Xia Hu stood by the window, looked at the carriage that had just passed, turned around and asked, "Are we really not going to see off our second aunt?"
Father Xia was sitting at the table drinking tea. After listening to his grandson's words, he put down the tea cup and said, "The situation in the world is too complicated now, so we won't cause trouble to your second aunt. We have been keeping a low profile for so long since we have been in Lingnan. Since
This way it should have a beginning and an end.”
Xia Hu shook his fan and shook his head: "Our family is low-key, just relative to ordinary people. In front of the powerful, our family is transparent in front of them. None of the powerful people know our relationship with the second aunt."
Xia Qingshan glanced at his third son and scolded with a smile: "Don't talk about whether you have something or not. You just want to follow your second aunt to Jiankang!"
Xia Hu chuckled: "Dad still understands me."
"It's useless to understand. If you can't go, you can't go!"
Cause trouble!"
Xia Hu's smile faded, and he turned around and leaned against the window again. His depressed look made people want to laugh.
Xia Di, who was standing nearby and paying attention to the window, asked curiously: "Third brother wants to go to Jiankang so much. Is Jiankang fun?"
Xia Hu hit his head with a fan and said, "I just know how to play!"
He didn't know if Jiankang was fun or not, but he knew that Jiankang would definitely be easy to make money!
Mrs. Chen sighed, with a look of worry on her face, "My mother has been worried since she traveled thousands of miles, but she doesn't know what kind of situation Jing'er will face when she arrives in Jiankang."
Xia Qingshan comforted her: "My little sister has been a right-minded person since she was a child, and she is capable. As long as the prince is on her side, no difficulty will be able to trouble her!"
Mrs. Chen glanced at her heartless son, "No difficulty can trouble her, but she will be tired if she lives like this and has to worry about everything!"
Otherwise, why would there be such a word as “mental and haggard”?
Everyone doesn't know how to answer this. Their family is just a small wealthy family. Even if it is exaggerated, it can only be considered a wealthy family.
The palace, it should be said that it is the royal family's matter now and they have no way to get involved. They are really helpless and powerless towards Xia Jing.
All they can do is try not to cause any trouble for her or hold her back.
The adults were talking, but the younger ones couldn't get in the conversation. Li Yingzi leaned against the window and stared at the long queue outside in a daze.
At this time, a figure outside the window attracted his attention.
"Grandma, grandpa, I'll go out for a while."
"What are you doing out there? There are too many people outside!" Ms. Chen strongly disapproved of the little girl joining in the fun.
Li Yingzi had already rushed to the door of the private room, "I saw a friend, I went out to say hello and will be back soon."
The Xia family looked at the door where the maid disappeared, smiled and shook their heads.
"Master Tong, what a coincidence?"
Tong Song heard the voice behind him and turned around. He looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.
"Who are you?"
Li Yingzi blushed, it was so embarrassing, it turned out that she didn't remember her at all.
At this time, the maid who was following behind came to the rescue of her master, "My girl is a girl from the Li family. Last time I went out with the prince's girl and met the young master."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Li, please forgive me for being clumsy." Tong Song apologized out of politeness.
Li Yingzi waved her hand, saying it didn't matter.
At this time, Lian Gui ran over and said, "Young Master, the ceremony has been handed over to the palace steward."
Li Yingzi glanced at Lian Gui unexpectedly, "Are you here to see me off?"
Although Lian Gui didn't know what the relationship between this girl and his young master was, he still nodded politely when he saw her asking: "Yes, the princess is leaving today, and many people from Lingnan came to see her off. I don't know how long the line was to see her off.
It’s such a long queue, I guess it will take quite some time for the royal team to leave the city.”
After the convoy leaves the city, and then meets the soldiers and horses that the princess is taking to Jiankang outside the city, it will probably take a day.
I definitely won’t be able to cover much distance on the first day.
Li Yingzi smacked her tongue, "It's better to have power. I wonder how many gifts the princess and aunt will receive this day?"
Tong Song glanced at the dazed Li Yingzi and said to Lian Gui: "Let's go, the others are still waiting."
"Master Tong has booked a private room here?" Li Yingzi saw someone walking in and quickly followed.
"Yes, I have an appointment with a friend."
"Oh, do I know Mr. Tong's friends?" Li Yingzi followed him upstairs.
Lian Gui looked back at her in surprise, seeing another girl who wanted to get close to his young master.
He clicked his tongue in his heart, the eldest young master's skin was very attractive to girls, and he didn't know how many girls came to him.
Tong Song said without turning his head: "Young lady may not recognize you."
Don't make your rejection too obvious.
After going up to the second floor, Li Yingzi saw him stopping at the door of a private room, so she followed him, "It doesn't matter if you don't know him. Mr. Tong introduced us and we got to know each other. We all live in Lingnan. Many friends have many paths."
After hearing her shameless words, Tong Song finally looked at her and smiled meaningfully: "What the girl said makes sense."
The private room door opened, and there were already many people inside.
"Tong Song is here!" Young Master Chen was the first to notice him coming in. He stood up and went to greet him. Finally, his eyes fell on Li Yingzi behind Tong Song, "This is"
Tong Song briefly introduced: "Miss Li Mansion."
Young Master Chen unexpectedly looked at Tong Song and then at Li Yingzi. This was the first time he had brought a girl to their party.
"Miss Li, come and sit quickly, right?"
"Thank you Mr. Chen."
"Haha, you're welcome. Stay away and have tea."
Niu Yongcheng, who had been sitting by the window without moving, said: "Master Tong, you are late today!"
Tong Song sat down and leaned lazily on the back of the chair, with the corners of his lips slightly hooked: "There is no way, there are too many people attending the ceremony for the princess."
Niu Yongcheng's lips twitched slightly, "Just let your housekeeper handle this kind of thing. Why do you have to go there in person? Even if you go, you won't be able to see the princess. It would be a huge honor for the housekeeper to receive her in person."
Tong Song was too lazy to pay attention to him, and turned to Li Yingzi and introduced: "This is the second son of Niu Daren, the chief soldier of Jieyang Guard Station in Lingnan. Niu Yongcheng, you can just call him Er Niu."
Niu Yongcheng immediately stared after hearing this title, "What are you talking about? Mr. Niu!"
Li Yingzi covered her mouth and chuckled: "Brother Erniu, I will call you Brother Erniu from now on. There is Brother Erniu next door to our house, but he is a fool!"
Niu Yongcheng: "."
"Ha ha."
Young Master Chen couldn't help laughing: "I think this is a good title, Brother Erniu!"
Tong Song suppressed a smile and nodded: "Brother Erniu, please take good care of me in the future."
Mou Guangzhen, who was sitting next to Niu Yongcheng, saw his dark face, glanced at Li Yingzi, and said angrily: "Brother Erniu, what do you mean by being so affectionate? Shameless!"
"." Everyone's laughter stopped abruptly.
Li Yingzi looked at Tong Song doubtfully, "Who is this?"
"Brother Erniu's concubine!"
He brought the person, and Mou Guangzhen didn't give him face. Naturally, Tong Song would not care about her face and directly exposed her lowly status.
"It's a concubine!" Li Yingzi deliberately prolonged his voice, looked at Mou Guangzhen, and said with a puzzled face: "I heard that concubines like to climb on the bed to seduce people. I wonder if Brother Erniu's concubine climbs on the bed by herself, or...
Did you accept it because Brother Erniu likes it?"
After hearing this, Niu Yongcheng remembered that he had slept with Mou Guangzhen inexplicably, and had lost face in front of the prince, and his face, which was not white at all, turned even darker.
Everyone else pursed their lips, it was really hard to talk about this kind of thing.
Li Yingzi naturally took in everyone's expressions and smiled innocently: "Since I am a bed-crawler, why do you call me shameless?"
After saying that, she did not forget to apply eye drops: "Brother Erniu, your concubine is too arrogant, be careful to cause trouble for you outside!"
"You..." Mou Guangzhen's lungs almost exploded with anger. Whose girl has a grudge against her?
"Okay!" Niu Yongcheng glared at her and warned: "If you want to come out to play, just stay calm!"
Mou Guangzhen shut up immediately, feeling aggrieved and angry, and did not forget to glare at Li Yingzi angrily.
Li Yingzi smiled proudly, "It's useless to stare anymore, and you can't kill me!"
Niu Yongcheng said something to Tong Song that did not distinguish between joy and anger: "The girl you brought has sharp teeth and a sharp mouth!"
Li Yingzi was not afraid of him at all, "Brother Erniu praised me, my aunt said, birds fly far away when accompanied by phoenixes, and people with virtuous people are proud of themselves; those who are close to vermillion are red and those who are close to ink are black; things of the same kind flock together, and people are divided into groups. Just like me.
For a person with such a straightforward personality, the friends he makes must have the same personality as me."
As he spoke, he stood up and patted Niu Yongcheng on the shoulder, "Brother Erniu speaks straightforwardly, I like it, and I am determined to be your friend!"
Niu Yongcheng was always very angry, but after being praised like this by her, he didn't dare to express his anger. If he got angry, it didn't mean that his character was not good.
This scene fell in Tong Song's eyes, and his eyes flashed. Is this girl really stupid or pretending to be innocent?
Niu Yongcheng finally laughed angrily: "The aunt you are talking about is not the female gentleman next door to your house, right?"
Li Yingzi recalled that Xia Jing taught many people skills, such as steelmaking, cement burning, glass making, etc. She was really a teacher.
"Well! Brother Erniu is so smart, you guessed it right!"
Niu Yongcheng: "."
When you get back, ask someone to find out whose family this girl belongs to. She is so weird and has the ability to irritate people!
The Xia family and the Li family did not deliberately hide their identities, nor did they behave in a high-profile manner.
As long as someone is willing to investigate, they can find out their relationship with the palace with a little effort.
That night when Niu Yongcheng read the news, he really couldn't laugh or cry. This relative of the princess's family was really "different"!——
There is already a fresh green everywhere in Lingnan, and after passing the Nanling Mountains, the trees on the roadside in Jingzhou have just grown new leaves and fallen flowers.
In the farmland passing by, farmers were bent over planting rice seedlings.
The warm spring breeze can still smell the muddy smell of earth.
Their large team naturally attracted the attention of the people.
The governor of Guiyang led dozens of officials from the Yamen to go out of the city thirty miles to greet him.
"Ouyang Chuansheng, the governor of Guiyang County, pays homage to the princess!"
Strictly speaking, Xia Jing is King Qian's official concubine. Now that King Qian has become the emperor, it is not an exaggeration for them to call Xia Jing their queen.
However, King Qian has not yet canonized her as queen, let alone announced it to the world. They can only call her princess according to the previous honorific title.
Xia Jing opened the curtain and looked at the people kneeling outside, "Mr. Ouyang, get up and lead the way."
Ouyang Chuansheng stood up after thanking him, and carefully glanced at the carriage. Seeing that the carriage was tightly covered, he turned around and got on the horse with the officials, walking in front to lead the way.
Guiyang County is located south of Jingzhou and north of Nanling. Because Nanling blocks the monsoon from the South China Sea, Guiyang County has four distinct seasons and rich products.
Due to the high terrain of Guiyang County, there are several rivers flowing north through Changsha County within its jurisdiction.
In fact, it is more convenient to go north and take a boat, but the water volume of the river is slightly smaller, and only a small boat with a few dozen people can travel.
Xia Jing brought nearly 80,000 troops and horses, which were only suitable for traveling by land.
Entering Guiyang County, because Xia Jing is a female dependent, the county guard arranged for the royal master and his entourage to stay in a separate courtyard.
Xia Jing came over the mountains from Lingnan. The journey was very hard, so she fell asleep after eating.
Later, the county governor's wife handed over a greeting card, and her maid pushed it to the next day.
After breakfast the next day, the county governor's wife handed over a greeting card again. Xia Jing only glanced at it and said, "Hongmei, go and invite her in."
The morning and evening in April were a bit cold, so Xia Jing wore a thin jacket.
"We haven't worn jackets in almost a year, right?"
Bai Mei nodded with a smile: "The weather in this season is changeable. Princess must pay attention to keeping warm. In spring, she will be covered with frost in autumn. She would rather wear more clothes in spring rather than being cold. Otherwise, the evil wind will soak her body and she will easily get wind chill."
Xia Jing nodded: "We can prepare some medicinal materials in Guiyang County just in case on the road. Did our troops outside the city settle down last night?"
"The Sheriff's arrangements are very appropriate, Princess, please rest assured."
While the two were talking, Hongmei led several ladies in.
"My wife has met the princess."
"Everyone, get up."
Everyone sat down and exchanged greetings, then Mrs. Bo handed the basket she brought to Hongmei.
"Now is the best time of spring, when all kinds of wild vegetables are the freshest and most tender. This is the rice dumplings and some pastries made by my wife from the Qingming vegetables. I hope they will suit the princess's taste."
Xia Jing has developed a habit in her last days. When she hears about delicious food, she wants to take a bite. "Oh, go put the red plums on a plate and bring it up. I'll try it if you like Mrs. Bo."
There are two or three kinds of pastries, red and green, which look very pleasing to the eye and make people want to eat them as soon as they see them.
Seeing her surprise at the color of the pastry, Mrs. Zhu Bo explained with a smile: "The green pastry is made by drying Qingming vegetables, grinding it into powder, and mixing it with rice flour. Honey is also put in it, so it tastes sweet but not sweet.
The greasy, red pastries are made from peach blossoms picked from the mountains. You can try them all."
"The beauty of April in the world is over, and the peach blossoms in mountain temples are beginning to bloom. I didn't expect to be able to taste such poetic pastries in Guiyang County. Thank you for taking the trouble!"
After saying that, Xia Jing pinched a piece and took a bite, "The floral fragrance is light, the entrance is sweet, refreshing and non-sticky to the teeth, and it tastes good."
The ladies were relieved to see that she liked her.
When the princess came to Guiyang County, they couldn't think of any food to entertain her no matter how hard they tried.
These snacks were thought up by Mrs. Bo, the ingenious host.
It's a shame that the princess likes her, otherwise they wouldn't know how to entertain her?
The official wife who lives at the bottom has no idea what the nobles at the top like?
It was too difficult for them.
Xia Jing ate another piece of green pastry before rinsing her mouth, "The pastry is delicious and the shape of the plate is beautiful."
The county guard's wife pursed her lips and smiled: "What the princess doesn't know is that the pastries are made by our master, Mrs. Bo, and the plate holding the pastries is made of porcelain fired from Wayaoping in our county."
"Oh, is there a place where porcelain is made in Guiyang County?" Xia Jing became interested.
"Yes, it has been burning for hundreds of years."
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