The front hall of Huan Mansion, the top of the hill with seven intervals, the roof ridge is decorated with a slip of glass, and the cornice dripping tile is very exquisite. It rains a lot in the summer, and it's still the sun in the morning, but this time it's raining. The rain is not heavy, the cornice seems to be hung with a delicate bead curtain, thin and continuous, all fall into the sink made of bluestone slabs at the edge of the scattered water, the raindrops are murmuring, agitated into a song.

Huan Youxiang, his son and a few doormen sat in the front hall in the morning to discuss matters.

A servant came in from the side with a bow, walked behind the small table where Huan Shizhi was sitting, leaned over and replied to him. Huan Shizhi responded and sent it away.

"Appropriate, what's that?" Huan Youxiang, who was sitting in the middle of the head, looked up and asked casually.

Huan Shizhi asked, hurriedly straightened his clothes, stood up and bowed and replied: "Back to my father's words, today the lord went to the camp with Deng Duhu, and the son saw that it was suddenly raining, so let people go to greet him." ”

Huan Youxiang listened back but didn't answer, just reached out and picked up the tea on the wooden table, opened the lid and sniffed it gently, and shook his head slightly. An old servant nearby saw it and beckoned. After a while, a maid holding a lacquer plate turned out of the back hall, and there were two teacups on the lacquer plate, one was changed to Huan Youxiang, and the other was changed to a thin man with thin hair and long eyebrows sitting next to the head.

In Huan Shizhi, a person from the Xiangfu who was sitting in the house owed slightly, snorted, and was quite contemptuous and arrogant: "I really didn't expect this." The crown princess is dead, and this Qinghe Weng lord is still so kind to the people of the prince's mansion. ”

The speaker's expression was playful, and his tone was implicitly sarcastic. Huan Shizhi stood in the center of the hall very uncomfortable, looking up, but his father ignored it.

The housekeeper said: "It's just a retainer of the prince's mansion, and it's just a matter of being able to follow His Royal Highness the King to ask for Zhang Lan, and it's ......."

"Ji An," the thin-haired man sitting at the top of the house spoke slowly, calling out the words of the Sheren, cutting off his words, "You and I don't have to worry about the affairs of the East Palace. What's more, Deng Yao followed His Royal Highness to ask Zhang Lan, and the eldest prince personally agreed, so it was not allowed to be discussed. After speaking, he squinted his eyes and looked in the direction of Huan Shi to take a closer look, and smiled slightly, as if he had ulterior motives.

The discussion was dispersed, Huan Shizhi retreated from the west corridor, and before he reached the corner gate of the west courtyard, he heard a voice from behind: "Slow down!" ”

It was the slender man who sat at the top of the front hall.

Huan Shizhi quickly stood still, and bowed respectfully: "Teacher." ”

It turned out that this was Mr. Gongye of Luoyang Mingshi. Luoyang Gongye has both virtue and talent, but has no intention of being in Chang'an, but lives in Luoyang. Because of his talent and resourcefulness, he was highly courteous to the Huan family in Luoyang, and became the teacher of the nephews of the Huan family.

Mr. Gongye helped him up, but smiled silently.

"Does the teacher think that the student should not agree to Deng Yao's request and let him follow His Royal Highness the letter to ask Zhang Lan?" Seeing this, Huan Shizhi asked.

"I think it is appropriate, does Xiangye agree or disagree?" Mr. Gongye asked with a smile.

Huan Shizhi thought carefully: "My father acted for the sake of Da Zhou, and he never disdained those party disputes. Now the black armor guard is brave and can help the. So it is appropriate to think that the father should agree. ”

Mr. Gongye's eyes narrowed slightly, and he shook his head with a smile: "Suitable for the noble nature, I should be happy as a teacher." It's just that the current form is delicate, if this Deng Yao acts mediocre this time, if he can really do miraculous feats, and even suppress the main general, I am afraid that it will intensify the party struggle even more. It is good not to participate in these parties and fight against differences, but in the world, we can't think more about it. ”

"What the teacher taught was that it was too hasty to make a big mistake. However, Shi Zhi has learned about this Deng Yao. Although this person should not be underestimated, he is quite restrained and calm, and he should not be such a person who is eager for quick success and does not care. ”

When Mr. Gongye heard this, he smiled and no longer commented, but said: "Tong'er has come back from Baile Mountain, so let's go and see her when I have time." With that, he flicked his wide sleeves and walked out of the house along the west corridor.

Huan Shi didn't understand what Mr. Gongye meant for a while, and stood under the corridor for a long time. It wasn't until the little guy next to him called several times that he came back to his senses.

"Tell the car." Huan Shizhi instructed the little guy.

"Didn't Childe go to the West Courtyard to see Lord Weng?" The little guy couldn't help but ask.

Huan Shizhi walked to the front yard: "Go to Gongye Mansion." ”

……

The carriage stopped in front of a small courtyard by the waterside of Chengxiluo. Huan Shi got out of the car and buckled the door, and a young boy who was the head of the corner opened the door, and when he saw it, he hurriedly smiled and let him in, while shouting: "The eldest prince is here." ”

Entering the courtyard gate is a path that leads to the two-entry wooden shed house at the back. Although simple, it is elegantly furnished. In the backyard, a low fence made of sour branches and trees is circled, and some herb vines are planted, some of which are lush, some of which are blooming with broken flowers, and some of which are hanging with pearls and small fruits like coral. Fragrant flowers and fruits, refreshing people's hearts, but they are also some categories that Huan Shi does not recognize.

A woman in a plain dress was tending to the vines in the garden, and when she heard the little boy calling, she put a sprinkler and raised her head. The woman was born with eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes seemed to be dewed. His skin was as white as snow, and he was wearing plain clothes, only his long black hair hung down, and there were no hairpin ring ornaments, but a blue flower was hairpin on the side, like a fairy.

She saw Huan Shizhi come in, and said with a smile: "The eldest prince sits down for a while." My father hasn't come back yet. ”

Huan Shizhi sat down at the small table by the nursery, and replied with a smile: "I just met the teacher, and the teacher said that you are back, so I came to see you." The scenery of Baile Mountain must be good, feng shui is also to nourish people, and Sister Tong'er is becoming more and more radiant. ”

This plain-clothed woman is Mr. Gongye's adopted daughter Tong'er. Mr. Gongye was alone all his life, and only when he passed through Tongguan did he find an abandoned baby. The youngest daughter is carved in pink and jade, which is very cute, and it makes Mr. Gongye, who boasts that he has been at ease all his life and has no worries, moved his heart, so he stayed by his side and took a name called Tong'er. What's even more strange is that this daughter seems to be born curious about the art of Dunjia, and she has been taught by Mr. Gongye, and she has rarely achieved anything, the longest is stargazing and divination.

Listening to the appropriate words, Tong'er joked: "The eldest prince has an overreputation. However, the scenery of Baile Mountain is indeed very good, otherwise the second son would not be reluctant to come back. ”

Huan Shizhi laughed with him, but he looked like he wanted to say something. Tong'er understood and said, "Father probably hasn't had time to mention it to the eldest son, I approved a hexagram last night." Looking at the southwest direction, there are generals and stars about to fall, this may be in Zhang Lan, but there is nothing unusual, but there is another emperor star faintly rising, its shape is flickering, unrecognizable, I don't know where it should be, but it is uneasy. ”

"Emperor?" Huan Shizhi knows that Tong'er's astrology is by no means a lie, but the emperor star is not in the East Palace, but in the southwest, which is really shocking. Since the twelfth year, there have been frequent rumors that the emperor has a dislike for the East Palace, is it true that there will be a major event of a different prince?

"Stargazing is nothing more than seven or eight times out of ten. The father's meaning was only to ask Tong'er to tell the eldest son, but the people next to him didn't need to know, so as not to cause trouble. ”

Huan Shizhi understood the moment and agreed in a deep voice. Thinking of these open and secret battles in the court, I was really upset, straightened my sleeves, got up and said goodbye to leave.

"The eldest prince," Tong'er hurriedly stopped him, a little hesitant, but his face was a little red, "Tong'er came back this time, and she hasn't seen Su Gongzi yet." Is he, okay? ”