Chapter 352: Instant Fireworks

If you want to be comfortable, the best way to get from Beijing to Nanjing is naturally to take a boat, but if you want to be fast, you can only choose the post road from Beijing, Zhuozhou, Dezhou, Xuzhou to Nanjing. Although it was going south, but in this cold and freezing weather, riding a horse and galloping was an unusually sinful act, even if Rong Shan had been working hard, when he arrived in Nanjing, he was like a broken shelf. At this time, the four domestic servants who accompanied him were settled, and he was served by someone to wash his face and change his clothes, and sat on the warm kang in the east ear room. After a bowl of hot ginger tea, his frozen body finally came alive, and only a pair of feet were still erect.

At this moment, a young man came into the door with a copper basin, put it under his feet, and half knelt to pick up his shoes and socks. Seeing this situation, he didn't dare to hold him up, and hurriedly excused himself, and when he heard Zhang Yue's orders, he had to sit down again.

After dragging his shoes and socks, the little guy rubbed his blood veins for him with both hands, and rubbed until the instep of his feet was red, so he immersed his feet in hot water, continued to rub and pinch, and mixed hot water three times in a row. After drying it, he carefully applied ointment to several frostbites, and immediately brought new socks and new shoes for him to change, and explained: "Mrs. said that these shoes may not fit, please take care of them for the time being." The cotton boots can't be worn for the time being, and they have to be sunburned when they turn around. ”

Although it has always been hot in the British government, being served so carefully once made Rong Shan's heart feel hot and appropriate. After a while, he heard a sound of talking outside, and then saw Zhang Yue lift the curtain and enter the room. At this time, he quickly stood up and bent down extremely respectfully.

"Steward Rong doesn't need to be polite."

Zhang Yue strode forward, grabbed his arm, and immediately sat down with him. Seeing that his eyes were bloodshot and his face was haggard, and he remembered that the little guy just now said that he had frostbite on his feet in several places, he said sincerely: "You are in a hurry on a cold day, and you have only walked from Beijing to Nanjing for five days, which is really hard. Tomorrow is the New Year, so I will simply spend the Spring Festival here and return to Beijing with me, so that I can raise it for a few days. ”

"Thank you for Young Master Yue's compassion, but it won't work to stay, Madame is still waiting for me to reply."

Seeing that Zhang Yue was sitting opposite the kang, Rong Shan sat down diagonally, and when he saw that there was no outsider in the room, he picked up the burden behind him and handed it over with both hands solemnly. Madame said that she didn't want things to get so high, and that it was all due to her carelessness in the first place. Madame once secretly looked for a skilled craftsman who was good at weaving, first found a few pieces of fox skin silver mouse skin clothes that were also pierced with a knife for people to mend, but the skillful craftsman was not bad, but there must be a leather to completely mend it, but the sable skin was hard to find, and Madame had to die, and now she could only find a similar one. ”

The British government really let people give gifts, and there is no need for Rong Shan, the housekeeper in charge of foreign affairs, to go out in person, so Zhang Yue expected that it was for the sable fur case. After taking the burden, he was not busy opening it, because he asked: "Sable fur has always been a tribute, and almost all the furs made are palace objects, where did the eldest aunt come from?" ”

Seeing Zhang Yue's eyes blazing, Rong Shan, who originally wanted to say that he didn't know, had to sigh and say the truth: "This is given to the master by the emperor first, it has been some years, there are many things like the master, and this thing has not been worn a few times." Mrs. said that although there are some differences in style, it should not matter if you will be confused for a while, and you will find a way to do things later. ”

"Although the eldest aunt has good intentions, this matter must not be reckless, otherwise once it is discovered, it will affect the British government." Zhang Yue waved his hand to signal Rong Shan not to be persuaded, but he handed back the burden without looking at it, "You rushed all the way to send this thing slowly, I am very grateful, but since others deliberately reminded the emperor of this matter, they will naturally stare at the British Mansion, and in the end, if the emperor thinks that the British Mansion is also deliberately bullying the monarch, it will be self-defeating." ”

"But ......"

"Naturally, I will write to the eldest aunt to explain this matter, and she will never blame you."

Rong Shan also heard a rumor about the events of the day, although it was only a girl who was killed with a cane and a concubine was killed, but it was the first time for Mrs. Wang, who had always been lenient, and it was a great shock to the inner court. When he came out this time, he was really a little worried in his heart - of course, this was a matter of the British government, but if it was arranged according to Mrs. Wang, it would be more important if something happened - however, he knew that if the British official Zhang Fu was in Beijing, he might go straight to the palace to ask for guilt, so he didn't dare to persuade Mrs. Wang, but he didn't want the young Zhang Yue to see it so thoroughly, and he didn't hesitate to push back this thing that could temporarily save his life.

After thinking about it, he raised his head again: "Madame quietly inquired first, that year, the Jianzhou Jurchens outside the Guanguan paid a total of more than 300 pieces of sable skin, and the emperor ordered the imperial craftsmen to make a total of four, one for himself, and gave one to the imperial grandson and King Zhao, and the rest of the one was kept in the treasury until the last time I heard about the young master Yue, and on a whim, it was rewarded." In the past few years, although there were also about the sable made from foreign tribute, in addition to rewarding the princes of Qin, Jin, Qi, and other princes, only the Duke of England and the Duke of Chengguo, and the rest of the relatives almost never received this kind of reward. ”

Zhang Zhuo only told Zhang Yue who the same three pieces of Daqi were now, and did not say that they were the exclusive property of the prince, even so, it didn't make much difference. Even if there is one in the inner library, who else can he instruct to steal it? The emperor and other princes don't have to count on it, even if it's Zhu Zhanji, this kind of thing is absolutely impossible to ask for. Otherwise, the young and intelligent imperial grandson would definitely think, if you can deceive the Son of Heaven today, won't you deceive me the next day?

It's a blessing or a curse, and it's a disaster that can't be avoided.

Rong Shan, who was full of sighs, shook his head, his hand inadvertently touched a burden next to him, and quickly took it to the kang table, and then untied the blue silk wrapper, and shook off the clothes inside: "This broken lady also let me take it out together, and I was worried about it last time, so my wife has been pressed in her own box, lest someone do it again." ”

After the robbery that day, Zhang Yue did not take it back, but has been in the British Mansion, at this time after taking it and unfolding it, looking at the irreparable damage on the top, he couldn't help but hate it - even if he can be like Jia Baoyu with Yong Qingwen to help, but it is difficult for a good woman to cook without rice, and the damage to this skin is that no matter how good the weaving work is, it is useless.

It naturally makes people feel bad when they are always entangled in this bad thing, so Rong Shan saw that Zhang Yue silently folded the tattered big hat and put it back into the baggage, so he had to cough dryly and divert the topic: "Madame is really happy to have a middle-aged child this time, and it is extremely lively when she washes the third first, and this time the full moon wine has been placed for three days in a row, and even the emperor has rewarded a lot of things." I only hope that God can open his eyes and bless him this time, so that the two children of Mrs. can be safe. ”

"With the people of the hall uncle and the eldest uncle, God will definitely bless the little cousin."

Although Zhang Yue said this with a smile, he didn't believe it at all in his heart, if there is really such a thing as God opening his eyes, why are there so many evil people in the world, and there are still good people suffering? However, although there is a doctor with excellent medical skills in the backyard of his home, he is not good at being the master of others, and secondly, he knows that there is no guarantee for this kind of medical skill, so he temporarily withholds it and plans to make plans after returning to Beijing. However, when Rong Shan said that fennel had added a son to Zhang Chao, but Fang Shuixin had an unfortunate miscarriage, he couldn't help frowning.

Although he doesn't have a good impression of the second aunt Dongfang and that Fang Shuixin, the second uncle Zhang You has always been bold and generous, and he has always been good to him, and he is closer to him than his eldest uncle Zhang Xin. It's just that at the moment when Zhang You and Zhang Chao's father and son led the troops to the battle, the two concubines in the family were a happy son and an unfortunate miscarriage, and I don't know what it will be like after the father and son go back.

Knowing that the British government had sent Rong Shan over, Zhang Zhuo, who had returned from the Yamen seal in the evening, had to meet in person, and saw that the kitchen had sent the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner to the room for Rong Shan and a few followers to use, and the house had enough firewood and charcoal, so he relieved his heart, stood and talked for a while, and then went straight back to the upper room.

It is rare for the whole family to gather together, and this night's Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is naturally extremely lively. The room was lit with a thick candle like a rafter, illuminating the whole room as bright as day, the masters were all sitting on the kang, and a group of girls were sitting at the round table below. Even Sun didn't care about Hongluan sitting in the corner, coaxing his lively and smiling daughter, and taking care of his son who was rarely by his side, the smile was more than usual, and he drank a cup of hot wine, and in the end, his face was red and delicate.

After a lively dinner, the family went out to set off firecrackers. Zhang Yue pulled Du Juan with one hand, and Zhang Jing with the other, as soon as he came to the back door, several sharp-eyed manservants shouted, and a small guy hurriedly lit the firecrackers that had been placed in the alley with paper media, and the firecrackers suddenly crackled and exploded. Although wearing mink fur to warm her ears, Zhang Jing, who was most afraid of the sound, was still startled, and when she wanted to find her sister-in-law as usual, she found that Zhang Yue was standing aside with Du Juan in her arms, and she was hugged by Sun for a moment.

"Xiao Jing'er, don't disturb your brother and sister-in-law's good deeds!"

Compared with the lively firecrackers, all kinds of fireworks are even more amazing. Although the Zhang family has never talked about pomp and circumstance on weekdays, this time a lot of fireworks boxes were placed in the open space, including flag flowers, bucket flowers, ground mice, and box fires, but only to hear the explosion like thunder, flowers, fish, insects, birds, and beasts compete for beauty, and countless gorgeous and colorful images appear in the night sky, and the night is as if it were day. The most eye-catching is a Changming Pagoda presented by the Chengguo Mansion, which is as high as five floors, and each floor is different from the fireworks, with pavilions and characters. The top layer is even more spit out flying flowers in the sky, and the crystal brilliance is dizzying. It is precisely the sound of silk and bamboo meat that is indistinguishable and patting, and the light and shadow are illuminating.

Zhang Yue saw that Du Juan seemed to be a little cold, so he tightened the big-sleeved cloak on her body for her, and pointed to the colorful fireworks and smiled: "Tonight's fireworks are more beautiful than the ones we set off in Qingzhou, no wonder people say that they can't wait to celebrate the New Year every day!" ”

"Wouldn't it be nice if this firework wasn't instant?" Du Juan looked at the gorgeous scene with wide eyes, and found that Zhang Yue's arms suddenly stiffened, and then turned his head and smiled, "Can you watch fireworks every year in the future, my father and I are all counting on you!" ”