A few days later, Delong had already left Beijing by boat, and Qi Su Niang still hadn't finished reading the Qi account book. The shopkeeper in the capital tooth shop always went to the Shuanghong Courtyard to wait for the letter.

Bill invited the shopkeeper to sit down in the outer room, and served hot tea and refreshments. I heard the shouting outside, and the nobles in the palace beat someone to send a basket of lotus flowers.

Bi'er hurriedly greeted her, and Shuangxi smiled and asked Qi Su Niang to say goodbye, "Yesterday, the prince was gracious, and the old lady entered the palace to meet Shuanghong Gege. For a while, Mrs. Chen was mentioned again, and now I sent a slave to deliver a basket of flowers. ”

Qi Su Niang knew that the old lady was talking about Shuanghong's own mother, Shi, "How is Aunt Shi?" Are you still on an errand in the Nine Masters' Mansion now? ”

Shuangxi blinked and said with a smile: "Back to Mrs. Chen's words, the old lady's room is Mrs. Wanyan's dowry slave, and she got the grace to be the chief manager in the small Tangshan Zhuangzi outside Beijing." ”

Qi Su Niang knew that the Zhuangzi on Xiaotang Mountain was mostly a place for nobles to play, and there was a profit from planting and raising on weekdays, which was a beautiful difference for a long time, so she smiled and nodded, so that Bi'er enjoyed double happiness.

Bill sent Double Happiness out and inserted the fresh lotus flower in the porcelain vase. Qi Su Niang stretched out her hand to caress the white lotus petals, and said with a smile: "It's also a shame that she still remembers to give me this." The things in the Ninth Master's Mansion were all eight years ago. Looking up at the sky, it was almost noon, and I couldn't help but say, "Your father handed over the letter, saying that he would return today, why haven't you seen it yet?"

As he was talking, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps in the courtyard outside, and he heard Xiao Lian's voice, "Grandma, grandpa is back." ”

Qi Su Niang was full of joy and hurriedly walked out, but saw Xiao Lian and a following official supporting Chen Yan together.

Chen Yan's face was thin and unstable.

"Quick. Quickly help the master to the kang. Qi Su Niang was anxious and panicked. One held Chen Yan. Head to the inner room. He shouted, "Bill." Hurry up and let the soup stew in the kitchen. Bring hot water up. ”

With a dark and thin face, Chen Yan sat on the kang. He smiled weakly, "I'm not yet thirty." After patrolling the earth river for more than half a month, it was tired like this. The local landlord in Yangzhou really couldn't do it. Drinking and feasting every day consumes energy. Good thing I'm afraid of you. There was no one inside or outside. I didn't let the female color hollow out ......"

Qi Su Niang didn't care about him. Eyes with tears. While taking off his boots, he said, "What do you say?" As soon as you come to the emperor. It's just a toss day and night. Let's even if we want to curry favor with the emperor. I can't afford to take my own body to the top. It was like that on the royal ship back then. That's still the case. ”

Chen Yan laughed silently. Just looked at Qi Su Niang.

Qi Su Niang took the hot face towel from Bi'er >. Carefully wiped Chen Yan's face. I saw that his skin was rough and dark, like that of an old peasant. The romance of the noble people who were raised in Yangzhou disappeared all of a sudden. It's as if he's all changed. It's so distressing. "I burned your foot. You'll just get some sleep."

Chen Yan took Qi Su Niang's hand. "You sleep with me. I haven't seen you in January. You talk to me......"

Qi Su Niang coaxed: "Okay, I'll accompany you." Come, let go of your hands, and I'll wash your feet. ”

Qi Su Niang washed Chen Yan's feet, loosened his clothes, covered him with a thin quilt, and he had already fallen asleep. Qi Su Niang sat on the dressing table and took off the hairpin ring, undressed, and whispered to the child: "I'm afraid it's dinner time when he gets up, don't cook with a lot of oil first, boil some light porridge, he can't stand the oil like this." After a pause, "Boil the bath water, and wait for him to eat." ”

Bi'er nodded in response, looked at the account book on the side of the receipt, and asked, "Where is the tooth store?" ”

"Tell them to settle the accounts, and I'll find out what's wrong in a few days, don't blame me for reporting to the Ninth Master, everyone is not decent."

Bi'er held the basin and closed the door, Qi Su Niang went to bed in Luo Yi and Luo pants, pulled a thin quilt, and lay down side by head with Chen Yan.

Chen Yan slept very deeply, Qi Su Niang slowly stroked his face, sighed silently, stretched out her arm around Chen Yan's neck, leaned on his arms and pondered silently, and gradually fell asleep.

It was getting late, and there were lights in the hands inside and outside the capital, Chen Yan woke up dimly, and was about to turn over in a daze when he ran into a softly fragrant woman, startled, sat up, and pushed Qi Su Niang out in his arms.

Qi Su Niang's head fell from his chest and fell heavily on the futon, and he suddenly woke up, rubbing his eyes and muttering: "Brother Chen, what's wrong?" ”

Chen Yan woke up at this time, and hugged Qi Su Niang into his arms, with a smile on his face, "I was in a daze just now, and I thought that in Baoding, there was a woman on the bed, if it was spread out to let you know, it would scare me a lot."

Qi Su Niang laughed and smacked, "As soon as I came back at the beginning, I shouted that I was afraid of my wife, and now I say this again, so that others will hear it, only when you marry a tigress."

Chen Yan kissed her heavily on the face, and said with a smile: "What are you afraid of, He Tuhua held you to the sky in front of the emperor, and said that you are proficient in China and the West for a while, and then said that you are a woman De Xinlan."

Even if I want to accuse you in front of the emperor that you are a lion of Hedong, I want the emperor to believe it."

Qi Su Niang buried himself in his arms and laughed, "The proud disciple you accepted, calling me my wife every day, bending down and arching his hands, holding his breath, like a big guest, I am so tired for him"

Chen Yan

"He's the same character, exactly like when I was seventeen or eighteen." is full of flags and nobles, and his foundation is strong and the background is hard. At this time, I was driving in Baoding, and the emperor gossiped with me, only complaining that I was stupid enough to let him worry about it. If he could be as old and serious as he is now, he wouldn't have to worry about getting married and calling you to the palace. ”

Qi Su Niang giggled, Chen Yan kissed her on the lips, and said with a smile: "I've slept enough, I'm hungry." ”

Qi Su Niang got out of bed with a smile, asked someone to bring food into the room, waited for Chen Yan to eat and drink, and then took a bucket of hot water and let him take a bath. Qi Su Niang wiped his back for him while complaining, "It's only been a month, and I can feel the bones on my body, so is Beicaohe so important?" ”

Chen Yan closed his eyes and said with a smile: "After the Yellow River is diverted, the northern dangerous sections are all in the territory of Zhili, and it goes without saying that the Yongding River in Tongzhou is directly located. To be stable in Caoshang, it is indispensable to control these rivers. Although it is said to be patrolling the Cao River, it is inevitable to look at the river workers of these rivers. He suddenly opened his eyes, held Qi Su Niang's hand and said with a smile: "I have gained a lot of insight this time, the emperor sent someone to explore the source of the Yellow River more than ten years ago and make a map of the river. Although I have heard Mr. Mei mention it, but I have never had the opportunity to look at this river map, this month I look at the river source map every day, and I understand many half-understood things in my heart. ”

When Qi Suniang heard him mention the water map of the source of the Yellow River, she remembered what He Tuhua said about the ice disaster of the Yellow River, and immediately said happily: "You have already made an ice map?" If there is this, the floods in Shandong, Henan, and Zhili can always be prevented in advance. ”

Chen Yan was stunned, "Ice map? ”

Qi Su Niang was stunned, knowing that she would be wrong, so she had to be careful and vaguely said: "A while ago, I taught He Tuhua arithmetic in the palace, and I heard him mention the Yellow River ice disaster."

Chen Yan didn't seem to hear it, but just pondered, "The emperor was sent to the source of the Yellow River by the guards of the three full flags in front of the emperor. I have read Shu Lan's "The Origin of the River", and they only know a little about the surface of the river work, and only remember the topography and features. If there are people who are familiar with river workers, they can go up the Yellow River and measure the time of freezing and thawing in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and the actual evidence of the flow of ice and land."

Qi Su Niang held Chen Yan's hand, "It's just that I heard that the source of the Yellow River is far away on the plateau, and the terrain is extremely difficult."

Chen Yan nodded, "I heard that I sent more than ten people to go at the beginning, and only three came back in the end. Moreover, no one among the subordinate officials of the river yamen knew about these Western measurement methods. This time, Lord Hetai came to the mouth of the Yellow River to greet him, and I didn't say much about the Yellow River River, and his face was not very good.

He is the emperor's favorite minister, I can't talk much at this time" said it, sighed wastefully, let go of Qi Su Niang's hand, picked up a handful of hot water from the bucket and threw it on his face, and wiped the water traces hard, "Su Niang, let's go back to Yangzhou in two days." ”

Qi Su Niang was stunned, happy and worried, happy that she could see Lianxiang when she went back, and worried that Qi Qiang didn't know the bad luck here, she lowered her head and whispered in Chen Yan's ear: "Brother Chen, do you think the eighth master can be the prince?" ”

Chen Yan looked at Qi Su Niang, and also whispered: "I can't handle this matter." It's just that I watched it, and the emperor is now for the sake of Prince An's heart, and he doesn't refute anything he wants to do. But where is the long-term solution? At this time, what is the use of dealing with those masters' subordinates? If those subordinates were useful, the eighth master would have become the prince a long time ago. Whether the crown prince is established or abolished is all a word from the emperor, and he should stop at this time and talk to the emperor well. Said slowly: "The emperor originally wanted me to stay in Zhili for a while, and understand all the waterways along the Beicao River in Tongzhou, Tianjin, and Baoding. I used the excuse that Jiangnan Township was about to get out of the list, so I pushed it away, but I felt that the prince was not a good sign. He was abolished once, and he couldn't tell the severity, he only cared about forming a party and confronting the eighth master, and if he went on like this, he would inevitably make the emperor jealous like the eighth master, and we couldn't stay at the feet of the Son of Heaven and get involved in these things. ”

Qi Su Niang pondered Chen Yan's words carefully, her mind flashed suddenly, she threw away the bath towel, hugged Chen Yan's neck, and said in his ear: "Brother Chen, what you mean by this is that the prince himself behaves well, if the eighth master makes a way to make the emperor's loyalty to the prince give birth to the prince or will it be abolished?" ”

Chen Yan sighed, "Where can these things be said accurately, let's hurry back to Yangzhou." ”

Chen Yan got up and changed his clothes, and sat on the kang to eat. Qi Su Niang went out and called Bi'er, taught her to take a few daughters-in-law to pack her luggage overnight, and as she was talking, she saw Xiaolian enter the inner courtyard and walked to the door of the inner room, "Master, Lord Zuo Bifan of Yangzhou Xuezheng has come to the official document." ”

Qi Suniang heard Chen Yan call Xiaolian in, and saw the bright red seal and fire paint on the official document envelope from a distance, and knew that it was mostly a matter of Jiangnan Township Test. She had never touched the official documents outside, and Chen Yan had never let her read them. But she vaguely heard Chen Yan mention that this time the township examination in the seven provinces south of the Yangtze River was Yangzhou Xuezheng Bifan as the main examiner. The township examination is to select and appoint people from among the children's talents, although each prefecture has a school administration, which is located under the government platform, but the things on the road are not under the jurisdiction of the government platform.

It's just that Qi Su Niang heard Zuo Bifan's name and felt a little familiar, as if he had mentioned it to Qi Qiang when he was in Gaoyou Wuwei Building......