Chapter 73 Grapes
Ming Huachang's heart was in turmoil. It turned out that he was talking about this matter. She was scared to death. She thought Ming Huazhang had found out.
After calming down, Ming Huachang was speechless. It was such a small matter, she just said it casually at the time and didn't take it seriously, but Ming Huazhang still remembered it now.
But Ming Huashang had been playing it safe for so many years, how could he not know what to say in front of Ming Huazhang? Ming Huashang immediately started to talk nonstop: "Second brother, I don't doubt at all that you will get the top prize, but in front of Brother Xie, I can't say it too bluntly, otherwise he will be embarrassed."
Ming Huazhang knew that she said different things to different people, but the inexplicable anger in his heart dissipated unconsciously. Ming Huashang took a new piece of paper to write, and Ming Huazhang sat under the lamp, quietly looking at her direction. Suddenly, Ming Huazhang asked: "Shangshang, do you think it is important to be the top scholar?"
Ming Huashang's heart was beating fast. Ming Huazhang was always firm and decisive. This was the first time he spoke to her in a confused tone. Ming Huashang carefully considered and pretended to be relaxed: "The top scholar is just a good luck. There are so many scholars in the world, but there can only be one top scholar. Just because others didn't win the top scholar, do you say they have no talent or don't work hard? As long as you have a clear conscience and don't let yourself down, that's enough."
Ming Huazhang was silent for a while, then stood up and walked to her side, saying slowly: "You are right."
Ming Huashang thought Ming Huazhang was here to supervise her writing, but he didn't look at her, but stopped in front of the candlestick. The flamered, and the shadow of the pen on the paper also jumped. Ming Huashang glanced at him in surprise between dipping the ink and asked, "Second brother, what are you doing?"
Ming Huazhang watched the note turn into ashes in the flames and said calmly, "It's nothing. Just throwing away some useless rotten dust."
The flames flickered rapidly, making his pupils appear bright and dark. Yes, it was such a simple truth, but he actually needed Ming Huashang to remind him.
He admitted that Han Jie was right. The most important thing in officialdom is to be balanced and smooth, and to understand the intentions of superiors. If you want to get things done, you must succumb to the ways of the world.
But he didn't want it. If the top scholar needed someone to give him the title, he would rather not have it.
Ming Huashang thought Ming Huazhang's behavior was very strange. He suddenly came to her room in the middle of the night and said nothing except burning a note. He saw her finish writing the memorial and then left. After Ming Huashang locked the doors and windows as required, she was completely confused.
What on earth was he doing here tonight? Was he really just checking her homework?
...There's no need for his brother to be so detailed.
·
The relocation team was getting closer and closer. According to the scouts, at the current speed, the Queen's carriage would arrive in Chang'an tomorrow afternoon. Chang'an had been so busy these days that even the ancient and independent Zhongnan Mountain was not spared. The mountain was obviously restless.
Today's final assessment was over, and people received their scores one after another, and then quietly went down the mountain. In the blink of an eye, the base seemed to be empty.
Ming Huachang was the last one to get her results. At 12:00 pm, she followed Ming Huazhang to see Han Jie, but when she pushed the door open, she found it was already full of people.
It was not surprising that Xie Jichuan, Jiang Ling, and Ren Yao were there, but Ming Huashang did not expect that Su Xingzhi and Su Yuji were also there.
Ming Huashang was a little confused, but Ming Huazhang seemed very calm. He walked towards Han Jie calmly, and everyone spontaneously made way for him: "General Han."
Ming Huashang followed behind Ming Huazhang silently and stood in the second row. Ming Huazhang had broad shoulders and long legs. He stood in front and easily covered Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang took the opportunity to ask Jiang Ling beside him: "What's going on?"
Jiang Ling shook his head, squeezed his eyes in the direction of Su Xingzhi and Su Yuji, and then spread his hands.
It was a very distorted expression, but Ming Huashang somehow understood it. At this time, Han Jie and Ming Huazhang finished their greetings and said, "Okay, now that everyone is here, I will talk about it together. First of all, congratulations to you. You have performed well in the past four months. Xuanxiaowei has decided to let you go to Chang'an to perform the mission. Here are your scores, take them."
No wonder Su Yuji and Su Xingzhi were also here; it turned out they wanted to stay in Chang'an.
Ming Huashang couldn't help but raise her eyes quietly and look at Su Yuji.
Su Yuji's appearance is actually very elegant and graceful, but she has a cold and arrogant temperament, and her thin back is straight, instantly dispelling the sense of weakness, just like a chrysanthemum under the autumn frost, weak and slender, but still stubborn. In terms of temperament alone, she is somewhat similar to Ming Huazhang.
With this feeling, Ming Huashang looked at Su Xingzhi again. The more he looked, the more he felt that they looked alike.
According to the predictive dream, next year Su Yuji will go to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and reveal that she is the daughter of the Ming family. Ming Huashang, who has usurped the Ming family's nest, will die silently in the fragrance of osmanthus.
Thinking of this, Ming Huashang suddenly discovered something strange. In her dream, she died in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in Luoyang, but now the capital has been moved, and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has moved to Chang'an. If she doesn't go back to Luoyang next year, will she not die?
Ming Huashang thought about it for a long time and felt that this idea was a bit unrealistic. If she didn't find the person who wanted to kill her, what difference would it make whether she was in Chang'an or Luoyang? Su Xingzhi seemed to be a good person. If she took advantage of this year to build a good relationship with Su Xingzhi, move out of the Zhenguo Mansion, and take care of Su Xingzhi, would it be too late?
Ming Huashang was thinking about the future and stared at Su Xingzhi in a daze without realizing it. It was not until someone bumped into her that she came back to her senses.
Ming Huashang looked up blankly and found Jiang Ling staring at her with wide eyes in surprise. Ming Huazhang was standing in front of her with her test paper, and he didn't know how long he had been waiting for her.
Jiang Ling asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
Ming Huashang quickly scanned the surroundings. Her gaze just now was so obvious that not only the Su brothers and sisters, but even Han Jie above noticed it. She was extremely embarrassed, and she took the file with a forced expression, saying, "Nothing, I just felt reluctant to leave."
Jiang Ling hesitated to speak, looking confused. She complained about this remote place and the bad food every day, but didn't she feel reluctant to leave? Besides, even if she really didn't want to leave, why was she staring at the man from the outside group?
After Ming Huashang finished speaking, she realized that she had found a very bad excuse. Seeing that everyone's eyes were on her, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into the cracks of the ground. Ming Huashang hurriedly changed the subject: "General Han actually finished reading everyone's test papers so quickly. It must be hard work. Hey, I am A?"
She sang the last few words in high notes. Ming Huashang was instantly overjoyed and no longer cared about the embarrassment she had just experienced. She asked Jiang Ling happily, "How are you?"
Jiang Ling was originally very proud, but when he heard her words, his brows furrowed: "You are also A?"
Ming Huachang's smile gradually froze: "Also?"
Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling looked at each other and fell silent in strange silence.
They both look down on each other because they are not good at it. They both think at almost the same time: she (he) has Grade A, is Grade A really so worthless?
But the two of them were still smiling on the surface, congratulating each other and flattering each other hypocritically. These words fell into Ming Huazhang's ears, like a knife, piercing his ears and hurting him.
After she came in, she stood in the back row on purpose, just to secretly watch Su Xingzhi's back. She and Jiang Ling played around lively and casually, far from the restraint she had when facing him.
She has reached the age of a young girl, and she is so cute, coquettish and considerate, it is hard for anyone not to like her. Will he soon hear the news that she wants to get married?
Ming Huazhang interrupted Ming Huachang and Jiang Ling calmly: "Be quiet, General Han has something else to say."
Ming Huashang heaved a sigh of relief, quickly shut up, and stood still. Han Jie hummed, not knowing if he had anything else to say.
He thought hard and said, "There's nothing to say. You've worked hard during this period. Go back and pack your bags and prepare to go down the mountain. It will be difficult to travel any later at night. When His Majesty comes to Chang'an tomorrow, your relatives will also be back. Make up an excuse tonight so that no one will find out what's wrong."
Han Jie said it very politely, but if translated, it roughly means: Go away and don't cause him any trouble.
The seven of them were silent, and then they said goodbye without saying anything. Ming Huazhang walked last, still with a cold expression. Ming Huashang walked up to him and asked, "Second brother, I didn't see you just now, you won't be angry, right?"
Ming Huazhang said calmly, "No. Why should I be angry with you?"
This seemed strange. If it was Jiang Ling who said this, Ming Huashang would definitely think he was being treacherous. But since this came from Ming Huazhang, Ming Huashang felt that she was judging others by her own standards. She secretly blamed herself for being suspicious, and then happily said to Ming Huazhang, "That's good. Second brother, can I not go back to live in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?"
Ming Huazhang's pupils shrank and he suddenly turned around to look at her. Su Xingzhi, who was walking diagonally in front of him, also shuddered and obviously stopped.
Su Yuji was surprised and turned to look at Su Xingzhi inexplicably: "Brother?"
Ming Huashang was startled by the coldness in Ming Huazhang's eyes, and did not notice the abnormality of Su Xingzhi in front of him. Ming Huashang blinked, thinking that Ming Huazhang had misunderstood, and quickly explained: "Second brother, I don't have any objections to your arrangement. You took the trouble to help me find Deye Temple, and I am very grateful to you. But in April, I vowed to go to the Taoist temple for meditation, and it has only been four months and I moved back to the mansion. Isn't it more suspicious to go back on my words? Why don't I rent a house outside and live alone, so that it will be convenient to carry out my mission in the future."
Everyone present knew everything. The only ones who didn't know their true identities were the Su brothers and sisters, who would stay in Chang'an for a long time and would even take the imperial examination with Ming Huazhang next month. By then, Su Xingzhi would be able to easily find out Ming Huazhang's background. Ming Huashang had no need to hide it, so she told him directly.
After all, the person who wanted to kill her in the Duke's Mansion has not been found yet, so it is better to move out and turn the passive position into the active one.
Ming Huashang looked at Ming Huazhang expectantly, but her second brother, who was always considerate, did not go along with her this time. His eyes were like cold stars, his gaze was aggressive, but his voice was as calm as a lake: "Why do you want to move out?"
"Uh..." Ming Huashang paused, racking her brains and saying, "If you move out, you can move freely. You can see whoever you want, buy whatever you want, and you don't need other people's permission to go in and out. It's also convenient for covering up lies..."
"Okay." Ming Huazhang nodded calmly and said, "I'll help you solve these problems, and you come home with me."
Ming Huachang's expression froze, not understanding what Ming Huazhang was doing. Ming Huazhang raised his eyes, circled Ming Huachang's hand, strode past Su Xingzhi, and walked out.
Ming Huashang staggered two steps when she was caught. When she passed by Su Xingzhi and Su Yuji, she smiled at them in a friendly manner.
Then I felt an even stronger force on my wrist.
Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang walked for a long time, but Su Xingzhi was still looking in their direction. Su Yuji found his gaze very strange. Su Yuji looked ahead and asked in confusion, "Brother, what are you looking at?"
Su Xingzhi came back to his senses, saw Su Yuji's round almond eyes, pursed his lips, and finally said nothing.
He lowered his head to hide the look in his eyes: "Nothing."
Su Xingzhi saw an ant crawling over the crack in the ground. He thought with some mockery in his heart, so they are the Zhenguo Mansion, they are the Ming family that his grandmother once served.
It turns out that handsome, noble, and undefeated young man is the eldest son of the Ming family and Su Yuji's elder brother.
·
The first time is new, the second time is familiar. Ming Huachang was much more relaxed this time when he descended the mountain, and arrived at the city gate at the hour of Xu. Unlike the last time when they just took a quick tour, this time after Ming Huazhang took Ming Huachang into the city, they went straight to Changxingfang.
Ming Huazhang didn't say much along the way. Ming Huachang didn't know why his brother was angry, so he followed quietly, not daring to offend. It wasn't until they stopped in front of a mansion that Ming Huachang looked up and saw the words on it, and then he realized where this was: "Zhenguogong Mansion? Is this our home?"
When Ming Huazhang heard her say "our home" so naturally, the anger in his heart subsided a little, and he replied calmly, "Yes."
Ming Huashang's eyes widened even more. Ming Huazhang dismounted and knocked on the door of the mansion slowly. After a long while, the door finally opened a crack. The old servant who was hard of hearing heard that it was the second young master and the second lady, and burst into tears, and hurriedly invited Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang to come in.
There were not many people in the mansion, and it was so quiet that one could smell the scent of tree roots. Ming Huazhang did not use the old servant to lead the way, but took Ming Huashang to find a place to live.
Ancient trees blocked out the sun. Ming Huashang followed Ming Huazhang through corridor after corridor. It seemed that they were the only two people in the house. Ming Huashang looked around. This mansion was different from the Zhenguogong Mansion in Luoyang. It had gray walls and green tiles and lush trees. Although it didn't cover as much land as the mansion in Luoyang, it had an ancient and simple atmosphere.
Unfortunately, she had no memory of this place. Ming Huashang thought that this was where she lived when she was a child, and she was filled with emotion: "So this is the ancestral home of the Ming family. I didn't expect it to be so well preserved. You can't tell at all that no one has lived here for more than ten years."
Ming Huazhang said calmly, "I sent someone to repair it."
"..." Ming Huashang was incredulous, "Weren't you in Zhongnan Mountain during this period?"
"Yes, but it won't affect the renovation of the house. Grandma and father have been away for many years and finally returned to their hometown. As the younger generation, how can we make them live uncomfortably?"
After hearing this, Ming Huashang fell silent. She was indeed an unfilial daughter, especially compared with Ming Huazhang. It would be worse to raise a dog than to raise her.
Ming Huashang said truthfully: "Second brother, you are thoughtful, courageous and careful. Your father is so lucky to have you."
Ming Huazhang chuckled softly, slowed down his pace, and walked side by side with her: "No, this is what I should do. You are your father's blessing."
Ming Huashang herself was too embarrassed to respond to this. She smiled and took Ming Huazhang's hand, saying, "We brothers and sisters should stop pushing and shoving each other over this. Let's be filial to our father together."
Ming Huashang approached with a playful smile, and Ming Huazhang could no longer keep a stern face, and the previous unpleasantness was over.
Although Ming Huashang still doesn't know what made him unhappy.
Ming Huazhang led Ming Huashang through the bamboo forest and into the courtyard in the northeast corner. This place was remote, surrounded by bamboo forests, and it became quiet in an instant. The courtyard was lush with vegetation and elegant. When the door was closed, it was an independent courtyard. When the door was opened, it led directly to the outside of the mansion. Not far away were the square wall and Xiamen Street. It was a quiet place in the midst of hustle and bustle, very exquisite.
Of course, what Ming Huashang likes most is the grape trellis under the eaves. Ming Huashang doesn't have those literary and artistic sentiments. She likes to grow edible and practical things, such as this trellis of grapes.
Ming Huashang has already thought of ten ways to eat grapes. The flower garden in the yard is not bad, but it is just for show. It would be better to plow it up next year and replace it with edible flowers. The bamboo forest outside can also be used.
Ming Huashang walked around the house and was overjoyed: "Second brother, is this prepared for me?"
"Yes." Ming Huazhang put his hands behind his back and said slowly, "How about living with you?"
Ming Huashang really didn't expect that he was waiting for her here. He didn't say a word all the way, was it because of this?
Ming Huashang couldn't explain her feelings. She stood under the grape trellis and looked at Ming Huazhang. Suddenly, she felt strange and distant.
Time rushed through her body like a gust of wind, and when she looked up again, she found that everything was different.
When they were children, they were swaddled side by side, and if one of them was taken away, the other would cry. Their father said that Ming Huashang had been incompetent and had a bad temper since childhood. When Ming Huazhang learned to crawl but she couldn't, she pulled Ming Huazhang's face hard to prevent him from walking. Later, they were both able to walk steadily on the ground, and Ming Huazhang was taken to the outer courtyard by his father, while Ming Huashang insisted on eating, drinking and having fun in the inner courtyard and had no desire to make progress.
The brother and sister drifted further and further apart, but every year during the New Year's Eve celebration, Ming Huazhang would always bring her a piece of gummies.
Gum-tart is a kind of candy that is very sticky to your teeth. If your teeth don't fall out after eating it, you will live a long life. When Ming Huachang was a child, she was always terrified every time she ate gum-tart, fearing that her teeth would fall out.
Perhaps the gum glutinous rice balls that Ming Huazhang brought were effective. For the past sixteen years, Ming Huachang has been able to eat and drink well, and his body is much healthier than when he was a child. He has never been sick again.
But they have grown up too. The little brother who always brought her candy with a stern face in her memory has grown into a tall and handsome young man in the blink of an eye.
Ming Huashang felt dazed when looking at Ming Huazhang in front of her. It turned out that he was so much taller than her that even if she wanted to pull his face, she couldn't do it.
She could no longer do such actions because she was already a woman who could get married, and he would have a new sister or even a wife in two years, and that piece of gummies would no longer belong to her.
Ming Huashang smiled and said, "Second brother, that's not what I meant. I also know that my parents will not split up the family, I just don't want to cause you trouble because of me."
The grape leaves above her head rustled and swayed, like whispers under the Milky Way. Ming Huazhang also stared at her seriously and asked, "Trouble? I'm your brother, I've arranged a place for you to live, I've taken good care of you, and in your eyes, I'm a trouble?"
Ming Huashang choked up, feeling an unspeakable sadness in her heart.
If he was really her brother, she would have shamelessly relied on him to do this and that for her. But he was not.
He is a good and responsible brother, but this kindness does not originally belong to her.
Ming Huashang lowered her eyes and said in a low voice: "But I am different from you. I will leave the Ming family sooner or later..."
Her sigh was very low, but the words really hit Ming Huazhang's forehead and he recognized it immediately.
Ming Huazhang only felt a fire rising from deep inside his body. Many things he thought he had forgotten and didn't care about were rekindled, and in an instant they became a raging fire. His fingers were cold, but the blood inside them was boiling.
Ming Huazhang held back his anger and asked coldly, "Leave the Ming family? How do you leave?"
Ming Huashang lowered her head and said nothing. She thought in her heart that she was fake, and naturally the embroidered clouds of the past sixteen years would be burned into a pile of floating ash. But in Ming Huazhang's eyes, it had another meaning.
Ming Huazhang's heart grew colder, so she really had fallen in love with someone, and couldn't wait to move out of the house so that she could meet that person in private?
She didn't answer, so Ming Huazhang spoke for her: "By getting married? You just said you didn't want to get married."
After saying this, Ming Huazhang was stunned. He asked himself in shock, was he insane? Why did he ask such a question?
Ming Huashang was also asking the same question. What does this have to do with her getting married? Ming Huashang was confused and half-jokingly said, "I haven't thought about getting married yet. After all, I've seen a good father like my father who is patient and kind, and a good husband like my second brother who is upright and upright. How can I still be attracted to someone else?"
Her words were like a flash of light in the chaos, instantly calming the wind and the waves, and setting the fire ablaze. Ming Huazhang realized that he had been so excited for so long just to hear these words.
This realization made him more frightened than when he saw Ming Huashang staring at Su Xingzhi in a daze.
The palm-sized grape leaves rustled, and Ming Huazhang thought of the time when he renovated the old house, which was the Chinese Valentine's Day. At that time, he heard people say that if you stand under the grape tree on the Chinese Valentine's Day, you can hear the whispers of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they meet.
Of course, planting grapes is not for the purpose of eavesdropping from afar, but because lovers standing under the grape trees on this day can receive the blessings of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and be together forever and love each other for a lifetime.
This legend is just for fun and cannot be true, but Ming Huazhang somehow bought a grape tree and transplanted it into this yard.
In a stately mansion, no one would have the leisure and elegance to grow grapes in the yard. Even if there was, after more than ten years of absence, the grapes would have died without anyone taking care of them. These grape vines, the flower beds in the yard, and the furnishings in the house were all arranged by him personally, just because he thought she would like them.
He had chosen this place when he first came to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to get acquainted with the road. This small courtyard was clean and convenient, and it was just right for her. The courtyard next door was close to this place, and they wouldn't disturb each other if they closed the door, but when leaving the mansion from here, he had to pass by the next door, which happened to be where he lived.
Ming Huazhang was very satisfied when he first saw her, and he renovated the courtyard very carefully, even almost completely re-peeling the soil, intending to let her "practice Taoism" at home in the future.
He made up a pretext for her to go to Deye Temple, but he couldn't really let her go to the Taoist temple. Duke Zhenguo only had this one daughter, and it was unreasonable to let her leave home. It was fine to have him watching over her in Zhongnan Mountain, but when she returned to Chang'an, he would definitely let her live the most comfortable and smooth life.
If she doesn't want to get married, then she doesn't have to. There are many nobles in Chang'an who practice Taoism and worship Buddha at home. He has wronged her, so he should protect her all her life.
He spent as much time and effort on this small yard as rebuilding a house, and far more than caring for his family. What is he doing? Why is he doing this?
Ming Huazhang had been keeping this question in his heart and refused to think about it. Now, he knew that he could no longer avoid it.
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