Chapter 95 Looks Bewitching
Shi Jianli looked up at him, his face was hidden in the swirling smoke and it was a little unclear. His whispered words revealed a stubborn possessiveness. She couldn't help but clench the incense in her hand, "Oh, then you can't have anyone else except me, anyone."
Mingzhao smiled silently and replied, "Okay, only Yaoyao."
This was the first time she had made a clear request to him.
Ming Yuelin brought the incense over and asked, "Brother, Sister Li, what are you mumbling about?"
Mingzhao tilted his head to indicate when he saw Li walk to the side. He turned around and said to her, "Nothing."
After bowing three times, Shi Jianli inserted the incense into the incense burner, and the ash of the burning incense beside it fell and landed on the back of her hand.
After the incense was lit, Shi Jianli withdrew her hand, and Ming Zhao turned around and returned to the team.
Taking advantage of the others' shelter, Mingzhao reached out and pulled her wrist, brushed off the incense ash on the back of her hand, and asked softly, "Is it hot?"
"A little." Shi Jianli curled her fingers.
After the second branch of the Anguo Mansion had finished burning incense, the old lady personally unfolded the paper paper and lit it, and only then was their family's ancestor worship service complete.
After burning incense, you can sit aside. Mingzhao wiped his hands with a clean wet towel, took an orange and peeled it, picked out the orange fibers cleanly and put it in Shi Jianli's hand.
Shi Jianli glanced to the side and saw that no one was looking at him, so he returned the half-peeled orange to him.
Seeing her sneaky look, Mingzhao couldn't help laughing, but then she glared at him.
Yuan Yuhe saw their quarrel and smiled silently.
After eating the oranges, Shi Jianli took the handkerchief handed to her by Mingzhao and wiped her hands. Then she rested her chin on her hand and listened to Mingzhao's voice calling on the descendants of the Ming family to bow and burn incense. Watching the different faces, big or small, old or young, come forward one by one, she felt not bored.
The air is filled with the smell of incense, candles, paper, etc., and if you smell it for a long time, your head will feel dizzy.
It was probably at the end of the You hour when the ancestor worship ceremony finally ended, while it was still light outside.
After dinner, there were dragon and lion dances in front of the Ming Family Ancestral Hall. Several rows of lanterns were hung in a circle, and the villagers gathered together to applaud and cheer.
The servants brought a chair, and Shi Jianli was pulled by Mingyuelin to sit down.
The light dimmed, blocking the left side. Shi Jianli turned and saw Mingzhao still sitting to her left. Hidden in the intersection of light and shadow, he raised the corner of his lips slightly towards her. His handsome figure and graceful figure made him look particularly alluring.
Shi Jianli's gaze paused for a long time before she looked away.
In the dim moonlight and candlelight, he leaned closer and asked with a smile, "Does it look good?"
There was undisguised joy and ridicule in the low voice.
Shi Jianli's expression was slightly tense and she remained silent.
Mingzhao's smile deepened as he brought her a cup of tea from the table to his left. "Are you thirsty? Take a couple of sips to moisten your throat."
She took the tea and took a sip.
Mingyuelin held up her face and looked at them, her eyes sparkling.
It is really a pleasure to see Big Brother and Sister Li together.
Mingzhao met her gaze and handed her a cup, suppressing a smile. "Drink it. Aren't you tired of stretching your head like this?"
"Hehe, not tired." Mingyuelin chuckled twice, took the teacup, retracted his head and drank two sips of tea.
When the lion dance was in full swing, Ming Weisu added a prize to the dance. He put the silver bills into a purse and hung it on a bamboo pole. The lion dance chased and jumped, and the lion won the prize after swallowing the purse.
After the lion won the prize, there was a burst of applause and cheers.
People gradually added prizes, either small change or copper coins. It was a lively occasion with the sound of gongs and drums.
The servants brought over cakes and tea, and Mingzhao fed Li Li from time to time. Soon after finishing dinner, he was half full again.
When Mingzhao offered another piece of sesame walnut candy, Shijianli shook her head and said, "No."
Mingzhao ate it casually and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. "Yaoyao, do you want to add some luck?"
Shi Jianli called Xianyue over, took out a ten-liang silver note from her purse and put it in his hand.
Mingzhao even summoned rain and said to him, "Add another ten taels."
"Okay!"
Tianyu took out a plain purse and put the silver bills in it, then hung the purse on a bamboo pole and said something to the people from the dragon and lion dance troupe over there with a smile.
Then someone sang: "The prince of Anguo Mansion adds ten taels of gold, and Miss Shi adds ten taels of gold!"
The sound of gongs and drums rang out again, and the lions jumped and ran in the venue. After a few performances, Li and Ming Zhao came back in front of them. They bowed and kowtowed, blinked and nodded their heads before going back to bite the lucky ball.
After watching for a while, Shi Jianli felt a little sleepy and poked Mingyuelin next to her, "Sister Lin, do you want to go back to sleep?"
"Okay." Ming Yuelin stood up, "Brother, I'll go back with Sister Li and the others first."
"Okay, it's dark at night, so be careful with your steps." Mingzhao knew that these men had to go back to the ancestral hall to relight incense and candles, so he asked Tianfeng to carry a lantern and take them back to the old house.
From dusk onwards, the candles and incense must be kept lit by the head of each family, the eldest son, and the eldest grandson, and they must not be extinguished. They must watch over them and continue to be lit until dawn, when the ancestor worship ceremony is truly over.
Ji Rangzhou returned after three days of absence. He stayed in the ancestral home for half a day, and after handing over to Ming Weisu, he went to Chaozhou Prefecture and returned to Beijing with the prison cart.
On the fifth day after the ancestor worship, the Anguo Mansion also packed up its things and returned to Beijing.
The Ming clan members escorted them to the village entrance. Ming Chuandao bowed to the old lady and Ming Weisu and the others and said, "I'll have to trouble my sister-in-law and several nephews and nieces to take care of the child, Zhuheng."
The journey to the capital is far, so they let the child go there to adapt for a year. With the Duke of Anguo taking care of him, they have nothing to worry about.
"Zhou Heng is a gifted scholar. We are from the same family, so it's only natural that we should take better care of him." The old lady smiled and nodded, handing the key to the old house back to Ming Chuan for safekeeping. "Brother, you'll have to take good care of the ancestral home."
"It's natural."
After saying goodbye to each other, the group started their journey back.
After walking and stopping along the way, we arrived in Beijing after about twenty days.
September 29th is the end of autumn. The sky is high and the air is crisp. The grass and trees are shaking and the dew has turned into frost. All the flowers have died and the chrysanthemums have turned yellow.
Seeing the carriage arrive at the gate of the mansion, the guards who were leaning against the door and chatting perked up, took the horse stools and put them away, and welcomed their masters back to the mansion.
Shi Jianli felt sore from sitting that her waist and legs were weak and her body ached. She got off the carriage, said goodbye to a few elders, and went back to her own yard. She sat in the main room for a while while waiting for the servants to fetch water. After washing and drying her hair, she climbed into bed and slept soundly. When she woke up, it was already the next morning.
Mingzhao went to court early in the morning, bringing with him several of his brothers who had gone to the battlefield with him, waiting for the emperor to reward them based on their merits.
In this rebellion suppression, Ming Zhouhe and Ming Zhouqing made outstanding contributions. They always took the lead in the vanguard and attacked the city. They were brave and good at fighting. The performance of others was also outstanding.
It is difficult for military generals to get promoted in times of peace, but if there is a war, they can rise to the top by fighting and winning merits on the battlefield.
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