Song Wei was relieved and remembered his other son, "I saw Yuanbao when I entered the palace yesterday. He told me that he wanted to end this year."

Wen Wan calculated that it was only a few months since the autumn examination. "He was only fourteen years old, are you sure?"

"If you are not sure, let him experience it." Song Wei said: "With the first experience, you can at least avoid many problems when you enter the exam room later."

It was because he had no experience that he had leaked from the top of the account during the exam. He happened to be seriously ill, but he passed three exams in a daze, and almost failed the exam.

Wen Wan asked, "Then will he be able to leave the palace by taking the imperial examination?"

Song Wei pondered, "From Your Highness what he meant, it seemed that he would wait for Yuanbao to get married before he could release him."

"Then this child is still alive." Wen Wan suddenly felt a little sympathetic to Yuanbao, "My husband is an exception. He only got married at the age of 28. Although Yuanbao doesn't have to be so late, he has to be at least eighteen years old, right? He is too young, and I am afraid that he is not mature enough and cannot be responsible for the girl's family. From fourteen to eighteen years old, the days between this are not short."

"I'm just thinking." Song Wei agreed, "I plan to wait until Yuanbao is eighteen years old before arranging a marriage for him."

Wen Wan said again: "Eighteen years old is four years later. My husband's official rank may be able to rise, which means that the range of choices for Yuanbao can be wider, so that he will not like a rich daughter, and people will even dislike our mismatched family."

Song Wei agreed to these words.

Since ancient times, most marriages have paid attention to family background. There are not many things that are not suitable for families, but how many can the ending be good?

The writing is quite beautiful in the play, but in reality, it is better to be realistic.

Seeing that it was getting late, Wen Wan took the needle and thread and called her son who was sweating profusely. The family of three returned to the yard.

When I entered the room, I saw many gift boxes on the table. Wenwan looked at the man and asked where it came from.

Song Wei said: "The emperor specially rewarded it."

Wen Wan opened her eyes and saw that most of them were supplements that were beneficial to her daughter's family, and she once again showed doubts.

The truth has been revealed, and Song Wei no longer hides it, "The Emperor knows your existence."

Hearing this, Wen Wan suddenly realized why her husband could be rewarded with great rewards every time. The thousand acres of fertile land and the mansion they live in are not just rewarded because Song Wei made a contribution.

More because of her identity as the "Emperor's niece".

——

Without getting the painting, Song Wei went to the Lu family in person.

When the concierge heard that he was Song Wei, a big celebrity beside the emperor, he was stunned for a while before he realized that he hurriedly reported it to him.

Mr. Lu went out for something, and the one who got the news was Lu Pingzhou.

Lu Pingzhou asked someone to invite Song Wei in, and he went to meet him in person.

Front yard hall.

As soon as Song Wei entered the door, Lu Pingzhou followed him in. When he saw him, he looked polite and bowed: "It turns out that he is Lord Song, and he has long admired his name."

Song Wei replied in time, "I have met Mr. Lu after I was young."

While speaking, Song Wei quickly looked at Lu Pingzhou. The other party's appearance was somewhat similar to Lu Xingzhou. The difference was that Lu Xingzhou's facial features were deep and firm, while Lu Pingzhou was more handsome and elegant.

After making courtesy, Lu Pingzhou asked him to sit down.

When I first met, there was no other topic to talk about, Lu Pingzhou went straight to the point, "I heard from the servants that Lord Song came to find my father specially. Unfortunately, my father had something to do and I guess it would take a while to come back. If Lord Song could wait, he might as well drink two more cups of tea in the mansion. If you have something important, just tell me the words. Then I will tell him the same."

Song Wei's purpose here involves his master's privacy, so he naturally was inconvenient to reveal it. He smiled and said, "I happened to be free today, so it's okay to wait too much."

Upon hearing this, Lu Pingzhou asked someone to renew tea for Song Wei.

He had heard of some rumors about Song Wei, and when he saw people, he felt that it was quite different from what he imagined. "As soon as he entered the Hanlin area, he had to reuse the emperor and solve two major cases in a row. Lord Song is indeed a young talent."

Song Wei was humble, "The uncle praised it. The reason why I was lucky enough to participate in the case is because it happened to be in my late birth ancestral home, and the emperor could only use it for late birth."

Lu Pingzhou doesn't think so, "Many times, luck is also part of strength, so Lord Song doesn't have to be humble."

Afterwards, Lu Pingzhou brought the topic to the battle in the northwest and asked him what he thought.

Song Wei said truthfully: "I was a civil servant in my late life who didn't know much about border wars. I only heard that General Chang Wei was brave and good at fighting. I think this time, the rebellion in the northwest is no problem."

When Lu Pingzhou heard this, he suddenly laughed, "If the second brother is still here, what can Xu Guangfu do if he is?"

Song Wei understood that the "second brother" in Lu Pingzhou's mouth was his father-in-law, Lu Xingzhou, the god of war that made the enemy scared twenty years ago.

However, Lu Pingzhou took the initiative to mention the "God of War" without knowing his relationship with Lu Xingzhou's father-in-law and son-in-law. His intention was definitely not as simple as chatting. Perhaps, the other party wanted to draw out the emperor's current attitude towards Lu Xingzhou from his close minister.

Thinking of this, Song Wei deeply felt that Lu Pingzhou was deeply thinking.

I think so, how many of the descendants of the big family are simple-minded? What's more, the one in front of you is still the eldest son.

Knowing the other party's intention, Song Wei did not jump into his trap and moved around the topic with great effort.

Soon, a servant came outside to report that the old marquis had returned to his house.

Lu Pingzhou glanced at Song Wei and said to his subordinates: "Go to report to the old marquis, and say that Lord Song is in the mansion and ask him to come directly to see the guests."

The servant quickly took Old Marquis Lu to the front hall.

Lu Pingzhou stood up and called respectfully, "Father."

Song Wei also stood up, and there were others present, and he did not directly call him Master. He shouted, "I have seen the old marquis."

The old Marquis Lu waved his hand and asked Lu Pingzhou to retreat, saying that he had something important to talk to Lord Song alone.

Lu Pingzhou didn't ask much and took his servant out of the front hall.

After everyone was finished, Mr. Lu looked at Song Wei, "You guy came empty-handed, didn't you get the painting?"

When his son was gone, he changed his previous solemnity and returned to the tone of the old naughty boy.

Song Wei was used to it and nodded and said, "Originally, I bet with the emperor, and the lottery was the painting. I only realized that it was the love of the Empress Dowager and refused to cede. My disciple had to give up and come to the master to explain."

This result was completely within the expectation of Mr. Lu. "She has been competing with me for decades and knows me better than me. She refuses to put on antique calligraphy and paintings in Shou'an Palace, but she just wants to leave a thousand-foot-sized snow, clearly waiting for me to come to ask for it."

Song Wei asked, "Will the master go?"

"There is no other way except to enter the palace to ask her for help." Old Marquis Lu's eyes were slackened. "I know her so well. I'll wait for this day. If I don't give her a satisfactory answer, she will never hand over the painting easily."

He searched for the four paintings for decades before he found that the last one was in her hands, but he just knew that they were in her hands. The specific location could not be found at all.

It can be seen that she had already left a hand to wait for him.

...

After Song Wei left, Old Marquis Lu thought for a long time and finally made up his mind to enter the palace in person.

After changing into his official robe, he sat in a sedan chair and headed straight for the imperial city.

Jiang Quan, the eunuch in charge of Shou'an Palace, received the letter and came in to inform him immediately, "Empress Dowager, Old Marquis Lu asks for a meeting."

The Empress Dowager was worshiping the Buddha. When she heard this, she put down her hands, her eyes trembled slightly, and she turned to look at Jiang Quan, "What did you say?"

Jiang Quan thought the Empress Dowager didn't hear it clearly, so he repeated it again, "Empress, Old Marquis Lu asks for a meeting."

"He's still here."

The Queen Mother smiled, her eyes full of self-deprecating.

She lost to a painting decades ago, and overnight she went from childhood to childhood plums who had promised each other for life with her bamboo horses to a concubine in the deep palace.

With a sense of hatred, she defeated many women and became the lord of the Six Palaces, and her mother was in power. However, she still couldn't wait for that explanation for decades.

Who would have thought that decades later, she was defeated by another painting.

Empress Dowager Renyi suddenly felt that her life was sad and ridiculous.

...

After a cup of tea, Old Marquis Lu appeared in Shou'an Palace and knelt down and saluted directly after coming in.

The Empress Dowager did not let him calm down, and his tone was cold. "If the Ai family remembers correctly, Mr. Lu has not entered the palace for forty-three years. It is rare that you are willing to condescend. You actually came to Shou'an Palace directly. Why, you have something to do with the Ai family?"

Forty-three years ago, she was seventeen years old, and that year, he left Beijing overnight for a painting and missed the day of coming to propose marriage, which forced her to enter the palace and become the woman of the late emperor.

Old Marquis Lu heard that she was sarcastic about herself, and never looked up at what she had become decades later, and directly explained her purpose, "The old minister asked for something, and I hope the Empress Dowager will fulfill it."

The empress dowager held the teacup and clenched her hand slightly, with sharp eyes, "There are so many people in the world who ask for something every day, and the Ai family is not a Bodhisattva who saves all living beings. How can we take care of it?"

Even though he knew that the other party would not give it to him easily, Mr. Lu still said, "I heard that the Empress Dowager has a painting of Mr. Liu in her hand. I wonder if the old minister can borrow it to view it?"

The smile on the corner of the empress dowager's mouth became even colder and sarcastic, "If the old marquis talked about this, wouldn't it seem inhumane if the Ai family refused to borrow it?"

Old Marquis Lu was silent again.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand and asked Jiang Quan to withdraw with all her servants.

After the door closed, she looked at the person kneeling on the ground again, "For the first time in forty-three years, you have nothing to say to the Ai family except that painting?"

Mr. Lu didn't say anything, took out a scroll from Guangxi, walked forward, raised it high and handed it to the empress dowager, "So many years have passed, and the old minister's explanation may not be believed. After you have read this, you will naturally understand why the old minister suddenly parted without saying goodbye back then."

The empress dowager hesitated to take it, opened it with trembling hands, and after seeing the things inside, she fell into silence and didn't say anything for a long time.
Chapter completed!