Mu Anzhi was like a huge boulder falling from the sky, creating stormy waves on the relatively calm lake of the Xu family. After making sure that there was no danger, Xu Zhen returned to the Yamen to continue his duties, and the old lady Xu, Mrs. Xu, also returned to her previous dignity and calmness.
Mrs. Xu went to arrange lunch. Mrs. Xu briefly asked what Mu Anzhi had said. Li Yuhua said, "I didn't say anything when we met for the first time."
Seeing that Li Yuhua didn't want to elaborate, Mrs. Xu didn't ask any more questions. She organized her thoughts and said something important, "Before you came to the imperial capital, the Queen specially sent the nuns from the palace to teach you some palace etiquette.
It comes in handy."
Li Yuhua said, "I do have some shortcomings in this area, and I should learn from it."
Old Mrs. Xu ordered her maid to invite the two nuns Zhu and Zhao to come over. They were both in their forties. They were both dressed in simple dresses with azurite color. There were no patterns on the dresses. Their black hair on the temples was neatly combed, except for one or two silver hairpins.
Outside, the rest of them have no bright colors. However, from the looks of it, Aunt Zhu has two deep lines on both sides of her nose, which looks more serious. Aunt Zhao has a round face, and she smiles before she speaks, which is a natural beauty.
Peaceful look.
While Li Yuhua was looking at her two people, they were also looking at Li Yuhua. Li Yuhua was also dressed appropriately. Her dress was not gorgeous, just an aqua gauze long skirt, with a belt and shawl that matched it in a lively way.
She is a bright red in color, with her hair in a bun that is often worn by ladies in the imperial capital, and one or two beaded flowers on her temples as embellishments. She is neither overly gorgeous nor shabby. She is just a bit rustic, which makes people look down upon her.
Under the introduction of Mrs. Xu, they met each other. Mrs. Xu took Li Yuhua's hand and said to the two nuns Zhu and Zhao, "I will entrust this girl to you. The big wedding is in August. Regarding the rules of the palace,
I have to ask you to give this girl a few pointers."
Both of them bowed and said in unison, "I will do my best if I have the support of the old lady."
Mrs. Xu discussed with Li Yuhua, "Then let's learn the rules from this afternoon."
"It all depends on the old lady." Li Yuhua said, "I think there is still some time before lunch. Since the two nuns are here, you might as well tell me what lessons you need to learn next. I have kept it in mind and I have an idea."
Aunt Zhu raised her chin slightly and said, "The queen's instructions are mainly to tell the girl about palace etiquette."
"On the way to the imperial capital, Aunt Zheng told me some of the rules in our house. There are rules for waking up in the morning and dusk, and greetings at ordinary times. The etiquette in the palace will only be more elaborate than in our house.
I think, this is not something that can be finished in one day, how did the mothers arrange the homework for me?"
Aunt Zhu said, "I should first learn the etiquette of meeting the three palaces."
"What are the three palaces?"
Aunt Zhu's surprise was written on her face, "Girl, don't you even know this?"
Li Yuhua stroked her dress, looked at Zhu and Zhao with faint eyes, and said calmly, "I heard from grandma that you guys arrived at the house earlier. Didn't grandma tell you what's going on with me?"
Aunt Zhao quickly added, "The three palaces refer to the Zhaode Palace where Your Majesty lives, the Ci'en Palace where the Queen Mother lives, and the Fengyi Palace where the Queen Mother lives. The Queen Mother, Your Majesty, and the Queen Mother are all the most noble and noble in the world."
Aunt Zhu’s nose lines became deeper and longer, “These are the most basic common sense, the girl must remember them. Old lady, although the lady mentioned that the girl has been raised in the country, we didn’t expect that the girl didn’t even know these.
knew."
"Teacher, teach me and solve my doubts. Isn't it just to teach me things I don't know? If I know everything, I don't need to invite you." Li Yuhua narrowed his eyes slightly, "Let's get back to the topic, what you originally planned to teach me.
What’s the plan?”
Aunt Zhu said, "Let's learn first, the girl doesn't understand anything. We'll have to think about it later."
How could Li Yuhua be fooled by such excuses? She looked at Zhu and Zhao, "Although I don't understand anything, I understand the world's affairs, and they are all the same. I can chop firewood by sharpening my knife. I am a very organized person.
It’s clear. What do you want to teach me? You go back and think about it carefully and list the lessons you need to learn every day. I’ve read it and it’s not too late to teach me.”
Without waiting for the two of them to speak, Li Yuhua picked up the tea cup at hand and said, "If you have anything to do, let's go down first."
Zhu and Zhao came to Xu's house and received all the courtesy, but now they were served tea by Li Yuhua. Both of them looked a little ugly. Aunt Zhu looked at Old Mrs. Xu, "Old lady, look, we won't be able to do this."
It was taught by Fa Zai.”
Just as Mrs. Xu was about to smooth things over, Li Yuhua raised her eyebrows and said, "The lessons that the teachers in the school have to teach every day are also planned. Since you have to teach me the rules and make a study plan, you can't teach me any more."
?This is the first time I know there is such a thing?"
"Since we teach, the girl will follow and learn. The Queen sent us here because she believes in our intentions. Why does the girl need to ask more?"
"Fart! I can't ask you that?! You are not the nuns sent here by the queen, but the ancestors sent to the Xu family, right?"
"The Queen ordered-"
"What kind of instructions does the Queen have? You might as well write them down. When will I go to the palace to ask if they have these instructions?" Li Yuhua interrupted Mother Zhu's words and said coldly, "Stop using the Queen to pressure others."
! When I went to Fucheng before, the woman who poured night fragrance in the governor’s house would open her mouth or shut up just as the governor did. You are not a family, are you? "
"Seeing me coming from my hometown, you despise me and look down on me. You want to give me power and establish rules! You really made the wrong idea!" Li Yuhua flicked his wrist, and a cup of herbal tea was splashed at the feet of the two of them, splashing them wet.
The two of them stood up suddenly and looked at Li Yuhua angrily. Before leaving, they said, "The eldest girl in the house is so ungrateful. We have the honor of being entrusted by the empress. We really have no shame in staying in the house any longer.
Then I resigned from the old lady and returned to the palace."
Mrs. Xu stood up anxiously and said, "Don't worry, you two, let me talk about this girl."
"Grandma, why are you so anxious? This is just the usual trick of a dog fighting a man's power, and she and the two of them were fooled by it!" Li Yuhua couldn't resist and pulled the old lady Xu to sit down and looked at the two of them coldly, "You have to look at the owner to beat a dog, then.
It has to be a sensible dog, a dog that only knows how to cause trouble for its owner. I want to see if the Queen will attack me for you?"
Their faces turned purple, "Don't be upset, big lady. You don't like us, but you don't have to say bad things to each other. We can just leave."
The two of them tried to save their face with their last harsh words, but in the end, even Mrs. Xu didn't stop her, and the two of them had to leave in disgrace. Before Mrs. Xu could speak, Li Yuhua said first, "Grandma, don't worry, it's like this
I've seen a lot of old tricksters."
Mrs. Xu said, "What's the matter with her two nuns? One is about the Queen, and the other is that you will inevitably be delayed for a few days in learning the rules."
"Could the Queen send two unscrupulous slaves to embarrass me? It's nothing more than a fox pretending to be a tiger. If it's someone else, it's easy to tolerate, but they actually want to pinch me? I have to ask two unscrupulous slaves to pinch me. My life is in vain! Learn the rules.
There's no rush, just hire a good master. I'm not stupid, so I'll get twice the result with half the effort." Li Yuhua handed the teacup to Yunyan, and Yunyan gingerly changed it to a new one for Li Yuhua. Li Yuhua
Asked, "Grandma, the Third Highness ranks third, and there must be the Second Highness and the First Highness above him. When the First Highness and the Second Highness confer marriage, do the Queens and Concubines also send nuns to the princes and concubines to teach them the rules?"
The old lady Xu was first shocked by Mu Anzhi's sudden visit. Then Li Yuhua had a fit and walked away from the palace to teach the nun. The old lady was very worried, but she also admitted in her heart that it was really a relief. Zhu and Zhao were from the Queen's faction.
The people who came here are quite popular in the house. I expected them to be more dedicated, but they wanted to treat Li Yuhua as a piece of dough, but Li Yuhua was not easy to handle. Old Mrs. Xu naturally favored Li Yuhua, "I used to see them talk like this."
Don't be offended because the rules are so annoying. I heard that there are female officials who go to the Crown Princess's place, and the Second Prince's Concubine is sent by the Queen Mother."
Seeing Mrs. Xu coming in a hurry, he smiled and said, "What's wrong? Aunt Zhu and Aunt Zhao came to me crying, saying that they had offended Yuhua and wanted to go back to the palace. I stopped them temporarily."
Mrs. Xu's face darkened and she said dissatisfiedly, "The two of them have no success in teaching Yuhua, and their words are not respectful to Yuhua. There is nothing we can do about it. Maybe our temple is small and we cannot tolerate the two of them."
Big Buddha.”
Mrs. Xu smiled, "If the matter is not serious, you might as well endure it temporarily. After all, it depends on the Queen's face."
Li Yuhua is really tired of the word "Queen" now. She said, "If I hadn't known that the Queen's moral behavior was an example to the world, I would have thought that they were ordered to tease me. Madam, I don't need to say it, I can't afford to do this."
People don’t dare to use it, so just ask them to go back and forth wherever they want.” If you were really confident, you wouldn’t go to Mrs. Xu to cry and complain, but just get out!
Mrs. Xu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, "But now that the wedding is coming, where can we find a nanny to teach us? Besides, the Crown Princess, the Second Princess and our family all have nuns, but we only have nuns here."
If Mommy sends you back, your reputation will be affected if word spreads to Yuhua."
"In a place like the imperial capital, it is impossible to find a gentleman who understands court etiquette. I will not be angry with these unscrupulous slaves for the sake of reputation, and I do not believe that two unscrupulous slaves can ruin my reputation."
Mrs. Xu followed the good example and said, "Okay, then we will discuss it with your father when he comes home."
After lunch, Li Yuhua went back to the small courtyard to rest. In the evening, as soon as Xu Zhen returned home from the office, the reward from Ci'en Palace arrived.
The Queen Mother and the Third Highness presented Li Yuhua with a roasted lamb and a basket of cherries.
The reward from the Ci'en Palace shocked the Xu family even more than the sudden visit from His Highness the Third Prince this morning. Especially the chamberlain who sent the reward said very politely, "The Queen Mother wants to meet the eldest daughter in the palace, and will send a palace envoy to take the eldest daughter into the palace tomorrow.
Please get ready, eldest lady, and enter the palace to pay your respects to the Queen Mother."
Li Yuhua calmly responded with a "yes" and said to the waiter who presented the reward, "I'm sorry to thank you for coming over on such a hot day. Please sit down and have a cup of tea."
"Thank you, Miss, for the tea. We have some other matters at home, so we can't wait long."
"I'll see my father-in-law off."
The roasted lamb was delivered to the Xu Mansion from the palace. It was already a little cold. The Xu family's kitchen re-roasted it for a while. The aroma was mouth-watering. Li Yuhua ate a lot of it gracefully, especially the roasted lamb until it was crispy and translucent with oil.
When you bite into the sheepskin, the fat explodes with a burnt aroma. Li Yuhua praised it again and again, "It's my first time to eat roasted lamb. It tastes really good."
The rest of the Xu family did not care to taste the delicious roast lamb carefully. The summons from Ci'en Palace the next day was the top priority.
Ever since the Xu family said that their eldest daughter was not Xu Hui but someone else, Empress Dowager Lan was so angry that she stopped the Xu family's female family members from entering the palace to pay their respects on the 15th day of the lunar month. Moreover, the chamberlain said that Empress Dowager Lan made it very clear that she would
Send the palace envoy to pick up Miss Xu.
After dinner, Mrs. Xu took Li Yuhua to give some instructions. Xu Zhen asked Li Yuhua to go to the study to talk.
The moonlight was like water, and the maid held a lantern to illuminate the road. Li Yuhua and Xu Zhen walked side by side. The cool night breeze blew slowly, and neither father nor daughter spoke. Until they reached the garden waterside pavilion, Xu Zhen asked the maid to wait in the distance.
Pushing open the door of the waterside pavilion, Xu Zhen took out a fire and blew it, lighting the candlestick in the room.
Candlelight drives away the darkness and fills the house. The semi-dark waterside pavilion is immediately as bright as day. The waterside pavilion is surrounded by water on three sides and has windows on four sides, so there are not many books in the room. At this time, the pavilion window is half open, taking advantage of the water vapor in the lake.
Very refreshing and pleasant.
Xu Zhen was sitting behind the writing desk, and Li Yuhua went over to sit in the Taishi chair in front of the writing desk, facing Xu Zhen's eyes.
Xu Zhen had a handsome life and a gentle and pleasant voice, "You should be able to sense that His Highness the Third Highness is at odds with the Xu family. You are a smart boy. Since you can get along peacefully with His Highness, it is best to marry him in the future.
His Highness’s will is the master. This will be beneficial to your future life. You must remember the next words.”
"Speaking."
"The mother of His Highness the Third Highness is the deposed Queen Liu. The Liu family was originally the first wife of the late emperor who married her. The Liu family used to be the most prominent family in the imperial capital. However, they were raided for crimes and Queen Liu was deposed. The current queen's surname is Lu, and the Lu family is named after
He started his career in the military, and now there is a duke and a marquis in the family. Queen Lu is the biological sister of Hui Ran's mother. The relationship between His Highness and Queen Lu's family is very poor. Before the crown prince was established, His Highness had intended to reserve the throne. Before you arrived,
In front of the Imperial Capital, His Majesty has appointed the eldest son of Queen Lu as his heir." Xu Zhen looked into Li Yuhua's calm eyes and said, "His Third Highness's situation in the court is not good, but Ci'en Palace has always favored him. He and Ci'en Palace
It's also close. When you go to Ci'en Palace tomorrow, just for the sake of His Highness the Third Highness, Ci'en Palace will not embarrass you."
"Ci'en Palace and Fengyi Palace are not on good terms, and they don't like the Xu family because of this gifted marriage. If you can please Ci'en Palace, don't worry about the Xu family. I have no kindness to you, let alone your mother.
Your future path should be based on your own interests. Don't listen to anyone's instigation. If it's good for you, do it. If it's bad for you, don't do it. For you, nothing is more important than your own interests."
Li Yuhua didn't really understand these things like queen mother, queen, prince, prince, etc., but that didn't stop her from remembering every word of Xu Zhen's words in her heart.
After a moment of silence, Xu Zhen said, "That's it, keep these in your heart. This is the greatest benefit."
Li Yuhua nodded and Xu Zhen said, "There's nothing else, go ahead."
Li Yuhua didn't move. She looked at Xu Zhen and asked him, "You know you were sorry for my mother. Have you ever regretted it?"
Xu Zhen's lips twitched slightly, until a hint of pain appeared in his still handsome eyes. He whispered softly, as if he was answering Li Yuhua's question, and also seemed to be asking himself, "Is regret useful?"
"Did it work? Do you regret it?" Li Yuhua's clear eyes looked directly at Xu Zhen, Xu Zhen's eyes with complicated emotions reflected in the depths of his pupils.
Xu Zhen opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came out. For a long time, his voice was hoarse, as if his warm voice had been chopped into pieces by a sharp sword. He finally said one word, "Yes."
This word seemed to be of great weight, roaring with the wind and frost of the old year, and engraved deep traces of time on Xu Zhen's always elegant face. Xu Zhen's whole back seemed to be overwhelmed, his shoulders drooped, and his spine was bent.
The upright gentleness when we first met has disappeared without a trace.
"Have you ever thought about turning back?"
Xu Zhen's eyes showed regret, pain, sadness and exhaustion. After a long time, he said, "Yuhua, not everything can be turned back."
Li Yuhua stood up from the desk and turned around. From the corner of his eye, he saw a trembling glimmer in Xu Zhen's eyes, which looked like tears. Li Yuhua did not stop. She walked to the door, but was called by Xu Zhen. Xu Zhen said
, "If your entry into the palace goes smoothly tomorrow, it will be good for you to ask the Queen Mother to have a female official in the palace teach you your etiquette."