The drums sounded in unison, and I saw a team of guards coming over, lined up on both sides, and then, nearly 100 eunuchs and palace maids played yellow Luogai and feather fans, and slowly walked around the queen mother and the prince.

Everyone bowed and saluted together, "I wish the Empress Dowager great blessings and good health, and I wish your majesty long live long live!" ”

Empress Dowager Cao sat down on the side, and Zhao Ji, the Son of Heaven, stepped forward and said, "Ministers, no courtesy!" ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Ji picked up a glass of wine and said: "Last year's New Year's court, we celebrated the destruction of the Western Xia rivals, and this year's court, we once again celebrated the recovery of Youyan, Yanshan Mansion returned to the Central Plains Dynasty, at the moment of national celebration, we are with Myanmar last year's feat, and at the same time look forward to the new year, the Great Song Dynasty army will make new contributions, this first cup of wine, we dedicate to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country last year. ”

Zhao Ji slowly sprinkled the wine in front of the steps, and everyone also spilled the wine on the ground.

Immediately poured a second glass of wine, Zhao Ji raised his glass and said loudly: "These two glasses of wine, we respect the Empress Dowager, she is the cornerstone of our Great Song Dynasty, I wish her a long and healthy life, and blessings and grace!" ”

Everyone raised their glasses to the Empress Dowager Cao, and the Empress Dowager Cao picked up the wine glass and said softly with a smile: "Thank you to the officials, thank you to the ministers, we drank this cup together." ”

Everyone raised their glasses and drank them all, and Zhao Ji poured the third cup at this time, and said loudly: "Come!" Cheers to a new year, a new beginning! ”

"Cheers!"

Thousands of officials raised their wine glasses and shouted, drinking all the wine in the cups together, Zhao Ji held the empty glass and said with a smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the delicious jade liquid to the fullest, and rest when you get drunk!" ”

The New Year's banquet began, the Son of Heaven Zhao Ji and the Empress Dowager Cao only drank two cups, and then left in a hurry, without the Son of Heaven and the Queen Mother, the ministers talked and laughed, drank to their heart's content, and every year at the New Year's Banquet, many ministers were greedy for cups, and they were drunk and sent back by the eunuchs.

........

Zhu Pei and his family also had lunch and were sitting in the warm pavilion chatting, when a maid came running in a panic, "Madam, the master has been sent back, it seems that he has drunk a few more glasses." ”

Zhu Pei sighed, and like last year, she came back drunk, she hurriedly rushed to the outside of the house with her family, only to see two eunuchs come in with a drunken husband, Zhu Pei stepped forward and complained: "How can you drink like this?" ”

The eunuch smiled bitterly and said: "Princess Qiyu, there are too many ministers who respect Xiao Fan Xianggong, he really can't resist it!" ”

"Thank you, two fathers-in-law, give it to me!"

Zhu Pei and Ouyang Qian took over their husbands one left and one right, and Zhu Pei instructed the chief housekeeper to give the eunuch and the coachman ten taels of silver each, and the eunuch thanked him and left.

"Where do we help him?" Ouyang Qian asked.

"Let's go to the study! The fragrance of the warm pavilion is too strong, and it is estimated that he will vomit. ”

Juppey asked Aya to prepare the decanting soup, and the two helped her husband to the study.

"There's no need to exaggerate, I'll just have a few more drinks and I'll be able to walk on my own."

"You're not drunk yet, you can't speak clearly." Juppi said hatefully.

"I have a clear mind, it's ..... It's that they don't listen to the call on their legs. ”

Fan Ning talked a little too much, and hugged Ouyang Qian again: "Sister Qian, I have agreed with my father-in-law, I will go to his house for dinner tomorrow, you prepare some gifts, I don't want to worry about it." ”

"I didn't let you these idle minds, it's serious for you to drink a few less."

"I'm glad to know? I felt like I was back in the old days. ”

"You drank too much last year, and you said that you came from a thousand years later, and it is estimated that you will say that you came from the Han Dynasty this year, and we have all thought about it for you."

Fanning was helped into the study and sat directly on the chair, which had been lit with a charcoal basin, which was exceptionally warm.

Fan Ning suddenly stood up, covered his mouth and rushed out of the door, rushed to the yard, squatted in the corner and vomited, Zhu Pei and Ouyang Qian helped him gently beat his back, Aya came over with the decanting soup, Zhu Pei divided the decanting soup into two, one cup for Fan Ning to rinse, Fan Ning rinsed his mouth, and drank another cup of decanting sour soup in one gulp, which was much more comfortable, helped the two wives into the room, and several maids came over to clean up the yard.

Fan Ning drank another cup of hot tea, shook his head and said, "Cao Shi's turtle son brought dozens of generals to pour me wine, this year's war, I must let this bastard be the first to rush to the city." ”

"My husband didn't sleep in the middle of the night last night, why don't you sleep for a while!"

Fanning nodded, he was indeed a little sleepy.

There was a bed in the study, and the two quickly made a bed for him, helped him lie down, covered the futon, and then closed the door and left.

........

In the afternoon of the next day, Fan Ning took Ouyang Qian and Ouyang Qian's two children, Fan Zhen'er and Fan Chu, to Ouyang Mansion.

I have to go to Cao's house tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow I have to go to a few Xiangguo mansions to sit down, this New Year, he is destined to have little time to rest.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of Ouyang's mansion, and Ouyang Xiu's eldest son, Ouyang Hua, took his wife Wu to greet Fan Ning and his sister at the door.

Ouyang Hua was not born in a professional class, and he was influenced by his father to get an official position, so his promotion was relatively slow, and it took more than ten years to be promoted from the eighth grade to the sixth grade.

For example, he is responsible for approving the number of places for the examination in each state every year, and in terms of mastering the scale, as long as it is slightly relaxed, a certain state will have a few more places for the examination.

Fan Ning got down from the carriage and saw Ouyang Hua and his wife, so he smiled and said, "Ah Qian, the eldest brother is here!" ”

Ouyang Qian hurriedly smiled and said, "Big brother, sister-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time!" ”

Wu stepped forward and grabbed Ouyang Qian's arm and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for almost half a year, the last time I invited you to come, you said that there was something wrong and sealed the princess, I can't move you?" ”

"What did my sister-in-law say, there was really something wrong last time."

Ouyang Qian said a few words in her sister-in-law's ear, and Wu smiled and said, "It seems that I misunderstood you, what about Zhen'er?" ”

Fan Zhen'er stepped forward and saluted, "Uncle! ”

"Yo! I've grown a little taller, and I'm about to be as tall as my aunt, so I'm going to find my in-laws next year! Do you have someone you like? Tell your aunt that she will make the decision for you! ”

"Auntie, what nonsense are you talking about?" Fan Zhen'er was so ashamed that her face was flushed, and she held her mother's hand and didn't follow.

Ouyang Qian sighed, "This daughter of my family is a hollow radish, Bai is so tall, in fact, she is still a child, so old, and she deals with squirrels and hedgehogs all day long. ”

"Mother, dad agrees."

Ouyang Qian glared at her and said, "What did your father disagree with?" When you're fifty years old, your dad will still agree. ”

"Who's fifty?" Fanning interjected with a smile next to him.

Ouyang Qianjiao said angrily: "You hurry up and go in, woman talking, what do you care so much about?" ”

Ouyang Hua took his nephew Fan Chu's hand and asked the long and short questions, Fan Chu is eight years old this year, and he is also a quiet and polite child, and he looks very educated in his gestures.

At this time, Fanning found that there were more than a dozen horses tied to the tethered stake outside the mansion gate, so he asked, "Are there any guests today?" ”

Ouyang Hua said apologetically: "Originally, there was none, but a group of my father's students suddenly came to visit the New Year, and it is not good to postpone it, sister-in-law, I am sorry today." ”

"It's okay, it's a good thing to have a lively New Year, everyone remembers their teacher, it's their heart!"

Fan Ning smiled and asked again: "Has Yangzhou's increased number of places for the release test been approved?" ”

Ouyang Hua nodded, "It has been approved, and it was sent to Yangzhou a year ago, they were originally thirty-five places, but now they have increased to fifty places for the examination, which is the same as Pingjiang Mansion, so that many places are not convinced, saying that the court is biased." ”

"This is a reward that Yangzhou Prefecture and County Studies have been helping the imperial court to settle immigrants for a long time, what is there to be unconvinced?"

"I've explained it this way, but I'm not convinced."

Ouyang Hua shook his head and smiled bitterly: "There is no way, even if you tell them ten thousand reasons, it is useless!" ”

Everyone walked into the house, and the Wu family took Ouyang Qian and the child to the inner house.

Ouyang Hua took Fan Ning to the lobby, there were more than 30 young people sitting in the lobby, all of them were Ouyang Xiu's students, some of them had been promoted and were currently serving as magistrates, and they had come to see their teachers, and some were current students, preparing to participate in the imperial examination the year after tomorrow.

Ouyang Hua walked into the lobby quickly and whispered a few words to his father, Ouyang Xiu smiled: "It's useless to talk to me about your opinions, Xiao Fan Xianggong is here, you ask Xiao Fan Xianggong for advice!" ”

When everyone heard that Fan Ning was coming, they hurriedly got up and came out to salute, "See Fan Xianggong!" ”

Fan Ning smiled slightly: "All the talents are the high apprentices of my mentor, and they are all the pillars of the Great Song Dynasty, you don't have to be polite, please sit down!" ”

Everyone sat down one after another, and Ouyang Xiu said to Fan Ning with great interest: "We were talking about changing the law just now, you came just in time to teach you some experience, my mind is a little dull, and I can't keep up with the young people." ”

Fan Ning was not polite, Ouyang Xiu sat down beside him, this seat had been vacant, obviously reserved for him.

Fan Ning smiled slightly: "The scope of the change is very wide, which aspect do you focus on?" ”

At this time, a person said in a loud voice: "May I ask Xianggong Xiaofan, will the Qingmiao Law be implemented again?" ”

Fanning looked at the interrogator, and saw that he was about twenty-three or four years old, with a long face, so he smiled and asked, "What is your name, and what is your official position?" ”

The young man bowed and said, "Student Cai Jing, the official is the lieutenant of Qiantang County!" ”

。