Xie Lanan returned to Wuyi Lane, and when she entered the mansion, she saw a green figure waiting in front of the screen wall, just like when she was a child, she would sit at the door with her face in her hands, waiting for her to go to school.
Seeing Sister come back, Selden finally breathed a sigh of relief and grinned: "Sister, is everything okay?"
Xie Lan'an said yes, and took a look and saw a bunch of jade pendants hanging on the young man's belt. It was full of beautiful things, and the air of luxury was slanting out. As he walked, he said: "This is a good kit."
She didn't have the reserve of Sanna who could walk without her skirt. She took long steps, and Selden walked backwards beside her with small steps. He said proudly, "Sister, I have a good eye. The material of this kit is Western." Shu Ziyun brocade, the embroidery lady is the best craftsman in Jinling City, better than Zuo Chunfang."
After he finished speaking, he saw that his cousin's expression was calm and there was no sound of agreement. The green-clothed young man with a small print of "Feng Nian" was silent. After thinking about it, he hurriedly took off the brocade bag and handed it over.
"Sister likes it, so I'll give it to you."
Xie Lanan took it in his hand, said nothing, and asked him to go to the study to inform his second uncle that her entry into the palace went smoothly. After entering the house, he threw the exquisite brocade bag to the servant and ordered it to be put into the box.
As soon as she came back, the Queen Mother's reward also arrived.
Pearl heads and faces from the Lion Kingdom, five-color glaze from the Kushan Kingdom, purple jade flutes, coral folding fans, pine smoke deer antler ink, Zhongshan rabbit hair brushes, even Hanoi green rice, Luobei sole fish, food and clothing are all available.
The people who live in Xie Mansion are all well-informed people, so they are not very surprised when they see this. When Xiao Lang, the left guard of the Xiaoqi Battalion, joined hands with more than 20 guards and arrived outside the gate of Xie's house with great momentum, everyone realized that the Queen Mother's "special favor" seemed to be too much.
"No, this isn't protection at all, it's clearly surveillance!"
In Xinpingzhai, Ruan Houxiong's boot soles were rubbed again and again in the center of the earth, and he punched his left hand and right palm, "When it comes to security, how many people in the Ruan family can't be mobilized, do we need outsiders to get involved? No, my grandma is a person who wants freedom. I can't stand this."
Xie Yi and Xia Wei were sitting on the futon, playing a game of life and death chess. Meanwhile, they were wondering, how could they dispel the idea of the little fox letting him break the Five Stones?
From the corner of his eye, he saw Ruan Houxiong striding forward. Mr. Xie hurriedly stretched out his hand to protect the chessboard and said with a smile: "Brother Ruan, please be safe, please don't ruin my chess game. I think she knows what's going on, so it's okay."
Think about how many old subordinates he had in Beijing before he returned to Beijing, and how many old friends Yan Dong had in Jinling. Who did Xie Lanan turn to for help when he insisted on revealing his life experience? It's not just because of his own ability that he can sit firmly in the position of head of the family.
A guard general can trap her, so why not give up as soon as possible.
In the main courtyard, Ruan Fujing watched with a cold face as the servants carrying the rewards came in and out. He also heard that the Queen Mother had placed some help around A-Mei, and he couldn't help frowning.
After a while, he noticed that Xie Shenlue across from him looked happy from the beginning, and did not look worried. He thought about it and relaxed his brows.
Xie Ce smiled and said, "Brother Shi, aren't you worried?"
Ruan Fujing actually couldn't figure out the mystery, so he was still worried, but he couldn't lose to his cousin, so he nodded deeply: "With my cousin's ability, she will definitely succeed."
Xie Ce raised his eyes: "Ruan Langjun and my sister have only known each other for a few days, and now you know Lan An so well?"
Ruan Langjun ignored the words "my family" and "merely" and said with his hands behind his back: "We should be blood relatives."
Wen Liangyu was in the small bamboo building of Youhuang Pavilion, happily trying out the purple jade flute that Xie Lanan had given to him. He didn't care about other things and was happy.
But it was Xuan Bai who had the most intense reaction, jumping up and saying: "It is my and Yunshuang's duty to protect the master. Why are they here to join in the fun? What kind of person is the master, how can he let these rude outsiders get close to him!"
Xie Lan'an changed into a loose red Zen robe, lined with a white gauze jacket and wore a loose bun, and glanced at him.
Xuan Bai's cheeks were still bulging, and the next moment he obediently put his head under his master's fan.
What made him feel uncomfortable was nothing more than the fact that the master was worried about the humiliation of the servant. The master was wronged, but he couldn't do anything. That was dereliction of duty.
Xie Lan'an did not knock him, but turned his fan and knocked it on his palm, and told Shan Bo: "Invite the people in and station them in the outer courtyard."
Cen Shan frowned and had a lot of doubts, "Do you really want to keep them?"
"Stay. There are six battalions of imperial guards in the capital. The Queen Mother is willing to let a battalion of guards come to serve as my personal guards. Why should I not?" Xie Lanan's eyes flashed brightly, "But how can we rely on others alone? Our own palace Guard, we must also promote a group of elites."
"According to the order, those who can pass five moves under Xuan Bai Yunshuang in the nursing home of the mansion will burn their body deeds on the spot and be promoted to the tribe. The whole family will be exempted from slavery and will be admitted to Ding. Among the children and guests, there will be those who can hold a five-stone bow, or Zhi Ma, or those who were born as Confucian warriors, will also resume their registration and enter the main courtyard. If there are daughters in the family who are maids in the Xie Mansion, they will be exempted."
Xuan Bai and Yunshuang looked at each other with sharp eyes.
In Jiangzuo's family, the status of disciples is higher than that of subordinates, and the status of subordinates is higher than that of servants. The levels of slaves were divided into benevolent slaves, house slaves and handymen.
If a good slave remains in his master's house until he is sixty years old, there is still a chance of regaining his freedom if the master is happy. However, the lowest servant is bound to be a slave for generations.
All aristocratic family heads have no choice but to buy a large number of slaves to work for themselves, because they have rice fields, private orchards, and livestock farms... The grain, fruits and vegetables, medicinal materials, meat and poultry produced in a year are not only Being able to be self-sufficient, without having to pay taxes, and with a huge surplus, it was natural to spare no effort to exploit slaves.
It cannot be said that the Xie family of Chen County does not have any of the above industries, and their scale is not comparable to that of second- and third-rate families. But it is extremely rare for someone like Xie Lanan to free a slave with a wave of his hand.
Cen Shan thought things through more carefully, "With so many armed men selected to enter the inner court, without the constraints of physical bonds, will it harm the safety of my wife?"
Xie Lanan asked back: "Three generations of wealth and freedom have been held in the hands of others, so will they be sincerely loyal? I don't rely on compassion, only true ability. Those who have the ability and know how to climb will have their own ladder for him to climb step by step. What you earn is your own future, so don’t have any second thoughts; if you have the guts to betray me, I can save his whole family, so I can’t go after his whole family again? If you don’t want face, don’t blame others for stepping into the mud."
Cen Shan understood and asked again: "Are these things to be avoided from the eyes and ears of the Queen Mother?"
Xie Lanan shook open his jade fan, and the awe in his eyes turned into amusement, "Just under her nose."
If you want the Queen Mother to trust her, you must have ambitions, because that is inconsistent with Xie Lanan's character. Xie Lan'an, who didn't move at all, was too deep in the city, which aroused suspicion.
At the same time, it should not be too ambitious, making people feel that it is difficult to control. Only half-covering, half-exposing, half-pushing and half-compliance like this will make the superiors think that they can see through and hold them, and are the most suitable.
Cen Shan took the opportunity to suggest: "Then, how about adding a group of maids in the lady's house?"
In previous years, Xie Lanan was only served by bookboys and servants, so it became a habit. Shan Bo had tried to persuade him several times before, but Xie Lanan just found it cumbersome. Except for Shu Meng, the maid who was seconded from the West Courtyard and went to the third room to deliver messages, Xie Lanan later saw that she was smart and stayed in the main room to take care of her. There were no other maids.
"No, I'm used to it." Xie Lan'an asked, "When will the third uncle move out?"
Cen Shan sighed helplessly. The master's wealth had only increased compared with before. He did not dare to persuade him, so he replied that the third master would move today.
"Today?" Xie Lanan was stunned for a moment, "Did Wu Niang cry?"
"No." Cen Shan replied, "The third master had a look of resentment on his face. He originally ordered the fifth lady to go with him, but the fifth lady didn't want to leave. The lady had previously told me that the affairs of the fifth lady will be under your control from now on, old servant. So I sent people to guard Wu Niangzi's courtyard all the time, so that I didn't disturb the young lady."
Xie Lan'an nodded, with a hint of cruelty in the corners of his raised lips, "As long as the third uncle doesn't make trouble, if he wants to care about his parents' fate, the aunt happens to have no children, so he adopts Wuniang under her name, so he doesn't even need to call him daddy. "
·
Soon, all branches of the Xie clan received new rules set by the family head, such as:
Do not kill slaves privately. The official will not care about those who want to kill, and the master of the family will be held accountable;
If a good man has no slaves, all those under the age of ten and over fifty should be released. Slaves who have been coerced, robbed and sold by force should be released to their families as soon as possible;
Tenants receive a 30% reduction in rent;
All the children of the Xie family are not allowed to drink alcohol or engage in tricks outside after the Emperor has passed away;
Anyone with the surname Xie is prohibited from taking Wu Shi Powder;
…
This can't help but confuse some descendants of the Xie family. Is this going to turn the Xie family into a charity hall and a monk temple?
You must know that although slave tenants have a low status, they are one of the important properties of the family. In today's era, scholars and commoners are worlds apart, and masters and servants are as different as clouds and mud. Even if a servant is sold to his master's house and killed at will, it is no different from dealing with an adopted cat or dog.
And the question without a wink: Is the current head of the Xie family in Chen County Xie Lan'an, or the second master Xie who came back from Jingzhou?
The insider stretched out a finger from his sleeve and pointed fearfully at the beam above his head, keeping the secret secret.
In addition to these restrictions, Xie Lanan also ordered each branch to submit a public account to count the properties under each branch's name.
When it comes to money transactions, Cen Shan is worried that such a big deal will cause unrest in people's hearts. Xie Lan'an has already thought of it, "Of course, while the second uncle is not gone, I invite him to come forward and be the evil person."
In her previous life, she was strong and didn't want to cause too much trouble to her second uncle, who treated her like her biological father. Now she finally understood - or rather understood - how much face was worth, and it was better for people to give full play to their talents.
If she asks her second uncle for a favor, could it be that she only uses him instead of respecting him? That's too much to think of yourself as Xie Jingzhou's good niece.
In this regard, we should learn from Bing Xinxuejin’s Wen Leshan.
After hearing this, Xie Yixia had nothing else to say, so it would be okay to come forward and give the clansmen a beating. She just reminded: "No matter how big your family affairs are, they are limited. Xun Jijiu is your mentor and has always had high hopes for you. In terms of affection and etiquette, you also have You should go to see Chen Qing in person, so what's the point of hiding?"
Xie Lanan's eyelashes twitched.
Before meeting the Queen Mother, she should have gone to see the teacher first, but when she thought that the teacher was the Qingliu leader who advocated returning the harem to the lord, and her own agenda was contrary to his, she flinched a little.
After returning from the palace, the Queen Mother's rewards flowed into the Xie Mansion like water. She dragged them behind, and she didn't even dare to.
"So there are still people who are afraid of the No. 1 King of Jinling who is not afraid of heaven and earth?" Xie Yixia was very happy at his misfortune.
Xie Lan'an said with a straight face, "Second uncle is so happy. I heard an anecdote the day before yesterday, and I would like to share it with my uncle. I heard that Taoist Hanlian in Jiangcheng County did not disperse it in time after taking Wushi Powder, which caused Qi and blood Going backwards, half of my body is paralyzed, my second uncle said, is it scary?"
"Don't be alarmist. That's because his way of walking is wrong."
Xie Yixia's face dropped, she swept her sleeves and chased people out.
·
Soon, Xie Lanan learned that the host organizing a birthday banquet for her was Yu Luo Shen.
The steward next to Yu Luoshen went to the palace to ask for instructions, and asked Madam Xie if she had anything special to say about her food preferences, flower preferences, banquet lists, etc.
Xie Lananxi kept his expression on his face and imitated his second uncle as a hands-off shopkeeper. He did not interfere at all and only said: "Help me add a guest."
Although the steward of the Yu family was surprised after hearing this, he still responded respectfully.
After he left, Cen Shan came to the crane raising platform and said softly: "Madam, the new guest has arrived."
Xie Lanan held a purple bamboo hopper filled with reed buds in his hand and sprinkled food on the stone platform. Several snow cranes stretched out their long necks and strolled around with feathers in their mouths, looking at their masters. When the master was not paying attention, they lowered their heads delicately and pecked a pellet of food, and then flew away to the rockery or orange grove according to their mood. She asked: "You didn't force me, did you?"
Cen Shan said no, "The husband was so happy when he learned that the lady invited her by name, he boldly asked if he could pay homage to the lady and thank her in person."
"I have a lot on my mind." Xie Lanan laughed, "Let's meet him then."
Cen Shan took the order and went down. The man settled in the mansion and was brought into the inner courtyard soon.
When passing by the outer court, Xiao Lang, the left guard, seemed to pass by casually. He glanced at the man's face a few more times, but neither recognized nor saw anything surprising.
Bai Song was led to a place a stone's throw away from the Yanghe Terrace. This was the closest the servants could get to the head of the family. He opened his eyes wide and saw the legendary Lady Xie.
Even just a silhouette in the distance was enough to make him weak in the knees with excitement. He felt that the person waiting on the crane was even more fairy-like than the white crane spreading its wings. Yes, it was a fairy-like spirit!
Bai Song managed to maintain his grace and bowed forward, his voice trembling slightly: "I've met Master Xie, thank you very much for your appreciation."
Xie Lanan glanced back, his eyes as cold as the snow on the top of the mountain, as if there was nothing there.
The wolf cub, the first child in the heart-breaking game, has entered the game.
·
Chu Qingyuan was in the school. At the request of the head of the old school, he had no choice but to come to the county school to teach and enlighten the newly admitted Meng children who had no status to enter the Imperial College.
At dusk, the rosy clouds dyed the willow branches. After finishing his teaching for the day, he packed up his books and heard people chatting outside.
"Hey, did you go to Wuyi Lane to get into trouble too?" one asked.
"Isn't it?" Another scholar who passed by the hall said angrily, "I went there and found out that the time for Xie's Mansion to recruit customers has ended, and I was robbed by that door, saying that there were only a few people there before, but this time I heard that there was a steady stream of rewards from the palace entering Xie's Mansion, and they all came in a swarm. It's really unlucky to be arranged by an idiot."
"It's not right for a seventh-rank official in front of the Prime Minister to be angry." The man from before comforted him, "Not everyone has the luck of that boy Bai Song to be able to have Xie Mansion's ox cart drive him to be a guest of honor. I envy him. Not coming……"
Chu Qingyuan didn't pay much attention at first, but after hearing this sentence, she quickly walked out and asked, "Are you talking about Bai Song?"
The two people nodded, weren't they Bai Song and Bai Zici. Seeing Chu Qingyuan's dazed look, she couldn't help but ask him: "This matter has spread all over the world, hasn't Brother Chu heard about it? Speaking of which, Brother Chu is full of talents and knowledge, and he is also famous among the poor family. How could the Xie family choose him? Bai Song left you behind?"
There was a chirping of cicadas in Chu Qingyuan's ears, and she could no longer hear the words behind her. He put down his book and went directly to Bai Song.
As a result, the courtyard door of the Bai family was locked, and Chu Qingyuan waited until dark before seeing Bai Song come back proudly in the spring breeze, humming a ditty.
Bai Song was startled when he saw a person standing under the bamboo lantern outside his door. He saw the face hidden in the shadow clearly and took two timid steps back.
Chu Qingyuan laughed: "Avoid me?"
"No, why are you here?" Bai Song hurriedly opened the door and invited people in. Speaking of which, this was the first time Chu Qingyuan came back to his house to look for him. In the past, he would rush to be Chu Qingyuan's follower, and the other party would also Ignorant.
Chu Qingyuan stood by the door without moving, asking him for confirmation about the guest. Bai Song shrank his neck obediently, "Yes, yes, I went to Xie's house - but I listened to you and didn't go to Wuyi Lane! It was the chief minister of that house who invited me, The salary proposed is more expensive than my life. You know I have never had any big ambitions, so it’s hard to refuse such kindness..."
He didn't dare to show off. The Xie Mansion also arranged a comfortable dormitory for him. He came back today just to clean up. From now on, he will not live in this shabby place where there is rain in autumn and winter and hot flashes in summer.
He didn't say anything, but his hidden expression made everything clear.
In the darkness, Chu Qingyuan's palms were clenched so tightly that they were trembling. When did Chu Qingyuan need someone like Bai Song to pity him and take care of his self-esteem?
It's one thing for him not to defect, but it's another thing for the Xie family to choose Bai Song out of nowhere.
This doesn't make sense at all. Xie Lanan has a higher eye. Even if he is not as chasing her as Princess Ancheng, he still knows that she has always been aloof and arrogant and doesn't like common people.
So why is it the ignorant Bai Song?
As for the only connection between the two people...a streak of white lightning flashed through Chu Qingyuan's chaotic heart: it was him.
He was the person Xie Lanan favored at the spring banquet. When she wanted to recruit customers, she specifically stated that "only talent and learning are considered, regardless of family background." He was also the person who fit the bill.
According to common sense, she didn't even bother to look at Bai Song. The only connection between Bai Song and that noble girl was because Bai Song was his friend.
Those bright eyes, whose water was as green as autumn frost, came to mind again, and they lingered on Chu Qingyuan's heart.
His pride and self-esteem did not allow him to make such absurd guesses, but Chu Qingyuan was obsessed with the illusion: that mysterious woman seemed to be attracting him in this mysterious way...
In Xiaochanggan, the night is already deep. Jinnu heard the sound at the courtyard door and went out with a lantern. He was surprised when he saw Lang Jun's cold but bright eyes.
After a while, I heard Chu Qingyuan say: "Tomorrow morning, drive me to visit the Duke of Danyang."
·
"He Xian, who is that?" Yu Luo Shen looked confused when he heard Xie Lanan's request.
"Second Lady, she is a descendant of the last branch of the He family. That bloodline is already very thin to that of the main family."
The steward replied one by one to the information he found. He Xian's biological mother died young, and he and his father lived by farming and studying in a few acres of thin farmland. He was still young and had not yet gotten married. There was nothing surprising about this.
I haven't heard of any relationship between him and the Xie family.
The Goddess Yu Luo, wearing a gold crepe train, was lying lazily on a beauty's couch under the camellia stand. Two handsome young men were rubbing her legs, one was rubbing her shoulders, and the other was squeezing her shoulders.
After hearing the steward's words, she thought about it for a long time, shook her head lightly, and stopped thinking about it, "Please just invite the people who don't matter."
Maybe Xie Lanan wanted to please her aunt, but didn't want to blatantly curry favor with the Yu family, so she went to burn the cold stove of the He family? The number one person in Jinling is nothing more than that.
There was a slight breath of orchid in her temples, and it was the gentler-looking concubine who blew into the benefactor's ear and said in a greasy voice: "It's such a tedious task to hold a banquet, big things and small things disturb people's minds, why should I do it?" Come here."
Yu Luoshen patted his little face lovingly and smiled charmingly.
Anyway, she has a lot of people under her, and she doesn't have to do the work herself. She must not let go of the opportunity to overpower Xie Lan'an.
Looking at this beautiful appearance, Yu Luo Shen suddenly thought of a person, and instantly became interested. He ordered the steward who had already lowered his eyes: "Go, take that little wintersweet flower with you. Isn't he proud? It's just for the nobles." To add to the fun.”
