First Concubine

Chapter 203: Gaining a Genius (1)

 At dusk, the sky is filled with glow, like the wings of a blue luan flying high. The Wisteria Courtyard was filled with laughter and laughter. Guo Yan made faces, making his brother dance and Zhi Fan and others burst into laughter.

Zhuge Yu held his daughter who was sucking her fingers silently. Seeing her wide, watery eyes, innocent and ignorant, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips. Especially when his son was teased by Guo Yan and couldn't distinguish between east and west, but his daughter was quietly nestled in his arms, he felt that it was his daughter who was still kissing him.

Shui Linglong handed over the warm little world to the most important person in her life, put on her apron and went to the small kitchen of Mohe Courtyard to cook a loving dinner for her family.

Zhuge Yu followed the old lady, and she tasted so sweet, so Shui Linglong made Fengjing Ding's Hoof and Imperial Concubine's Chicken; Guo Yan followed her, and they were happy, so Shui Linglong made braised mackerel and spicy chicken; she fed her milk, I couldn't control my taste, so I ordered a plate of braised pork and three delicacies, and a portion of Baiyun pork trotters; paired with chestnut braised cabbage heart, stir-fried fungus, and Huaishan tea tree mushroom and chicken soup.

 The food was placed in the compartment behind the gauze cabinet in the main room. Sister and brother fell asleep together after a meal of milk. Shui Linglong, Zhuge Yu and Guo Yan sat down around the table. Guo Yan filially laid out chopsticks for Shui Linglong, while Zhuge Yu served the soup himself, used a spoon to remove the oil on the surface bit by bit, and tested the temperature before placing it in front of Shui Linglong.

It was like a dream, the children were safe and healthy, the husband and wife were loving and harmonious, there was no smoke of war, no fighting between wives and concubines, Shui Linglong smiled from the bottom of her heart: "Eat them all."

 The two picked up their chopsticks and began to taste the dinner cooked for them by their favorite woman. Shui Linglong picked up the whole pink shrimp, peeled the shells and dipped them in the juice, one for Zhuge Yu and one for Guo Yan... Watching them eating with gusto, Shui Linglong was smiling from the side.

Zhuge Yu took a piece of fish, shaved off the bones, and put it into her bowl: "Don't just look after us, you can eat it too."

Guo Yan collected both chicken wings into her bowl, squinted her eyes and said with a smile: "Eat more."

Shui Linglong smiled and nodded: "Yes."

　　After one meal, the three of them were full. After rinsing their mouths and hands, they got up and went to the main room. Guo Yan took the initiative to talk about the conversation with Xiaohan: "...Oh, it's all my fault. I didn't believe him at first. I always thought he was joking about ghosts and ghosts."

Shui Linglong took a sip of goat's milk, and there was a circle of foam on the corner of her lips. Zhuge Yu took out a handkerchief and wiped it. She smiled gratefully and looked at Guo Yan: "If it's March 11th, it happens to be the day when Xiaoxia's husband was killed." On the night of the injury, there was no doubt that the female ghost in Xiaohan’s mouth was Shangguan Yan.”

"Then...who is that man?" Guo Yan asked slightly unnaturally.

Shui Linglong said: "Xun Feng. That night Xun Feng was escorted to the east, and he happened to be passing by the forest. It cannot be ruled out that Xun Feng and his men used a trick to steal the situation and get into the prison car. Xun Feng fled."

Guo Yan asked hesitantly: "Xiao Xia said that he was covered in blood and his pants were taken off. What happened?" Don't tell him, Shangguan Yan really planned to **** Xun Feng! If this were the case, he would go to Kashgar and crush Shangguan Yan's body into ashes!

Shui Linglong looked at him dumbfounded: "Didn't you ask Xiaohan to dig a deep pit and bury the animal trap?"

 “Yeah!” Guo Yan nodded.

Shui Linglong cleared her throat and said, "I guess Xun Feng was careless when he was running away and fell into the hole you dug."

Guo Yan was dumbfounded: "Huh? This... is so cheating!"

Shui Linglong wanted to laugh but couldn't, so she could only say in her usual tone: "Shangguan Yan should have saved him. What Xiaoxia's husband saw was not an assassination or sexual intercourse, but healing."

Guo Yan took a long breath! Zhuge Yu naturally didn't miss any of Shui Linglong's and Guo Yan's expressions. Shui Linglong was indifferent, but Guo Yan was a little concerned about Xun Feng. He frowned slightly, always feeling that there was some weird connection between the three people. Despite his doubts, he still talked about serious matters: "Shangguan Yan doesn't seem like the kind of compassionate person. If she had this kind of trait, she wouldn't have done so many heartbreaking things. Then why did she save Xun?" Maple? Coincidence?”

Shui Linglong pursed her lips and asked Xiang Zhuge Yu: "What do you think? What are the chances that Shangguan Yan and Xun Feng will know each other early in the morning?"

 Zhuge Yu thought for a moment and then said: "It's zero."

In other words, these two people were originally unrelated, but they came together strangely. Shui Linglong raised her eyebrows slightly and said thoughtfully: "Guo Yan, didn't you say last time that the Supreme Emperor gave Xun Feng cartilage powder along the way, so Xun Feng lost all his martial arts?"

 “Yes.” Guo Yan nodded.

Shui Linglong and Zhuge Yu exchanged a glance and reached a consensus that Shangguan Yan and the Supreme Emperor were on the same team. Otherwise, the poisoning and theft of the antidote many years ago would not have been arranged so seamlessly. This time, the Supreme Emperor was dissatisfied with Xun Feng's plan to go east, but secretly he was sure that Xun Feng would escape from his shell halfway, so he sent people to watch him from a distance. Once he escaped, Shangguan Yan would appear as a beauty saving a hero. , even if there is no big hole dug by Guo Yan, there will still be an assassination by the director Taishanghuang. Anyway, the purpose is to send Shangguan Yan to Xun Feng and let the two people collude.

Zhuge Yu said with a half-smile, "Didn't Xun Feng see that the Supreme Emperor was using him to deal with the Prince of Zhenbei? Perhaps, when Xun Feng really pulled the Prince off, the Supreme Emperor would kill the donkey."

Shui Linglong said "ha": "The key is that Xun Feng is very arrogant. He knows that the Supreme Emperor is using him, but he feels that he can finally take advantage of Shangguan Yan. Shangguan Yan cooperates with the Supreme Emperor, and he also cooperates with him , Let’s see who can better satisfy Shangguan Yan’s desire for revenge.” And she believes that Xun Feng’s psychological tactics are far better than the Supreme Emperor!

Zhuge Yu smiled faintly: "These superiors have never regarded their ministers as human beings. They only think about consolidating their power. I wonder if Xun Feng will have any options after Shangguan Yan's poisonous fang is pulled out."

Guo Yan opened his bright eyes and said: "After thinking about it, I still feel that that person is not necessarily Xun Feng. Although the team escorting Xun Feng did pass by the forest, there were not no mountain people and villagers nearby. According to Xiaoxia's husband It was revealed that the man was only wearing a white coat, and his status could not be discerned. "

Shui Linglong coughed lightly: "Only Xun Feng can say the word 'Fa Ke'."

 Guo Yan knew something about Xun Feng, but he didn’t know much about Xun Feng’s life habits than Shui Linglong. He asked doubtfully: “Why is he the only one who can say it? What does this word mean?”

“It’s a Western word, a curse word...” Shui Linglong forced herself to explain in a tactful way.

 Zhuge Yu and Guo Yan stared at each other and said in unison: "Fa Ke!"

In Tian'an Residence, Zhuge Liuyun briefly told what happened to Shangguan Yan, saying that she framed Zhuge Yu, Zhuge Yu and Brother Hao as a child, and tried to make it as brief as possible to avoid the old man crying in grief again. The old lady said hello to that vicious woman Shangguan Yan a thousand times in her heart. A good family could have been happy. Leng Youru was not a petty person. If she had Yan'er, she would definitely not be with her. What is Yu's mother fighting for? If Shangguan Qian had not been forced away by Shangguan Yan, Ling'er would have been able to grow up happily in the palace...

The old lady shed tears. Zhuge Liuyun handed over the handkerchief and comforted him: "Mom, don't be too sad. It's all over."

 The old lady wiped her tears with a handkerchief and looked at Mu Hua: "How did you find Da Zhou?"

Mu Hua stood up, bowed his hands, and answered truthfully: "To tell you the truth, it was General Guo who came to my house and I found out that my son, who had been living in Xun for a year, was brought to Dazhou by a stranger."

 Guo Yan? Zhuge Liuyun's eyes narrowed, and he was suddenly very grateful that he had saved Guo Yan's life for the sake of his son and Linglong. This time, it was probably his son and Linglong who discovered Shangguan Yan's anomaly early in the morning, and after discussing it, they secretly launched an action with Guo Yan.

The old lady also saw Zhuge Yu and Guo Yan eating and playing chess together, and felt that they were very loyal friends: "I really want to thank General Guo this time."

Zhuge Liuyun responded respectfully: "Xiaoyu and Linglong have kept Guo Yan for dinner, and I will also send a generous gift to the Guo Mansion later."

"Yes." The old lady nodded with a smile, then looked at Mu Hua and said kindly, "You are Ling'er's husband, and you are a member of our Zhuge family. Don't be 'old lady' or 'old lady' anymore." Yelled, just like Xiaoyu and Linglong, they called me 'grandma'."

Mu Hua paused, as if hesitating, then lowered his eyes and said, "Yes, grandma."

 The old lady smiled happily: "Isn't this right?"

Zhuge Liuyun straightened his back and pretended to be serious: "What about me?"

Mu Hua was slightly stunned, but still called politely: "Father."

Zhuge Liuyun also showed a faint smile: "Sit down, everyone is tired today. I will introduce you to your relatives tomorrow morning. We are the eldest brother, and you will see the second brother in the morning."

Mu Hua was unfazed by the favor and humiliation: "Yes, father."

Zhuge Liuyun sighed secretly, he was good-looking, simple and upright, but his only flaw was that he was a nerd, too rigid.

After Mu Hua sat down, the old lady got down to the topic: "Let's talk about Brother Hao's whereabouts. This kid followed Shangguan Yan for a year. No matter how Shangguan Yan was mean to him, he still had feelings for her. Now Shangguan Yan is gone, and the child has to cry when he wakes up. Who can keep it with me from now on?" But she didn't know what she thought of, and quickly rejected her suggestion: "Forget it, don't leave it with me. ,not good."

Zhuge Liuyun pondered for a moment and said: "Mom, if you want to keep the child by your side, I will arrange for more wet nurses to take care of you. You will have a great-grandson to accompany you, and you will have more family relationships." The elderly are afraid that they will lose their lives. value, and secondly, fear of loneliness.

The old lady's gray eyebrows twisted: "This child has been experiencing the pain of losing a loved one since he was born. First his mother, then his father, and now his 'grandma'. This child is already extremely sensitive. He is raised by my side. If I don’t pass away suddenly after I develop a relationship, you’d better find someone who is younger and can grow up with him if you ask him to… hurt again?”

Zhuge Liuyun hurriedly leaned over and said, "Mother, you want to live a long life!"

The old lady picked up a corn candy and said with a nonchalant smile: "I know how many years I have to live, or else... should I keep it in the Wisteria Courtyard? The Wisteria Courtyard is lively, and Linglong and Xiaoyu have a good relationship, which is quite warm. Yes, it’s..." At the end of the sentence, he showed hesitation again.

Zhuge Liuyun took over the conversation: "Wisteria Courtyard is good, there are brothers, sisters, and Xiao Qiuyan. Brother Hao is very happy living there. But leaving it entirely to Linglong to raise him would put too much burden on Linglong. Sister and brother are not easy to take care of. "

The two of them were talking so eloquently that they didn't notice that Mu Hua's brows were so furrowed that they wanted to go to the sky! Were they two right? Brother Hao is his son, right? It seems like he has the final say on who he’s with, right? After thinking this, Mu Hua expressed his opinion seriously: "Brother Hao is my son, I want to take him back to South Vietnam."

As soon as these words came out, the old lady and Zhuge Liuyun suddenly changed their expressions. Zhuge Liuyun rolled his eyes and said seriously: "Mu Hua, you and Brother Hao have been separated for a year, and Brother Hao doesn't recognize you anymore." If you rashly drag him into another unfamiliar environment, he won’t be able to bear it and will become more and more withdrawn and sensitive. This is definitely not a good thing!”

Mu Hua remembered that his son had just woken up for a moment and showed caution when he saw him. He understood that what Zhuge Liuyun said was true. Zhuge Liuyun continued to be tempting: "Tell me if I don't love you, do you think Brother Hao has a future in South Vietnam?" Mu Hua was startled and looked at him in confusion. Zhuge Liuyun shook his head and sighed: "You have a powerful aunt in your family, right? If your aunt doesn't recognize you, how can she recognize your son? Brother Hao will go back with you. Can you guarantee that Brother Hao will be safe and happy for the rest of his life? Can you guarantee that he will never see you again? If there is no such thing as stealing a child, what if you have to go out to work again? Who will take care of Brother Hao? Or the servant who can buy it with just a few taels of money?"

Mu Hua was speechless, and Zhuge Liuyun said again: "The palace is different. Ling'er's eldest brother, sister-in-law, second brother, and second sister-in-law are all very kind and upright, and they all care about him from the bottom of their hearts. You are Brother Hao. My son's father, I will treat you like my own son. If you meet a suitable woman in the future, I will also arrange a marriage for you. As for your future in Dazhou, you are good at business and belong to Ling'er. I will transfer all the property to your name.”

The previous sentence sounded reasonable to Mu Hua, but the last sentence irritated him: "Are you buying me with money? If your son can be sold, you give me a price, and I will take my son away. How much does it cost? I will earn it in the future." Return it to you!”

Zhuge Liuyun twitched the corner of his mouth. His father-in-law looked at his son-in-law, he really didn't like him! The old lady tried to smooth things over: "Hua'er, you have misunderstood. Your father is sincerely thinking about you. You don't have to make a decision in a hurry. You can stay in the house first and cultivate a relationship with Brother Hao. Wait for Brother Hao." Let's talk about whether to stay or leave after my son returns to normal. The urgent question now is who is the ideal person for Brother Hao to stay with." After saying this, the door was pushed open and a plain white figure walked in slowly.

Guo Yan played a few games of chess with Zhuge Yu in Ziteng Courtyard. He lost so hard that he blew his beard and glared. When he left, he cursed "Fa Ke" countless times. It wasn't until Shui Linglong sternly warned him not to say this word again that he angrily said Leave. Before leaving, Shui Linglong made a red bean pudding and a box of yellow peach egg tarts, which were given to the third princess to satisfy her craving.

Guo Yan left, and Zhuge Yu got up and went to the study to deal with it. Shui Linglong took a book and sat on the bedside, while Xiao Xia was doing repair work on the bed opposite. Xiao Xia was threading needles and threads while saying, "My cousin is so pitiful. He has been abused by Shangguan Yan so many times. I am just afraid of him along the way." It’s all like this.”

As the saying goes, happiness comes from constant comparisons. Xiaoxia often complained about her hard work, but now she found an infinite sense of balance from Brother Hao. While feeling pity for him, her mood improved accordingly. stand up.

Shui Linglong turned over a page of the book and asked calmly: "Has Xiao Qiuyan gone to the cousin's room?"

Xiao Xia was stunned for a moment, then said with a sneer: "I'm here, feeding my cousin."

The weather was cool after the beginning of autumn. Everyone wore long sleeves and long trousers, and had to add a coat at night. But Brother Hao only wore a set of thin cotton undergarments and sat on the bedside with vacant eyes. The calves couldn't reach the ground, and they swayed and beat out a monotonous and regular rhythm on the bed board.

Xiao Qiuyan stood beside him, holding a blue and white porcelain bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other. She said softly and sweetly: "My cousin, please eat a little. After eating, I will play with you! It doesn't matter how long I play with you today." ! Do you want to ride a rocking horse or build blocks?”

Brother Hao didn't respond to her, still dangling his legs in a daze. Xiao Qiuyan expressed that she didn’t understand Brother Hao’s behavior very much. In the past, he liked to play with her very much and would come to her after school. He would watch her hopscotch, jump rope, and play shuttlecock, and occasionally he would do it himself. Try, but he is a boring gourd, not as funny as the cheerful Zhi Geer. Sometimes she would have fun with Brother Zhi and leave him alone, and he would storm away. Now she is spending time with him and only him. Why doesn't he seem to buy it anymore?

"You eat, take a bite, it's delicious. I've eaten two bowls!" Xiao Qiuyan couldn't empathize with her. She was too young and her emotional intelligence hadn't developed to that point yet. She didn't understand the world of adults very well either. She just listened. She said that Brother Hao's grandmother would never come back, but Brother Hao's behavior of not eating made her very angry, "You are so blessed that you don't know how lucky you are! Do you know how many children can't eat in a day?" A full meal? Before I came to the palace, I only drank rice soup and wild vegetables and sweet potatoes, and the food was only for adults!"

Brother Hao was unmoved, but tears overflowed from his eyes.

Xiao Qiuyan leaned over and asked softly: "Do you miss your grandma?"

Tears burst into Brother Hao's eyes. He was not afraid of grandma beating him, he was just afraid that grandma would not want him...

At this time, Leng Youru pushed the door open and Xiao Qiuyan hurriedly bowed: "Princess!"

Leng Youru glanced at the heatless beef and egg drop porridge in Xiao Qiuyan's bowl and said calmly: "Step back."

Xiao Qiuyan nodded nervously: "Yes."

Before leaving, Xiao Qiuyan put the egg drop porridge on the table. It was still edible, although it was cold.

 (End of this chapter)