Nightwatcher

the capital.

It snowed heavily last night. When I got up this morning, the yard was covered with snow, and the flower beds and the ground paved with bluestone slabs were covered with thin snow.

In the early morning of my aunt, I was awakened by a burst of laughter like silver bells. .

She subconsciously pushed her husband beside her, only to find that he had already gotten up and was on duty.

My aunt frowned exquisitely, sat up in the warm blanket, stretched her waist, the charcoal fire was burning in the house, and the maid sleeping in the bedroom would add some animal gold charcoal every hour.

This kind of charcoal has no smell of smoke when burned, but has the fresh air of pine branches.

This winter is extremely cold, the eldest princess sympathizes with Xu Xinian, a concubine of the Hanlin Academy, and specially orders someone to send thirty catties of animal gold charcoal for the imperial use. Princess Lin'an also sympathized with the concubine Xu Xinian, who worked hard and made great achievements, so she ordered someone to send thirty catties of animal gold charcoal.

So my aunt used this good thing that only Tianhuang nobles can enjoy.

My aunt was very happy, and she focused on praising Xu Erlang during the meal. After ten years of hard work, he has accumulated a lot of money. Not only did he get the appreciation of the chief assistant, but also the two princesses.

Second Uncle Xu laughed at Auntie who was still too young, and the things that the princess bestowed on the imperial court should be justified, and there was only one Erlang in Xu's family who could stand on the table.

Erlang is just a tool for the two princesses to take care of Xu's family.

Of course, Uncle Xu would not tell his aunt these words.

"Noisy."

The beautiful woman was wearing a thin undergarment, with disheveled blue hair and a bewildered expression, she was a bit girlish and naive.

Bang When Auntie opened the door, the cold wind hit her face, she shivered, and the remaining drowsiness disappeared immediately.

However, the scene in front of her made her forget the cold.

In the yard, two girls, one big and one small, were rolling all over the floor, making traces on the snow.

Lina said: "This is snow, the first time I saw snow in my life."

Xu Lingyin said: "This is the first time I have seen snow in my life."

The two were covered in snow foam, like two snowmen.

"Xu Lingyin!"

Auntie screamed.

In severe cold weather, anyone who dares to play like this is either a fool or a desperate person.

Xiao Douding was startled, raised his head, glanced at his aunt, and said loudly:

"No, mother found us, let's go quickly."

Lina quickly said, "Okay."

Then the two rolled away.

Xu Lingyue slept until she woke up naturally, she heard her stupid sister and her stupid master arguing outside, and she just ignored her.

I'm going to be a guest at the palace today, to deal with the female relatives of the palace, so I have to dress up.

"Miss, what kind of clothes are suitable for you to go to Wang's house today?" The servant girl tilted her head, thinking.

"Dress more modestly, the Wang family is used to being rich, and we dress up beautifully, maybe people will laugh at us in their hearts because we are a small family and love to show off."

Xu Lingyue was doing her makeup in front of the mirror. In the bronze mirror, there was a girl with an oval face, big eyes, and three-dimensional facial features, which were delicate and beautiful.

She wore a light blue jacket, a fluffy skirt, and a brocade and wool cloak on the outside, and a pair of sheepskin boots embroidered with gold thread and cloud patterns on her feet.

It doesn't look fancy, but also wears the temperament of a lady.

"Bring me something."

"Okay." The servant girl responded crisply.

She immediately left the room with the maid and had breakfast in the inner hall. At this time, Xu Lingyin had already changed into clean clothes and took a hot bath.

Xiao Douding was still in the same bun as before, like two meat buns, but wearing a beautiful little skirt, she looked a bit like a lady.

Just standing with her beautiful and refined sister, I can barely call it cute.

My aunt glanced at the water leak in the hall, and urged:

"It's time to go, Erlang, remember to take care of your younger sisters more. Lingyue, don't always look like you can bully anyone. You are not representing yourself, but the Xu family.

"Lingyin, when you arrive at Wang's house, don't be greedy, don't mess around, do you understand?"

Today, Xu Erlang is going to the Wang family to discuss matters with Wang Shoufu, and he will go there with his sisters.

The three brothers and sisters put down their bowls and chopsticks, rinsed their mouths with salt water, left Xu's mansion, and boarded the carriage.

The coachman walked carefully and slowly on the wet street covered with solid ice.

It took two quarters of an hour to get from Xu's house to Wang's house, and it took half an hour to get there because the road was slippery and slippery.

Xu Erlang jumped out of the carriage, turned around and helped Xu Lingyue get out of the carriage, while Xu Lingyin had already jumped down from the other end.

Under the leadership of the steward, the three brothers and sisters went straight into the depths of the palace.

In the bedroom, Wang Shoufu stood by the screen, and Mrs. Wang led the maid to change his clothes.

"I remember Simu said that Miss Xu's family is not easy to mess with. The eldest daughter-in-law is snobbish, and the second daughter-in-law is narrow-minded. When you meet someone, you should watch from the sidelines, so as not to make trouble."

Wang Shoufu said.

"Both of their eye sockets are not that shallow, so they will be careful." Mrs. Wang laughed.

She was a little surprised that the master cared about these trivial matters.

"Master, Master Xu is here." A servant stood outside the door and reported loudly.

"Tell him to go to the study."

Wang Shoufu glanced at himself in front of the bronze mirror, stroked the folds of his clothes on his chest, looked at Mrs. Wang, and said, "Are the presents ready?"

Madam Wang smiled and nodded.

In the inner hall, Wang Simu was holding a teacup, tasting the fragrant tea, listening to the chattering of the two sisters-in-law.

The eldest sister-in-law is Li Xianghan, and her father is a doctor in the household department. He is not a big official, but he is linked to money, so he is a bit snobbish.

The second sister-in-law's name is Zhao Yurong, and her father's official position is even smaller, just the director of Dali Temple.

It stands to reason that such a family background cannot be compared to the Wang family, even if the second brother is a businessman, his status is not obvious.

Speaking of which, there are still two origins. Wang Zhenwen's official career was ups and downs. Before he made his fortune, there were several downturns. One of them was framed by political opponents and was convicted and imprisoned.

Zhao Yurong's father was working in Dali Temple at the time, and he had a good relationship with Wang Zhenwen. He spent a lot of money to manage and dredge the relationship, and finally survived.

The father of sister-in-law Li Xianghan also showed similar kindness to Wang Zhenwen.

Therefore, after Wang Zhenwen made a fortune, the two sister-in-laws married into the Wang family.

Sister-in-law Li Xianghan said:

"Simu, last time you went to Xu's mansion, did the mistress of the Xu family set rules for you?"

Wang Simu shook his head.

Second sister-in-law Zhao Yurong glanced at her and said with a smile:

"I think so. Didn't you say that the mistress of the Xu family is a master of art? Simu, don't be embarrassed to say that when a new daughter-in-law comes in, the mother-in-law always has to set the rules.

"My sister-in-law and I were beaten by my mother-in-law when we entered the door. But you are different from us. You are the daughter of the Wang family. If you marry Xu Erlang in the future, that is a marriage.

"Xu Erlang has to rely on our Wang family to make his fortune. When you go to the Xu family in the future, you can be a domineering power. This time, we have to set rules for Miss Xu's family and let her know the gap between the Xu family and the Wang family."

It's not certain who sets the rules for whom, but you also want to wrestle with that girl Xu Lingyue Wang Simu murmured in her heart and shook her head:

"It doesn't have to be like this, sister Lingyue is smart, there's no need to provoke her."

Sister-in-law Li Xianghan showed a superior smile with the attitude of someone who came here:

"Simu is inexperienced. Before getting married, the two women's relatives communicated, and the relationship was only one of them. The more important thing was to test each other. Didn't you have such an idea in your heart as a mother-in-law?

"The girl from the Xu family will take back what she heard and saw here today and tell the mother of the Xu family. Let's beat her a little so that we can warn the mother of the Xu family not to bully you in the future."

Since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can be summed up by the four words "fighting openly and secretly".

What they are fighting for is the power of the steward.

The more wealthy the family, the fiercer the competition for financial and housekeeping power.

"This, isn't it good?"

Wang Simu resisted the urge to raise the corners of his mouth, and frowned.

The sister-in-law smiled and said, "Don't worry, the sister-in-laws know how to measure."

Wang Simu said helplessly: "Forget it, since it's an established rule, let's follow the wishes of the two sisters-in-law."

As she spoke, she picked up the teacup and made a tea drinking posture, covering the slightly raised corners of her mouth.

In the marriage of two families, regardless of the relationship between the man and the woman, there is always a "game" between families.

The mother-in-law sets the rules for the unmarried daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law's family shows a deep enough background to "warn" the husband's family to be kind to their daughter.

It's all human.

Seeing that the two sister-in-laws were so enthusiastic, Wang Simu immediately felt relieved.

The last time I was a guest at Xu's house, Xu Lingyue, a dead girl, was often a hindrance. She was in the first grade of junior high school, and Wang Simu was in the fifteenth grade.

Just as he was talking, a pair of sisters came out of the hall. The younger sister was not as tall as the older sister's waist, and she was holding her little hand. She was a little naive little girl.

As for the older sister, the eyes of the two sisters-in-law were brightened. She was wearing a brocade-trimmed wool cloak, and sheepskin boots. Her neatly trimmed bangs made her face look pretty and lovely.

It feels like a weak and gentle Xiaojiabiyu.

The moment they saw Xu Lingyue, the two sisters-in-law of the Wang family knew that they were sure of her. For this kind of Xiaojiabiyu who was raised in a deep boudoir and had never seen anything in the world, she might be frightened and at a loss if she showed displeasure at the slightest.

If you ask some tricky questions, you will hold back your face and have nowhere to put your two little hands.

It's really boring to bully such a little girl.

As for the naive child, of course he was ignored by the two sisters-in-law.

"Sister Lingyue is here."

Wang Simu got up to greet her, and introduced: "This is my elder sister-in-law, and this is my second sister-in-law. Sister Lingyue, please call me."

Xu Lingyue said softly, "Lingyue has met the two sister-in-laws."

Sister-in-law Li Xianghan said with a smile: "What a handsome girl, I don't know which young master will marry our sister Lingyue in the future."

Xu Lingyue smiled reservedly, lowered her head, and said, "Lingyin, quickly call sister-in-law."

Xu Lingyin raised her head and frowned two shallow eyebrows: "Why are they also sisters-in-law? Are they going to marry the second brother too?"

The faces of the four women froze suddenly.

The second sister-in-law Zhao Yurong immediately looked at Xu Lingyue, saw that she was blushing and forgot to reprimand her younger sister, so she could only laugh dryly:

"Children's words are free, children's words are free."

Wang Simu glanced at Xu Lingyue, smiled calmly and said:

"Mother should get up, let's go and say hello to her."

This is to take the Xu family sisters to see the old lady.

So, led by Wang Simu, a group of people walked deeper into the palace, walked through the corridor and courtyard, and came to a big room.

There are two soft tables in the house, covered with soft and warm woolen blankets, and there are four small tables on the tables, on which are dried fruits, dried meat, candied fruit, pastries and other food.

On the soft bed on the left, sat Wang Zhenwen's original partner - Mrs. Wang.

Mrs. Wang is over fifty years old, but she is well maintained. She is neither fat nor thin, with rosy vitality and fine crow's feet around her eyes, adding to the charm accumulated over the years.

"mother!"

"Grandma!"

"Old lady!"

All the girls saluted one after another, only Xu Lingyin was a little cautious, she was not used to this kind of atmosphere.

Xiao Douding has lived in an unfettered environment since he was a child, without so many rules.

Mrs. Wang nodded kindly, her eyes fell on the faces of the Xu family sisters.

"This is Miss Xu's family?"

Mrs. Wang thought of Xu Erlang's handsome appearance, and then looked at Xu Lingyue's beautiful and refined appearance, pondered for a moment, and said with a smile: "The two sisters have their own merits."

After speaking, he greeted them to take their seats.

Sister-in-law Li Xianghan took a sip of hot tea, sighed, and started a topic:

"Damn the weather, at this time last year, I was so bored when the charcoal fire burned all night. Now, if I don't burn all night, I have to freeze to death."

The second sister-in-law, Zhao Yurong, spoke up: "Who says it's not."

At this time, she found Xiao Douding staring blankly at the charcoal stove half a person's height, which was burning smokeless animal gold charcoal.

Most likely, this child has never seen such a non-smoking sister-in-law Tan Er's heart moved, and said with a smile:

"That's why, His Majesty gave us ten catties of animal gold charcoal. This kind of charcoal has no smell of smoke, and it still has a delicate fragrance when burned."

The second sister-in-law looked at Xu Lingyue with a sense of superiority, but found that she was smiling and didn't respond.

Could it be that they don't know what animal gold charcoal is. The second sister-in-law added: "It's something for the Queen."

Holding candied fruit in her hand, Xu Lingyin said loudly, "Our family also has it."

In the study.

Wang Shoufu sat behind the case, holding a teacup in his hand, and the lid of the tea lightly knocked on the rim of the cup, listening to the report of his future son-in-law.

"Lord Shoufu, this winter will be difficult for the people, especially in areas that have suffered from drought and floods. How will the local people survive this winter?"

Xu Xinian made a generous statement: "I wrote to Your Majesty, requesting to verify the granaries in various places and make preparations for disaster relief funds in advance. Why did you deduct my discount?"

After listening patiently, Wang Shoufu took a sip of tea and said:

"Resigning from the past, as an official, if you want to achieve great things, you must first raise your horizons and see the overall situation before you can plan ahead. You only see the hardships of the people this winter, but you can't see the difficulties of the court."

He put down the teacup, and pushed a bunch of brochures in front of Xu Xinian, "Let's take a look, the brochures from the Ministry of Finance."

Xu Nian unfolded the brochure, looked at ten lines at a glance, and after reading it quickly, his face changed drastically.

Wang Shoufu sighed, "The court has run out of money."

Xu Nian murmured, "How come?"

"The first emperor struggled for twenty years, and the national treasury was already empty. Under the vanity, the foundation of Dafeng was already crumbling. A few months ago, 120,000 troops supported the demons, and Wei Yuan led 100,000 troops to capture Jingshan City.

"Although it is a great victory, which one of the food, horses, and equipment is not consuming money? The national strength is weak, and the huge consumption of supporting such a large-scale war is beyond your imagination."

Wang Shoufu stretched out his hands and approached the charcoal stove, while warming his cold hands, he said:

"Originally, I can still support it, but I can just survive this year. Waiting for the autumn harvest next year, the overall situation can be stabilized. Who knows that man is not as good as God. I have lived for decades, and I have never experienced such a severe winter."

The internal ailments of the imperial court were difficult to sweep away, natural disasters continued, the national treasury was empty, and the mess made Xu Nian feel heavy. He asked, "Is there a way to save it?"

Wang Shoufu stared at the stove and didn't speak for a while.

"Time," he said.

After a long silence, Wang Shoufu said again: "If you are troubled by cooking fish, it will be broken, and if you are troubled by governing the people, you will be scattered. If you know how to cook fish, you will know how to govern the people. If there is no external trouble, time can heal everything."

Xu Nian whispered, "If there is any foreign trouble?"

Tianzhu Dafeng Wang Shoufu turned and said: "Is there any news about him?"

Xu Nian knew who Wang Shoufu was referring to, and shook his head: "So far, my eldest brother has never sent a letter back to the family."

PS: Code the next chapter. It might be after midnight.