Chapter 30 The Regent

It wasn't until evening that Mrs. Pei went home with her two daughters.

After all, this is the first time that the youngest daughter has appeared in the social circle of the capital, and Pei's mother is still very concerned about it. After the mother and daughter got into the carriage, she asked with concern, "How is today?"

Not waiting for Zhen Tingyun to respond, Zhen Yiyun already replied forcefully: "It's nothing to do next to me, but the second sister is still too shy and doesn't talk much."

Maybe it's Zhen Yiyun's lessons from the past, but Mrs. Pei didn't listen to her eldest daughter. Instead, she turned to look at Zhen Tingyun and asked in a warm voice, "Sister Ting, what do you think?"

Zhen Tingyun also thought about it carefully, and felt that it was better to keep a long story short, so he summed it up succinctly: "It's all good. Everyone is a very good person, and it's easy to get along. By the way, I'm still here today. Two jokes."

It's these people who always like to talk about clothes, jewelry, regents, etc. These topics are boring and a waste of time. Especially Zhen Tingyun, who was preparing for the women's school entrance examination in June, felt that time was tight, and naturally felt that this kind of entertainment was very useless, especially a waste of time.

Thinking like this, Zhen Tingyun is very rare to say a few sincere words to Pei's own mother: "Mother, in June is the entrance examination for women's schools, and now it's only a few months away. I have a weak foundation, it must be You need to pay more attention to your studies. For the rest, it's not too late to wait until the women's school exam is over."

Pei's expression changed slightly when he heard the words.

You know, Mr. Pei didn't think that on the basis of Zhen Tingyun, he would be able to enter the middle school for women's school this year. Therefore, what she thought in her heart was: first teach her little daughter the rules and etiquette, and when she can meet people, she will slowly take her to meet people who are close to each other and know each other. If Zhen Tingyun is smart, it will be better if he can enter the social circle of girls of the same age. When Zhen Tingyun's foundation is solid, he may be able to take the women's school test next year. He will be good in the test. If he fails the test next year, it's time to think about his youngest daughter's marriage... Then, friendship. It is estimated that good people all know the situation of her little daughter, and those who are willing to say kiss are naturally willing.

Pei felt that she was thinking about her daughter wholeheartedly and thoughtful, but she didn't expect that Zhen Tingyun himself was also assertive and had other ideas, so he wouldn't cooperate at all. However, Zhen Tingyun's remarks are particularly upright - you can't say that people's love of learning is wrong, right?

Therefore, when Mrs. Pei heard these words, she felt a little uncomfortable in her heart, and she was quite annoyed and unhappy that her plans were disrupted. But she didn't refute her face, she just sighed and said, "If that's the case, then I'll listen to you..."

After a pause, it was her own daughter, and she still cared about being a mother, so she calmed down and added a sentence: "You also said before that 'women learn not only the six arts, but also the world's sophistication'— —Study is important, and the rest can’t be left behind, and the communication between these ladies also needs attention.”

Zhen Tingyun nodded, but didn't answer, thinking he didn't listen.

Pei Shi couldn't help but feel even more disappointed. She only felt that her daughter was really clueless and speechless.

But I don't know, what Zhen Tingyun was thinking at this moment was: this is Zhen Yiyun's social circle after all, like Zhen Tingyun, who just arrived, it would be difficult to squeeze in; it's better to prepare for the exam with peace of mind. Knowing classmates of the right age, the identities of classmates in women's schools are always unusual, and when the time comes, you can also run your own social circle, so you don't have to follow Zhen Yiyun shamelessly...

Mr. Pei was in no mood to speak, and he couldn't help but bring something out on his face, only lightly.

Zhen Yiyun naturally saw Pei's displeasure, but she was happy in her heart. She hurried up to hold Pei's hand, and said with a coquettish smile, "Don't worry, mother, everything is still with me..." After speaking, she continued. Xiao Yingying told Pei about what she had made an appointment with with her cousins, and the day when the regent entered the city, they went to join in the fun and have a look.

Mr. Pei only heard about this, so he couldn't help being surprised and asked a few more questions. After asking about the matter, she was also very relieved. She reached out and stroked the top of her eldest daughter's hair, and said softly: "The county master is a royal, and these things must be the first to know."

She is happy that her daughter can play with the little princess and the others, and the contacts are all powerful.

Of course, Mrs. Pei is not an ignorant woman. After hearing the news of the regent, she still has to think about the impact of this incident on her family, but she feels that it is not good for her at all: Mrs. Pei was dismissed from office at the beginning. , is because of the opposition to Princess Ning and the pro-Northern Man.

It is said that after Princess Ningguo married to Beiman, she was always depressed and passed away early, and the concubine Wu Huanggui also died early because of this. Emperor Xiaozong did not have no regrets in his heart. It's just that the emperor has no regrets, and the more so, the less the Emperor Xiaozong will admit that he has done something wrong, so he stubbornly angered Mr. Pei and insisted on not using this person again.

Before he left, Emperor Xiaozong somehow remembered that Mrs. Pei came, sighed and said to his son, "This is also a loyal minister, and my son can use it." - Emperor Xiaozong has been stubborn for half his life. He bowed his head, expressing his regret in a veiled manner. It is also for this reason that the late emperor was very particular about Old Master Pei.

In the Pei family, Sun Shoufu is an old minister of the three dynasties in the current cabinet, and he has a lot of students and holds great power; Zheng Cifu has a daughter of the queen mother, who is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and is almost as powerful as Shoufu; Mrs. Pei is in the middle. The Ministry of Accounts has always been neutral. Furthermore, Mrs. Pei was also the one who wrote against Princess Ning and her relatives. With this kindness, and his father was always loyal to the country, neutral and non-party, the regent should not be too bad for his own family.

A few days later, the news of the Prince Regent's entry into the city really came out. It was heard that the emperor would lead the important officials out of the city to welcome him personally. Because the news of the little county master came early, Zhen Yiyun and the others rushed early and reserved a good spot in the restaurant in advance.

When the Prince Regent entered the city, Zhen Yiyun said hello to Mrs. Pei in advance, took Zhen Tingyun to the carriage prepared by the family, and went to the restaurant to meet those ladies and daughters.

Zhen Tingyun was really impatient with such boring things: What's so good about the Prince Regent? Isn't it just a pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth? And there are so many people on the street today, standing upstairs and looking down, I am afraid that I will see the heads of the street before I see the face of the Regent!

If you have this skill, you might as well read a few more books at home.

So, seeing the carriage on the street, Zhen Tingyun simply said to Zhen Yiyun, "Younger sister should go first, I just came to the capital not long ago, and I'm still shopping in the capital."

It's rare to go out the door, so it's better to take the opportunity to go to Xishan to see Yuan Hui, she happened to have some questions she wanted to ask Yuan Hui.

Zhen Yiyun was naturally happy to leave Zhen Tingyun aside—although the little princess was going to enter the palace today to attend the palace banquet of the abbot of the Empress Dowager Zheng, but he did not come, but most of the people who came today were daughters with unusual identities. Zhen Yiyun is naturally happy to see his sister alienate these people.

Therefore, Zhen Yiyun was not angry when he heard the words, he just pretended to be troubled, and sighed: "This, everyone made an appointment, it would be bad if the second sister didn't go."

Zhen Tingyun said casually: "What's the matter? I'm not familiar with them. They invited me for the sake of the eldest sister. As long as the eldest sister is here, it doesn't matter whether I go or not."

That being the case, Zhen Yiyun had no choice but to give her a helpless appearance, and left her the carriage at home, saying, "Leave the carriage for you, if it's too late to come back, you don't have to come back. Anyway, the third sister and the others are there, It's the same for me and their car." She wanted Zhen Tingyun to go as far as possible, and it was best not to come back.

Where would Zhen Tingyun be polite to Zhen Yiyun, he naturally nodded in response, turned his head and called the carriage to Xishan.

However, halfway through the car, she thought that it would be bad for her to go to see the teacher as a student, so she would not prepare anything, so she asked someone to go to the pastry shop to buy a pound of sweet-scented osmanthus cake and red jujube cake. I have eaten it at Mrs. Zhen, and it tastes very good. Yuan Hui will like it.

In this way, Zhen Tingyun carried the newly bought cakes, led Pinglan and Qiu Si who were following him, and rode the carriage to Yuanhui's Xishan Courtyard.

As a result, Zhen Tingyun came to the Xishan Courtyard with enthusiasm, but when he arrived at the door, he saw only two guards with knives guarding there.

Zhen Tingyun: "!!!"

Pinglan and Qiu Si, who followed Zhen Tingyun, were both from Pei's style... I had taught them, and most of them knew that they could have other courtyards in Xishan, especially those with guards at the door... They were uneasy all the way. Seeing the two guards guarding the gate at this time, he could not help but remind Zhen Tingyun in a whisper: "Girl, did we go wrong?"

Zhen Tingyun just came from the countryside, and he hasn't been out a few times since he returned to the mansion. How could he know the nobles who live in the Xishan Courtyard?

Zhen Tingyun almost had self-doubt, and after looking around, he was sure again: I did not go wrong! It's here!

Fortunately, Zhen Tingyun also brought the purple jade pendant that Yuan Hui gave her, thinking of what Yuan Hui said at the beginning, "Next time you go to the other courtyard to find me, if I am not here, you will take the jade pendant to the gatekeeper, and they will see it. I'll understand." She boldly took the purple jade pendant out of her arms and handed it to the guard at the door.

The two guards knew the jade pendant, but they took the vigilance on their faces. Instead, they politely bowed to Zhen Ting Yun: "Please..." After a pause, they added, "I'll send it right away. Someone inform the Lord."

Seeing that the jade pendant is useful, I didn't go to the wrong place. Yuan Hui will be back soon, but Zhen Tingyun was relieved, nodded, and said reservedly: "Then you should go and inform Mr. It's not good to stay outside for a long time."

The guards hurriedly responded, one invited Zhen Tingyun to sit in, while the other called the dark guards who were guarding in the dark to come out and spread the news to the prince regent.

Zhen Tingyun didn't pay attention to this, she was taken aback as soon as she entered the yard.

After all, her memory of this yard still lingers on that night: the flowers and plants in the yard have not been taken care of for a long time, it is barren and quiet, and it seems that it has been uninhabited for a long time. But now, the whole yard has a new look, the flowers and trees are lush and scattered, and there is even a new small flower stand.

Zhen Tingyun still didn't understand something, but Pinglan and Qiu Si who were following behind her were stunned, and she felt that the person the second girl knew must have an unusual identity.

The guard was quite clever, and soon brought hot tea up, asking Zhen Tingyun to sit in the room and wait for a while.

Zhen Tingyun is also restless, but he also knows that it is not easy to rummage through other people's things without their consent, so he can only ask one more question: "Do you have a book? Sitting is boring, but you can wait for a while while reading a book. "

The guard thought for a while, and when he remembered his prince's instructions, he quickly brought a few books over.

Zhen Tingyun didn't pick either, she drank tea while reading, and there happened to be some snacks she bought for Yuan Hui. Since Yuan Hui was not around, she ate it first.

*********

After finally dealing with the old foxes in the cabinet, Fu Changxi got up and went to the palace.

Since he was going to enter the city and enter the palace, today he is also dressed as a feudal lord, wearing a princely gold crown, wearing a black-black embroidered red gold dragon pattern dress, and a hollow jade belt around his waist.

Because he was originally in the form of a heaven and a human being, in such a general attire, standing on the steps at this time, the majesty is self-evident, it is really daunting.

However, Fu Changxi thought for himself: According to the next arrangement, he should ask those royal family members who have not seen for a long time to meet and talk. In the evening, there was a family banquet specially prepared by Empress Dowager Zheng, because we all knew that he was not very happy. In addition to the emperor and Empress Dowager Zheng, there were several old uncles, Princess Taichang, Princess Yongle, and King Yan's family. Now—the royal family is thin, and Fu Changxi only has so few close relatives left.

Speaking of which, those old uncles and Princess Taichang are the brothers and sisters of Emperor Xiaozong, that is, Fu Changxi's uncle and aunt, and they all seem to be prosperous. The line of Emperor Xiaozong was a bit bumpy. Emperor Xiaozong had only four sons and two daughters, but it was difficult to say a word - the eldest daughter, Princess Yongle, was widowed in her early years, and she had only one daughter; the eldest son, Prince Xiaoan, died early; Fascinated by the way of longevity; the second daughter, the eldest princess of Ningguo, and the pro-Beijing man, passed away early; the third son was the late emperor, although he was born as a direct prince, he was frail since childhood, and he did not stay on the throne for a few years, only the little emperor was left. Such an only son; as for the youngest son Fu Changxi, he became a clan when he was young, but at this age he is still unmarried and has no heir, which is a well-known problem in the clan.

For Fu Changxi, these relatives were also very upset.

Of course, if you want to pick the worst relative from this bunch of bad relatives, it must be King Yan.

In fact, Fu Changxi has recovered some memories now, and occasionally thinks of his two brothers, especially since the death of the late emperor, he has only one brother like King Yan, and they are very close. As the saying goes, "what is rare is precious", he felt a little nostalgia for King Yan, the only surviving brother. It's a pity that it's better to miss meeting him. As soon as he saw King Yan and heard King Yan's words, Fu Changxi felt his temples throbbing suddenly, which was extremely unfortunate—

There seems to be a voice in my heart: it's him, it's himthe one who is so bad is his brother, King Yan!

"Fourth brother, since I heard that you are coming to Beijing, I have been thinking of refining a pot of pills to make up for you." King Yan took out a mahogany box from his sleeve as if offering a treasure, and handed it over with a smile. The deputy of our brother looked good, "How is it, I didn't treat you badly, right?"

Fu Changxi: "...Then I would like to thank the emperor."

In fact, King Yan still had some elixir that he didn't want to give up on that box - it took a lot of good things and it took a lot of time to refine it. It wasn't until he heard this and saw that his brother knew how to appreciate it, he laughed and waved his hand: "Our brothers, what's the use of saying thank you?"

Fu Changxi didn't even know that King Yan was so obsessed with medicinal pills every day that he dared to put anything in his mouth, how could he live to this day? !

Just when Fu Changxi was in a bad mood, he thought with a cold face whether he should just pretend to miss out and throw away the box full of medicinal pills, someone suddenly came up outside, walked quickly to Fu Changxi's side, bowed respectfully, and then attached it to his ear. Side whispered a few words.

Fu Changxi was just distracted to listen, but his brows moved slightly as he listened.

It was just a moment of thought, and Fu Changxi had already made up his mind, and said, "Brother Huang, I have to go back to the manor first, and accuse me and the empress dowager of the crime, let's just say that tonight's family banquet will be fine. That's all..."

After saying that, without waiting for King Yan to answer, he saw the long sleeves with black embroidered golden dragon pattern gently flicking.

Fu Changxi bowed his sleeves, turned around, and walked away.

King Yan couldn't stop him, so he could only whisper to himself: In such a hurry, wouldn't he be in a hurry to go back and try the effect of the medicinal pill?

*********

At the same time, in the Qianyuan Palace.

Although it was not too late, the hall was lit with lights, and the swaying firelight shone on the golden bricks on the floor, and the black lacquer ground light could be seen. The bright yellow curtain hangs high, behind the tent is a three-legged red-gold inlaid tripod, and the faint ambergris rises from the tripod and flutters.

The young new emperor sat on the dragon chair of the red gold eagle dragon. He was only eight years old this year, with a thin stature and white cheeks. Sitting on the spacious and tall dragon chair, he couldn't even reach his feet. The red-gold embroidered dragon's boots were hanging in the air and could be shaken at any time. Just hanging in mid-air. Just like the bright yellow dragon robe on his body, it always seemed too solemn to put on such a child, and he was afraid that he would not be able to hold it back.

Empress Dowager Zheng was sitting on the side. After she entered the palace for fourteen years, it has only been ten years. She is still like a girl, surprisingly young and amazingly beautiful. At this time, she was joking with Princess Yan who was sitting on her right hand: "Prince Su has not returned to Beijing for many years, and the Queen's Sister-in-law must have not seen him for a long time, right?"

Princess Yan smiled and nodded: "Yes, Nianjia and Nianhua, the two brothers and sisters, only met a few times when they were young, and I'm afraid I don't remember them now."

This is the pair of sons and daughters of Princess Yan, the son of King Yan, Fu Nianjia, and the little princess, Fu Nianhua.

The little princess is standing beside Princess Yan. She is also a frequent visitor to the palace. She has always been daring and can't help but smile when she hears the words: "Although I don't remember it, Uncle Su's famous name has long been called to my ears. I'm cocooned, I've long wanted to meet you..."

"Ai's family has not seen him for many years." I don't know what to think, a complex color flashed in the eyes of Empress Dowager Zheng, and she passed by very quickly.

At this moment, the eunuch suddenly heard the eunuch come forward and say: "Miss, the king of Yan ordered the slave to come up and report back, saying that it was the regent that he left, and I am afraid that the dinner will not come today."

Empress Dowager Zheng's palm on the armrest of the seat tightened slightly, and her face changed slightly: "What's going on?"

The little eunuch didn't know anything, so he had to repeat King Yan's original words: "The Prince Regent and King Yan said that there is something in the mansion, and they must go back to the mansion first."

Empress Dowager Zheng's eyelashes drooped slightly, and in a flash, she changed to a calm and calm smile: "I can't tell what emergency military report has come from the border. After all, the state affairs are important, so let their men go. It's rare for our family to get together. Although King Su can't come, this dinner will still be used."

Although it was a palace banquet for the Prince Regent, everyone was there, so it couldn't be done just because the Prince Regent didn't come. Otherwise, where is the royal prestige? What is the majesty of her empress dowager?

Concubine Yan responded repeatedly, and then she hurriedly said something else, with a lot of witty words, and it was so easy to make Empress Dowager Zheng show her face a little.

I have to say that Princess Yan is a woman who lives very well.

Of course, if she didn't understand, she wouldn't be able to survive today.

Back then, when she got the royal blue eyes and married the second son, King Yan, she secretly rejoiced in her heart, hoping to have a dream of being a husband and a child, and a husband and wife singing along. As a result, when she married into Prince Yan's mansion and saw what kind of confused person Prince Yan was, she completely understood. It's just that this is the marriage bestowed by the Son of Heaven, and the one who is married is also the Prince of the Heavenly Family. Even if King Yan is not a benevolent person, Princess Yan will have to hold her nose to recognize it. Therefore, she endured the nausea and became a husband and wife with a jerk like King Yan for several years. Everyone before and after is like a virtuous concubine, and she can't make a mistake. She waited until Emperor Xiaozong passed away, when the first emperor ascended the throne, and when she had the Prince of Yan and the prince of the small county, then she just let it go.

Without the concubine's restraint, King Yan was brisk, and immediately went up the mountain to become his Taoist priest, and then went to toss with his family's plan of alchemy and longevity. Princess Yan, on the other hand, took care of her sons and daughters wholeheartedly, so it would be impossible to make them look crooked like their own fathers.

Therefore, Princess Yan is also very aware of her own status: the late emperor inherited the throne as a direct prince, compared to the younger brother Su Wang, who was raised with him at the lap of the Queen Mother and was entrusted to the frontier fief when he was young. , King Yan's brother is naturally more eye-catching, otherwise he would not have to stay on the side to watch. That is to say, King Yan has always been confused, and the late emperor just let it go. However, the late emperor was weak in body and bones, with three thousand people in the harem, but in the end he had only one son, who was born by a palace maid. Although he was raised under the knee of Empress Zheng, his background was still a bit poor. It is King Su, who has been guarding the border and rarely enters the capital. So far, he is neither married nor heir, and he is still alone.

In general comparison, King Yan, the elder brother who made alchemy for longevity, and the healthy and lively sons and daughters of King Yan's mansion were very eye-catching in front of the late emperor. Princess Yan has thought deeply, and she lives in a secluded place on weekdays, only raising a pair of children with peace of mind, for fear of attracting attention. Even when the late emperor jokingly said that he wanted to grant the Princess of Yan Wang the position of a princess, she did not dare to ask for it—who knows if this is the emperor's temptation? Who knows what to change after taking this position? Therefore, Princess Yan only resigned with all her might, and still lived her low-key and careful life with her son and daughter in the house.

********

But he said that Fu Changxi came out of the palace in such a hurry, and even ignored the palace banquet. Tang He, a close official, had to persuade him: "His Royal Highness, when you come out at this time, I am afraid that the Queen Mother and the clan will not be able to get through."

Fu Changxi looked very open: "At this juncture, those people in the clan still won't turn against me, and they even think about the law to get close to me - these years, the clan's people are very thin, and the late emperor often relied on the cabinet because of his illness. The imperial family has also been suppressed, like a tiger with its teeth pulled out. Now, they are still expecting me to carry the pressure of the cabinet for them and earn something for them, so naturally they will not take the initiative to find trouble. As for the Zheng family... …”

Fu Changxi obviously really hated the Empress Dowager Zheng, and there were no outsiders around at the moment, so she was directly called "Zheng Shi".

Tang He has already understood something.

Sure enough, speaking of Empress Dowager Zheng, Fu Changxi sneered and spoke slowly, but there was an indescribable coldness in his voice: "The Zheng family dares to send someone to assassinate me, and she must be the empress dowager too. I know. That being the case, why should I show her face?"

Although he knew that Fu Changxi's words were reasonable, Tang He was accustomed to seeing the emptiness and condescension on the scene, so he couldn't help but persuade a few words: "Nevertheless, Your Highness has pushed back the date of returning to Beijing to this day, and made a big fuss about the matter of the suburban welcome. To be absent from the special palace banquet in the palace at this time will definitely be detrimental to the statement. It is necessary to invite the villain to talk."

When Fu Changxi heard the words, he smiled and asked, "Qingzhi, are you stupid?"

Tang He, courtesy name Qingzhi.

Tang He: "..."

The sunlight slanted down from the sky and fell on Fu Changxi's handsome and indifferent face. Because of his short smile, the lines on his face gradually softened, and the person who was originally as hard and cold as a marble statue seemed to have a little more popularity and vitality.

However, Fu Changxi slightly raised his thin lips, and the words he said were still cold and indifferent: "I can get the position of the regent, one is the last words of the late emperor; Because my surname is Fu, I am today's uncle. Therefore, even though you and I have entered Beijing, you don't have to take these personnel matters too seriously, just do your own thing as before."

In the final analysis, with Fu Changxi's current status and the backing of Northern Xinjiang, he naturally has confidence.

Furthermore, Fu Changxi still only has the memories of a teenager. Although he is not as young as a teenager, he is still a little high-spirited.