At this time, the mountain fence on the side of the lake in Dongwan has been completely sealed, and the people in this area have moved away to the west. The Gyeonggi camp quickly set up camp tents on the flat ground at the bottom of the mountain, and then began to sweep the mountain around the mountain to find traces of the concubine. Although there was no delay in doing these for half a minute, it was also close to noon. Zuo Hanqing first led a cavalry to rush in the early morning, and then the infantry gradually arrived, followed by the soldiers of the local lieutenant battalion. The Jiangdong Provincial Inspectorate, the Huaidong and Jiangdong Provincial Governors, and some Wenhua Pavilion and Fengshangguan officials also hurried over. These people were all trembling and did not say a word.

Yun Xi was sitting in the tent at this time, and Wang Chenghai had already waited for him to change his clothes, briefly looked at whether there were any injuries on his body and cleaned them up. He was silent at this time, just kneeling and waiting, because Yunxi kept staring at his eyebrows, and didn't look at him for a while. He knew that Yun Xi was a cannon barrel this time, and whoever dared to provoke him would die the most ugly death, so although his heart was like a drum, he still didn't dare to show it.

After Chang Fu confessed, he asked Zuo Hanqing to tie him up. At that time, he was ordered by Scarlet Heart, and Lian Peng parted ways to go to the east and west to ask for help, he took Scarlet Heart's bracelet, climbed down the mountain and ran southeast along the river for a while, and saw the tea garden painted in the picture at that time.

This has been out of the Pingzhou border, is a tea garden of Lezheng's family. At that time, Le Zhengying was here to help his second uncle, although Le Zhengying was a child of the third family, and later gave the long house, but in fact, he was closest to Le Zhengbin in the second room. Because he was a young martial artist, although his father found him a master to learn, most of the places where he practiced were in the tea garden, and the planting of the tea garden and the trading and trading of the land were all taken care of by Le Zhengbin. At that time, Le Zhengkuan was busy buying and selling in various places, and he was not at home all the year round, but Le Zhengbin took care of him from time to time, so when he was older, he still loved to stay with his second uncle. Whenever he was busy in the garden, he often helped to take care of the care, so when he saw someone making trouble, he immediately lifted the stick and led the garden out of the nursing home.

Seeing that it was actually a eunuch, covered in mud, full of panic, holding a bracelet and saying that it was not good, Le Zhengying already understood a little. Although he didn't know much about things, he didn't say a word, gathered the guys in the garden and took a shortcut overnight. When Chang Fu went up the mountain before, he followed Lian Peng, busy like a lost dog, where to remember clearly, he had forgotten where to put his scarlet heart. Coupled with what Scarlet said to him before, he also knew in his heart that it was best to save the emperor first and then gather troops to search for him. He was tired and half dead before, and Le Zhengying saw that it was difficult for him to walk, so he simply let people carry him.

Although he had a lot less to walk than Lian Peng this time, plus Le Zhengying was a martial artist, and the garden was full of good hands who climbed mountains and waded through rivers, but Lian Peng was looking for an elite iron horseman, riding a horse and galloping, so the two ends arrived at about an hour. It's the same as Scarlet Heart expected!

Scarlet knows that Lian Peng is a white strip in the waves, and he is a child who is familiar with the terrain, even if he lets the officers and soldiers take it, it will be a little wider! So she asked Lian Peng to go to the lake, along the waterfront to the west, and he would definitely be caught by the officers and soldiers who closed the lake.

The costume of the Gyeonggi Pioneer Camp was different from that of the locality, and Scarlet told him again and again before letting him go. There are two possibilities for him to go, one is to let the pioneer camp hold it, or he can find the people from the pioneer camp, so that everything will be fine. The second is that he unfortunately asked the local government to help him come out to clear the road, so he had to resign himself to fate. But he is a child dressed in a village, at most he finds a fine at home, and he will not do anything to a child, plus she gives it a tribute, and the local soldiers will not be able to recognize it.

But in this case, the support of the troops may be lost. There are many things involved in this matter, and I can't trust the local government anymore. So let Lian Peng go, although it is dangerous, but it is the most suitable. As for the reason why she dared to bet on Lian Peng, it was because she believed in the emperor's vision! If it were her, she would be more careful and never believe it easily, even if the other party was a simple and unsophisticated child. But since the emperor trusts him and even asks him to take Scarlet Heart first, then Scarlet Heart will also believe it!

In this way, which of the two ends is done, the emperor has a little more security, and they are happy to be at home, and they also have a lot of credit! As for herself, no matter which one she runs with, it will be a drag to the extreme, and in order to increase the probability of success, giving up herself is the most correct thing to do!

Yun Xi's heart turned over at this time, and what he thought in his heart, he could also think of it. He also saw the picture that day, so he could guess that the group of people who came was found by the Lezheng family. Scarlet Heart's two-way strategy was right, but she put the cart before the horse. She understood what he meant to let her go first, but she ignored the most important part!

"The body of the clouds is full of butterflies and butterflies." Yun Xi thought about this sentence repeatedly. He was deceived by her words, butterfly and butterfly, she only knew its shape at all, and she didn't understand its meaning! She only has loyalty and doesn't know feelings, she is a liar who only knows how to plot and is full of fame, a big liar!

There was a crowd of people in front of him, and there were constantly faces dangling and kneeling in front of him, shaking his heart and burning his heart and liver. The shouts of "Guifei, Guifei" outside were far and near, and time passed little by little, his heart was full of fire, and then he couldn't bear it anymore, so he stood up suddenly, raised his legs and went out, and shouted: "Call Lian Peng up, let him take me, and withdraw all the soldiers!" ”

As soon as he heard this, Pang Xin on the side didn't wait to pass the word, and a few ministers standing below knelt down and said in a row: "By all means, the emperor is the foundation of the country, and you can't transfer your attendants down, don't take risks in person, and don't make trouble in vain!" "Jintai is a great country of poetry and etiquette, and follows the Confucian canon. The king is the minister, and loyalty is the highest morality of all courtiers.

The highest embodiment of loyalty lies in serving the country, operating for the foundation of the country, not hesitating honor and disgrace for the prosperity of all generations, not fearing power, taking the country as the most foundation, and not blindly serving the obedient patter. Death and martial warfare have always been the highest glory of courtiers, and the so-called holy lord can listen to advice and not move according to personal likes and dislikes.

Now Jintai is prosperous, Changping Emperor Chu Yunxi is the future holy lord in their eyes, there are many famous ministers under the holy lord, the holy lord's deeds are famous through the ages, and the famous ministers are written by the holy lord because of the holy lord. And the first thing for famous ministers is loyalty, and the sour rot that is firmly controlled by this kind of thinking is not a few in this dynasty. In the imperial system, the emperor is not only a monarch, but also a symbol of a country and the foundation of everything in the country.

Now Yun Xi wants to withdraw all the soldiers and go to the mountain alone, where are these people willing to respond, for a while, Hula lala knelt down, and the wings and hats trembled so that Yun Xi was dizzy for a while.

"At this time, the sky is daylight, and the top can be reached, what is the danger to wade? What is so difficult for me to go up and see for myself now? Yun Xi forcibly held back her whispering, but she really didn't want to have an endless attack at this time.

"Your Majesty, the concubine is blessed by heaven, and she can become auspicious in case of trouble, and turn danger into disaster. The emperor ...... overnight, "One of them just opened his placket. Yun Xi snorted: "Don't talk to me about this, now I have to go up!" With that, he lifted his legs and left.

"The emperor must not ...... The emperor, please think twice...... "There was a lot of trouble in the tent." Yun Xi was so angry that he kicked his feet, and roared in his mouth: "I give you face on weekdays, and I am a clay man and a dirty child to be pinched." If you don't dodge it again, I'll pluck your heads today! These words frightened the ministers into silence, but the most current Wenhua Pavilion attendant Sun Shouli is an old pedantic, he hugged Yun Xi's legs, tears flowed all over his face, and his voice trembled and shouted: "My Emperor Shengming, don't be angry for a while." The three generations of old ministers are loyal and good, how dare they fear death? If you can make the emperor focus on the dragon body and return his mind, it is to kill the old minister to dissipate his anger, and the old minister is willing! ”

Yun Xi lowered his eyes, and his eyes were already bloodshot. He looked at these people, suddenly shook his leg away, and shouted: "Pang Xin, what are you doing in a daze?" Could it be like that? Then he roared, "Zuo Hanqing, what use do I want you to have?" ”

These two sentences suddenly alerted the two people who were a mile away. Pang Xin didn't say a word, rushed up and suppressed all the arms of several people with a big twist, and didn't care about Sun Shouli screaming and beating his chest.

A few of the pro-soldiers on the side have long been eager to try, they have been waiting for the emperor to send, and now when they saw the emperor calling their boss, they immediately rushed up, even with the buckle, and two escorted the emperor out of the tent.

Outside, Zuo Hanqing had already issued an order, and all of them had returned to the mountain to wait, and someone had already been sent to drag Lian Peng and the ground with him. Lian Peng was already scared and weak before, where had the child seen this. Yun Xi pulled him over, then pulled a knife from the waist of the attendant guarding outside, and said, "You are steady, don't be afraid of me." ”

Lian Peng was pulled by him, looking at his appearance, seeing that his face was full of anxiety, his eyes flashed with fear, it was no different from ordinary anxious men, the previous relatives seemed to be drip back, he took a breath and nodded: "I remember where it is, but there is no one there!" ”

"Take me to see it again." Yun Xi said in a deep voice, turned around and looked at Pang Xin who came out of Zuo Hanqing: "I don't call people, don't come up to anyone." ”

As he spoke, he followed Lian Peng a few steps and jumped up. Yun Xi was angry and angry, anxious and scared. He had never been like this before, and he felt that his whole body was going to burn up and disappear. With such a low mountain, he didn't believe that the scarlet heart could fall to death, that is, he fell to his death and fell into the lake, and he also had to live to see people die and see corpses.

He followed Lian Peng left and right, drilling through the mountains and woodlands to go deep. Now that this place has made him unable to see anything, he looked around as he walked, and for a moment saw Lian Peng pointing to a small gentle slope in front of him and said, "This is it, last night grandma couldn't walk, so she stood here and talked." ”

When Yun Xi heard this, he suddenly nodded, silenced Lian Peng, and walked around by himself. It was a small slope, far from the dwellings, and not far below was a small abandoned vegetable patch, probably overgrown with grass like a pit due to the topography or some other reason, surrounded by some thin trees, the largest of which was tall. He took a few steps against the tree, and suddenly shouted, "Scarlet Heart, Scarlet Heart!" ”

He poked as he walked down to the pit, knowing that Scarlet Heart would never climb to the top alone, so there was no possibility of sliding down the other end and rolling into the lake.

Scarlet Heart is well aware of her own weight, and she is unwilling to try this kind of hard work easily, let alone the situation at that time! But if you really roll down from here, you should let the tree stop you, and you can't go far. Besides, it should have been discovered a long time ago, even if it was faint at that time, it had been a long time at this time, and there shouldn't have been no movement at all, unless it really fell to death? But with this slope, the possibility of falling to death is too low, and there are no big rocks, all mud.

Even if his heart is burning, he also fights the will analysis. He insisted on coming up on his own, because he thought of another possibility with his understanding of her. Although it may be that he is angry when he thinks about it: she is hiding by herself and refuses to see anyone!

He entered the grass pit for a while, where the grass grew very luxuriantly, but apparently he had just been trampled by the soldiers, and he could not look at the situation again, only to feel that there was no place to hide from people in this area, and he was very panicked for a while. He shouted while fiddling: "Le Zheng is scarlet, I know you didn't fall to death, and you didn't faint." If you don't speak again, I'll make people dig the mountain! ”

He shouted for a while, and suddenly sensitively heard a slight sound near the edge of the pit on the side of his feet, he cursed secretly, his expression twitched, but he raised his eyes and waved at Lian Peng, who was standing in place, to let him go down first, and he threw himself into the grass pit, picking his hands around. The land was all knotted with a large lump of earth.

He squeezed at it, and saw that there was a small hole, and I don't know what animal had made it, it was very small. He leaned over with his face pressed against the ground, ignoring the mud and grass on his face. By the light, he almost died of anger, but the heart that was beating wildly and was not landing was slightly fixed at this time.

Scarlet Heart was lying on her stomach inside, more than an arm's length away from him. Her whole body was crammed inside, her arms pressed flat at her sides, like a stick. The head is almost solid to the ground, and at this time the chin is half-raised, and the face is very dirty, but the eyes are big and bright, and they are clearly awake!

"You bastard!" Yun Xi blurted out a foul word, and reached out to pick her up, "Where is the injury?" Come out for me! He was already incoherent at this time, and he didn't know what mood he was in, he was anxious and angry, hateful and pitiful, he was simply upside down, his eyes were about to burst into flames, and it was difficult to reach out his hand. He scolded while working hard: "So many people were looking for you just now, and you didn't say anything? How did you climb in? Do you want to die here, do you want to scare me to death? ”

When Scarlet heard this, tears rolled out at once, crying: "The concubine's clothes are not covered, and it hurts the country's body, if it is like this, it is better to die clean!" ”

"You!" Yun Xi could barely hold her face, but she couldn't pull her out. hurriedly scolded Lianhua for saying nonsense. He stared at her for a long time, and suddenly gritted his teeth: "Full of loyalty and fame." I just let you be deceived, I knew you were like this, and I won't let you go! ”

Listening to the scarlet heart, tears were even more surging: "The emperor asked the concubine to go first, although he didn't say it, but the concubine also knew what was important. The death is small, but the rescue is big. The concubines can't slow down the process, only in this way can they live up to the saint's grace to the concubines! ”

"Three outlines and five constants, courtesy, filial piety, faith, and righteousness, you are all backwards. You don't understand why I let you go first! If you don't understand, you don't understand, why do you still lie to me, what do you say, you big liar, I can't spare you! Get the hell out of here! The more Yun Xi spoke, the more uncomfortable she became, and she felt that her heart was painful.

Let her go first, safety first, and report last. She came in reverse, not only in reverse, but now she is afraid that people will look ugly, so she simply does not say anything. If he hadn't expected her to come up by himself, she would have been ready to die in it like this, and in the end she would have a good reputation of dying for the emperor, how could he be embarrassed?

He came up by himself, and she was willing to speak out, probably not because of herself, but because she was afraid that he would commit a dangerous crime alone and damage the country's foundation, just like those old men who were rotten. The two sides are weighed, the country is big, and the reputation is small, so I am willing to speak! The more he thought about it, the more heartache he felt, the more heartache he felt, the more empty his heart became, the more desolate he felt, but he didn't let go of his hand at all, and kept picking up dirt to catch her a little further.

"The concubine is stuck and can't get out." Scarlet cried, listening to his words, tears were endless, "The concubine did not deceive the emperor, and it is true that the monarch is a minister." But it is also true that the husband is a wife, if the emperor has something, he will not copy and behead, and the concubines themselves will not want to live! ”

"What did you say?" He sobbed, glared at her, his hands trembled for a moment, and he struggled to pinch her face.

"The concubine's clothes are torn, let the soldiers rescue her, it's really no human appearance, and the concubine will have no face at that time, and the emperor will be ugly. The concubine thinks that the emperor will definitely come up, don't let people see it! She sobbed and choked, crying and crying, pitiful, and arched hard, but still couldn't move, "stuck, can't move!" ”

The sentence "The concubine thinks that the emperor will definitely come up", in her heart, she believes that a person can see her ugly appearance at will, and that is him! In the same way, she didn't completely understand his heart! Hearing these words made Yun Xi frenzied, and almost shed tears, nothing made him laugh and comfort.

The tips of his fingers twitched her face: "I came by myself, no one will see me." Am I crazy enough to make people look ugly about their wives? ”

She wanted to nod, but she couldn't, so she had to blink, and when she moved her eyes, tears flowed. He had never seen her cry like this, which made his heart even more uncomfortable: "If you bear with it, I'll cut this place open with a knife." At this time, she had only him to entrust in her heart, and no longer regarded him as a totem that could only be worshiped and worshiped in the shrine, which made his heart overflow with special affection.

He fell to his knees and dug the pit with all his might, and I don't know what animal had made it, but it was a long, not too straight passage that led all the way into the mountain. It was so narrow, she could still retreat and drill so far. He was distressed and amused, and he couldn't help but worry about where she was hurting, and in the end the knife made him curl, and he also helped to plan. Scarlet looked at him covered in dirt, and his fingers were digging into the ground without losing his skin color. At this time, because he was half-kneeling, I couldn't see his expression, but I listened to him from time to time. At one time, he scolded her, and at the same time he persuaded her, and he was incoherent, like a crazy man.

Scarlet felt extremely embarrassed at first, and most of his clothes were torn when he came in, so he would rather die than make a noise to let people come out. But then the emperor ran up in person, and if she didn't make a sound, it would be against her loyalty to the emperor if she was in danger, so she had to speak out. She actually hopes that the emperor can come up by himself and not let people see her ugliness, after all, she is used to being ugly in front of him, and she is a little skinny.

But this idea clashed with her etiquette, so she didn't dare and couldn't think about it. But at a glance, seeing his anxious head and white face, it can be said that all seven emotions are piled up, anxious and afraid, worried and anxious and overflowing, although the tone is bad and scolding, but it makes her heart break and half-pull, and half-pull and pull, so painful!

At this time, my heart hurt very much, and I couldn't feel the pain in my body, but I couldn't stop my tears. What she has been taught and learned since she was a child, etiquette and filial piety, tied her like a doll, and because she entered the palace, she couldn't be wrong for half a point, and she was always walking on thin ice, and she often felt that the world was frivolous and didn't know everyone's rules.

The drama made up those talented and beautiful people to ridicule the wealthy, that is, she let the emperor take it to watch a few plays on the boat, and she just scoffed at it, only feeling that it was full of loopholes, and it was not true at all, but she didn't know it, this should really be there. There is one in front of you!

Yun Xi tossed for more than an hour to get the scarlet heart out, and the lower head couldn't help but want to come up again, making Yun Xi jump like thunder and blast down. Scarlet Heart didn't touch his teeth all night and day, and he was tired and scarred, but he was just holding on with a strong temperament, and when he came, he began to be in a coma. But because he spoke from time to time, even he scolded people, she also wanted to listen with a strong spirit, until when he held her in his arms, she was completely relaxed in one breath, and the whole person couldn't support it anymore, and she didn't know what to do!

The scarlet heart went around and around, only feeling that the body was light and heavy for a while, soft and hard for a while, sometimes feeling that the fire was too hot, sometimes it was too cold, a wisp of spirit was swaying, and it was faint when it woke up. When I wake up, I can't see things clearly, and sometimes I feel that someone is talking and I can't hear clearly.

When she could see with her eyes and was a little sober in a groggy state, she saw many people around her in a trance, and she seemed to hear the voice of the embroidered spirit in her ears: "Quick, go and report to the emperor, Niangniang has opened her eyes." ”

She struggled to speak, but she felt that the voice didn't listen to her, and she couldn't get out if it was blocked in her throat, and her body sank not like an ordinary two. Her voice finally flickered out of her throat, but it was one word: "It hurts!" ”

She was crying out in pain, but there was a jubilation all around, and someone said, "Okay, okay, knowing is good to see." ”

She felt troubled for a while, her eyelids were heavy, and she fell asleep again.

When she woke up again, her eyes were much brighter, no longer swaying in large circles, but at a glance at the curtain hanging with green yarn embroidered lilies, and the carved rosewood cabinet beside the bed. Xiu Ling was leaning on it, and when she saw her open eyes, she leaned over with great joy and said softly: "Niangniang, do you feel better?" As he spoke, he raised his hand and hurriedly asked people to serve tea.

"The ...... of this palace" Scarlet Xin looked around, sighed in his throat, and his voice was extremely hoarse, "But you have been sick for a long time?" ”

"It's been half a month now." Xiu Ling's eyes turned red as she spoke, "Niangniang encountered a big danger for the first time, and she didn't even know anyone before, so scared that the emperor hugged Niangniang and cried!" ”

"What? Half a month? Scarlet was startled, she didn't sleep for long, why was it half a month? When I heard Xiu Ling say about the emperor again, I immediately felt a hot piece in my heart, and it was hot and a little painful.

Seeing that her face was flushed, Xiu Ling thought that she was hot again, and was busy sending someone to send the imperial doctor to take a look. Scarlet opened his mouth and stopped: "Don't be busy first, this palace feels much better." ”

"In the past half a month, the emperor's shirt has not been untied, and the medicine must be tasted, but it is better to lose weight. The emperor is really sympathetic, he is a few slaves, and he is also moved! Although Xiuling understood the twists and turns of their journey to Pingzhou, she knew that her heart had changed when she was scarlet, and she was busy telling her about the emperor's performance in the past few days, which meant that she would be tactful in the future and not be the same as before, so that the emperor would die and live, and her own family would be very uncomfortable.

As she spoke, she held tea and waited for Scarlet to rinse her heart, and then brought over the bird's nest lily, and at the same time beat someone to report it. These days, I have been hanging on ginseng, and the doctor also said that if the mother wakes up, it will be a little soup, and it will moisten the stomach.

"Where is this?" Scarlet looked at this room, the high beams and carved columns, wide and bright, the floor was paved with colored bricks, Chen Huali, and his heart beat a little faster for a while.

"It's time to Huai'an." Yun Xi's voice rose, and with this sound, Xiu Ling was busy kneeling. Yun Xi has turned into the box, Tuan Long Qing and white clothes, colorful embroidery and carved belts, he looks as usual, but he is a little sharpened, and he has lost a lot of weight and went out, so that Scarlet Heart can see it, and his throat is blocked, and he is stunned that he even remembers etiquette for a while.

Now that he was coming this way, he thought about leaning over the bed to worship. He stepped over and reached out to take her squirted shoulder. The two looked at each other, and they were speechless for a while. In this scene, one person was sick and two people were tortured.

She has a delicate physique, how can she be half miserable? Playing in the mountains for a while, in fact, she was already guilty, and she ran wildly into the mountains and forests, and finally squeezed into the small hole, rubbing her skin and flesh countless times. Her snow skin is sculpted and her bones are shaped, and she usually has a lot of bruises in her hands when she is a little heavier, even if she rides faster, she also has wounds on her body.

Now squeezing the nest in the dirt and grass pit, life is like putting the best Luo Jin on the dead branches of an old tree, and more importantly, the overwhelm in her heart makes her seriously ill, like a mountain.

When it was the heaviest, I didn't know who it was when I opened my eyes, my pupils were so dilapidated that I didn't know the pain of needle, it was really like death, it was hot, and my lips were purple. When he saw it, he felt that all thoughts were lost, she was pricked by needles unconsciously, and it was all painful in his heart. It's hard to put into words.

Both of them were stunned for a moment, and then they murmured at the same time. He looked at her silent appearance, and a slight smile appeared in his eyes: "Are you better?" ”

"Much better." Scarlet looked at him and directly saved the second half of the words to thank the emperor for his grace. Then he said, "Is there any injury to the emperor?" ”

He caressed her face with his fingers: "No, it's very good." As he spoke, he turned around and let Imperial Physician Feng come in, and the embroidered spirit was separated from the screen, and the tent was lowered, and Imperial Physician Feng came over, carefully asked for the pulse again, and said that it was no big deal, just make up for it according to the temperature.

Yun Xi was relieved when she heard this, and when she heard that she had eaten some soup just now, she was also a little happy in her heart, and seeing that she was in good spirits, she crooked on the side of the bed and gossiped with her.

After half a month of scarlet illness, Yun Xi spent three days dealing with the affairs of Pingzhou, beheading Pingzhou Taishou on the spot to show the public, raiding his home, thoroughly investigating his clan, and severely punishing those involved in the case.

Yun Xi lightly handled Chenjiazhuang, in addition to those who used force that day to deal with it accordingly, Chen Enlu, the owner of Chenjiazhuang, was released from exile without death, and he should have been greedy for family property confiscation. As a local gentry, he is certainly greedy, but above him, he also has the pain of having to bow his head. Strictly punishing officials and punishing civilians lightly will not only play a deterrent role, but also win the hearts of the people.

Sure enough, as soon as this order was given, the people of Pingzhou shouted Shengming, and the local officials everywhere were more careful. Yunxi pointed out that Chenjiazhuang and Lianjiazhuang were combined into one village and renamed Dongwei Village.

The land under the system of the confiscated Taishou will be reassigned, all malpractices will be removed, and no additional apportionment shall be levied on the grounds of management, and the transportation shall be charged according to the official price. Pingzhou was exempted from taxation that year, in order to reassure the people, and in the coming year, all of them were paid in accordance with the order of the imperial court with fifteen endowments. Yun Xi likes Lian Peng and his whole family for helping and helping them, especially Lianhua and Lian Peng, a pair of sisters and brothers, Yun Xi likes it very much, and especially instructs the Lian family to have a good life and upbringing, and not to waste it again. There is no punishment for those who turn a blind eye and are afraid of the power of Chenjiazhuang and dare not give a helping hand.

In this way, no one is not envious of the Lianhua family, only sighing that they have no life and no eyes, and they are not expected to be the true Buddha, and at the same time, they are also ashamed to be oppressed by others, and they are indifferent and indifferent to help. As for the new Taishou in Pingzhou, Yun Xi pointed out that the corresponding officials drafted the names of the people and then submitted them.

Then, because of his serious illness, he didn't want to stay any longer, and only thought that if he arrived in his homeland, he could make her better. Then he drove to Huai'an. Leaving Pingzhou on July 12, water and land parallel, walking for eight or nine days, July 20 arrived in Huai'an, and stayed in the Shengde Garden in the south of the city! Yun Xi saw Fang Lin, sighed for a while, changed the word Shengde to Nan'an, and personally gave the plaque to talk about it in detail.

Scarlet listened to him and didn't interject, but her eyes flashed. Yun Xi knew what she wanted to know most, so she deliberately didn't mention it, so anxious that her heart was fried. He looked at her very interestingly, and ignored it, and said while caressing her hair, "You have been in poor health these days, and you need to recuperate in the garden." So I've decided to do without any redundancy, and you don't have to see anyone again, so you can take care of yourself. ”

Scarlet was anxious when she heard this, and she struggled to get up. He stretched out his hand and pressed it: "I just woke up, what did I do?" ”

"The concubine will be fine in a few days." Scarlet said anxiously, trying to make excuses, "The Queen Mother is also tired all the way, and the July Double Festival has been on the road, how good is it to be quiet in the garden!" The Mid-Autumn Festival concubines are planning to hold a banquet in the garden, or to make the Queen Mother happy! ”

"How's that going to work? This time, you are seriously ill, and you can't go out for more than a month. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I want to go to Quxia to sacrifice the river, you recuperate in the garden, and when you come back, you will set off to return to Beijing. He laughed more and more, "I know that you have a meritorious service this time, and I will not be able to benefit you when I go back." ”

"Your Majesty." Scarlet looked at him and muttered for a while, "The concubine knows that she is wrong, the emperor has been worried and tired these days, and the concubine will not be like this in the future." ”

This is to the point, and Yun Xi understands the deep meaning of this. He reached out to put his arm around her, picked her up and sat in his arms: "It's really like being reborn after being so sick, but don't fight back to its original shape in two or three days!" In the past half a month, she has been thin into a handful of bones, and the original suitable middle coat has gained a large piece of fat on her body at this time.

"The concubine will definitely not." Scarlet Xin whispered softly, turning her face to look at him, "Your Majesty, the concubine wants to ask the emperor for a favor." Now she is tired from talking for a long time because of her frailty, but she really wants to take this matter seriously. She wanted to see her family so much, and if her father could receive the grace of God to come to the garden, he would definitely have a bright face. Father has worked hard for so many years, as his daughter, she can't fulfill her filial piety, if she can help him grow a long face, her mother will be able to raise her head and chest at home in the future, and she can't help it for a while, so there are fewer clichés.

He listened to her without those restrained clichés, and it was comfortable to listen to, and said with a smile for a while: "I know that I have all arrived here, how can I not be close to people?" He touched her face, "You were in a coma two days ago, but I have already sent an edict to Le Zhenglonely and his two brothers, your father is very good, red and red-faced, and less sex than you see!" ”

She listened without blinking, and her heart became more and more excited, and her face was flushed, and even her lips were bloody, even if he joked that she looked older than her father, she didn't take it to heart at all. He looked at her appearance, and was a little unbearable for a while, so he couldn't help but stagger his eyes and continued: "I have already sealed Le Zhenglonely as the Marquis of Jinxiang, your brother, I think he is very good, I selected him in advance, and Pang Xin will take him for a while, and then let him go back to Beijing with him!" ”

Scarlet eyes widened, never thought that his father could actually get a knighthood! Even a family like Lin Xiao is just a countryman, just like her father now, as for Zuo Hanqing, the official residence is second-class but has no title, only a minister is not a nobleman.

With a title, it is a nobleman, no matter how low the title is, no matter how poor the fief is, it is a noble! Moreover, Jinxiang is not poor, and it is very close to Huai'an. There are hundreds of hectares of fertile land there, and the people's livelihood is very rich! With titles and land, they are no longer merchants, they are nobles.

Jintai's princely feudal system is not completely in accordance with the ancient system, in general, there are two kinds of lords, princes and marquises, all according to the region. The prince is divided into three classes, and the highest rank is the king of the four directions, that is, Donglin, Xining, Nanfeng, and Beihai.

The original title of these four kings originated from the four feudal states, that is, the four large fiefdoms in the southeast, northwest and northwest in the early days of the founding of Jintai. All the taxes in the feudal state are at his disposal, and he can appoint and dismiss officials, and set up his own barracks to reserve soldiers and horses.

One level lower than the king of the four directions is the king of Liucheng, for example, the king of Xingcheng of the current dynasty is one of the six kings of Cheng, and he has the power of a city. Lower than them is the county king, and the county king leads the county city.

The marquis is lower than the prince, and the highest rank of marquis is the county marquis, then the county marquis and the village marquis. Although the township marquis is the lowest level of knighthood, it is definitely also the first level of nobility.

Nowadays, Jintai has changed the old feudal system, because the kings of the Wuzong period were fighting, so the later emperors felt deeply learned from the past, so the power of the princes and other nobles was reduced.

Princes can also enjoy fiefdoms, but they cannot appoint or dismiss officials, interfere with local administration, raise soldiers and horses, and do not privately cast military blades, but they can enjoy the wealth of fiefdoms, except for a part of the state, they can be at their disposal, and at the same time, the court must also give the princes a certain amount of silk rewards every year.

Therefore, with the same title, the wealth and poverty of the fiefdom also opened up the financial level of the kings, such as a county king, the title of the king of Anyang County and the king of Beimu County is the same, but the two county kings are rich and poor. Anyang is a well-known rich county, Beimu is located in the border is very poor, the two county kings obviously have a wealth gap, and once the king, if there is no position, you must go to the fief. If you go to a very poor place and have no position, it is almost like exile.

Jintai has a system, and the kings are basically clan relatives, and there are very few kings with different surnames, and some of the most meritorious ministers and good generals are also posthumously awarded a prince and marquis.

Like the famous general Ye Chengliang in the period of the first emperor, he once entered the enemy camp at night with a single sword, and took the head of the enemy general between the iron horsemen, which was brave. There was once a poem: "The stars are like fire, the moon is like a knife, and you can still see the heroes of the king." The horse is decorated with a golden bond and a purple python robe. Chase the wind, three thousand miles, stick to the city and smile proudly. Whoever says that Anyangzi is cool can only lean over to the seedlings. ”

This poem is about the famous general Ye Chengliang, who came from a humble background, but was the son of a farmer in Anyang, but because of his outstanding military achievements, he was finally named King Wucheng! But in fact, Ye Chengliang was the king of Wucheng who was posthumously crowned until his death, and when he was alive, he never wore a purple python robe at the level of a king. However, this is enough to make him the envy of the world, and it has made his life's achievements into books.

Since the beginning of the First Imperial Dynasty, the title has gradually become only a status symbol, and basically the authority has been repeatedly reduced. But for families with different surnames and non-clan relatives, knighthood is still a favor for them to pursue all their lives, soldiers fight on the battlefield, and civil officials conscientiously govern the place, but they are all for four words - fame!

The third uncle got a job this year and is a royal comprador, and the royal businessman and the businessman are completely different. In the past, they also bought land to build tea plantations, and built a lot, but those lands were all use rights, not ownership, and they had to pay annual taxes to the landlords. And Jintai's land is not something you can buy if you have money.

The emperor is the largest landlord, and Jintai is his. He gave the land to his brothers, nephews, and cronies, and those people then distributed the land to his sons, nephews, and cronies, and they rented and sold it, which was actually to sell a right to use, and it was enough to collect rent and tax. In Jintai, having land is equal to having money, no land, no matter how good the business is, it is also a homeless trader, and it is the most cheap.

Yun Xi looked at her expression, and Scarlet Heart was already trembling with excitement at this time, like a pendulum. In fact, he came step by step, and it is very appropriate to be knighted.

First, the scarlet heart is in the position of a noble concubine, and there is nothing unjustifiable to give his father a title, just like the harem always loves to pay attention to the movements of the court, and the upper side also watches the harem from time to time to spy on the emperor's likes and dislikes. When he ruled the Ruan family, he had been promoting the noble concubine, and at that time, someone in the court had already come to the table to give Le Zhengluo a knight. As a royal face, the palace man of the Son of Heaven, and he has already reached the position of a noble concubine, his mother's family is too ugly. But he kept suppressing it at the time, because of his scarlet heart, he was angry again, and after governing the Ruan family, she actually asked for the name behind him, and he was even more angry, so he kept suppressing it.

Second, Le Zheng's family has merit, this southern tour, it is said that Huainan rich people raised funds, Yunxi checked, basically it was Le Zheng's family and local businessmen's money. Most of the local gentry have empty names, and there are a small number of merchants in the Lezheng family who are digging out a lot of money.

Third, Le Zhengying rescued. This Yun Xi knows that scarlet heart is pedantic loyalty and excellent reputation. At that time, Chang Fu should have gone to the Gyeonggi camp, and let Lian Peng take her to hide first, which was also Yun Xi's original intention! In order to contribute to the Lezheng family, she did not hesitate to treat herself as an outcast and sent out all of them. Even if it wasn't Le Zhengying who came at that time, it was also a person from Le Zheng's tea garden, anyway, if you count it, you can't run this work.

Although Yun Xi gritted his teeth with hatred, he didn't want to break it, and he really didn't want to press it anymore. Over the years, she hasn't asked for anything, and she didn't even mention half a word when Le Zhengying participated in the Huainan martial arts test, if it weren't for the fact that he was particularly concerned about her family's affairs, and asked for a while, he wouldn't have known about it at all.

Now that he has arrived here through the southern tour, he has sealed Le Zhenglone. The official position remains unchanged, that is, the knighthood is added. Le Zhenglone's qualifications are mediocre, although he is a person who can drill camps, but fortunately, he is more timid and cautious, and because he is in the palace, he has been pointing him to prevent him from making trouble. He himself is also a good face and famous, so there is no more than one and no less and no less where he puts it. As for Le Zhengying, he has a good skill, and he is not worse than some famous generals, but it is a pity to bury it, and he is an honest friend, so it is not bad to hand it over to Pang Xin to practice for a few years.

"So I gave you everything you wanted. If you want any more grace, I will answer it too. Yun Xi hugged her and whispered, "No, on the fifteenth, all the relatives and nobles here in Southern Province will come to visit." King Guangcheng also took the princess to come over from Feng'an. The Queen Mother and Princess Guangcheng are sisters, and they have long told me that they want to keep the narrative, and there will be nothing to do at that time. Besides, the fifteenth reunion, I want to enjoy the moon with you, if you get a bunch of people in, I don't know how long it will be troublesome. Call them in a few days to meet you. Which one do you want to meet, draw up a list for them, and let them prepare. So, can you recuperate in peace? He spoke casually, like two people in a family routine.

She couldn't speak, and stared at him. He had expected that the grace she wanted to ask for was to see her family! Her mind was full of banging and chaos. All the fame and glory she had asked for came at once. When it was difficult, she always felt that her life was unexpected, and now, it was so easy that it was a little difficult for her to react! He looked into her eyes, and for a moment he couldn't bear it, and his hand couldn't help but reach into her breast, but her body tightened suddenly, frowned slightly, and couldn't help but let out a low breath in her mouth. He regretted it and hurriedly asked her to lie down: "You can sleep again, you will be very tired after talking too much." And it's not good! ”

Scarlet woke up because of the pain, and felt strange for a while, why did her chest hurt so much. She rolled her eyes for a moment, he looked at her sideways, and suddenly felt funny: "You didn't hurt the place, it was strange that you rubbed it like that at that time, it didn't hurt!" ”

Scarlet suddenly understood, and his face became even more bloody. He added to the playfulness and lifted her neckline: "Let me see, is it better now?" ”

Scarlet babbled and wanted to shrink up, and let him put his arms around him, but he didn't tease her anymore, and lay down beside her: "Sleep, sleep again." It's good to nourish it! As he spoke, he himself had closed his eyes, and he was really tired from listening to him say so much. But it was precisely because he said so much that her spirit was extremely excited, and she watched his facial features fine, his breath was good, his expression was gentle, and he was a little stupid!

In the next few days, Scarlet Heart has been recuperating with peace of mind. From time to time, there are things reported one by one in Pingzhou, and the ministers have been busy collecting some of the remaining things there in the past two days, because the emperor is in the southern province, where dare there be a little mud and water in the locality. The Queen Mother was extremely angry because of the incident in Pingzhou, one was afraid, and the other was worried about the emperor. According to her meaning, Diao Min dared to kidnap the emperor, and there was no royal law in his eyes, so he could not be spared for such a concealment. But the emperor has already made this order, and she can't say anything, so she simply doesn't care about it, just enjoy herself in the garden.

Originally, she didn't know how to wait for Scarlet Heart to go out with the emperor when she was in Jiangdu, which made the emperor have diarrhea. This time, not only did he not have a long memory, but he also intensified it, and the emperor had an accident. I even heard that the emperor didn't care about it, and went to the mountains to find her in person, the concubine is really a big face, the emperor takes care of her decency, and his own family rolls in the mud without a little bit of heavenly power, which really makes the queen mother's heart more and more blocked. But Scarlet Heart was sick, and she couldn't say anything, but this time, Scarlet Heart was half dead, so she just sent the eunuch around her to ask, and she was healed by Tai. Anyway, if the emperor thinks she is a baby, she, the queen mother, doesn't need to add icing on the cake.

Scarlet knew that the Queen Mother was not happy, so she went to the Queen Mother to ask for guilt when she was a little better, with respectful words and thoughtful etiquette. The queen mother saw that the steps of others were coming, and if she couldn't hold it again, it would just make the emperor unhappy, so she was exempted from seeing her and said some sympathetic words. Anyway, these days, all the relatives and nobles in the southern province have come to pick up the car, and some of them are close, and the officials and relatives have also come to meet and serve the queen mother. There is no shortage of people around the Queen Mother to serve and have fun, and she is not taken seriously at all.

It is also easy to be so scarhy, and now that my father has been knighted, the relatives and nobles in Southern Province plus the local government must go to the family house a lot every day. Scarlet Heart became more and more reluctant to publicize at this time, so he simply took advantage of his bad body to avoid all the courtesies of the women, and he rarely visited the garden on weekdays, and his behavior became more and more low-key.

Kun grass, angelica, with angelica, pearl powder, mixed with cactus mud, supplemented with colchicine, scar and muscle growth is the most effective. Scarlet Heart has been sick for more than ten days, so that people up and down are turned on their backs, and for a while they take care of internal troubles, and the external injuries are only treated with the internal medicine. Xiuling has been with Scarlet Heart for a few years, and has actually received some skin care experience. It's just that at that time, Scarlet Xin's condition was fierce, there were too many people gathered around the bed, and she was really scared in her heart, so she couldn't take care of it for a while.

Now that Scarlet Heart has improved, the trauma has actually healed, and Scarlet Heart is very careful about her makeup and skin on weekdays, which comes from the teaching of women's appearance that she has received since she was a child. The woman is dignified and elegant for the woman's appearance, and she never wants to be lazy in this regard, seeing the injury gradually healing, but also leaving some marks on her body, especially the elbows, knees, and breasts. So Xiu Ling has mixed some herbal paste in the past few days to help Scarlet Heart apply to her body.

Scarlet was lying on a large recliner, staring out the window at the lush greenery. That day, she was busy sending Chang Fu and Lian Peng to deliver the letter separately, she was really unable to move an inch, and seeing the fire under the mountain, she was afraid and worried. She can't let people catch her, not to mention that she is a woman, how can she let a man pull and pull casually, just say the first thing, if those people hold her, won't the emperor and others be restrained?

So at the moment, she wanted to find a place to squat and hide for a while. Unexpectedly, as soon as she moved, she lost her roots under her feet, and she fell down for a while. Thanks to the dense growth of the tree, she bumped and paused, and then tried to get up and fall again, and after a few times, the person fell into the grass pit. She is not out of the door, where can she walk in this kind of mountain? But when she fell, she saw the hole, where the grass grew long and dense, and she just fell down, and her waist was against the hole. It was very dark at that time, and she was terrified to the extreme. The mountain old man listened to the strange sound of insects, and in extreme panic, he couldn't care too much. She wanted to get in, but as soon as she went in, a foul smell came out for her, and it was extremely black, and there was no light when she went in, and she didn't know if there were any worms in it that suddenly jumped out and bitten.

Later, because her position was still higher, she saw a torch flickering in this way, and she was very afraid that people would hold it, so she no longer cared about three or four, and sent her legs in first, and squeezed them into the small hole little by little. She is slender and has a small skeleton, but it is difficult to get into her chest. She's not the extreme plump type, but she's pretty good for her frame. Her elbows and knees were bent hard, and she was afraid of panic in her heart, so she was not so sensitive to pain. Later, I retreated deeper and deeper until the whole person shrank in, and when I squeezed in and settled, I found that my chest, back and back were all painful. When Yun Xi finally dug her out, her entire clothes were torn, her back was bloody, and her chest was not much better.

Although this encounter is unbearable, Scarlet is still a little scared when he thinks about it at this time. But more, there is also the satisfaction and joy of seeing the moon in the clouds.

All she wants is this, the Lezheng family has left the business registry, and finally completed the transition from rich to noble, and the Lezheng family has opened a new chapter. Needless to say, the difficulties in this are self-evident, starting from Xuanping's father's donation in the third year, to August of Xuanping's sixteenth year, after thirteen spring and autumn periods, the Lezheng family has gradually reached today's achievements with extraordinary hardship and caution. And the most obvious stage of the results is, of course, from the twelfth year of Xuanping, from the beginning of her happy heart to enter the palace. The father's choice was not wrong, he did not choose his concubine whose identity was better than her, but chose her, and she did not disappoint her father. She is the first hero of the Lezheng family and the greatest pride of the Lezheng family.

When she thought of it, she felt satisfied, even if she was scarred, it was worth it. She naturally understands that these are because of the emperor's support, and these are the foundation of everything. In the past, she also thought that the emperor snatched her from the Queen Mother with the same purpose as the Queen Mother, and what she liked was her extreme pursuit of fame. She also understands that the emperor is suspicious of her, because she is the person chosen by the Queen Mother, and the reason why she can become a concubine is also because the Queen Mother is escorting. The position of concubine was sealed by the emperor, but the emperor obeyed the queen mother's wishes. But she had to serve him then, not only because he was the emperor, but also because he had the handle to hold her.

He blessed her in the garden, and if the matter was exposed, the Queen Mother would abandon her even if she did not punish her severely. She was desperate, so she had to turn to do things for him, lure the Queen Mother into the game, and borrowed her own hand to break her last wings, Mrs. Ninghua. At the same time, killing two birds with one stone, Lin Xueqing, who was in the limelight, was beaten with a stick, and directly ordered his father to target all the spearheads at the Ruan family! took advantage of Xueqing's desire to ascend the throne, and completely pulled the Lin family to the emperor's side, and got rid of Ruan Danqing, the leader of the Ruan family. After that, the queen mother hid in the palace and no longer asked about the harem. then vigorously rectified the harem, and removed those who refused to conform to the rules one by one, so that their family could only do things for the emperor wholeheartedly, and no longer dared to use the harem to try to drill camps. At the same time, this move is also to appease some middle-of-the-road ministers, showing that today's saint is not a person who will be beautiful only by being a woman, and he does not know the truth.

They worked together seamlessly, and at the same time, she was gradually a little confused: the pace was very consistent, and the thoughts were the same, but aside from the calculations, there were some things she didn't understand. Later, his eyes revealed that she could find out one or two, but these two were things she had never touched, never thought about, and never even believed.

I don't know why, it seems that because he left the palace, the more obvious he revealed, the more obvious it was, the more afraid she became, and the joy of gaining fame and the fear of Mo Ming always alternated, making her heart more and more confused.

The cool medicine mud is very comfortable on her body, and she thinks about it nonsense while casually asking, "Why haven't you seen Chang Fu these days?" Xiu Ling listened to her question, and replied while gently fanning her: "Hui Niangniang, he has been in the stable these days." "Before, because he threw the concubine into the mountain, the emperor was annoyed, and he was beaten with twenty lashes and thrown to the stable to be punished. Xiu Ling was also angry in her heart, so she didn't mention it, and she didn't say it, she didn't have this person! Qian'er Changfu took advantage of no one to stop Xiuling in the garden, and begged her to mention him by her mother's side with tears in her eyes.

After all, Xiu Ling has been with him for several years, and he has been in charge of the scarlet heart in the Hui Palace, and when he saw him sad again, his heart was a little soft for a while, and he was thinking about how to mention it just now, so that the concubine could go to the emperor to ask for a favor. But when I saw Scarlet Heart close his eyes and recuperate, it was not easy to open his mouth, who expected Scarlet to think of himself and ask, so he simply said it. She shook her fan gently: "Niangniang, Chang Fu's unsettling is annoying, and he deserves to be beaten." However, Niang Niang brought a few people with her, and there were also many errands to deliver the words, so it was better to write it down first, let him come back to serve first, and then rectify him when he went back, and see if he still had a long memory! ”

Hearing this, Scarlet sighed softly, and said at his usual slow and logical speed: "You just send someone to call him back." ”

"It was the emperor who threw him out at the beginning, and now Niangniang is getting him back, doesn't it make the emperor's face look bad? According to the slave, it is better to ask the emperor for a favor. Xiu Ling said carefully. At the beginning, the emperor was angry, and when he saw Chang Fu, he got angry, and kicked him eight feet away, if it wasn't for the fact that he was the person who was the concubine, it was estimated that he would have been chopped with a knife. The emperor transferred him away, even if the mother wanted to release him, she had to beg the emperor first. Niangniang is sick and confused now, why did she even forget this?

Scarlet chuckled lightly, and glanced at Xiu Ling's expression slightly: "You have been with Bengong for so many years, you should have known that Bengong would never do that unreasonable thing." Chang Fu reported the news to save the driver, and there was no fault. Besides, it was the palace that asked him to go that day, and the emperor naturally understood. Chang Fu was just a minion, and in that day, he could only do what he was told. The emperor was just annoyed for a while, but now that things have changed, there is no danger. At this time, that anger disappeared, according to the palace, this kind of trivial matter, the emperor forgot about it. Why bother to bring up the old things again, you just quietly bring people back. ”

When Xiu Ling heard this, he nodded, and seeing that the medicine was almost the same, he gently removed the membrane and waited for the scarlet heart to bathe. At this time, it was noon, she let Scarlet fall asleep, and instructed the palace maid outside the curtain to wait, and she quietly went out to lead people.

Scarlet couldn't sleep for a while, and she woke up on the 24th, and she didn't go out for seven or eight days in a row, and she kept recuperating and ignoring chores. Knowing that the elongated sound was very loud outside, in August, Huai'an has recently had less rain, and the weather is very hot. This garden is modeled after the northern architecture, and some southern scenery is blended. The palace is very high and wide, take the northern style, four flat and eight stable, but the corner eaves set up a water line. There are many aqueducts on the ground to facilitate water diversion during the rainy season.

When he entered the garden, because she was seriously ill, Yun Xi directly took her to the place where he lived. It's the same here, early in the morning, the map was submitted to facilitate the distribution of Ju'an Mansion, Ju'an Mansion learned from the experience in Jiangdu, and the original scarlet heart was actually not far from the emperor, and the two courtyards were basically connected. But Yun Xi thought it was inconvenient to walk back and forth in the middle of the small garden, so he moved her to the middle.

Yun Xi has been really busy these days, and after July 20 arrived, he only met with local officials, and rewarded Le Zhenglonely and some river workers who supervised the canal as usual, and did not go far. In the past few days, I began to look around, and the farther south I went, the more people followed, except for the courtiers who came with me at that time, and the beginning of Jiangdu, some of the relatives and nobles whose fiefs were in the southern provinces also came to pick up.

However, not all of these people Yunxi took with them, some of them were sent back to their territories directly, but some of them followed the south until Huai'an. King Guangcheng is the cousin of the first emperor, and the father of King Guangcheng was meritorious in supporting the first emperor, so his son still became a prince. His concubine is the eldest sister of the current Queen Mother Ruan Xinghua, this time the Holy Lord went south, he should have also come to take over, and the Queen Mother also had the heart to meet her relatives. The emperor thought that he was far away, and he had been in poor health, and he was not young, so he was very sympathetic to him and asked him not to come. So he sent his eldest son to Huai'an early in the morning to pick him up, and then he followed with the princess.

A few days ago, King Guangcheng arrived, and the emperor gave a banquet to the nobles and ministers, and Te En allowed the king and the princess to enter the garden to live, so as to facilitate the reunion of the princess and the queen mother's sisters.