Little Cardamom

In fact, Ming Tan has never been away from Su Xin and Lu E for such a long time, and he misses her very much.

After a while, people outside moved their luggage into Qi'an Hall one after another. Ming Tan looked for it, and in a large sandalwood box, he took out two small boxes that were extremely delicately carved.

"Okay, don't cry. Take it, a gift for you two."

The tears on the faces of the two stopped, they looked at each other, and smiled at the same time.

Lue said happily: "This servant knows that Miss loves us the most!"

She opened the box and saw the exquisitely woven necklace and hairpin rouge inside. She was so happy that she immediately wanted to decorate herself and go outside to show off how much her princess valued her.

Su Xin was also happy, but after all, she was more stable and able to hold on, wiped away her tears, and hurriedly said: "The journey is tiring, miss, why don't you take a bath first to relieve fatigue? The servant went to the garden early in the morning to pick fresh petals , the small kitchen is also stocked with almond cheese, tender bamboo shoots and chicken soup, as well as crystal buns and white porridge.

"Because I was tired all the way and the food was not the same everywhere, I only prepared these few easy-to-break foods, which are not hurting my stomach. They are just right for you after you take a bath. If you want to use others, the slave will order the small kitchen to give you Prepare."

That's right, it's really a little tired to rush into the city at five o'clock today.

Ming Tan nodded, Su Xin immediately went to greet people to enter the water, and Lu E was not idle, ordering the little girl to put her luggage in an orderly manner, and did not forget to make tea for Ming Tan and squeeze her shoulders.

Ming Tan sat in the open room, watching a girl go to move the box that had just brought Su Xin Lu E a gift, suddenly remembered something, called "Stop", stepped forward again, and took out the box that Ming Heng gave her. That box of gadgets.

As soon as she opened it, Lue said cleverly behind her: "The young master gave it to you, the young master really has nothing to say to you."

She had heard from Yunyi earlier that this trip stopped at Pangshan, and then looked at the strange things inside, who else could there be except the young master.

Ming Tan bent her lips, took out the small piece of Wuhengyu from inside and rubbed it for a while, then suddenly remembered something, she suddenly asked: "By the way, Lue, do you remember the one I wore when I went to Hanyan Temple a few years ago? That series of forbidden steps?"

"Forbidden step?" Lue thought for a while, "Miss, your forbidden step is not one hundred, but eighty. The time you went to Hanyan Temple... It seemed to be the outing festival? Before the outing festival, the servant girl and Su Xin I didn’t take good care of you and let you suffer from the wind and cold, Madam is punishing us, so I didn’t go with you.”

"I know, but I lost my temper when I came back from Hanyan Temple. I don't want the clothes, jewelry and embroidered shoes I wore that day."

Lue finally remembered: "Oh, there is such a thing, you said no, the clothes and jewelry slaves were put into the cage as usual, why did the lady suddenly ask about this?"

It’s no wonder that Lue couldn’t think of it for a while, every time Ming Tan got angry outside, he would blame the clothes and jewelry he wore that day, there are so many things that Jing’an Hou Mansion wears once or twice, and then they are thrown into the cold palace gone.

"Where are those things now? In the Hou Mansion?"

"It should be in the Hou's mansion. The young lady has a rich dowry. We came to Dingbei Wang's mansion without bringing anything except the usual clothes."

When I went back to the door earlier, the madam also said that the young lady's yard would remain there for the convenience of the couple. The Hou's mansion is not short of money, and it is impossible for Madam to move things in Zhaoshuiyuan without saying hello.

Ming Tan nodded, and planned to go back to his yard to look for it when he returned to Hou Mansion to deliver the letter in two days.

Ming Tan went back to the house first to resettle, but Jiang Xu stayed in the palace until the key was about to be released.

It turned out that when Shu Jingran returned first, he was still far away from Lingzhou and was ambushed by dead men sent by his family. Fortunately, Jiang Xu sent most of the dark guards to protect Shu Jingran, accompanied by Yun Yi and other close experts. Nothing major went wrong.

Later, Su's family probably received a warning from Jingzhong, so they didn't continue to act rashly, because they couldn't get what they wanted even if they moved rashly.

As early as the first time he got the evidence, Jiang Xu resorted to Mingxiu plank road to covert Chen Cang, and he fought with Su's family on the surface, but privately transferred the evidence to the Dingbei Army, and the army general Babailijia He was rushed back to Beijing.

He had expected early on that the tax evacuation was not a small amount, and he even opened his mouth to ask people to make up the tax and interest for the past two years.

As for the fact that he dared to go straight down to Tonggang with Ming Tan and two hidden guards, he was not attacked by the Su family in Yuan Lingzhou, because the state capitals he passed through had already arranged for troops to be stationed, no matter how powerful the Su family was. , and will not be willing to face the army as an enemy.

Cheng Kangdi talked with him in detail for nearly three hours, and finally heaved a long sigh of relief, and said with satisfaction: "Fortunately, you went this time. If it was just the boy from the Shu family, I am afraid it will not go so smoothly. By the way, Wangfei How is it? The empress was still talking about it yesterday, I am afraid that I am very tired from this journey, I will rest in two days, and I will definitely invite the concubine to enter the palace to enjoy the green chrysanthemums that bloomed."

Without mentioning entering the palace, Jiang Xu hadn't thought of it yet.

As soon as he mentioned entering the palace, Jiang Xu tapped on the table, and suddenly said: "The Su family didn't know that Zhou Baoping still kept a list of bribes, Lingzhou can't move, and bribes go to nearby state capitals, what does your majesty think?"

Emperor Chengkang paused, pondered for a moment, a little confused: "Accordingly, it should be done immediately, but this Concubine Shu is an old man in Qiandi, who has been with me for many years, and there is hard work without credit. She is already pregnant with a dragon fetus, but it has not been disclosed to the public because it is not yet three months old. Therefore, I plan to delay this matter for a while."

If anyone on the list of bribes wants to do it, concubine Shu's father and brother should be the first ones to do it. Emperor Chengkang doesn't have many heirs, so it's only natural to hesitate.

Jiang Xu was quiet: "Well, if there is nothing else, the minister will leave first."

"No meal left?"

Jiang Xu didn't answer any more, just nodded slightly as a salute, and soon left the imperial study.

Outside the imperial study room, Jiang Xu lowered his eyes, rubbed his wrists carelessly, and ordered: "Check when Concubine Shu was pregnant, and then check whether there were any servants around the Holy Majesty who were acting abnormally on the day the evidence entered the palace."

"yes."

Stepping down the steps, Jiang Xu suddenly changed his mind again: "No need, go to Kunning Palace and ask the queen to check, she will check."

The affairs of the inner palace are the cheapest to be done by the lord of the sixth palace.

But it shows that the news of Tan's return to Beijing spread, and the next day, invitations to pay respects flew into Dingbei Palace like snowflakes. After a few days.

Ming Tan picked up a few important ones and read them, while Lu'e and Su Xin read the rest.

Lu E didn't know if it was because her ears were not good and she had auditory hallucinations, she actually heard her young lady muttering inadvertently: "The invitation stickers inlaid with gold foil are too extravagant."

extravagant?

She glanced at Ming Tan suspiciously.

She must have heard it wrong. How could the young lady dislike the extravagant invitations? In the past, the Jing'an Hou Mansion held a flower appreciation banquet, and the invitations carefully prepared by the young lady cost twenty taels of silver, embedded with gold leaf. It's nothing.

But after lunch, Jinxiu Workshop was supposed to come to tailor autumn clothes and thin winter jackets, but Ming Tan actually said no, she didn't need to make autumn clothes and thin jackets this year.

Both Suxin and Lue have some doubts.

Lue thought that this time Li Jing had already bought a lot of autumn clothes and thin jackets in other places, and some of them couldn't wear them, but then the boxes of luggage brought back by Ming Tan were all for human beings. There are only one set of new clothes for the souvenirs, and they are still summer clothes!

This is just too weird.

What's even more strange is that after Ming Tan took a nap at noon, he actually ordered Lu E to find out the autumn clothes and thin jackets that he hadn't worn much in the past two years, and he will wear them this year.

"Miss... what's wrong with you?" Lue couldn't help asking.

"What's the matter?" Ming Tan took it for granted, "If you don't take out the ones you haven't worn, wouldn't it be a waste? But I don't know if your stature has changed a lot in the past two years. You pack it up and I'll try again. If it doesn't fit, then find a tailor in Jinxiufang to have it changed."

The green calyx is struck by lightning!

Miss what's the matter? To be able to say the word "spoiled" out of his mouth, and to change the clothes that don't fit, this is impossible, the young lady must have been changed by someone.

Lv E went to Su Xin to discuss with her, but Su Xin didn't know where to refute it, and she didn't take it seriously when she told her to prepare less food for breakfast and lunch. But even the clothes have to be worn out, which is a big problem.

The young lady's clothes are of course not bad, but after a year or two, the material is outdated, and the young lady never wears them, not even the young ladies in Beijing, so people will definitely laugh at them if they wear them.

Su Xin didn't respond for a while, and Lu E was already anxious, wondering if it was time to prepare something like black dog blood to exorcise evil spirits.

Su Xin patted her lightly: "Don't think about it! The young lady is probably thinking of something."

At first, Lue wanted to say something more, but she suddenly paused, and felt that what Su Xin said was quite reasonable. In the past, when the young lady sold herself miserably in front of Lord Hou, she always dressed plainly. This time, she might have to do something thing.

It is right to think so.

Lue finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Xu didn't expect that his little concubine could persist in this momentary whim until she returned to Beijing.

Seeing that she had returned to Beijing for a few days, she didn't have the same clothes as usual, she wore several clothes he had seen before, and her three meals were cut by more than half compared with usual, and it seemed that she was getting less and less.

This morning after sword practice, he went back to Qi'an Hall and saw four steamed buns and two bowls of rice milk on the table. Jiang Xu was silent, not knowing what to say.

Ming Tan hurriedly took the handkerchief from the handmaid, wiped him off his sweat, and sat him down again: "There was a lot left over from yesterday's breakfast, and today Ah Tan only prepared steamed stuffed buns and rice milk. , A-Tan, A-Tan can't eat, if Husband is missing, A-Tan can give Husband another half more."

Jiang Xu had no choice but to nod, but he picked up the bun and took a bite——

It's still vegetarian.

Others might not believe it when he said it. He made a big show of Ding Bei Wang, and he returned to Beijing for a few days and still hadn't had a single bit of meat in his breakfast.

"..."

"The princess doesn't have to be so frugal."

Ming Tan was puzzled, and wanted to talk to him about the people's livelihood that he had seen along the way. Jiang Xu thought for a while and said, "Many things can't be changed overnight. The princess is strict with herself, and the money will not flow into the hands of the people." .Even if you are harsh on yourself and use the saved gold and silver to do good deeds, you can't change the state of poverty at the root.

"If poor people develop the habit of being favored, to a certain extent, they are not helping them, but harming them. As you said when you were in Tonggang, only by reading wisely can you make them build one side, Or getting out of poverty and seeing the wider possibilities in this world is the fundamental solution.

"To let the people of Daxian live and work in peace and contentment is what the ruler and the entire Daxian court have been doing in the past, are doing now, and will continue to do it in the future."

Of course, he still affirmed Ming Tan's sense of frugality: "It's good for the princess to think so. It's just that it's not extravagant, and it doesn't mean that you have to be demanding on yourself, and you don't have to be like this in the future."

Ming Tan rested his chin, a little unhappy: "Then there is nothing A Tan can do to help?"

Jiang Xu thought for a while: "After a while, the queen will invite you into the palace to enjoy the flowers. You can mention it to the queen so that the queen can make up her mind. Winter is coming. If the queen can call on the officials and family members to donate some gold and silver, It’s not bad to add a batch of warming things for the people in the bitter cold place.”

Ming Tan nodded, feeling warm in his heart.

It is indeed more suitable for the queen to come forward than her princess Zhang Luo.

Jiang Xu will enter the palace today, and he will leave the palace after eating those three vegetarian buns.

When Lue combed Ming Tan's hair, seeing no one around, she whispered with admiration: "Miss, this trick is really clever."

...?

Ming Tan was inexplicable: "What did you say?"

Lue thoughtfully analyzed: "This time out, does your Highness feel that the lady is too extravagant? The lady has returned to the house for a few days to pretend to be frugal. When the highness saw it, she must have felt that she was too demanding of the lady. Today, I finally endured I can't help but point out that Miss doesn't have to be like this!"

"You think I'm pretending to be frugal?"

"Of course...Of course not, the meaning of the servant girl is—"

"Okay, you don't need to say it, I understand."

Ming Tan was about to die of anger! These little girls actually thought that she was pretending to be frugal, deliberately demanding herself to win her husband's sympathy!

Seeing that the situation was not right, Lue hurriedly took out a life-saving trick to praise Ming Tan, and held up a small mirror in front of Ming Tan's eyes: "Miss calm down, Miss has such a beautiful face, just look at it a few more times, and all the anger will disappear gone."

Well, it's an old trick, but it works.

Ming Tan admired the appearance of snow-skinned flowers in the mirror for a while, and after a long while, he calmed down and asked calmly, "Do I not look like a thrifty person?"

"This…"

"to be honest!"

"Not like."