The alley was very quiet, only the footsteps and breathing of the two could be heard, and Bai Ling, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.

Bai Yi also followed her gaze and looked up.

In the line of heaven wall to wall, a flock of geese is heading north on the high sky.

"Probably only the wild geese will go north now." Bai Ling whispered.

Seeing that Bai Ling's mood seemed to be a little depressed, Bai Yi said softly, "I see that General Shen is triumphant this morning, and the battle in the north is probably coming to an end." ”

"Hmm." Bai Ling nodded.

Yes, if it weren't for the gradual extinguishment of the war in the north, the emperor would not let a veteran like Shen Jichuan return to the dynasty.

Come to think of it, the end of the war is probably imminent.

"Eh," Bai Ling suddenly grabbed Bai Yi's sleeve, and his face was a little suspicious, "Since General Shen came to see him this morning, how could the officials of the previous dynasty pull the concubine to commit suicide and lose her morality?" Even if you want to play, you have to have a reason, and this morning these are two things that are completely unrelated......"

"This morning, Huang Gonggong said that the emperor promoted General Shen Jichuan to the 'Duke of Weiguo' this morning, and intended to rebuild the "Zhou Lun Grand Canon" of the Great Zhou. It seems that the revision of the "Ethics Code" is generally a precursor to the future. The civil officials probably expected this, and prepared an excerpt in advance, and as soon as the emperor mentioned it, they immediately handed it over, and the concubine was immoral. ”

Bai Ling's eyes lit up - no wonder it was only given for one year, it turned out that Emperor Jianxi wanted to establish the Qu clan as the queen before and after the summer festival next year!

The courtiers were so eyeing each other, no wonder Emperor Jianxi would be so angry afterwards.

The two returned to their house with their hearts on their minds, and at this time Bai Shijun had already gotten up from the bed, wearing the robe he usually wore, sitting at the big table in the living room and writing.

When he saw his children returning, he also put down his pen, "Where have you been?" ”

Bai Yi: "We went to Chaotian Street and sent some things to the homeless people over there. ”

Bai Ling walked into the house with some curiosity, "Dad, what do you write?" ”

Bai Shijun picked up the letter paper in front of him with both hands, and carefully dried the ink, "Didn't you say that in the future, let Bai Yi come to receive my money, I wrote a commission at my discretion, you can take a look?" ”

Bai Yi and Bai Ling glanced at each other, both surprised and relieved. The two stepped forward and read it carefully, their words were concise and earnest, and their proportions were also skillfully controlled, neither showing that they were weak, nor letting others think that Bai Yi was offside.

He looked at his children inquiringly, and said softly, "It's been a long time since I've done these official articles, if it's okay, I'll press my handprint now." ”

Bai Ling smiled, "Okay, I'll go get the ink." ”

Pressing his handprint, Bai Yi carefully tucked the commission behind the placket on his chest.

Bai Shijun looked at his children and stretched out his hand to let them sit down, as if he had something to say.

"You all sit down...... Dad has one thing I want to ask you. ”

Seeing his father's attitude, Bai Ling and Bai Yi both sat down with serious expressions, "You say." ”

Bai Shijun held the hands of the two children tightly, "Whether it is the Tai Hospital or the Chengqian Palace, it is a place of right and wrong...... You two, you two will ...... in the future."

Bai Ling, who was originally a little nervous, relaxed when he heard this question.

"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, I don't know until I break through." Bai Ling said softly, "It's a one-year deadline after all. ”

Bai Yi nodded, "The palace is sinister and sinister, but since we are all inside, we can take care of it somewhat." ”

"Alas, he who cannot seek eternity cannot seek a time; Those who can't seek the overall situation can't seek a corner. Bai Shijun said in a low voice, "There are still too few things to think about for my father over the years, and I haven't planned for you in the long run, this catastrophe, I don't know if I can survive safely......

"Dad," Bai Ling sighed, "don't worry, think about this time next year, we can leave here in the spring." When the time comes, let's find a place with beautiful mountains and rivers, get away from these Laoshzi officialdom and mundane things, and the family can farm and collect medicine with peace of mind, okay. ”

"I'm not going to pick up medicine." Bai Yi calmly took himself out, "I don't know how to farm, let's not have beautiful mountains and rivers, find a lively state capital to live in first, I should be okay to support you with this little kitchen skill." ”

Bai Shijun's eyes were a little hot.

"By the way, and today's money." Bai Ling suddenly remembered, "We discussed it on the way, if you think that this silver is hot to spend and want to spend some silver to pay for the bereavement of the deceased, we have no opinion." ”

Bai Shijun was dumbfounded for a while, but these words really spoke to his heart, but considering what had happened in the past few days, he didn't know how to talk to the children.

He nodded again and again, and just as he wanted to say something, Bai Yi spoke.

"But you can't take it all."

"Naturally, naturally. Dad won't do this again," Bai Shijun shook his head, "Look, how much is appropriate?" ”

Bai Ling: "We have to calculate the next expenses first, and then leave some emergencies before we know how much of the last remaining money can be left for you." ”

Bai Yi: "Yes. In the future, every six months, you had better check your family's accounts with me. You have to know how every money is spent and how it is saved. ”

"Huh." Bai Shijun responded again and again.

In this way, Bai Ling and Bai Yi both got up. One took the paper again, and the other took the abacus.

Bai Ling has been running a family for many years, and he is most familiar with the current situation at home, where to add furniture, which wall to make up...... One pile after another, one by one.

Bai Yi was making calculations over there, estimating the market price in the market, and the two discussed the renovation of their home and yard, and raised their eyes from time to time to ask Bai Shijun what he thought.

Bai Shijun originally woke up and felt that everything was over, but at this time, seeing Bai Ling and Bai Yi settling the accounts word by word, he suddenly felt that something that had overwhelmed him before was dispelled at once.

What a virtue can have such a pair of children.

The children have not completely given up hope, how can he, a middle-aged man who is already half-buried in the ground, accept his fate first?

Bai Shijun stood up and moved a chair to sit next to Bai Yi, although it was unfamiliar, he decided to worry more about these housework chores that he had avoided in the past from today onwards.

Early the next morning.

When it was still dawn, Bai Yi and Bai Ling were led into the palace by the steward of the Internal Affairs Office at the same time, and they each had a set of cumbersome and lengthy procedures to go through before they each went to the place where they would stay for a long time in the future.

The brother and sister are not moving fast, as if they are tacit.

After they had confirmed their respective materials and waited for the palace people to approve them in the rest room, Bai Yi looked at his sister and suddenly said, "You are really patient with your father." ”

Bai Ling was a little surprised, "Really." ”

Bai Yi picked up the teacup and took a sip, "You tell him so many truths, but he may not really be able to fully understand." ”

Bai Ling thought for a moment, and leaned back in his chair as if he was a little tired, "I have an idea of my own, do you want to hear it?" ”

"Huh?" Bai Yi looked at Bai Ling, "Let's talk about it." ”

Bai Ling reached out and pinched his shoulder, lowered his eyes and said softly, "If we and the people around us are compared to plants and trees, then the two most extreme categories are probably orchids and thorns. ”

Bai Yi's eyes moved slightly, "What do you say?" ”

Bai Ling looked at it with a smile, "The thorn is extremely tenacious, in a harsh environment, it can survive with a little water and a little sunlight, but it is covered with thorns, and it is written from head to toe that no one should approach; The orchid is very beautiful and everyone likes it, but it is also very delicate, and if the water and the climate are even the slightest bit worse, the flower will wither...... I think Daddy is the person who is the orchid. ”

Bai Yi laughed out loud for a while, and waved his hand disappreciably, "Return the orchid." I think he is so gullible and easy to deceive, it is a miracle that he has survived to be admitted to the Tai Hospital. ”

Bai Ling also laughed, "You can listen to me finish speaking." Although the world praises orchids, people like orchids are often prone to early death. Aren't all those martyrs in history like this?

"Dad is lucky, he lived to this age, although he brought so many disasters to himself, but in the end he still turned evil into good fortune, on the one hand, he was lucky, on the other hand, there was probably someone by his side who could protect him. In the past, it was our mother, and then it was the old court envoy, and now it's probably our turn again.

Bai Yi still shook his head, "...... It's too weak to live like this. ”

"You can't ask a flower to be 'strong', and a flower can't be like a thorn, covered with thorns of self-defense. The way the flower fights against the violence is very simple, if someone hurts a flower, then he will not open. ”

Bai Ling looked at Bai Yi on the side.

Bai Yi's face had become calm, he put down the teacup and listened intently to Bai Ling.

"Human energy is limited. People have the freedom to judge what they want to spend their time on, and they have to accept the corresponding price. I don't think it's all because of his weak temperament, but because I think it's too troublesome to take the time to face these tricks. Didn't he say, 'Those who are not enough to plan everything cannot plan for a while, and those who cannot plan for the overall situation cannot plan for a corner', I think he knows what he wants better than we do, so he doesn't care about anything else. ”

The smile on Bai Yi's face was a little self-deprecating, "...... According to you, he lives more clearly than we do. ”

"We have our own choices," Bai Ling's gaze fell, "though I haven't quite figured it out yet...... But we can only wait until we get out of here to have a chance to plan......"

A palace man Shi Shiran came in with a porcelain pot, and the brother and sister were silent, watching him come and fill the cup with water, and then watch him out.

Bai Yi said at this time, "Now that you and I have become his flower mud, I don't know if I can carry the wind and rain in the future." ”

Bai Ling was about to answer, the inner door had already opened, and the palace people who had led the way before walked out quickly, and Bai Yi and Bai Ling stood up at the same time.

Bai Ling, Bai Yi: "So fast? ”

"It's already slow." The eunuch glanced at Bai Ling and Bai Yi, and said with a smile, "Long live the candidate, how dare we slack off?" You take this lead, follow the little plum in front of you, and he will take you to the Internal Affairs Office to get things, waist cards, clothes, etc., according to the rules, and someone will tell you when you arrive. ”

The palace people led the way in front, and at this time there was still a ceremony in the front court, and the eunuchs led the brother and sister up to the stone corridor on the city wall, bypassing the palace city in front of them, and heading towards the inner palace.

The wind was strong in the high places, and the two walked forward slowly, and on their left hand, the whole palace was one after another, pavilions one after another, gilded eaves, vermilion palace walls, and green willows...... They have seen countless people climb to the pinnacle of power here, and they have seen countless losers cry in the dark corners.

Bai Ling's gaze penetrated the long wind in front of him, looked at the almost endless palace and slowly exhaled a breath.

Now, let's fight.