The old house of the Tan family in Beijing.

Xiang Yi couldn't believe that she also slept until three o'clock in the morning. She looked at the bright sunlight in the courtyard and thought she was dreaming.

Until Chunsun snickered and walked over, Qiao Yun pouted, walked to Xiang Yi and took a closer look at the black spots under her eyes.

"My slave, peel an egg for Madam and roll it around."

Xiang Yi cleared his throat, awkwardly walked to the water tank aside, and looked at himself at the water.

If you look carefully, you'll see that it's really green now.

She became more and more embarrassed. In fact, she didn't know when she fell asleep last night.

The breeze blew and the water surface rippled, and Xiang Yi inexplicably thought of the old man's proposal yesterday.

Every pair.

This is too unruly...

Just as Xiang Yi was thinking, another face was reflected in the large water tank in front of him.

The man seemed to be full of energy, with a smile in his eyes. He stuck his head out from behind her and breathed softly in her ear.

"Yizhen is awake?"

Xiang Yi was startled by him. She was thinking about the fuss last night and was too embarrassed to look back.

"Uncle is here."

Tan Ting was not shy at all. He nodded with a smile and looked at his wife from the water. The water made tiny waves, reflecting her fair face.

He couldn't help but think of last night, when he came out of the bathroom with her in his arms at the last moment. She closed her eyes and fell asleep leaning on his shoulder, her fair face moist and flushed...

His thoughts wandered . After flying for a moment, Xiang Yi spoke at this moment.

She still didn't look back, just looked at the man reflected in the water.

"Uncle, you should have a good rest."

Tan Ting thought she was concerned about her lack of sleep, so she smiled.

"Don't worry Yizhen, I've had enough sleep."

The shadow in the water moved, Xiang Yi bit his lip and said more clearly.

"You should have a good rest for ten days."

She said, and Tan Ting was about to nod subconsciously, but after hearing it again, he came to his senses.

Ten days?

What she means is that you can't have an even date, you can only have a five-event date?

Tan Ting was stunned for a moment.

He wanted to take a closer look at his wife's expression, but she never looked back. He could only look at the water and asked in a muffled voice.

"But Yizhen, don't we want a child?"

Xiang Yi cleared his throat again.

"But uncle, even if you want to have a child, you should get enough rest."

Tan Ting: "..."

Is she questioning whether he is not strong enough? But after yesterday, she should have known.

Is that because...she doesn't like it?

Tan Ting pursed his lips and said nothing. At this moment, Qiao Yun peeled off the chicken and came back. Suddenly she saw the madam and the uncle standing one behind the other in front of the water tank, and was stunned for a moment.

But seeing the green look in Madam's eyes, she stepped forward.

"Madam, please go away now. Two female members of the clan are coming over this afternoon."

Tan Ting was stunned for a moment, then walked to the other side. When he looked at Xiang Yi again, he was indeed green.

It's all because I drank too much yesterday, but now I'm fine, Pingshuang is gone.

But every fifth day...

Tan Ting was like a little boy who had made a mistake in school. He stood aside and looked at his wife uneasily. He didn't leave until Qiao Yun returned to the room and helped Xiang Yi roll over. Come forward.

There were only the couple left in the room, and as soon as he moved around, a subtle atmosphere flowed in the air.

"Yizhen, yesterday was my fault, and it will never be the case again."

He apologized for this incident, and Xiang Yi's face heated up slightly.

But what he said about getting married is really ridiculous.

She just shook her head but said nothing. Tan Ting knew that it was all her fault, and she didn't dare to hope for a good relationship.

He glanced at his wife quietly.

"Yizhen said that it's not appropriate to meet two people, so how about five or ten people?"

Xiang Yi was stunned and looked at him in surprise.

She thought he would just go back to the original rules, but unexpectedly...

Tan Ting also coughed uncomfortably.

Just at this moment, Zhengji came over and conveyed a message.

"Uncle, Xiao Guan just came back from the capital, and I have something important to report to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tan Ting said a quick word to Xiang Yi and walked out of the room without waiting for Xiang Yi to respond.

It was too late for Xiang Yi to say that it was inappropriate.

...

In the study room, Xiao Guan responded to Tan Ting's order and went to the vicinity of Boyun Academy to see if Xiang Ning's apartment was suitable.

They live in a nearby county town, which is quite safe. There are many children from aristocratic families studying in Boyun Academy in that area, and they bring their servants to live in the city temporarily.

The children of the aristocratic family would come down from the mountain and return to their respective courtyards to rest for a few days.

Because they are not ordinary people, the county government attaches great importance to them, and patrols are constant every day, so they are considered safe.

In addition, not far from the county seat, there is a stretch of green mountains surrounded by water, with pleasant scenery. There are also many high-ranking sects from Beijing who have set up other courtyards there, and the official roads are much neater than elsewhere.

Xiang Yu and Xiang Ningdian's yard is right next to the yard where his classmate's mother lives, so they can take care of each other. Xiang Yu goes down the mountain once every five days, which is reasonable.

Tan Ting knew that even if Xiang Yi and Xiang Ning stopped arguing with him, Xiang Yu would still be in trouble.

Tan Ting sighed and could only think about it for a while before mentioning the matter to Xiang Yi.

Hearing Xiao Guan talk about the matter, he asked again, "Is there anything else?"

Xiao Guan nodded and stepped forward.

"Uncle, the scholars from poor families who came to Beijing to take the exam made a fuss last night and almost rushed into the government office. If it weren't for the suppression by people from the health center, these scholars would not dare to do anything with their fame. But if they really want to rebel, some people will directly I shouted back..."

As the result of the fraud case has not yet come out, these poor scholars are already restless. They all feel that in the coming spring period in Beijing, there may be aristocratic families monopolizing it, leaving them in poverty for ten years. void.

In the midst of such agitation, I don’t know who came out with the news. It was said that the Fengling Chen family involved in the case asked two of the clan’s feudal officials to intercede. The emperor had already agreed. The reason why the trial has not been completed is because No suitable scapegoat was found, and the matter was reduced to a trivial matter.

As soon as the news came out, there was an explosion among the poor scholars.

Such a big case, which the prince personally ordered to review, can turn the family's big issue into a trivial matter. Doesn't it mean that the family has to cover the sky with one hand, while the court only turns a blind eye, but there are them What way to survive?

The news was like sparks thrown into dry wood, igniting the restless crowd in an instant.

That night there was a commotion in several prefectures and counties that were full of candidates waiting for the Spring Examination. If the prefect had not heard about what happened in Lingshui and was prepared, and the health office arrived in time, perhaps those who were set ablaze would have Scholars don't even want fame, but they want to raise a flag to rebel.

Although there was no real resistance, many people were killed in the collision, and a magistrate was injured.

Xiao Guan came to report the news as soon as possible. This matter must not be covered up. I don't know how the palace will react.

If the palace was afraid that they would cause trouble in Gyeonggi, then these scholars would really be useless after ten years of hard work.

Tan Ting asked at this time, "So about the news about the Chen family in Fengling, is it possible to find out who released it?"

This set of actions is really similar to the rumors about his father's epidemic treatment. Wonderful thing.

Isn't the purpose just to ignite the anger of these people and make things worse?

When things get serious, these poor scholars are the first to be unprofitable, so who will be the first to benefit?

However, Xiao Guan shook his head and said that the source of the news was completely untestable. Such rumors appeared in several states and counties at the same time. In the eyes of the poor scholar, they seemed to be consistent with each other.

It seems that someone deliberately spread the news.

Not to mention that Fengling Chen hasn't done anything like this yet, but even if she has, she won't be able to do it again after this incident.

It can be seen that the person who broke the news did not take Chen into consideration.

This was different from his father's situation at that time...

Tan Ting asked Xiao Guan a few more questions and thought about it secretly for a while.

By noon, the conflict between several prefectures and counties in the suburbs of Beijing last night had spread in the capital, causing people in the capital to panic, fearing that they would go crazy and cause trouble in the capital.

Even the people think so, which shows how the palace thinks.

If this incident occurs at this time, it will actually do the most harm to the students from poor families who come to take the exam. It is even possible that the current spring semester will be postponed, and these scholars who caused trouble will be prohibited from taking the exam in the future.

As a result, there will be fewer children from poor families who enter the court to change their destiny.

It would be best to suppress this matter at the moment, so as to appease the mood of the poor scholar, and bring him to spring as scheduled.

This is the best way to repel those who create conflicts.

Li Chengyun originally wanted to come to discuss the matter with Tan Ting, but his wife was going to give birth in the next two days and he did not dare to leave home, so he had to give up.

Tan Ting did not let him go out, but asked the clansmen to pay attention to the movements in the court.

The next day, the emperor, who had not been in court for many days, appeared in the Jinluan Palace.

Immediately, some courtiers mentioned the chaos in Gyeonggi Prefecture and said that these troubled poor scholars would be banned from taking exams. The emperor did not say anything. After a period of silence, the prince asked a question.

"Is it possible to really force them to rebel?"

The rebellion of scholars will only be more terrifying than that of ordinary people.

No one spoke, and then the emperor spoke and asked who was willing to go to comfort him.

There are not many officials from poor families. Although they share the same roots and clans as those scholars, most of them have low official positions. Several high-ranking and powerful officials from the border areas are not in the capital. Officials from poor families cannot represent the family in this matter. attitude, but if we let people from the secular clan go, I'm afraid we won't be able to convince them.

When this happened, no one could be decided on the spot to comfort him.

Tan Ting is willing to go, but unfortunately he is still in the process of replacing his official position and his official position has not yet been determined.

However, someone recommended himself, and the next day, the court designated this person as an envoy to appease him.

Tan Ting's eyelids jumped when he received the news.

No one in the court accepted this errand, but Mr. Qi, who was recuperating in the suburbs of Beijing, volunteered to go.

Mr. Qi is indeed the best candidate. Although he comes from a family like the Haidong Qi family, he has served in both the Imperial College and the Hanlin Academy, especially as a teacher in the Imperial College. He has taught too many scholars from poor families, such as Xiang Zhiyuan, He is also a famous scholar among the poor families of the common people.

There was no more suitable candidate than him, but Tan Ting thought of Mr. Qi's health and went to Qi's house with Xiang Yi.

Mr. Qi didn't take it seriously and whispered to Tan Ting and Xiang Yi.

"It's just a good chance to avoid the old lady for a few days without having to drink the bitter concoction."

Tan Ting shook his head helplessly and told the old man a few words about what happened in the water supply at that time, so that the old man should pay more attention to his housework.

Human emotions are the hardest to control, let alone the emotions of a group of people.

The old man said, "Don't worry," and said, "I need more salt to cross the bridge than you."

But for some reason, the old lady remained silent for a while until she heard what he said, and then she glared at him.

"Stop talking nonsense, it's important to go home early!"

The old man said hello repeatedly, and before getting on the carriage, he murmured proudly to Tan Ting and Xiang Yi.

"The old couple have been together all their lives, why is she still so clingy to me?"

Tan Ting almost laughed out loud, and Xiang Yi also pursed his lips and raised the corners of his mouth.

The old man also asked Tan Ting.

"Your little lady, are you so clingy to you?"

This question made Tan Ting choke for a while.

He is not as lucky as the old lady.

After sending the old lady to comfort the candidates, Tan Ting and Xiang Yi said goodbye to the old lady and went home.

On the way, Tan Ting looked at his wife with downcast eyes, thinking of the old man's question just now, but also thought of Feng Shuang, who was rejected by her.

He sighed, maybe in a year or two, when they have children, she will like him, right?

But Tan Ting suddenly thought of another possibility.

If they had a child, would she still have him in her eyes...

Tan Ting couldn't answer her own question for a moment, but Zhengji walked briskly to the car window and quickly spoke.

Li Chengyun's wife gave birth to a boy.

There are only two members of the Li family in Huaining, Li Chengyun and his eldest brother Li Chengxu. However, his eldest brother is in poor health and has only one daughter for many years.

It is not that there are no eldest daughters in the family, but the eldest daughter is always more difficult and embarrassed than the eldest son.

Li Chengyun's eldest brother was reluctant to let his daughter become the eldest daughter, so he discussed with Li Chengyun that if he had no children, Li Chengyun's eldest son would be the eldest son in the future.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengyun's wife gave birth to a boy for the first time.

In fact, whether it is a boy or a girl, it is a great joy for the Huaining Li family.

He had already said hello to Li Chengyun a few days ago. When the time came for the child's baptism, he asked Xiang Yi to go over and meet the female relatives first.

Mrs. Lin's spring banquet must be a grand occasion. When Xiang Yi first came to the capital, he didn't know many people. He first got to know a few at the baptismal ceremony. By the time of the spring banquet, he would feel much more at ease.

At that moment, he told Xiang Yi about the matter.

"...Cheng Yun's wife and sister-in-law are both easy to talk to. They are not from aristocratic families, so you don't have to worry."

Li Chengyun's wife is the head of the clan county, and his eldest sister-in-law is a woman from a small aristocratic family in the southwest. , married in because of her life-saving grace for Li Chengyun's eldest brother.

Both sisters-in-law are not difficult people to talk to.

Tan Ting's understanding of the female relatives of each family was limited, so he had to ask Li's sister-in-law to be Xiang Yi's guide.

He reached out and shook her hand.

"Don't be afraid."

His voice was warm and soft, like a hot spring flowing through him.

Xiang Yi didn't feel nervous or scared, but he felt inexplicably reassured by the uncle's words.

She nodded slightly.

Several children suddenly rushed out of the alley. The driver was startled and hurriedly pulled his horse.

There was a sudden bump in the car, and Xiang Yi almost fell off the stool. Tan Ting hurriedly put his arms around her.

The carriage turned sharply again, and outside the carriage there was the voice of an angry coachman who could not help but scold the naughty child in a low voice.

This bump almost pushed Xiang Yi into Tan Ting's arms.

Tan Ting looked at his wife in his arms, and then remembered the clingy words of Mr. Qi, and Siruo accidentally reminded Xiang Yi.

"Yizhen can hold my waist to avoid any more bumps."

He said so seriously that Xiang Yi thought for a moment that he was asking her to hold her arms around some pillar or beam.

But it was his waist after all, not the pillars and beams...

Xiang Yi froze for a moment, and then the car bumped again, this time with the opposite force, and Xiang Yi came out of his arms. , returned to the original position, and held the handle on the carriage.

"Thank you, uncle. I'll sit still now."

Tan Ting: "..."

Tan Ting looked at his waist in a muffled voice. He had a tall and thick figure. It was not appropriate to hug him with such a delicate waist. ?

Not better than the handles of some pillars and beams?

He also thought about how his lips were close to hers before, and she turned her head to avoid him in fright. Now she was unwilling to hug him even a little bit, so he was in a depressed mood.

What subtle changes occurred in the old man's mood, it was difficult for others to detect it without telling others.

Xiang Yi, on the other hand, took some careful planning and went to attend the baptism of Li Chengyun's eldest son.

If it is as the uncle said, Li's sisters-in-law are very good at talking.

Li Chengxu's wife, Miao, was not a typical clan wife. She was extremely friendly and her voice was as sweet as a lark. When he saw Xiang Yi, he took her hand and asked her many questions. .

As a clan wife, she is naturally less majestic. However, Li Chengyun's wife of the county leader is cold-tempered and very capable of standing up. She even helps her sister-in-law take care of her middle child even when she is in confinement.

The two sisters-in-law have discussed and agreed upon each other very well.

At that time, the head of Qiuyang County explained several things to Miao and also spoke to Xiang Yi.

She was talking to the people below, the lady was the county head, but when she turned to talk to Xiang Yi, she became much softer and even gave her a child's clothes.

Normally, clothes are given to children when they are 100 days old or one year old. I gave them to her now.

Xiang Yi was embarrassed to ask the county head who didn't talk much, but Miao covered her mouth and laughed.

"It's your uncle's intention. He hurriedly asked us for children's clothes."

After hearing this, Xiang Yi felt a little embarrassed and had to put away the children's clothes.

I thought to myself, I'll just put it on that uncle's pillow later...

In addition to the female dependents of the Huaining Li family, there are also many female dependents of the Huaichuan Li family.

The two families have the same roots, and it is normal for them to be close to each other. However, compared to the female family members of the Li family in Huaining, who are easy to talk to, the female family members of the Li family in Huaichuan are somewhat self-reliant in their identity.

When they saw Xiang Yi, they all looked at him twice, then said a few polite words and sat aside, but their eyes fell on Xiang Yi from time to time.

Of course Xiang Yi would not take the trouble to please them, so he sat quietly in a place not far away.

However, she noticed that one of them had a fierce look and his eyes fell on her several times. The female family members beside her didn't know what they said, so she snorted coldly.

"The despicable common people are just trying their best."

Her voice was not soft, and many people looked at Xiang Yi.

At this time, the Lord of Qiuyang County asked his maid to serve tea, and then suppressed the anger.

Miao called Xiang Yi to sit next to her. After the maids filed in to serve tea, she spoke to Xiang Yi.

"That's the third young lady of their family. She didn't know about your engagement and wanted to discuss marriage with the Tan family. The husband she later married fell off a horse last year and broke his leg. Her life was not going well."

Miao . He wanted Xiang Yi not to argue with Miss Li San.

Of course Xiang Yi wouldn't care about it, but she secretly thought that before she took the marriage certificate and forced the marriage, there should be many people who wanted to discuss marriage with the Tan family.

In their minds, she was naturally blocking their way.

Xiang Yi thanked Miao for the suggestion, but was not prepared to have anything to do with these female relatives.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, several maids came in one after another and said something in front of the masters of each house, and everyone's expressions changed.

The originally peaceful expression was tinged with anger, and the originally implicitly hostile expression suddenly became obvious.

Miss Li San said directly.

"I knew the despicable common people had no good intentions!"

Everyone's eyes couldn't help but fall on Xiang Yi.

Xiang Yi was startled, and Chun Bamboo walked in quickly at this moment.

"Did something happen?"

Chunsun nodded with a serious look on her face.

"Something happened to Mr. Qi. Mr. Qi went to appease the poor candidates, but he was pushed down from the high slope by those people and fell on the rocks nearby...I am afraid he will die!"