On the day of Laba, the palace gave Laba porridge to the ministers, and what was surprising was that Lu Youzhen also got a reward, it is said that it was not an order from Concubine Zhen, but the emperor's meaning, and the interesting thing is that Lu Youze, the son of the Lu family, was not rewarded, which is intriguing.

Lu Youzhen and Su Xi didn't know what to do, a bowl of porridge was drunk, and it happened that his uncle Fu Mingxia came to Lu Youzhen to drink tea, so he asked casually, Fu Ming's summer companion naturally knew about the emperor's porridge to Lu Youzhen, he didn't explain the reason, but said: "The emperor gave it, you drink it, don't care what others think." ”

Lu Youzhen was convinced that his uncle would not harm him, so he happily drank a big bowl of porridge with Su Xi, not to mention, the porridge made in the imperial dining room tasted really good.

"Let's go see your mother tomorrow morning," said the uncle suddenly.

"Is tomorrow a special day?" Lu Youzhen wondered, his mother died tragically in the suburbs of Beijing, and his uncle found a beautiful Xiaojing Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing to bury her, Lu Youzhen only took the tablet to Sifang City, he and Su Xi just went to the capital when they went to sacrifice and sweep, Qingming and his mother's birthday also went, but what day is tomorrow?

"My son is still going to see his wife or picking a day?" Uncle looked a little irritable, not as elegant as usual, "Tomorrow bring some of your mother's favorite snacks and wines, accompany her to have a good meal, and you should celebrate the New Year with her in advance." ”

Lu You really thought about it, so he said okay, and said, "Then Uncle will go with us tomorrow, and Xi'er and I will call you tomorrow morning." ”

"I won't go, there is something to do tomorrow, it is rare for you to come to the capital, and you will have to leave after a while, so you should accompany your mother more and do your filial piety."

After explaining the matter, my uncle left, and he didn't even finish the tea. Lu Youzhen felt that his uncle came here simply to tell him to see his mother tomorrow, although the purpose was not clear, but he really believed that his uncle would not harm him, but he didn't want Su Xi to get involved in any unknown events, so he didn't tell Su Xi about it, and went to Xiaojing Mountain alone with wine and food the next day.

He went to his mother's grave to sweep the prepared wine and dishes one by one, and toasted three glasses of wine to his mother, and he also drank two glasses with him, this wine is Su Xi's fruit wine, it is a sweet wine is not intoxicating, recently this kind of wine is popular among the ladies of the capital, Su Xi was idle and bored and found a recipe to try to brew, the taste is not bad.

He didn't let Su Xi come over, so he brought the wine she brewed, which was considered as her filial piety to her mother-in-law.

Lu Youzhen worshiped his mother, and enjoyed the scenery in the mountains for a while, and only planned to go back when he saw that the time was not early, the road went very smoothly, and nothing happened, he laughed at himself and became suspicious, and silently confessed to his uncle in his heart: Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't really doubt you.

He walked a few steps down the mountain, and suddenly heard someone shouting to him, he turned his head and saw a white-faced father-in-law catching up, that person had a white face and a beardless temperament, and his identity was revealed as soon as he opened his mouth, and the man said to him with a sharp voice: "Lu Gongzi, miscellaneous Hu Deyong, please move your son." ”

Hu Deyong's name is unknown to everyone and no one knows, Lu You really had doubts and asked the reason, Hu Deyong smiled silently, only led the way in front, and Lu Youzhen finally followed him obediently.

didn't go far, Lu Youzhen saw an elegant bamboo building, and the vegetable garden enclosed in the fence garden was covered with heavy snow at this time, and the withered grass roots under the snow could be vaguely seen. Hu Deyong knocked on the door of the main house for him and left, Lu Youzhen walked into the house, and there was a set of bamboo tables and chairs in front of him, and there was an incense case on the wall facing the door, on which there was an incense burner and candle paper, and a painting was enshrined, and the person on the painting was both familiar and unfamiliar to Lu Youzhen.

It was a portrait of his own mother.

He couldn't help but get closer to see carefully, he didn't have a portrait of his mother in his hand, all the impressions of his mother stayed in the memory of his childhood, many years later, his mother's face gradually blurred in his memory, who knew that he saw his mother's appearance again in such a bamboo house.

When his hand was about to touch the painting on the wall, he was stopped by a voice: "Don't touch it!" ”

Lu Youzhen turned his head and looked, and sure enough, he saw the emperor, Hu Deyong is the big eunuch next to the emperor, where there is Hu Deyong, eighty percent can see the emperor, oh, it should be said that where the emperor is, Hu Deyong is there.

"The grass people see the emperor!"

Lu Youzhen knelt down and saluted, but was helped up by the emperor, and the emperor said: "There is no emperor here, only the fourth master." Lu Youzhen shouted "Fourth Master" along with him, and he responded with a smile.

"Come and put incense on the pillar."

The fourth master lit six incense sticks, handed him three, and the two of them bowed to the portrait in turn before sitting down on the soft collapse under the window sill on the left hand side, the soft collapse is also made of bamboo, and a thick soft cushion is placed on it, and the cushion texture is soft and rich, which is somewhat incompatible with this bamboo house.

"Yesterday's Laba Festival, you really thank the fourth master for the Laba porridge." Lu Youzhen didn't have a chance to enter the palace to thank him, so he took advantage of this chance encounter to say thank you, maybe this is not a chance encounter, he came back today because of his uncle's instructions, maybe his uncle is also for the emperor, he can't feel the situation and dare not touch some taboos at will, he can only look at his mother's painting again, praying to get some answers.

"How does the Laba porridge taste in the imperial dining room?" The fourth master asked.

"There is no custom of drinking laba porridge in Sifang City, it is the first time I drink it, and it tastes very good and sweet." Lu Youzhen replied truthfully.

The fourth master shook his head and said, "How could it be the first time? You must have drunk it when you were young, and the laba porridge made by your mother is much better than that of the imperial dining room. Oh, you were too young to remember, what a pity. I...... I still remember that taste. ”

The fourth master was immersed in the memories, and his eyes became softer and softer.

He met the eldest brother of the prince when he married the concubine of the Fu family, and the little girl was quietly by her sister's side, and the smile on the corner of her mouth made people feel happy to look at it. At that time, he was an unfavored prince, and he thought that even if he was not favored, it would be easy to marry the daughter of a petty official.

But the reality slapped him hard, the brazen Fu Hongguang of the Fu family would rather send his daughter to the Ningguo Mansion as a concubine than give him a princess, is this sure that he has no future?

"My father is ruthless and asked me to remarry a princess who has an empty appearance and is useless, and your mother is also forced to marry to the Ningguo Mansion."

“…… I had to elope with Fu Ling to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests, it was here, this bamboo house was built by my own hands, we didn't have much silver, we couldn't buy any luxurious furnishings, Ling'er put all kinds of flowers and plants inside and outside the house to decorate.

"We also built a vegetable garden in the yard, grew some vegetables ourselves, and fed a few chickens and ducks, and that year was the happiest for me...... It's a pity that it's all desolate now. ”

Fu Ling is the name of Lu Youzhen's mother, Concubine Zhen specially gave the same name to the Seven Princes, just to want the emperor to take more care of her son for Fu Ling's sake, obviously she is successful, and the Seven Princes are very favored.

The fourth master was immersed in his own thoughts, and he didn't pay attention to the frightened looks of the people around him.

Lu You really felt that this was too unreal, he really couldn't believe that his weak mother had the courage to do such a thing as eloping.

"Then I...... I ......" Lu Youzhen's voice was a little obscure, and he didn't know how to open his mouth to ask that kind of embarrassing question.

The fourth master saw his thoughts at a glance, and said decisively: "No, I don't have the problem of letting others raise my son for me." ”

He stretched out his hand and rubbed Lu Youzhen's head, and said, "Although I have lived here with your mother for nearly a year, I have always been affectionate and polite, you don't want to look down on your mother." ”

Soon after they were found back, Fu Ling was connected to the mansion by the small sedan chair of the Ningguo Mansion, and was diagnosed as pregnant the next month.

The fourth master was relieved to see Lu Youzhen, and he was immediately laughed angrily, and he couldn't help asking, "Isn't it good to be my son?" ”

couldn't admit this, Lu Youzhen hurriedly replied: "How come?" To be the emperor's son, you have to be windy and rainy, how can there be anything bad? It's just that my dad is used to hearing me call him dad, and if he calls him old man Lu one day, he won't even know that I am calling him. ”

"Your unobtrusive father, you are very protective." The fourth master snorted coldly, but he was not very angry.

He deliberately scared Lu Youzhen and said, "Actually, I really thought about making you my son." ”

Lu Youzhen's eyes widened, and he was stunned for a moment before he smiled and said, "The fourth master has so many excellent sons, where did he send me this?" Although my father has many sons, Yushu is the only one in the wind, and if I don't be his son, he can't cry to death. ”

"You're really thick-skinned," the fourth master knocked twice on the door of his head, and at the end, he added: "It's not like your mother at all, it's like Fu Mingxia." ”

Lu You really doesn't believe it, his uncle is obviously a person with a cold personality and a decent person.

"Don't believe me? Hum! He is now an elder, deliberately holding it in front of you, and he slipped his head when he was young! ”

The two muttered about their uncle's black material for a long time, and the poor uncle worked hard in the palace to share the emperor's worries, but he was sold by the emperor and didn't know it.

Before leaving, the fourth master asked Lu Youzhen: "Stay in the capital to accompany me, how about I give you an official to sit on?" ”

Lu Youzhen blinked his beautiful eyes, and boldly refused: "I promised my daughter-in-law to take her to the end of the world with a sword, I'm afraid I will live up to the emperor's kindness." ”

"You...... cough cough ...... "The fourth master coughed suddenly, and it didn't work to drink water, but Hu De, who was guarding outside the door, ran in and fed a pill when he heard the movement, and he slowly got better, but his face was a little unnaturally red.

"Fourth Master, you...... You okay? Lu Youzhen asked him cautiously.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm old, my spirit can't compare with you young people, I have to go back, since you don't want to stay in the capital, forget it, you can accept these," the fourth master glanced at Hu Deyong, and Hu De took two brocade boxes from the table on the side.

The fourth master opened them with his own hands, only to see a brocade box containing a pitch-black token and a holy decree.

The fourth master said: "This token can enter and exit the palace gate freely, you have to come and see me often, I like to chat with you." This decree—"

The fourth master took out the holy decree and spread it on the table, there was no word on it, Hood used the pen and ink prepared earlier, and the fourth master wrote it on the spot, and then handed it over to Lu Youzhen after writing it and stamped it.

"I originally wanted you to be an official in Beijing, and if you don't want me to be reluctant, I will make you a free marquis, and you will not be bullied when you go out with a title." He waved his hand to stop Lu Youzhen, who wanted to speak, and continued: "If it weren't for me, your mother might have a better life, at least she wouldn't have gone so early, just take it as a little compensation I gave her, you can go." ”

Lu Youzhen held the holy decree and sincerely kowtowed to the fourth master before turning around and leaving.

The fourth master stood at the door and watched him go away, and Hu Deyong couldn't help coughing when he saw him: "Your Majesty, it's windy outside, let's go back to the palace." ”

"I ...... I really want Ling'er, if we really didn't care about being together at the beginning, would the ending be different? ”

At night, the emperor had a dream, in which he was not the emperor, and he was relegated to a prisoner in a wild land, and it was a blessing that he was only accompanied by his beloved in the miserable wind and rain.

————

But that bitter cold place was unbearable even for a strong man like him, let alone a delicate woman. His lover is like a yellow flower in autumn, and he is sick and worse than dead.

Suddenly woke up, the monarch of Shenwu had already burst into tears unconsciously, he was still glad that he had become the master of fate, and no one could force him anymore, but he hated that he woke up too late and failed to keep her voice and smile.