After the palace envoy finished announcing the decree, he left the sign and left, taking away an embroidered purse containing a pair of pearls that Zhao Xiu had stuffed by him, with a smile on his face.

Zhao Xiu and Zhao Wei gathered around their grandmother to look at the brand, guessing the intention of the Queen Mother.

Zhao Wei walked around a lot outside, and he knew more about the affairs of the court, so he felt that it was not a big deal: "The queen mother and the queen mother also have announced that the emperor and the queen mother have also summoned the emperor's relatives to enter the palace to see each other, which is a common thing. I heard that the Queen Mother was unwell, but later, my grandmother went to Xiaotangshan again, but she never had a chance to summon her. Perhaps this was because he heard that his grandmother had returned, so he sent a sign to summon her to talk. Grandmother just goes, the old ladies and ladies of other families also go, you have been there before, but it is not the Empress Dowager Jiang who has seen it, but the first emperor and the queen Yuan, so you really don't have to be afraid. ”

Zhao Xiu felt that it was possible that the Empress Dowager cared about her eldest son, because the ancestors of the Zhao family had only returned from the hot spring village of King Guangping, so she summoned someone to ask about the eldest son's current situation. Although the father and son of King Guangping will definitely send someone into the palace to deliver a letter of peace, the Queen Mother may be worried that they will report good news or bad news, in contrast, the Zhao family may tell the truth and provide more details.

Zhang's speculation was more agreeable to his grandson's speculation, but he disagreed with his granddaughter's words: "Even if the prince reports good news and not bad news, do you think the queen mother will not send someone to see the prince?" What can the prince hide? Not to mention the queen mother, even the emperor will not let the prince go to the hot spring Zhuangzi, so he doesn't care. The envoys sent by the palace know more about the prince than we do, we are just guests, can we still watch the prince eat and take medicine all day long? ”

Zhao Xiu pursed her lips, hooked her sleeve and said, "Okay, it's me who didn't think it through." But you don't have anything to worry about, our family has always had a good relationship with the royal family, and the Queen Mother rewarded us with a lot of good things not long ago. Summoning you into the palace, maybe you're just bored in winter, and you want to find someone to talk to and gossip. What you said to the prince at the practice banquet yesterday was very interesting, tomorrow, when you enter the palace, you will also talk to the queen mother, right? Amused the Queen Mother a little more, as soon as she was happy, maybe there would be another reward. ”

Zhang couldn't laugh or cry when he heard it: "Don't you know that you are the queen mother?" The prince has been in the deep palace for a long time, and the prince is still young, they don't know the folk customs, but the queen mother has mostly experienced it. She has lived in the capital for a long time, and some things may be clearer than me, and I can only talk about the customs in the south. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled: "Then the customs in the south are good, just chatting, when you were the wife of Jiannan Hou in the past, it is not that you did not chat with the nobles in the palace." ”

Zhang sighed: "Although I have also entered the palace before, I know in my heart that there is your grandfather outside, and no one will embarrass me, so I am in the palace, as long as I follow the etiquette, and the nobles ask, I will answer honestly, there is nothing difficult." It is never before to talk to others, such as Mrs. Cao, and make fun of them. I really don't know the bottom of my heart. She nodded her granddaughter's forehead: "It's a shame that you girl still wants to reward, is our family still lacking that little thing?" ”

Zhao Xiu pursed his lips and touched the spot on his forehead. Where does she want a reward? It's just a joke. Moreover, the meaning of a reward is not in the thing, but in the glory it represents. With the current situation of the Zhao family, this kind of glory is still needed to maintain the dignity of the family, so that the Zhao family will not be despised and ignored by the outside world.

She couldn't understand her grandmother's fear. The relationship between his family and the royal family is only good and not bad, so he rushed them to save Jinshang and Gao Zhen, and thwarted King Ying's conspiracy, the queen mother will only be kind to them, even if grandmother said something wrong in the palace, she will not blame, what else is there to worry about grandmother?

Zhao Xiu vaguely felt that her grandmother seemed to be afraid of socializing at some point. In the past, when she was in Fengxian, relatives and friends' families, or other squire's houses, familiar and unfamiliar, relatives and unrelatives, when someone came to greet her, she was quite happy, and she did not feel repulsed. But after entering the capital, except for occasionally going to the Guangping Palace, that is, the familiar Zhuguo general Cao's family, she is also willing to come and go often, and the other families are almost always at the stage of courtesy exchange - which means that they only give gifts to each other, but the masters do not meet each other. There are fewer guests at other people's homes, let alone taking the initiative to hand over posts to the palace to say goodbye.

When Zhang did not arrive in Beijing, Zhao Wei often came and went with other people's homes, and after she came, Zhao Wei spent most of her time studying at home, so there was less of this kind of socialization. Fortunately, he is a man, and there is still a chance to contact and talk with people after the court, and he occasionally meets Cao Ran and others on weekdays, and there are still basic social activities. But it's a little less than before. Although Zhao Xiu couldn't say anything about his grandmother, he subconsciously felt in his heart that this might not be good for Jiannanhou Mansion.

Zhao Wei was also faintly aware of it, but he wouldn't say anything about his grandmother, he would only feel guilty in his heart: "It's all grandsons who are useless, if grandchildren can be like grandfathers, so that grandmothers can enter the palace with peace of mind, and they don't have to worry about being embarrassed, why should grandmothers worry?" ”

Where is the Zhang family willing to blame his grandson? Busy said: "What does this have to do with you?" It's just that I'm old, and I haven't been in the palace for many years, so I'm worried that the etiquette is unfamiliar and will surprise the nobles. In fact, when your grandfather was still there, after I entered the palace to see the first emperor Yuan, Jiang Niangniang was by my side, and I have always been very kind, and I have nothing to worry about. You call Mother Lu, I'll let her accompany her, and I will review the etiquette of Jinjian, and save Ming'er from making mistakes when she enters the palace. Brother Wei will help me write a post and hand it over, and accompany me into the palace tomorrow to thank you. ”

Zhao Wei agreed with a smile and went to the small study to write a post. Zhao Xiu went out to call Lu's mother, walked to the door, thought about it, turned back to her grandmother, and whispered in her ear: "Grandmother, it's good for you to go into the palace more to talk to the queen mother, go more and get used to it, you won't be afraid." Seeing that Zhang was about to speak, she pressed the former's hand again: "Think about it, there are three ancestors and grandchildren in our family, and my brother is still young, and you want him to pass the exam and then become a leader, how many years will you have to wait?" After a long time, there is no one in our family who shows his face, maybe the palace will forget about my brother. In the future, even if he is successful in the examination, how does the emperor know what his brother is capable of? What good errands can be arranged for him? But if you often go to the palace to talk to the Queen Mother, cheer for her family, and let her know how good your grandson is, what he is good at, and what he is not good at, the Queen Mother will be happy in her heart, and she may talk to the emperor. Let's not ask the emperor to use his brother extraordinarily, so don't let the emperor forget him! ”

Zhang's face changed slightly, his eyes immediately shot a determined light, and he nodded lightly: "Grandmother understands, don't worry." ”

Zhao Xiu smiled and turned around and walked out of the room. She knew that when it came to her grandson, her grandmother would be brave.

Zhao Wei finished writing the post and showed it to his grandmother. Seeing that there were only their grandparents and grandchildren in the house, he leaned closer to Zhang's side and whispered: "Grandmother, after you enter the palace, if you are happy to see the Queen Mother and the time is right, say more good things for your sister." If our family really intends to marry the Guangping Palace, it will depend on the meaning of the Queen Mother. Let her know the benefits of her sister earlier, and when she talks about marriage in the future, it will be smoother. ”

Zhang was stunned and looked at his grandson in surprise: "What? This ......" she understood what her grandson meant, but she was not very persistent in this family affair, if the Guangping Palace was interested, she would naturally find a way to make the Queen Mother nod. Why do you want her to say good things about her granddaughter in front of the Queen Mother? That's really ...... It's so embarrassing! She whispered to her grandson, "I've never done anything like this, so what can I say?" Wang Po sells melons, which will only make people look down on them. Let's let King Guangping mention this matter to the Queen Mother. They are also mothers and sons, which is much more convenient than us outsiders to speak. ”

Zhao Wei hurriedly said: "Don't worry, grandmother, my grandson didn't ask your mother-in-law to sell melons, but just occasionally mentioned a few words during chatting." You can put on your sister's needle and thread, or you may not mention it when you talk about family life. My sister treats you with filial piety, and she is sensible and steady on weekdays, and she takes care of the family up and down properly, and does not let you worry about it, and she also practices calligraphy and painting diligently every day. Aren't these advantages? You can mention a sentence or two, and you don't need to praise her for how good she is. That would be inferior. He held Zhang's hand and said sincerely: "Grandmother, my grandson really thinks this family affair is very good, and if my sister can marry her, I won't worry about being wronged in the future." If it's a different family, can it be like this? You should only think about your sister's life. ”

Zhang was silent for a moment and asked, "You only think that I often go to the palace to talk to the Queen Mother, which is good for your sister, have you ever thought about yourself?" If your sister can touch my light, she will only marry into the palace of Guangping. But if the Queen Mother values you, and the emperor is a filial son, how can she not promote you? You have a future, and your sister will have the confidence to talk about her relatives in the future, even if she can't marry the Guangping Palace, it may not be bad. “

Zhao Wei smiled, with a sense of pride between his eyebrows: "The eldest husband exists in the world, and he should rely on his own strength to make contributions and support the family, if I want to rely on my grandmother and sister to seek wealth and glory for me, what face do I have to see my ancestors and ancestors?" I'm afraid that my grandfather and his old man are under Jiuquan, and I want to be angry with my grandson for being useless! ”

Zhang looked at his grandson, his eyes full of pride: "Well said! You have such ambition, and you are not in vain what your grandmother has taught you for many years! ”

She lowered her head and thought about it, couldn't help but smile, and patted her grandson's cheek: "You two brothers and sisters, you know in your hearts that you think about each other and love each other. As a grandmother, can I still lose to you juniors in my heart for my love for my grandchildren? ”

Zhao Wei showed a puzzled look: "What does grandmother mean by this?" ”

Zhang didn't answer, she took the post he had written, looked at it, closed it and said, "I know what to do, you prepare, Ming'er will follow me into the palace." ”

On the second day, Zhao Wei accompanied Zhang into the palace, and Zhao Xiu stayed at home to take care of housework. After being away from home for many days, fortunately with Lu Ma and Wang Fulai to take care of them, everything in the house was in order, only a few servants were slack off because the master was not at home, and there were some small disputes. Zhao Xiu should be punished, and he should be punished, and the matter was solved cleanly, and the Cao family sent someone to greet Zhang.

The Cao family heard yesterday that the ancestors of the Zhao family had returned. Mrs. Cao knew that Zhang's health had not been good before she went to Xiaotangshan, and she wanted to know how she had been doing for most of the month, and if it was good, she would also find a place with a hot spring to recuperate for ten days and a half months. As she gets older, her old bones are getting more and more uncomfortable.

It happened to be Cao Dali's family. Zhao Xiu knew that she was Mrs. Cao's confidant, so she carefully told her grandmother's physical condition, and talked about some precautions for hot spring recuperation, pros and cons. Cao Dali's family remembered them one by one, thanked Zhao Xiu with a smile, and left with a gift.

Zhao Xiu asked the housekeeper to count the gifts, and it happened that when Zhao Wei returned to the city some time ago, she asked him to send a framed Lamei picture and sent it back. This is the best painting of Lamei in her recent works, which was originally intended to be sent to Cao Luo, but today it can only be sent to Fang Wu. It's embarrassing that Fang Wu specially sent the title of the last poetry meeting, and he seemed to value her very much, so Zhao Xiu planned to give her a painting as a thank you gift.

This Lamei is very well painted and framed. Zhao Xiu carefully checked it once, and together with the reply letter and the poem that was written overnight yesterday, he ordered someone to send it to Fang Shaoqing's house.

Fang Yunzhu, the fifth girl, happened to be at home, and she had nothing to do, and when she heard that Zhao Xiu had sent something over, she asked people to take it and take a look. She glanced at the painting a few times, then threw it away, concentrated on picking up the letter to read, and then went to read Zhao Xiu's poems.

Zhao Xiu's poems this time are naturally not as good as the last time, but the rhyme and feet are very neat, the dictionary is not wrong, the whole is decent, people can't find any big faults, and there are two sentences that are quite innovative, one of the words is used wonderfully. Fang Renzhu put down the manuscript of the poem, closed his eyes and thought about it carefully, and found that there was no second word more suitable than that word, so he felt more satisfied, and then picked up the plum again to see.

Fang Huizhu, the eldest girl, walked in from outside the door at this time, and said with a smile: "What is my sister looking at?" I walked over and saw the painting: "Yo, what a handsome plum blossom, who painted this?" ”

Fang Renzhu replied: "It's Miss Zhao's handwriting." Yesterday she came back from the hot spring village, saw the letter I wrote to her, wrote the poem, and attached this picture, saying that she was thanking me for telling me. ”

Fang Huizhu shook her head with a smile: "It's you, who told her the topic like this." In fact, she only participated in a poetry meeting once, and it is common for her to never come again. Then he asked, "What about her poems?" ”

"The aura is still there, but I don't think her mind is on poetry." Fang Renzhu said with some regret, "I think she has a higher talent in calligraphy and painting, and this Lamei painting is excellent." At her age, it can be regarded as rare. She called the girl: "Hang this painting on the wall on the right hand side of the west window, and replace the "Golden Ju Aoshuang Picture" with it." Autumn has long passed, and the plum blossoms are more appropriate for now. ”

Fang Huizhu silently waited for the girl to walk away with the painting, and then lowered her voice and asked her sister: "Do you know - the old lady of the Zhao family entered the palace today?" ”

Fang Renzhu paused and looked at the eldest sister suspiciously, not understanding what she meant. The old lady of the Zhao family entered the palace, is there anything unusual about this?

Fang Huizhu looked at her stunned appearance and couldn't help but sigh: "You should also be careful about your own affairs!" Miss Zhao is about the same age as you, only one or two years older than the emperor's eldest son. The yuan will be changed next year, and after the yuan change, it will be the reserve. Today, the two sons are born by the queen, needless to say, it must be the eldest son of the emperor as the prince. The family has long wanted you to be the eldest princess of the emperor. At this time, the old lady of the Zhao family entered the palace, but did she know that she was not going to the same thing? Do you still have the leisure to pay attention to the poems and paintings made by Miss Zhao?! ”