alert.
General Ma's mind was spinning in circles, but he still decided that Miss Zheng was getting cuter and cuter as he looked at her.
Then he raised his eyebrows and said cheerfully: "Okay, I will be Songjiang's cotton cloth and go to the Ministry of War to be a lobbyist. Furthermore, the situation in Liaodong is changing rapidly. If one day the imperial court sends our Sichuan soldiers out to resist the slaves, I will also
I will suggest to my mother that we use Songjiang cotton to sew cloth armor. What do you think?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled and pushed further: "There are also gentle ladies from Shu who are used to wearing Shu brocade Qingluo. They can also try our Songjiang cotton."
"Well, okay, I'm not kidding you. The light red and lake blue materials that your house gave to my mother are exactly the colors that women from Shidong to Chongqing like, like the first bloom of a hibiscus, like the first rise of a spring river.