The weather in April has a moderate temperature, which is very suitable for sleeping.
In a remote courtyard in the capital, with the sound of a door creaking, there was a noise in the courtyard.
Wang Changlian, the Minister of Rites, got up and started washing himself as soon as it was light.
For the sake of purity and for Xiao Yu to have a good study environment, Wang Changlian took possession of this courtyard with the help of Chen E yesterday.
The yard is not big, with only two main rooms and four outside rooms. I, the housekeeper, Xiao Yu and some servants live here together, so it seems a bit crowded.
However, on weekdays, everyone is busy with their own business and does not disturb each other. For Wang Changlian, living here has less things to do than living in the Rites Yamen, and he is quite satisfied.
At the door of the room, a little head poked his head in: "Mr."
"I usually sleep in late and can't even wake up. What's wrong these days? I wake up earlier than my husband?" Looking sideways at Xiao Yu's smiling face, Wang Changlian picked up the cloth handkerchief hanging on the wall.
Wiped his hands.
"There are some parts of the Analects that Mr. Sir has taught me these past few days that I can't memorize. If I get up early and take advantage of the clear morning, I might be able to memorize a little more." He held his hands on the wall, tilted his head, and pressed his whole face against the door frame.
, Xiao Yu looked at Wang Changlian with a smile.
"Is that so? Sir, why don't you believe me?" Wang Changlian walked to the door, stretched out his right hand, and scratched Xiao Yu's little nose with his curved index finger, "Do you miss your elder brother?"
Xiao Yu let go of the door frame, put her hands behind her obediently, and looked up at Wang Changlian: "It's true to think about my brother, and it's true to memorize the Analects of Confucius when I get up."
"Okay, okay, sir, I believe in you." Stroking Xiao Yu's little head, Wang Chang said: "Go to the study, and while this gentleman doesn't have to go to court, I will teach you the Analects. Once you understand the meaning, it will be easier
Passed it."
It is said to be a study room, but it is just one room that was vacated from the four buildings. It put a few tables and chairs, and bought some discarded bookshelves from wealthy families from the flea market in Beijing, and placed them against the wall.
In the yard, a servant held a broom and was about to start sweeping the dust in the yard.
Seeing the two of them, he nodded respectfully, put away his broom, and went to do other quiet things.
In the study room, there is a piece of rice paper spread out on a relatively small table. The ink in the inkstone has been polished for some time. A slender langhao pen is placed quietly on the inkstone.
Looking at everything on the table, Wang Changlian couldn't help but lower his head: "Did you polish this ink this morning?"
"Yes." Xiao Yu nodded, "When I got up, it was still dark and the handwriting on the book could not be seen clearly, so I fumbled and polished the ink."
Looking at Xiao Yu, Wang Changlian smiled bitterly in his heart.
Today, Dongchang not only has to face the pressure from the emperor, but also faces the crisis brought by Jin Yiwei. Could it be that this little guy sensed something and was so worried about Xiao Chen that he couldn't sleep until dawn?
This is not something a normal child can do.
"Okay, let's write down what I memorized yesterday and show it to you sir." Wang Changlian said with a smile, patting Xiao Yu's arm.
"Yes." Xiao Yu agreed happily and sat on the chair. He rolled up his sleeves and picked up the slender pen on the inkstone.
"Master, Xiao Chen is here." A servant stood at the door of the study and whispered.
"What, big brother is here?" Xiao Yu beamed with joy and was about to put down the brush in his hand.
Wang Changlian straightened his face: "What you are ready to do cannot be abandoned halfway. This is called beginning and ending. In the morning, it is your homework time. Nothing can be changed, including meeting your big brother."
"Yes, Xiao Yu realizes his mistake." Xiao Yu slowly lowered his head.
Seeing the smile on Xiao Yu's face disappear instantly, Wang Changlian remained silent and felt even more entangled in his heart.
In the end, he turned around and walked towards the door, saying to the servant who sent the message: "Let's go, don't disturb Yu'er from doing her homework."
The simple living room is small in size and can accommodate up to seven or eight people sitting down to talk at the same time.
Beside the old Eight Immortals table, Xiao Chen, who was wearing a light blue gown, was holding a tea bowl and savoring the West Lake Longjing tea he brought back from Hangzhou.
"Brother Xiao, come here so early, what's the matter?" Wang Changlian walked in with a smile, and his smiling face did not look like the head of the six departments of the imperial court.
Xiao Chen hurriedly put down his tea bowl and stood up, hugging his fists: "Master Wang."
"You are not a grown-up, I still like you to just call me the head of the Wang family like you did in Qinghe store." Wang Changlian waved his hand and sat across from Xiao Chen.
"Okay, Master Wang." Xiao Chen chuckled and sat down.
Wang Changlian put his right arm on the table, leaned forward, and looked at Xiao Chen reproachfully: "Have you taken over this yard early in the morning?"
Hearing the other party ask this, Xiao Chen knew that Chen E's mouth was not reliable and the news had already been leaked.
He could only smile awkwardly: "The head of the Wang family has changed several places to live in the capital, but none of them are ideal. Living in the Xingbu Yamen is not convenient for these servants. I also accidentally learned that the owner of this small courtyard moved out of the capital.
, I wanted to sell it, so I spent some money to buy it. I thought Master Chen would keep it secret, but I didn’t expect that he actually betrayed me."
Wang Changlian straightened his face: "Can you blame Mr. Chen? In a place like the capital, just a yard like this should cost a lot of money. He didn't even mention the money, so he just forced me to move here. I
Can I ask more carefully? Tell me how much money it cost, and I will ask the butler to give it to you."
"I have never moved into the General Mansion of the courtyard given to me by the Ministry of Industry. I asked you to move there, but you didn't go either. It's okay for you to make do with it, but Xiao Yu needs a clean environment to study. I bought this courtyard. In fact, I bought this courtyard.
It's for Xiao Yu." Xiao Chen argued.
Wang Changlian didn't speak, and stared at Xiao Chen's eyes without moving, which made Xiao Chen's scalp feel numb for a while.
"Why, you are used to making strong arguments outside, but when you come here, you still have to quibble?" Wang Changlian said calmly.
Xiao Chen stood up and bowed deeply to Wang Changlian: "Master Wang, you are a second-rank official in the imperial court, so your salary is naturally not low. But to support such a large family, there will be very little left after a month.
You take Xiao Yu with you, teach him to read, and take care of his food, clothing, housing, and transportation. In this small courtyard, treat me as if I am doing my part for one of our own, okay?"
Wang Changlian looked at Xiao Chen and was silent for a moment: "You are right. It is really difficult for me to take care of this family with my salary. However, the family business left by our ancestors can still be maintained for a while. Do you think I am
I'm very happy that I am one of my own, but I can't be a burden to you. Tell me, if you pay for this small courtyard, each of us will get half of it."
Seeing that Wang Changlian was still insisting, Xiao Chen simply changed his mind: "Since the head of the Wang family is determined to pay the silver, this yard has a total of twenty taels of silver, and half of it for each person is meaningless. You might as well just give me twenty taels, and from now on
It’s no longer a favor to me.”
"Twenty taels?"
"Twenty taels!" Xiao Chen raised the corners of his mouth and smiled proudly.
"You can buy a courtyard in the capital for twenty taels. Are you bullying me because I only know how to read and don't understand the market? I can't even buy that courtyard wall for twenty taels." Wang Changlian shook his head with a wry smile.
"I was brought here for twenty taels of silver. If you don't want to owe me any favors, just twenty taels of silver will settle the matter." Xiao Chen stretched out his left hand towards Wang Changlian, looking like a scoundrel.
"How dare you ask me for twenty taels of silver? No." Wang Changlian glared, and then burst out laughing.
Xiao Chen also covered his mouth and laughed proudly.
Faced with Xiao Chen's "rogue behavior", Wang Changlian simply became a "rogue". But Wang Changlian knew in his heart that only his own people could do this kind of thing of providing help in times of need.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Changlian suppressed his smile and said, "You came to me because of the matter of Ma Yunshan, the head of the Ministry of Rites?"
Xiao Chen nodded: "This person's hand has already reached out to Dongchang. I don't know if he wants to avenge Cangcheng, or if he really wants to use Dongchang as a stepping stone to achieve success. No matter which point it is, I have to take action first.
To be strong."
Wang Changlian stood up and walked into the back room.
Not long after, he walked out with a yellowed pamphlet the size of his palm.
He handed it to Xiao Chen and slowly shook his head: "This is the file left by Ma Yunshan in the Ministry of Rites. Unexpectedly, he was in charge of the Ministry of Rites and stayed there for ten years. I only cleaned up the top management of the Ministry of Rites, and for the six
I didn't take Pin's boss seriously. Now, he has become the commanding officer of Jinyiwei, and he is standing on the opposite side of Dongchang. To be honest, I feel a little ashamed of Dongchang regarding this matter."
