Ningguo Mansion
In the inner hall of the back house, Qin Keqing accompanied Jia Mu, Aunt Xue, Mrs. Wang, Feng Wan, San Chun, Chai Dai, and Xiang Yun to talk in the hall. The atmosphere was lively and noisy, but the courtyard where Xichun was located was almost noon in the spring day. The silence is indescribable.
Under the west window wing, Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan sat opposite each other across a lacquered wooden chessboard, while Xichun sat on the Taishi chair behind the desk in the southwest corner of the study, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a paintbrush with his slender white arms, and Ink painting.
Under the Xuan window, Miaoyu is dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with an elegant temperament. Three thousand black hairs are tied behind the shoulders with a blue cloth strip. On the chessboard, there was a soft and crisp collision sound.
Miaoyu's hands have slender fingers, as white as jade, and slightly pale.
Xing Xiuyan, who was sitting opposite, also picked up a white stone in her hand and placed it in the corner of the chessboard. The girl, who was nearly 28 years old, wore a light red background and a blue skirt. Her hair was tied up in a slanted bun and her forehead was covered. Wearing air bangs.
One of them was cool and quiet, the other was indifferent and leisurely.
The aura and charm are in harmony, like a crystal clear cold jade, suspended in the light clouds and mist of floating mist. Only when the breeze comes and blows the clouds and mist can you see the graceful grace of the jade.
At this moment, a voice from the nanny came from outside the house: "Fourth girl, Grandma is calling you and Miss Xiuyan to come over for lunch."
Xichun Qingshuang's little face showed seriousness and concentration. She picked up the brush in her hand and sketched the blur on the paper. She saw the lush green mountains and rivers, and the pavilions and pavilions were reflected in the shadows. She heard calls from outside and whispered softly. road:
"Enter the painting, go and tell grandma that I will go over to eat later so that my sister-in-law doesn't have to wait for me. They can just eat first."
I responded to the painting and then went.
Unexpectedly, the nanny's voice came from outside again, saying: "Four girls, the old lady of Xifu, the madam and several other girls have come over and said they have news about the uncle."
Because Xichun always likes to be quiet, and there is a Miaoyu who often comes to talk, these nuns have Qin Keqing's instructions and are not allowed to come in and disturb her.
Hearing the word "uncle", Xichun let out a "yeah", and immediately dropped the paintbrush in his hand, hitting it on the fine drawing paper produced in Huizhou. The nearly completed painting was suddenly stained, and the girl's childlike and cold little face was stained. His face was full of surprise.
News about Brother Heng?
At the same time, a "click" sound was also heard from under the Xuan window. Miaoyu held the chess pieces in her bare hand and stayed in mid-air. Several chess pieces on the chess floor hit the chessboard. The clear and bright eyes under the nun's eyebrows were also seen. With surprise and trance.
Entering the painting, he quickly invited the nanny into the inner room. The nanny narrated the story with a smile on her face: "Just now, the old lady of Xifu said that Uncle Heng regained Kaifeng and Runing Prefectures in Henan and won a great victory."
As soon as these words came out, it was like the warm breeze of late spring in March, blowing the curtains with the fragrant fragrance of flowers and plants, blowing into the room, and also into the small lonely city, making the two people playing chess... Startled for a moment.
A surprise, a joy.
Hearing this, Xichun's pretty little face beamed with joy and asked, "When did this happen?"
The wrinkles on the grandmother's face were all smiles, and she said: "The old lady said that the second master said it when he came back in the afternoon."
Xichun nodded with dismay, turned to look at Xing Xiuyan and Miaoyu who were standing aside, and said softly: "Sister Miaoyu, sister Xiuyan, since my sister-in-law is here to call me, why don't you come with me and have a look?"
Miao Yufang couldn't help but feel happy. When she heard Xichun's words, Qiu Shui's bright eyes narrowed and she hesitated for a moment.
Xing Xiuyan looked at Miaoyu, held the handkerchief in front of her chest, her unpainted red lips were slightly open, her cherry blossoms were blooming, and she said seriously:
"Both the old lady and the second lady are here. It's okay for you to go over. The war is about to begin, and I don't know how many people are suffering from plunder and war. It's good for you to go over and recite the rebirth mantra a few times."
Both she and sister Xichun could see some of Miaoyu's thoughts. For some reason, they were emotionally tied to the old man Heng who had a family. He could be an outsider, neither a monk nor a layman, and things in the future would be difficult.
Thinking of that Uncle Heng...
The girl couldn't help but think of
The first time I met him when I came to Rongguo Mansion, instead of watching him later in the Rongqing Hall, the look in his face that was obviously slightly drunk, but as cold as a cold stone pool, was unforgettable.
Miaoyu didn't refuse anymore.
Go over at this time to hear news about that person.
The day before yesterday, the swan geese came from the east, and there were instructions for Xichun in the words, but there was no word for her. Maybe... I was busy fighting in the war, so I forgot about it.
Xichun looked at Miaoyu quietly, feeling a little funny.
She couldn't help but think of the past meeting with Miaoyu. She also liked her brother, and she could call him Buddha's name and talk about Buddhism. The six roots were impure. It seems that even if you become a monk, it is difficult to find relief. But if she doesn't become a monk...what will she do in the future?
These secret thoughts flashed through the girl's heart, and then the nanny was already urging Xichun and Miaoxiu to go to Qin Keqing's place.
Well, just like a trickle, it merges into a river. Today's Ningguo Mansion is destined to be unsettled by the sound of joy coming from the Central Plains.
In the afternoon of the Prince's Palace in Beijing, the flower hall in the backyard is divided by eight glazed screens with patterns of hibiscus, ladies, and pine and crane paintings. The furniture inside is mostly made of high-quality huanghuali and rosewood, with animal heads incense. The green smoke curling up from the dragon is soothing and calming, and the warm fragrance is pleasant.
On the Taishi chair painted in the middle hall, there is not Princess Zhen Xue of Beijing sitting, but a woman of about fifty years old wearing a silk dress. The woman has a fair face, and there are light wrinkles on the eyebrows and the corners of the eyes, and from the inner corners of the eyes. The nasolabial folds on the nose are even more severe.
Sitting on the pearwood chair at the bottom is a beautiful woman wearing a green plum-white double-breasted gown, a plain horse-faced skirt, a bun with green clouds, and flowing green hair. Her legs are close together, her shoulders are lowered, and her hair is hanging down. head.
Concubine Beijing stared at Zhen Xue closely, her face was dull without a trace of smile, and she said:
"There is a Guanyin Temple in the east of the city. The Guanyin Goddess of Mercy there is very efficacious. The weather is getting warmer. Don't stay at home all the time. Go to the temple to burn incense. Don't stay at home all the time."
Ever since King Beijing went to Bian Town to investigate Bian'er, Zhen Xue has been staying in the mansion.
In other words, Zhen Xue is not like her sister Zhen Qing, Princess of Chu. This young woman was originally a "home girl". After marriage, she often read books, practiced calligraphy, and raised flowers at home, and then teased her daughter Shui Xin. The social interactions between Mrs. Gaoming and Mrs. Gaoming nearby were not very active either.
Well, in the words of later generations, I lived my retirement life ahead of schedule and avoided decades of detours.
In the nunnery in the backyard, Princess Beijing, who was eating fast and chanting Buddha, called Zhen Xue in the back garden after lunch today.
Zhen Xue's face was pale, she pursed her lips tightly, and said in a soft voice: "Mother-in-law, my daughter-in-law knows."
"You and Rong'er have never had a boy. Our Lao Shui family is a single generation. If you continue like this... Hey, if you really can't give birth to a child, I won't make it difficult for you. If you can't give birth to a child on your own, I won't stop you. What will your life be like if you live with others?"
When Princess Beijing said this, she also became a little emotional and said:
"Our ancestors of the Shui family were hereditary princes of the Han Dynasty. As a rule, we had one principal concubine and four side concubines. We can also invite concubines below. The purpose is to continue the descendants and the vast clan. Now it is good, it is so big. You are the only one in the royal palace in the backyard, and it would not be nice to tell anyone."
As Princess Beijing spoke, she felt an irritability rising in her heart that was difficult to suppress.
What kind of evil did the Shui family do to have such an unsatisfactory daughter-in-law? After a few years of marriage, she couldn't even give birth to a decent child. Moreover, Rong'er only doted on her, and no other women came close to her. .
Listening to Concubine Beijing's words in front of the nuns in the hall, Zhen Xue felt a sense of humiliation in her heart. Her beautiful face became as pale as paper. Her teeth gently bit her lower lip that had no trace of blood, and she felt The old concubine's words were like a knife, piercing her heart. She didn't know when her nose was sore, her eyes were reddish, and she choked with sobs: "Mother-in-law, my daughter-in-law knows."
Speaking of which, Concubine Beijing talked about Zhen Xue more than once.
Concubine Beijing frowned and said expressionlessly, "Look, I just said a few words to you to ask you to think more about the Shui family. You wiped your tears like this, and Rong'er went to the north to check up on Bian'er. , who are you showing this crying to?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhen Xue felt as if she had been struck by thunder, her delicate body gently
Trembling, I felt my heart was stabbing, and said in a trembling voice: "Mother-in-law, I didn't... I also persuaded the prince several times, and the prince promised well every time, but soon he forgot all about it. . "
What can she do?
Since she came to the door, the prince has not touched her once in the past few years except for his newlyweds. She has a daughter under her knees, and God has seen her pity her.
"You persuade him? I see that he is fascinated by you now." Upon hearing this, Princess Beijing felt angry and placed the teacup in her hand heavily, her eyes a little sharper.
Shui Xin was hugged by her nanny at the side, holding a bamboo dragonfly in her hand. She looked at her grandmother and mother, her pink face full of grievances.
As the tea cup clicked, the little Loli was so frightened that she cried "Wow".
Concubine Beijing snorted softly and glanced at Shui Xin coldly, her face expressionless but her eyes extremely sharp.
Shui Xin cried suddenly, and immediately suppressed the cry, but tears flowed silently, and her pink face was red from suppressing it.
When Zhen Xue saw this, her heart was filled with grief, her lips pursed, and tears streamed down her face. Why is her life so miserable...
Concubine Beijing withdrew her gaze and said calmly:
"You two are aggrieved, but I am not aggrieved? You have been fasting in the nunnery every day, eating fasts and chanting Buddha's name. For two years, the wooden fish have been smashed. There is not even a sound from you. How many doctors have been hired for you and how many medicines have been given to you? , how much have you eaten? Are you determined to make our Shui family the last to die?"
Hearing the words, Zhen Xue closed her bright eyes slightly, holding the handkerchief tightly with pear blossoms in the rain. Listening to Concubine Beijing's words and swords, she felt her heart was twisting like a knife, and her heart was in pain.
While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were fighting, a nun carefully entered the house from outside the hall and whispered: "Princess, concubine, Princess Chu is here."
The stern look on Princess Beijing's face faded slightly, and she whispered: "Your sister is here, go and entertain her well, and also ask her for advice on how to give birth to a baby. They all come from the same family, and they are not seen." There is no one with authority in Prince Chu’s Mansion.”
There is also a man under the King of Chu's knees, who is also Zhen Qing's support.
With that said, Concubine Beijing took the crutches on the side and left the inner hall of the back house accompanied by several nuns.
As he left, the originally stagnant atmosphere suddenly dissipated.
Only a mother and daughter, a female official and a nun were left, looking miserable.
"Mom." The little Lolita Shui Xin's eyes were filled with tears. She trotted up to Zhen Xue and threw herself into her arms. The little Lolita began to cry in grievance.
"Xinxin." Zhen Xue hugged Shui Xin, tears could no longer be held back, bursting out of her eyes, and she sobbed softly.
"Princess, where is Princess Chu..."
Seeing Princess Beijing sobbing sadly, the personal officer Lian Xiang whispered.
"Let someone lead you to the Xuan room." Zhen Xue suppressed her sadness, sniffed, wiped her tears, and said, "I'll be there in a moment."
However, not long after, a familiar clear voice was heard coming from outside the hall.
"Is sister in the inner room?" Zhen Qing called softly, and she entered the flower hall surrounded by a group of nannies and maids.
It's also because the two sisters have been visiting each other frequently these days, and as the aunt-in-law Zhen Qing, she doesn't pay much attention to her interactions.
Zhen Xue quickly picked up a handkerchief and wiped her tears, then whispered to her grandma: "Take Xin'er to the inner compartment."
After a while, Zhen Qing entered the hall. Zhen Xue greeted Zhen Qing and said with a forced smile: "Sister, why are you here?"
Zhen Qing looked stunned for a moment and said softly: "I'm not here to see you. What's wrong?"
But when she caught a glimpse of the tears on Zhen Xue's face and the red and swollen eye circles, she felt something different.
"Auntie." At this moment, Shui Xin ran over from the side. There were tears in the little Loli's eyes, which said everything.
Zhen Qing frowned, her face as clear as frost, and said coldly: "How can this be?"
She still knew about her sister's situation in the Prince's Palace of Beijing. Just because she couldn't give birth to a boy, the Princess of Beijing made trouble for her every ten and a half months.
"Sister, I'm fine." Zhen Xue whispered quickly.
Zhen Qing frowned and said, "Can I blame you for this?"
"Sister, if we don't talk about this, why do you have time to come here?" Zhen Xue quickly changed the subject, took Zhen Qing's hand, and said softly.
Zhen Qing sighed and said, "Let's not talk about these troublesome things for now. Let's go to your room to talk."
If she hadn't wanted to win over the Prince of Beijing for the prince, she would have had to find an old concubine to reason with for her sister.
Zhen Qing said, holding Shui Xin's little hand, and followed Zhen Xue to the house where she lived. The two sisters entered the wing and sat down on the Kang near the window.
Zhen Qing said softly: "This is not what I heard. After the court meeting, Jia Ziyu led the troops to calm down the situation in Henan, so he wanted to come over and talk to you. This can be regarded as the latest news in Beijing. There is a lot of discussion outside."
When Zhen Xue heard this, her pear-shaped jade face was slightly surprised. There was a hint of curiosity in her soft voice as she asked, "Sister, what do you mean?"
These days, Zhen Xue is at home. Even if she doesn't want to admit it, the fact is that the news about the DPRK situation brought by Zhen Qing has become a little spice in the boring life of this young woman.
"It's only been a while since Kaifeng Mansion and Runing Mansion were recovered. This Jia Ziyu is really amazing." Zhen Qing said, with an inexplicable look on her beautiful face.
Zhen Xue's eyes sparkled and she said softly: "The chaos in Henan has been put down. It will be a great joy for the court. That day, the King of Wei held the ceremony, and the palace seemed anxious to give something."
When thinking of that day, the scene in Zhen Xuexin's lake couldn't help but reappear. The young man strode out from the palace along the red carpet surrounded by the royal guards. The civil and military officials of the entire court knelt on both sides of the Hanyuan Palace. It was really...
Zhen Xue quickly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her heart and calmed down.
Zhen Qing chuckled and said, "Wait a minute, let's go to Ningguo Mansion to have a look and talk to Mrs. Qin for a while."
"At this time? Is it appropriate for us to go?" Zhen Xue hesitated for a moment and said softly.
In fact, some people go out to relax, but at home they feel so depressed that they can't breathe.
"Why is it inappropriate? The Zhen and Jia families are old relatives. Yuanchun has been at home these two days, and we also went to see her to catch up on old times. Besides, we didn't go there a few days ago."
Zhen Qing said softly: "I just want to go out and relax."
Little Lolita Shui Xin also said in a sweet voice: "Mom, let's go to Jia's house and play with Aunt Yun."
"Look, Xin'er said she would go there and relax, but she scared the child and made him cry." Zhen Qing took the little Loli's arm and pinched her pink cheeks.
She had loved reading medical books since she was a child, and knew that the woman was not entirely to blame for her inability to have children, and that water-soluble nature was not what it was. She also heard some rumors from the prince that he was raising prostitutes outside.
And that old concubine in Beijing insisted on slamming the shit basin on her sister's head. It was really unreasonable.
However, she was still hesitant at first, but now she is determined. It would be better if my sister was pregnant with Jia Ziyu's child, so that she could control him better.
Zhen Xue thought for a while and said softly: "Sister, let me clean up my head and face." At this time, the makeup on her face was stained with tears.
Zhen Qing smiled and said, "My sister is naturally beautiful, so she doesn't need to tidy her up. Besides, she's just going to see Mrs. Qin, not that Uncle Heng. If she wants to tidy her up, she just needs to do whatever she wants."
Zhen Xue: "..."
Her heart skipped a beat and she said angrily, "Sister, you...what are you talking about?"
In desperation, the young woman's voice was melodious and melodious, with a hint of girlish innocence. Of course, she was just speaking to her sister.
Zhen Xue said softly, turned to the dressing table, picked up the rouge powder box, faced the bronze mirror, and applied makeup on her cheeks. After a while, a gentle, quiet and charming face was reflected in the mirror.
"We sisters, we are just talking for fun. We want to embarrass you." Zhen Qing said with a chuckle, moved her round as round as a millstone, came to behind Zhen Xue, and said softly:
"Speaking of it, marriages between the Zhen and Jia families have not happened in the past. Now Lan'er has decided to marry her and will get married in two years. The fourth sister is of the same age.
It's a pity that he already has a wife. "
The four beauties of the Zhen family are Qingxue Lanxi, Qingxue is the daughter of Zhen Yingjia, and Lanxi is the daughter of brother Zhen Yingjia.
Zhen Xue frowned and said while applying gouache on her face:
"Our family is from a distinguished family, so we can't say that we would be a concubine for the Jia family. I heard from the prince that there was a man in the Rong Mansion who was born with a jade in his head. He was quite mysterious. He has the same name as our precious brother. Fourth sister might allow him."
"I have inquired about it, and the second master Bao in Rongguo Mansion is just an embroidered pillow, and he is mixed in makeup and powder all day long. He has a similar temperament to our third brother. Even his appearance, I think, is about 60 or 70% similar. Speaking of which, we The precious jade of the family is now incapable of being a man of letters and martial arts, and his father is also very worried, yet the old lady still dotes on him and gives him nothing." Zhen Qing said softly.
Speaking of her third brother, Zhen Qing somewhat hated the fact that iron cannot be made into steel. If he could be like Jia Ziyu, well, this cannot be compared. Jia Ziyu was a talented person in Zhuguo, but even if he knew how to study and make progress, it would be good.
Zhen Xue sighed: "Who allowed my father to have only one son to pass on the incense? The ancestors of the family pampered themselves a little."
Mentioning the word "incense", Zhen Xue sighed deeply in her heart. She gave birth to a daughter, but she didn't even have a son. What would happen to the Shui family's incense?
Zhen Qing sighed: "Second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle, and the few cousins they trained are quite outstanding."
The head of the Zhen family is Zhen Yingjia, but among the four brothers, some are doing business, some are officials, and some are mid-level military generals in the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps. This is also the main support for the Zhen family to support the King of Chu.
Zhen Xue didn't answer, put on her makeup again, and said softly: "Sister, let's go."
Zhen Qing looked at her younger sister, who was more delicate than Hua Hua, and said with a smile: "My sister's color is getting better and better. I think she's not much worse than Qin's."
Zhen Xue's cheeks turned crimson and she blushed slightly. She said angrily, "Sister said something stupid again."
If you say her color is good, why do you have to compete with that Qin family? However, that Qin family is indeed a rare beauty.
Then, the two sisters took Shuixin with them in a carriage and headed to Ningguo Mansion.
At this moment, in the Ningguo Mansion, Qin Keqing had already had lunch with Jia Mu, Mrs. Wang and others. At Sister Feng's suggestion, everyone went to Tianxiang Tower to enjoy the spring scenery, and sat down on the second floor to talk.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "My dear, I thought Brother Heng would send you a letter from home in two days."
Qin Keqing said softly: "Listen to what the old lady just said, my husband will stay in Henan for a while. Business matters are more important. You can't send home letters too frequently, lest others will gossip."
"What gossip can you say?" Jia Mu said with a smile on her face: "The palace now uses him in an important position and gave him the title of civil servant."
Qin Keqing nodded.
At this moment, a nun came up from Tianxiang Tower and said, "Old lady, Grandma Heng, Princess Chu and Princess Beijing are here to visit Grandma."
Everyone was stunned when they heard this.
Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Old lady, didn't the two princesses just come here once before?"
Sister Feng said with a smile: "Auntie, that was Brother Heng who annihilated three thousand enemies at Sishui Pass. The palace rewarded them with jewelry, and the two princesses came to celebrate."
Well, she also got a crested hairpin among the jewelry that was rewarded that day. It was exquisitely made and could be described as rare, especially with its golden wings flowing out. It was worthy of being a tribute to the palace.
It's a pity that it might look better with Mrs. Gaoming's clothes.
The day before yesterday, she saw Ke Qing's imperial edict hanging in the closet. It was really a first-class imperial edict, with gold and silver threads, hibiscus patterns, and a jade crown. She really made others envious of it.
I don’t know how dignified and honorable it is to wear it.
The smile on Jia's mother's face did not fade and she said softly: "It turned out to be an old relative. I think I heard the news from outside. I came here to say hello. When relatives come, you can't push them away."
Yuanchun stood up and said softly: "Old lady, I'll go and greet you."
Jia Mu nodded and said with a smile, "Big girl, go ahead."
Yuanchun, accompanied by Baoqin, headed towards the front hall without a trace.
Not long after, two sisters, Zhen Qing and Zhen Xue, came from outside.
"The old lady is always kind, how is Sister Qin?" As soon as Zhen Qing entered Tianxiang Tower, she smiled and looked at Jia Mu who was surrounded by a crowd of golden hairpins, and she was filled with happiness when she came closer.
Jia Mu smiled and said, "Okay, okay."
Zhen Xue also came to greet her, and a group of golden hairpins also stood up to greet her.
At this time, Shui Xin looked at Xiangyun and Daiyu in pink jackets and skirts, and said in a sweet voice: "Aunt Yun, Aunt Lin, Third Aunt..."
Grandma Jiao led Shui Xin over.
When Xiangyun saw Shui Xin, there was a smile on Apple's round face. He took the little Loli's arm and said softly, "Xin'er is here."
Daiyu also took Shui Xin's other arm, her eyes were bright, and she chuckled: "Xin'er hasn't been here for a few days."
Tanchun also came closer and pinched the little Loli's pink cheeks. He was surprised, but he looked at the red circles under the little Loli's eyes, but it was hard to ask.
Everyone also liked this little girl who looked like a porcelain doll.
-WAP..COM-Go to view
