Pray for rain

Chapter 22

Xie Wei replied: "The Holy Majesty wants to call father back to Beijing to discuss matters!"

Mrs. Xie burst into tears, and hugged Xie Yuan tightly: "Did Yuan Yuan hear that? We are going back with your father to see your grandfather!"

Xie Yuan was young and had never met his relatives, so it was hard to say how excited he was.But seeing Mrs. Xie weeping with joy, she wiped away the tears from Mrs. Xie's face and said with a smile, "Congratulations!"

On the side, Nanny Wen also burst into tears. She has been away from home for decades. Although she and Mrs. Xie have married and had children in Mobei, they still miss their relatives in Jiangnan very much.

Before leaving for Jiangnan, Mrs. Xie was very excited every day.Before dawn, she started preparing gifts to bring back to Beijing. Mrs. Xie's mother's family name was Bai, her father and brothers were both officials in the court, and there were a large number of people in the clan.So Mrs. Xie prepared a whole car just for presents. It's only early summer, but she even brought good furs for winter.

Taiwei Xie laughed at her face and said: "Obviously I will send someone to give gifts to the Bai family every year and festival, but this time you can't wait to evacuate the whole Yicheng."

In fact, Taiwei Xie was blaming himself in his heart. His wife married too far away, and he couldn't take her back to her natal home for more than [-] years, so he also sent someone to prepare a lot of good things for his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Before leaving, Mrs. Xie also made several sets of new clothes for Xie Wei and Xie Yuan.When trying on Xie Wei's clothes, Mrs. Xie smoothed the wrinkles on his shoulders, and said with a smile: "Ah Wei is not young this year, and I never heard you mentioning any girl you are interested in in Yicheng. This time I go to Kyoto. Be good..."

Xie Wei's heart tightened, and he interrupted Mrs. Xie helplessly: "Mother, I haven't started a career yet, how can I start a family?"

Mrs. Xie nodded his forehead, and said angrily: "Mother doesn't know you yet, why start a family and start a career, you just haven't met anyone you like."

Xie Wei smiled and said, "Not everyone is as lucky as father to be able to marry a good wife and mother like mother."

The folk customs in Mobei are open, and Mrs. Xie and Taiwei Xie have never felt sorry for Xie Wei in the matter of getting married because they met someone who wanted to marry each other.So Mrs. Xie just sighed when she heard what Xie Wei said, "You!"

A few days later in the early morning, Taiwei Xie handed over the affairs of Yicheng to his confidants, and took his wife on the carriage to Kyoto.

After walking for a few miles, Xie Wei and Taiwei Xie were riding horses outside the carriage. Hearing Xie Yuan's chattering noise and Madam Xie's laughter from inside the carriage, he glanced back at the lonely shadow in Zhongyi City, Chaoyang, and suddenly felt something in his heart. A trace of unfounded worry.

Taiwei Xie looked at his slightly worried face and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Wei shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

Because he brought several carts of things, tribute to the emperor, and gifts to the Bai family, he walked all the way for a month.From the unbearable heat in Mobei to the humidity in the south of the Yangtze River, Xie Yuan couldn't adapt, and suffered from several illnesses on the road, and never got out of the carriage from the beginning to the end.

On a rainy day, Xie's motorcade finally approached the capital.

Xie Yuan stretched out his hand from the window of the carriage to catch the rain, and the raindrops hit her hand, which even hurt a little.She murmured: "Mother, Yuanyuan has never seen such a heavy rain..."

Mrs. Xie asked her to take her hands back, wiped off the rain on her palms with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, "It's like this in Jiangnan."

Xie Yuan's face showed loneliness, she didn't understand anything, and she also knew that her father and brother were busy all day long for the drought in Yicheng, so she snuggled into Madam Xie's arms and said: "It would be great if there was such a heavy rain in Yicheng." Now, father and brother don't have to work so hard."

Hugging Xie Yuan tightly, Mrs. Xie sighed in her heart.She had already heard from Taiwei Xie that the reason for going to Beijing this time was because of the South-to-North Water Diversion.It's just that this matter is really too difficult to complete, Xie Taiwei and Xie Wei are not as relaxed as they appear on the surface, and I am afraid that they have been worried all the way.

In the rain and mist, Xie Wei raised the bamboo hat slightly, and saw a man galloping towards the towering city wall in the distance. When he saw Taiwei Xie, he dismounted and saluted: "Young Master, Elder Master Send the little one to pick you up."

This should be a servant of the Bai family, Taiwei Xie ordered someone to reward that servant with a red seal, the servant took the red seal neither humble nor overbearing, and thanked Taiwei Xie respectfully.I just heard the servant say: "Originally, the old man received a letter saying that you would arrive in two days, and asked the elder to pick you up outside the city gate, but today it suddenly rained heavily and there was no place to stay, so the elder ordered the villain to wait outside the city gate. Wait outside."

Xie Taiwei said: "It's raining so hard today, how can you wait for me in the rain. You lead the way ahead."

The servant answered yes, and got on his horse to lead the way for Taiwei Xie.

Xie Wei has been observing this servant, and found that although his face is respectful, there is always a feeling of discomfort.But he could only put aside this discomfort for the time being, and entered the city with the convoy.

The Bai family lives at the foot of the imperial city, and every inch of land in Kyoto is expensive.Just because the old man Bai is the current prime minister, and the Bai family is a double bachelor, so the Bai family's mansion looks magnificent and imposing.Before arriving at the Bai Mansion, Mr. Bai and several stewards were already waiting in front of the door.

Taiwei Xie got off his horse and saluted Mr. Bai: "I've seen you brother."

Grandpa Bai helped Taiwei Xie up, and said: "Please get up quickly, I was supposed to wait for you outside the city today, who knows that my legs hurt so badly when it rains, I'm really ashamed..."

Taiwei Xie smiled slightly and said, "Brother, what are you talking about..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Elder Bai looked at Xie Wei and said, "This is Ah Wei, he has grown so big."

Xie Wei saluted Elder Bai with a smile: "I've seen uncle."

After receiving this gift, Elder Bai said: "Stop standing at the door, let your mother and younger sister come down quickly, the old man and the old lady have been waiting for a long time!"

Madam Xie got out of the carriage, her face was full of tears, she called out, "Brother!"

Grandpa Bai sighed, he hadn't seen his younger sister for many years, and he missed her very much.He hurriedly asked someone to hold an umbrella for Mrs. Xie, and said, "Come in quickly!"

In the main courtyard, the old lady Bai was drinking tea slowly, while the old lady kept twisting the beads in her hand, and anxiously asked the maid next to her, "Why haven't you come back yet?"

Just as he was talking, he heard the servant outside the door shout loudly: "Young master and aunt are back!"

The old lady said: "Please!"

Taiwei Xie and his wife entered the inner room and bowed down in front of Old Master Bai and the old lady.After the family saluted, the old lady was already in tears.Although the old master Bai was worried, he couldn't help sighing when he saw that the corners of the eyes of the young girl who had been in Mobei for many years had wrinkles.

Old Master Bai said: "It's not in a hurry to reminisce about the old days. It rained so much today, and the Holy Majesty also sent a decree to let them enter the palace for an audience tomorrow. Let them go to rest for now."

The old lady nodded, reluctantly let go of Mrs. Xie's hand, and let the servants lead them to rest in the tidy yard.

Mrs. Xie and Nanny Wen directed the servants to move things in the courtyard, and then went to tidy Xie Yuan's bedroom in person.Taiwei Xie who was standing on the porch stopped Xie Wei, looked at the increasing rain, and asked, "What do you think of today's situation?"

Xie Wei smiled and said, "I will see what my father thinks." Then he followed Mrs. Xie to pack up his belongings, leaving Taiwei Xie to meditate in the rain.

Two tables of banquets were set up in the evening, and the old lady held Mrs. Xie with one hand and Xie Yuan with the other, smiling contentedly.Seeing the old lady's expression, the two aunts and the ladies of the Bai Mansion burst into laughter at the table.

On the old man Bai's side, Xie Wei drank the wine toasted by his cousins, and felt the dark tide on the table as they toasted each other.

After exchanging pleasantries, Master Bai asked Taiwei Xie: "What are your plans when you come back this time?"

Taiwei Xie smiled and said: "We as ministers can have any plans, it is what the Holy Majesty says." As soon as Taiwei Xie said this, Xie Wei saw that the faces of the old man and the two uncles were still full of smiles. Smile, and some of the cousins ​​have lost their temper and changed their faces.

The old man put down the wine glass in his hand and sighed: "The Holy Majesty wants to be famous in history, but he doesn't think how difficult this South-to-North Water Diversion is. How much manpower and money are needed!"

Xie Taiwei said: "Father-in-law is the reliance of the court, so he has a higher vision than my son-in-law. But if the Holy Majesty wants to do it, no matter how difficult the project is, I have to bite the bullet and do it, right?"

The old man smiled instead: "You are right."

Then the two uncles began to invite Xie Taiwei to drink again, and Xie Wei also smiled and clinked glasses with his cousins, and the atmosphere gradually became harmonious again.

After the banquet was over, Xie Wei helped the drunk Taiwei Xie back to Xie Wei's room.Taiwei Xie let go of Xie Wei's hand, sat at the table, and drank a cup of cold tea poured by Xie Wei before he heaved a sigh of relief.Facing Xie Wei, he said, "I'm afraid your grandfather didn't quite agree with the proposal of the South-to-North Water Diversion."

Xie Wei resisted the pain in his stomach, and sighed: "If my grandfather thinks the same way, I'm afraid there are more ministers in the court who will not agree."

Taiwei Xie also sighed: "When interests are involved, these old foxes will never let go."

Hearing Taiwei Xie describe his grandfather and uncles in this way, Xie Wei couldn't help smiling, and said, "Go back to your room quickly, or mother should be worried."

Taiwei Xie stood up and wanted to pat Xie Wei on the shoulder, but found that Xie Wei was already much taller than himself at some point, so he patted him on the back and said: "You also have a good rest, and I will accompany you tomorrow Mother is going to check the account."

After Taiwei Xie left, Xie Wei collapsed on the bed, looking at the luxurious Babu bed and the delicate gauze curtain above his head, he couldn't help feeling a little cold.Not to mention Yicheng, there are countless people in Mobei who are in dire straits due to lack of water, but the humerus ministers in the court are all afraid of harming their own interests, and sing against the holy majesty who is dedicated to the people.

Today's Holy Majesty is not a fatuous emperor who only cares about political achievements.On the contrary, he works hard for the people all day long, and is sympathetic to the hardships of the people in Mobei. In recent years, the country has been prosperous and the people are safe, and the treasury is rich, so he proposed to build the South-to-North Water Diversion Project.Build canals from the source of the Yangtze River and find ways to lead them to places where water is scarce.This method sounds unbelievable at first glance, but if you really want to accomplish it, you can try your best.

Xie Wei's stomach throbbed from being drunk too much by his cousins.Remembering that Mrs. Xie's dowry shops are mostly in the capital, he promised Mrs. Xie to check the accounts tomorrow.So he stopped thinking about government affairs, clenched his hands into fists, pressed against his stomach, and fell asleep faintly.