After having dinner with Gu Tingye that day, Minglan sent her maid down and quickly relayed what Mrs. Zhang had said during the day. After hearing this, Gu Tingye was surprised and said, "Brother Shen is also weird. Whenever he talks to me, he is afraid that Mrs. Zhang will say something." It seems that this kind of matter involving the royal family has not been finalized yet, but it has been said. ~.
After hearing this, Minglan was not surprised. In fact, during today's conversation, she vaguely sensed that Mrs. Zhang did not respect her husband very much. She only murmured in confusion: "Why did Uncle Guo think of this? It's our custom." , isn’t it true that the prince-in-law cannot discuss politics?”
The implication is that he is not optimistic about this marriage.
It was rare for a husband and wife to have opposite opinions. Gu Tingye patiently explained, "Having said that, but... alas, Brother Shen wanted to hire the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Fu, but the old father-in-law only wanted to have a niece; he was interested in the fourth girl of Ruyang Marquis, but... After all, they were only willing to give it to a concubine; they also said that Mr. Yao Ge's old daughter was good, but his old lady was not happy and even got sick; the Korean government was generous, and he was the eldest son of the generation. Female, but..."
Minglan took over for him and said: "But now the Han family has no capable man outside the court, and the family is restless at home. Uncle Guo doesn't like it." As she said that, she covered her sleeves and chuckled. She didn't think about the country. Comrade Uncle has already encountered so many obstacles. If you don’t want me if you are your direct descendant, if you have outstanding appearance, if you don’t want me, if you don’t belong to the noble lineage, if you don’t want me with an upright family background, then it’s really hard to choose.
Seeing his wife's sly smile, Gu Tingye also felt that he was pushing his brother hard. He sighed and said: "There are only so many choices. Brother Shen is also arrogant and unwilling to pressure others with marriage gifts. The Queen feels sorry for my brother. This Only then did I mention the Lord. Brother Shen thought about it carefully and felt that it was good. Firstly, the princess is the Lord and everyone must respect her, so there is nothing to make trouble about; secondly, although the prince-in-law has no chance to be in the government, who can guarantee that the old hero will do it? A good man, how do you know that your son will definitely achieve something, so it is not a bad idea to simply keep him safe and honor him."
There is a princess daughter-in-law in the family. No matter what the future of the government is like or how talented the son is, no one will come to bully him. There will always be stability and wealth. The above is Shen Congxing's consideration. At the end, Gu Tingye added: "Look at it now." Without qualifications, perhaps the eldest brother of the Shen family will be blessed with peace and quiet."
Shen Congxing once took the captain to practice on the school field. After several trials, no matter the martial arts on the ground or the formation of troops, the eldest brother was considered to be among the upper-middle class - note that it was the uncle and father who were present, and all the old brothers Join in the fun and cheer.
Minglan heard her husband's hint of approval, and she could understand it. It was like a certain family's child could only get into the top ten universities in the country based on his true ability. Now the fourth-ranked school offered a recommendation, and finally the parents decided to be safe and accept it.
"...What he said is true, but..." She still felt that something was wrong and compared her feelings with others. Even if Tuan Ge's qualifications were mediocre in the future, she still hoped that he would marry a virtuous and caring wife instead of marrying the master for wealth.
Gu Tingye touched his wife's soft hair on the temples and said softly: "I know what you mean. If it were me, I wouldn't want to be the master of my brother." His wife was thinking according to the normal way of living at home, but Can the situation in the Shen family still be considered normal?
Minglan suddenly brightened her face: "That's good, I'm afraid that the Marquis will say this or that, and I'll go back to Brother Tuan and ask for a princess to come back." After thinking about it, she smiled and said, "I always feel that Uncle Guo I worry too much, but in fact, the Shen family are relatives of the emperor. In the future, when the emperor succeeds to the throne, if he pulls out his cousins, he will not be the master. Who dares to despise the Shen family?"
Gu Tingye was silent. There was something he hadn't said yet. He didn't expect Minglan to be so keen and noticed it on his own.
He thought for a moment and then said: "The queen is kind and always reminds her children to remember Mrs. Zou's kindness and to treat the Shen family's cousins favorably. That's all. In the years when the emperor first ascended the throne, the Shen family's children often went to the palace to study and play with the emperor. That's it. I don’t know what kind of arrogant kid actually dared to argue with the emperor, and even said, ‘My mother died for the queen’s aunt’…”
Minglan took a breath and said in disbelief: "How can you say such nonsense?!" Did the Zou family often remind her?
Gu Tingye sighed: "The children were only a little older at that time, and Brother Shen repeatedly apologized. I think the emperor didn't take it to heart (Mrs. Zou didn't die for him), but I don't know what the two emperors thought." .【叶*】【*】"
They are obviously direct cousins, but they are not very warm to each other. The emperor was angry with the queen due to Zhang's dystocia and reprimanded the emperor's studies. The queen might not be surprised, but what about the two emperors? Shen Congxing thought that he also had this doubt, so he If you have to find a reliable in-law for your son, even if the emperor doesn't take care of him in the future, there will still be people in the officialdom who will take care of him.
"Perhaps Brother Shen is overthinking it. However, the eldest princess and the two emperors are from the same mother, and they have always had a close relationship between brother and sister..."
He didn't say any more, Minglan already understood everything. The couple was silent for a moment. Gu Tingye cheered up and said with a smile: "The emperor hasn't even said a word about it. /Very Literary/Don't even mention a word about it." , just pretend you don’t know about it.”
Minglan naturally nodded in agreement, and Gu Tingye said again: "I think it's good about the fourth brother Changdong. Old Uncle Shen's family is stable and has never made any mistakes. You are now heavy, why don't you go and tell your father-in-law?"
Minglan hurriedly said: "Master Hou, you'd better pull him down. Go ahead and tell him. Even if dad is not happy, it's hard to say no. Marriage must be both happy and happy if both families are willing. I saved it, and Master Hou doesn't have to worry about this." It’s over.”
He caressed his wife's slightly protruding belly, and then rubbed his head - the little guy occupied his parents' pillow, his belly rose and fell, and he snored. Gu Tingye looked at it lovingly for a while, and sighed: "Human Everyone is destined to get married, but I wonder what kind of wife we will get in the future?"
"Find someone stupid." Old God Minglan decided.
Gu Tingye was shocked: "Why is this?"
Minglan said seriously: "The most important thing about getting along with mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is to relax. I am so smart, and if I find someone with a lot of skills, wouldn't it be a case of jealousy?"
After a while, Gu Tingye touched his wife's head and said cautiously, "Do you think you are... smart?"
Minglan glared: "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"How could it be possible? Madam is as wise as a fool." Gu Tingye smiled brightly.
Minglan frowned and looked at the man suspiciously. She always felt that there was something in this guy's words and he had bad intentions.
Gu Tingye looked at the ball again and said, "If this kid is honest and his wife is stupid, wouldn't it be bad?"
Minglan gently twisted her little hand and sighed: "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, this little guy is very good."
As she gets older, Tuan Ge's childish nature gradually emerges, and she deeply feels that this little fat guy is a scheming master - peel him an egg, and he will nibble off the egg white he likes, then smile innocently and stuff the yolk Entering the cheerful mother Cui's mouth, when Minglan came back, she only saw a table of eggshells and found nothing.
Fortunately, Cui's mother was honest and told Minglan everything after a few times. Without saying a word, Minglan slapped Tuan Ge's fat little butt and ordered him not to be picky about food. The little fat man burst into tears on the spot and huddled in his chest. The corner of the bed was angry and ignored Minglan, and even complained to his father while crying and gesticulating at night (to no avail in the end) - he is honest?! Humph.
…
The next day, Minglan wrote a letter in which he conveyed what Zhang said in detail without adding or subtracting half of it. Sheng Hong was as shrewd as he could figure out the pros and cons, so there was no need to say anything more.
Three or four days later, Ms. Liu came to see Minglan at her door. She was all smiles. She also brought a lot of fresh seafood, which she said were brought by her brothers from outside. After a few words of affection, the two sisters got down to business. ~
Liu said: "Master said, this marriage is a very good one, just because of the good family background. It is also the fourth brother's blessing that the Shen family likes Brother Dong. I'm afraid that the girl grew up in a border area and has a stronger temperament. "
The subtext is that Changdong is the youngest and his biological mother is the meanest. When the family allocates resources and money in the future, it will inevitably be thinner. He is originally from the Wu family. If he continues to have the temperament of a tigress, he will be in trouble in the future and repeat the mistakes of Hedong Mansion.
Minglan thought for a while and then said: "How about I invite the Shen family members to come for tea, and then my sister-in-law and eldest sister will also come. We don't care about the marriage, we just talk and laugh, and treat it like a visit?"
Mrs. Liu had this intention, and immediately said with a smile: "I feel relieved if my sister is willing to do this. The master also means the same thing. I haven't seen my fourth brother over there, but we don't even know whether he is round or flat. Besides, there are It will be safer if my eldest sister is here to refer to the details."
After Mrs. Liu left, Minglan smiled secretly. She didn't know what route Sheng Hong had taken in the past few days to investigate, and she felt satisfied after thinking about it. With this in mind, she wrote a letter to Mrs. Zhang. The next day, Mrs. Zhang sent someone to tell her that Ming Lan would arrange everything. However, due to the sudden change in the weather, Aunt Shen caught a cold, and the doctor said she would need to be cared for for a few more days.
Originally, the two children were still young and the two families were not in a hurry, so Minglan wrote to Haosheng to reassure her not to be anxious and to take good care of her health. In fact, the Shen family was also worried, fearing that the cold would make things worse, and Minglan was pregnant. Something bad happened when I looked back. Instead, a good thing turned into a bad thing.
Autumn is getting thicker, and the night is particularly cold. Cui's mother picked a sunny day and burned the ground dragons in Jiaxi Residence as soon as she entered the house. Minglan teased her son and rolled around on the warm kang. .
Brother Tuan became more and more sensible, and asked Cui's mother to teach her again and again. He often looked at his mother's bulging belly curiously, but no longer rushed to hug her, and only touched it gently with his chubby little hands.
Minglan had just eaten the afternoon snack that day and was about to walk along the corridor. Unexpectedly, Gu Tingye came back with a big smile and repeatedly called out to greet the guests. Minglan was surprised, so she dressed up in a sedan chair and followed him to the front hall. At first glance, it turned out to be the Shi brothers and Che Sanniang whom they hadn't seen for a long time.
In fact, a few years ago, we only said a few words on the river at night. Minglan can remember it so clearly because the arrogant beard on Mr. Shi's face was too eye-catching. Che Sanniang is quite rich, although her skin is still a bit rough. But her eyebrows were relaxed and happy, and she already looked like a wealthy lady.
Seeing Gu Tingye coming out, Shi Keng quickly punched his brother. The two brothers knelt down to salute. Che Sanniang bowed deeply beside him. Gu Tingye stepped forward, grabbed the two brothers, and laughed and said: "My brothers , What a stinking rule!”
Minglan also held her belly and said with a smile: "Sister Che, please sit down by yourself. I'm lazy and won't come to invite you." She then asked Xiao Tao Lvzhi to watch the tea and snacks.
Che Sanniang's temper did not change, she thanked her cheerfully, smiled angrily and pushed her husband, and the three of them sat down. The couple looked generous, but Shi Qiang was young and thin-skinned. He had just come to this rich and gentle place.
, always blushing, lowering his head and saying nothing. When Lu Zhi served him tea, he didn't know where his eyes were looking and almost missed it.
Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Minglan was no stranger to the Shi brothers and Che Sanniang. Gu Tingye's former subordinates sent New Year's gifts from the south every year, and there were always those from the Shi family, especially those from the others.
Seeing that Gu Tingye was really happy, Minglan greeted her more politely. After saying a few words about home affairs, she pulled Sanniang into the sedan chair and went all the way to the flower hall in the inner courtyard to talk and have tea, leaving the men outside to talk to themselves.
.
After talking to each other about the past few years, Minglan realized that since Gu Tingye and his boss met, the Shi brothers had gradually taken over the water transportation business from the Jianghuai and inland rivers to the Longxi Pass.
"Thanks to Mr. Gu, we now have a stable meal, and we no longer have to live in the wind and rain." She said it smoothly, and Che Sanniang called her by her old name again, listening to Minglan thank her for the gift.
At this time, he hurriedly said, "This is what we should do! Without the protection of Lord Marquis, how could we have such a good day today!"
"Smooth water transportation is a good thing that benefits the country and the people. The Marquis is not doing it all for you." Minglan said with a smile, "No matter how good the Marquis is, I can't take care of everything. You have today, how much care and sacrifice.
Everything you earn is hard-earned money.”
Gu Tingye couldn't give them an imperial edict and let them go everywhere to show their prestige. Anyone who engaged in salt canal business had no backer. In many cases, they still had to rely on the skills of the Shi brothers.
Che Sanniang was moved and wiped her tears and said, "With these words from Madam, we will follow Mr. Gu all our lives."
She was bright and could not be sentimental for more than a few seconds. Then she dried her eyes, looked at Minglan, and said with a smile, "Madam and the Marquis are truly destined to be made in heaven. Back then..." She laughed first.
I remembered that night a few years ago, when the river was icy and cold, a huge fire broke out on the wide river, and the flames rushed into the dark night sky. I was half frozen in the water, and I thought I had a chance to go back, but I was rescued by Che Sanniang.
Go by boat.
"...I didn't expect...that today would happen." At first, he was called his second uncle, and now he is his husband. They had all heard it with their own ears, and Minglan suddenly felt embarrassed, "I haven't thanked Sister Che yet.
What a life-saving grace."
Che Sanniang couldn't hold it back and laughed directly, winking and saying: "Thank you for what you are doing. Lord Marquis's is like asking people to search for people all over the river. I'm worried about that idiot in my family. You, my niece, must be stunned."
She is Mr. Gu's direct relative. Let's work harder to prevent the child from freezing in the water. Haha... Who would have thought that when she was fished out, she turned out to be a very good-looking girl... Haha... I told you, there is an uncle there.
Looking at your niece like that!"
Minglan's face was burning, and she muttered: "I'm yelling at this random relative on the corner, but it's not..." There are very few people in the world who have heard her call Gu Tingye 'Second Uncle', but she still bumped into her.
Yes, Skynet is indeed restored!
Che Sanniang was used to looking at people, and when she saw that she was almost joking, she was afraid that Minglan would be really embarrassed, so she quickly dropped the topic and turned to children's matters. Minglan hurriedly asked someone to take Brother Tuan out.
Che Sanniang liked what she saw, stuffed a big bulging purse into it, praised it again and again, and finally sighed, "...I am just a girl, but I am lucky to have a wife."
Minglan said: "Sister is still young and will definitely give birth to a big, fat baby."
Che Sanniang waved her hand cheerfully and said with a smile: "My early life was difficult and I injured my body. I almost died when I gave birth to my daughter. The doctor said I can't have another baby."
Seeing the unbearable look on Minglan's face, she persuaded him with a smile: "I'm lucky. His father doesn't dislike him. He only said that after his brother asks for a wife, he will give birth to him and give us a child."
Just burn some incense."
Minglan laughed and said, "It's true that they are all members of the family. The eldest brother of the Shi family is a sincere person, which is the best." She had heard Gu Tingye say that the parents of the Shi family died early, and Shi Qiang was the eldest brother.
Growing up, although the two were brothers, their relationship was more like that of a father.
Thinking of Che Sanniang, who was lonely and homeless when she was young, and now finally found a good home, Minglan sighed and said softly: "...Sister, take care of yourself, you will be very lucky in the future. I remember that on the boat that year, the eldest brother of the Shi family also said
, I want to make beautiful silk clothes for my sister to wear."
Che Sanniang touched her sleeves. The smooth and dense touch showed the lifelike embroidery of a magpie climbing a branch. She couldn't help but smile and sighed: "That heartless fool, now he wishes he could make me wear silk clothes every day. Just tell me you are not afraid of my sister's laughter."
..." She lowered her voice, "The silk material is nice to look at right now, but I think it's not as comfortable as cotton clothes."
Thinking that later generations admired natural pure cotton fabrics and specifically bought coarse linen fabrics, Minglan held her sleeves in her hands and smiled with joy.
In the evening, Minglan invited Shao and Che Sanniang to have dinner together; she also asked someone to set up a simple banquet outside. The Shi brothers, Gu Tingye, and old man Gongsun all drank together.
The four of them drank and chatted. It was not until late at night that Gu Tingye returned to the house and found Minglan leaning on the bedside reading a book. Gu Tingye quickly took off his cold coat and rubbed his hands together before leaning over, "Why aren't you sleeping? Carefully, it hurts."
body."
Minglan sat up lazily and said with a smile, "I've been sleeping for a while just now."
The man stroked his wife's soft hair and said softly: "It's all my fault that you can't sleep well."
Minglan didn't answer, she opened her big and bright eyes and said quietly: "...when will you leave?"
Gu Tingye froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "I was afraid that you would be worried, so I wanted to tell you later, but I didn't expect you to guess it yourself."
It's not hard to guess - her husband comes home late every day and eats late-night snacks for dinner, keeping his feet from touching the ground. The emperor is more diligent in military parades. Uncle Shen almost lives and eats in the military camp. Although he never goes out to raise his child,
But she could still feel the changes in the atmosphere from the inner city of the capital to the families of the generals and their families.
"Why did the emperor choose this time to send troops? It's freezing cold and it's almost the New Year." Minglan pouted, feeling dissatisfied.
Gu Tingye let her lean in his arms, resting his chin on her head, and whispered: "Now we will go to Longxi to gather troops and make preparations. After the middle of winter, when food is scarce on the grassland, it will be time for Jie Nu to plunder
At that time, let's take a step forward and guard, send out soldiers in several directions, and we can catch them all in one fell swoop before Jie Nu can't stand it anymore."
Minglan was silent.
The imperial army is like a regular army, and the Jie slaves are like guerrillas. These bandits and bandits always take advantage of the retreat of the army to plunder the people outside the pass. And the imperial army cannot be stationed at the border forever. In a decisive battle, the most difficult thing is to capture the main force of the guerrillas.
.
"Are the Shi brothers in Beijing on errands this time?" she asked. How could anyone come to the north as winter is about to begin?
Gu Tingye nodded, "While the inland river is not yet solidly frozen, hurry up and send food and grass there first. There are not enough official ships."
Minglan touched her belly - her due date was in May next year. She felt extremely sad, but she couldn't ask her husband to ask for leave from her boss, so she could only whisper: "...when will you come back?"
This time the response was a deep sigh, and the man's tone was bitter: "If it's quick, March or April next year, if it's slow, I don't know... If I don't come back, you will have to give birth on your own."
Minglan burst out laughing and said, "Nonsense. If I don't give birth on my own, how can you help me give birth?"
After saying this, she suddenly became more courageous. Isn't it just that her husband was not around to give birth to the child? What's the big deal? She just treated herself as a military wife (Yao's mother said she would never agree), and her husband went to guard the border!
She straightened her back, put one hand on his chest, and said word by word: "Just three sentences. First, don't be greedy for merit, and there will be no shortage of you in the family to be promoted to a noble position; second, when you return safely, don't be short-changed."
's; third..."
She said bitterly: "Don't mess around with others, bring me a foreign princess, a dead general or something, and I'll spare you!"
Gu Tingye hugged Minglan close to his chest and laughed heartily. The loud laughter shook the window lattice. It was so permeable in the middle of the night that the woman on duty outside woke up and looked at each other in shock.