son-in-law

Chapter 396 Confusion and Confusion

The summer is still hot, and the time is step by step, moving forward with nothing new.It was already the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and the city of Bianliang was full of hustle and bustle, with its own track of operation as in the past.In the land of the capital, all kinds of things and information in the world are gathered together like a bunch. Literati and talents from the north and south provinces, top-notch figures, heroes from the three mountains and five mountains, heroes from the green forest, officials who come and go from all over the world, and heaven and earth living everywhere. The nobles, the traffickers and the pawns crossing the streets and alleys, each have their own life trajectories, different purposes converge, and desires, good intentions and evil thoughts intersect.

Among them, Ning Yi has not been affected by too many extraneous issues. The courtyard he bought has not been furnished yet, and everyone still lives in Wenhui Building.He found a blacksmith and made a few pen nibs that were barely usable. He also got some feathers and skimmed and roasted them to make quill pens. Because the quality of the paper at this time was not very good, the iron nibs were not very good. , can only use the nib made of paper wrapped with feathers layer by layer, and stick ink to write. The speed is slightly improved, but it is not very smooth, and the written handwriting is crooked.

The whole plan about Zhuji is being done step by step, going out to restaurants and teahouses during the day, and visiting a brothel at night.Qin Shaoyu is a guide, and many times Wenren Buer, Yao Zunian, Ji Kun, and Cheng Zhouhai will also come over, and Ning Yi will ask everyone why this shop is popular, and then make records and conclusions.

Yao Zunian and others may not have come here to visit brothels or teahouses. The seemingly casual chat is actually getting to know Ning Yi on the sidelines.For Ning Yi's behavior of conducting such a detailed investigation just to open a shop for his own woman, they may have some disapproval in their hearts, but they did not raise any clear doubts.This is not because they keep the distance between them, but because Ning Yi is already in the working state of the previous life. Although he still looks and body in his early 20s, when summing up such a huge plan in his mind , the temperament revealed is also different from before.

That is the aura of a superior and thoughtful planner, without the trepidation and lack of self-confidence of a 20-year-old young man. No matter how much he has learned, he remains cautious because he has not practiced it.Many things in Ning Yi's hands have already been practiced countless times. Even if the ancient living habits are different, in fact, the things in human nature have not changed much.

He has already put on a serious posture, even in peace, he still has an intimidating momentum and feeling.That aura of superiority might have been in the eyes that frightened Xiao Chan when she first came to the Wu Dynasty, but she restrained herself a little later.Even if he became serious at this moment, of course he would not be able to frighten Xiaochan and Yunzhu beside him, but in the eyes of Yao Zunian and the others, seeing this serious and methodical attitude, they would naturally not speak indiscriminately.This is also because they already knew what Ning Yi had done before.

For a young man who was able to do those things in a situation like Hangzhou, and later made everyone in Liangshan suffer such a big loss, it is unimaginable what he will do, or what he will be able to achieve in the end, when he really gets serious. of.

Be it in Hangzhou or what happened in Liangshan later, almost none of them were able to make proper preparations.But this time was different. Immersed in such a serious attitude, time passed quickly. In a few days, I wrote a lot of things around me.Occasionally calm down and think, open the window in the morning, look at the fog in the courtyard, and when the cicadas are chirping, sit in the yard and watch the peeling red paint under the eaves.For a few days, although he often went out, the real hustle and bustle outside had nothing to do with him for the time being.

He did not participate in Zhou Pei's choice of son-in-law.On the contrary, the poetry meeting held in the Caimu Garden that day, I heard that it was quite lively, and a few talents made a big splash. It was really a grand event in the capital's literary world—anyway, every poetry meeting and literary meeting would call itself like this, Ning Yi did not I don't care, I can only occasionally hear it from other people's conversations.

He went to the Loulou once, mainly for the meeting with Li Shishi that he had made earlier.When he went there, Li Shishi was said to be entertaining guests in the small courtyard. He thought he was a scholar of considerable status, so he asked the maid to pass a note in, writing about his current living situation in the Wenhui Building, and asked Li Shishi to be free. Then, make an appointment with him, Yu Hezhong and the others.It's not a big deal, and he didn't intend to look forward to seeing some childhood playmates, but Li Shishi has mentioned it many times, and it's hard to push it to the end.

At that time, I wanted to hand in a note and leave, but Miss Shi Shi paid him a lot of attention, and then she took the time to come out and saw that she was dressed in a full dress, with a big white flower on her head, she looked like a goddess, After talking a few words with Ning Yi, he promised that he would make an appointment with Yu Hezhong and Chen Sifeng in the next few days, and give him the news, and then turned back in a bit of a hurry.In the past, the second day of the fan building was the second day of May. Li Shishi sent someone to send a letter, saying that he could meet with a few friends on the fourth day of May and before the Dragon Boat Festival, and asked if Ning Yi was free. agree to come down.

On the other hand, with the help of Mrs. Qin and others, Yunzhu and Jin'er found a small courtyard not far from Youxiang Mansion. When Ning Yi left, Yunzhu could move in.The surrounding environment is quiet, and there are many guards and servants from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion living there. With the care of the Prime Minister's Mansion, it can be guaranteed that they will not be bullied in the capital.

These things are trivial, and the only thing that can make Ning Yi feel a little distressed and helpless is Jin'er after all. It's not that the two have no dialogue recently, but it's not nutritious to talk.Ning Yi couldn't talk to Yunzhu about these things either. Jin'er's attitude towards him was either stubborn and confrontational - yesterday the two met at the gate of the courtyard, one went out and the other went in, but she didn't care which way Ning Yi went. Which way, maybe inadvertently at the beginning, they all planned to give way. After doing this a few times, Jin'er became interested in blocking his way. As a result, the two confronted each other childishly for a minute or two. When Ning Yi felt that he was bored At the time, Jin'er made an "I won" gesture and walked past him with her head held high—or she turned around and walked away as soon as she saw him. It seemed that the choice of coping mode depended on her mood.

The time is approaching the Dragon Boat Festival, and there is already a lively festive atmosphere in Bianliang City, rice dumplings, dragon boat races, mugwort leaves, calamus... In this year and month, May [-]th is a big festival after all, but it is a pity that Tan'er can't come up for the time being. In a few days, we will set off eastward, and we will not be able to reunite with the family.

On the afternoon of the third day of May, when Ning Yi came back from the outside, he saw Yuan Jin'er sitting by the railing outside the courtyard. I came to find you, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

"Zhou Pei?"

"Well, Xiaochan went to clean up your yard, and Sister Yunzhu entertained her inside."

She was talking about Ning Yi's new yard.After finishing the conversation in a business-like manner, he snorted and walked past Ning Yi. Ning Yi thought about it, and there was no way to go on like this. He turned around and said, "Hey, Yuan Jin... son..." He just said, But Yuan Jin'er over there suddenly covered his ears with his hands and ran away.

"...ha." Ning Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, went back to the room, and saw that Yun Zhu was drinking tea and talking with the little princess, the sunlight seeped in through the window, and the two people sitting opposite each other were ladies, their gestures were quite pleasing to the eye .Seeing Ning Yi came back, Yunzhu smiled and said a few words to him, and left.

"How is living in Chongwang Mansion?"

"It's very good. Uncle Qihuang takes good care of me, and my cousins ​​are also good. They have shown me a lot of things recently."

After saluting to Ning Yi, Ning Yi casually asked about Zhou Pei, and Zhou Pei answered quite dutifully.While talking, Ning Yi walked to the table and sorted out some papers on the table. He wrote a lot in the past two days, some of which have been sorted out, and some have not yet been sorted out. When he went out, he told Xiao Chan didn't move around, just pressed it with a paperweight or a book, at this time separated a few sheets, tore them up and threw them into the wastebasket.Zhou Pei was holding a teacup over there, secretly looking at this side, she has been here for a while, although she didn't mess with the things on the table, she must have seen some, Ning Yi didn't mind, it was just that the quill pen wrote The words are a little ugly.

"You are already smart and well-educated. I have heard that some great scholars look at you with admiration, right? Heh, there must be quite a few of your cousins ​​in the capital who have started to admire you... "

"That's not true..." Zhou Pei muttered in a low voice, Ning Yi sat at the desk and couldn't hear it very clearly: "What?"

"It's nothing." Zhou Pei said with a smile.

"Heh, what will happen to the poems in Caimuyuan?"

"Why didn't the teacher go?"

"Huh?" Ning Yi blinked, "I've been a little busy recently, not to mention I'm not very interested in poetry fairs and the like."

"Grandpa Qin originally said that the teacher might be interested..."

"Oh? Did he say it?" Ning Yi thought for a while, "He did persuade me to take a look, but... I still didn't have much time afterwards."

As Ning Yi said, he turned around and continued to sort out the manuscript. Zhou Pei said "oh". , his eyes seemed a little melancholy, and he didn't know what he was thinking: "What's wrong?"

"Ah... no, no." Zhou Pei laughed, "I... thought that the teacher would not be interested in poetry..."

She said it a bit reluctantly, and Ning Yi didn't know why, but the little girl's mind was not very easy to guess.Changing the subject, he asked with a smile: "I just want to ask, did you see any young talents at the poetry meeting in Caimuyuan?"

"There are a lot." Zhou Pei smiled, "It's all pretty good."

"It means you like it."

"Ah, that..." The girl blushed slightly, and reached out to stroke her temples, "No, no, I don't know much..."

"You have to hurry up." Ning Yi smiled, "The talents of the world are gathered in one place in the capital. When you come this time, no matter what, you have to choose one. Don't be in a hurry. You can come and go a few more times. It shouldn't be a problem who you choose because of your talent and intelligence."

"But teacher, if..." Zhou Pei raised his head, looked at this side, and said hesitantly, "If... there is no one you like..."

"Women in the world, there are not many people who have the opportunity to choose their own son-in-law." Ning Yi shook his head with his back facing her, "Xiao Pei, you are a smart person. If you don't nod this time, what will happen next? It's a bit hard to say. Concubine Kang has already said hello to Prince Chong's Mansion, your Grandpa Qin's side, and I brought you here this time because I think you can only look for it in the capital. After all, you are 15 years old, no How can you marry someone?" He thought about it, and then smiled: "If you are a man, you don't have to worry so much, but who knows that the one you marry is not an evil woman by the order of your parents, huh, Think about it."

"It's fine if it's a man..." Zhou Pei lowered his head and murmured, "Teacher, what do you think... how should I choose? What kind of person should I choose?"

"How do I know." Ning Yi couldn't help laughing, "I just found out recently that I'm not very good at picking up girls."

"Pick up, pick up girls? What..."

"It's those things between men and women... What kind of person to choose, you still have to decide." Ning Yi tidied up his things, moved the chair, turned around, and looked at the little princess here, " However, if you call me a teacher, let me tell you what I think... Zhou Pei, you have a high vision, but in fact, everyone in this world is similar. Except for those notorious second-generation ancestors like Huahua Taisui Being spoiled by the family is hopeless, most of them are still within the normal range. They will not be too bad-tempered, and they are willing to love their wives, hoping that everything will be fine in their own family."

He smiled while holding a manuscript that he had compiled in his hand: "When a man and a woman are together, generally speaking, the one with the greatest charm changes the one with the least charm. Xiaopei, you are from the royal family, you are beautiful and smart. Sensible, just find a man who will respect you and love you. As long as you have the means to get along with a husband and wife, be gentle and treat him equally. Generally speaking, men are not all white-eyed wolves. He married Others may try their best to find a concubine to visit brothels, but marrying you will be different. Look at Consort Kang, don’t they live happily? Half of it is because Concubine Kang is good, and the other half is His Royal Highness Princess Cheng. It’s from business, so...don’t be too picky. All I can say is that, just relax, there are still a lot of poetry in the future, you can take your time.”

After Ning Yi finished speaking, Zhou Pei said, "Will the teacher go to the poetry meeting?"

"Oh, I won't do such a thing as helping you choose a husband and son-in-law. I can't do it."

"But teacher..." Zhou Pei thought for a while, "I can help test them, um, such as poetry, knowledge..."

"Don't use this to pick a husband!" Ning Yi waved his hand and shook his head, "These things are just passable. Of course, pick a husband who is kind and kind, and will treat you well after marrying you." That kind. People with good poetry may not have a good heart. These people are arrogant and arrogant. When they are unappreciated, they are mostly biased and angry. It's all a tragedy... You should find a good person, not a great person."

After all, Ning Yi is not very good at marriage, but as seen by later generations, if both men and women are excellent, or marriages formed because of such excellence, there are often no good results.To live together, one person has to give way in all aspects. Nowadays, most of the people who give back are women, and men can play freely. But Zhou Pei is a royal family, even if he wants to give up, he may not be able to give up much. , If you want to find an excellent man to marry, you are basically looking for happiness for the rest of your life.

When he said this, it was enough. On the contrary, Zhou Pei frowned, and his emotions became a little confused. Ning Yi could only let her digest these things slowly.The master and apprentice then talked about some other trivial matters. Zhou Pei was interested in the things written by Ning Yi, and Ning Yi showed her to them casually. At the same time, he also discussed with her for a while about the management of accounts and royalties in the palace. and so on.In normal times, Zhou Pei would definitely talk with great interest, but at this time she was in a bad mood, picked up a quill pen and studied it, and felt that writing like this was really ugly, but Ning Yi wrote it with great interest, which made her a little incomprehensible.

After staying here for dinner, Zhou Peicai left from Wenhui Building. At the same time, he also knew that Ning Yi would leave Bianliang and go to Shandong before the tenth day of May.He went there this time to make an enemy of Liangshan. I am afraid that there may not be any results within a few months. After the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, I am afraid that I will have to decide the candidate for my husband. When the teacher returns from Shandong, I should She has already left the capital, and went back to marry another woman.In the imagination of this coming and going, it really gives people a rather complicated feeling.

Naturally, she came here not just to talk about these trivial things, but it was difficult for her to sum up what she wanted to say.

When I was in Jiangning, I was a little panicked about the marriage, but it was not serious. When I hid in the box and wanted to go north with the boat, I was quite excited, as if a new hope had opened up in front of my eyes.Accompanying the teacher and the others along the way, and the bandits from Liangshan came to die, it was extremely exciting, and she didn't feel bored at all.However, in the past few days after actually entering the capital, something finally subsided. Even though Uncle Qihuang was quite kind to her and Qin Yuyuan let her take the opportunity to spend more time in the capital, she suddenly understood in her heart that this Things cannot escape.

She came to find Ning Yi today, and originally wanted to ask him why he didn't go to the poetry meeting.Ning Yi didn't know that after coming to the capital, although a group of sisters from the Chongwang Mansion were responsible for entertaining her, in fact, a large group of people gathered together, and the atmosphere may not be harmonious.At the beginning, the other party regarded her as a bumpkin from the countryside, but Zhou Pei herself was outstanding in talent, learning and demeanor, and soon changed everyone's opinion. This change did not necessarily make everyone worship her, but instead attracted a lot of jealousy and hostility Among the cousins, there may be some who look at me with admiration, but the woman may not think highly of me, or she is talking sarcasticly behind her back, or planning to embarrass her, and so on.

These things don't go out, born in the royal family, even in Jiangning, she has seen this kind of intrigue a lot, so she naturally has a way to deal with it.As long as you ignore others in a graceful manner, others will naturally be at a disadvantage.It's just that when talking about poetry, Zhou Pei talked about Ning Yi's lyrics with some pride, and said that this is his teacher, and he also came to Bianliang, so that people caught the topic.

Some people don't believe how powerful her teacher is, and many people simply use xenophobic psychology, thinking that the number one talent in Jiangning is certainly not as good as Bianliang's talent, and Ning Yi once said at the beginning that "ci works are chanted by Taoist priests." In Jiangning, everyone is already familiar with it, and naturally knows that it is a joke, but in Bianliang, some people will say things like "I heard that the poem was copied".So many kinds, and so on.The rest clamored for Na Ning Yi to participate in the poetry meeting and write some poems to see.

Zhou Pei admires Ning Yi in his heart, but he also hopes that Ning Yi can stand up and slap these people in the face severely.In the cynicism of each other, although she did not directly accept the competition for Ning Yi, she also made some assumptions, such as saying, "If the teacher makes a move, you will know." She hopes that Ning Yi can try his best to participate in the poetry meeting in Caimuyuan , asked Qin Yuyuan to propose an invitation, but Qin Yuyuan naturally couldn't tell Ning Yi, "You must go", he felt that Ning Yi had just arrived in Bianliang, and he might go to join in the fun, so he tried his best to tell Ning Yi, I also hope that Jueming can take Ning Yi for a stroll.If it wasn't for what happened to Jin'er, Ning Yi would be buried in his work, maybe he would still go to Caimu Garden to see what kind of grand occasion the poems in the capital would be.

The day before the poetry meeting, a man named Ruan Weitong sent an invitation card, which belonged to the rich family who opposed Zhou Pei.They probably think that since they are the number one talented person, they must be thinking of advancing with their literary talents. The poetry meeting in Caimuyuan is the first-class event in Bianliang. Who is not flocking to it? Comparing him at the meeting can make Zhou Pei feel ashamed, who knows that Ning Yi didn't give anyone face.In the end, the two sides can only spray each other with mouth cannons.

On Zhou Pei's side, of course, she was ridiculed even more, and she could only face such things with arrogance and silence.It's not a failure, but there are not many people on her side after all.

It is impossible for Ning Yi to know such a tortuous process.On the other hand, when the anguish of the poetry meeting and the pressure of getting married were really pressed together, Zhou Pei suddenly thought of something-it was no longer allowed for her to think about it-she of course also evaluated a How about this talented person, but she also had to admit afterwards that she judged these people based on this teacher who was only a few years older than her.

This kind of thing, in later generations, may be similar to a girl who has just started falling in love with a handsome head teacher, and will remember it in her heart when she grows up, but there will be no results.But it is impossible for Zhou Pei to get the kind of life trajectory of girls in later generations.The matter of falling in love with the teacher actually sprouted earlier, but at that time she could not think about it or deny it, but now she can't.This kind of thing was superimposed on the grievance at the poetry meeting, which made her feel...a little like crying.

She came here with such emotions, but after seeing Ning Yi, she suddenly understood that the teacher went to Beijing with a family of hundreds of blood feuds, and he never promised himself that he would attend any poetry meeting. So wronged, just like a child who doesn't understand anything.On the other hand, she certainly couldn't say anything about her liking.

She can't marry the teacher at all, everything is obvious, no matter how hard she fights, it is impossible.She is a smart person, there is no need to speak out about these things, they can only entangle and embarrass people.

So in the end, there is nothing left to say.

The carriage drove away from Wenhui Building, and the lanterns came on. She turned her head and watched the inn gradually go away. The lights around the street reflected on the girl's face, flickering brightly and secretly.Bianliang City is much bigger, more prosperous, and more exciting than the Jiangning where she lived since she was a child. When she came here, she also thought that she would see many different scenery, and there are indeed here, but all of a sudden, all of them are different. It seems meaningless.I don't know how to go, what to do next, where to go, who to accept, what kind of decision to make...

The night wind blows and strokes the temples.She sat back in the carriage, there was nothing around her, and the emptiness continued to extend, carrying her through the crowds and streets of Bianliang.It was the first time in my life brought about by growing up...

Great daze.

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Two more characters!

(End of this chapter)