Twenty-one years of Renchang.

Midwinter.

The snow dyed the whole capital white, standing on the warm yang street of the imperial city of the Gaomen courtyard revealing the majesty of the people, it was the time for dinner, the maids and women walked steadily, shuttling between the verandahs and alleys of the Hengyuan Marquis' Mansion, and from time to time to the side with a broom to sweep the snow of the small house 'scolded' a few words: "What are you lazy to steal, the noble man will fight this for a while, slip and be careful of your little life." ”

The little guy who was 'scolded' replied: "Mama laughed, on such a cold day, how could a noble person go out." ”

The grandmothers in the Hou Mansion are all very mouthful, and they blocked the mouths of these people in one sentence: "Approaching the end of the year, official business is busy, and the second son has not returned until midnight these days." ”

Hearing this, the brooms in the hands of the little guys swept as fast as if they had become fine.

Under the snow, in a small courtyard on the northernmost side of the backyard of the Hou Mansion, there was a girl's conversation and laughter from time to time, and there was a 'quarrel' over whether the fat snowman under the ancient locust tree in the courtyard should bring a red hat or a blue hat.

After a few words, the girl in the lotus lotus fox fur prevailed and put a red velvet hat on the snowman's head, and the other girl was not only not annoyed, but praised with a smile: "No wonder my cousin has to fight with me, this snowman is white-skinned, and he should be matched with a red hat." ”

The girl's family was not annoyed, but the two maids waiting on the side had cold faces, looked at each other, and muttered in a low voice: "Don't say that our five girls are in the Hou Mansion, even in the entire Shangjing City, there are more young ladies who flatter and flatter, but this cousin girl is fighting with our five girls for a hat on the snowman's head." ”

Another person answered: "It's not, there should be a posture under the fence." ”

Rong Wen and Gu Shuyao, the fifth girl of Hengyuan Houfu, were tired of playing in the courtyard, sitting in front of the charcoal basin in the house to keep warm, because the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the house was too large, the little faces of the two were red, Gu Shuyao used honey tea, and said to Rong Wen: "My cousin has been in bed for nearly half a month, can I have fun today?" ”

Although Gu Shuyao called Rong Wen's cousin, in fact, she was only a few days older than Rong Wen, Rong Wen traveled all the way from Yangzhou to Shangjing, and took the boat by water, and turned to the land to make a carriage, and when she arrived in Beijing, she fell ill, and Gu Shuyao often came to accompany her to relieve her boredom these days.

Rong Wen took a petal of roasted citrus on the side, and without waiting for her to speak, the maid in a dark cotton jacket hurriedly trotted into the house, and the fine snow between her forehead and hair was instantly melted by the heat in the house, she wanted to tell her girl about something urgent with a sad face, but when she saw that the fifth girl was also there, she was stunned for a while, and she held it back.

Gu Shuyao glanced at her, then looked at Rong Wen, and quipped, "Cousin, what is the secret I can't listen to?" ”

Rong Wen chewed the citrus in his mouth in small bites, and motioned to the maid to speak.

The maid's name is Hua Yi, and she is a personal maid who came from Yangzhou with Rong Wen, she is not very old, and she got the words of her own girl, and said: "Girl, the people we sent have searched for it no less than ten times, but they still haven't found it." ”

Hua Yi saw that the girl's color turned white after hearing this, and she rubbed her cold hands and comforted: "Maybe the heavy snow covered the road, and I will find it in a few days." ”

Rong Wen set off from Yangzhou to Shangjing at the beginning of November, and there were many accidents along the way, although it was unsatisfactory, this little life was not lost, but it was lost an object more important than her life.

Since she was ten years old, she has had the habit of writing codexes, and after the end of the year, she became seventeen, and now she has been writing a codex for seven years.

On the codex, not only her daily trivialities are recorded, but also many of her daughter's careful thoughts, in short, she doesn't want to be seen.

The worst thing is that she thought that the codex was her life, and she would never lose it, and she wrote her nickname in the corner of each page, and now the only thing she is happy about is her nickname.

She briefly told Gu Shuyao about it.

Gu Shuyao sighed deeply and held Rong Wen's hand: "Don't worry, cousin, after asking my grandmother tomorrow, let's go to the Gu family ancestral hall to pay respects, maybe the ancestor will bless us, if we can't find it, let's ask the ancestor to bless him, so that the person who picked up the cousin's codex is either blind or illiterate," she said, lowering her voice: "You don't know, the ancestor of the Gu family is spiritual." ”

Temperature: ......

"Listen to my cousin."

Gu Shuyao had dinner at Rong Wen before leaving, Rong Wen sat alone by the window, dragging his little face with one hand, and drawing a bird like a 'lark' with his fingertips on the snow falling on the windowsill with the other hand.

I stayed in a daze for a while.

Ye Yi saw that the girl used a few more cloves of citrus, roasted some more at the charcoal stove, brought the citrus over with a wooden tray, and said softly: "Girl, you love to eat this in winter, and the slaves and maids have peeled it for you." ”

The window was cold, the two gases inside and outside the room were blended, Rong Wen turned sideways, his eyes fell on the citrus, although he didn't have much appetite at this time, he still picked up a petal and stuffed it into his mouth, and looked into the distance through the window.

Seeing that the sky was getting more and more gray, Ye Yi was older than Rong Wen, and she was the most powerful maid by Rong Wen's side when her mother was still there, she persuaded on the side: "Girl, go back to the inner room, your body is just getting better, and the cold wind in winter can't blow like this." ”

Ignore the temperature.

Ye Yi saw her like this, smiled gently, after all, it was something that the girl didn't want to do, she wrapped the fox fur on Rong Wen's body again, leaving her a small face to the window, and then changed the conversation and talked about other things.

"The girl has been in the Hou Mansion for half a month, and she has been sick for nearly half a month, everyone in the house knows that the old lady loves the girl, and she has come to visit before and after, and the gifts brought by the girl from Yangzhou have also been sent, but when the slave maid was packing up, she saw that there was still an ancient sandalwood box that had not been sent." Ye Yiyi said this, paused, and looked at his own girl.

Rong Wen was a little absent-minded, and asked casually, "Who else?" ”

Ye Yi: "It's a gift for the second son, the girl is sick these days, only the second son has come to our Jingyin Academy, and he hasn't ordered anyone to come to see it, so the gift for the second son has not been sent." ”

Rong Wen knew what Ye Yi meant.

In the powerful place of Shangjing, if you talk about the enduring family, there is only the Gu family. In the past hundred years, all the high-ranking families in Beijing have declined, and seven or eight emperors have changed on the dragon chair, and the grace of caring for the family has not changed.

Not to mention, today's Gu family's sister-in-law, Gu Ergongzi, the title of marquis is given to the eldest brother, and he is the most trusted person of His Majesty.

Rong Wen thought for a while: "If you are afraid that he will blame, just send it to him later." ”

She said casually, but Ye Yi hesitated for a while, as if coaxing and persuading: "Girl, the slave maid is thinking that the girl is already in good health, so she will run around in person and send the gift to the second son, so that she can recognize her familiar face." ”

Rong Wen raised his eyes and looked at Ye Yi when he heard this, his clear eyes obviously showed reluctance, and he only lightly spit out two words: "Don't go." ”

She said firmly, and seeing that Ye Yi still wanted to persuade again, Rong Wen took Ye Yi's hand and said in a gentle tone: "Ye Yi, think about it, why did I come to Beijing from Yangzhou?" ”

Ye Yi sighed lightly: "The girl doesn't want to be controlled by others. ”

Escaped from home.

Rong Wen: "Although we are under the fence in the Hou Mansion, we are not inferior, if we come to the Hou Mansion, I still have to please others, we might as well live in Yangzhou." ”

Ye Yi: ......

She was most afraid that her own girl would argue with her, since her wife left, the girl's former soft temperament was like a hard stone, which could attack people from time to time.

She was right.

But that's not quite right.

When you first come to the Hou Mansion, it's better not to offend people.

Hua Yi listened on the side, also pulled Ye Yi's hand, and said with a smile: "Sister Ye Yi, don't worry, our girl will make the old lady happy, the day she first came, the old lady saw the girl, not to mention how much she liked it." ”

The courtyard for the girl was quiet and luxuriously furnished, and four of the maids came, and the old lady also chose one of the right-hand maids in her own yard to serve the girl.

During the period of time when the girl was cultivating her body in the Jingyin Courtyard, because of the old lady's liking, the Hou Mansion came up and down to see the girl, and I am afraid that there are no grandchildren in the Hou Mansion with such love.

Rong Wen painted 'birds' on the windowsill again, his eyebrows were serious, but he didn't forget to correct Shicai Huayi's words: "I didn't coax, I really like my grandmother, and I am happy to stay with my grandmother." ”

Ye Yi sighed lightly, looking at the girl who was busy working on the windowsill, her face was white, worse than snow, maybe her little face was too tightly surrounded by a hood, her cheeks were covered with powder, her facial features were exquisite, her eyebrows always showed a light temperament, and her clear eyes would hook people.

Ye Yi never thought that it was a good thing for a woman to be too beautiful, especially when her girl was in such a situation now. She looked at the girl for a while, and said softly: "The slave will go and send the gift brought by the girl to the second son." ”

Rong Wen replied casually.

When Ye Yi came out of the Jingyin Courtyard, Rong Wen's delicate eyebrows moved slightly, and the corners of his lips hooked a smile, and he instructed Hua Yi: "Go, bring the pot of apricot blossom wine." ”

Huayi, who was incense the futon, pursed her lips and obediently went to get wine for her girl.

Her girl is addicted to alcohol, don't look at her age, but she is a 'little drunkard', she is bored and panicked if she doesn't drink for a day, she is sick these days, Ye Yi doesn't give her to drink, it's not that she is suffocated.

——

Ye Yi carried a lamp and walked on the verandah of the Hou Mansion, approaching the end of the year, the Hou Mansion was particularly lively up and down, the maids and maids kept moving, and from time to time you could hear the laughter of children having snowball fights.

Her girl likes to be quiet, living in the northernmost Jingyin Courtyard of the Hou Mansion, I heard that the second son is also a happy and quiet person, living in the empty courtyard in the south of the Hou Mansion, and the second son often returns to the Hou Mansion to live near the end of the year, and lives in the mansion given by His Majesty on weekdays.

Ye Yi almost went around most of the Hou Mansion before coming to the empty courtyard, and the guards guarding the door heard her coming, and went to the inner courtyard with steady steps.

After a while, a thin-looking man walked out, smiling extremely politely, he took the ancient sandalwood box handed by Ye Yi, and said gently: "My cousin has a heart, the road is slippery in snowy weather, and I bother my sister to run." As he spoke, the man handed the brocade box that Shicai had been holding in his hand to Ye Yi, and was extremely polite: "My son-in-law is busy with official business, and I heard that my cousin fell ill after a long journey, and she is not accustomed to the water and soil. ”

Ye Yi smiled back and took it.

It has been a while since she came to the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion, Ye Yi is older, she thinks more, and she gradually adapts to the Gaomen compound in the capital, she goes all the way back to the Jingyin Courtyard from the empty courtyard, the weather is cold and freezing, and it can be regarded as a figure-out, the hairpin family of the Hengyuan Marquis Mansion has a rigorous family style, and the one who is suitable should be the attendant next to the second son, and the rules and etiquette are all in place, but it is only polite.

Just one attendant around him is so arrogant, I don't know how noble these two sons are, they have been in the Hou Mansion for so many days, but they have never seen the second son's face.

I just heard that it was a fairy-like figure, in the dirty land of the court, with a proud and pure bones.

——

Jing Si put the gift sent by Ye Yi into the warehouse, and he didn't plan to talk to his son-in-law about it, as is the case, there are too many people who give gifts to his son, so he just needs to accept it and return the gift as appropriate.

Jing Si went to the stove to cook tea, the tea is fresh and fragrant, it is his son-in-law's favorite Longhong tea, his steps are very light, the cup in his hand has just fallen, his son-in-law has picked up the pen and written the words, but it is extremely rare to ask: "Who is it?" ”

Jing Si was a little unexpected, and was stunned for a moment before replying: "It's the maid next to the cousin, who said that she brought a gift from Yangzhou and sent it to her son." ”