New Shun 1730

In the Duke of Qi's mansion, Tian Zhenyi was bored listening to the old woman in front of her talking about some private matters between men and women after marriage.

She said it in an obscure and difficult way, using many metaphors and metaphors, and saying some mysterious words such as yin and yang.

However, Tian Zhenyi already knew these things. Her boudoir friends had already married, and they would talk about private matters from time to time when they got together. She herself had also read some banned books.

At this time, Tian Zhenyi just wanted to laugh, especially after hearing the old woman use some strange metaphors, she really couldn't help it.

But thinking that if she looked like she knew everything at this time, she might be laughed at, so she had to lower her head and try to hold her breath, so that her face would turn red, pretending to be seven points shy.

The old woman saw Tian Zhenyi blushing with shame, and hurriedly said, "Miss, don't be shy. This kind of thing is the harmony of yin and yang, and the great etiquette of human relations. You can't be ignorant of it in the future."

The old woman thought Tian Zhenyi was shy, but she didn't know that Tian Zhenyi's blushing face was a show for her.

Seeing that the old woman believed it, she nodded shyly, holding back the smile under those strange metaphors until the old woman finished speaking.

After everyone left, Tian Zhenyi flipped through the calendar on the table and sighed quietly.

It has been several years since the two of them met, became close friends, and finally decided on the big thing.

But even if it is decided now, it is still too early to get married.

She knows a lot of things, maybe more than some ministers, and even more than her future parents-in-law, such as the war against Japan.

So she knew in her heart that the wedding date would most likely be after Liu Yu returned from Ryukyu.

She didn't have to worry about the wedding. This was not just a wedding, but also a marriage within the circle of nobles, so it would naturally be held in a grand manner.

She just thought that even if the two of them got married, she couldn't go to Weihai, and they might still be apart more often than together.

The court had regulations that nobles were not allowed to bring their families with them when they left their towns; Gao, who was permanently stationed in Yunnan and Guizhou, was considered a semi-real title, following the example of Mu Qiangong of the previous dynasty, and was not included in this list.

The families of nobles had to stay in the capital honestly. Anyway, they had to solve some physiological problems, and they could take concubines in the place where they left their towns.

Fortunately, in the previous letter, Liu Yu did not choose "to govern Nanyang and be the Grand Protector of the Western Regions", but thought that it would be better to enter the court in the future, which finally gave her hope.

If she really chose to govern Nanyang in the future, it would be even more impossible for her to leave the capital. The letter was beautiful, but the goose's cry was sad after all, and what about the goose's possible going to Nanyang?

She couldn't actively apply to the emperor for such a thing, so she could only passively wait for the emperor to "grant her favor and special permission", but she thought it seemed unlikely.

"Hey..."

Facing the newly produced glass mirror in Weihai, holding her chin, looking at the person inside, she sat silently for a long time.

The books on the bookshelf next to her had not been moved for some days. The maid was cleaning the glass in the side room. Tian Zhenyi just sat there quietly.

Until the Western clock rang a few times, she came back to her senses.

Looking at the time, she went to see her mother first, talked for a while, and then went around to her father.

The Duke of Qi was waiting for her there. He had spoiled this daughter since she was a child. In the eyes of people in the circle, he was already a little doting, such as allowing women to ride horses, hunt and play.

The matter with Liu Yu was also tacitly approved by the Duke of Qi.

Tian Zhenyi entered the house, bowed to her father, and then sat aside.

The Duke of Qi was still recalling the feeling of being pointed at and scolded in the court because of the shipping matter, but there was no dissatisfaction on his face in the court, but he was smiling.

Thinking of Liu Yu's performance in this matter, Duke Qi asked: "Shou Chang mentioned the matter of grain transport and sea transportation to you, right?"

"Yes. He did."

"Did you remind him to keep silent in the court? He didn't say anything, but I was scolded by a group of people."

"Uh..."

Carefully looking at her father's face, seeing that her father was not angry, Tian Zhenyi also laughed and said: "Father is very well-mannered. He swallowed the spit on his face, but he was not angry."

"Hahahaha... You did the right thing, you did a good job. Why should I be angry? Being scolded in the court, isn't that a common thing? I'm just worried that Shou Chang will say something again. Seeing that he didn't say anything, I was still wondering who woke him up."

There was three parts of pride and seven parts of relief in her tone. She was proud of her daughter and relieved that Liu Yu, who was too aggressive in doing things before, was finally controlled by someone. It would do no harm to remind him more in the future.

The two families are married, and they will have to bear the relationship in the future. In the past, I had a crush on Liu Yu because of his sharpness, but now I am a little flustered, still because of Liu Yu's sharpness.

"Zhenyi, there is no need to hide some things from you, and I think it can't be hidden. I estimate that the wedding date will be in July or August, and you know the reason."

"Your Majesty will most likely show mercy and allow you to go to Weihai. I am not worried about anything else, but only about one thing."

Tian Zhenyi was not shy when talking to her daughter about the wedding date directly, and she felt it was normal.

Hearing that the emperor might show mercy and allow her to go to Weihai, her heart was beating fast, and she really wanted to ask her father if this was true? How sure was he?

But thinking that she didn't need to be shy about knowing the wedding date, if she really asked this directly, she would be a little embarrassed.

She had to put away her thoughts and listen to what her father said he was worried about. After thinking about it, she didn't think there was anything to worry about.

"What is father worried about?"

Duke Guo of Qi stood up, shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Before the ban on religion, this foreign religion spread very quickly among the noble women in the capital. If you talk about asking for blessings from gods, I think it is no different from believing in Buddhism and seeking Tao. But there is one thing, this foreign religion The teaching prohibits concubinage, and this fact alone was enough to spread the word among the noble women in the capital. Your mother almost believed it back then. "

"Nowadays, religion is banned, but Weihai is quite different. Many foreigners work as instructors in the navy, and there are also some family members in the local area. There are churches there. One is to take care of those people's desire to pray to God, and the other is If the family members don’t go to Shou Chang, they won’t be able to recruit the best people.”

"Anyway, be careful when you get there. I know Shou Chang's temperament. He doesn't like women staying at home. When the time comes, you will have to take care of many things, so it is inevitable that you will be exposed. Many local women are religious. Can you do this? Be very careful not to do this because foreign religions prohibit taking concubines..."

"Many people are watching Shou Chang. It is impossible for Weihai to expel all the Westerners for the time being. There are too many troubles inside."

At that time, Catholicism was very powerful in the capital. There were a lot of missionaries in the court, and there were two or three churches near the Forbidden City alone.

One was built by Matteo Ricci during the Wanli period of the previous dynasty; the other was built by Lesi. The latter stems from some inside stories about the death of Zhang Xianzhong in the Daxi Army. As a missionary who served in the Daxi Army, he gave a record of Zhang Xianzhong’s death and last words that was completely different from that of Zhang Xianzhong’s adopted sons, which became a legend in the Daxi Army. The key to the disintegration of the rest of the Great Western Region.

Until the prohibition of Christianity, Catholicism took the upper-class route, especially the dogma that prohibited concubinage, which soon had a great influence on women.

When Tian Zhenyi heard that her father was worried about this, she smiled softly and said: "Father, you are too worried. Women believe too much in gods, Buddhas and gods. They just stay at home all day long and are extremely bored, so they seek to have something to rest in their hearts. . Or a foreign religious gathering, with someone to accompany you, to avoid emptiness.”

"Even if His Majesty is merciful and allows me to stay in Weihai, how can I stay at home and be bored?"

"Furthermore, although I like practical learning, most of the people who knew practical learning were missionaries in the past. If you want to learn practical learning, you need to contact missionaries. Now how can the missionary's skills compare to him? As for the local women, even if I have contact, Not many Western women know this kind of knowledge.”

"I was worried that my father would say that because I went to Europe and saw a woman in public, I felt it was offensive, so I came here to warn my daughter. It turns out that this is what I said...Father can rest assured. If you believe in religion, you will regret it later if you pretend to convert. It is common in Western stories. If you really have the intention to take concubines, even if you believe in religion, you will not be able to stop it; if you don’t have this intention, you will not have the intention to take concubines. "

Qi Guogong took a look at his daughter, thinking about his daughter's usual views on Buddhism and Taoism, and said with a smile: "Yes, I worry too much. But although I am not enlightened about public appearances, I don't care too much. Treat you. If you get married, you won't have any family members, and I can't care less. I know Shou Chang's temperament, and he is neither willing nor willing. You are also a bird who wants to fly out of the cage, so what's the use of me telling you? "

"There's one more thing. This is what I think. In the future, if you try to persuade them to stick to the rules, then you should retreat. If His Majesty establishes the Academy of Sciences in the future, he already likes practical learning. At that time, he will retreat to the capital to serve as the Academy of Sciences' sacrificial wine. That’s good too. There are so many things in the world, how can we manage them all?”

Tian Zhenyi hummed and agreed generously, but thought in her heart, I won't talk about this matter.

The third brother regards practical learning as a tool. In my opinion, it is not really a hobby, it is just a tool.

Does the woodcutter like axes? Do fishermen like fishing nets?

When the time comes, it will make him think that I don’t understand him, so why bother?

Even if you are rich and glorious, if you can't do what you want to do, it will be boring. Then what's the point of being unhappy every day?

It is nothing more than worrying that the cunning rabbit will die and the lackeys will be cooked; the high bird will be gone and the good bow will be hidden. To advance or retreat is to give up your original intention. The third brother's true intention is not to achieve glory, so why should he do such things against his will?

Before, everything in the world was the king's land, and the shores of the land were all the king's ministers. If the Tao fails, he may hide in the mountains or ride on a boat in the sea and express a few complaints, showing the attitude of Song Confucian women.

Why not be happy in this world? If things really don't go well, where in the seven seas and four continents can't the third brother make a career with his abilities? Where can't you be happy and free?

Just don’t go, if you really don’t want to retreat, then don’t retreat. Even if you get to the point where you will die if you don’t retreat, a vigorous fight is better than living against your will and living against your will.

Thinking of this, Tian Zhenyi felt a strange sweetness in her heart.

I thought, if he has the intention to cure the world's diseases with slow and steady repairs, he will be successful and retire in the future. Then he can fulfill his promise back then and ride the balloon together to move naturally and follow the wind as he pleases.

I'm afraid that by then he will be an old man, and I will have gray hair on my temples, but I don't know if I can withstand the torment of dancing in the wind?

If he is careless, he thinks that the disease cannot be cured stably and that he needs to resort to hasty methods of knife and stone. The worst he can do is die. Even so, it is better to lament that great things have not happened before dying than to die of illness in bed depressed and crying a few times.

If I could only choose to be a virtuous woman or a witch, I would rather be the witch and a troublemaker. Father, it’s better not to expect me to advise him on such things.

Thinking like this in my heart, I understand that such things cannot be said, and there is no need to say them. The future is not known yet, so why bother arguing with these useless words at this time?

It's better to follow your father's words and be a good girl. After you get married, who can know what the pillow talk is about?

"Father, I have taken note of what you said. If what you said is true, then the Academy of Sciences may be a good place to go. But I think it will take more than ten years. As soil accumulates into mountains and water accumulates into rivers, I will slowly mention it."

Duke Qi nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile, "This is the best. You must know that there are advances and retreats to ensure a prosperous life. Of course, you have to do what you should do. You are smart and will figure it out. All I have done is to pray for the longevity of the country and to rest with the country. If he can understand this, my efforts will not be in vain."