The original plan was for Bai Bing to go back to the capital alone after returning to the mountain village. Lin Jue also had this plan. But after leaving the mountain, Bai Bing refused to return to the capital. He said that he would follow Lin Jue to Hangzhou to have a look. He heard that the West Lake in Hangzhou is as beautiful as
She wanted to go shopping between heaven and earth. Of course, this was only a superficial reason. In fact, Bai Bing just didn't want to leave Lin Jue.
Lin Jue was a little hesitant. After all, the matter with Bai Bing did not get the permission of the little princess. When the little princess was in the capital, he and Bai Bing had not reached the stage of skin-to-skin contact, but they were just a little ambiguous. This time, he brought Bai Bing with him.
I am afraid that the little princess will be unhappy when she goes to Hangzhou. If her father-in-law, Guo Bing, knows that she is coming back with a concubine, I am afraid that she will also curse her.
But Bai Bing gave another reason, that is, she promised Gao Muqing to protect Lin Jue. In order to fulfill her promise, she must follow Lin Jue every step of the way.
Lin Jue thought about it, but he could only agree. It was not because of these reasons, but because Lin Jue thought that the matter could not be hidden anyway, so it was just above board. Guo Caiwei could just say a few nice words to coax him.
Moreover, having Bai Bing by his side does have a protective effect, and maybe he can help at critical moments.
Bai Bing got the permission and was very happy. She had lived in Mobei for a long time and rarely had the opportunity to visit the Central Plains and Jiangnan. This time following Lin Jue through the north and south of the Great Zhou Dynasty was definitely a great opportunity.
The three of them went all the way south and rested for the night in Qingtai Town. They set off early the next morning and drove quickly all the way. They entered the Jianghuai area in just two days. From north to south, the scenery and scenery are completely different. April in the world is full of beauty.
, the best place to interpret the growth of all things is the scenery of Jianghuai and Jiangnan. The further south you go, the more beautiful the scenery is. Although Bai Bing has been to Yangzhou once, he went alone to find relatives and was not familiar with the place.
I wasn’t in the mood for sightseeing either. But I had Lin Jue and Lin Hu as companions on this trip, especially Xiao Hu, who knew a lot about the scenery. I don’t know where he got all these anecdotes. He gave Bai Bing guidance and conversation along the way, as if he had invited a friend.
The tour guide was average and made the trip more interesting.
On April 18, seven days after leaving Funiu Mountain, Lin Jue, Lin Hu and Bai Bing finally set foot on the border of Hangzhou Prefecture. At noon, they arrived at the north bank of the Grand Canal in the north of the city. The three of them rode horses across the river and stood on the pier, looking at Hangzhou across the way.
When he saw the outline of the city wall, Lin Jue suddenly felt a surge of emotion in his heart.
It has been almost two years since I left Hangzhou, almost in the blink of an eye. Many things have happened, all at this moment. This is where the Lin family is, and where I grew up. Although
There are all kinds of unpleasant things happening, but I have a lot of good memories here.
In the back hill of Songshan Academy, he and his junior sister, master, and mother spent their happy time together. In the forest cabin on a snowy night, he and Caiwei spent a one-night spring night. The disputes in the Lin family, the threat of pirates, life and death, gentleness, and the things that endured were all like this at this moment.
It flooded into his mind like a tide, making Lin Jue's mood fluctuate and find it difficult to calm down.
"I'm back. I miss this place so much." Xiaohu's words were concise and concise, but they represented most of Lin Jue's mood.
"Call a boat and cross the river into the city." Lin Jue ordered.
Xiaohu called a boat over at the pier, and the three of them led the horses onto the boat. The big boat entered Hangzhou City directly from the Beiguan Water Gate. After entering the city, I looked at the familiar markets on both sides of the river and the familiar costumes of the people.
Smelling the familiar scent in the air, Lin felt very good.
According to Lin Jue's plan, he should first go to the palace to meet Guo Caiwei. But after thinking about it, Lin Jue decided to go back to the Lin family first. Because the three of them were tired from the journey, and now the three of them looked very depressed, it was not appropriate to go to the palace to meet Guo Bing and Guo Caiwei.
Furthermore, it is not appropriate to take Bai Bing to the palace after all. It is best to settle Bai Bing at home and go see Caiwei by yourself and get a vaccination with her to avoid any embarrassment.
So Lin Jue ordered the boatman to turn to the Xihe waterway, and soon arrived at the small pier under the Shilan Bridge of the Xihe River. The boat docked, and after settling the fare, the three of them led the horse ashore. It was close to the Lin family's old house, and there was no need to ride a horse.
Riding a horse, he came to the door of the Lin family's old house.
Still far away from the gate, Lin Jue heard someone talking in front of the door. The voice was very familiar. The man seemed to be scolding two disciples.
"You two are lazy and napping again. What did you do last night? Did you steal someone's big buffalo? Everyone in the family is diligent, but you two are better off. Dozing in front of the door in broad daylight is just a bastard. You will be fined on the account.
You get half a month's money, and if you do it again, you'll pack up and go home."
"Manager Huang, we don't dare to do it anymore. It's really just spring sleepiness. I just squinted my eyes. There's no need to punish him so harshly."
"Is this important? If the wife of the house finds out, she will tell you to get out immediately. I am already taking it lightly. I am taking risks to protect you. Don't be ignorant."
"Well... okay. We consider ourselves unlucky. A Ding, it's all your fault. You made me drink yellow soup last night and I didn't sleep well all night."
"Hey, I invited you to drink with good intentions, but you blame me..."
What followed was the sound of the two disciples complaining to each other.
Lin Jue heard it clearly, and he recognized that the voice of the old man who spoke just now was that of Huang Changqing, the former housekeeper of Lin House. Huang Changqing had a huge quarrel with Lin Jue at first, and was eventually invited back by Lin Jue to continue to manage the family affairs. However,
Lin Jue was a little confused when he heard what he said. What did Huang Changqing say about the housekeeper's wife? He was confused and didn't understand.
"Housekeeper Huang, hello." Lin Jue shouted loudly without thinking too much.
Huang Changqing, who had been trained, walked in with his hands behind his back. Hearing this, his body trembled and he turned his head in disbelief, his face full of surprise.
"Family...owner?" Huang Changqing shouted in shock.
"Haha, you didn't expect it, it was me." Lin Jue laughed.
A smile appeared on Huang Changqing's face. He quickly walked down the steps with his robe and greeted him. He bowed his hands and said, "Oh, the master of the house is back. Why didn't you let me know in advance? I can send someone to pick you up. Lin Hu
, you really didn’t come back to report in advance, how good is that?”
Lin Hu rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Report for what? Is there anything good to report?"
"You...look at you, you kid, you don't understand anything. Our head is the number one scholar and an official in the court. This return to Hangzhou is called a homecoming in fine clothes. How can we not welcome him with a grand ceremony? It is our Hangzhou prefect's Yamen.
I also wanted to greet him. How could he come back quietly?" Huang Changqing complained.
Lin Hu scratched the hair on the back of his head and thought for a moment, "What you said seems to make sense."
Huang Changqing smacked his lips and looked at Lin Hu with a reproachful look on his face, as if "you are not reliable in your work".
Lin Jue chuckled and said, "There's no need to be so public. I'm coming back in a private capacity this time, so there's no need to disturb too much. Butler Huang, how is everything going at home? Are the eldest and second uncles at home?"
Huang Changqing hurriedly said: "Master... no... the eldest master is at the shipyard. The ship that went to the country after the new year has returned and is unloading the goods. The eldest master is sitting in the shipyard. The second master went to Jiangning and said he was attracted by it.
A house is suitable as a theater building. The second master then went to negotiate, and has been there for more than ten days. "
Lin Jue nodded and smiled: "Okay, everything is fine at home, but how is your health?"
"Everything is fine, everything is fine. If you ask me, my master, I am still strong as an old man. Hey, what are we talking about standing in front of the door? See how confused I am. Go home quickly. Those two ignorant people
, why don’t you come and hold the horse for the master of the family? This is the master of our Lin family, the current number one scholar, do you understand? All the food you eat is rewarded by him." Huang Changqing shouted to the two disciples.
The two disciples were dumbfounded. They were both hired by Lin Jue after he left, and they didn't know Lin Jue at all. When they saw the real head of the Lin family, they were so panicked that they hurriedly came forward to lead the horse. The one named A Ding was on the road.
He didn't know how to walk, so he tripped on the steps and fell to pieces. Bai Bing couldn't hold it back anymore, so he covered his mouth and giggled.
Only then did Huang Changqing realize that Lin Jue was traveling with a woman. Because Bai Bing was wearing a cloak, he thought she was just an ordinary follower.
"Master, who is this girl?" Huang Changqing asked with a blink of an eye.
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Oh, this is Miss Bai, Bing'er, I have met Uncle Changqing. Uncle Changqing is an elder of several generations of my Lin family, just like my elders."
Bai Bing lifted up his cloak, gathered his train and saluted, "I've met Uncle Changqing."
Huang Changqing looked at Bai Bing's bright eyes and white teeth, and understood most of it in his heart. The head of the family was young and romantic, and there were many women around him. This one looked familiar, and she must be Xinna's concubine. This matter was unusual.
, but Huang Changqing suddenly realized that something was wrong, so he quickly pulled Lin Jue aside.
"Master, this Miss Bai...it's not good to bring this...into the house." Huang Changqing whispered.
"What do you mean?" Lin Jue frowned. He thought: Is this Huang Changqing back to his old self? He started to point fingers again.
"I mean...this...that." Huang Changqing said hesitantly.
"What about this and that? If you have anything to say, just say it." Lin Jue said.
"Hey, Patriarch, you don't know, but the Patriarch's wife lives in our house." Huang Changqing said in a low voice.
"Ah? Caiwei lives in our house?" Lin Jue said in surprise. Suddenly Lin Jue understood. When Huang Changqing scolded the disciples just now, he said that the housekeeper's wife meant that Caiwei was at home.
"Yes, the wife of the house moved in after the Chinese New Year. She said that she married into the Lin family, so what's the point of living in her natal family? So she moved to your original small yard. The affairs of the family in the past few months
She helps manage everything. This little princess is not simple. Although she is a princess, she handles things in an orderly manner, and everyone is convinced. This...this Miss Bai..."
Lin Jue waved his hand to interrupt Huang Changqing's chatter. He understood. Caiwei did not want to live in the palace, so she lived in the Lin family as the wife of the Lin family and took on the responsibility of managing the internal affairs of the family. Lin Jue
Caiwei was very moved in her heart. What she did showed an attitude that she had integrated into the Lin family wholeheartedly and regarded herself as a member of the Lin family, rather than being incompatible because of the disparity in status. This is extremely rare.
Huang Changqing meant that he was worried that Lin Jue would make Guo Caiwei unhappy if he brought a girl home.
