In the midsummer of June, the heat wave was rolling, and the blazing sunshine fell straight to the earth without any obstruction.
Sweat drips onto the hot pavement and disappears in the blink of an eye. The air sways in the sun, making the distant scenery look like a lake.
On the Jinming Pond in the west of Bianjing City, green lotus leaves cover the surface of the pond, and white lotuses stand gracefully. Just looking at it makes people feel cool.
In the center of the huge Jinming Pond, a huge painted boat sailed slowly among the lotus leaves. The boatman supporting the boat, wearing a bamboo hat, slowly pushed the bamboo pole every now and then, making the heavy boat move little by little. When other ships passing nearby saw the small flags with the Chinese character "Qi" hanging high on the boat, they knew that this was a banquet for nobles from the Duke of Qi's family, so they all consciously moved out of the way.
Two little girls of eleven or twelve years old squatted on the side of the ship, stretched out their white and smooth wrists, picked off the lotus pods where the boat passed by, filled them in small baskets, and happily carried them into the cabin.
In the cabin, more than a dozen buckets of ice cubes were placed in hidden places, blocking all the heat from the boat.
In the corner, a band was playing silk and bamboo, with a curtain in front of them blocking their view of the cabin.
In the center of the cabin, six geishas with excellent sexual skills were singing and dancing to the music. Their beautiful and moving dance postures dazzled the guests.
After entering, the little maid placed baskets with lotus pods on the tables of Duke Qi and all the guests.
One of the two maids behind Duke Qi was fanning, and the other picked up the lotus pod and helped peel it off.
The Duke of Qi stroked his long beard with his well-maintained right hand, and with a smile on his half-closed eyes, he looked at his son Qi Heng who was singing poems and harmony with his classmates.
The Shengjia School was closed for ten days, and taking advantage of the holiday today, Qi Guogong asked Qi Heng to invite a few classmates to play on the Jinming Pond to escape the summer heat.
A slight collision made the boat tremble slightly, and then a series of footsteps sounded from the ship's side aisle outside the cabin. Sheng Hong, who had just left the office, appeared outside the cabin.
Duke Qi's eyes lit up, he laughed and stood up, bowed his hands and saluted Sheng Hong.
Sheng Hong had just taken a small boat and came down from the bright sun to the cabin. He was still sweating profusely. The Duke of Qi quickly ordered tea to be served and sent a female envoy up to fan Sheng Hong.
Sheng Hong said hello to all the juniors, then sat down under the guidance of the female envoy, picked up the tea bowl in front of him and took a sip, feeling refreshed and refreshed.
He raised his eyes and looked around, feeling the cool and comfortable atmosphere in the cabin, and couldn't help but admire: "The life that the Duke of Guo is living is really enviable to my subordinates!"
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Duke Guo of Qi waved his hand and smiled calmly: "I'm just a rich and idle man. I'm really ashamed to say that I can't compare with the Qiancheng of the country like Brother Sheng, who works hard for the country every day and shares the worries of the king."
These words touched Sheng Hong's heart. Although Sheng Hong understood that the other party was just being polite, he still felt a little complacent in his heart.
The Duke of Qi is one of the few Dukes in this dynasty. In terms of his status, he is way ahead of Sheng Hong. However, although he is a Duke, he has no actual duties. In fact, Sheng Hong, who has a low official position, is even better.
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For example, Sheng Hong had just returned from the court meeting, but the Duke of Qi basically did not go to regular court meetings unless specially summoned by officials. This can also be confirmed from the side that the Duke of Qi has gradually moved out of the center of power in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
When the two were chatting, Qi Guogong also intentionally or unintentionally brought the topic to today's court meeting.
After listening to Qi Guogong asking about today's court meeting, Sheng Hong sighed softly and said: "Today, two great scholars, Han and Wen, once again led the memorial, asking the officials to decide on the matter of adopting the clan as early as possible."
"It's the same old thing again."
Qi Guogong frowned and said: "Two years ago, the official family was seriously ill and could not afford it. Several academicians advised the official family to decide on an heir early. The official family was generous and never blamed him. Now that the third son of the emperor has just died, they are urging the official family to adopt an heir.
, this is too inhumane."
After finishing speaking, he sighed and said: "The officials are kind and caring for the people, but for some reason, they have such difficulty in raising children. All three princes died in infancy. It is really sad."
Sheng Hong comforted him in a slow voice: "You don't need to worry, Lord. The official family has a deep blessing and will be blessed by God. Maybe in two years, another dragon will be born."
Sheng Hongbi may not be good at it, but there are two things that are beyond ordinary people. One is that he can write well, and even the officials have heard about it. The other is that he is well versed in the way of protecting oneself wisely, and his hands are not slippery.
Sheng Hong knew very well that the battle for the reserve was a matter of honor, disgrace, wealth, and life. The water in this pool was too muddy, with too many whirlpools and undercurrents. Before he could see the situation clearly, if a small character like him got involved, he would be shattered to pieces if he was not careful.<
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Therefore, before the situation becomes clear, Sheng Hong will never take sides easily.
Duke Guo of Qi also saw that Sheng Hong didn't want to continue talking about this topic, so he laughed and ignored it, and picked up a few interesting things from when he was a local official in the past.
Duke Guo of Qi was once in charge of salt affairs in Yangzhou, and Sheng Hong also served as a magistrate in Yangzhou. The two quickly found a common topic, and they had a good conversation.
When Qi Guogong was talking to Sheng Hong, he did not shy away from the juniors sitting nearby.
Sheng Changbai and Qi Heng are just the eldest members of the family, and their elders often give them advice.
But as a concubine, Sheng Changfeng rarely heard Sheng Hong talk about court affairs, especially such important matters as establishing a prince.
This gave Sheng Changfeng a sense of personal participation in national events, and he was extremely excited, even a little too excited.
Sheng Changfeng pricked up his ears and was about to hear carefully who his father thought was the future official, but found that Sheng Hong never mentioned the matter again, and the topic changed to recalling the past in Yangzhou.
Sheng Changfeng suddenly lost interest and turned to look at the classmates around him.
Qi Heng?
I'm not very familiar with it, so it's not suitable to talk about this kind of topic.
Sheng Changbai?
Although he is his own brother, Sheng Changfeng does not dare to come forward and talk to him.
Then only Mr. Little is left.
Seeing Wei Chen who was enjoying the song and dance seriously, Sheng Changfeng's eyes lit up and he walked towards Wei Chen with a smile: "Sir, I wonder what you think about the official family..."
Halfway through Sheng Changfeng's words, Wei Chen guessed what he wanted to say, and his mind suddenly collapsed: "Don't ask, I won't listen if you ask, and I won't tell you if you hear. This kind of national important matter is not yours."
Little brats who haven’t passed the exam should be worried. You’d better think about what you’re going to do with your schoolwork tomorrow!”
At this time, Sheng Changbai, who had always been like an old monk in trance, suddenly opened his eyes, stared at his younger brother closely, and said in a deep voice: "What happened today is rotten in my stomach. I am not allowed to say a word, let alone outside."
I say nonsense in front of others, otherwise I will definitely report it to my father when I go back, and I will take care of you according to the family law!"