"brute"

Looking at the account book in his hand, Emperor Guangde slapped the table with his palm, and under his anger, he covered his mouth and coughed violently.

Tao An, the eunuch who was waiting by the side, saw him, and hurriedly stepped forward to relieve his back: "Long live, the dragon's body is the most important!"

"If you say that the dragon body is the most important thing, I think it's good that these evil obstacles can't be mad at me." Emperor Guangde was disheartened.

The second son (the second prince) whom he valued illicitly smuggled with the important officials of the court to embezzle taxes and money, and in order to avoid people's eyes and ears, he even went to the flower boat to write off the account. Even in order to fight for power and profit, he ignored the country and framed the eldest prince for leaking the exam questions. Recalling that in the 18th year, when he pushed out the Meridian Gate and beheaded more than a dozen officials involved in the case, Emperor Guangde couldn't help but closed his eyes.

And his favorite eldest prince, in order to retaliate against the second prince, did not hesitate to collude with the Tartars and kill Zhongliang, so that Zhao Yijing is still alive and dead.

Thinking of this, Emperor Guangde couldn't help feeling chills. With a tired look on his face, he waved his hand: "Okay, let's go back."

"Yes." Lu Li, who was crawling on the ground, immediately retreated respectfully.

"Long live." The eunuch Tao An immediately offered a tea cup to Emperor Guangde.

Emperor Guangde took the tea cup, but didn't drink it. He murmured, "Tao An, you said that after a hundred years, who should this country be passed on?"

Tao An didn't speak, just waited quietly.

...

At the end of August, the township exam was released, and Meng Zezhi was named Jie Yuan as he wished.

The teacher who had seen the recommendation paper and the teacher who was in charge of the examination received twenty taels of silver from the land and water archway. He bid farewell to all the candidates of the same year (the candidates admitted in the same list), and Meng Zezhi officially set foot on the journey back to Beijing.

It was mid-November when we arrived in the capital, and there was light snow in the sky. Xiao shi personally brought someone to the city gate to pick him up.

When he got off the carriage, he saw Xiao Shi, who was much lighter than he had imagined. Meng Zezhi's eyes were red and he walked quickly to her. With a flutter of his robe, he knelt down with a plop, "Mother, my son is back."

"It's good to come back, it's good to come back." Xiao shi hugged Meng Zezhi, tears welling up in her eyes, she pulled him up and looked up and down: "I'm tall, but also thin..."

Xu is touching the scene, and her tears fell down.

"Mother," Meng Zezhi was already mentally prepared, and he looked helpless: "What's the matter with you, mother?"

Xiao Shi choked and said, "An'er, your eldest brother, your eldest brother, he is missing."

"Big brother?" Meng Zezhi's expression froze, and he secretly said that sure enough, he hurriedly asked, "Big brother, what's wrong with him?"

"Four months ago..." Xiao shi stammered and recounted the ins and outs of the matter.

A surprise flashed in Meng Zezhi's eyes immediately, but after the surprise, he was full of hesitation, and in the end there was only distress. He helped Xiao Shi and comforted him: "Mother, you need to know that there is no bad news, it is the best news. Big brother Jiren You have your own celestial appearance, nothing will happen, mother, don't worry."

Mammy Zheng also said quickly: "Yes, Madam, goodness is rewarded. You have done so many good deeds on weekdays, and God will surely bless the prince safe and sound."

Hearing what the two of them said, Xiao Shi slowly closed her tears.

Then I heard Mammy Zheng say: "Madam, it's so cold today, do you think we should go back to the manor first?"

Only then did Xiao Shi react: "Yes, yes, go back to the mansion, go back to the mansion!"

She took Meng Zezhi's hand and said, "Mother has prepared your favorite steamed squirrel for you. It's been more than a year since you've been out, and you've suffered!"

Meng Zezhi looked helpless: "Mother, there is nothing..."

He knew better than anyone which of Xiao's words were sincere and which were fakes for those who cared about them.

Because Zhao Yijing's life and death were unknown, the entire palace was covered with an atmosphere of half-truth and sadness. Therefore, this time Meng Zezhi returned with honor, and Xiao Shi did not intend to do anything for him, but only gave a symbolic reward to the Duke's mansion for the next month's monthly money.

Knowing this, Song Guogong Zhao Lingwu, who came back from the next dynasty, sighed in his heart, Xiao Shi has always been a good mother and wife, but he is not a good husband.

Thinking of this, he instructed: "Sihai, go to my private library and get a box of calligraphy and paintings, two boxes of antique ornaments, and two hundred taels of gold to send to Lao Jiu."

What Zhao Lingwu lacked most were these things. He marched for decades and fought in battles for decades. It was a default rule on the battlefield. Of the loot that was captured, 60% was returned to the state treasury, 20% was given to the soldiers, and the remaining 20% ​​belonged to the coach, let alone Those sneaky darlings are gone.

Over the years, there are hundreds of cars that he has brought home. Except for a small part that has been returned to the public school, the rest are kept in his private library, except for those given out during the New Year and festivals.

He had no impression of Meng Zezhi, but since this son was arguing with him, he always had to express his disapproval.

"Master Guo?" Qiao Renyuan stood up and bowed back.

"Huh?" Zhao Lingwu turned his head to look, and then he remembered that Ma Sihai, who had been with him for more than ten years, had fallen ill due to a sudden emergency the year before. Thinking that he had left the capital for only five years, the mansion was already a mess.

He sighed and said, "Then you can do it."

"Yes." Qiao Renyuan replied.

Just as he was talking, the servant came to report: "Master Guo, Ninth Young Master is here to invite you to come."

Zhao Lingwu was in a better mood: "Call in."

As soon as he entered the door, Meng Zezhi respectfully knelt down to Zhao Lingwu: "My son pays respects to his father, and greets his father."

"Okay, okay." Zhao Lingwu personally helped him up.

Noticing the excitement and admiration on Meng Zezhi's face, and looking at his bearing, Zhao Lingwu's satisfaction with him suddenly increased from five points to eight points. He patted Meng Zezhi's face. Zezhi's shoulders, smiled and said: "As expected of my son Zhao Lingwu, even in the four yuan, but it gave me a long face."

"Father is wrong," Meng Zezhi said with even more excitement: "I can't compare to my father's bravery and good combat skills, who defeated the Tartars on the battlefield, and praised me greatly."

"It's not the same..."

The two of you went back and forth with each other, and in the end, Zhao Lingwu nodded with satisfaction, and then exhorted: "Of course, although you are a top performer in the imperial examinations, but you are only just now in your career. In the beginning, you must not be too arrogant or impetuous at this time, you know?"

After the township examination, Meng Zezhi had already obtained the qualifications to elect an official in principle, which meant that he had already stepped into a career with one foot.

"Follow my father's teaching." Meng Zezhi reluctantly suppressed the excitement on his face, and responded respectfully.

"Okay, it's getting late, so let me have dinner here."

"Yes."

"Come, try the ginseng black-bone chicken soup that I simmered with my own hands." Mrs. Xiao gave Zhao Lingwu and Meng Zezhi a bowl.

Zhao Lingwu happily accepted. Since his teacher returned to the court, the soup and water at home have never stopped. He didn't like to eat these at first, but after using Xiao's stew for two months, the dark disease in his body. Everything improved, and after this, a bowl of soup before meals became his habit.

"Delicious." Meng Zezhi finished eating the contents of the bowl in two or three times.

"Drink an extra bowl if you like." Saying that, Mr. Xiao reached for his bowl.

"Mother, I'll just do it myself."

...

Seeing how Xiao Shi and Meng Zezhi's mother were kind and filial to their sons, Zhao Lingwu sighed again. Because he was guilty of being a thief in the past, he was afraid that Xiao Shi would see something, so he always avoided contact with Xiao Shi and Zhao Yijing. Over time, even their mother and son When the two of them sat together by chance, it mostly ended with Xiao's favor and Zhao Yijing's embarrassment.

This was the first time he saw Xiao Shi smile so happily, as if he had temporarily forgotten the sadness and sadness caused by Zhao Yijing's disappearance, and he felt more and more guilty in his heart.

If Jing'er really can't come back...

Thinking of this, Zhao Lingwu became more and more firm in his thoughts.

After dinner, Meng Zezhi was about to retire when Zhao Lingwu stopped him, then he turned to look at Xiao Shi and said, "I have something I want to discuss with you."

Xiao Shi calmly covered the dark light in his eyes: "Please speak."

"I want to adopt An'er under your name, which can be regarded as giving him a serious identity." Zhao Lingwu said.

This was not his whim, but after learning that Meng Zezhi was in the test to understand Yuan, he had this idea.

That is Jie Yuan from Jiangxi.

Thinking back on Jiangxi's brilliant achievements in the palace examinations over the years, it is almost certain that, as long as there is no accident, Meng Zezhi has a 70% chance of winning the championship (first place). At that time, in order to demonstrate the civil and martial arts of the Guangde Dynasty, as long as Meng Zezhi's results in the palace examinations were not too bad, the imperial court had to add the icing on the cake and appoint him as the champion.

There are three elements in the world, but there are no six elements in the world.

Whether it was for Meng Zezhi's sake or for the sake of the court's face, all in all, the Duke's Mansion must never give out a concubine Liuyuan.

This is the first one. The most important thing is that Zhao Yijing has been missing for more than four months, and all the people who can be sent have been sent to look for it. So far, no news has come back.

As the head of the family, he cannot be like the Xiao family, immersed in grief all day long, and he must think about the future of the government.

He thought about it, if something happened to Zhao Yijing, Meng Zezhi would be able to take it.

Xiao Shi obviously thought of this too. She concealed the sadness on her face, her eyes were red, and she said with a look of relief: "This is the best, it's not in vain for An'er to call my mother for so many years."

Meng Zezhi was overjoyed and said excitedly, "Thank you father and mother."