Chapter 5 When Will the Moon Shine on Me Again?
The cousin she called was the eldest son of the Duke of Anguo, Ming Zhaohuan.
The men of the Ming family of Anguo Mansion had the character "Zhou" in their names, but Mingzhao did not use the character for generation name.
The reason was that the border war was tense in the past. The old Duke of Anguo had been stationed on the border for eight years. Looking at the bright moon on the battlefield, he missed his home very much and suddenly felt the emotion of "When will the bright moon shine on me again?"
At the same time, a letter came from home informing the old Duke that his eldest grandson was born. The old Duke was overjoyed and named his eldest grandson "Zhao Huan", hoping that the frontier would be stabilized soon and that he could return home as soon as possible.
Half a year after naming his eldest grandson, the border was stabilized and the old Duke returned triumphantly. He placed high hopes on his eldest grandson, whom he named "Zhao Huan".
Shi Jianli knew all this when she came to the Anguo Mansion and listened to her aunt talk about the situation in the Anguo Mansion. She asked why the title of the Crown Prince was so different from that of her cousins, and her aunt told her this.
Mingzhao is only twenty-one years old this year. He went to the border with his father when he was fifteen years old. He came back twice in six years, so Shi Jianli has only seen him a few times.
A few days ago, he returned with the troops together with the Duke of Anguo. Shi Jianli went to the outside of the city with the whole family of the Duke of Anguo's mansion to welcome him, and also waited for him in front of the mansion gate when he returned home. After that, he never saw him again.
Now the Anguo Mansion is divided into two mansions, east and west. The eldest wife lives in the east mansion, and the second wife lives in the west mansion. However, Shi Jianli was not too surprised to meet Ming Zhaohuan in the west mansion.
Because it was closer to go home through the gate on the west side of the palace, and it would take a longer detour to go through the gate on the east side of the palace, she often met Ming Zhouqing.
"Prince." Lanxing also saluted him.
"Yeah." Mingzhao glanced at them, nodded gently, and walked past her with his two attendants.
When Shi Jianli brought Lanxing back to Tangliyuan, he felt that Mingzhao looked like a gentle civil official, not a military general at all, and was worthy of the title of Jade-faced General.
When I entered the yard, I saw Li taking a nap. After waking up, she started looking at the account book.
Except for days off, the girls in the Duke's Mansion go to private school in the first half of the day and can spend the second half as they please.
Not long after she had the account book in her hand, Shi Jianli heard the maids bowing and calling her "Second Miss".
"Sister Li, how about we go practice archery?" Ming Yuelin said in a lively voice and walked in quickly, but the sound of the bell on her waist was not chaotic.
When large families teach their children, in addition to the Eight Graces, girls are also taught the Six Arts. What's more, in a family like the Duke of Anguo's Mansion, which is a military family that has won honors and titles on the battlefield, girls are also taught riding and shooting, but how well they learn varies.
But there are also those who are not interested in riding and shooting, such as Mingyueshu. She does not know how to ride or shoot, and influenced by Aunt Su, she feels that it is not gentle at all.
Shi Jianli put down the account book and nodded, "I want to practice archery, why don't you change into riding clothes?"
Ming Yuelin pointed at the maid holding the clothes behind her and said, "I'm waiting for your consent. If you agree, I will change. If you don't agree, I won't change. I don't want to go alone."
Except for her, the sisters didn't like riding and shooting, so Mingyuelin had to go and come back by herself every time. Therefore, after knowing that Shi Jianli was also interested in riding and shooting, she especially liked to come to find Shi Jianli.
"Sister Li, you should hurry up and find your riding clothes." Mingyue went to Shi Jianli's bedroom as if she was familiar with the place and changed into riding clothes. As she walked in, she urged Shi Jianli.
Shi Jianli didn't let the maid change her into riding clothes. She put on the light armor while listening to Mingyuelin's speech.
"Originally, I wanted to stay at my grandparents' house for a while longer, but my mother wrote to say that my father and eldest brother would be arriving soon, so I came back early. However, the muddy roads delayed me, and I still couldn't go with you to welcome them back to the city and into our home. I still feel a little regretful."
Shi Jianli thought of the handsome young man with the appearance of a civil official and the body of a military commander she had seen before lunch break. "Then why did you come to me to practice archery when you just got back, instead of catching up with the Duke and my eldest cousin?"
"My father is not at home, but my eldest brother is here. I asked his attendant and he said he is in the martial arts field. We can ask him for advice later. My eldest brother is an excellent archer." Mingyue Lin said proudly.
"Although we haven't seen each other for a long time, my eldest brother hasn't changed at all from what I remember. He's still as gentle and kind as ever, which often makes me feel that he doesn't look like a general who can fight in battles at all."
Shi Jianli nodded slightly in agreement.
"A couple of years ago, I asked him if, since he looked like a gentle scholar, he should also wear an ugly mask like Lanling Wang to intimidate the enemy when he went to the battlefield. Guess what he said?"
Shi Jianli looked at her with just the right amount of doubt in her eyes.
"He said that on the battlefield, the most important thing is physical prowess and courage, and no one would have the time to dwell on appearance. He also said that he just looked like a scholar, not a man or a woman, and it wouldn't be enough to shake the morale of the army."
Shi Jianli said, "My eldest cousin has made great achievements in the war. Perhaps he is not as gentle on the battlefield as he is at home."
How could a general who became famous at a young age not have deterrent power?
"Yeah, sometimes I feel like my eldest brother and my cold and old-fashioned fiancé have opposite personalities." Ming Yuelin thought of her fiancé and puffed out her cheeks. "Ji Rangzhou is just an old-fashioned idiot!"
When Mingyuelin thought about marrying an old and conservative man who had no sense of humor in two years, she felt that the rest of her life would be dark.
Shi Jianli had met Ji Rangzhou twice, and she responded, "Prince Ji is a man of noble character and resourceful."
The Great Zhou has two stars, one civil and one military. The civil star is Ji Rangzhou, who won the first place in the imperial examination at the age of sixteen and has made remarkable achievements. Now he serves as the third-rank Dali Temple Minister, and people call him the Cold-Faced Yama; the military star is Ming Zhaohuan, who followed his father into battle at the age of fifteen and had outstanding military exploits. He returned to Beijing a few days ago, and has not yet been assigned to any position.
The two are of similar age, and Ji Rangzhou is one year older than his future brother-in-law.
This marriage contract was made by the two old dukes a few years ago. Originally, Mingzhao was engaged to Ji Rangzhou's elder sister Ji Yangqing, but Ji Yangqing suddenly found someone she loved, so the marriage contract fell on Ji Rangzhou and Mingyuelin.
"You praise him like that too." Ming Yue Lin's face fell, and he said resentfully, "My mother said that his intelligence is close to that of a demon, and I am not smart enough, so we are a perfect match."
Shi Jianli smiled, "Sister Lin is straightforward and lively, treats people sincerely, and is the best girl."
"Sister Li, you are the one who speaks the best." She smiled and curved her eyebrows when she heard that.
Shi Jianli couldn't help but laugh. How could someone have so many expressions on his face, happy or angry, smiling or angry, so bright.
Ming Yuelin dressed up, took her arm, tilted his head to look at her, his eyes sparkling, "Sister Li, you are so beautiful, your smile is so radiant."
She looks really good with her elder brother, but it's a pity that her elder brother has a fiancée.
"You speak much nicer than me. Praising people is so corny." Shi Jianli lowered her eyes and pulled her out.
Ming Yuelin was pulled by her and asked with a smile: "Is this corny? You haven't heard anything cornier. Sister Li, do you want to bring Xing or Yue today?"
"Take Yue."
Hearing this, Xianyue quietly followed his girl, while Lanxing went to do other things.
When she first arrived at the Duke's Mansion, Shi Jianli asked her aunt whether the name Xianyue conflicted with the names of the other girls in the mansion and whether she should change it.
The Duke's wife heard this and agreed that the change was unnecessary. She jokingly said, "To embrace the stars and the moon is a beautiful thing. The companionship of the stars and the moon is a natural state. If it were changed, wouldn't it be pitiful for the stars to be without the moon?"
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