Chapter 17 Winter Solstice

After a while, the girls’ class ended, and Zhao Jiahua and Zhao Shuqing came to find her.

When Zhao Shuqing came in, he thanked her first: "Sister Shu, the plum blossom cake tastes good, thank you very much."

"It was a gift from the county master." Zhao Wangshu said with a smile.

Zhao Jiahua asked with concern: "Is it okay to go to the eldest princess's mansion today?"

After all, although Zhao Wangshu is a clansman of Empress Zhao, neither her father nor her brother have When she becomes an official, she is just a woman of the people, so it is normal for her to be looked down upon by others.

Zhao Wangshu smiled and said: "It's good. I met several noble ladies and had a good chat with them. We enjoyed flowers together and wrote poems."

" Sister Shu has written poetry. I wonder if I can read Sister Shu’s masterpiece?" Zhao Shuqing asked with a smile.

“I wrote a poem for the occasion, but it’s not a masterpiece, so just let me hide my clumsiness.” Zhao Wangshu declined with a smile.

After chatting for a few words about the topic of Xuemei entering poetry, Zhao Shuqing suddenly said: "Tomorrow is the winter solstice. I wonder if the mansion will let us go home for the festival?"

Zhao Jiahua snorted coldly: "It's the holidays, why don't you let us go home? We didn't come to the mansion to go to jail."

"Your home is here, you want When we go back, just tell the eldest lady, our home is on Zhuangzi, I'm afraid they won't let us go back." Zhao Wangshu analyzed calmly.

Zhao Shuqing said with a tearful voice: "I want to go home, I miss my parents."

"If you really want to go back, when you have dinner later, you Tell the old lady." Zhao Wangshu gave her advice.

“The old lady will not agree.” Zhao Shuqing had tears in her eyes.

Zhao Wangshu frowned slightly and was about to speak, but Zhao Jiahua said before him: "If you tell me, the old lady may agree. If you don't tell me, you won't be able to go back."

"I" Zhao Shuqing twisted the handkerchief in her hand, "I'm not familiar with the old lady, and I can't speak. What if I don't listen to what I say and the old lady gets angry?"

　As she spoke, she looked at Zhao Jiahua with tears in her eyes, looking pitiful.

Zhao Wangshu narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Zhao Shuqing with a trace of scrutiny.

After being together for so long, she discovered that Zhao Shuqing likes to escape when things happen, and always likes to encourage others to come forward.

"I will tell you this. I don't believe it since the winter solstice coincides with the Chinese New Year, and the old lady won't agree." Zhao Jiahua took over the matter.

"Sister Hua, I leave everything to you." Zhao Shuqing's tone was full of dependence on Zhao Jiahua.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." Zhao Jiahua was very loyal.

Zhao Wangshu drooped his eyelids and remained speechless.

After nightfall, it started to snow again, and it was extremely cold.

The frail Zhao Shuqing was wearing a thick cotton robe and a velvet cloak, shivering in the north wind. There was no trace of blood on her palm-sized face, and her lips were a faint purple.

"It's such a cold day, it's snowing, and the road is slippery. Why don't you let us stay in the yard for dinner?" Zhao Yuxiu complained in a low voice.

"Yuxiu, stop talking. It's a rule to keep the morning and dusk in mind. It's filial piety for us to eat with the old lady." Fang Baoxiu gently pulled off the corner of her clothes.

Zhao Yuxiu snorted and said no more, but it was obvious that she was not very willing to be so filial to the old lady. She had her own grandmother to be filial to.

Entering the courtyard of the upper house, I found that there were many more maids, but it turned out that the five young men from the two rooms of the mansion had returned.

Dafang’s legitimate son was named Zhao He, and his concubine was named Zhao Wen.

The legitimate son of the second wife was named Zhao Chang, and the two concubines were one Zhao Mao and the other Zhao Sheng.

Zhao He is the eldest, nineteen years old, and Zhao Wen is the youngest, just thirteen years old.

The age difference between the legitimate son and the concubine is so big, which shows Mrs. Zhao’s methods.

Among the second roommates, Zhao Mao is more than one year older than Zhao Chang, who is sixteen years old, while Zhao Sheng is half a year younger than Zhao Chang.

Mrs. Zhao’s second wife’s family background was not prominent and her status was not high, so the concubine of the second wife was more important than the legitimate daughter.

After meeting with the five young masters of the Zhao family, the five of them withdrew.

After dinner, Zhao Jiahua looked at Zhao Shuqing’s expectant eyes and proposed to Mrs. Zhao, “Tomorrow is the winter solstice. We want to go home and celebrate the festival with our families. Please invite the old lady. Yes."

Old Mrs. Zhao glanced at the girls, "Do you want to go home?"

This question is really uncomfortable. Who wouldn’t want to go home during the holidays?

Zhao Wangshu frowned when he saw that not only Zhao Yuzhen had no intention of speaking, but also Zhao Shuqing also lowered his head, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

If she hadn’t wanted to go home, she wouldn’t have said anything, “Old lady, as the saying goes, the winter solstice coincides with the Chinese New Year. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the city. We’re thinking about our families, and they’re also thinking about us. Thinking of us, we also asked the old lady to allow us to go home for the holidays and reunite with our families."

Zhao Shuhui, who also missed her widowed mother at home, took the opportunity to say: "Old lady, we did not go back during the Lantern Festival and during the Winter Solstice Festival. Please also ask the old lady to allow us to go home."

EndThe voice has a crying tone, which shows that she is homesick for her family.

In the previous dynasties, the Winter Solstice was a time to celebrate the winter, worship heaven, worship ancestors, and welcome gods. Because Taizu of this dynasty was born on the first day of the first lunar month, so the first lunar month was changed to the first lunar month to worship ancestors. Accordingly, it was changed to New Year’s Eve.

Although there is no ancestor worship on this day, family reunion is still important on the Winter Solstice Festival.

Old Mrs. Zhao chuckled, "If I didn't let you go back and reunite, wouldn't you be the sinner who caused the separation of flesh and blood?"

"Old lady, two branches cannot be separated. Go back, Shuangzhi will stay with the old lady in the mansion." Zhao Shuangzhi said and walked to sit down next to Old Madam Zhao, holding her arms and trying to please her.

Old Mrs. Zhao smiled cheerfully, "That means you don't think the old lady is boring."

"The old lady is not a boring person, the old lady is kind and amiable. ." Zhao Shuangzhi said softly.

"You girl, you are just sweet-tongued and know how to coax people." Old Mrs. Zhao patted her face.

"I don't know how to coax people. I am telling the truth. The old lady is just very nice." Zhao Shuangzhi continued to say flattering words.

After the two paid homage to their ancestors and grandsons, Mrs. Zhao said: "Tomorrow, if you are willing to go home for the festival, you can go home, and if you want to stay, you can stay. During the Winter Solstice Festival, this The city is more lively than Zhuangzi. I'm afraid the lady in the palace will spread the word and want to meet you."

The words were full of temptation. Zhao Wangshu remained unmoved, but some people were attracted. .

The only ones who returned to Zhuangzi the next day were Zhao Wangshu, Zhao Yujia, Zhao Shuhui, Zhao Shuqing and Zhao Yuxiu.

Zhao Jiahua doesn’t have to go out, her home is in the city, and everyone else stays in the mansion to celebrate the winter solstice.

Not far away from the mansion in the carriage, Zhao Shuqing said worriedly: "We insist on going home for the festival, but we are afraid of offending the old lady. I am really worried about the future."

The expressions of the girls in the car were all different. Zhao Wangshu chuckled and said, "It's not far from the mansion. Sister Qing still has time to return."

Zhao Shuqing's expression froze and she lowered her head. went.

We walked out of the city in silence all the way. When we were about fifteen miles away from the city, we passed a village with mixed surnames and the carriage slowly stopped.

Zhao Yujia opened the curtains and asked, "Why are you parking?"

"It's noisy in front, something happened, and the road is blocked." The servant escorting them replied.

“There are many people gathered around there, let’s go down and have a look.” Zhao Yuxiu stuck her head out.

She is young and loves to watch the excitement. She has been trapped in the mansion for so long, and it is rare for her to go home today to get some fresh air.

"It's better not to give it up. There are so many people here, what if someone has evil intentions?" Zhao Shuqing asked in horror.

"Then don't go down there." Zhao Yuxiu pouted unhappily.

"Sitting in the car, if there is a commotion and the horse is frightened, it will be very dangerous." Zhao Wangshu analyzed.

"That's right, Sister Shu, let's go down together." Zhao Yuxiu took Zhao Wangshu's arm.

Zhao Yujia also said: "It's better to get off the carriage, we can just stand farther away and watch."

"It's better to get off the carriage." Zhao Shuhui also said the same.

Zhao Shuqing bit her lip and lowered her head.