It was still raining, but it was a little lighter than it had been at night. The gates of Yuyan Mansion were opened on time, and after a while, a team of horses entered the city in the rain. The caravan consisted of a black-roofed oil-topped carriage drawn by two large black horses and ten knights, and the flag on the roof of the carriage was embroidered with two characters - Zongzheng.

Ten knights escorted the carriage and galloped all the way, and soon reached the gate of the only house in Zongzheng Lane. Xu came suddenly, this family did not get the news, so not to mention that the greeting was outside the door, and even the door had not yet opened, only the small door that was convenient for the servants to enter and exit was slightly open.

The knights dismounted, and one of the thirty-year-old knights went to the carriage and knocked on the carriage, and only when a low voice of questioning came from inside did he say, "Old lady, you are home." ”

After a while, the curtain of the car was lifted from the inside, and a tall and thin old man with a handsome face was wrapped in a thick thick coat and half of his body was exposed. This person is the old lady of Zongzheng's third room who went to the capital to plan for the errand after Ding Wei ended, Zongzheng.

Zong Zheng glanced at the quiet gate, and didn't say that he would call the door, and fell directly to the ground with the support of the thirty-year-old knight. Tightening his body, he whispered to the thirty-year-old knight: "Xiaoman, you personally go to the Qingjing Liuli Nunnery to explore the situation of the three girls, and the sister-in-law in the nunnery tells her to pack her things, and the family will send a car to pick her up in a few days." ”

Xiao Man, who was full of beard, hurriedly responded, and Zong Zhengjin himself held up an oil-paper umbrella painted with the three friends of the old man and walked towards the small door. Before he reached the door, he turned around and instructed Xiao Man: "Remember to bring some eating utensils when you go, I have been away for several months, and I don't know if she lacks anything to use." ”

Xiao Man smiled and said: "Old lady, you forgot, before you went to Beijing, you also ordered the villain to send a lot of silver to the third girl." ”

His father was a scholar who had served Zongzheng since he was a child, and later became the head of the outer court. Now that Lao Man's legs and feet are inconvenient, he can no longer lead the horse to Zong Zhengjin, so Zong Zhengjin promoted Xiaoman, and now Xiaoman is also the head of the outer court.

This family is the companion room of Zong Zhengjin's deceased mother, Mrs. Kongtai, and has always only been an errand for Zong Zhengjin. It was Zong Zhenglun and Zong Zhengfa that the two brothers couldn't call the Manchu father and son, or the former Zongzheng Xiu spoke movingly in front of the Manchu father and son.

Zong Zhengjin held an umbrella and walked on the road paved with large blue bricks in the front yard of the old house, his face full of haggard and depressed. In fact, he didn't want to find a new job, after all, he was already in his sixties, and he was afraid that he would have to become a career in a few years. If it weren't for the boss writing letters three times and twice, he would have planned to live a leisurely retirement life in the old mansion.

It's just that the situation in the DPRK and China is very bad now, and if one is not careful, the reputation of being an official for decades is gone. Zong Zhengjin cherishes the noble reputation of the scholars of the Zongzheng family for generations, and does not want to fight for power and profit, so that the evening festival is not guaranteed.

But what the boss said is also reasonable, the three people of the Zongzheng family have both prosperity and loss. With the current status of the boss, once he makes a mistake, it is definitely not only the people in his room who are implicated. The second room has not been involved in the career from the beginning, and has devoted itself to the management of the family industry, even if it is now separated, it still helps the other two rooms plan how to operate. If he doesn't help again, the boss will really have to fight alone.

After all, they are brothers of the same mother, and the brotherly relationship for decades is really deep. In the past, Zongzheng was an official in the locality, and the top and bottom of the capital were completely dependent on the boss. He can be a fourth-grade official before Ding Wei with the qualifications of a person, and it cannot be said that he does not have his own efforts, but if he lacks the boss's thoughtfulness, it would be good to be able to posthumously present a five-grade false position when he is a servant.

But now the DPRK and China...... Zong Zhengjin subconsciously shook his head, and his fingers clenched the bamboo umbrella bone of the oil-paper umbrella tightly.

When he was a prince, he looked quite talented, and he was also modest and gentle. Even when he ascended the throne, he was also very diligent in his administration, liked to listen to advice, and even did a few major things that made the whole court and the central government excited and applauded - such as killing the eunuchs who were in power when the first emperor was in power and the opposition, and purging the relatives who caused trouble to the court.

But only seven years have passed, and Zong Zheng is cautious about looking at the present day, which has the posture of being on par with the previous emperor. The current head of the inner court, Li Siquan, has already dared to use his nostrils to spray at several university scholars in the cabinet, and now the favorite concubine and concubine Xiao have directly crossed the queen's order and the palace. If it weren't for the low family background of the Xiao family, I am afraid that there would have been a royal history who was not afraid of death and wanted to play the emperor to burn the adulterous concubine who bewitched the fox.

The most terrible thing is that the crown prince has not been established for a long time. Zong Zheng looked at it coldly, I am afraid that today he will have to pass the eldest son of the queen and the eldest son of Concubine De, and wait for the ninth son of Xiao Guifei to grow up - there is no need to wait too long, the ninth son of the emperor is just nine years old this year.

Thinking of this, Zong Zheng sighed sadly. If his beloved Jia Er Jia and his daughter-in-law Zong Zhengxiu and his wife had not been killed, the poor child who had unfortunately died while still in his mother's womb was also nine years old.

If it weren't for this, how could he have a relationship with the Su Hang Xiao clan, a side branch of the Yunhang Xiao clan of his in-laws? Fortunately, there is still a sister Ke left, otherwise he would really have no shame to see his beloved wife after a hundred years.

He pondered all the way, and before he knew it, he went out of the middle of the road, crossed the garden pool, and came to the backyard where he lived. At this time, the servants who had already served in the front yard quickly delivered the letter, and the old lady Ren hurriedly rushed to the backyard with her sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and grandchildren.

A group of juniors made a gesture, bent their knees, and the old lady Ren also blessed Zong Zheng, and personally came forward to pick up the umbrella in his hand, and said with tears in her eyes: "Why are you in a hurry to come back early?" I don't send someone to deliver a letter a few days in advance, look at the wind and frost on your face, and lose a lot of weight. ”

Zong Zhengjin smiled, although this wife of the continuation room did not want him, in the end, she had passed decades with respect, and there was also affection. He took the old lady's cold hand and sighed lightly: "The heavy rain for days has made it colder, you can just wait for me in the house, why do you come out to suffer this cold in person?" And he told his sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren to get up.

Zong Zhenglun helped Zong Zhengjin's other hand and said with a smile: "Father and mother feel so sorry for each other, it makes my son embarrassed." Dad quickly go into the house to warm up, my mother estimates that you will come back in a few days, and I have burned a charcoal basin every day and is waiting for you. ”

Zong Zheng nodded cautiously, his gray hair fluttering in the cold wind, and he looked a little old. Seeing this, Zong Zhenglun's heart suddenly changed, thinking that his father's errand was not going well, so he served more and more carefully. Before leaving, Zong Zheng sent his grandchildren back to the house, and then had a reunion dinner after lunch. His two daughters-in-law took the children and retired, and only the two brothers went to the main house with Zongzhenglun and Zongzhengfa.

The main house became busy in an instant, and the old lady Ren relieved Zong Zhengjin's dark blue hair and served him into a homely robe. Zong Zhenglun ordered Yahuan to bring hot water, and then personally scalded the clean face cloth in the hot water, and hurriedly applied the face to Zong Zheng. Zong Zhengfa also had an eye, and brought a bucket of warm and slightly hot water to wash Zong Zhengjian's feet in person.

Zong Zheng has been tired for the past few months, and now he has returned home to enjoy the filial service of his wife and children, and he is very happy in his heart. It's just that thinking that the two sons are not successful, and the third room of the Zongzheng family is now dependent on him, he can't help but feel a little gloomy - if Zongzheng Xiu is still there, why do he, an old man in his sixties, need to run around?

After eating two pieces of milk soft cake with good restraint, and drinking a cup of Dongting Chun, Zong Zheng pinched his eyebrows, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Lun'er Va'er, work hard for a year, and then take the Jinshi exam." "In fact, the two brothers of Zongzheng Lun and Zongzheng have long been subdued, but Zongzheng is trying his best to suppress them, and he will not let the two of them go to the examination for the official body again.

Zong Zhenglun and Zong Zhengfa saw that their father had changed his mind, and they were surprised and a little happy at the same time. Especially Zong Zhenglun, after the affairs of the Temple of Mercy and Grace in the past few days, he is more and more eager to get ahead and seek some power.

When it comes to the talent for reading, in fact, Zong Zhengfa is still above Zong Zhenglun. It's just that as a concubine, he really doesn't dare to cross his brother-in-law, so as not to attract jealousy. On weekdays, he is always cautious, but he doesn't look forward to earning an official position to increase his biological mother's face.

The two brothers responded in unison, and successively stated that they would devote themselves to studying and strive to get a good ranking in the spring exam next year. The old lady Ren was also overjoyed, and chanted the Buddha aloud.

Zong Zhenglun looked at Zong Zheng's face and mentioned Zong Zhengke's matter. Zong Zhengjin immediately swept away his tired look, and his body leaning in the chair straightened up, and asked one after another. Zong Zhenglun said in detail, and said with a smile at the end: "I really didn't expect Sister Ke'er to have such a great creation, and her hardships in the past ten years of cultivation have not been in vain." ”

Zong Zhengjin frowned, got up and walked on the ground. Now in Beijing, there is a sudden rise of an atmosphere of seeking immortals and asking questions. Several Taoist temples in various prefectures and counties of Gyeonggi are flourishing with incense, and many dignitaries go to seek the way to prolong life.

Not long after Zong Zhengjin entered Beijing, the queen mother in the palace fell ill. The eldest princess of Kunshan somehow persuaded her and summoned the Taoist priest of Quanzhenguan in the suburbs of Beijing to enter the palace to pray for her. After the Empress Dowager recovered from her illness, she had many words of praise for the Quanzhen Temple, and she would also use a few beauty pills offered by Taoist priests every day - this is the news revealed by Zong Zhengjin's eldest brother.

After coming and going, the business of the Taoist temples outside the capital became more and more prosperous, and even the second room of the big house of the Zongzheng family could not avoid going to the Taoist temple to worship the Sanqing Supreme. Of course, it is not for nothing that those who are indifferent, and the three scholars of the cabinet have expressed strong disdain for this matter on different occasions.

Although the emperor did not say that he would also respect the Daomen, he did not explicitly oppose it. After all, he is a big filial son today, and the queen mother said that she wanted to repair a Taoist temple in the back and palace on weekdays, and he also paid for it out of his own pocket.

The errand that Zongzheng has carefully planned has already been seen, but it cannot be said that it is nine out of ten. However, what he was worried about was not that Zong Zhengke was favored by the Venerable Buddha and that his bamboo basket would be empty, but that he was afraid that the second room in the capital would have other thoughts in his heart, after all, the eldest and the second room knew that he was not very willing to go out again.

At this point, we can only take one step at a time. Zong Zhengjin didn't worry much, and solemnly instructed Zong Zhenglun that Zong Zhengke's ten-year Qing cultivation was about to expire, and after she took her home, the whole family must not snub her. Zong Zhenglun hurriedly responded.

Zong Zhengjin said to Mrs. Ren again: "Sister Ke is not young, and she will be married to Lu in two years." When she returns, you give her all the keys to her mother's dowry warehouse and let her take care of her own things. You also use snacks, and you add anything to her. This money does not go from the accounts of the public, but from my private accounts. ”

Old Lady Ren's heart slammed suddenly, and in the face of Zong Zhengjin's seemingly ordinary gaze, she had to reluctantly smile and agree, but her mind was a mess.