According to the regulations of the funeral system, after the death of all grandparents and parents, the son-in-law and the eldest grandson of the eldest house must observe filial piety for three years. However, other grandchildren and granddaughters can go out and serve as officials, but they cannot marry or take exams.

But people who have filial piety on their bodies generally do not go to other people's homes as guests. One is a taboo, and the other is another thing to follow the funeral regulations and etiquette, although there is no provision for the funeral system, many grandchildren must close the door to thank guests, in order to show their respect for their ancestors, they rarely go out on weekdays.

Not to mention that Zhang Suyi herself is a woman who rarely goes out.

Li Mao listened to Gu Qing's words, hesitated for a long time, and said uncertainly: "I may not be able to guarantee this." If the Lu family really comes to withdraw from the family, I will try to let Zhang Suyi meet you. ”

Li Mao knew that the most reassuring thing for the old lady was Li Rui's eldest grandson, he had no father or mother, and he didn't even have someone to preside over a wedding.

However, Li Mao trusts the Zhang family's tutor and has some confidence in Zhang Suyi. The queen is still from the Zhang family, as the old Jin Guogong watched the young lady of the Zhang family, and she is the daughter of the Jin Guogong, there will definitely be no problem in character upbringing.

Gu Qing was also very happy to get Li Mao's promise, and after pulling him to chat a few words, he let Li Mao go back.

Li Mao walked out of Zhiyun Courtyard, and walked a few steps to the courtyard where his wife and children lived.

Fang Wan's belly is very big now, and she looks like she will give birth at any time. The nurse, the stable woman, and the doctor have all lived in the yard, and everything is ready, just waiting for the baby.

When Li Mao entered the house, Fang was talking to Li Ming, and Mrs. Fang had been coughing since spring, and she couldn't diagnose any reason, so she had been taking medicine to recuperate. Li Ming went over to visit his grandmother when he had time to pass on the news for his mother.

"Daddy!" Li Ming's eyes were sharp, and he saw his father first.

"Sir." Fang wanted to stand up, but Li Mao went over and held her down.

"You're a month old now, try not to get up, and let the girl hold you up slowly." Li Mao hoped that the child in Fang's womb would be born soon, their family was thin, and it would be good to have one more child.

"How can I be so delicate, I'm the second child." Fang smiled and touched his stomach.

This kid has been jumping very hard lately, and he keeps punching and kicking, and I'm afraid I'm in a hurry to come out.

"Dad, Mr. Qi said that Jiangnan is going to have a big flood, right?" Li Ming asked curiously.

"Yes, there has been heavy rain recently, and the water level in the south of the Yangtze River has risen. The magistrates of the southern states are trying their best to strengthen the river defenses and clean up the silt in the rivers, and when the next day comes, I am afraid that there will be a decision on this matter. Li Mao touched his son's head, "However, these are all adult matters, you are a child, it is better to study hard." After two years, Dad will send you to the National Prison. ”

"Dad, do you want me to take the exam too?"

"Ha Luha, you're thinking too much." Li Mao patted his son's head. "For people like us, getting the top prize in the exam is not considered to be a gold sticker on the face. The Guozijian is full of the children of various dignitaries and dignitaries, or outstanding talents in the poor family, and sending you to the Guozijian is to let you make close friends, you will be the son of the world in the future, and the network is the most important. ”

"Oh...... I thought it was ......" Li Ming scratched his head. "I'll try!"

"However, it would be good if you gave our old Li family a champion." Li Mao smiled slightly, "Our family really hasn't had a champion." Your uncle is very well educated, but he went straight out. If you want to give your father a long face, your father will naturally be very happy. ”

Although his intelligence is mediocre, he still has a good son! His son is smart by nature, doesn't it also prove that his species is good? Haha

"I'll try my best to get back in the exam!"

Fang looked at the father and son with a smile, saying stupid things to me, as if the champion was in their pocket. She only feels that this day is only comfortable, she has let go of everything, she doesn't even have to take care of her home, she eats and drinks every day, accompanies her son, and prepares small clothes, which is actually a peace that she has never had.

Even the sister-in-law who pops up from time to time has become peaceful.

Li Mao wants to be warm with his wife, Li Ming, who knows how to read people's eyes the most, said that he was going back to sleep after lying to his mother, Li Mao watched his son go out, and then sat down around Fang.

"Master, where did you take Rui'er's life book box a few days ago? Is the Lu family going to exchange eight characters? "At that time, the Lu family and the house were only Nacai, and they gave more than 30 kinds of gifts, because the two children were still young, and they were afraid that they would die before they grew up, but the letter of appointment was not established.

Now that Li Rui is fourteen years old, and Miss Lu is also twelve years old, it is time to ask Najib.

When there is no problem with the eight characters, preparations for the marriage will begin.

"No, I'll use it for another purpose." Li Mao didn't talk too much to his wife, he couldn't work hard during pregnancy, and he would talk about these things later. "You don't have to worry about Rui'er's marriage, there are old ladies and saints watching."

Now Li Rui's marriage, even he can't speak.

"What else can I do with the book of life?" Fang Shi blinked inexplicably and changed the subject, "Master, you seem to have lost a lot of weight recently, you can't always be in the ministry, the food you should eat is still delicious." ”

She knew that her husband was a desperate Saburo personality, and she had to show that she didn't work hard in front of others, so she tossed herself.

She was really worried about what to do if his body collapsed, so after thinking about it, she still said, "Anyway, I am eating in the old lady's yard now, and our small kitchen in the East Garden is also vacant." The inner city is not far from your yamen, so simply ask the small kitchen over there in the Splendid Courtyard to bring you a meal at noon every day. ”

Li Mao sometimes has to socialize at night, and when she doesn't socialize, she goes home to eat, but she is not worried.

"Whatever you want. It doesn't matter what I eat. Li Mao is not particular about food and clothing, what to eat, what to wear.

He touched his face.

Lost weight? No wonder I can't even hold my stomach up these months.

He doesn't have a stomach in a row of civil officials, and he looks so incongruous.

Well, you're going to start gaining weight tomorrow!

After the next day, Li Mao first went to the Ministry of Rites to find Lu Yuanhao.

He must persuade his strong man to break his wrist and dig some polder dikes and ditches that have blocked the rivers and lakes, and release water through the fields, otherwise once a flood occurs, the water cannot pass through, and the lakes are filled with water, they will be poured into the rivers, and the people along the rivers will suffer the most.

If it really becomes like that, sooner or later, the Lu family's reclamation of barren land and occupation of lakes to raise pearls and fish will not be hidden, and it will cause a catastrophe.

Li Mao told Lu Yuanhao the facts of his knowledge, explained to him the consequences of the flood, and persuaded him to let the people of the clan dig the hole in the polder as soon as possible before the flood broke out.

Now that the states are strengthening their dikes, the floods will not occur for a while. Zhang Xuan's prediction of heavy rainfall is in July, and by then once the upstream embankment bursts, all kinds of hidden dangers will be revealed on weekdays.

"Master Li, I don't know what you're talking about." Lu Yuanhao said sarcastically with a cold face: "You are the secretary of the Ministry of War, not the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, so don't always worry about things that have nothing to do with your own duties." ”

Li Mao saw that Lu Yuanhao was stubborn, and he also moved his liver fire. He has a gentle temperament, but once he gets angry, his face is very scary.

"Lord Lu, I know everything about the Dao, do you think the Holy One will not know the Dao? If once the embankment breaks, the people of the world know that the Lu family is unwilling to give up the polder for their own selfishness, causing Jiangnan to become Zeguo, what do you think the Lu family can leave? If you give up the fertile land now, you can still save the sacred heart and reputation, but if you don't care about the lives of the people in Jiangnan in order to keep those fertile fields, it will really be a disaster for the country and the people! ”

Lu Yuanhao actually knew that the reclamation could not be hidden, there had been no drought and no disaster in the past ten years, and their family would live so comfortably, once there was a drought or flood, even if he could withstand the pressure from all sides, the people who had been affected would be able to tear down their homes.

But it's okay to let him give up the polder, but he can't just give it up. His Lu family now relies on these fields and lakes to accumulate wealth, and this abandonment has to be beaten back to its original shape.

A Lu family that has lost its strength, how can the saint use it? When he didn't even have the qualifications to use it, the Lu family really called the building to collapse.

Li Mao knew what Lu Yuanhao was thinking about, but now that he had come to this point, it was also their family who was eager for quick success and quick profit, and brought about their own destruction, and he persuaded this matter out of kindness, for the sake of the two families who still have in-laws.

"Lord Lu, if you are worried that letting go of the polder will damage the Lu family, you might as well explain your concerns and the current situation to Your Majesty. His Majesty is a Ming Jun, and there is a definite conclusion about which is good and which is bad. "Although Li Mao and Chu Rui have only been together for a few years, they think that they still have an accurate understanding of the character of His Majesty." You're going to be exposed anyway, so it's better to ask for the guilt as if you don't know, and then find a way to solve it. ”

Li Mao taught Lu Yuanhao to use the tricks he used when he was a child, and when he saw that the situation was wrong, he immediately cried and admitted his mistake. The more innocent, pitiful and ignorant they are, the better, and the higher-ups generally do not make mistakes, but they are very disgusted with deception.

Lu Yuanhao has lived in Beijing for a long time, and in addition to the position of patriarch, if he says that he doesn't know, although no one will believe it, but after all, it is a step, if he takes the opportunity to roll down, he will not lose his official position.

It's just that their Lu family is going to break their muscles and bones.

Li Mao said that he came to send favors because he decided that no matter whether Lu Yuanhao went or not, he would take the initiative to let go of the polder, and he would tell the emperor about it. He is now in contact with the world, and the emperor is very clear, and he inquired about the news in the family and reported it to the emperor, which is called loyalty.

But he didn't want to become such an embarrassing situation, Lu Yuanhao had worked hard for so many years to get a Shangshu, not to mention that Jiangnan couldn't be chaotic, otherwise after the flood, the people would be dissatisfied, and the Lu family would also be angry, which would be called a natural disaster.

Li Mao's words had been brought, and he didn't care whether Lu Yuanhao listened to it or not, and returned to the yamen on his own.

Only Lu Yuanhao, who was stunned, was left.

That night, Chu Rui, who came to the Kunyuan Palace, asked all the palace people to go out, and one person was on fire in the hall.

"Rats' eyes! Insatiable! I actually have the face to say that I don't know! Chu Rui gritted his teeth and slapped the table, "My father shouldn't have listened to Li Meng to leave them back then, it didn't play a big role, and it lived up to the trust of the emperor!" ”

"These fucking idiots!"

"Your Majesty, dissipate your anger, what are you talking about?" Zhang Shaoguang hadn't seen the emperor so angry for a long time, so he quickly knelt down and persuaded him gently, "No matter what kind of fool you are, it's not worth it if you're angry!" ”

Chu Rui endured his depression for an afternoon, if he wasn't worried that Lu Yuanhao would do something wrong in his heart, he wouldn't have to be kind to Yan Yuese to appease him, and praised him for being willing to take the initiative to admit his mistakes for the sake of the society.

But what did he mean by that hint later, both overtly and implicitly? Want the royal family to give them a guarantee that they won't lose hands on their family in the future? On what basis did he give him assurances?

He is rich in the world, the whole world is his, and the Lu family's polder occupies his place, what guarantee does he need to give!

Chu Rui saw Zhang Shaoguang's uneasy expression, found a chair to sit down, and stretched out his hand to lift it again.

"Queen, get up, I'm angry in my heart, and I'm out of shape for a while."

Zhang Shaoguang stood up, walked behind Chu Rui and gently pressed his scalp for him, "Why is Your Majesty so angry?" Who is insatiable and greedy? ”

"Lu Yuanhao."

"Huh? Didn't Lu Shangshu remove the position of patriarch? The fields and houses in the family are all given to the new patriarch, what is he so insatiable? ”

Zhang Shaoguang quietly led the emperor to speak.

Although the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, Chu Rui and Zhang Shaoguang have been married for many years, and they don't even hide the affairs of the Xinguo Mansion from her, and Zhang Shaoguang never interferes in political affairs, so he naturally said this.

It turned out that this afternoon, this Lu Yuanhao suddenly asked to see him, and cried all the way into the study to plead guilty, saying that he noticed that the current patriarch of the Lu family had reclaimed countless polders in order to make achievements and serve the public, and also occupied the lake for fishing profits and raised pearls, which caused a change in the water veins.

He was worried about the people on both sides of the strait, and worried that this action of the clan would cause a big disaster, so he came to take the blame and make amends.

Such a "righteous annihilation", people with a little brain know that he is abandoning his pawn to protect the handsome, although Chu Rui is also angry that he made such a thing, but now is not the time to settle accounts after the autumn, the most important thing is to quickly dig the embankment and prepare for flood discharge.

But after asking Lu Yuanhao how many polders occupied the waterway, he deduced that he had stepped down as the patriarch for a long time and had to go to the Xin clan to count the situation.

This time, something is wrong.

Chu Ruijiu dealt with these clans, and he knew what these people were thinking as soon as he thought about it. Although it is said that it is a reclamation of polders, the wasteland by the lake that the Lu family originally got should have been bought, and he just borrowed water conservancy, which is not considered to be a private occupation of fertile land.

The Lu family has obviously thought about the way back, if it weren't for the signs of flooding, I don't know how long Lu Dao will continue to be reclaimed.

He wanted to use the Lu family and the Sun family to suppress the Jiang family, but he didn't want to create two more disasters!

Chu Rui pressed anger and suspicion and perfunctory with him, and at the same time put Lu Yuanhao's words. I don't know if Lu Yuanhao is in a hurry to get rid of the burden, but faintly reveals that he wants to marry the family and the royal family.

This time, it can be regarded as hitting Chu Rui's reverse scales.

The youngest son of the Lu family is still young and is not yet a princess. The son of the Lu family is married to the Sun family, so naturally he is not a princess. The Lu family has two sons and one daughter, how they want to get married, you can know it when you think about it.

Zhang Shaoguang listened to the emperor's words, and he was also very uncomfortable in his heart.

Although she didn't marry Li Meng back then, many families knew that they were childhood sweethearts, and Chu Rui suddenly came out to ask for marriage back then, and many families felt that the emperor was not kind.

Now that the Lu family wants to marry the royal family, they are obviously afraid that the emperor will settle accounts after the autumn, and with this layer of protection, even for the sake of the royal family, it will not make Lu Yuanhao's family too ugly.

After all, the future princess's family was convicted, and no family would dare to be sincere in the future.

But the previous generation got a complaint because of this matter, and this generation will never have the notoriety of "taking his wife" anymore.

"Which prince does their family have a crush on?" Zhang Shaoguang also sneered.

If they mean that they have taken a fancy to his son, they don't need to marry, as long as the news is revealed, the Jiang family will be the first to destroy them.

Even if the Jiang family doesn't make a move, she can let her little girl die at home.

"No matter which of my sons, I will not let him marry the daughter of the Lu family. Lu Yuanhao's strength and open-mindedness are also suitable for being an idle head of the Hanlin Academy. It was a mistake to let him be the secretary of the Ministry of Rites! Chu Rui was angry in his heart, and he didn't speak politely. I don't have to think about marrying this or that anymore. ”

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

Does the emperor want to ......

"In the past few months, I have been perfunctory to the Lu family, he thinks he can marry his daughter? As long as I reveal Lu Yuanhao's calculations a little, the Jin State Mansion, the Jiang family, and the Liu family will be able to destroy his daughter. Chu Rui didn't think of making a personal attack on that girl.

How many clans are staring at the marriage of his eldest son and second son, and if the Lu family dares to show a trace of covetousness, the life of the daughter of the Lu family will not be too good.

After listening to the emperor's words, Zhang Shaoguang knew what Emperor Lu Dao meant.

"There will be floods in the near future, and the harem should be diligent and thrifty to set an example. I will go to the palace of the virtuous concubine tomorrow and discuss the matter with her. Zhang Shaoguang said meaningfully, "The palace has practiced it, and the women should also be thrifty." ”

This is to order the woman to enter the palace.

"The queen does things, I have always been at ease." Chu Rui nodded in approval. "The Lu family can't stay any longer, staying is dragging down the Xinguo Mansion. I will summon Li Mao and the Lu family into the palace tomorrow, and I will be the master of this family business. ”

"This ...... I'm afraid the reason is not easy to find. ”

"If you really want to quit your family, there are many reasons for ......"

"The two families have recently prepared Najib, and the eight characters are together, which is extremely conflicting, and I am afraid that I am afraid of my life. Is this reason enough? "Chu Rui really wants to do something, that is called neatness.

"It just so happens that I summoned Zhang Tianshi into the palace for other things, and I will be there in a few days, so let him combine these eight characters."

Zhang Yuanmou has always wanted to make the Zhengyi faction the "right way in the world" of the imperial court.

If you dare to calculate the royal head, you must also see if you have the confidence and intelligence.

He asked Lu Yuanhao to see what it means to have a bamboo basket to draw water.