Yao Miaoyi's memory of her cousin Zhu Shouqian is still stuck in the impression of "Brother Tiezhu" when she was a child. This nickname with a strong local flavor, like aquatic, was of course given by Emperor Hongwu himself, and no one dared to say that it was bad, so he kept using it.

Therefore, Zhu Shouqian, who was born in the phoenix nest, has been wearing the rustic name of the iron pillar until his parents died, and he was taken to the palace by Queen Ma to go to the main hall to study, and Emperor Hongwu took the name Zhu Shouqian with the help of the Hanlin.

The word Shouqian has the meaning of warning, reminding him all the time that he must not learn from his father Zhu Wenzheng to rebel and betray Emperor Hongwu.

Yao Miaoyi's childhood memory of Brother Tiezhu, a chubby, up and down, naughty and mischievous, like to catch butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, and scare his beautiful cousin with caterpillars, he is forever sweaty on his forehead, grinning and waving to her:

"Cousin! Let's go out and play! ”

When she was a child, Yao Miaoyi was naughty compared to her cousin Tiezhu, and her cousin put a caterpillar into her hair, and she took advantage of her cousin's undressing and going into the water to fish, and secretly hid his clothes......

On that day, Yao Miaoyi and Brother Tie Zhu were both punished. Yao Miaoyi's five-day snack was confiscated; Brother Tiezhu was pressed down on the stool and spanked by his father Zhu Wenzheng, crying.

But the next day, Tie Zhu secretly hid the ghee snail in his sleeve and stuffed it to Yao Miaoyi. I don't know why, the ghee snails that day were obviously still stained with the stinky sweat of the iron pillar, but Yao Miaoyi felt that the taste was so beautiful that she even licked the cream between her fingernails.

Brother Tie Zhu stretched out his fat fingers, wiped off the remaining cream from the corners of her mouth, and poked her forehead by the way: "Eat a bubble snail and leave a pretense, how can I have you as a stupid cousin......"

Scenes of the past come to mind.

But Zhu Shouqian, who stepped into the side hall, has long since left no trace of "Brother Tiezhu", he is slender and long, his demeanor is elegant and decent, his face is like Xiaoyue, his eyebrows are like the first description of Xindai, like an immortal in the painting, and he also has the nobility of a dragon son and a dragon grandson.

In terms of appearance alone, Zhu Shouqian can compare those cousins. His contours, eyebrows and eyes are similar to Yao Miaoyi's, and the cousins follow their mother's appearance.

Looking at each other, Zhu Shouqian and Yao Miaoyi both looked at each other silently.

Princess Huaiqing on the side looked left and right, clapped her hands and smiled: "It's just a mold, if you want me to say, she must be your cousin who has been missing for many years!" ”

Zhu Shouqian's eyes turned cold, he glanced at the butter snails on the table, "Ten years have passed, and the taste has not changed?" Did someone tell you that Feng'er liked to eat this, or did you love to eat it yourself? ”

The meaning of this sentence is that I didn't recognize that I was Xu Feng, since that's the case-

Yao Miaoyi took half a step back, and bowed down in a proper manner, "Yao Miaoyi, the people's daughter, I have seen the county lord." ”

Zhu Shouqian did not dodge, and stood in place to accept Yao Miaoyi's gift. Princess Huaiqing hurriedly pulled Yao Miaoyi up, blew her beard and glared at Zhu Shouqian, "This is your long-lost cousin!" How willing to ask her to kneel! ”

Zhu Shouqian said coldly: "How can you prove that she is my cousin?" Pretending to be a royal prince is to be killed. ”

"Look at your face!" Princess Huaiqing pointed at Zhu Shouqian's nose, "Didn't you look in the mirror when you went out today?" I forgot what I looked like. ”

Zhu Shouqian said: "In the past, there were girls who looked similar to each other and went to Zhan Yuan in the Wei Mansion to recognize their relatives, and at that time I thought she was Feng'er, but as a result, there are many similar people in the world, if I recognize them all, I can't fit so many cousins in one house." ”

What Zhu Shouqian said was reasonable, but it was a little cold. Princess Huaiqing couldn't say anything about her, so she had to argue: "What if she is really your cousin?" When you think of this scene in the future, won't you regret your death? ”

Zhu Shouqian said: "I will talk about the future." It's a big deal that I will go back and make amends to my cousin. ”

"You!" Princess Huaiqing said angrily: "You are really a heartless person! Yao Miaoyi is not just someone who looks similar to you, she is also a friend of Hu Shanwei and Wang Ning, and the righteous daughter of Zen Master Daoyan. You have a lot of respect for her! ”

was so accused by the sixth aunt, Zhu Shouqian's face was not wavering, "You are exalting her like this now, in fact, it is not a good thing for her." What if she is not? It's not scary to live at the grassroots all the time, after all, most people live their lives like this. It's scary ......"

Zhu Shouqian paused, looked at Yao Miaoyi fixedly, and continued: "The terrible thing is to fall from the clouds to the grassroots, and to be charged with impersonating the imperial family, isn't it a dead end? ”

"-You!" Princess Huaiqing was so angry that she stomped her feet, but she didn't know how to refute it, so she had to say: "You have a lot of crooked reasoning." ”

Zhu Shouqian saw that Huai Qinggong took the initiative to get angry, so he didn't continue to provoke her, after all, her mother was Sun Guifei, who helped Queen Ma to assist in the harem, so it was not good to offend her. He suffered a tragic family accident when he was a child, and since then he has been sending people under the fence, and he has a lot of eyes, so he immediately changed the topic and said lightly:

"Oh, I saw Wang Ning just now."

Who?

Now Yao Miaoyi and Princess Huaiqing were stunned, why did Wang Ning enter the palace?

Princess Huaiqing asked again and again, "Really?" How did he get here? Isn't it seriously injured? Where did you meet him? Where is he now? ”

Zhu Shouqian said: "He can move around normally, as long as he doesn't use force." Didn't Wang Ning study with us in the main hall with Chang Sen before? He's going to come back and continue, anyway, he doesn't have to work hard to pick up a pen and turn the book. ”

Princess Huaiqing's heart flew, "I'll go see him." ”

The golden branches and jade leaves, just do what they say, actually left like a gust of wind. Only Zhu Shouqian and Yao Miaoyi were left in the side hall, and they were speechless.

□□ Princess Huaiqing was gone, Yao Miaoyi thought that Zhu Shouqian would continue to ridicule herself, but after Princess Huaiqing's footsteps disappeared outside the door, Zhu Shouqian's cold face suddenly changed, and instantly changed from an iceberg to a warm spring sun!

"Cousin!" Zhu Shouqian approached quickly with some excitement, stretched out his hand to touch the top of Yao Miaoyi's head like he did when he was a child, and halfway through, he remembered that his cousin was no longer the little girl he was back then, so he lowered his hand, his voice trembled slightly, and said in a low voice:

"I know you're Feng'er."

How to change your face like a flipbook? I haven't seen him for ten years, and Brother Tiezhu seems to have changed into a humble gentleman, a shell as warm as jade, and a twisted heart.

Yao Miaoyi said, "I'm not—"

"Shh Just like when he was a child, Zhu Shouqian put his index finger on Yao Miaoyi's lips, when he was a child, he was stubby, white and fat, but now he has both flesh and bones, slender and powerful, and his nails are perfectly trimmed.

Zhu Shouqian said in a low voice: "I know, you haven't forgotten the past. But since you have never come to Jinling to join your relatives, and until now you have denied it under the pretext of amnesia, there must be your hardships, and I will not force you. ”

"There are only two of us left in the Xie family." Zhu Shouqian's eyes suddenly rose with resentment, "Back then, my grandfather and my father were framed for rebellion, and they have not been cleared of charges. It was not enough for the Xie family to wipe out the whole family, and even the two married girls refused to let go. Your mother was assassinated, and my mother was ...... My mother was actually disheartened and committed suicide, but someone arranged that she committed suicide in fear of sin! ”

"The way of the world...... There is no justice at all, reversing black and white, and being wrong. This Vanity Fair is a mess of filth, demons dancing around! Under the cousin's calm and modest appearance, the resentment that had been suppressed for ten years turned into a monstrous anger, and when there was an opportunity, he would rush out and show his teeth and claws, as if he had fallen into the devil's path.

"Red dust is hell." Zhu Shouqian pointed to the glazed tile yellow wall outside the window, but his whole body seemed to be covered in an unbreakable haze, and said with a wry smile: "The same is true of the palace, I was accepted into the palace, just to show the emperor's reputation of 'benevolence and generosity', why bother to bring you here." Live the life you want. ”

Yao Miaoyi felt that her life was miserable, and at this moment she felt that her cousin was actually even more miserable. He also didn't believe that his grandfather and father could do something rebellious, but he was helplessly forced to accept the reality and live in the palace with the word "Shouqian".

But he didn't even have a chance to hide, and he was forced to face life.

Yao Miaoyi's heart is not iron, and she has survived so many temptations and questions. But the words of her cousin plucked the most fragile and helpless string in her heart, as if she went back to the past when she was a spoiled little girl in the arms of her parents, she had a good guess about the whole world, and she was defenseless against everyone.

I only felt that my face was cold, and I wiped it, and I don't know when I burst into tears.

"It's still the same as when I was a child, when I cry, it's like a rainstorm." Zhu Shouqian was about to take out a handkerchief to wipe his cousin's tears, and the door outside seemed to ring three times, which was the code agreed with his confidant palace before.

Zhu Shouqian hurriedly withdrew his hand, his face was pale, and he regained his cold eyes just now, and said in a normal tone:

"Miss Yao, all the good and bad things are here today, you weigh it yourself, you can deceive for a while, but you can't deceive for a lifetime......"

The sound of creaking footsteps outside on the snow became heavier and heavier, and an old palace man walked into the side hall, it was the female official who brought Yao Miaoyi the reward of Queen Ma in the East Palace.

This female official seemed to be very respected in the palace, and even Zhu Shouqian nodded and greeted, "Zhu Shang Palace." ”

Among the female officials of the court, Shang Gong is the female official of the fifth rank and the highest grade.

Zhu Shanggong was originally nameless and surnameless, a woman who was displaced in troubled times, and later served Queen Ma with meritorious service, not only sealed the female official of the Shanggong Palace, but also gave the national surname Zhu, and her status in the palace was transcendent, and the princes and princesses respected her very much.

Zhu Shanggong said: "The queen mother has woken up, and Miss Xuanyao has come to see her." ”

"Yes." Yao Miaoyi straightened her clothes and followed behind. Zhu Shouqian changed his face again, and said coquettishly: "Zhu Shanggong, I will also go with me to take a look, so as not to be deceived by my uncle and grandmother." ”

Zhu Shanggong looked at Zhu Shouqian's eyes very softly, and said with a smile: "The queen has her own decision, don't mix blindly with the county king." Obedient, I heard that the emperor is likely to go to the main hall in person this afternoon to test his homework, so hurry up and go to Wen Shu. ”

As soon as he heard the word "school examination", Zhu Shouqian frowned, and said with a sad face: "Do you want to take the exam again?" The last time I took the school martial arts exam, I was beaten down, and it still hurts. ”

"This time it may be the fourth book." Zhu Shanggong said with a smile: "Besides, the emperor will win the world soon, and he wants future generations to be both civil and military, what is it to fight down?" I heard that His Royal Highness was beaten by the emperor and still can't get out of bed. ”

The second prince Zhu Fan and the third prince Zhu were both born to Concubine Li Shu.

Zhu Shouqian said: "Actually, the second uncle was beaten, not because of the school homework, but because of ...... Alas, anyway, the second uncle did something wrong, said something that shouldn't be said, and was punished by the emperor - Zhu Shanggong, then I will go back to the main hall first. ”

Zhu Shanggong said: "Go ahead, prepare well, you have lost weight recently, and this body is not as strong as the second prince." ”

Zhu Shouqian seemed to be chatting with Zhu Shanggong, but he was actually suggesting that Yao Miaoyi should be cautious and not say "things that should not be said". Yao Miaoyi understood and followed Zhu Shanggong to the main hall to meet Queen Ma.

Queen Ma was having lunch, and she directly beckoned Yao Miaoyi to sit down and eat with her. Although she is the mother of a country, Queen Ma's life has always been thrifty and frugal, without extravagance, and the main meal on weekdays is just two meat and two vegetables, a stack of spring immortal pickles (in fact, it is snow mushroom), and a soup.

"You are from Suzhou, I asked the imperial kitchen to add two Suzhou dishes, flower basket mandarin fish roll and rouge goose breast meat, you taste, is it the taste of hometown."

Yao Miaoyi was a little stunned, originally thought that entering Kunning Palace would have to undergo "many tests", similar to the trial of prisoners, soft and hard, and asked questions again and again. But Queen Ma was very affectionate to her, and she added a few chopsticks and put Suzhou food in Yao Miaoyi's bowl, like a kind elder.

Not to mention the familiar taste of my hometown, even arsenic/frost has to be eaten!