Between the vast sea of ​​clouds

Li Yan felt that his master seemed to have changed.

What exactly changed, but she couldn't tell.But in the previous work together, although this Li Shizhong did his best in official duties, he seldom had the time to devote himself to it.It's far less than this time when choosing a servant, he tried his best, and even went back and forth between Zongzheng Temple and Chenghui Mansion for the past few days, checking the identity documents, and checking the age and place of origin of the man to be selected-in fact, it didn't have to be like this Trouble, Zongzheng Siqing, as a member of the royal family, should be more attentive.What's more, the selection of servants is their responsibility, and the Ministry of Rites is only responsible for cooperating, but now it has become the person in full charge.

The ministers in the court secretly thought, Li Shizhong really deserves to be a member of the imperial party, and he is well aware of His Majesty's worries.It is not a new thing for the royal family in Zongzheng Temple to disagree with His Majesty.Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the news that King Xinyang left the feudal land privately and led several feudal princes to Beijing has spread, and there are even rumors that King Xinyang yelled and lost his manners in front of the former emperor's palace. He has a tolerant attitude towards the clan, but no one knows how long this patience will last.

Li Yan carried a few scrolls into the secretary's room, Qing Ping was putting in the other roster, saw her coming, and said: "Put them all on the right."

It was probably because of the rumors in the court that Zongzheng Temple was hard to resist. In order to show the proper attitude of the clan, Minister Zongzhengsi arrived at the Ministry of Rites early in the morning and brought over the portrait of the man to be selected. This is actually not in line with the rules and etiquette. But now that rumors are flying all over the sky, and she doesn't care about those rules, she has to make a new one first.

There is a courtesy officer watching at the side, and every portrait can get comments after it is unfolded. If it has not been selected, this comment can also give it a better reputation.

"...This son is full of heaven and handsome, and he can be selected if he thinks about it, what do you think?" Qingping smiled while holding a scroll of portraits.

If she hadn't been single-handedly picked up by the emperor, Zongzheng Siqing would have doubted her intentions. The man in this portrait is not so much full of heaven, but rather broad and capable of running.As for Qingxiu, anyone can say it is Qingxiu.

Zongzheng Siqing suddenly had a great worry in his heart about the emperor's harem. If all these strange-looking people are selected, how can they be seen at the annual palace banquet?She actually gave up her previous idea of ​​watching the excitement and not making any comments, and said euphemistically: "Master Li, this young master is weak and his appearance is too unique, maybe it's not suitable?"

Qing Ping handed the scroll to Li Yan who was on the side, and said with a smile: "The headquarters and the lord Siqing are all for your Majesty's worries. The so-called marrying a husband should marry a virtuous man. There are virtuous ministers in the previous court, and virtuous queens in the harem. Your Majesty is at ease with government affairs, and lives up to His Majesty's entrustment."

Minister Zongzhengsi opened his mouth wide in surprise, watching her tap a point on the right side of the portrait with a vermilion pen, signaling the people next to him to seal it up.

At this moment, Zongzhengsiqing felt a little sympathy for the emperor inappropriately. She forced herself to look away and look at the next painting, but seeing that there were very few vacant positions on the roster in Qingping's hand, she hurriedly said: "What Master Li said is, Why don't you take a closer look."

"Ah, this is supposed to be the responsibility of Sir Siqing, but the headquarters has made a good idea. I hope you don't want to blame me." Qingping smiled and took several scrolls, and ordered people to unfold them one by one. It's okay to say, but his eyes glanced over uncontrollably, and saw that Qingping randomly selected a few portraits, the appearance was acceptable, and the inscriptions and postscripts on the portraits belonged to aristocratic families, and the family background would not be too thin.But when the etiquette officer took the booklet and looked at it, Qing Zongzhengsi's face suddenly turned blue.

Most of the aristocratic families in Hengzhou who have the qualifications to vote for the palace are the old clans of the dynasty. Hengzhou is located in the north, and there have always been good women who do not fight with men, implying that the men in Hengzhou are arrogant by nature. said.As early as the Shun'an period, fewer and fewer Hengzhou aristocratic family men were selected into the palace. Until now, the local aristocratic families in Hengzhou also understand that the emperor looks down on their sons, no more than He Chen. The man is small-minded and gentle, drinking tea and discussing paintings, so elegant.He just put on a show and handed over his name by the way every time he chose a waiter.

The trend of strong men and weak women persists for a long time, which is almost a major feature of Hengzhou.It is not uncommon for Qingping, the woman who was scolded by Fu Lang to be bloody, when she was studying, but now she just casually added a few imposing, bold and forthright servants to Chu Jun's harem. Go ahead and accept it, she has already done her duty, even if the harem becomes a mess in the future, it has nothing to do with her, and by the way, she also took care of what Chen Kaiyi hinted at.Zongzheng Siqing saw that the roster was full, and said with a trembling voice: "This, this... Mr. Li, there has been no servant from Hengzhou in the palace for a long time. Have you ever seen it in other states? Why don't you see it in those portraits?" How about it?"

Qing Ping put the vermilion pen in his hand back on the pen holder, and said gently: "Your Excellency, there is no need to worry. Those few people just now are the sons of He Chenmin's three-state family. The portrait has not been sealed yet. If you are worried, you can read it again."

Zongzheng Siqing ran to the ceremonial officer, stretched his neck to look at the portrait, it really was in all six prefectures.Mr. Li is impartial and selfless, and even the number of people is equal. There are also a few selected from Yunzhou, but their appearance and body are more powerful and tall than ordinary Hengzhou women... Zongzhengsi really dare not compliment you, so take a closer look He Chenmin Sanzhou, who was most favored by the emperor, had dark eyes, none of those men with good looks were selected, but ordinary people with no characteristics were all included in the roster!Qing Zongzhengsi's eyes were darkened, he felt so clumsy and ugly, his mind went blank, he was speechless for a long time.

Seeing this, Qingping said: "Your Excellency, you are still satisfied. The Ministry will ask them to seal the volume and make a book, report it to Chenghui Mansion, and choose a date for His Majesty to choose."

Choose, do you still need to choose?Minister Zongzhengsi had tears in his eyes, all of them looked ashen and disfigured, so what was there to choose?

Qingping smiled slightly, only to feel that the gloom accumulated in his heart for many days was swept away, and he was indescribably refreshed and at ease.

Li Yan felt that his master had indeed changed.

As soon as the time for release came, she left the Ministry of Rites in a hurry, turned the corner of the street with a friend she knew, and went straight to Liuyingfang.

Liuyingfang is a famous place for fireworks in Beijing. Once Li Yan accidentally ran into these two people who were riding horses in casual clothes. They went and returned together.

Li Yan couldn't help admiring the Shangguan, he was busy with official duties during the day and had to be busy choosing servants for His Majesty; he was also tired at night and went to the teaching workshop to find flowers and ask willows to cultivate his sentiments.

That's all she could do to comfort herself.

Feng Yun rode a strong maroon horse with loose mane and hooves like the wind.After Qingping changed into her uniform and came out through the back door, she smiled and said, "Master Li, where is your horse, why don't you ride it anymore?"

A few days ago, Qingping asked the steward to help him buy a horse, but the steward made a mistake and chose a good horse, but it was a pony. The horse hadn't come out of the stable yet, and people couldn't ride it.Qingping was stunned immediately, and could only lead the horse and follow Fengyun's horse's buttocks. When he entered the Jiaofang, he was stopped by someone as a servant, and Fengyun laughed at him later.

"Don't dare to compare with Lord Feng's horse." Qing Ping pulled out a black horse from behind, and said with a smile: "Although there is no horse, it will not make Lord Feng lose face."

Feng Yun let out a huff, and the horse also breathed out from its nose.Qing Ping got on his horse and said in his mouth: "Go, go, old horses know the way. If you are looking for flowers and willows, you need Mr. Feng to lead the way. Otherwise, you don't know where to find these flowers and willows."

"The perfumer used to live in Danan Lane. He moved to the back of our teaching workshop the year before last. He never went out on weekdays. Only a servant came out to buy things. If someone in the teaching workshop wanted to match some incense, he would write a note and ask Just send it to her place."

The clerk of Jiaofang bowed his head and finished speaking, leading Qingping and Fengyun into a small path, surrounded by overgrown vegetation, as if no one had taken care of them for a long time.When she got to a wooden door, the clerk stuck the lantern in his hand into the door knocker. Feng Yun rewarded her with a tael of silver, and the clerk left with a wink.

Feng Yun withdrew her smile, and said softly: "Qingping, you just go in, and I'll help you watch outside."

Seeing her worried look, Qing Ping cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "Thank you very much."

Feng Yun evaded sideways, sighed, helped her up and said, "Now that you are a servant, and your official position is above mine, you don't need to thank me... It's just Qingping, forgive me for asking, what did you do? Everything in it, does not violate the laws of the country, is it normal and disciplined?"

Qingping was silent for a long time, and said: "Yes."

Feng Yun's knuckles loosened slightly, his throat moved, and he wanted to say a lot but couldn't, so he said, "Hurry up and go."

Qingping turned around and left, stopped again, thought for a while and said: "Nagaze, everything I do is half out of selfishness, half out of seeking justice, and I will never do anything that will endanger the community or disturb the court .”

When the night wind picked up, a faint red light in the incense burner gradually extinguished, and the light fragrance was blown away by the wind. One hand lifted the lid, and fiddled with the inside of the incense burner with a silver bar.The woman glanced at it, withdrew her hand, dipped the other half of the incense pill into clear water, looked at it carefully, and said: "I haven't seen this kind of technique for a long time, I didn't notice it for a while, and I made the guests wait for a long time."

Qing Ping said: "It's okay, I hope Your Excellency will tell you what kind of spices are in this incense pill."

The woman glanced at her and said: "The guest wants to come from an extraordinary background, but if it involves private matters in the house, please forgive me for not revealing it at will."

Qing Ping took out a brocade bag from his sleeve, put it on the table, and said: "No, I'm just doing things for the adults in the family, little servant, please say yes."

The woman took the brocade bag, loosened the knot, was dazzled by the golden color inside, looked around, then put away the brocade bag, and said: "The guest asks sincerely, so I know everything. Chenzhou produces spices, the formula There are too many to count. The guest's incense balls are a bit special. One is that they use cold sandalwood, which is a precious thing. Second, the spices used in this incense ball are so wide that it is impossible to distinguish them one by one. But please rest assured. , this incense pill is only for calming the nerves and calming the mind, it has only benefits and no harm, and it can be regarded as a well-intentioned perfumer. Such methods must be masters who are proficient in medicine and perfumery!"

Qing Ping lowered his eyes, and said: "I heard that this cold sandalwood has many uses, and it is often used in the land of wind and moon..."

"Hey, the guest is really confused, must have heard it from hearsay?" The woman waved her hand and said disdainfully: "What do those people know, how can such a precious thing as cold sandalwood be used casually by others?"

Qingping was puzzled in his heart, but his face was still calm, the woman said again: "Ah, I see, the guests must have heard about the rules of this fireworks place, to be honest, this incense does have some uses..."

She smiled ambiguously and said: "...This thing is called Heluan, and it is usually worn on the body only as a lavender, but it is a little different when it is accompanied by ordinary grass burning."

Qingping thought for a moment, then said: "Does your excellency know the fragrance of Heluan?"

The woman shook her head and said: "The guests don't know. Only the elders in the temple in Chenzhou could make this kind of ancient incense recipe a hundred years ago. Even if ordinary people get the recipe, they don't know how to do it. People who know how to do it now There are very few of them, and I can only identify them, not adjust them.”

The steward thought, the adults must be crazy.

Holding a cup of tea, Qingping said calmly: "Yes, I said, burn incense and change clothes, I want to accept Xiaolang."

The steward glanced at the man with heavy make-up in tulle, and then at Zhang Feng who was standing aside. He felt that he still needed to persuade his lord that he would not make the backyard uneasy if he acted like this.

The steward tentatively said, "My lord, this is a bit hasty, why don't we wait until tomorrow and get all Najib's things ready?"

"Alright." Qingping lowered his head and sipped his tea, "Take a bath the day after tomorrow, and I'll finish my work tomorrow night."

The steward looked tremblingly at Zhang Feng who bowed his head, swallowed his saliva and retreated.

That's all, the adults can do whatever they want, and the steward can't help but sigh in his heart. The daughter's family has now entered the court and entered the palace, and the lintel is shining brightly. It's time to think about spreading the branches and leaves, isn't it just... I'm a little anxious what.

When Qing Ping came back to the mansion, the steward had already decorated the mansion properly, and the red lanterns were hanging under the eaves and swaying in the wind, which was indescribably weird.

Qing Ping glanced at it, thought it over, she didn't ask anyone to withdraw, at least it was the caretaker's wish, and she didn't have to think too much.Entering the room to take a shower and change clothes, the steward brought another set of wedding clothes, Qingping looked at her for a while, and could only repeat what he had just said in his heart.

Forget it, she pulled herself together, changed into this wedding dress, and then dragged a wooden chair in the study to the middle of the room, and placed four more incense burners in the room. In the room, the light and elegant aroma of Han Ou has become rich and fragrant.

The steward poked his head in and felt that the incense in the room was a little too heavy today, "My lord, it has been delivered."

The man was helped into the room tremblingly, and the servants all looked down at the ground, and their movements were extremely fast. Seeing this, Qingping smiled coldly, and ordered: "Everyone back down, no matter what sounds you hear in the future, don't worry about it." Don't come out."

The steward was dumbfounded, turned his head to look at Xin Xiaolang, feeling pity in his heart.The man also trembled all over, and was helped into his yard pitifully.

Mrs. Li, who was supposed to be turned into a red wave and spent a good spring|night, sat on a chair with a blank face. She listened to the erratic beeping sound, she didn't know where her eyes fell, and she slid down her sleeves happily. Showing a white arm, she moved her fingers lightly, as if she was thinking about something.

In the silent night, there was suddenly the sound of someone's footsteps, walking all the way from the courtyard without stopping, the visitor obviously knew where the main courtyard was, and came looking for it.

Qingping raised his eyes, there was a wind blowing outside, the shadows of the trees swayed and reflected on the window.

The footsteps stopped in front of the door, she changed her posture, twisted her sore neck, and waited for the man to come in.

Sure enough, the door was pushed open abruptly, and the visitor fixedly looked at her, and said coldly: "Li Qingping, what are you doing?"

The author has something to say: huh~