==023==

The days are getting longer and longer, and when the summer solstice is unbearable, the rain has not fallen, and it is dry and hot, and even if the ice is used in the house, it is not much cooler. Ji Yao walked out of Zhuxin Garden in a rare way, sat in the water pavilion by the lotus pond, and listened to the second lady training her pair of thrushes, and the bird's voice slowly became tactful and clear.

The third lady was hit by the heatstroke, and it was uncomfortable to stay in the house after taking the decoction, so she followed Ji Yao to cool off in the water pavilion, lying on her lap and whispering: "Sister, it's too hot this day, so stuffy that I can't sleep day and night, so I want to hold a piece of ice and sleep well." ”

"You can't be greedy for the cold and fall into the root of the disease, the ice cubes are the heaviest in the dog days, originally you were sweating all over your body, and then invaded the cold but went straight into the lungs. Ji Yao patiently persuaded her, and the third lady hummed her head, and she wanted to cry when she heard the voice.

Ji Yao lowered her head and gently stroked her sister's back, she also felt that the weather was too hot, she had never encountered this kind of weather since she could remember, only snow beads drifted sporadically for half a day in the first month, and it had not rained for more than half a year.

Aunt Nan also said the same, it is estimated that more than half of Ji Yao's field in the suburbs of Beijing has not been harvested, and the other half can barely harvest seeds.

This year, there is no income in the field, Aunt Nan should have to worry about the girl's life in the Guogong Mansion, she has lost a lot of weight for a few months, her eye sockets are deep, and her thoughts are listless.

"Pumpkin, they're okay, why didn't I see you bring him, I still have a bottle of jasmine dew here for him, and I will bring it with my aunt when she leaves, and you will let your daughters change those clothes." ”

Ji Ji asked with concern, and saw Aunt Nan turn her head as if she was wiping her tears, she was suspicious in her heart, and asked: "Is there an accident at home? Is the pumpkin sick? What kind of medicinal materials are short of silver and tell me, there are always two bags of medicinal materials in the room, you can take them to see if you can make them." ”

Aunt Nan nodded with tears in her eyes, looking not as simple as a pumpkin being sick.

Ji Yao sat up straight and said tentatively: "Let the pumpkin recover quickly, I still have a few important things to entrust him, he is clever and helps me find out the news of a person......"

Aunt Nan couldn't hold back any longer, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and cried, her shoulders trembled, and she spoke with tears in her eyes after a long time: "Don't hide it from the girl, the pumpkin is gone, and he has been lost for nearly two months." The slave and the master searched all around the capital, but he couldn't see his figure. ”

Ji Yao was trapped in the house and couldn't help, she sat quietly and thought for a while, went into the inner room and rummaged through the cage to find a swallow-shaped jade pendant and gave it to Aunt Nan, and said: "You take the jade pendant to Jingzhao Mansion to find Liu Gongcao, don't mention anything else, just say that he is asked to find the lost son." He accepted the jade pendant and said that he was willing to help you, if he refused to accept it, you should not force it, just come back with the jade pendant. ”

Aunt Nan looked at the swallow-shaped mutton fat jade pendant and muttered, "Is this matter appropriate, will it implicate the girl?"

"No, it's a trivial matter. There is only this person in front of him who is loyal, and he can't help Gu Nian's old relationship with my father. Ji Yao explained with a smile.

The Zhenguo Mansion and his father have a large number of followers, after her father's death, these people are not convinced by the current Zhenguo Gong, and they have a dislike for the Ji family, they are also divided into several factions, most of the gang because of the close to the prince, the city is on fire and the pond fish, after the death of the prince, they were either killed or exiled, and there is little left.

In addition, a small number of them are self-reliant, and in recent years there have been several famous generals among them.

Aunt Nan took the jade pendant like a treasure, and hurried to Jingzhao Mansion for help, but early the next morning, she came happily again, and said with a smile that the pumpkin had been found.

"Liu Gongcao is so efficient?!" Ji Yao was surprised.

"No, no. Aunt Nan waved her hand and said, saying that she went to Jingzhao Mansion yesterday just when Liu Gongcao had something to do and went out on business, and when the city gate was about to be locked, she didn't see anyone coming, so she had to go home first.

Ji Yao was both worried and funny when she heard it, this pumpkin is also a rare stubbornness, if her younger brother is here, it is about the same size as the pumpkin, she always treats the pumpkin as a younger brother in private, and when she sees that there are good things sent to Aunt Nan's Zhuangzi, it is indicated that it is for the pumpkin. In fact, she didn't say it, and no one grabbed the pumpkin.

The son was lost and recovered, and Aunt Nan's heart floated to the sky, and she took out the jade pendant wrapped in a cloth towel from her arms and put it on the table again, allowing Ji Yao to take it back.

Ji Yao slapped the jade pendant with her fingers, handed it to Aunt Nan, and advised: "Now that the pumpkin is back, let him take the jade pendant to Liu Gongcao, tell me about my difficulties in the house, and see what Liu Gongcao says." The world is so chaotic that I can't sit and wait to die. ”

Aunt Nan nodded and understood, sending the pumpkin to ask for directions, Liu Gongcao Zhenzhong would try his best to contact Ji Yao himself, if he said a few words about the scene, the matter would be over. She took the jade pendant, and this time she left with her head held high and her steps brisk.

Before Ji Yao could wait for Aunt Lainan's reply, the Zhong family sent someone to pick up Xiao Liang, Erniangzi and her as guests.

Mrs. Zhong has been in the capital for more than a month, and she sent her housekeeper to Ji's house to send the tuyi ceremony, and apologized to Mrs. Tai on behalf of her, saying that she was not good at visiting relatives and friends, and hoped that her aunt would forgive her. The gifts she gave were extremely rich, and the whole family even Sanniang and Xiao Siniang also received a pair of valuable heads and several clothes materials, and what was given to Ji Yao and Erniang was the same share of pen, ink, paper, inkstone, incense, beads, jade bracelets, and new clothes and materials, so that Mrs. Tai couldn't sleep at night when she saw angina.

Although Mrs. Zhong is not a simple character, and her scheming methods are not inferior to the concubines of Jiugong, but Ji Yao wore the jewelry and beads she gave before going out to show respect, and brought a painting she made as a gift in return.

"Sister, this dress is really good-looking today. After getting in the car, the second lady muttered that she was already very dissatisfied that she couldn't bring thrushes when she went out, and then thought of seeing Zhong Ying soon, the second lady was even more sullen with her brows.

"You lock your brows again, and Ah Ying will smile even more when she sees it in a while. Ji Yao teased, and sure enough, she saw the second lady smoothing her eyebrows with her hand, but she still had a bitter face and complained: "I mentioned it to A-Niang several times yesterday, and asked her to only take you to Zhong's house, and she didn't agree to it, and said that my aunt wanted to see me by name, and she was going to tell me a good family matter." Who rarely talks about family affairs every day, and there is a good Erlang Aunt who leaves it to Ah Ying in the morning, and she can still get my turn. ”

The second lady usually goes straight to the point, but she can vaguely understand people's hearts, and her intuition tells her aunt that her good intentions for herself are not pure.

"What I'm saying is that Mrs. Zhong doesn't have to pull me up if she wants to see her niece, you are the nephew of the Liang family. Ji Yao was also guessing Mrs. Zhong's intentions, a person who had little to do with it would give a generous gift, and the intention behind it couldn't help but make people think deeply.

"Grandmother said that her niece has too many twists and turns to count, I'm afraid my sister can't catch up. "The godlady doesn't feel like she's scolding people at all, and she hits two people with one shot and betrays one person.

Ji Yao was speechless, the second lady looked like a person from the Ji family, even the little fourth lady was better at hiding her thoughts than her.

"Yu Niang, you can't offend people to death if you go out and talk like this. Ji Yao couldn't help but mention something.

"Who are they, and who am I? It has nothing to do with it, so what is it to offend? The second lady went her own way, and her round eyes disgusted Ji Yao for meddling.

Ji Yao has nothing to say, the second lady lives freely because there is someone behind her to support her, she doesn't want to look at other people's faces, and she is even more reluctant to please others, I hope she can be so smooth in her life.

The Zhong family is also accustomed to walking around, and their group is familiar with the road to the back house, Mrs. Zhong took her daughter and daughter-in-law to greet her, and greeted her with a smile from afar: "I haven't seen you for a long time, but I have been thinking about you." ”

When Ji Yao got out of the car, Mrs. Zhong was already chatting with Xiao Liang, the difference between the two sisters was nearly ten years old, but anyone who came to see it would think that Mrs. Zhong was her sister and Xiao Liang was her sister. It can be seen that time is also very tolerant of beauties, and there are few traces of time on Mrs. Zhong's face, she has not seen her for three years, she is more beautiful than usual, that kind of beauty and style is something that Ji Yao and her little girls have never had, or will not have it in their lifetime.

Xiao Liang couldn't hold back her tears, and Mrs. Zhong patted her sister's hand and turned her head to look at the two daughters of the Ji family.

Two slim girls of the same age, Ji Yao's long eyebrows are not painted or dyed, apricot eyes are waves, the nose is small and straight, the skin is like condensing jade, the demeanor is excellent, everyone is full of demeanor in the action, and the voice is neither high nor low, just right.

Yu Niang is slightly inferior, and her eyebrows, eyes and faces are also five points like the Liang sisters, but this gesture really makes people unable to say a good word.

Mrs. Zhong shook her head in her heart, and pulled Ji Yao to praise: "Ah Yao is more beautiful, and she compares our family Ah Ying to it." ”

A beautiful girl in green beside Mrs. Zhong snorted coldly, and looked at Ji Yao from the corner of her eyes, looking extremely disdainful.

Ji Yao had a bit of a headache, Mrs. Zhong praised herself like this, this game was ...... The Zhong family's A-Ying was unhappy for a few days.

"That is, my sister used to have the title of the first beauty in Beijing. "Erniang is beautiful, and she pokes Zhong Ying unhappily.

"How is it before, who is the number one beauty now?" Zhong Ying is not stupid, she understands Ji Yao's current situation and laughs loudly, thinking that there is nothing to show off, and when she goes out and wears the jewelry and dress given by her mother, it will be ruined, and it is useless to be beautiful.

The second lady fought a shot, and after letting go, there was no follow-up move, and she was speechless when Zhong Ying asked, and turned her head with a snort.