It was late when my uncle came out. As soon as he saw me, he asked me if I had gone to the Shangyi Bureau with Gonggong Sha, so he nodded and said, "Okay, Hanbai, go back today, and I'll send you to Mingxin Courtyard tomorrow." ”

When I got into the car, I asked my uncle, "Uncle, can't ordinary people enter Mingxin Courtyard?" ”

"Of course you can't enter, that's where the prince studied, and there are only a dozen or so people who accompany him, and ordinary people can't go to Mingxin Academy."

The emperor said that I should go to Mingxin Academy to study, but I didn't have any concept at that time, I just thought it was just a school. But after listening to my uncle, I realized that it was the emperor who asked me to read to his son. When my uncle saw me, he said "oh" and said, "What, you're still not happy?" ”

I said, "Uncle, I read to others as a companion, isn't that inferior?" ”

Uncle laughed and said, "You don't have to worry about this. His Majesty said that in the Mingxin Courtyard, no matter who the children and nephews are, all of them are equal. If the chair wants to be punished, he doesn't have to worry about which one it is. ”

I said, "And you want to be punished?" ”

"Yes, there is a ring ruler, but you can hit the palm of your hand."

That being said, I definitely won't beat the prince, I'm afraid I'll be beaten all the time. I muttered in my heart, but I didn't dare say more. When I went to school in Wuyang City, although I had a bit of a stubborn reputation, because my grades have always been very good, and the republican system does not allow students to be punished, although I will have a fight between the two ends in three days, but the teacher is at most looking for my mother to complain. Under the imperial system, it turned out that even the system of beating students was retained, no wonder Elder Fang wanted to persuade me to be a man with my tail between my legs. I swallowed and said, "Is it really fighting?" ”

My uncle couldn't help but smile again, looked at me and said, "Are you also afraid of hitting your palms?" Listening to your mother talk about you, I thought you weren't afraid of heaven and earth. ”

I was very embarrassed by my uncle's words, and said, "Uncle, although I don't listen to my mother very much sometimes, my grades have always been among the best in school...... Anyway, I didn't fall out of the top 10 at the worst time. ”

Uncle nodded and said, "Your mother also said this." It's just that, Hanbai, you must know that Mingxin Academy is not as good as your previous school. Your Majesty thinks highly of you, but you have to be more and more careful. Speaking of this, he lowered his voice and said, "Everyone in the Mingxin Courtyard, you must not offend. ”

I said, "Yes, uncle." ”

When I was on the boat, Elder Fang also said something similar to me. As soon as I thought of Elder Fang, I suddenly froze and whispered, "By the way, uncle, is Elder Fang also going to teach in Mingxin Academy?" ”

"Of course, he will teach you the art of war."

I said, "No wonder! He has such a high status, he can actually teach the prince. ”

Uncle sighed lightly and said, "Hanbai, it's okay to tell you now." Do you know who Elder Fang is? ”

I was stunned and asked, "Who is it?" ”

"The third marshal of the empire, I am the third marshal, the first marshal is the Wei Guozhang, and Elder Fang," he paused, and said slowly: "It's the second marshal." ”

I gasped. Elder Fang has always been a little disrespectful to me, and I didn't take him too seriously, but now I know that he is actually the number two person in the imperial military, and his status is higher than that of my uncle! It's just that I once heard my father say that my uncle was the first person in the military in the north, how could there be someone with a higher status than him? I just wanted to ask, but my uncle seemed to guess my mind and said, "Wei Guozhang and Fang Lao are His Majesty's senior brothers and senior soldiers, and they were both generals at the beginning. Now both of them have no military status, but they both retain their military ranks. ”

It turned out to be an honored soldier. But in any case, Fang Lao's status was higher than I imagined. I said, "Yes, uncle, I remember, and I will definitely not be rude to the other party." ”

Uncle smiled again and said, "Old Fang's temperament doesn't like to be too restrained, so don't be too one-sided." It's just that," Speaking of this, his face became solemn again, and he said in a lower voice: "What Old Fang hates the most in his life is your grandfather, you must be careful, don't say that you leak your mouth." ”

What Elder Fang hates, of course, is not my grandfather Zheng Zhao. I also whispered, "Are there many people who hate my grandfather?" ”

"A lot."

My uncle probably didn't think it was helpful to talk too much about this topic, so he didn't say anything more, but just told me some etiquette to pay attention to in the palace. Fortunately, although I am studying in Mingxinyuan, it is not impossible to come out. Mingxin Academy's study is also based on a ten-year cycle, with two days off every ten years, and then he goes back to his uncle to live. To be honest, although the palace is good, but looking at this posture of five steps and one post, ten steps and one sentry, I am afraid that I will not be able to stay if I live permanently.

After talking for a while, the carriage stopped. The uncle lifted the curtain of the car and looked at it, and said, "It's here, get out of the car." With that, he got out of the car. I followed him down, stepped out of the car door, and gasped again.

Uncle's mansion should be very good, I had expected it, but I didn't expect it to be so big! There are actually eight door panels at the door of the house, and if it is removed, this kind of big car can be driven straight in two side by side. And the plaque hanging on the door is also its incomparably large, on it the four words "Shuiming Wangfu", each word has a zhang Xu Jianfang, the handwriting is golden, in the twilight more and more sparkling, dazzling. There is an assembly hall in Wuyang City, which is also an extremely large building, but it is a place for the people of Wuyang City to gather, and this is only my uncle's home. I said, "Uncle, is this your house?" ”

Uncle smiled bitterly and said, "Yes." Siming Palace, because I am a marshal and a prince here, I have to be so big. ”

Listening to his uncle, living so big is actually not what he wants. Thinking about it, this kind of big and unruly house is really not very comfortable, and if I live in the big hall of Wuyang City, I will definitely not be comfortable. It's just that my uncle is the first general of the empire and has the title of King Shuiming, even if he doesn't want such a big mansion. However, although this Shuiming Mansion is large, the front house should be where my uncle usually works, and I enter the door through the front yard to the inner house, but the back is not big. As soon as my uncle entered the door of the inner house, he heard a little girl shouting, "Daddy! Then a little girl in red came running and threw herself into her uncle's arms. Uncle hugged her and said, "Ah Miao, Daddy is not at home these days, are you obedient?" The little girl cried out, "Good dear! Daddy, what did you bring me to eat? ”

This little girl must be my cousin Fu Miaoqian. My mother told me that it was not too late for my uncle to get married, but because she had been in the army all the year round, my aunt had to give birth to such a daughter after several years, five years younger than me, and only ten years old this year. My aunt and my mother also knew each other, and when my mother gave birth to me, she was not married to my uncle, so she asked someone to bring me a gold collar.

I was thinking about it, but my uncle had put Ah Miao on the ground and said, "Ah Miao, come, this is Cousin Hanbai, call out." ”

I was still a little afraid of strangers, Ah Miao looked at me and said a little timidly: "Cousin Hanbai is good." ”

Seeing this little cousin's funny appearance, I couldn't help but want to laugh a little, so I stepped forward and shook her little hand and said, "Ah Miao, you are so good." ”

Ah Miao looked at me and blinked twice, turned her head to her uncle and said, "Daddy, Cousin Hanbai also said that I was good, so I can eat two donkeys today, right?" ”

I don't know what that "donkey rolling" is, but it sounds like a snack. Usually her uncle and aunt don't let her eat more, but she is very good at going downhill. The uncle was also amused by her, and said, "Then eat half another piece, and bring one for my cousin." ”

Ah Miao cheered, turned and walked inside, and immediately heard her shouting loudly inside; "Mom, Daddy said, I can eat another half of a donkey to roll, and I have to give a piece to Cousin Hanbai! I'm telling the truth, Mom~~~"

This last sentence is very long, and Ah Miao must be coquettish to her aunt. I couldn't help but want to laugh, but then I saw my aunt leading Ah Miao out, Ah Miao was biting a piece of yellow and clear pastry in her mouth, which must have been the "donkey rolling", and she was still holding a piece of wax paper wrapped in her hand. As soon as she came out, she hurriedly came over and handed me the wax paper wrap and said, "Cousin Hanbai, give you a donkey to roll, it's delicious, and the fragrance is dead." ”

I took the pastry, but I saluted my aunt first, "Hello aunt." ”

According to my father, my aunt was also a beautiful woman on the same level as my mother back then. Although it was not good to stare at my aunt, I still took advantage of the salute to glance at her very quickly. Of course, my aunt was a beauty when she was young, but she was really not as good-looking as my mother, at most she was about the same as Shen Baoying in my class in Wuyang City.

Naturally, my aunt didn't notice that I was thinking like this in my heart, and said with a smile: "It's Hanbai, it's the first time I've seen you that old, is your mother okay lately?" ”

I said, "She's very nice, and she often talks about you, auntie." ”

My mom doesn't talk about my aunt very often, and since I can remember, my mom has talked about my aunt less than ten times. However, my aunt was still very happy when she heard this, and said, "Actually, let her come to Wuyun City with your father, everyone is a family, and it is much more lively to live together." ”

Before my aunt could bring it, my uncle had already said: "Yunni, Hanbai will live here in the future, if you want to talk for a long time, let's arrange a room for him to live in first." ”

Aunt said: "That room has been cleaned up, let Han Bai live in it." He's only fifteen this year, right? Then you still have to study, go to a literary school or a military school? ”

"Mingshinin."

My aunt was stunned and muttered, "Your Majesty asked him to go to Mingxin Academy?" ”

Uncle nodded and sighed, "Anyway, Your Majesty is really ...... to Brother Si Chu."

My uncle didn't say anything more, but I knew what he was trying to say. Most of the Emperor hoped that his father would come to Fog Cloud City to assist him, but this hope would never come true, so he put his hope on me. I just thought that my father had taken care of me when I was leaving, and asked me to swear to protect the republic. If I become the emperor's courtier like my uncle, how can I protect the republic?

After eating, my uncle spoke to me again. It's nothing, but it just told me what to pay attention to in Mingxinyuan. The most important thing is the two princes of Mingshinin. The emperor has two princes, the eldest prince Lu Anyu is two years older than me, and the second prince Lu Dingyu is one year younger than me. In addition, there are several children of the princes of the clan, and five or six are the grandchildren of Marshal Wei Rentu. Because the emperor has no other relatives except for this father-in-law. The courses to be learned are the same as those in Wuyangcheng, which are also five courses of etiquette, music, literature, royalty, and mathematics, except for the one language that is somewhat different, the other four and Wuyangcheng use the same textbook. This is also one of the prerequisites for the emperor to allow the autonomy of Wuyangcheng at the beginning, because in this way, even if the people from Wuyangcheng want to be officials of the empire, there is basically no obstacle. The difference between the literature class is that it only involves some republican and imperial chapters, and the other eighty percent are still the same.

After talking for a while, my uncle saw that I was a little tired, and said softly: "Hanbai, I won't talk to you anymore." But there is one thing you must remember, when you go to Mingxinyuan, you must not offend anyone. ”

I muttered in my heart that the courtyard of my heart was full of these royal relatives and relatives, and I really couldn't afford to offend. It's just that this sentence is really not unhappy, I said: "Uncle, the emperor gave me the right to walk on the sword and not worship it, and let me enter the Mingxin Academy, do you want me to do things for him in the future?" ”

Uncle smiled bitterly: "You are quite clever. He paused and said, "Exactly." His Majesty has always wanted your father to be his vassal, but your father is determined not to go north, and has refused many times. This time he asked you to come with me, also to give His Majesty an answer. ”

Seeing that I was silent, he said again: "Hanbai, no matter what, the chairs of the Mingxin Academy are all the first-class Masters in the world, and it is also a rare opportunity for you to enter the Mingxin Academy." It's just that when you get there, don't be proud of the fact that Your Majesty can afford to be pampered by you. ”

I said, "Yes, uncle, I will definitely clamp my tail and be a man." ”

My words also made my uncle laugh and said, "You kid, where did you learn this!" He just nodded again and said, "But that's not bad." At the moment, he can only clamp his tail and be a man. ”

After my uncle left that night, I went to bed late, and the thought kept rolling in my head. After thinking about it for a long time, I suddenly felt that I was thinking about what to do now, anyway, even if the emperor forced me to be his courtier, I could still do things for the republic. What's more, I don't know if the republic system in Wuyang City will work, and now this special case obviously can't last long, maybe the republic system in Wuyang City won't exist before I become an adult. If that's the case, of course, I can't talk about guarding or not guarding.

Thinking like this, I suddenly relaxed and fell asleep. Uncle's palace is really very different from my home, the guest room I live in is spacious and comfortable, this bed is more than enough for me to lie five, and the quilt is also light and soft. Although it was so far from home, I wasn't even used to it, but the more I slept, the more fragrant it became.

After breakfast the next morning, I said goodbye to my aunt and followed him out. Ah Miao was a little familiar with me, so she followed us to the door, and when she saw us leaving, she beckoned us to go back.

In Wuyun City, there is an early court every day, and if my uncle is not ordered to go out of Beijing, he will have to come to this trip every day. When he arrived at the palace gate, Gonggong Sha was already waiting there. As soon as he saw us coming, he stepped forward and saluted his uncle and said, "King Fu Ming, you are here." Then I will take Zheng Gongzi away. ”

Uncle nodded and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Sha." He looked at me again and said, "Hanbai, do it yourself." I'll pick you up in the middle of the month. ”

I knew what my uncle was telling me, so I hurriedly said, "Yes, uncle, you are busy, see you later." ”

Saying goodbye to my uncle, Sha Gonggong led me to the apse. The three major halls of the imperial palace, Dengwen, Huairen, and retreat, Mingxin Courtyard is still behind the retreat hall. It didn't look like much outside, and when Duke Sha led me into Mingxin Courtyard, he said: "Gongzi Zheng, please wait here first, I will go to handle the handover with Mama Shen, and Mama Shen will lead you in later." ”

This Mama Shen must be the person in charge of Mingxin Academy. I said, "Yes, Grandpa Sha, then I'll wait here." ”

Where I am now is not far from the gate. The gate of Mingshin Temple, which is usually tightly closed, was closed as soon as I entered, and the surrounding walls were high and thick, more than three times higher than ordinary walls. I picked a stone by the side of the road and sat down, waiting for Grandpa Sha to come back. This place is very rich in flowers and trees, and the surrounding area is extremely dense, and although it is the height of summer, it is not hot. It was just a bit boring to sit dry, so I stood up and looked around, and saw that the road led straight to a small building in front of me, and the shrubs planted on the side of the road were blooming, and there were no people around. I moved my hands and feet twice, and was about to sit down again, when suddenly I heard a few "Zheng Cong" sounds in my ears.

That's the lute!

At home, my father, my mother, and Uncle Xuan are all music masters, although I am not as good as them, but I am familiar with it, and I can be regarded as a passable player in school. Although my fingers are not very long, and I don't play the pipa very well, I have heard my mother play it many times. But after listening to these auditions, I can hear that even if the person who plays is not as good as my mother and Uncle Xuan, who are pipa masters, they are already good, but I am afraid that they are not much worse than me. Uncle explained that the curriculum of the Heart Academy is the same as that in Wuyang City, so there is also a lesson of "music", and the chair of the Ming Heart Academy is a first-class master in the world, which seems to be true.

But I heard the sound of the pipa sound a few times, and suddenly a string of notes popped up. This passage is still a little jerky, but it doesn't sound unpleasant. This song is very familiar, and it is a "Sitting on the Spring Breeze" that can often be heard in Wuyang City. I've heard my mom play it before, and my mom plays it so much better than this guy.

I was scolding, thinking about the shortcomings of this man's fingering, but I heard someone chant softly: "The flowers and branches are wet and red." It rained sporadically outside the window, and it was drenching again. ”

The singer turned out to be a girl's voice!

This girl's voice is like the first cry of a milk warbler, crisp and tactful. Listening to this singing, I couldn't help but be stunned, only to feel that with such a singing, although the sound of the pipa is still a little insufficient, it is no longer important. What she sings is not an ordinary song, it must be a new translation. The song "Sitting on the Spring Breeze" has a long history, so there are often new translations of the lyrics, but the most sung is the ancient song "Autumn in the South in August" from Wuyangcheng.

She didn't sing loudly, and there was a distance between them, and she just heard two sentences, and then she didn't understand very well. At this time, I could only hear the sound of the lute turning the door for a while, and it was obvious that I was about to sing the next film, and I followed the sound, and within a few steps I was blocked by a tree wall. The bushes on both sides of the road were as tall as a man, so neatly trimmed that it was impossible to pass. I couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and I really wanted to see what kind of girl was singing this song. It's just that this tree wall is so high that I can't get through it unless I cut a path. was a little helpless, but he heard someone on the other side: "Zheng Gongzi." ”

This is exactly the voice of Sha Gonggong. Father-in-law Sha was followed by a middle-aged woman, probably Mama Shen. I was a little angry in my stomach, but my face was still honestly afraid, and I stepped forward and bowed and said, "Grandpa Sha." ”

Sha Gonggong said to the woman: "Mama Shen, this is Zheng Gongzi." On the orders of His Majesty, Zheng Gongzi will enter the Mingxin Courtyard from today. ”

Mama Shen's clothes are a bit like those of Jubutou, but her expression is extremely indifferent, and she is not as approachable as Jubutou at all. She looked at me for a moment and said, "Okay, Gonggong Sha, please come back, and Gongzi Zheng will hand it over to me." ”

I heard her say this, and hurriedly said, "Thank you Shen...... Momma. ”

I wanted to call her "Sister Shen" according to the convention of the chrysanthemum department, but this Mama Shen's face is like brushing paste, and she may not be happy to call her "sister", I don't dare to be bored. Sure enough, she didn't have any expression, nodded to me and said, "Zheng Gongzi, please come with me." ”

At this time, the sound of the pite was still coming intermittently, and when I was about to follow Mama Shen forward, a few words suddenly came clearer: "Why didn't we meet at the beginning." When spring returns, it's all in the back of ......", but I can't hear it clearly. Although I can't hear it clearly, the aftermath is lingering, and it is unspeakably beautiful. I couldn't help but be stunned, but there was already a trace of worry in my heart.

This girl's voice is so good, don't be unpretentious! I looked at the thin back of Mama Shen in front of me and thought to myself.