Rongguo Mansion, in Li Wan's courtyard.
Li Wan is wearing a blue collared coat with chrysanthemum patterns and an azurite undershirt. This simple and elegant color makes him look a little more mournful and old-fashioned.
In fact, Li Wan was only about the age of Huaxin, a young woman in her mid-twenties.
At this moment, Li Wan was sitting in front of the dressing table, looking in the mirror and removing the headdress from his temples.
He raised his eyes and looked at the unpainted face in the bronze mirror. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the corner of his eye. I don't know if it was an illusion, but I vaguely felt that a wisp of fine lines of time was secretly growing under my fingertips. .
Su Yun, who was waiting behind him to take off his head, chuckled and said, "Grandma, I heard Uncle Heng say earlier that Lang Ge'er should study hard and gain fame in the imperial examination in the future."
Biyue also smiled and said: "Last time, when I saw Uncle Heng coming over for a banquet, he seemed to like Lang Geer very much."
Well, human beings' joys and sorrows are not the same.
Li Wan also thought about the way Uncle Heng came over to greet Lan'er a few days ago. His eyes were blank for a moment, and his beautiful jade face seemed to be calm and calm. He said softly: "Lan'er can get into the eyes of the patriarch. It is also His creation.”
"Grandma taught me well in the past. After three or two years, I should be able to enter school." Su Yun said softly.
Although a few people deliberately did not mention Baoyu, some of their attitudes were tacit. Baoyu could never be counted on in the future.
Li Wan and Liu Ye raised his eyebrows. Although he was happy, Wanli's face still deliberately kept a calm look, and said softly: "Lan'er usually works hard, but now he has entered Chongwen Hall to study. He is progressing faster and belongs to the class. usually."
At the end of the story, I felt a little sad.
I remembered that after my husband passed away, I was orphaned and widowed. Several years passed, but my father-in-law and mother-in-law seemed to have forgotten that I had a grandson. The whole family gathered around that person.
Now my son is doing well and has been appreciated by Uncle Heng. I think no matter what happens in the future, he will be able to have a distinguished family background and give her a royal title in the future.
Thinking of this, Li Wan's eyes reflected the beating candlelight, and he secretly prayed in his heart: "God, bless Langeer in the future, as the uncle Heng said, he can be a high-ranking official, shine on the family lintel, even if he lets others No matter what happens to me, I’ll be happy with it.”
In fact, this was Li Wan's true feelings for the past few years. Both Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang in the Rong Mansion set their sights on Baoyu. Fortunately, he still had a son under his knees to relieve his depression.
Su Yun smiled and said: "Grandma, after the Lantern Festival, Lange'er will start school. In two days, will grandma take Langeer to see Uncle Heng, or will grandma often go there and ask Langeer about it in the future? How are you studying?"
When Li Wan heard this, he frowned and said hesitantly: "If you go there, you won't be able to go empty-handed. Let me think about it, and if you go too often, I'm afraid people will gossip."
As an unemployed widow, she had spent all her savings on the last time she hired a host.
Besides, she couldn't run too hard, and in the eyes of others, there might be some unpleasant gossip.
Su Yun smiled and said softly: "Grandma, in fact, if you follow the example of Second Grandma Lian, she often goes to Grandma Heng's place to sit for a while, or chat with her, or touch dominoes or something, so she is familiar with it. , I think about it, if I have something to worry about in the future, it’s just what grandma said, and I’ve never asked for help when it happened.”
Hearing this, Li Wan felt like seeing mist through clouds. His eyes lit up under his beautiful eyebrows and he whispered: "She asked me about the heir last time. I..."
As he said this, he felt a little embarrassed to talk about this topic, and two blushes quietly appeared on his white face.
After saying this, Su Yun frowned, with thoughts in his eyes, and said: "Speaking of which, Uncle Heng and Grandma Heng have been married for a while, but I haven't heard any movement in Grandma Heng's belly."
Bi Yue said softly: "Aren't there two aunts and grandmothers from the You family? Privately, several maids say that these two You sisters have good looks, and the uncle is also very handsome."
Some maids often follow their master to and from Ningguo Mansion, and since they see Second Sister You and Third Sister You, the maids will inevitably not discuss them in private.
Even Baochai and Daiyu are often compared by servants.
Su Yun said softly: "It's not that we haven't married yet. Grandma Heng has just passed away, so it's not easy for her to take a concubine. However, it's hard to say that she will have nothing to do in two years."
Generally speaking, if you have nothing to do for a year, some gossip will spread.
Li Wan listened, a little frightened, frowned, stopped the discussion between the two, and said slightly angrily: "The more I talk about it, the less likely it is. It's so easy to talk about the master, let people listen to these gossips, I don't know what's going on. The storm is coming."
Suyun and Biyue's faces were filled with resentment, and they couldn't say much.
Li Wan, under the service of two maids, washed up, took off his outer clothes, and only wore an inner coat. The granary where he had raised his son was majestic and abundant. He lifted up the quilt and lay down in the cool quilt, following the curtains outside. Slowly putting it down, the bed was dimly lit, covering a pair of bright and sad eyes.
Li Wan couldn't sleep for a while, baking pancakes on the bed.
He could only think about his son's future in the future, and the grand scene of sealing his fate. However, the tricks he had tried every time in the past were not working well today.
It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when there was a banging sound from outside. Li Wan listened to the movement outside and heard the even breathing of the two maids clearly. It was clear that they were sleeping soundly. In the quiet night, he couldn't sleep alone on the pillow. People, but a little worried.
"It's already three o'clock."
Thinking about it, Beiqi bit her lips, took off her clothes with one hand, and reached down with the other.
She closed her eyes slightly and began to recall the tenderness deep in her memory, bit by bit, but after so many years, she couldn't remember the outline of her husband clearly.
A faint sigh suddenly sounded.
However, a clear and upright face suddenly reflected in the lake in his heart. Li Wanfang's heart skipped a beat and he quickly dismissed it.
I don't know how long it took, but Li Wan, who had finished fighting against feudal oppression and the constraints of ethics, felt that his cheeks were already as hot as fire in the dark night, and a feeling of guilt suddenly arose in his heart.
Immediately, he felt sleepy and gradually fell asleep.
At this moment, Li Wan was not the only one who couldn't sleep. Yuan Chun left the Tanchun courtyard and returned to the courtyard where he lived. He sat on the bed, holding the handkerchief Jia Heng had given him before, and looking down at the word "Heng" on the handkerchief. The words are still in a daze.
Under the light of the lamp, her plump and beautiful face looked more gentle and graceful.
At this moment, the lamp was swaying, and Xiren was holding a copper basin and said softly: "Girl, wash your feet and rest early."
Yuan Chun hurriedly twisted the handkerchiefs in his hands together, raised his beautiful eyes, and asked softly: "Has Jin Chuan settled down?"
Xiren whispered: "I comforted her just now. She cried for a while, drank some gruel, and fell asleep."
As Yuanyang said, Jin Chuan, Xi Ren, and Yuanyang all grew up together, and their relationship is extraordinary.
Yuanchun sighed softly and asked: "She is a hard-working person. From now on, just let her serve me. After two years, when Baoyu is older, I will think of something for her."
Hearing this, Xi Ren's hand that was bending down to hold the copper basin trembled. The hot water in the basin rippled. The girl's eyes moved slightly and she said softly: "The big girl is kind. To be honest, this is her blessing." separated."
Yuanchun sighed again, turned to look at the girl with a soft face, and said softly: "You have been serving Baoyu for a long time. I don't know why Baoyu's temper has become like this in the past few years. "
Xiren Liuye frowned, and there was a look of thought on his naturally rose-red face. After a while, he looked at Yuan Chun and said softly: "Second Master, he bought some, but in fact he is not good at nature." It’s bad, it’s only two years since I’ve grown up, I know people’s affairs, I can’t treat them like a child anymore.”
When Yuanchun heard this, his beautiful eyes flashed, and he felt that it was quite reasonable. He nodded and said: "Yes, I need to teach him well in the future."
But he remembered that when Baoyu was a child, he was also holding a hairpin ring when he caught Zhou. At that time, he didn't see why he didn't say anything, but instead laughed for his elders.
This is actually a kind of perception. The same behavior may seem innocent and cute when you are eight or nine years old, but if you are still like that in your thirties, you will be a giant baby.
Just thinking about the irreversible friendship with the royal official, Yuanchun's heart was still filled with a layer of haze.
Xi Ren glanced at the changing expression, and considered his words: "Uncle Heng was right as he said before, letting the second master go to school so that he won't hang around in the house. This must be for the best of the second master... In fact, according to Uncle Heng's temperament, I'm afraid that if he didn't take care of the girl and the master, Uncle Heng would not be willing to take care of these parents' selfishness, and he would easily end up complaining."
When Yuan Chun heard this, Yurong lost consciousness for a moment, and the young man with a stern face seemed to appear in front of his eyes again, and he said softly: "This is what you said."
After Xiren said a few words, he paused and lowered his head and said, "Girl, let's not talk about this anymore. I will wash your feet and rest early."
Yuanchun said "hmm", his beautiful eyes narrowed, he looked at the girl, and praised: "You are a general person, strangely, Baoyu said he wanted you to go back there."
After coming into contact with this attacker, it was obvious that he knew both cold and hot, and had a general understanding.
In fact, this Xiren, whom Qingwen ridiculed as a "spotted dog," is indeed a master of this art.
Every time he can speak to people's hearts, the original work clearly takes the lead, and he can still talk about Baoyu's "reputation" with Mrs. Wang.
Xiren lowered his head to help Yuanchun take off his embroidered shoes and remove his socks. Suddenly, a pair of new-haired jade feet as white as bamboo shoots appeared. They were placed in a copper basin. The ankles were as crystal clear as glass, and the red nails were painted with impatiens flower juice. Under the light of the lights, dazzling across the water, she is petite and pretty.
Xiren looked up at Yuanchun and chuckled, "I'm lucky to be able to come and serve the girl."
But after listening to what Uncle Heng said earlier, it was inevitable that I would have doubts in my heart.
After all, the second master is still a child, and now she has hated his wife again. If it hadn't been like that just now, it would have been her turn to be in Sheyue's situation.
Yuanchun thought for a while and said softly: "Then let's wait for two years."
When he was young, he was wary of sex. After Baoyu recovered from his injury, he still had to go to school to study hard. In addition to the maids who served food and daily life, it was really not suitable to send more maids.
…
…
But it was said that the chief historian of Prince Zhongshun left Rongguo Mansion and returned to Prince Zhongshun.
At this moment, in the dim dusk, the red lanterns have moved from the gate to the backyard, shining like a fire dragon in the front hall and backyard, as bright as day and brilliant.
On the pavilion in the backyard, the sound of silk and bamboo orchestral music floated in the spring breeze, gradually like the silver moon on a jade plate, hanging on the corner of the eaves, casting a cool light. Several girls with gorgeous dresses and graceful figures were on the second floor, following The music is dancing.
King Zhongshun sat in front of the round table, eating his meal, while two newly hired maids served him on the left and right.
After so many days, King Zhongshun's injury got better and he was able to sit down, but he still needed to be covered with thick soft mattresses.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Changshi is back." At this time, a servant entered the side room and whispered.
King Zhongshun spit the chicken bones he was eating on the porcelain bowl nearby. The maid took a handkerchief to help wipe the oil on his beard and mouth, and another maid quickly handed over the teacup.
"Let him in."
Not long after, he saw Zhou Changshi, bowed and trotted into the pavilion, bowed and whispered: "Your Majesty."
King Zhongshun took a sip of tea and asked, "Has the person been found?"
Zhou Changshi's face was gloomy, and his voice contained humiliation as he said: "Your Majesty, the Rongguo Mansion really bullies people too much!"
King Zhongshun raised his eyebrows, looked at Zhou Changshi in surprise, and shouted: "What on earth is going on?"
Zhou Changshi had a gloomy face and told in a few words about meeting Jia Heng in Rongguo Mansion.
King Zhongshun's eyes flashed with cold light and he said, "What do you say, Jia Heng?"
Zhou Changshi said angrily: "Your Majesty, this Jia Heng kid is very domineering. He actually threatened the subordinates, saying that if the prince wanted to find actors, he would go to the Military and Horse Department of the Five Cities to report to the officials. If there are not enough manpower, should he be mobilized? The soldiers from the capital camp are marching across the city for the prince!"
"Bang!" King Zhongshun's face surged with anger, he slammed the table and shouted coldly: "What a domineering and rude person who wants to get in!"
Zhou Changshi said coldly: "Your Majesty, Jia Heng's son also said that the assassination of the prince involved the White Lotus Demon. Tomorrow, detectives from the Jinyi Mansion will be sent to help investigate the assassination of the prince of the Grand Prime Minister's Temple the day before yesterday. Please The prince will tell you all the details of the assassination that day."
When King Zhongshun heard this, his expression changed, and he cursed angrily: "You dog slave, you dare to bully me!"
Zhou Changshi said in a low voice: "Then Jinyi Mansion will come to your door tomorrow. Please tell me how we should respond."
King Zhongshun said in a stern tone: "Tomorrow, the door will be closed and no one will be allowed to enter. I am the vassal of the country. How can I allow them to come and act wild!"
Back in the Zen room, in order to escape, he even used his own concubine to defend himself against the thieves' blades. If the Jinyi Mansion found out, how could it be repaid?
When King Zhongshun thought of this, he suddenly thought of the Wei family who had blocked the sword for him and the charm of the past, and his heart surged with passion.
The Wei family will indeed serve him, and there are many tricks between the bed curtains...
Zhou Changshi frowned and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Jinyi Guards are the emperor's personal army after all. If you refuse to see me, I'm afraid it will be spread out and it will harm your reputation."
King Zhongshun snorted coldly and said, "I just want to see if they dare to break into the palace!"
This was clearly a sign of vindictiveness.
Zhou Changshi pondered for a moment, but felt that it was still not appropriate, and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter may not be a good point for a dispute of temper. Otherwise, now that the Jia family's children are gaining the upper hand, it will be your Majesty who suffers."
King Zhongshun's face darkened, and he felt irritable in his heart. He said angrily: "Then what do you think we should do? The Xue family in the Ministry of Internal Affairs is protected by the palace, and they can't move. Otherwise, just because the Xue family son hurt people, I, the king, can't move." I’m going to take the Xue family’s job as an imperial merchant.”
Zhou Changshi frowned and said, "Your Majesty, please be patient and see if you can make amends with other matters."
King Zhongshun frowned, suppressed the anger in his heart for the time being, and said in a cold voice: "Where can I go to find help at this time? I asked you to keep a close eye on Rongguo Mansion. Do you have any clues?"
Zhou Changshi said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. People are already watching. There are some clues."
King Zhongshun's heart moved slightly and asked: "What clue?"
Zhou Changshi whispered: "He belongs to Jia Lian of Rongfu. His behavior is somewhat suspicious. He has been spending quite a lot of money in several brothels in the capital recently. I don't know where the money came from?"
King Zhongshun frowned and said, "That's all?"
Zhou Changshi said in a low voice: "I have heard that my father, Jia She, a powerful general, is quite greedy for money. He is an old man. There is no way that Jia Lian can be lavish."
King Zhongshun said: "Then let people keep an eye on him. I know Jia She to some extent, especially antiques, calligraphy, paintings, gold, silver and jade articles. You can let people look for him to see if he has taken advantage of others or bullied men and women."
As Prince Zhongshun, who regards the Jia family as a feud, he is well aware of Jia She's hobbies. Prince Zhongshun himself also likes antique jades. As for taking advantage of others and bullying men and women, he only needs to deal with himself a little...
As King Zhongshun said, he suddenly thought of Qiguan'er again, his face became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "Qiguan'er, you have to send someone to find him quickly. He has been in the house for many days, and he doesn't know the secrets of the house. Know something."
When Zhou Changshi heard this, his face was solemn and he cupped his hands and said yes.
(End of chapter)
