Early the next morning, after Gu Xiyan finished grooming, she went to the garden to greet Mrs. Gu.

Mrs. Gu also just got up, her face was tired and reborn, she glanced at Gu Xiyan tiredly, and said, "I will go to school in the future, so I don't have to come to greet me every day." ”

Gu Xiyan replied respectfully: "Mother treats people kindly, and I can't lose decency!" ”

Mrs. Gu smiled, her smile was full of bitterness, and she said indifferently: "Since this is the case, then you can just come to greet me on the first day of every month." ”

Gu Xiyan responded with a humble attitude of "yes".

Mrs. Gu called Mama Tian to lead her to Cui Baoyi.

The two of them walked out of the garden, and they couldn't help but sigh.

That is, an autumn festival, two days of personnel, and Mama Song is gone.

Mama Tian didn't seem to talk as much as Mama Song, and she was silent all the way, and when she arrived at Cui Baoyi, it was Mama Wu who led her out earlier who led them in. The house where Cui Baoyi met them was called "Daoxiang", three small pavilions with white walls and green tiles, and an old laurel tree was planted in front of the door, with lush branches and leaves, pavilions like canopies, green leaves mixed with small yellow stamens, and the house was full of cinnamon fragrance. The room was very neat and clean, a small couch, a few embroidered piers, Cui Baoyi sat on the small couch and waited for them.

Cui Baoyi is wearing a lake-green skirt today, with three jasper hairpins diagonally inserted into the towering cloud bun, dressed fresh and refined, elegant and pleasant.

Gu Xiyan also dressed up deliberately, with a white wrap chest, an emerald green high-waisted pomegranate skirt, and a small opal hanging from her ear, changing mysterious colors between the shades of light, lining Gu Xiyan's face as thin as porcelain and white as jade, and her posture was pretty.

Gu Xiyan and Mama Tian stepped forward to salute her, Cui Baoyi invited them to sit down, and after a few more words, Mama Tian left. As Gu Xiyan expected, Cui Baoyi first asked her what she had learned in enlightenment, Gu Xiyan said that she had only read "Sound and Rhyme", Cui Baoyi first asked her to memorize a few sentences, and then took out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone to let her write a few sentences.

The results are predictable.

Cui Baoyi couldn't hide the disappointment on her face, and took a book and posted it: "This is Mrs. Jieyu's handwriting, you take it back and paint it red first, and come back in three days!" ”

Gu Xiyan saluted Cui Baoyi very respectfully and left, Mama Wu sent her outside the door again, and the person waiting for her at the door became Duan Niang.

Gu Xiyan stepped forward: "Why are you here in person!" ”

Duan Niang said with a smile: "Mama Tian is now the chief steward of the inner house, so I can't send you to school every time!" ”

Gu Xiyan and Duan Niang went back to the house, opened the sticker and saw that it was an imitation of Song style.

In the past, one of her Chinese teachers once said that "a good hand is a stepping stone", and they all agree with this sentence in the era of computer popularization, let alone in such a dynasty.

Practice words, practice words!

Gu Xiyan had been concentrating on painting red all afternoon, and when it was time to eat dinner, he couldn't even hold the chopsticks.

On the third day, Gu Xiyan went to Cui Baoyi again. Waiting for her this time was a little girl about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a peach face and apricot cheeks, very beautiful. She welcomed Gu Xiyan in with a smile, and introduced herself as "Huilan", a personal maid by Cui Baoyi's side. She took out a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone to make Gu Xiyan red, and said that this was specially explained by Aunt Cui.

And so the morning passed.

Back in the house, Gu Xiyan began to paint red again.

On the sixth day, when Gu Xiyan went, it was the same Huilan who entertained her, and she also smiled and took a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone to let her sit in Daoxiang Xiaoxuan and paint red.

No matter how stupid Gu Xiyan is, she understands what Aunt Cui means.

When she went out, Gu Xiyan asked Huilan to tell Aunt Cui that she would come back in a month.

Whelan didn't say anything, and sent her out with a smile.

In September, when the weather turned cooler, Gu Xiyan was red. Of course, she also did one thing during this period, which was to meet Guiguan.

The place where they met was the same, and they chose the same place to meet Gu Xiyan and Deacon Li. In case someone bumps into him, Gu Xiyan can stay in the house as soon as he turns around, and Guiguan can hide in the forest as soon as he turns around; When asked, they were able to lie by chance.

This also made Gu Xiyan wary of Deacon Ding again, it seems that Deacon Ding is quite experienced in contact with people in the inner house!

Their conversation revolved around the selection of a concubine for the prince at the beginning of spring next year.

Empress Dowager Fang is * years old this year, and it has been 38 years since she ascended the throne as the empress at the age of 26 and began to handle government affairs on behalf of the emperor. In the past 38 years, the decrees of the Xizhao Dynasty have been operating according to the will of the Fang family, and neither the first emperor nor the current emperor has ever raised objections. Twenty-three years ago, she selected her own aunt and nephew into the palace as an election for the emperor, at that time the Manchu Dynasty was discussing, thinking that it was only a matter of time before Wang became the queen, but when Wang himself thought so, the queen mother asked the emperor to marry the daughter of Fengtai Li. Now that she has Fang Shaoying by her side, now the whole court is talking about who will be the prince if she marries Fang Shaoying, Master Gu believes it, and many people like Master Gu believe it......"

Gu Xiyan asked Gui Guan: "Do you believe it?" ”

Guiguan nodded solemnly: "I also believe it." ”

Gu Xiyan's slender and supple eyebrows like willow leaves were gently raised.

Guiguan analyzed: "The current queen mother is the first queen from the Shu clan in Xizhao for more than 200 years, and she chose the Fengtai Li family as her daughter-in-law at that time in order to consolidate her own imperial power and get the recognition of the Xia Guoshi clan. Now that the queen mother's foundation is stable and she is getting older, she is going to start arranging a way back for the Fang family. Although the girl is from a prominent background, she is the sister of the imperial concubine and the nephew of Concubine Kang, it stands to reason that she should be the most hopeful, but I think this is your disadvantage. During the reign of the Queen Mother, she vigorously attacked the Shi clan, although the Lian family had children, but they were not favored, and there was no one in the Wu family who was an official in the court. The lord didn't expect you to choose, he just hoped to get a piece of the Fang family's pie. But it's too early now, the queen mother is still in control of the government and the inner palace, with the imperial concubine in front, if the girl also enters the palace...... Maybe it will make the Queen Mother unhappy......"

Gu Xiyan groaned: "Do you know Fang Shaoqing's situation? ”

"That's even more unlikely!" Guiguan laughed, his handsome facial features were sassy and sloppy in the warm autumn sun at noon, "Fang Shaoqing was engaged to the daughter of Xu Zhen, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, at a young age, although I don't know why I haven't been married, but the two families are decent, and it is a matter of time before they get married." ”

Gu Xiyan knew that Guiguan had misunderstood, thinking that she heard that she had no hope of being elected as the imperial concubine, so she brought up the idea of Fang Shaoqing, who was born in a wealthy family, and she didn't explain, saying, "Since you are not married, you should help me inquire!" ”

Guiguan smiled and agreed.

Gu Xiyan asked him again: "The last time you talked about the household registration, what happened?" ”

Guiguan's face was gloomy: "People like us don't have a household registration...... You can't marry casually, and you can't get a guide...... There is no ...... of freedom"

"Do you believe him, then?" Gu Xiyan asked, "Do you believe that he will keep his promise and let you become a naturalized citizen when you are fifteen?" ”

Guiguan smiled bitterly: "I can only trust him." ”

Gu Xiyan said: "Is there any other way?" ”

"I've searched all over Xizhao's laws, and unless he is willing to sponsor me for naturalization, there is no other way."

Gu Xiyan pondered: "You can help me find a book about Xizhao's laws...... "What is better than reading the laws of a country to understand the rules of survival in this society!"

Guiguan looked at Gu Xiyan's face excitedly, and muttered at the corner of his mouth, and it took a long time to respond to the word "yes".

The two broke up and went back to the house separately, and Gu Xiyan continued to sit quietly on the big couch in the house to paint red.

In the evening, Gu Xiyan asked Duan Niang to discuss: "Hengyue and Talang are not young, you know the situation at home." I'm afraid that I won't be able to hold on at that time, and the first to suffer is their girl who has been with her for a few years. Let's make plans early, you tell the two girls, see what they think, and find a mother-in-law to marry as soon as possible...... Everyone is decent. ”

Duan Niang was expressionless and silent for a long time.

When the first snow fell, Gu Xiyan sent away Treading Waves and Hengyue.

Talang married into a farming family in Fuchun County, and was a matchmaker made by one of Duanniang's sisters. Said to be a farmer, there are hundreds of acres of fertile land at home, and there is an oil mill, the days are quite solid, Duan Niang personally visited, and the waves are also satisfied. Hengyue has a widowed mother in the family, married back to Shuzhou, is Duanniang's matchmaker, I knew before, the man's father was a staff member in Xizhou Mansion, Hainan County, I heard that it was the personal maid of the second girl of the Gu family, she was very satisfied, and when she came to pick up Hengyue, she also gave Gu Xiyan a small red gold statue of the gods.

There were three people left in Gu Xiyan's house, and she took the initiative to find Mrs. Gu, saying that the old people were used to it, and there was no need to add more people.

Mrs. Gu has been in poor health since the autumn breeze started, she often leans on the bed, and most of the family affairs are led by Mama Tian, seeing Gu Xiyan say this, she didn't ask much.

Gu Xiyan's birthday was spent in such a deserted manner.

In the month of La, there are suddenly more things at home, and the world friends who return to Beijing to report on their work want to treat and give gifts, and the verification of officials will begin at the beginning of spring next year, where to move around, where to visit, Mrs. Gu has to take care of the point, plus the New Year is coming soon, the purchase of the year, the gifts of the shrine, the reward of the next person, and the list of the spring banquet, she also have to review and nod her head one by one, she has been in bed for a long time, and she is naturally a little powerless. Although Mama Tian is shrewd, she is a subordinate after all, and she doesn't dare to make decisions at will, so Gu Xiyan took advantage of the time to give Mrs. Gu some ideas, and gradually, many things returned to Gu Xiyan.

Duan Niang was very happy to see it, and said, "It is also appropriate for a girl to follow her wife to learn from a teacher before she gets married." ”

Mama Tian was very worried that Gu Xiyan would not let go of Mrs. Gu taking advantage of Mrs. Gu's illness in bed, and later came to see Gu Xiyan doing things in a clear and orderly manner, speaking kindly and gently but calmly, and asking Mrs. Gu for everything, so she gradually put her mind at ease.

In addition to helping Mrs. Gu with some housework, Gu Xiyan used it most of the time to paint red. She thought she had made some progress, but Cui Baoyi still asked Whelan to greet her. She knew that she hadn't passed the test yet, and she didn't ask anything, so she took the words she had written and went once a month.

In the middle of the month, another unexpected guest came to the house.