Southern Qi Fenghua Record

In the early morning of the next day, Xia Houshu asked Yunxi to order the small kitchen to make some pastries, so that she could take them out later, while she herself went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to her mother.

Xia Houshu came to Songya Hall where his parents lived, and happened to meet Xia Houyuan who was about to go out.His tall and mighty figure, and his gestures seem to be a natural demeanor, which gives people a sense of intimidation from a distance, but also makes people feel at ease.It seems that as long as he is there, this family will be safe and smooth, as solid as gold.

Xia Houshu raised his head to look at the sky, it was already past the hour of Mao, at this time in the past, his father should have been waiting at the gate of the palace to go to court, today is not a holiday, how could he be at home?

Xia Houshu didn't have time to think about it, so he rushed to greet him.

Seeing her daughter coming, Xia Houyuan couldn't help slowing down.He first looked in the direction of the bedroom, looked at his daughter and said, "Your mother is still dressing, if you have nothing else to do, just walk with me."

"Then I'll take my father out." Xia Houshu understood, followed his father's footsteps happily, and asked as he walked, "Don't father have to go to court today?"

"Recently there have been many affairs in the barracks. The emperor granted me permission to go directly to the barracks instead of going to the court." Xia Houyuan said, with a deeper smile on his face involuntarily, and pointed to the bedroom, "No, I can spend more time in the morning." I've been with your mother for half an hour."

Xia Houshu was very envious of people who had spent years in the military camp and on the battlefield showing such an expression. He laughed so hard that he couldn't see his teeth, but he thought to himself that it was his father's credit that his mother didn't punish him yesterday.

"No wonder mother's mood has improved a lot recently." Xia Houshu said sincerely, "If father can spend more time with mother, mother will definitely be happier."

"Is your mother in a good mood? It's not because of whether I can accompany her more, but because your brother and sister are harmonious and safe." Xia Houyuan said like a cliché, after he finished speaking, he looked at Xia Houshu and suddenly said seriously, "Shu'er, yesterday Your mother told me about it."

When he heard his father mention yesterday's incident, Xia Houshu's heart skipped a beat immediately, and he murmured that it was not good.She looked at her father's expression with a guilty conscience, but her mind turned back and forth.The mother is in charge of the inner house, and will not bother the father unless there is a major event that cannot be decided.So why did my mother tell my father what happened yesterday?What's the purpose of her father deliberately bringing up the past with her?

Xia Houyuan saw the uneasiness on his daughter's face, stroked his beard, and said with a smile, "Why are you nervous? You thought your mother sued me and suspected that I would punish you?"

With such keen insight, he deserves to be the one who leads soldiers to fight.

Seeing through his mind, Xia Houshu smiled awkwardly, and then had an idea, quickly put a top hat on his father, and said: "Father pretends in his heart that the family and the country are the world, and what he hopes is that the people are prosperous and the country is strong, the government is clear, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. How can I have the energy to manage the affairs of this inner house?"

"Then you are wrong." Xia Houyuan mercilessly denied her statement, and then explained very seriously, "You all think that your mother is running the house, and I know nothing about the affairs of the mansion. In fact, you all want Wrong. Although I spend more time in the military camp, why don't I always pay attention to the movements in the mansion? In our family, there are countless things that need your mother to handle every day. One by one, If she makes all the decisions, how can there be a chance to breathe? It means that you only know how to mess around all day long, and you don't feel sorry for your mother. "

After hearing this, Xia Houshu's eyes lit up. He always thought that his father only worried about the affairs in the military camp. He never thought that he cared so much about his mother and helped to keep an eye on the affairs of the inner house. Shu'er must follow his father as an example and be filial to his mother."

Xia Houyuan stopped suddenly, stretched out his index finger and tapped Xia Houshu's forehead, and said with a bit of pampering in his reproach: "It's not easy for your mother to manage the housework, especially your elder brother..." Having said that, he After a pause, she seemed to feel that it was inappropriate to mention these old things, so she smiled helplessly, but did not continue, but told her, "Don't make trouble for your mother in the future, or I won't be able to forgive you."

Xia Houshu knew in his heart that what his father didn't say should mean that after his elder brother passed away, his mother had been worrying too much for many years, and she was obviously much tired and older than usual.But Xia Houshu's name was like a taboo in the Duke of Yue's mansion. Even if his father mentioned it first, Xia Houshu didn't dare to take it up, so he could only listen silently with his head down.

"It's so early in the morning, don't talk about it." Xia Houyuan sighed, stared at Xia Houshu again, and said, "Ling'er is the only flesh and blood of your third uncle, and was held in the palm of your third aunt since childhood. It’s not as good as self-satisfaction. As a parent, it’s natural to worry about your children, so it’s inevitable that you’ll be eager to speak, you’re a smart kid, don’t take it to heart.”

"Father is worrying too much." Xia Houshu hurriedly explained, "My daughter never complained about my aunt, but she just thinks that Ling'er is still a boy, and she should take him out to see the world." She said while staring at Xia Houyuan, testing asked, "Don't father think so?"

"As the head of the Xiahou family, I naturally hope that my son of the Xiahou family will be self-reliant, persevering, and achieve a great career in the future, bringing honor to the ancestors. But I am still a father, the elder brother of your two uncles, Ling'er's uncle Before your third uncle died, the mother and child were the ones who worried the most, begging me and your mother to take care of you." Xia Houyuan said and looked at his daughter again, "Shu'er, you are still young, you don't know much about being a parent but you can't. The feeling of protecting your own children. When you get married and have your own children, you will understand."

"No, Shu'er understands." Xiahou Shu said earnestly, "Father, although Shu'er is not a parent, didn't the father just say that Shu'er is smart? Shu'er also hopes to share the worries of his parents."

Xia Houyuan felt a burst of emotion when he heard the words, and looked at Xia Houshu with burning eyes, unable to tell whether it was relief or helplessness.After a while, he finally said, "It seems that my Shu'er has also grown up."

"Years ago, Shu'er had already performed the ceremony of Jiji, and he was already an adult, did father forget?" Xiahou Shu said with a smile.As long as she can remember, she has been looking forward to growing up quickly.When she was in Boyunguan, she hoped that she would grow up quickly, get rid of the shackles of the master, and return to the Duke of Yue's mansion as soon as possible, return to her parents' side, and be happy at her knees.Later, she came back, but her eldest brother was gone. She hoped that she could grow up quickly and be able to find the truth of the year.

"Yes." Xia Houyuan nodded, "Shu'er is already an adult."

The father and daughter walked to the gate of the main courtyard without knowing it, and Lin Qi, the personal guard, was already waiting with Xia Houyuan's mount Fei Lu.

Xia Houyuan stopped in his tracks, turned his head to look at the gate of the main courtyard, then looked at Xia Houshu, and said earnestly: "Shu'er, as a father, I can't stay with you at home all the time, you have to help your mother guard the house."

Xia Houshu nodded solemnly and said, "Father, don't worry, my daughter will definitely live up to the expectations of her father and mother."

With a smile on his face, Xia Houyuan waved her to go back, while he himself took the reins from Guard Lin and flew into the saddle.Riding on the horse, he glanced at Xia Houshu again, thought for a while but said nothing, waved his whip, and headed towards the gate of the house with Guard Lin.

Xia Houshu watched his father go away on horseback before returning to Songya Hall to greet Zhong Yuqing.

Zhong Yuqing had almost finished her dressing and was picking out hairpins. When she saw Xia Houshu coming in, she raised her eyes slightly and said, "I just heard that you came, but I didn't see you coming in. I also heard from Qingfang that you went to see your father out. , it’s rare. What did your father tell you?”

Xia Houshu looked at the graceful and luxurious Zhong Yuqing in the mirror, and said with a smile: "Father cares about mother the most, so naturally he teaches his daughter to listen to mother more, and relieves mother of worries."

Zhong Yuqing turned her head and glanced at her, seeming to be in a good mood, but said: "When did you learn to be glib from your second brother?"

"Mother has wronged me!" Xia Houshu kept shouting, "Father really told me so, if you don't believe me, you can ask father yourself later?"

"You're so young, you don't have a good figure." Zhong Yuqing said so, but she was very happy in her heart.She looked at herself in the mirror, and always felt that the gold-encrusted sapphire and emerald flower hairpin on her head looked weird, so she took it off and put it in the dowry, and said to Xia Houshu, "Your aunt is coming today." , come here and pick out a hairpin for me."

The aunt Zhong Yuqing was talking about was Xia Houmei, the elder sister of Xia Houyuan's mother, a well-known female figure in the Duke's mansion of Yue. Even though she had been married for many years, people in the mansion couldn't help but respect her every time her name was mentioned.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Xiahou family has always attached great importance to men, and they also rely on men to fight in the battlefield, make contributions, and glorify the lintel.But in fact, daughters are also very precious, especially before Xia Houmei was born, the Duke of Yue had no girls born for two consecutive generations.

Xia Houmei, as the eldest daughter and the only girl among her peers, has enjoyed the most privileged treatment since she was a child, and her daily necessities of life are meticulous. Under the doting, her temper is unavoidably conceited and arrogant, and she looks down on all living beings.

After Xia Houmei got married, her father Xia Houxun betrothed her to Xu Shangyu, the eldest son of the honorable Rong'an Houfu.The daughter of the Duke's Mansion married the son of the Hou Mansion, which was considered a low marriage at the time, so Xia Houmei, no matter whether she was in her husband's family or her mother's family, took a sigh of relief, and had to get involved in everything to show her the daughter of the Duke's Mansion. spectrum.

Xia Houxun and his wife felt that they were ashamed of her in their marriage, and it was not easy to reprimand them; the Marquis of Rong'an was afraid of the power of the Duke of Yue, so they forbeared in every possible way.Over time, Xia Houmei became more unscrupulous.

When Zhong Yuqing married into the Yue State Duke's Mansion, Xia Houmei thought that the Prince Gong's Mansion was in decline, so she wanted to take advantage of this new sister-in-law.She was in Xu's family, but she was always concerned about the affairs of her natal family's inner house. She planted an eyeliner in the Duke's mansion of Yue State, and opposed Zhong Yuqing everywhere, making Zhong Yuqing embarrassed by provoking all kinds of words.However, Zhong Yuqing looked quiet and polite, but she was not a vegetarian. Not only did she expose Xia Houmei's true colors in front of everyone many times, leaving her speechless, but also dispelled her idea of ​​continuing to interfere in her natal family's internal affairs.

Xia Houmei suffered a loss, so she restrained herself, and did not dare to blatantly meddle in her natal family's affairs.But in private, she always competed with Zhong Yuqing, and then turned her attention to the second and third wives of Xiahou's family who came in one after another, trying to get them to help.But Mrs. Kuang, the first wife of the second bedroom, passed away within two years, and Mrs. Zhang, the second wife, was a virtuous person, and did not respond to her provocations very much;

Gradually, Xia Houmei realized that she was being disliked more and more in her natal family, and her words were becoming less and less important, so she had to vent her anger on her husband, children and servants around her, making Rong'an Hou's house restless.Xu Shangyu, the Marquis of Rong'an, set up a meeting with a group of friends in order to find some peace and quiet. He drank and wrote poems all day long, and was obsessed with Wushisan. A case of treason.Immediately afterwards, the Marquis of Rong'an was sealed off, and everyone was in danger. Xia Houmei ran around but couldn't ask for help, so she had to go back to her mother's house for help.

At that time, Zhong Yuqing was already in charge of Yue Guogong's mansion. After hearing about the matter of Rong'an Hou's mansion, Zhong Yuqing disregarded the previous suspicions, inquired and mediated in many ways, and used the power of Prince Gong's mansion to help Xu Shangyu clear the suspicion.After that, Xia Houmei seemed to be a different person. She always went to Yue Guogong's mansion three or four times a month, and every time she came, she came happily with gifts, and she still wanted to go.Especially after Xiahouxuan's accident, Xiahoumei empathized with Zhong Yuqing and cared for Zhong Yuqing, just like a pair of sisters.

When Xia Houshu first returned to the Duke of Yue's mansion, she also avoided this aunt. However, many years have passed, and sometimes she is lucky to have her aunt come to talk with her mother, so she hurried over and took the money in the dowry. Ten hairpins of different materials and colors glanced at them, and finally settled on a Ruyi hairpin made of jade, then picked it out and gently put it on Zhong Yuqing's bun, explaining: "The gold inlaid hairpin just now The sapphire dot emerald flower hairpin has the best craftsmanship, but it is too gorgeous, and it is a bit overwhelming. This Ruyi hairpin is better, it is pure and elegant, and it makes my mother look more beautiful and extraordinary."

Zhong Yuqing looked in the mirror and was very satisfied with the hairpin her daughter had chosen, so she said, "Your aunt mentioned you when she came last time, so you should go back and pack it up, and see you later."

"I'm afraid I can't do it today." Xia Houshu said, "Second brother invited me to swim in the lake."