"Ashu, you are a student of Yi so you must have heard of it.
Female Chenzheng, Xia Jiangnan. " Yu Shu shook her head honestly. She knew that Xia Mingming's original surname was not Xia but a compound surname, Xia Jiang. Ever since she entered the capital, she had been busy making a living and did not have the time to find out more about Xia Jiang's family.
Xia Mingming sighed and said, "Sometimes I think you're really strange. You obviously know a lot of things, but you don't know the things that normal traders are familiar with." Yu Shu smiled and said, "I'm ignorant and inexperienced. Tell me, I'm listening."
Xia Mingming held the teacup tightly and softly narrated the history of Da An dynasty, "About a hundred years ago, there were two sons of Yi in the same dynasty, one with the surname Xia and the other with the surname Wen. This was the first time they had met in the hundred years since Da Yan's trial. At that time, the Emperor was delighted and bestowed titles, one was Wen Chen, representing the brightness of the stars in the north. The other was Xia Jiang, representing the vastness of the Yangtze River in the Central Plains. The two sons of Wen Chen and Xia Jiang were favored by the Emperor. Because the son of Wen Chen was older and the position of the Celestial Commissioner was vacant, the Emperor appointed him to be the Emperor's son-in-law.
This was the story of a hundred years ago. "This was the second time Yu Shu heard of the names of the sons of Yi in the history of Da An dynasty. The first time was at Cao Zixin's place. She still remembered that the two sons of Yi were Qing Yang and Yun Hua. According to the time, Xia Jiang and Wen Chen came before the two of them.
But why did the Emperor of Da An dynasty like to betroth the princesses to the sons of Yi? Was it because he wanted to keep the goodies within the family?
Twenty years ago, the son of Yun Hua was the same. He married the Grand Princess but unfortunately, he died early and the princess died for love. The two of them used this tragedy to become a story of the later generations.
"Who would have thought that the good times would not last long? For some unknown reason, Xia Jiang and Wen Chen became enemies with each other. Even the Emperor could not force them to be together. The two of them were unwilling to work together in the imperial court, so they both asked to resign. The Emperor had no choice but to give them two cities in the north and the south. Wen Chen was in the north, while Xia Jiang was in the south. From then on, the two of them changed their surnames to be given to their descendants to show the Emperor's respect." Yu Shu rested her chin on her hands, listening with great interest. She interrupted, "So your surname is Xia Jiang, so you are the descendant of Xia Jiang Yi Zi." "That's my ancestor."
Yu Shu nodded. "Go on."
After being interrupted by Yu Shu, Xia Ming forgot what he was going to say. He thought for a while and continued, "The guests of the world admired the name of the Yi Zi. They all came to seek advice. In the south, they looked for Xia Jiang, in the north, they looked for Wen Chen. Both Xia Jiang and Wen Chen were friendly people and did not reject anyone. Every day, there was an endless stream of people coming to the door. At that time, the Emperor wanted to separate the two of them from each other. Who would have thought that after ten years, the guests of the world became divided into the north and the south. Every year, the Dayan met in the capital. Wen Chen was the number one guest of the north and Xia Jiang was the number one guest of the south. They could not tolerate each other. Once this happened, the imperial court debated endlessly. There were even people who said that Wen Chen and Xia Jiang were up to no good and instigated the north and south to exchange guests. " When Yu Shu heard this, she was secretly speechless. It seemed that having two Yi Zi in the same imperial court was not a good thing. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers.
"Fortunately, the Emperor was wise and did not listen to the slanderous words of the lowly people. Instead, he ordered the Celestial Commissioner to build the Imperial Historian's Library. After the Dayan examination, the guests of the north and south could choose people who could be taught there to further their studies.
Yu Shu's expression turned serious. She secretly thought that the Emperor's methods were brilliant. This way, it did not matter if one was from the south or the north. As long as one had potential, once they arrived in the capital and entered the Imperial Historian's Library, they would have to unify and educate them. Not only did this solve the dilemma of the guests of the north and south, it also strengthened the position of the Celestial Commissioner.
Xia Ming Ming licked his lips and lowered his head to drink a mouthful of cold tea. He said in a daze, "A few decades ago, the ancestors Xia Jiang and Wen Chen passed away. The two families were not as prosperous as before. On the surface, they were still the representatives of the guests of the north and south. In every generation, there would be one or two people, but they no longer had the elegance of the past. Therefore, in order to revitalize the family, from my grandfather's generation, we began to send the children of the family to the deep mountains to seek Dao. However, our Xia Jiang family's incense was not strong. In my generation, there were six sisters of the same generation, but only one cousin inherited the incense. " Yu Shu rubbed her chin. She thought about what she had eavesdropped on Fourth Miss Xia Jiang talking about going to Mount Longhu to seek Dao.
"Going to the mountains to seek Dao, not to mention suffering, we might not even be able to enter the mountain gate of Daoism. Great-grandfather set a rule that all the children of the Xia Jiang family who were sent to the mountains to seek Dao would not be allowed to return home if they gained nothing. Therefore, there were people who died of old age outside, and there were also those who could not bear it and left the family. At that time, I was young and ignorant. I almost caused Fourth Sister to take the place of Second Sister. We have never been on good terms, so it is natural that she would hate me. " Yu Shu could hear the regret and sadness in Xia Mingming's voice. She more or less sympathized with her. Being born in such a family, being mediocre was a mistake.
Just as she was about to comfort her, Yu Shu suddenly felt that something was wrong. She still remembered that when they were camping in the mountains, Xia Mingming had claimed that she was the "trash of the Xia Jiang family". However, after these days of interaction, Xia Mingming was obviously a good seedling with good aptitude. If she studied hard, she might be able to achieve something. Even if her dreams were useless, she should not be trash. Could it be that all her peers in the family were weirdos like her Fourth Sister?
"Mingming, let me ask you. Are there any other sisters in your family who are studying in Taishi Library?" Xia Mingming did not know that Yu Shu was testing her. She shook her head and said, "Only my Fourth Sister got in."
That was strange. Yu Shu touched her chin and looked at Xia Mingming suspiciously. She had a vague guess in her heart, but she could not hide it, so she asked.
"Mingming, other than you, is there anyone else in your family who can dream about the afterlife?"
Hearing this, Xia Mingming was stunned. She averted her eyes and said unnaturally, "Why, why are you asking this?" Looking at her expression, Yu Shu already knew the answer. Because it was a secret of the Xia Jiang family, she did not pursue the matter. Even though she was extremely curious, it turned out that Xia Mingming was not the only one in the Xia Jiang family whose dreams could be solved. It was just that her dream was the weakest.
"Alright, it's getting late. Let's go back." Yu Shu picked up a piece of dessert from the plate on the table and put it in her mouth.
Xia Mingming said, "Go back? But my Fourth Sister, she … "
I haven't talked to her yet. "" Are you planning to spend the night here? "Yu Shu asked." I think you won't be able to see her today. "Based on Xia Mingming's angry expression when Fourth Sister left, the two of them would quarrel whenever they met.
Xia Mingming said anxiously, "How can I do that? I didn't dream about the specific day of her accident. What if it happened tonight?" Yu Shu patted her shoulder and said fearlessly, "Didn't you say it happened on a rainy day? Don't worry, I'm here. Let me tell you, it won't rain for the next three days. You can come back tomorrow to persuade her." "That's right, Ashu, your Qingyu's predictions are the best." Xia Mingming's face revealed a hint of happiness, but then she said worriedly, "Are you sure it won't rain today?"
"I'm sure, I'm sure. Alright, let's go, we can still make it in time for dinner if we go back earlier." Yu Shu pulled Xia Mingming out without saying a word. When they reached the staircase, they were stopped by the smiling waiter, "Dear guests, have you finished your tea? Would you like to settle the bill?" Yu Shu said, "Settle the bill? I've already paid. I only ordered a pot of cloud and gave you the money immediately. "
The waiter stretched out his hand and pointed to the private room behind them, "I'm talking about that table."
Yu Shu frowned and pulled Xia Mingming's ear, "Your Fourth Sister didn't pay for the food?"
"… I don't think so." Yu Shu cursed her bad luck and turned to ask the waiter, "How much is it?" "Thank you for your patronage, a pot of Da Hong Pao and four kinds of pastries, the total is five taels and seventy jiao."
Yu Shu's face stiffened. She scolded Xia Mingming and her Fourth Sister in her heart. She reluctantly took the money bag and took out all the silver and jiao inside, barely enough to count.
Xia Mingming knew she was worried about money, so she didn't dare to say anything. Seeing her pay the bill and ask the waiter for oiled paper, she asked in confusion, "What do you need paper for?"
Yu Shu glared at her, "What else can I do? These are several taels of pastries, don't you need to pack them?"
"What's with that expression? I'll put it on your bill and settle it later."
“”
It was already afternoon when Yu Shu and Xia Mingming returned to their home on Huixing Street. Before they reached the door, they heard laughter in their courtyard. Yu Shu was puzzled and quickened her steps. Xia Mingming followed closely behind her.
The courtyard door was half open. Jing Chen and Yu Xiaoxiu were sitting in the courtyard. There were two people with their backs to the door. From their backs, they were a young girl and an old woman. Yu Shu could hear their laughter from afar.
Seeing outsiders in their house, Yu Shu frowned. In order to prevent Jing Chen from contacting outsiders, she didn't talk to the surrounding neighbors. Where did these people come from?
"Brother, you're back!"
Yu Xiaoxiu saw Yu Shu first. When he called, Jing Chen was the first to turn his face. Then the two guests got up from the stool and turned their heads to look.
When Yu Shu saw the face, she was stunned for a moment. She recognized the woman. She was the aunt of the house across the street. Her surname was Xu. But what about the girl? If she remembered correctly, this girl had come to her stall to ask for fortune telling. It seemed that her surname was Zhou.
The reason why she remembered it clearly was that she took Jing Chen to set up the stall that day. It was because of this Miss Zhou that she returned home early.
When the girl saw Yu Shu, she smiled and said, "Mr. Yu." Yu Shu was stunned and nodded in response, "Miss Zhou."
"You still remember me?" Miss Zhou pouted and angrily said, "I thought you had already forgotten about me. That day I was waiting for you on the street the whole morning, but I didn't see you. You said you were going to test my horoscope. Are you going back on your word?" Before Yu Shu could reply, Xia Mingming heard the girl questioning Yu Shu in a coquettish voice. She was unhappy. She had something on her mind and couldn't bear to see Yu Shu be happy. She pulled Yu Shu aside and asked in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, "Who is this?"
"Someone who had my fortune told at my stall." Yu Shu turned her head to look at Miss Zhou and Aunt Xu. She hesitated and said, "You two are …?"
Aunt Xu smiled and said, "Fangfang is my niece. She came to see me today. Coincidentally, there was a lack of vinegar for lunch. So I asked her to come to your house to borrow it. I didn't expect you two to know each other." Zhou Fangfang turned her head to look at Jing Chen. She said sweetly, "It was Jing Dage who opened the door. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have recognized him."
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