After saying goodbye to her good junior brother, Chu Shou finally returned home. For fear that someone would disturb her return home, she took two steps at a time, thinking about the temperament of the two family members. It was such a dark day, and they were probably already asleep.
Not wanting to wait for her, he entered the house through the back door.
As soon as he tiptoed open the door, the maids Ah Shui and San Qian rushed up from behind the door. One held an umbrella and carried a lantern, and the other picked up the floor-length cloak on her arm and circled them around.
He didn't say a word, just a smile on his face.
Chu Shou subconsciously hid for a moment, until he saw clearly the two young faces under the yellow light, and their eyebrows relaxed. The shadow of the lamp and the moonlight intersected, and fell on the eyebrows, making them look particularly gentle.
He lifted his cloak with his shoulders, and handed the umbrella in his hand to Ah Shui, who was holding a big umbrella. Sanqian was walking aside with a lantern, minding his own business.
Ah Shui's ancestral home is in the south of the Yangtze River. He can't remember where he came from. There was a flood in Xunzhou that year, and the refugees went north. Chu Shou was waiting for her general grandfather at the intersection when he met a woman holding a child in her arms.
It went around and around in front of her, and finally the woman left and the child stayed.
Chu Shou frowned and pulled the child to continue waiting for her majestic old general riding a tall horse.
I can’t tell when I was little, I just remember Ah Shui wearing her buns in a cute bun, struggling to hold a low stool to sit with the lady. In the winter, her little face was always red from the cold, and she seemed to like the rain very much.
.
Now that she has grown up, she does have some of the unique temperament of Jiangnan women, delicate and soft, with a soft smile.
Sanqian is one year older than Ah Shui. She was met by Chu Shou when he followed the old general from Youbei to Kyoto. At that time, the child was tall and thin, like the long arrow she carried on her back. The arrowhead was hard and pointed.
But it always breaks as soon as it is pushed out.
I heard that she was an orphan in the military camp. Her parents died in the North. I forgot somewhere. It seemed to be further north than the North.
Sanqian always wears a high ponytail, randomly rolled together, and tightly wrapped with red cloth strips, just like a man's hair in the past. He is as thin as a monkey, and he has been pulled by a group of men to grow up.
His personality is like that of a boy, he always purses his lips stubbornly and doesn't like to talk much.
The army returned to Kyoto and stayed outside the city for a few months before returning to the north. While waiting at the gate of the city, several men on the battlefield hesitated for a long time. When Chu Shou and his party were about to enter the capital, they hurriedly pulled Sanqian away.
He went to Chu Shou's carriage and begged to let the child stay in Kyoto.
Chu Shou would never forget that scene for the rest of his life. Almost instantly, tears welled up in his heart, and he suppressed them again, and he opened his mouth and agreed.
They thanked him again and again.
Kneeling down and giving orders to Sanqian, she stared straight at the man with big eyes, big tears hanging on her cheeks.
Chu Shou didn't know what was entrusted to her. She only knew that she would never let them down.
So he got out of the car, carrying a package that almost everyone had collected one by one, and pulled the stubborn girl into the carriage.
She seemed to be more intolerant of separation than they were.
She said: "Don't look."
She said: "You have to stay here and live a stable life here. This is what your parents paid for with their lives, and your uncles and uncles paid for it with their lifetime of fighting on the battlefield."
"How could they be willing to abandon you? It's too late for them to love you."
"My mother is a goddess of the witch clan. They say... they say even a goddess would not live past the age of eighteen. It just so happened that she died when she gave birth to me at the age of eighteen. As for my father, I heard that he misses me very much.
Mother, I have been chanting "The heart of remembering you is like the water of the West River, flowing eastward day and night without rest" all day long. It seems that I am crazy. I don't know that on a certain day of a certain year, a certain month and a certain day, my mother's clothes and crown disappeared without a trace. I know this.
same as you."
"Moreover, my Azu never takes care of others. When I can leave, he doesn't take care of me. I was raised by the Wu tribe, one bite at a time and one at a time. I grew up in the mountains. What about me?
, Tsk, I’m still the same as you!”
"One more thing, it's my first time to come to Kyoto. I heard that all the guys here are fat and we want to be fat too."
"I don't understand your original name. It seems to be from the northern border. I decided that we will change our names together. From now on, I will be called Chu Shou. Longevity Shou, your name is Sanqian, and she will be called Ashui...
It seems that her name was Ah Shui..."
There was also a child in the car, who was sleeping soundly, with sugar cake on the corners of his mouth, and a bun in his hair. His name was Ah Shui.
The child whose name was hastily and quickly changed was nodded ignorantly by Chu Shou, and his hands unconsciously hugged the package tightly.
"Ah Shui has grown a lot taller, and so has San Qian, but he has lost a little weight. He needs to eat more."
Ah Shui smiled softly, with crooked eyebrows, holding a big umbrella and gesticulating excitedly: "In the past five years, the lady has also lost a lot of weight, and is a head taller than Ah Shui!"
"Don't delay things. Miss must be terribly tired after running around for several days. She was seriously ill in Youbei before, and I don't know if she has made up for it..."
"Okay, you, Sanqian, will start to nag you after following the old man for a long time." Chu Shou muttered.
Sanqian smiled sarcastically and sniffed gently.
"Yes, Miss, you have to prepare a prescription for me. I will make a good medicine for you and we will make up for it."
Ah Shui spoke very firmly, like a little warrior.
After entering the door, he turned right and then turned right again. The three people's figures gradually disappeared in the night. The bamboo shadows were vague. Seeing the darkness of the road, Sanqian quickly lit up the night watch lamp. Chu Shou wrapped his cloak tightly, and his body gradually warmed up. He walked along the road.
We walked leisurely along the cobblestone path, enjoying the joy of seeing each other again after a long absence.
The path winds all the way to a courtyard, which is the back door of the courtyard.
There is a piece of green bamboo growing against the wall, and the gray tiles on the wall are wrapped with green vines, which are green and green. Two lanterns hidden among the green leaves sway in the wind, flickering on and off.
When I walked back to the yard, the rain stopped.
The backyard is full of flowers and plants, but at the wrong time, some seasonal flowers bloom here and there.
Opposite the door, there are two round pillars with glass-like covers, as if the pavilion is embedded in the room. Only thick curtains are used as light-blocking partitions. Once the curtains are closed, the entire room's furnishings are gone.
fundus.
When the layout was changed, Chu Shou was talked about by the old man for a month, blowing his beard and shouting: "I don't have the money to build a wall or a door for you? You will freeze to death, you little bastard!"
Ah Shui helped put away the umbrella and propped it up in the corridor in the courtyard. The cornices were raised and the remaining rainwater flowed down the steps drop by drop.
Chu Shou was wrapped in a cloak and stood under the eaves, waiting for them to roll up the curtain. However, rolling up the curtain was a big project, so he simply rolled up his sleeves and helped roll it up.
She thought it was an ingenious idea before, and even the junior minister of the Ministry of Industry praised her. But now it seems that there is no ingenuity, it is just sensationalism, and only trouble.
After finally rolling it up, the warm warm air in the room hit my face, mixed with the smell of some food, snacks and sake, which made people feel more at ease.
"I thought you came back early, but I didn't expect you were taken to the palace again by the empress. The wine was warmed several times."
Ah Shui reached out to check the temperature of the dishes and food, frowned and curled her mouth.
"If someone sincerely refuses to let me into the house, then I am not allowed to be dragged away?"
Chu Shou sat cross-legged, taking advantage of the flickering candlelight, his eyes glanced around the large and small dishes on the table, then took a sip of warm tea and said nonchalantly.
"I don't know whether it was the general's order or the prime minister's order. I was determined not to open the door, and neither of us dared to act rashly."
"Yeah." Chu Shou chewed a mouthful of refreshing cold vegetables and nodded, knowing in his heart that he was forcing her to go without letting her lose her temper. "I know."
"The internal official has been waiting outside the palace for a whole day. He said that he was afraid that he would not be able to come back today, so he just stood and waited, but there is no way to shirk him."
Sanqian took over the conversation, kept packing things in his hands, and said in a rough voice: "Bah! Feel sorry for that idiot? It's bad luck to stand in front of someone else's house. The young lady has been running around for a long time for Tianguan's affairs. How can it be like this?
The reason for forcing someone into the palace is that if you really have something to do, I will have nothing to do with her. When the young lady left the capital, I never saw her guarding her so eagerly."
"Oh, you are so quick to talk, so I don't feel sorry for him... I feel sorry for those two basins of white water you poured on me."
Chu Shou laughed when he heard this. They had not seen each other for several years. The two little girls became more and more eloquent and joked: "You two should go set up a stage and tell stories under the overpass."
After hastily finishing the meal, Chu Shou immediately sat down at the desk. The desk was piled with books. There was a row of writing brushes hanging on the pen stand in front of him, just like chimes arranged neatly during a banquet in the palace. Ah Shui was making the bed inside.
, three thousand stood aside and were busy grinding ink.
Chu Shou often didn't need to sign his letters when he wrote, just because the font shape was strange. It was the young minister from the Ministry of Industry who said, "Ingenious thinking, this is definitely ingenious"...
There is no way, there is no way to change it. She has been so vague and sloppy since she was a child, but it is not completely useless. At least it can prove the opposite side of the argument that "the words are like the person". She is fresh, beautiful, neat, square and square.
A woman who is always polite...
Ingenious, absolutely ingenious.
Chu Shou let the brush wave on the paper and said: "Well, by the way, three thousand, tomorrow you will send someone to buy a few jars of Linzhou's fermented spring red, and buy some food, clothing, housing, transportation, food and clothing.
The things will be sent to Linglong Village in Nanshan, Qingzhou."
"Today I took a road trip to Nanshan to avoid danger. I had an accident on the way and I couldn't go up the mountain myself. With Chu Zhou's temper, he might criticize me behind his back. I must find someone smart and talkative to handle things safely.
.”
"Okay." Sanqian nodded seriously, his angular features looking particularly heroic under the candlelight.
"Oh, there are more..." Chu Shou just started writing and picked it up again, "Because His Majesty has not seen any improvement in the past few days, rumors are spreading in the city. Ah Shui, go and find out tomorrow..."
"Miss, there's no need to ask. People in Kyoto have been in a state of panic recently. All kinds of rumors are like they have wings. They come up again and again. Every day is different."
Chu Shou raised his eyebrows and said with interest, "Oh? Please tell me more specifically."
"Some say that His Majesty is dying and there is no way to save him. Others say that His Majesty has been framed and someone is planning to rebel. There are even rumors that His Majesty indulged in lust and was sucked by the fox demon..."
"Fox demon?"
"Did anyone say who was planning to rebel?"
"It's for everyone, princes, relatives, concubines..."
Chu Shou sighed, it is really fair and comfortable...
"You collect everything and send it to Dali Temple. After tomorrow, I don't want to hear any more rumors."
Chu Shou concentrated on folding the letter in half, then suddenly stopped his movements and said to Sanqian: "Forget it, let's pass the secret to the Metropolitan Procuratorate."
Sanqian was puzzled and asked: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate? Don't we always deliver our books to the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment?"
"His brother has returned to Beijing. It's time for him to meet him."
After turning his eyes three thousand times, he didn't know the mystery and the news about his younger brother, but he quickly digested it and responded seriously: "Yes."
"Miss, why don't you go to bed early? Tomorrow you will have breakfast with the general and the prime minister, and you will have to get up before dawn."
Ah Shui packed up the bed and came to urge Chu Shou to take a quick rest. He blew out a few candles along the way, and the room suddenly became dim.
Chu Shou responded repeatedly, speeding up the movements of his hands, and as soon as he packed up the desk, he asked: "Well, how are my grandfather and uncle doing recently? Are they in good health?"
"The general suddenly suffered from an old illness. He took the lady's medicine according to the prescription and his body improved a lot. He just had little sleep and woke up before dawn every day."
"The Prime Minister has been busy handling official duties these days. Sometimes he discusses with several adults until late at night, and occasionally gets a headache."
"Well, it sounds like it's deserved. The old man is old and sleeps less, and my uncle is tired... It's deserved, it's all deserved."
Nowadays, there is chaos in the court, and there is probably a mountain of matters, big and small, waiting for him to deal with. Before five o'clock, he is preparing to go to court again, and he has no time to argue with other adults. Think about it.
It’s very painful…
"Tomorrow I will buy some soothing spices and herbs, make them into sachets and hang them on the bedside... Although they are not of much use, it is still a good thing in front of the elders."
I just regret that my family is really poor, and my eldest brother is away fighting, and I can count on my fingers how many times he returns home in a year...
Sanqian put away the letter and put it safely in his arms. He showed a sly look and whispered: "I don't think the general needs it. In the past few days, in the name of walking the dog, he went to Chuibian in the southern suburbs outside Wutiao Street to drink tea every day.
.”
After hearing this, Chu Shou smiled and asked, "Why are you walking so far?"
"Looking for a bride for the prime minister."
Chu Shou put on the last book and opened his eyes wide in surprise: "I want to renew my uncle's marriage?"
Sanqian helped put on his coat and continued: "Since the Prime Minister's wife passed away, the general has been thinking about renewing the Prime Minister's marriage. It is probably because the Prime Minister has suffered from a headache recently and there is no caring person around to take care of him.
, now it’s urgent.”
Chu Shou sighed: "My aunt passed away early. My uncle raised my cousin according to my aunt's last wish. He has also been taking care of us and doing his best. It's time to think about it for myself. But...I think my uncle
Not willing to."
"Miss!"
Just as he was talking, Ah Shui was heard hurrying up anxiously, holding the dry green bamboo paper umbrella in his arms.
"Miss, there seems to be something fishy about the handle of the umbrella."
Ah Shui handed the umbrella over, and a bunch of beads that were originally gargling got caught in the hollow handle of the umbrella. It looked like there was a dark layer inside.
Chu Shou started to rotate the umbrella handle, and pulled off the handle with the beads attached to it. When he looked inside, he found that there was indeed a narrow flying page rolled up. When he took it out and looked at it, he wrote four sentences and four words:
"Build a flying tower high, take advantage of the excitement to gaze into the distance, and wear silver rings in your bare hands, so you fell from the high platform."
Chu Shou turned to look at the green bamboo umbrella on the table, which seemed to be coated with a layer of gold sand under the candlelight, and said to himself: "What a good one - a silver ring in a plain hand."
@
""
I punched in and forgot where I punched it (Who is the little official? Although not all the characters have been released yet...)