Golden Branch

"Nine Lady, thank you, my dear, for coming!"

Wang Heng is planning her, oh no, Lou Yu’s new home.

She planned to build a zoo for rare animals and transport all the birds and beasts that belonged to her, or rather, those that Lou Yu had acquired, to the capital and settle them in her new house.

Wang Heng refused to admit it, saying that she was just playing around.

Before it was Twelve Lady, oh no, now it is Princess Anyang.

When Princess Anyang was in Hedong, she was very fond of the small animals raised by Wang Heng.

Wang Heng thought that she and her brother were going to the capital.

They will live in that prosperous place in the future and they will have to socialize.

Wang Heng was a princess and Lou Yu was the newly promoted Duke of Qi. Given their status, they both had to deal with the royal family.

The fate with Princess Anyang and Xiao Sanlang was a resource that could be further cultivated.

She would never miss it, she wanted to deepen this friendship.

Having a rare animal park can be used as an excuse to invite Princess Anyang and other royal nobles to visit.

After a few interactions, we developed a bond.

"...I'm planning all this for my brother and I's future!"

Wang Heng said this to herself in her heart.

Just at this moment, the little maid came running to report.

Wang Heng was not surprised, but rather felt accustomed to it.

Xie Yanzhi is her cousin, and this relationship is all because of Madam Xie.

In the past, Madam Xie was not in Yizhou, and Wang Heng deliberately distanced herself from her. After Xie Yanzhi moved out of Wang's farm, he did not visit her too often.

However, with the return of Mrs. Xie, she was seriously ill. As a nephew and a member of her mother's family, Xie Yanzhi naturally had to come to pay his respects and visit her frequently.

Xie Yanzhi was very clever. After coming here a few times, he discovered some truths.

Mrs. Xie's illness is not really incurable.

The medical skills of the Lou family's doctor are truly superb.

But Wang Heng is so "filial" and "considerate".

Every once in a while, when he saw that Mrs. Xie's condition had improved, he wanted to share the good news with his grandmother to "double the joy."

Mrs. Xie would faint from "surprise" every time, and then her condition would worsen.

This is not Wang Heng’s fault.

Shouldn't we report the good news to our elders if there's any?

Xie Yanzhi, in particular, realized that Madam Xie and Wang Heng, the pair of grandmother and granddaughter, were not as loving as the legend said. After a brief moment of shock, he calmed down.

He said nothing, did not intervene rashly, and did not accuse or expose anything.

What is the accusation?

Accusing Wang Heng of deliberately provoking Madam Xie?

How can this be considered "stimulating"?

Those were all good news, but Mrs. Xie was unhappy. One can only say that she was narrow-minded and had a dark heart.

Expose Wang Heng's tricks?

What's the point of exposing it?

As the granddaughter, Wang Heng served the medicine to Madam Xie without taking off her clothes after returning from her post.

He has to do everything himself and work day and night.

His respect and filial piety are witnessed by everyone.

Wang Heng even lost a lot of weight in order to take care of her elders.

Just looking at her slender and frail appearance, no one would doubt her sincerity and the hard work she puts in!

The most important point is that Xie Yanzhi has no feelings for Madam Xie, but Wang Heng helps him a lot.

He also had admiration for Wang Heng.

Previously, I thought that my cousin from the Wang family was suitable and that marrying her would bring benefits to myself and my family.

What now--

Xie Yanzhi followed the little maid to Haitang Courtyard.

Under the crabapple tree full of crabapple fruits, there is a slim girl wearing a pink and white blouse and a smoky-colored chest-length skirt.

The pink and purple ribbon was tied in a knot at the chest and hung slightly.

The ribbon was embroidered with silver patterns, which shimmered in the sunlight.

Her long, thick black hair was combed into a lively double bun, tied with a headband of the same color as the ribbon, and pinned with two gold hairpins shaped like crabapple flowers inlaid with red gold and gems.

There are not many accessories, but they are exquisite and luxurious.

Make the girl look smart and wealthy.

What is most attractive is not the girl's dress, temperament, etc., but her extraordinary and unparalleled appearance.

When Xie Yanzhi first met Wang Heng, he knew that this cousin must be good-looking.

It's just that because of obesity, the face is too round and the facial features are not so prominent.

Now, after losing all the fat, her eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, etc. have become clear and three-dimensional.

She has a gentle smile and beautiful eyes.

Coupled with her skin that is already as white as snow, it is even more in line with the ancients' description of a stunning beauty: hands as smooth as tender catkins and skin as white as cream.

She is so beautiful that it can captivate all cities.

Xie Yanzhi himself was so beautiful that it was difficult to tell whether he was male or female. When he was in Jiankang, he had seen many beauties.

However, Wang Heng's appearance still amazed him: it turned out that his cousin, who had lost weight, was so beautiful that she didn't look like an ordinary person.

Heart of beauty in everyone.

She was already the object of his affection, and now with her stunning beauty, Xie Yanzhi, who valued interests more, couldn't help but fall in love with her.

Although he had been politely rejected, Xie Yanzhi still held on to hope.

My cousin is not married yet.

He and she are cousins, and since they are close to each other, they have more opportunities than others.

His future may not always be bleak.

I don’t know if God heard Xie Yanzhi’s thoughts, but his “turning point” came.

A mutiny overthrew the King of Chu.

And the King of Han, who had once snatched Xie Yanzhi's fiancée, was also punished by the sage because he was a follower of the King of Chu.

He was stripped of his royal title and demoted to a commoner.

After the King of Han fell, no one would deliberately target Xie Yanzhi in order to please him.

The Xie family members who stayed in the capital sent someone to Yizhou to deliver the letter almost at full speed on the day when King Han was stripped of his title.

The Xie family’s meaning was very clear: Yanzhi, the biggest obstacle has been removed, you can return to Beijing to pursue a career in officialdom!

Xie Yanzhi was originally a famous talent in the southern border. During his time in Yizhou, he relied on Wang Heng's help and recommendation to get to know the famous scholar Shen Du.

In addition to fame, he also has real talent and knowledge.

The imperial court had an imperial examination system, and the aristocratic families in the northern border were very hostile to it.

But for the impoverished families in the southern region, this is an excellent opportunity to "break the deadlock."

Last year, the sage ascended the throne, and this year the new year name was changed to "Yuanzhen", so the court held an additional special examination.

Xie Yanzhi's collection of poems has also been printed.

Wang Heng generously provided financial support and printed a thousand copies for Xie Yanzhi.

Xie Yanzhi's preparations were very sufficient, and it was time to say goodbye and go to Beijing.

Whether he takes part in the imperial examination or relies on hype through his poetry collection, he wants to become an official and then revitalize his family!

Only when he has the ability will he be qualified to marry his cousin.

I just hope that my cousin can wait for him and not arrange the marriage too early.

"...Cousin, are you leaving?"

Wang Heng greeted Xie Yanzhi and, after listening to his plan, asked, "Is everything ready? When will we set off?"

Xie Yanzhi smiled faintly, "It's time to go. If we set off now, the journey will take one to two months. By the time we arrive in the capital, winter will have already arrived!"

The imperial examinations of the Dayu Dynasty were held in winter.

Xie Yanzhi just happened to make it in time.

"The entourage, luggage, etc. are all ready!"

At this point, Xie Yanzhi looked at Wang Heng with a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. "Come to think of it, I've been in Yizhou these days thanks to Ajiu for taking care of me."

Wang Heng not only gave Xie Yanzhi a house, but also covered all of Xie Yanzhi's expenses.

Of course, in ancient times when people valued clans and emphasized mutual help among relatives, Wang Heng's practice of taking care of relatives was completely in line with secular requirements.

Xie Yanzhi couldn't accept it as a matter of course.

He is my cousin, a man.

It is already very difficult for Ajiu, a little girl, to take care of her seriously ill grandmother and father.

It was shameless of him to accept financial support from his cousin; he could not be so shameless.

However, Xie Yanzhi didn’t want to say too much to express his gratitude, as it would be pointless to say more.

When he returns to Beijing and soars to the sky, he will definitely repay you well.

"My cousin, you're too polite! We're all relatives, family. There's no need to be so rude!"

Wang Heng waved her hand, not caring about the small amount of money.

First of all, she has no shortage of it.

Secondly, the thank-you banquet is "worth it".

This guy is really smart.

Whether it was the previous marriage or the matter of Madam Xie, Xie Yanzhi's words and actions made Wang Heng feel very comfortable.

It's just a little money and food, but it adds a reliable relative.

What Wang Heng hates are those stupid and bad relatives, rather than those "connections" that can help each other.

Not to mention, Wang Heng once thought about marrying Xie Yanzhi.

Alas, although this man did not meet her requirements, she was the one who refused him after all.

Spend some money and buy yourself peace of mind!

After a few pleasantries, Xie Yanzhi invited Wang Hengruo to visit the Xie family if she came to Beijing, and the conversation between the cousins ​​ended.

Xie Yanzhi was not in a hurry to leave. He wanted to visit his great-aunt, Madam Xie, as usual.

By the way, he also wanted to say goodbye to Madam Xie and Wang Lin.

I just hope that Madam Xie can be more open-minded and stop bothering with a little girl.

If you are more open-minded, you won’t be irritated all the time.

Only in this way can her illness be cured.

If Wang Heng has the opportunity to come to Beijing one day, Madam Xie and other elders will also have the opportunity to return to Beijing.

If Madam Xie remained paralyzed, she would have no choice but to be left in a farm in the countryside of Hedong to "recuperate."

Xie Yanzhi didn't know that Wang Heng had been named a princess. He knew that Concubine Jiang had become Imperial Concubine Jiang.

He thought that with a favorite concubine, Wang Heng would go to the capital sooner or later.

He took the lead and planned early, so in the future... maybe there will still be a chance!

When Mrs. Xie saw her nephew, she originally wanted to complain, but when she heard that he was leaving, she thought he was forced to leave by Wang Heng.

Mrs. Xie fainted again because of anger.

Xie Yanzhi: ...This, shouldn’t be my fault!

Alas, this great aunt has such a bad temper that her illness keeps recurring. It really cannot be blamed on cousin Ajiu!

……

After Xie Yanzhi left, Wang Heng personally came to the official road to see him off.

After watching the carriages slowly leave, Wang Heng prepared to go back.

Just as I was about to turn around, I saw a layer of yellow soil rolling up in the distance on the official road.

There are teams of knights!

Who is it?

So ostentatious?