In the spring of the thirteenth year of Qianlong, the imperial car officially started from Beijing, out of the Forbidden City, and went straight to the starting point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal - Tongxian Wharf, where the mighty imperial boats were connected head to tail, stretching out for several miles, like a long dragon lying on the Grand Canal.

It was a sunny day, and although the spring was cold, it shone warmly on people, making people dizzy and sleepy.

In addition to the high-ranking concubines who accompanied the driver, only Concubine Xu Ruoqing was born, and the rest were just low-ranking nobles, always there, and promised, which was not worth mentioning. As expected by Ming, Concubine Xian stayed in Beijing to preside over the affairs of the inner palace and serve the Queen Mother.

In addition to the concubines of the inner palace, the princess of Elder Brother, the children of the clan, and the ministers of civil and military affairs, there are also imperial guards, Luan Yiwei, and tens of thousands of elites of the Eight Banners who are responsible for escorting.

When Qianlong was in the twelfth year, he also chose a show. A few delicate newcomers have been promoted, but they are all empty, except for the Shu concubine, the most favored concubine is naturally the Kang concubine Xu who entered the palace four years ago. After she had a miscarriage, she received a lot of love from the emperor, and she could be regarded as gaining a firm foothold in the palace in one fell swoop. The queen's calculations were revealed in Yin Changzai's suicide note, even though the emperor did not allow it to be passed on, how could Concubine Xian not tell Concubine Kang? Concubine Xian wished that more people hated the queen.

However, Concubine Kang was a smart person, and she didn't cry and beg the emperor to call the shots. So on this southern tour, she was also among the companions, but the pure concubines and concubines who gave birth to the prince could only stay in the palace. It can be seen that the emperor has favor and pity for her.

In the position of roaring, it is equipped with a special gorgeous ship, which follows the emperor's dragon boat. Kang Concubine is also almost inseparable. The rest of the low-ranking people can only take a small boat, and several people are crammed into a boat. But Boom has just boarded the ship. He was invited by the people in front of the emperor to the emperor's dragon ship.

Among the mighty ships, the emperor's dragon ship was the largest, like a moving palace, two hundred feet long, as if it were in the palace, with the main hall, the inner hall, and the east and west courts, so even on the ship. The emperor can also summon ministers and deal with the twists and turns that are sent in a hurry for six hundred miles. The big dragon boat sailed on the Grand Canal, as if walking on the ground, and did not feel the swaying at all. That's the benefit of a big boat. No matter how fast the wind and waves are on the canal, it is as strong as a mountain.

Seeing the snow on both sides of the bank retreating, the cold wind mixed with wet and cold water vapor rushed to the face, and the red sun was rising. The golden waves on the Grand Canal are reflected. The end is picturesque!

Standing on the bow of the boat, even though he was covered with a sable coat, his cheeks were still blown cold. It wasn't until he was stiffened by the emperor's hand, withdrawn to the ship's hall, and poured a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold.

It was still warm in the ship's hall, with a small stove burning and warm wine boiling. The smell of plum blossoms is bubbling up.

The apes on both sides of the strait could not stop crying, and the light boat had already crossed the ten thousand mountains.

Although the royal ship is not so fast. But after a day and a night, he entered the boundary of Shandong.

The emperor went south in the name of "inspecting the river workers", and naturally when he arrived at the boundary of Shandong, he would inevitably stay there for a few days and inspect the embankment of the Yellow River in person. The royal driver did not stay in the official residence - in order to show his integrity, officials have never stopped the government (except for the weaving house), so the local officials were very intimate early in the morning to prepare an elegant garden presented by the local squire, that is, Zhang Yuan, that is to say, the owner of the garden is surnamed Zhang, and it is said that he is the nephew of Zhang Tingyu, a cabinet scholar.

Being able to serve as a temporary palace for the emperor to stay for a few days is naturally a great honor, and it doesn't matter at all, it is naturally not possible. This garden is indeed extremely elegant, Taihu Lake stone as a rockery, green pines and ancient cypresses are verdant, ancient vines are studied, spring blooms, small bridges and flowing water, swallows and warblers cry, there is a delicate and delicate beauty. Zhang's ancestral home is Anhui, so this garden is full of the unique charm of the mountains and rivers in the south of the Yangtze River, which is not found in the royal palatial land. It seems good to spend a few days in such an elegant garden.

The Zhang family is said to have moved out a month ago, borrowed to live in a relative's house, and the garden was cleaned out early in the morning. In other words, since the emperor ordered the Internal Affairs Office to prepare for the southern tour, Zhang Yuan learned about it here, so he could prepare early.

In order to shoot the emperor's sycophants, they can be regarded as painstaking. After all, the pillar of the Zhang family, the university scholar Zhang Tingyu is over eighty years old, and he also had an excerpt at the beginning of the year to tell the old, although he was retained by the emperor, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that the emperor's retention is just a politeness, and it won't be long before Zhang Tingyu will definitely have to fold the bones of the second or third degree, and the emperor will push the boat down the river. This is the virtuous emperor, His Majesty loves talents, isn't it?

That's why Zhang Jiacai bothered so much to curry favor with the emperor. What I'm afraid of is just people walking away from tea.

However, the emperor went to inspect the embankment of the Yellow River on the second day, and he didn't know when he would be able to come back.

Ming stayed in Zhang Yuan, then rested in the backyard of the garden called Cixuan Hall, the main room alone is enough to face five rooms, and the furniture furnishings in it are also very good, although it is not comparable to the royal paving gold and jade, but the tables and chairs, cabinets and couches, are carved very exquisitely, the cloisonné smoker, the flowers and birds embroidered by Suzhou, the red waist square table, the exquisite and elegant butterfly table, the flower table, the carved melon robe bed, the rosewood table of the eight immortals and a few Nanguan hat chairs, are very pleasing to the people.

Xu Jinlu lowered his body and said, "Niangniang, Mrs. Zhang took two girls from the Zhang family to ask to see." ”

A few days after the emperor left, there were many local officials' relatives who asked to see him, but he was too lazy to see him, so he excused himself on the grounds that he was unwell. It's just that this family is really not easy to see. After all, she lives in someone's garden now!

Xu Jinlu said "Mrs. Zhang", and he thought it was a young woman, or at most a woman who was half an old woman. When I saw it, I realized that this Mrs. Zhang was estimated to be over the age of sixteen, the corners of her eyes were full of wrinkles, and most of her head was white! And the two Zhang girls were at a young age, the eldest one was fifteen or sixteen years old, and the younger one was twelve or thirteen years old, and it was estimated that she was Mrs. Zhang's granddaughter. Take a closer look, these two Zhang girls are both small feet! Three-inch golden lotus, wearing delicate and delicate embroidered shoes, really can't even stand on her feet! Hao Ming shook her head secretly, fortunately she crossed into a full person, otherwise it would be a ******** pain just to cut off a pair of heavenly feet to wrap her feet.

"Courtesy Zhang Liu asks for Niangniang!" Mrs. Zhang knelt down and kowtowed firmly when she entered the room.

Zhang Liu's husband Zhang Ruoji said that he had become a scholar, but the two sons are said to be officials outside, because of the good way to teach his sons, so Zhang Liu was named a five-grade pleasant, and her sister-in-law Zhilan is of the same grade, so Mrs. Zhang calls herself a "courtier".

Seeing that Mrs. Zhang was old, she was a little more polite, and directly called Banxia, the personal palace maid, to go up and help her up, and gave her a seat.

Mrs. Zhang bowed very cautiously, only half of her buttocks sat on the chair, and as for the two Zhang girls, they could only stand respectfully behind Mrs. Zhang, and did not dare to say more than half a word. (To be continued.) )