Sima Xiangde led a group of officials from all over the Suzhou Prefecture to "inspecte" various places in Suzhou Prefecture.

He has won countless praises along the way, whether it is his colleagues, gentry, or ordinary people.

After more than ten days of transfer, Sima Xiangdecai returned to Suzhou Prefecture.

His mansion was very big. As soon as he came back, apart from the eldest lady, a group of wives and concubines came to welcome him. Each of them had three or four maids, two or three old nannies, and other servants, hundreds of people were greeting him.

"Master, have you worked hard all the way?"

"Master, I have cooked your favorite duck tongue soup. I used a hundred ducks, all of which are the best duck tongues..."

"The Lord has just come back, so it's better to take a break. Lord, I just bought your favorite peony, which is in full bloom!"

Sima Xiangde enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by people, and let these women chatter and keep walking inside and heading straight to the backyard.

He is in his fifties and still has my mother alive. He is a very filial person. The first thing he does when he comes in and out is to greet me.

He took a large number of wives and concubines to walk around for a stick of incense, walked around and around, and arrived at a courtyard next to a small lake, with green trees, pavilions, rockery and flowing water, and a quiet environment, as if it was a paradise.

Many women are not qualified to come, but there are still dozens of people coming in in a huge way.

Sima Xiangde saw an old lady full of heads from afar. He quickly trotted over, raised his hand and said respectfully: "My son is back, how can my mother be safe?"

The old lady was building flowers and trees, and the scissors in her hand did not stop. She looked back and smiled and said, "Are you back? Let's sit down."

"Thank you mother." Sima Xiangde sat down at the stone table in the pavilion behind the old lady.

He reached out to test the temperature of the teapot, frowned at the maid beside him, and said lightly: "The water is cold, don't you know how to change it? If your mother feels uncomfortable, I'll ask you!"

Sima Xiangde was extremely majestic in the mansion. As soon as he spoke, the maid turned pale with fright. She quickly took the kettle and said, "I'll go and change it now."

Sima Xiangde stared at the maid and turned around.

After trimming the branches, the old lady put down her scissors and walked over, and said angrily: "Okay, isn't it just a pot of water? Do you want to move the people in my yard?"

The old lady still knows Sima Xiangde, and the imperial family is extremely strict. If she is involved, she may not be able to live tonight if he doesn't speak.

Sima Xiangde smiled and said, "Whether the mother says, my son is just worried about her mother's body."

The old lady is in her sixties, with a very good face and a better mental state. He looked at Sima Xiangde and said, "I am much more energetic than before leaving the mansion. You can walk more when you have nothing to do and pay attention to your health. The boss is not young anymore."

Sima Xiangde still heard the old mother's "teaching" and said with a smile: "What my mother said is that my son has recorded it." Gu

The old lady glanced at the wives and concubines not far away, too lazy to say more, and said, "You have decided on the marriage of Miss Thirteen?"

Thirteenth Girl is the name of the elder, the servant or other person, usually called Thirteenth Girl, Sima Xiangde's thirteenth daughter. She just turned sixteen this year, and she was the age of marriage.

Sima Xiangde immediately said, "I see that the boy from the Zhao family is of the best character and talent. Thirteen is a good match for him. Besides, our two families are family friends, and the third sister is still an elder lady in their seventh room."

The old lady stared at Sima Xiangde, without saying anything expressionless.

Sima Xiangde hesitated when he saw the old lady's expression and said, "Mother, don't agree?"

The old lady snorted coldly and said, "What kind of virtue does the Zhao boy have? Everyone in Suzhou knows, how can I not know? He is twenty-one this year? He failed many times. This time, Enko shouted "Scholars are loyal, not treacherous and slandered" during the day, and then hangover in the brothel for three days and three nights, and it was almost spread throughout the Song Dynasty. Do you marry Thirteen to such people?"

Seeing this, Sima Xiangde gritted his teeth and said, "Mother, the Zhao family has taught him a lesson, but it's just a moment of confusion. It's still good to correct me."

The old lady looked disdainful and said, "Among the children of aristocratic families, good is good, bad is bad. How many prodigal sons have turned back? Besides, is he just good at drinking and lustful? He has no career. If he splits his family in the future, what can he get? Will he live with Thirteen's dowry?"

Sima Xiangde saw that the old lady was really angry and dared not speak stubbornly, saying, "Mother, there is no hurry to do this. The imperial censor sent by the court has arrived in Suzhou."

When the old lady saw that Sima Xiangde was determined to marry the Zhao family further, she frowned and said unhappily: "What does it have to do with my old lady?"

Sima Xiangde said: "Mother, that's what I think. In a few days, I will go out to avoid it, and the mansion will be left to my mother to worry about."

The old lady was puzzled and looked at him and said, "The Censor has arrived. With your official reputation and political achievements, what's there to be afraid of? You have to hide out?"

Sima Xiangde sighed and shook his head helplessly, "Mother, you don't know. Now the court is determined to reform and has given me a lot of orders. I dare not do most of these policies, otherwise I will offend Suzhou Prefecture. I may have to make a big fuss and no one can live in peace. The court has always wanted to change me. You know, this time the censor is probably the last ultimatum. If one is not good, I may have a prison disaster. If I hide, I still have some room for maneuver."

After Zhao Xu took power, he vigorously promoted reforms. I don’t know how many big and small things happened, but even the old ladies hiding in the back house knew a lot.

She could understand Sima Xiangde, nodded and said, "You should be careful when you go out. The court has no scruples to arrest people now, it is not the past."

Seeing that the old lady agreed, Sima Xiangde hurriedly said, "Mother, the censor here is named Wang Chengming. When he comes to Suzhou Prefecture, he will definitely come to the mansion. His mother will not see him, but if he does anything, your mother will respond, don't anger him. We should protect ourselves first..."

This old lady was actually not Sima Xiangde's biological mother, but her legitimate mother. The reason why she respected so much was that in addition to her filial piety in etiquette and law, this old mother was from a wealthy family in Suzhou. She had two letters from her ancestors and a deputy Privy Councilor. Her family had been in Suzhou Prefecture for decades, had a deep foundation and a huge network of relationships. She helped her more than once in her career.

The old lady listened to Sima Xiangde's words and suddenly interrupted him, saying, "What did you say? Wang Chengming? Is this person from Suzhou? In his early sixties, Wang Zhe?"

Sima Xiangde was stunned and said carefully: "It's Wang Zhe, who is in his early sixties, seems to be from Suzhou, and his mother knows him?"

The old lady suddenly laughed and said, "Then there is no problem. Go and ask where he is. I'm going to see him now."
Chapter completed!