Chapter 397 Extra 7

Pei Xuanzheng and Pei Tong analyzed which people might preside over the imperial examinations next spring and what their preferences were.

Pei Tong listened very carefully.

Pei Xuan spoke very seriously.

It was a rare opportunity for him to meet Pei Tong.

Recently, the emperor wanted to build a Taoist temple in the palace. The money in the inner treasury was not enough, so the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department wanted the Ministry of Revenue to provide the money. Of course, the inner cabinet did not agree. The eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department made things difficult for the inner cabinet every day.

According to Pei Xuan, the emperor had just ascended the throne not long ago, and it was not worth planning to build a Taoist temple. In recent years, the weather has been good and the treasury is full. He can just lend some money to the inner treasury first, and then pay it back slowly. The emperor also has income from gold and iron mines every year. As long as he is careful, he can pay back the money in three years at most. There is no need for the inner cabinet to slap the emperor in the face.

Although he said it tactfully, he somehow got to the emperor's ears. The emperor even called him to ask how he could pay back the money. As a minister, he naturally wanted to help the emperor. He suggested several solutions, and although the emperor didn't make a decision at the time, his expression showed that he approved of them.

But he didn't expect that his actions would make some people unhappy. They targeted him several times and accused him of being flattering. He was very angry and has been busy resolving this issue these days.

Seeing Gu Xi coming over, he remembered that his main purpose today was to pick up his mother. The scientific expedition was urgent, but not urgent either. Moreover, Wei Xiaochuan from the Yu family would also be involved this time. Given his brother's temper, he would definitely ask him to talk to Wei Xiaochuan about this matter. It would be better to be generous and do a good thing to the end. After asking Pei Yan, he would take some time to tell them all, which was also a face for Pei Yan.

He stopped talking and said to Pei Tong, "It's a long story, and it won't be explained in a short time. So, when I'm free one day, you can come over and I'll talk to you about it."

This is an experience that money can’t buy.

Pei Tong was naturally very grateful and agreed immediately.

Gu Xi was very happy.

With Pei Xuan's help and escort, Pei Tong should have a better chance of passing the imperial examination this time.

She saluted respectfully to Pei Xuan and Old Madam Pei.

The two smiled and nodded at her.

She suddenly heard laughter coming from not far away.

Gu Xi could not help but look in the direction of the voice, and saw Yu Tang, wearing a silver-red fox fur cape and holding a green tung oil paper umbrella, getting off the boat with the help of a maid.

"Atang, you haven't changed at all!" It was Xu Xuan who spoke. She was smiling and went forward to hug Yutang, but Pei Dan who was standing next to her stepped in front of her, hugged Yutang in two or three seconds, and shouted "Third Aunt" happily.

Yu Tang smiled and hugged Pei Dan back tightly.

The fair face rested on Pei Dan's shoulders, which were covered with a green and gold cloak. The face, which was already very beautiful, seemed to be glowing, like a summer flower by the water, warm and gorgeous.

Gu Xi was in a trance for a moment.

Yu Tang, when did you become so beautiful?

Like a flower.

If there was still a hint of youthfulness in the past, now only the blooming splendor is left.

It is breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly beautiful.

Nothing has changed.

It's like he has become a different person.

Once there was only God, but now there are bones.

Beauty, on the other hand, is all about the bones, not the skin.

Gu Xi couldn't help but look critically at Yu Tang who was greeting Miss Zhang and Yang.

She wore a plain orange jacket made of Hangsi and a skirt with apricot and purple stripes. The pleats were embroidered with floral patterns, which were faintly visible when she walked. She was beautiful, gorgeous and extravagant.

Gu Xi suddenly smiled bitterly.

So what if she re-fried her jewelry and made new clothes?

Yu Tang was able to suppress such strong and complex colors when she wore them, so that when people saw her, the first thing they saw was her fair face.

Why?

Gu Xi tried hard to recall the past.

Yu Tang had turned around and took his two sons' hands from the nurse, one on each side, and said to Xu Xuan and the others, "These are our Jiang and Qian."

Both children had fair skin, big eyes, high noses, and long eyelashes, and were as pretty as the boy under the seat of Guanyin. However, the older one looked calm and self-possessed, more like Pei Yan, while the younger one looked gentle and shy, more like Yu Tang.

"Oh my!" Xu Xuan bent down. She wanted to hug this one, but felt that she would neglect the other one. She wanted to hug that one, but felt reluctant to give up this one. She didn't have the strength to hug both of them at the same time. She didn't know what to do for a moment.

Pei Dan didn't think twice, and took advantage of Xu Xuan's hesitation to hug the smaller one, and asked him in a gentle voice: "Are you Qian Ge'er?"

Qian'er blushed immediately and replied "yes" in a low voice while looking at Yu Tang eagerly, as if to say "Hurry up and take me over to you". Pei Dan, who had a naughty child at home, was heartbroken. She didn't know whether to hand the child to Yu Tang or continue to hold the child.

Jiang Ge'er frowned almost imperceptibly and said in a clear and loud voice: "You are my fifth cousin, right? My brother is still young and is learning to walk. You should let him walk by himself!"

When Qian Ge'er heard this, she immediately became confident, blinked her big eyes and nodded at Pei Dan, and said in a baby voice: "Fifth cousin, I can walk by myself!"

Xu Xuan and others couldn't help but laugh when they saw it.

Pei Dan was afraid that the child would cry when they met for the first time, so after thinking for a while, he quickly put Qian'er on the ground.

Xi Ge'er felt as if she had been pardoned and quickly hid beside Jiang Ge'er.

Jiang Ge'er touched his brother's head comfortingly.

Qian'er pulled her brother even tighter.

Xu Xuan could see that Yu Tang's eldest son probably looked like Pei Yan. She couldn't help but tease Jiang Ge'er: "We are all your aunts, so can't we hold your brother? He is so timid, will he be able to achieve great things in the future?"

Jiang'er's eyes flashed with displeasure, but his face was serious and he said politely: "My parents told us not to talk to strangers since we were young. We met several aunts for the first time, so we were a little uncomfortable. If my brother was timid, he would have cried a long time ago. He just wasn't used to it."

"Hey, look at this little one!" Xu Xuan had lived with Yin Mingyuan for a long time, and she also began to like smart people. Yu Tang's eldest son was very smart, and she admired him very much. She said to Yu Tang, "Your eldest son is only six years old this year, right? He already knows how to protect his younger brother. The one in our family only knows how to fight. He won't stop until he makes a big fuss."

Yu Tang felt more distressed for her eldest son, who was not only precocious but also had to bear the responsibility of being the eldest son in the future. She hugged her eldest son and said with a smile, "The children in your family are close to each other. When I gave birth to Qian, our Jiang was already sensible and knew how to love his younger brother."

Xu Xuan no longer wanted to talk about her three sons. She sighed, "If I hadn't given birth to a daughter this time, I would have preferred not to have any more children."

Do you still want to give birth to the child?

Yu Tang looked at Xu Xuan in surprise. Thinking of the situation of the Yin family, she swallowed her words. Then she hugged her two sons and exchanged a few words with Miss Zhang and Yang. The Pei brothers came over with Mrs. Pei and said, "Let's get in the car! Let's go back to the Tongzhou courtyard and have lunch first."

Several people responded in agreement.

Mrs. Pei waved to her two grandchildren, "Come, come to grandma."

This is going to be a car ride with two little grandchildren.

The second wife originally arranged for Pei Xuan and his brother to sit with the old lady so that they could have some private conversations.

Seeing this, they quickly adjusted the order of getting on the bus.

Mrs. Pei and Jiang and Qian took one car, the Pei brothers took another, the second wife took another… Gu Xi and his wife took another…

More than thirty horse-drawn carriages galloped all the way to Yutang Tongzhou's courtyard.

All the earth dragons were burned yesterday.

It is as warm as spring indoors, while outside it is snowing heavily and the plum blossoms are blooming red.

Those who had taken off their hoodies and were wearing jackets came back from outside all heaved a sigh of relief and smiled happily.

The men were talking in the main hall, while the women went to the warm room.

Old Madam Pei was sitting on the couch holding Xi'er in her arms. She was talking to Xu Xuan while she looked down at the wet nurse squatting beside her feeding Xi'er water, as if she was afraid that the wet nurse would feed the water to Xi'er: "...it's good as long as the elders in the family are healthy. I felt it more obviously after I turned 65, getting weaker every year. If it weren't for these two children to take care of, I wouldn't be so energetic." After saying that, she helped Xi'er straighten her scarf.

The second wife laughed and thought that the old lady was indeed more energetic after having something to do.

Her eyes softened when she looked at Jiang Ge'er, and she whispered to him, "Are you tired? If you are, go and rest for a while!"

Jiang Ge'er stood upright beside Yu Tang, letting Yu Tang hold his hand, and politely replied to the Second Madam's words: "Second Aunt, I'm not tired. My brother and I had just woken up when we got off the boat."

Besides, lunch would be here soon, and after lunch, they brothers would be arranged to take a nap, so there was no need to ruin everyone's gathering.

The second wife couldn't help but say to Yu Tang: "This child is so well behaved!"

Yu Tang nodded with a smile. Knowing that his eldest son had high expectations of him and was obedient and filial, he didn't want to embarrass him, so he whispered to him, "Do you want to rely on Mom?"

"No need!" he said seriously, "I'm really not tired."

Yu Tang said nothing more.

Yuan Ge'er in Gu Xi's arms looked at Jiang Ge'er and Qian Ge'er with longing.

Gu Xi watched him closely. Apart from occasionally meeting Pei Dan's son Sen, who was about his age, when he went to the Second Wife's house, he rarely saw children of his age on weekdays.

He pulled Gu Xi's sleeve and said to his mother in a vague voice: "Mom, brother, play!"

Gu Xi was staring at the embroidery on Yu Tang's skirt.

One by one, the embroidery is of magpie and cymbidium.

The color and the stitches looked like the Sichuan embroidery that the owner of a tailor shop gave her.

It can't be such a coincidence, right?

Can Yu Tang still use this to make a skirt?

Didn't she leave the capital? Why is she wearing whatever is popular in the capital?

Or is it imitation embroidery?

Merchants in Jiangnan are always looking for profits and are very quick to act. If there is any good thing somewhere, they will learn it immediately.

Gu Xi didn't hear clearly what her son said. When her son pulled her sleeve, she grabbed his hand impatiently and couldn't help saying, "Third Aunt's skirt is so beautiful! I've been looking at it for a long time, and it looks better and better!"

(End of this chapter)