After dusk, dusk fell, and after a while the night fell, the back garden was completely silent, except for the occasional chirping of insects. When it was just Haishi, the night rain began to fall silently. For a moment, the sound of rain was mixed with thunder, and lightning tore the clouds apart. The rain gradually intensified until it stopped at dawn. The water on the eaves covered by the tall trees dripped continuously onto the underground flowers. The flowers and plants in the bushes seemed to be moistened by the rain, half containing rain and dew. The whole yard seemed to be filled with freshness. cute.
It never rains much in Xuanfu, but last night there was a downpour, which made the yard full of roses and smoky green willows, as if they had traveled from the cold northern country to the misty south of the Yangtze River.
The two maids in duck-egg blue double-breasted skirts took off their wooden clogs at the door, then pushed the door open and entered. They carefully stepped on the ground covered with a navy blue carpet decorated with twining flowers, and walked around four nanmu and primrose-colored engraved glass screens. The grandeur of the whole hall came into view. Through the layers of begonia-colored gauze, the girl is sleeping soundly, with the green silk on her head scattered like a waterfall on her face, as peaceful as a baby.
The maids couldn't bear to disturb this peaceful moment, so they stood there for a while, but the girl opened her eyes on her own, but her face still showed the confusion and confusion she had when she first woke up.
The girl is thirteen years old this year, her eldest name is Meng Yaorui, and her nickname is Ruiniang in her family. Ruiniang sat upright on the bed with her back straight, which showed that she was very strict in her upbringing. She lightly opened her red lips and asked the maid: "Liu Ying, Huaping, what happened last night? Although it was raining, I heard a sound outside. , I was so dizzy that I had no choice but to fall asleep."
Liuying and Huaping looked at each other and said, "It's my eldest aunt who has returned home."
Ruiniang immediately got out of bed after hearing this. Returning home means that a woman has been abandoned by her husband's family and will return to her mother's house forever. However, the return of her eldest cousin came too suddenly.
"Quickly, wait for me to wash up and then go see my mother." Ruiniang hurriedly wanted to get out of bed.
But in the main hall of the Meng family, there were animal patterns on both sides blowing out wisps of green smoke. There was a crystal high plate on the golden nanmu table, with grapes of various colors on it, rose red, black, white, purple, all very full. Juicy, sparkling and alluring.
But no one wanted to taste it at this time. There was a middle-aged couple sitting in the upper room of the hall. The man was about thirty years old, with a high nose and thin lips, plump and handsome, his lips were pressed into a line, and he looked unhappy. The woman, on the other hand, is elegant and unsullied, with a long double hairpin of jasper ribs inserted diagonally into the bun on her head. She is indescribably gentle and pleasant.
Sitting next to the couple was a young woman. She looked haggard, with a slight sadness on her eyebrows. She was saying hesitantly: "... Later, I wanted to divorce because I had nothing to do. Liu Lang was reluctant to leave, but Ying's family She no longer wants to see me, and my niece is not someone who is just waiting to stalk me, so she came back with Li Shu."
The middle-aged man is Meng Jue, now the head of the Meng family. Meng Jue's father was originally from Xiangyang. He was lonely and poor when he was young, but he read a lot of books and never let go of the books. Later, he took part in the military examination in Yingchuan under false pretenses and passed the martial arts examination. He became a very famous anti-Japanese general. He was promoted to the governor of Tongzhi, the governor of Zuojun Mansion, and the crown prince Taibao. He was also known as Meng Taibao. His father had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son was his brother Meng Jing. His official rank was from the first rank to the third division of Kaifu Yitong. He died three years ago. Meng Jue personally helped his brother's spirit back to Xiangyang County. The eldest sister married the Ying family of Qiantang, a high-ranking family in Daqi, and had six sons. The niece Tongniang married the eldest sister's youngest son Liulang Yinghuai.
Originally, this marriage was a matter of in-person marriage. My nephew Ying Huai was the most talented husband in the Ying family, and my niece Tong Niang was also a very talented person and was the apple of my brother's eye. After the couple got married, their relationship had always been very good. Their brother-in-law and eldest brother passed away one after another, and they supported each other and became closer. One of their daughters died in infancy, but they had only been married for five years, so they unexpectedly gave up to Tong because they had no children. Mother and Li returning home are really bullying others too much.
Meng Jue raised his head and said, "If Rang'er is still here, why is this happening?"
When Meng Rang was mentioned, everyone froze again. Meng Rang was Tong Niang's brother and Meng Jue's nephew. Since Meng Jue was an old man, he and Meng Rang were similar in age. Meng Rang was the most outstanding figure in the entire Meng family. He had unparalleled talents, was unconventional and unconventional, and was the first person in the emperor's eldest son's family. He had been working hard to make the emperor's eldest son the crown prince. Unfortunately, he passed away last year.
When Meng Jue was young, he went to play at his eldest sister's house. At that time, his father died, and the Ying family was no longer so warm to the Meng family. The eldest sister asked them to stop being upset.
Now it seems that it is indeed the case. The eldest brother has passed away, and his nephew Meng Rang has also disappeared. Although his uncle passed the martial arts championship at the age of eighteen and fought with his father and brother everywhere, and was promoted to the deputy general of the Yunnan Army at the age of twenty-four because of his military exploits, he did not have enough subordinates. He resigned due to business reasons, and his relationship with civilian officials has been very bad all year round, so he only serves as a guerrilla, waiting to be dispatched.
In the past few years, because he had to fight against the Tatars, he and his family were stationed in Xuanfu. His wife usually made suggestions and made up for his shortcomings, so he was promoted to a full third-rank general due to his military exploits.
But how could the Ying family be afraid of a general? Especially since the Ying family has recently joined the Jiang family, the admiral of the Southern Wei Army, Zhongyong Hou, is the father of the eldest princess.
Because Meng Jue is the youngest son of the Meng family, he has always had an arrogant temperament. Although he is a good fighter, the iron sword weighs more than 120 kilograms and can spin quickly. He is known as "Meng Da Dao". Therefore, thinking of what happened to his niece, he is When he was about to curse, a pair of soft hands gently held his hand, and he instantly lost all temper.
Since ancient times, gentleness can overcome toughness. Han is such an extremely gentle woman. Even Tong Niang rarely sees her aunt get angry, but her uncle often has sparks in his hair. These two people are as gentle as a gurgling stream. Tranquility, the other is like a chestnut in an iron casserole, with a fiery temperament.
"Mother Tong, since the Ying family has reconciled with you, has the Ying family already found a wife? Although we cannot maliciously speculate on others, we still need to know something." Han asked.
Meng Tongniang had been in charge of the family for several years, and she was not really unaware: "It is said that Princess Ningguo lost her husband a few years after her marriage. She was His Majesty's beloved daughter and was extremely favored. The talented people in the capital wanted to take the imperial examination, and none of them wanted to pass the test. She There is a road that goes straight up. Speaking of which, it was my brother who asked Liu Lang to go to Princess Ningguo’s mansion to do the scroll. Who knew..."
Han sighed slightly after hearing this: "What a twist of fate. I think the Ying family is definitely willing to accept this marriage. In this dynasty, all princes and princes can participate in politics, and most of the imperial guards are even held by princes."
Really hit the nail on the head.
This son-in-law must be one of their own. The Ying family wants to have the power of serving the dragon. If they can control the imperial army and open the door for the eldest prince, it will be just around the corner for the Ying family to be granted the title of prince in the future, and Princess Ning Guo can also get a good son-in-law. After all, Ying Huai She is still very young, beautiful, graceful and talented.
Meng Tongniang took out the handkerchief and came out again, sobbing and sobbing. She saw a young girl coming. She was dressed in a goose-yellow dress, with a string of pearls hanging from her neck. Her cheeks were slightly red, like dewdrops, crystal clear. Pure and delicate.
When Tong Niang got married, her cousin Ruiniang was just a girl with a bun in a bun, but now she has become such a stunning beauty with a graceful and refined appearance. This is in line with the origin of the name that my aunt originally gave her, "The Yao forest is full of pistils, and the jade sea is vast and without rules." It is indeed elegant and refined, untainted by the delicate dust, just like the fairy of Yaochi.
"Second sister." Although Tong Niang was sad, she was polite and considerate.
Ruiniang said quickly: "Eldest sister, there is no need to be polite." After that, she went to greet Meng Jue and Han: "Daughter, please send greetings to your parents."
Even though Meng Jue had a bad temper and was arrogant, he never got angry with the Han family. The Han family used softness to overcome strength. Ruiniang was almost as good as Xiao's mother in appearance, but she was more youthful than her. Her temperament was gentle and graceful, just like her mother. Smart and knowledgeable. Therefore, Meng Jue regarded her as the apple of his eye and loved her very much.
Before Ruiniang could squat down, he smiled and said, "Come here and sit down."
Ruiniang took advantage of the situation and sat down. She had actually heard everything outside the door, but she was afraid that the eldest sister would not be able to think about it, so she said: "Eldest sister, let's make peace with you as soon as you come. Back then, Wu Youji was the right guard Zhonglang general, and Wu Zetian killed you. My wife is worthy of Princess Taiping. Now you are back well and you are much better than her. Now you play with me in your free time on weekdays, and it is very happy. As for the past, don’t think about it, okay? ?”
Tong Niang thought to herself, although my sister is gentle and has a very pleasant and melodious voice, she is also a very independent person. Yes, she is much better than Wu Youji's wife. Although her parents and brothers are gone, at least her uncle and aunt are very good to her, so she has a place to go.
Han's niece's face turned better and she was very pleased, but she looked at her daughter again and had something on her mind. Her niece's return would have the greatest impact on her daughter's marriage. Yesterday, the wife of the chief soldier of the Xuanfu came to her house and wanted to marry her. Today, But it suddenly became quiet, and it seemed that he had heard the news.
Of course, the Han family may not think highly of the son of the commander-in-chief. Her daughter has astonishing talents and has such an appearance that she is worthy of the best man in the world. It's just that her niece's return will ruin her daughter's reputation. This is what she is worried about.
Especially in Xuanfu, a place where dragons and snakes were mixed together, it was difficult to talk about marriage, and now something like this happened. Han didn't blame her niece, but people have selfish motives, and she was more worried about her daughter's situation.
What should I do?
At this moment, someone from outside delivered a letter. Han smiled when she saw the letter. Meng Jue hurriedly asked: "Where is the letter from?"
Han said: "It's a letter from my mother's house, Tai'an Bofu. The old lady said that she has nothing at her knees. She wants to take Ruiniang to Beijing and keep her company with Sister Yan."
Ruiniang is very smart. She knows what it means as soon as she hears it. Although the mother was still a concubine, because Mrs. Tai'an Bo Han only had one daughter, Tai'an Bo is now Han's brother.
I'm afraid Shangjing knew about the eldest sister a long time ago, so this letter came here, because with the eldest sister's return, it will be quite difficult for her to find a good marriage in the Xuan Mansion.
In fact, last year my grandmother also wrote a letter, talking about the marriage of her cousin Tai'an Prince Han Xian. My grandmother and aunt were fighting in the ring. My grandmother was more interested in herself, but my aunt heard that she was more interested in her niece. My mother didn't want to get involved in this muddy water, so she Refused?
But with the current situation, would mother agree?
