It was snowing and sunny, and the sun was exceptionally warm. Zhang Yuan hired a carriage at the gate of the West Gate of Dongsi Archway, and took a ride with Mu Zhenzhen to Uncle Baosheng's mansion by the Paozi River. Zhang Dai had just gotten up, wearing Uncle Baosheng's clothes.
Wearing a scarlet cloak, she was watching the snow in front of the court. Su Zhi, a maid standing beside her wearing a white fur, was smiling. The old plum tree in the court could no longer tell whether it was a red plum or a white plum. The branches were covered with snow, and there were countless long and short plum trees.
The ice strips hang down like the branches of a jade tree——
After waiting in Uncle Baosheng's house for about half an hour, more than ten people from Zhejiang Province including Qi Biaojia, Huang Zunsu, Wang Binglin and others arrived. Yesterday, Zhang Dai sent someone to the Huitong Hall to inform them that they would go together to see his master Qian Qianyi today.
Qian Qianyi's residence is near Lu Gong's Temple, about a mile away from Zhang Lianfang's residence. At the end of the day, Zhang Lianfang led everyone through the snow to Qian's residence. Unexpectedly, only an old couple remained in the huge house.
When the guard asked, he learned that Qian Qianyi's father had died of illness. The obituary came that Qian Qianyi had gone to the Hanlin Academy to apply for dismissal. He had left Beijing and returned to Changshu yesterday with his wife, concubines, and servants -
Everyone was disappointed that they could not meet Teacher Qian when they came to Beijing this time. Teacher Qian would not be able to resume his post until Ding You returned home twenty-seven months later. It was also a big loss to have a teacher in Beijing to give guidance and support.
loss.
Both sides of the Paozi River are covered with snow, ancient locust trees and tall willows, chilly and desolate, scattered gardens, and rugged lake shores, just like the paintings of Ni Yunlin of the Yuan Dynasty. Zhang Lianfang pointed to the east of the Paozi River and said: "That's the Lu Gong Temple, also known as the Yong'an Palace, where sacrifices are made.
Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, is extremely effective in begging for dreams. Every year before spring, scholars rush to beg for dreams."
Zhang Dai said: "Then let's also pray to Lu Xian for a good dream."
All the disciples walked through the snow and came to Lu Gong's temple. There are three couplets in the temple. There is a statue of Lu Dongbin in the main hall, with a majestic expression, as if he has come out of the world. The winter clothes of the worshipers are bloated, and Lu Xian only has a fluttering Taoist robe. The contrast between immortals and mortals is sharp. Zhang Dai
He also wrote a paraphrase on the spot praying for dreams, saying: "Love comes from the spectrum of chaos. The heaven and the earth are different; in the country of Huaxu, spring and Autumn will be seen early. Dreaming of two couplets, dreaming of red horses, there are many people; dreaming of banana deer, dreaming
Xuan Mian, an idiot dares to say..."
After writing it, he read it aloud and burned it in front of the statue of Lu Gong. Amidst the smoke, Ni Yuanlu smiled and said: "My eldest son, go to bed early tonight. Lu Xian will tell you the questions for the first seven arts exam in a dream. Haha."
Wang Binglin said with a smile: "Even if Lu Xian wants to leak the test questions, he will not say it directly. He will make some obscure prophecies. By the time the eldest son guesses the answer, it will be the ninth day of February next year."
Everyone laughed.
Zhang Lianfang was very hospitable, and these Zhejiang disciples were all fellow countrymen, so they all had dinner at his house at noon. During the banquet, Zhang Yuan told Qi Biaojia that he would invite Jinglan, and the Jinghui sisters came out to play on the ice bed. Qi Biaojia said happily: "
Then go and ask them to come out now."
Zhang Yuan said: "There is thick snow on the Paozi River, and it is impossible to drag the ice bed."
Qi Biaojia came to visit Shang Zhouzuo with her father the day before yesterday. Although she had agreed to get married, she did not see Shang Jinglan. She was very worried about her and her jealousy could not be suppressed. She was extremely envious of Zhang Yuan for being able to meet Shang Danran frequently before their marriage.
He decisively followed the example of the club leader and said: "I can't drag the ice bed, so it would be nice to come out and enjoy the snow scenery."
Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, we'll go there later."
After lunch, everyone from the John Society of Zhang Yuan will visit Dalongfu Temple tomorrow afternoon. First, they will have a look at the lecture venue. The day after, they will start the first lecture of John Society in Beijing. Zhang Lianfang heard that Zhang Yuan wants to borrow the hall of Dalongfu Temple.
Yu gave lectures and said with a smile: "There is an old monk in Dalongfu Temple, who is the uncle of Abbot Xufan. His name is Monk Jinsu. It is said that he is an enlightened monk. Don't run into this old monk when you go -"
Zhang Yuan and Zhang Dai asked in unison: "Why is this?"
Zhang Lianfang said: "The old monk is holding a wooden stick. He beats people when he sees them, which is called beating with a stick. The severe blows can cause head injuries and bleeding."
Zhang Dai said with a smile: "The old monk's name is Jinsu. He seems to be greedy for money. He will definitely not beat you if you give him money. I have a silver ingot tattooed on my head, so why should I be afraid of being beaten?"
Zhang Lianfang held back his laughter and warned: "You must not tell such jokes in Dalongfu Temple. Monk Jinsu is very prestigious in the Dongcheng area. The common people respect the old monk as an eminent monk. Many people would rather be beaten by the old monk."
Great, it’s said to ward off disasters and pray for blessings.”
Zhou Monong touched his forehead and said: "I waited for my colleagues in the Han Society to line up and give the old monk a drink. Then each of them had a big swelling on their forehead. They looked happy and said to people when they went out that they were beaten by the old monk. Now they will be in high school.
Already."
Zhang Yuan and Qi Biaojia went out to get in the car, and heard endless laughter in the front hall. It seemed that the club was going to grow.
When they arrived at the south gate of the East Fourth Archway, Zhang Yuan hired two more large carriages for sisters Jinglan and Jinghui to take. They returned to the courtyard of his brother-in-law Shang Zhouzuo. The old disciple said that before noon, a young man named Gao took Zhang Yuan there.
The two large gift boxes placed in the foyer were taken away, and a gift box was also delivered——
Zhang Yuan knew that the young eunuch Gao Qiqian had come over. Looking at the gift box, it contained four bottles of royal wine, a box of fragrant tea, a roll of sheep brain paper, and two ingots of Qingqiuzi ink. These were all made by the inner treasury of the palace.
A fine product, much more valuable than the earthen rituals Zhang Yuan gave to Eunuch Zhong.
Laifu came over and saluted Zhang Yuan, saying that Wang Dachui stayed on the ship and asked him to come over and kowtow to Mr. Shang.
Zhang Yuan said to Laifu, "When my brother-in-law comes back, I will take you to see him." He and Qi Biaojia went to Erdaomen to invite Jinglan. The Jinghui sisters went to Paozi River to play. Shang Jinglan heard that Qi Biaojia had also arrived.
She was shy and refused to come out, so she was dragged out by Xiao Jinghui. Mrs. Fu told her to come back early and called an old servant, two maids and two maids to accompany her. They came in four carriages with Zhang Yuan and Qi Biaojia.
To Paozi River.
The afternoon sun was shining slantingly, the snow was crystal clear, and there were two ice beds sliding on the long and narrow lake. Zhang Yuan said happily: "I didn't see the ice bed before, but now I came out."
Mu Zhenzhen said: "There is no one on the ice bed. The uncle who dragged the ice bed wants to flatten the snow."
Xiao Jinghui said happily: "No one is the best, it's all up to us to play."
Mu Zhenzhen took Fanghua to sit on the ice bed to compress the snow. Zhang Yuan taught Xiao Jinghui how to use a telescope. Xiao Jinghui was wearing cashmere gloves and sable fur. He had a small white face and big eyes like black gems. He held white copper in his hands.
She looked around excitedly through the telescope, and kept chattering "click, click, check" with her little mouth, like a little happy bird, while her sister Shang Jinglan was much more restrained, because Qi Biaojia was by her side, Qi Biaojia was ten
When they were four years old and Shang Jinglan was twelve years old, they knew that they would be husband and wife, which was very interesting to watch.
Qi Biaojia seemed a little at a loss at first, not knowing what to say to Shang Jinglan, and looked clumsy. Later, he became more lively while sitting on the ice bed, and started talking and laughing with Shang Jinglan.
Xiao Jinghui smiled the most happily. It is a child's nature to love to play and to be close to nature. Zhang Yuan couldn't help but think of Zhu Youxiao, the eldest grandson of the emperor who troubled Eunuch Zhong. Zhu Youxiao was playful, but in fact, this kind of child retained the nature of a child.
People are very approachable, and sometimes people who don't study much can be pure at heart. Of course, in the end of the world when great chaos is approaching, this kind of temperament is obviously inappropriate for an heir to the throne, so he was deceived by Wei Zhongxian and the Hakka family.
Put the power of criticizing the Reds in the hands of an illiterate old eunuch who was born in the local area. It is inevitable that this broken car of the Ming Dynasty will accelerate towards the abyss of destruction. The years when Wei Zhongxian had sole power were the darkest years in Chinese history.
During this period, this has been the final conclusion of historians. Of course, even if it is a final conclusion, there will be noise, and there are also people who like to write articles to overturn the verdict and sensationalize. This is not surprising——
What Zhang Yuan didn't know was that just as he and Qi Biaojia were accompanying Jinglan and Jinghui sisters on the Paozi River skating bed, the emperor's grandson Zhu Youxiao was also skating in Xiyuandui in the company of Zhong Benhua, Wei Chao, Wei Jinzhong and others.
The snowman is playing. Zhong Benhua is Zhu Youxiao's first teacher. He is also quite serious on weekdays. Zhu Youxiao is still a little in awe of Zhong Benhua. He didn't expect that Eunuch Zhong would accompany him to play in the snow today. Zhu Youxiao is very happy. Eunuch Zhong asked the little waiter
They piled fifteen snowmen on the ice according to his instructions. They represented the directions of the thirteen provinces of the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty, and talked about the rare birds and animals, local customs and customs of each province. Zhu Youxiao walked around among the snowmen, listening with great interest, and said:
"I didn't expect that my Ming Dynasty's territory is so vast, and there are so many interesting places, tsk tsk. In the future, if I have the opportunity, I will also play everywhere."
Eunuch Zhong suddenly felt that his head was as big as a bucket. He felt that his education had failed again. The emperor's eldest grandson still just likes to stay in the corner and work as a carpenter. It would be terrible if he had to follow the example of Emperor Zhengde a hundred years ago when he went to the south of the Yangtze River and conquered the north of Saibei!
Returning to Ciqing Palace in the evening, Eunuch Zhong received a New Year's gift from Xing Long, the garrison eunuch of Nanjing. Eunuchs working in other provinces would send special personnel back to Beijing every year before the New Year to give gifts. Everyone in the palace has power.
The eunuch. Eunuch Zhong is sitting on the bench now. No one paid attention to him. Xing Long even prepared a new year gift for him. The friendship is touching——
Eunuch Zhong thought to himself: "The Zajia family has a close friendship with Xing Long. Last year, the Zajia family recommended Zhang Yuan to help Xing Long tide over the difficulties. Xing Long should be grateful to the Zajia family for that."
Remembering what Zhang Yuan had asked him to do on the carriage yesterday, Eunuch Zhong asked his godson Xiao Gao to pick up a lantern and a box of West Lake lotus root powder. The two of them left the north gate of Ciqing Palace and headed for the Xuanwu Gate of the palace city. Eunuch Zhong was about to arrive.
The Superintendent of Ceremonies went to Lu Shou, the eunuch who held the seal, and he had a good relationship with Lu Shou——
As the head of the twelve imperial eunuchs in the inner palace, the Si Li Jian is not in the palace. It is behind Long Live Mountain, not far from Bei'anmen. It is three or four miles away from Ciqing Palace. To the south of the Si Li Jian is Yinshou.
When Eunuch Zhong and his godson Xiao Gao walked out of Yinshou Prison, they met Qiu Chengyun, the eunuch in charge of Yinshou Prison, who brought out a few servants. Qiu Chengyun said with a "hehe" smile: "Eunuch Zhong, this is the honor of the emperor's eldest grandson.
Where are you going with your life?" His tone was not very friendly.
Although Qiu Chengyun did not know that it was Eunuch Zhong who conspired with Zhang Yuan to force him to let go of Shizhu chieftain Ma Qiancheng in Hangzhou, but he knew that the natives of Shizhu built a shrine for Eunuch Zhong, which made Qiu Chengyun quite puzzled.
Out of anger, he did not get any benefits from the Shizhu natives, but let Eunuch Zhong benefit from the middle. Therefore, when Eunuch Zhong returned to Beijing last year, he did not go to the Bell and Drum Department to hold seals, but went to Ciqing Palace to teach the emperor's eldest grandson literacy. Qiu Chengyun was the most sarcastic person.
Enthusiastic——
Eunuch Zhong cupped his hands and said, "I have some trivial matters up front. Eunuch Qiu is busy, so I won't bother you."
Eunuch Qiu said with a smile: "Where is Eunuch Zhong busy? Eunuch Zhong is the teacher of the emperor's eldest grandson. He is highly respected and responsible for everything."
Eunuch Yin Shou has a lot of power. He is ranked in the middle of the twelve eunuchs in the inner palace. With his current status, Eunuch Zhong cannot fall out with Qiu Chengyun face to face. He doesn't say much to Qiu Chengyun at the moment. He just laughs twice and walks quickly past.
Behind him, Qiu Chengyun and several servants of the Yin Shou Prison laughed strangely——
Eunuch Zhong walked quietly for a while and asked, "Qiqiu, do you feel wronged by following your godfather?"
The young chamberlain Gao Qiqian carefully replied: "No, the godfather is good to his son."
Eunuch Zhong asked again: "Do you think your godfather is a coward?"
Gao Qiqian replied: "My godfather doesn't bother to be on the same level as those people. My godfather has high aspirations."
Eunuch Zhong laughed, raised his hand and touched Xiao Gao's hat, patted it, and said: "Good boy, follow your godfather to study hard and become literate, and you will get ahead in life."
Xiao Gao responded: "Yes, godfather, I understand."
A few lanterns came over. It was Lu Shou, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, and the two eunuchs who were going to the Hongde Hall of the Qianqing Palace to report today's memorial to the long-lived grandfather. There will be an annual holiday tomorrow, and there are some important memorials to be read. Listen to Grandpa Long Live, and Grandpa Long Live dictates and approves the red——
Eunuch Zhong walked back with Lu Shou and others. Talking about the heavy snow and cold today, Eunuch Zhong said that an old friend of his from Hangzhou came to Beijing a few days ago. The canal traffic was disrupted due to hungry people from Shandong looting Linqing Bank Pass. After driving for several days, we almost had to take the land route. It seems that the disaster in Shandong is very serious——
"Yes." Lu Shou was also troubled and said: "The governor of Shandong, supervising the censor of Shandong, the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Household Section, have sent memorandums requesting disaster relief one after another. Yesterday, hundreds of people jointly petitioned for relief and relief for the victims of the disaster in Shandong. Six counties in Shandong paid taxes and even drew a "Picture of the Hungry People". It was terrible. Today, the household department gave Yang Lian a strong memorial about the matter. No one dared to read it to Grandpa Long Live for fear that Grandpa Long Live would be angry. There have been many natural disasters in recent years. , disaster relief is needed here, disaster relief is needed there, Long live the Lord will not be happy to hear these memorials——"
Eunuch Zhong said: "My father-in-law can get away from Linqing Chaoguan, which was looted. The canal traffic is blocked and the water transportation is affected. It is not a small matter. The disaster relief in Shandong is really urgent, no other."
Lu had been serving as the Chief of Ceremony for several years. He only acted based on the emperor's face, not seeking merit but seeking no faults. Hearing what Eunuch Zhong said, he nodded and said: "That's right. Blocking water transportation will be a serious matter. I'll see you later. Long live Grandpa, just mention it." Then he remembered and asked, "Xiao Zhong, where are you going?"
Eunuch Zhong said: "An old friend from Hangzhou sent some earthen rituals. They are all worthless things like salted fish and tea. There is West Lake lotus root powder in them. It is said that it can cure cough due to lung heat. I sent a box to Eunuch Lu so that he can use it." Mix the hot soup into a paste and eat it.”
Lu Shou spoke with phlegm in his throat and said with a smile: "Thank you for your thoughtfulness. The Za family's cough has not gotten better since the Zhongyuan Festival until now. I have a weak fire——"
Talking while walking, they separated at Xuanwu Gate. Lu Shou and others went to Qianqing Palace, while Eunuch Zhong and Xiao Gao returned to Ciqing Palace. The weather was very cold. Eunuch Zhong stood up with his hands on his hands, looked up at the dark sky, and thought to himself: "Zhang Young Master, the Za family has done their best, and I feel no shame in admiring you." (To be continued)