Tranquility

The weather is gradually getting warmer, and the small pond of Tang Mansion is full of small pink and tender wild flowers, making the pond look like a big flower basket.

At this moment, there is a half-person-high wooden boat floating on the big flower basket. The beds, etc., are very detailed.

Hey, it's afternoon, the quietest time in the Tang Mansion, where is the sound of water coming from?

Hey, why did the ship move by itself?

Hey, why is the ship not moving forward, but spinning instead.

After a long time, the boat turned 180 degrees at an extremely slow speed, and a small paddle protruded from one of the small holes on the side of the boat. At this moment, the small paddle was swinging randomly.With the swing of the paddle, a small furry black paw looms.

That's right, this rowing coolie is our mascot Xiao Hei.

Last time everyone accidentally forgot Xiao Hei, Master Xiao Hei was very angry, very angry.

No matter how much Tangning coaxed her, she refused to pay any attention to her. She didn't sleep in the exclusive pocket on the master's chest, nor did she sleep in her exquisite pen holder. As for grinding ink and brushes, she thought about it beautifully.

Our little black ran away from home, dragged his favorite pink quilt, and lay down majestically in the luxurious suite in the first-class cabin of the wooden boat.

Anyway, in order to test the various performances of the wooden boat, the boat has been left in the small pond, letting the wind and rain beat.

It just so happened that last night there was a burst of spring thunder and heavy wind and rain. Tangning tossed and turned in pain and couldn't sleep. She got up in the middle of the night and went to the pond to see Xiao Hei.

However, there was a strong wind and thunder. Tang Ning yelled for a long time, but Xiao Hei didn't respond. He didn't know where Xiao He was sleeping. After tossing around for most of the night, he finally fell ill today.

Tang Ning was ill, and the black-bellied Shu Hongyu became angry. Today, he specifically ordered his servants not to bring food to the boat.

In the afternoon, Xiao Hei finally couldn't bear the hunger, so he had no choice but to find a way to go ashore to look for food.

When Xiao Hei was rowing hard, he suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance. Following this fragrance, Xiao Hei walked out of the bilge unconsciously.

It turned out that at some point, the wooden boat had been pulled to the shore.

At this moment, two people, one big and one small, were standing beside the boat with very sinister smiles.

Shu Hongyu picked up an almond with chopsticks, dipped it in honey, and shook it in the cabin.

Not a moment later, Shu Hongyu sneered, and pulled out his chopsticks. At this time, there was a small furry black ball lying on the chopsticks.

Tang Yu was on the side, and quickly took out the small cloth bag. Shu Hongyu loosened his chopsticks, and poor Xiao Hei fell into the bag with almonds.

Since then, Xiao Hei's plan to run away from home has been declared bankrupt, which has completely become a dark history in his life.

Tangning's illness was just a cold, and it wasn't serious. However, he took the opportunity to ask for leave and wanted to rest at home for a few days.

It has to be said that the quality of the boat model produced by Tangmu is very guaranteed. The wooden boat has been safe and sound for so many days, and there is no leak. Xiao Hei is very comfortable living in it, and it is not as hard as Tangning thought. .

But Tangning was still very distressed. After all, there was a lot of humidity on the lake, and Xiao Hei might get rheumatism when he got old.For this reason, Tangning specially asked Shu Hongyu to prescribe a dose of dehumidification medicine suitable for Xiao Hei. In order to coax Xiao Hei to drink the medicine, Tang Ning even took out the royal ink used by the former emperor that he had always treasured to make Xiao Hei's bed board.

It happened that Tang Yun from the south sent a letter, saying that the shipyard over there was ready, and Tang Mu, the chief engineer, was sent to give guidance.

Tangning thought over and over again, and felt that it would be safer for her eldest brother to settle in Qiongjing.Tang Ning was almost certain that in the near future, the capital would be plunged into chaos and strife, and politics would unmask its hypocrisy and expose its bloody and cruel side.If he hadn't been an official, if he hadn't participated in the seizing of the heir, as an ordinary resident of the capital, the storm of seizing the heir wouldn't be able to catch them. It's a pity that he has no way out, but he must leave a way out for his family.

Besides, Qiongjing's shipping business is very developed, and there is a navy stationed there, so the safety is guaranteed; Tang Yun is also there, so it's good for everyone to take care of each other, not to mention that the ideals of the eldest brother and the second brother can only be realized in Qiongjing.If you don't want to stay in Qiongjing in the future, it is also very convenient to go back to your hometown by boat.

When she had an idea, Tangning shared her thoughts with Tang Mu. Tang Mu always listened to his younger brother and agreed not to mention it.

The capital is in the northwest, and Qiongjing is in the southeast. It takes one month to ride a horse and two months to travel from the capital to Qiongjing by boat.And if you want to take a boat, you have to take a carriage to the port of Weihai first.

Tang Mu was moving with his family, and he had to bring a lot of things, and he was not in a hurry, so Tang Ning and Tang Mu discussed to take a carriage to the Weihai Sea first, and then take a boat to the south.

Anyway, they had to make horse-drawn carriages. Tangning thought that she might use horse-drawn carriages a lot in the future, so she decided to make a few comfortable carriages at home while her eldest brother was still there, so as not to spoil the elderly and children.

As soon as he said it, Tangning drew the drawing of the carriage by himself during his two days' vacation. Among other things, he knew about adding springs to prevent shocks. In order to make the carriage more stable, he specially used a four-wheeled carriage from a European carriage.

Then Tangning went to the best carriage workshop in the capital and invited an experienced master and a dozen apprentices to help.

Tang Ning told Tang Mu the drawings and her own ideas. The two had worked together for more than a year, and there was a tacit understanding. Tang Mu thought for a while, and he had a charter in his mind, and then led a group of people to ping-pong in the garden.

The walls of the carriage are double-layered with slightly lighter wooden boards to insulate heat in summer and heat in winter.Moreover, the outer wall of the car is equipped with a rotating shaft like a door panel, which can be laid flat, and it is convenient to place things on it when parking for a meal or rest.

In the car, Tang Mu racked his brains to expand the usable area, digging hidden compartments is his strong point.

After handing over the task of building the carriage, Tangning began to think about the future of the Tang family. After going over the plan several times, Tangning finally decided to let Xu Lian go to Qiongjing with Tang Mu's family.

Although Tang Ning and Xu Lian lived under the same roof for many years, they really didn't communicate much.

In order to avoid suspicion, Tangning rarely entered the inner courtyard. Today was his last day of vacation. He finally couldn't make it through and finally stepped into Xu Lian's small courtyard.

It was still a quiet afternoon, Xu Lian was wearing a light green jacket, sitting at the foot of the wall at the end of the corridor basking in the sun, holding Tang Yu's shoe upper, which was embroidered with the appearance of Xiao Jin.

She lowered her head and bit off a thread, and when she looked up again, she saw Tangning in a blue uniform walking slowly from the other end of the corridor with the sun behind her back.

Xu Lian reached out her hand to block the sun, stood up, and quietly waited for Tangning to approach.

A short corridor, like a time tunnel, sent both of them back to the beginning.

Xu Lian looked at the young man who came out of the light-ink landscape, and couldn't help but lament that time flies like water. The young man who was so handsome under the moonlight was finally covered with a layer of melancholy that could not be dispelled by time.

Tang Ning looked across at the woman who was as refined as a green lotus, and inadvertently overlapped with the girl in the peach red jacket back then, as if the girl had grown up with time, only a pair of familiar eyes.

Tangning's nose suddenly turned sour, and the girl who was as quiet and beautiful as an orchid flower was no longer there.

When the two of them face each other, they already put away their thoughts.

Xu Lian put down her needle and thread and led Tangning into the room.

The two sat down in the living room, and Xu Lian ordered the maid to serve tea.

The two drank tea separately, and the atmosphere in the room was a little silent and awkward.

Finally, Tangning finally spoke up, "How is Aunt Xu doing recently?"

"It's fine."

"Brother will be going to Qiongjing soon, and brother Xiahou is also in Qiongjing." As soon as Tangning finished speaking, she wished she could slap herself, not to mention Xiahou Chun.

Xu Lian smiled slightly, with a sense of openness: "Yes, it is a good thing for Master Tang to go to Qiongjing, but I am a little bit reluctant to part with my two children. The three children are making unlined clothes."

"Then how about Aunt Xu and elder brother going to Qiongjing together?" Tangning never talked about her own family.

Xu Lian was stunned, she obviously didn't expect Tangning to have such a plan, "What about Yu'er?"

"Yu'er has grown up, and he has been pampered too much these years. I plan to send him to the academy after he passes the county examination. Moreover, I have discussed with the old man. Now I need to cultivate his independent temperament, and he will be able to live comfortably. Just watch it."

Xu Lian took a serious look at Tangning. Seeing his firm expression, she kept silent and drank her tea with her head down.

The room fell silent again, and the two resisted silently.

After a long time, Xu Lian finally raised her head, looked at Tangning and said, "Why? Why do you want me to go to Qiongjing?"

Tang Ning turned her face to look into Xu Lian's eyes. The sunlight outside the gate greeted Xu Lian's beautiful face. There were not many traces on her face over the years. The few years of easy life made her look like she was in her early twenties .

Tang Ning turned her back to the light, and her eyes were unclear. Xu Lian was only 30 years old. In previous lives, many women did not get married until they were 30. Xu Lian shouldn't be guarding this square inch of land and living a life without hope.

However, Tangning knew that Xu Lian would never agree to marry, so he could only say this: "In the past few years, Princess Funing has sent a lot of posts..."

Xu Lian's eyelashes trembled, she immediately lowered her head, not daring to look into Tangning's eyes.

"I know that Aunt Xu doesn't want to..., but you also know what kind of temperament Dazhao's princess is, we can't afford to mess with it..."

Xu Lian was silent again.

Tangning couldn't continue, she drank tea silently, giving Xu Lian time to think, his own thoughts gradually drifted away.

Princesses in Dazhao have always been rare, with only one or two in each generation. Emperor Jing Le didn't even have a daughter, so he could only make the closest niece a princess.

Maybe it's because things are rare and precious. Emperor Jokhang has never had any requirements for princesses. From the titles, it can be seen that they are all "Anping", "Kangle", "Funing" and so on. The titles of princesses in the previous dynasty were all "Shu" , "Zhen", "Hui" and the like.

Moreover, the princess still has a fief and thousands of imperial guards. Under such conditions, the princess is really sorry for her reputation if she is not arrogant.

Tang Ning has been in the capital for many years. In these years, Princess Funing has never lost her gossip. Today she has a concubine, and tomorrow she will hold hands with an official's wife and talk about poetry.

As the only princess in the younger generation of the royal family, Princess Funing is more unscrupulous than other princesses. Her mother, Princess Kang Le, is at least sneaky when looking for a "handmaid". She directly ordered her husband to take the woman she liked as a concubine.

I heard that when she married into the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, she was also in love with Xie Baiyun. Unfortunately, Princess Funing has been dancing with a gun since she was a child, and she has a great body. She became pregnant three months after marriage and gave birth soon. Get off Xie Xuanzhan.

After she was confinement, Xie Baiyun tried to enter her room again, but she drove her out with a big knife.

It is said that the two had a big fight at that time, and the husband and wife turned against each other.

In the end, Xie Baiyun was slightly better, and hit the sword flying with a stick, crushing the princess so much that she couldn't stand up.

Even so, Princess Funing persisted, even though the ground was covered in blood, she never let Xie Baiyun step into her room.

In the end, it was Princess Kang Le who came forward to suppress the "internal strife" that shocked the capital.

From then on, the husband and wife seemed to be angry, one tried hard to accept the concubine, and the other compared to the male favorite.

Fortunately, a few years ago, Xie Baiyun suddenly disbanded all the male favorites for some reason, and Princess Funing also lost her desire to take concubines, and the relationship between the husband and wife gradually eased.

Back then, when Tangning heard others gossip about these things in a mocking tone, he wasn't as excited as others.

On the contrary, he was very sad, for Xie Baiyun, so uncomfortable that he almost shed tears.

He has known Xie Baiyun for many years and knows Xie Baiyun quite well.Xie Baiyun didn't grow up under the care of his parents. Tangning's father would scold him a few times, but Xie Baiyun couldn't ask for it. Therefore, Xie Baiyun put all his hopes on the family he formed.

However, the originally loving wife suddenly turned against each other, and the originally warm family was broken day and night. How could Xie Baiyun not be sad, how not to despair, all his longing for warmth was wiped out bit by bit by the pain that hit him and his wife. .

Tang Ning still remembered that Xie Baiyun once joked with him that the weapon he was best at was the fan, but the weapon he disliked the most was the stick...

Thinking of this, Tangning's impression of Princess Funing became even worse. If she can't be provoked, she should be able to hide, right?

Xu Lian struggled for a long time, feeling that Tangning's aura was getting more and more oppressive, she finally agreed to go to Qiongjing with Tang Mu's family.

After finishing Xu Lian, Tangning turned around and went to look for her sister-in-law again.

Aunt Tang was actually a little unhappy about going to Qiongjing to settle down. She had planned for her children, but she was not prepared for this sudden change. Qiongjing is located in a remote place. In her impression, Qiongjing should be exiled This is the right place, which makes Mrs. Tang feel a sense of fear about the unfamiliar environment she will live in, and she is at a loss for the future.

Tang Ning knew Mrs. Tang's concerns, but this kind of matter should be enlightened by her elder brother, and it was inconvenient for him to intervene. Besides, even if he told her how unsafe the capital city was, she probably wouldn't understand.

So Tangning deliberately ignored Mrs. Tang's anxious expression, and directly explained her intentions, "Sister-in-law, I have already agreed with Aunt Xu that she will go to Qiongjing with you."

Mrs. Tang was a little surprised, but she calmed down quickly. It was clear to the bystanders that she and Xu Lian had gotten along very well for more than a year, and she also felt that it was not a problem for Xu Lian to stay in the Tang residence all the time.

"It's also good to come with us, so that I have a companion by my side, so that I won't be in a hurry when I get there."

"I just came here to ask you something. Aunt Xu is only 30 years old. The folk customs in Qiongjing are simple and honest. It is much easier to find a suitable partner for Aunt Xu than in Beijing. You shouldn’t pay much attention to those things in Beijing, and you are about the same age as Aunt Xu, sister-in-law, please pay more attention when you settle down there.”

What Tang Ning didn't say was that people in the capital had some sources of information, and Xu Lian's identity couldn't be concealed at all. It was really difficult for Xu Lian to find a home in the capital.

"It's easy to say, Lianniang and I are like sisters, why don't I expect her to have a home? But, I don't think Lianniang has such thoughts..."

"One moment, another moment. We can only take one step at a time. My sister-in-law should persuade Aunt Xu more, maybe Aunt Xu will really meet a good marriage by then."

"Hehe, that's what you said."

"Also, the second brother's marriage, he's not too young, he's already 27, it's not a problem to keep floating around..."

"You don't have to worry about this. I'm a sister-in-law. It's my job to marry my younger brother. Don't worry, I'll be watching..."

It has to be said that women are born to be matchmakers. When Tang Ning came, Mrs. Tang was still a little depressed; when Tang Ning left, she was much more energetic and had a lot of expectations for the future.

A month later, Tang Mu and the others built a total of three carriages. Tangning specially tried them out, and the effect was very good. Sitting in them was much more comfortable than the previous carriages.

When Tang Mu left, he shared two specially-made carriages, ordinary carriages were fine for luggage, and when Tang Mu and the others boarded the boat, the coachman would drive the carriage back.

It was a long journey, and Tangning had already arranged for Mo Yi to escort them all the way. Mo Yi had been with Tangning for several years, and he was very stable and reliable.

In this way, Tang Mu's family took Xu Lian and set off at the end of April, before the weather was hot, and they didn't know when they would see each other again.