The legitimate daughter was reborn, and the emperor’s little Jiaojiao went crazy.

Chapter 1114 Extra: Song Shenzhi and Nanyan (4)

Nan Yan is willing to listen to her wife and wait until the most appropriate time to marry.

The lady said that the Song family was talented and the court had originally intended to pardon them, but had been unable to find a good reason.

Song Yuanjiu was Yi Yi's mentor, and this was a personal relationship. Song Xizhi followed Master Huang around to run schools, which was of great significance, but it was not enough.

Only Song Shenzhi handled more than a dozen difficult and major cases without any achievements, and he also risked his life to protect the court officials.

This was enough to pardon the Song family's sins. Both the retired emperor Xiao Yunde and Emperor Wenxuan meant the same thing.

But at this moment, Nan Yan got involved, which changed the whole thing a bit. Just look at what Song Shenzhi thinks.

Sure enough, in the following days, rumors of dissatisfaction gradually began to spread around. Some said that in order to avoid punishment, the Song family asked their eldest son to please the maidservant around Princess Haiyan, and that Princess Haiyan was partial to someone.

If this happened to a sensitive scholar, Nan Yan would have a hard time even if she married him.

So we have to wait. Nan Yan was not in a hurry, "I will listen to my wife in everything."

Shi Anxia patted her head lovingly, "If you're obedient, you won't have to suffer so much."

On the other side, Mrs. Song, after hearing so many negative comments, was afraid that her husband and son would be upset, so she comforted them, "Don't listen to the rumors outside and get angry for no reason."

As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

Song Shenzhi gently pressed the back of his mother's trembling hand and said in a calm voice, "Mother, the gossip outside should just be like the wind blowing through your ears."

Princess Haiyan's kindness to the Song family was real, warming their frozen bones with charcoal fire and filling their hungry stomachs with rice.

Not only that, if the eldest princess had not saved her father's life with a golden medal of immunity from death, the Song family would have been a handful of nameless wasteland in a mass grave.

It was because of the eldest princess that these criminals, who were supposed to "wear shackles and walk barefoot on the icy river", were able to hold a warm bowl of rice, keep a charcoal brazier burning in the winter, and cool down in the ice basin on the summer night.

Song Shenzhi enumerated the favors the Song family had received, "We've taken all the benefits, and we're not even allowed to talk about it? Where in the world can such a good thing happen?"

Song Xizhi also said, "That's right, brother is right. We will remember the great grace of heaven. We must also remember the princess's kindness. But the princess has been tarnished with a bad name because of us, and I feel really bad about it."

Song Yuanjiu was very pleased to see that his sons' temperaments were not affected. He said, "In the future, working hard to do practical things will be the best reward for the princess."

So, Song Shenzhi found a gardener and began to learn how to grow peonies.

Everyone in the Song family knew that when the peonies bloomed, Song Shenzhi would get married.

The days are full of hope. Those idle gossips are really not worth mentioning, just laugh it off.

Seeing the Song family's frank attitude, Shi Anxia also agreed to the marriage.

Song Shenzhi was a calm and steady person, a good match for marriage. For a scholar like him, early hardship and suffering might not necessarily be a blessing in later life.

It is said that only by enduring hardship can one become a master.

The engagement was simple and Nan Yan was happily ready to get married.

Shi Anxia began to prepare Nan Yan's dowry. She knew that Nan Yan had little family background, and the man from the Song family she was going to marry was even poorer, with nothing at home.

Those flashy ornaments were given less and were all replaced with practical things.

The heavy camphorwood box was filled with a fluffy quilt as big as a cloud, as well as bowls and plates, new rice, lard, coarse salt, cloth, silk thread, etc.

In addition, Shi Anxia helped Nan Yan sell the house she had purchased in the old capital, and added another 1,000 taels of silver to her as a dowry.

Romance cannot survive the cold winter, only the "mundane things" such as firewood, rice, oil and salt can last forever.

Nan Yan's parents were still living in the old capital, unaware of their daughter's impending marriage. As long as they didn't default on the ten taels of silver they gave as a tribute every year, they wouldn't bother her.

Nan Yan was willing to pay ten taels to buy a peace of mind for her life, but forget about anything more.

Before Nan Yan got married, Shi Anxia said to her, "Nan Yan, remember one thing, you are marrying a person, not a shackle."

"If he treats you like a pearl, you will grow old with him. If he treats you like dust... come back and I will support you."

This is the armor that Madam made for her personally. Nan Yan hugged Madam and cried bitterly, "Madam, why are you so good to me?"

Shi Anxia smiled but did not answer.

Bei Hui, Dong Zhi, Xi Yue, and Hong Que all answered with a smile, "Because Madam is so good to us... Hahahahaha..."

There were tears in that smile. Each of them was a treasure in Madam's heart. Madam would not let them suffer the slightest injustice.

When the peonies bloomed, Nan Yan married into the Song family.

Later, the Song family moved from a small courtyard into a spacious mansion. No matter how the layout of the courtyard changed, they would always deliberately set aside a piece of space and carefully plant various kinds of peonies.

The Song Shenzhi brothers passed the imperial examination and ranked second and third respectively. They overcame all obstacles along the way and climbed to higher positions.

The two of them had served as deputies to all the important cabinet officials of the time, from the confidential counselor of the chief minister, to the criminal and financial adviser of the second minister, to the military assistant of the Grand Secretary of the Dongke.

When every superior left office, he wished he could "put them in his sleeves and take them away."

They became the two "master keys" in the imperial city, able to unlock the nine mysteries and solve the accumulated problems of hundreds of government offices, but they were always relegated to the position of deputy, without the title of being in charge of the government, but with the actual power to establish the throne.

In addition, Song Shenzhi was a well-known "flower maniac" in Beijing. No matter how delicate the flowers and trees were, in his hands, dead branches could sprout new buds and sick plants could be revived.

He is good at painting peonies.

People only think that he is a great man who has established his power in the imperial court, but they don't know that under the red and purple dragon robe, those hands that stir up the wind and clouds, their most gentle destination is to open a flowery step under the moon for his wife, to plant the east wind every year, and to guard a garden of peonies to welcome the spring.

Nan Yan was immersed in a sweet and peaceful life. She still worked for the lady for most of the year, earning a monthly salary.

Song Shenzhi built a small courtyard on the bank of the Luocheng River in Liang State, which was across the river. The courtyard had green tiles and white walls, and a boat could be seen through the window.

We each pursue our own future and share the hardships.

Under every eaves where the southern geese stay, new soil will be turned and new buds will break through the soil.

Peonies are either in bud or in full bloom, just like Song Shenzhi's unspoken confession: When you are not around, I will come to wait for you with spring.

The peonies in the courtyard bloom brightly year after year. Nan Yan asked Song Shenzhi, "Husband, why are you so good to me?"

Song Shenzhi replied, "Because... I'm afraid that next time you cook noodles for me, you'll get angry and not put the fried egg in it."

The children who were eavesdropping outside the window immediately covered their mouths and laughed. From then on, they knew that their father, who was so powerful in the court and feared by all the officials, was secretly most afraid that his mother would withhold the golden fried egg in the bowl of noodles.

Song Shenzhi held his wife's hand, the tip of his brush hovering above the rice paper. He had promised to teach her calligraphy every day, and he had kept his promise.

But Nan Yan was not the type to practice calligraphy. While writing, she would fall asleep in her husband's arms.

Song Shenzhi smiled and lowered his head, then gently picked up Nan Yan and put her into the tent.

She was like a drop of ink, dripping into his heart, grinding into his bones and blood, and from then on being written into the morning and evening lamplight of his years.

He wanted to watch the peony flowers bloom with her, grow old together, and never be separated.