"What?!"
Qi Wenyue turned around and looked at his mother, both seeing shock in the other's eyes. She looked at her brother again and confirmed with him: "You said that Mr. Xiao He wants to marry Qing Niang?!"
Qi Wenqian nodded: "Exactly."
"How could it be Qing Niang?" She asked in disbelief: "Brother, did you hear wrongly? Qing Niang has just arrived in Beijing, how can she recognize Mr. He? Besides, let's talk..."
Besides, she asked someone to marry her, and she said it was Marquis Xuanping's sister, her sister-in-law. Why did she talk about it all the time, but instead talked about Wen Yiqing? !
"I have already told him about the young lady from the Xuanping Marquis Mansion. He has already rejected her once and is determined." Qi Wenqian stroked his beard and couldn't help but smile when he thought of He Lanzhou's unforeseen circumstances. He said: "Lan Zhou's ancestral home is Yuncheng. He and Qing Niang were old acquaintances. We had met several times before. Now that we met again in the capital, he took the initiative to mention this matter to me."
Qi Wenyue: "How can this be done?!"
"Why not? I think it's pretty good."
If it weren't for his mother's request, Qi Wenqian wouldn't be willing to play matchmaker for others, but when it was his sister's turn, he became very interested. He held a tea cup and said with a smile: "Lan Zhou and I are colleagues. His character I know him best, his abilities and conduct are extremely outstanding, even the emperor praised him highly, and his family is clean and simple, making him an excellent match."
Qi Wenyue said disapprovingly: "Master Xiao He is the number one scholar with a criminal record. He is young, favored by the emperor, and has a bright future. Who can't marry him? She, Wen Qingniang, is just a widow with a child. How can she be worthy of Xiao He? grown ups?!"
Mrs. Qi was also shocked by the news and came to her senses in a daze.
She sat up straight, leaned over and asked, "Sir Xiao He, did you really say that?"
"What he said to me personally cannot be false."
After Qi Wenqian finished speaking, he frowned again at Madam Xuanpinghou's sharp words. But this is also an important matter. He explained: "Lan Zhou knows that Qing Niang has been married before, and he will treat Sister Shan as his own daughter. He doesn't mind it himself, and we outsiders can't tell. What."
Qi Wenyue: "But..."
Mrs. Qi asked: "What did Qing Niang say?"
"I wanted to mention it to Qing Niang, but it was hard to talk to Sister Shan when she was with her."
Mrs. Qi beamed with joy, wrinkled her eyes, and said repeatedly: "How could Qing Niang refuse such a good thing?"
Hearing this, Qi Wenyue couldn't sit still and interrupted her quickly: "Mom, I asked my eldest brother to marry someone else, and I'm not talking about Qing Niang! The Hou Mansion is still waiting for me. If I To say that Mr. Xiao He did not fall in love with the girl from the Xuanping Hou Mansion, but instead fell in love with a widow, isn’t this putting the Hou Man’s face on the ground and trampling on it!?”
"It all depends on his own luck as to which girl from the family Mr. He falls in love with. The girls from the Xuanping Hou Mansion do not have this fate. Since Qing Niang is destined to Mr. He, I think it is a good thing." Mrs. Qi He turned back to his eldest son and said, "I agree as soon as I see it. You can tell Mr. Xiao He tomorrow and ask him to find a matchmaker to propose marriage."
Qi Wenqian waved his hand: "This is Qing Niang's business. It won't be too late to mention it again after she agrees."
"Okay, okay." Mrs. Qi smiled brightly and responded repeatedly: "I'll go talk to Qing Niang."
Seeing that it was getting late, Qi Wenqian stood up and said goodbye.
Watching him walk away, Qi Wenyue hinted to his servants to close the door and sat down next to Mrs. Qi.
She said anxiously: "Mom, how can you agree to this!"
"It's a good thing that Mr. He likes Qing Niang." Mrs. Qi said with a smile: " Mr. He's parents have gone, Qing Niang can be the master of the house, and there is no mother-in-law to make things difficult for him. Sir, you can gain the emperor's important position at such a young age, and you will have a bright future. Not to mention that Qing Niang has already been married once, even though she is a girl who has not yet left the court, Sir He is also a very good match!"
"How can that be done!"
How could Wen Yiqing, a widow from a merchant background, have such luck? ! If she married He Lanzhou and rose to heaven in one step, wouldn't she be able to bring up the family tree again? !
Qi Wenyue could no longer maintain her expression, and lowered her voice: "Mom, you have forgotten, what should I do about Qing Niang's identity?"
Mrs. Qi paused.
"If Qing Niang marries Mr. He and she lives in our house, the Marquis must not doubt her identity?"
Mrs. Qi thought for a while and quickly came up with a solution. She held her daughter's hand and whispered in the same low voice: "This is not difficult. I take the decision to accept Qing Niang as my adopted daughter. She is also a girl from our uncle's house, and the Hou's house will not doubt it."
"There is me, mother!" Qi Wenyue said anxiously: "I asked my eldest brother to help me arrange marriage, but he told Qing Niang about Mr. He. If my mother-in-law blames me, what should I do?"
Mrs. Qi had a daughter in her old age. She held her little daughter in her hands and loved her for more than 20 years. She almost responded to every request and loved her most. But this time, she was no longer on Qi Wenyue's side.
What was in front of him was not a simple marriage. He Lanzhou was the number one scholar with a criminal record, the emperor's favorite, and had a bright future. All the nobles in the capital wanted to marry a girl of the right age in his family to him. It turns out that there is no girl in the family who has not left the palace, so it is better to give the Xuanping Marquis Mansion a favor.
But now, if He Lanzhou can marry into the uncle's house, why push him to Xuanpinghou's house?
Compared with the married daughter, of course the Zhongyong residence is more important.
Mrs. Qi just said kindly: "Your mother-in-law has always been tricky. Besides, I can't blame you for this. It's because Mr. Xiao He didn't like the girl from the Xuanping Hou Mansion. He rejected her once before. No fate means no fate. You can’t force it. There are so many young talents in the capital, just say good things and she won’t embarrass you.”
"mother!"
But Mrs. Qi had made up her mind and made up her mind to stand by the uncle's side in this matter, no matter how coquettish and pitiful she was, she would not waver.
He also said: "It's getting late, you'd better go back as soon as possible. If you go back late, your mother-in-law will make things difficult for you again."
Qi Wenyue was so angry that she tightened her handkerchief, but she couldn't say anything bad and could only force out a smile.
The night was deep and there was not a single star in the sky. She walked out of Zhongyong Bo's Mansion, got on the carriage, and looked back while holding the carriage. In the dark night, the solemn Zhongyongbo Mansion was shrouded in darkness. Only the lanterns under the eaves swayed in the wind, and the weak firelight illuminated the small area outside the door.
The light reflected on her face, and her expression was extremely gloomy.
She turned around and sat on the carriage, tightly clenching the material of her cuffs.
"Go home!"
…
Although she wanted to mention something to Wen Yiqing, Mrs. Qi didn't find the opportunity for several days.
Ever since the genealogy incident, Wen Yiqing had become estranged from her. When she came to greet her every day, she would hide in a corner without making a sound. It's even harder to speak. A few days passed, but Mrs. Qi couldn't find any time for the two of them to talk.
Shanshan breathed a sigh of relief.
She acted as her mother's little tail and followed her mother for many days. She followed her mother wherever she went. She carefully observed all the people her mother met one by one, but she did not find anyone bullying her.
On the contrary, the attitude of the family towards them became better and better, and even the annoying third aunt smiled when she saw her.
Although Shanshan felt strange, he finally felt relieved and stopped being his mother's little tail.
On this day, Wen Yiqing and Nurse Chen went out to look at suitable shops together. She was bored by being alone, so she carried her little goldfish money bag and put a wooden figure in the bag - this time it was not herself, but Shitou Gang. The mother carved out wood for her, took the stone, and went out happily.
She asked her wet nurse to find out for her that the theater in the capital was in the east of the city, and she wanted to see Havoc in Heaven!
"Brother Shitou, have you ever seen Sun Wukong? Sun Dasheng knows the seventy-two transformations, and a somersault cloud can travel a hundred and eighty thousand miles, which is amazing!" Shanshan held his hand and showed him the signs with excitement: "He also I’ve beaten the White Bone Demon, I’ve beaten… Oops!”
Shanshan was talking happily when he accidentally bumped into someone walking towards him and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the stone caught her.
Shanshan raised her head and looked, and the third lady was standing in front of her.
The third lady was hit by someone while walking on the road, and she was not very happy either. She first saw Shitou, a foreign child with gray eyes who had followed Wen Yiqing into the house. He had always been inconspicuous. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were as sharp as a wolf dog, and he had a somewhat ferocious look when he looked at people. The third lady was about to get angry, but the next moment she saw Shanshan next to her.
She immediately laughed and asked pleasantly: "Where are you going, Sister Shan?"
Shanshan replied obediently: "Brother Shitou and I went to the theater."
"Watching a show?" The third lady laughed and reached out to touch Shanshan's head, but the alien child stepped in front of Shanshan and stopped her movement. She didn't mind either. She took back her hand and said with a smile: "You kid, if you have time to go to the theater, why not go read more. Mr. He likes children who are good at reading."
Shanshan asked curiously: "Who is Mr. He?"
"Why don't you even recognize Lord He?" The third lady covered her lips and said with a smile: "Master He is a top scholar with a criminal record, outstanding literary talent, and a talented person. He came to the house a few days ago and met your mother. You have to remember it. So I can please him later."
Shanshan finally remembered.
She had met Mr. He at her uncle's place, the uncle who couldn't take his eyes away when he saw her mother and wanted to be her stepfather.
She said confusedly: "Why should I please him?"
When she was in Yuncheng, there were so many people who wanted to be her stepfather, and they all tried their best to please her. Uncle Shen gave her toys every three days, hoping that she would say good things to him in front of her mother.
"You kid, why are you so stupid? Your mother will marry Mr. He soon, and he will be your father from now on."
Shanshan was stunned when he heard this, his eyes widened: "Who is my mother going to marry?!"
The third lady said "ouch" and couldn't stop the smile on her face: "Of course it's Mr. He."
She couldn't believe it, "My mother never said that!"
"Master He has such a wonderful marriage proposal. It would be a great blessing for your mother to marry him. How could you refuse?" Because of this, the third lady had never had a good look towards her. "The old lady has already arranged it in advance." He told me that in a few days, there will be good news about your mother, and Mr. He will be your father soon!"
Shanshan was completely stunned.
The third lady walked around her and walked far enough away that no one could be seen. She had not yet reacted.
How could she remember anything about the Havoc in Heaven and the Seventy-two Changes? Now Sun Dasheng Benhou appeared in front of her, and she couldn't care less about it. Her mind was already filled with things about her stepfather.
So many people wanted to be her stepfather, but her mother never agreed. Even if a matchmaker Wang came to her door every three days, she never took her seriously.
Shanshan doesn’t want a stepfather. Her mother also told her not to believe what Matchmaker Wang said.
But, this time it was the third aunt who said...
Shitou also looked at her worriedly: "Is your mother going to get married again?"
Shan Shan raised his head blankly and met his eyes.
She had already heard Brother Shitou say it. After he had a stepfather, his mother no longer wanted him. She even gave birth to a little brother and drove him out to become a little beggar.
Will she also become a beggar?
Will my mother abandon her?
Shan Shan's eye circles slowly turned red and became wet, and tears welled up in his eyes, like pools of water gathering in his eyes, teetering on the edge of collapse.
Shitou was also panicked, clumsily trying to wipe her tears but not knowing how to start. He thought for a while and said comfortingly: "It doesn't matter, I will make money."
She sniffed and couldn't hold it any longer. Tears burst out of her eyes as if the earth was falling apart, and she cried "Wow" loudly.
…
In the palace, in the royal study.
The emperor looked calmly and held a red pen in his hand. He quickly read the contents of the memorial and annotated it one by one.
Until he stopped somewhere, he frowned and thought for a moment. Without coming up with an idea, he said, "Hey Aiqing."
There was silence in the room.
When he didn't get a response, the emperor raised his eyes and saw that the number one scholar he had appointed was looking at something in a daze, thinking about something, with a gentle smile on his lips.
He shouted again: "He Aiqing."
Only then did He Lanzhou come back to his senses.
He hurriedly bowed and said, "I'm here."
Only after the monarch and his ministers discussed the issues in the memorial did the memorial leave traces of their ink-pen review.
The emperor closed the memorial and threw it into the pile of folders nearby. Instead of reviewing the rest, he asked with great interest: "What happy event has happened to He Qing?"
He Lanzhou quickly apologized: "Your Majesty, forgive me."
"It's okay, let's talk and listen."
He Lanzhou's handsome face showed some embarrassment and said: "This is a girl I once admired. Recently we met again by fate. I am really overjoyed and made the emperor laugh."
"So, there will be a happy event in the Number One Scholar's Palace soon?"
"You have to wait for her to nod in agreement."
Having said that, his joy has already leaked out from the end of his eyes and eyebrows. He was naturally handsome, but now the spring breeze was blowing on his face, his eyes were as bright as stars, and his face was radiant.
The emperor also felt the joy of his ministers, and his stern brows relaxed slightly.
"I remember you are from Yuncheng?"
"yes."
"That woman is from your hometown?"
"yes."
"The relationship continues again." He sighed softly, as if saying to himself: "It's great."
He Lanzhou lowered his eyes, not daring to look directly at the holy face.
The marble slab in the imperial study room is illuminated, and the bright yellow figure behind the desk is vaguely reflected.
The young emperor ascended the throne, and there were many complaints from civil and military officials in the court, but they were all suppressed with thunderous means. He has been in power for more than ten years, but he is only thirty years old. Since he entered the court as an official, he has been favored by the emperor, and he can see it more clearly from the sidelines. The emperor was diligent in government affairs, and the lights in the royal study were often lit until midnight. The sea, rivers and rivers under his rule were clear, and the people in Wufu were prosperous.
But as a close minister of the emperor, he still vaguely heard a few secrets.
The late emperor favored women, kept a wide harem, favored concubines and killed his wives. Several princes fought endlessly for the throne after they came of age. The day before the young emperor ascended the throne, blood stained the long white marble steps of the imperial city. His fate was tragic, and the government kept it secret.
After he was crowned prince, the emperor concentrated on government affairs and remained unmoved no matter how courtiers petitioned him to select concubines. The Queen Mother also acquiesced. But he once heard the drunken eunuch talking nonsense. In the year when the emperor paid a private visit in disguise, he met a woman among the people and fell in love with her. However, the girl died early. I don’t know if it’s true or false.
In his trance, the emperor's deep voice sounded again.
"Congratulations Aiqing, I will definitely prepare a congratulatory gift for you on your wedding day."
He Lanzhou hurriedly bowed to thank him.
…
In a lively street market.
The stone carried Shan Shan slowly through the crowd.
The little girl cried until her nose and eyes were red, and her tears wet half of the clothes on his shoulders. She also cried all the way, and was finally coaxed. Now she was lying on his back, her chubby chin resting on his shoulder, and she was holding a candied haws in her hand.
She is usually the most gluttonous, but right now the attractive red candied haws of sugar haws are right in front of her eyes, which can't cheer her up and can't even whet her appetite.
Shitou carried her and stopped in front of a stall making clay figurines, "Do you want it?"
Shanshan shook his head, "Forget it."
They just kept going.
The destination is still the theater in the east of the city. Even though such a big thing happened, Uprising in Heaven is still worth watching.
Shanshan was extremely sad and said sadly: "Brother Shitou, will I never be able to watch Sun Wukong again? Going to the theater also costs money. If my mother doesn't want me, I won't even be able to afford theater tickets."
"I'll make money."
"But you eat so much that you're starving yourself."
"..." Shitou said dullly, "I'll eat less."
Shanshan was not comforted and was even sadder.
Her Shitou brother used to be so thin, but she finally gave him some meat, and he was no longer as skinny as a bamboo pole. Her mother also praised him for becoming strong. If he turned back into a little beggar, he would become as pitiful as before, and she would no longer be able to secretly feed him snacks.
And herself.
She is still so young and knows nothing. She doesn't know how to earn money or beg for food. If she becomes a little beggar, she will starve to death on the roadside.
Shanshan Guang sheds tears just thinking about it.
The two of them passed by shops and vendors until they stopped at a crowded intersection. A caravan had just entered the city gate. The carriages and horses dragged their heavy luggage and drove slowly past them.
While waiting for the caravan to pass by, Shi Shi saw the wonton stall next to him and asked, "Want it?"
Shanshan was so sad that she had no appetite at all.
But there happened to be customers at the small wonton stall next to it. The stall owner opened the lid of the pot, and the enticing aroma of wontons spread out in the dense white mist. The aroma spread to the surroundings and reached Shanshan's nose. She took a deep breath and nodded: "Yes."
Shitou put her down, took out a few coins from his arms, and ordered a bowl.
Shanshan watched helplessly as the stall owner placed the wontons and put the lid back on the pot. She sat on the stool, smelling the aroma of wontons from other tables, and couldn't help but sway with her feet hanging in the air.
At this moment, a carriage passing by the caravan stopped in front of the stall, and the people in the car lifted up the curtains.
"Shan Shan?"
Shanshan raised his head, and from behind the carriage window, a pair of peach blossom eyes looked at her with a smile.
"Uncle Shen?!"
Shen Yungui spoke to the steward and asked him to take the caravan into the city to settle down, and he got out of the carriage while waving his folding fan. Today he is dressed in crimson and purple brocade, with jade trees in the wind, looking rich and elegant.
Shanshan watched in surprise as he sat down opposite her, "Uncle Shen, are you here like this?!"
"Yuncheng is too small, I came to the capital to do business."
"Then will you stay in the capital in the future?"
"That's right."
Shanshan let out a wow, even more surprised.
The corners of Shen Yungui's lips raised: "What about you, why are you running outside alone?"
Shanshan answered truthfully: "We are not alone. Brother Shitou and I went to the theater."
"Watching a show?"
"Watch the havoc in heaven!"
Shen Yungui nodded nonchalantly. He waved his folding fan and asked a few questions about home affairs with a smile. Then he asked casually, "What about your mother? How is your mother lately?"
It's okay that he didn't mention it, but once he mentioned it, Shanshan was reminded of sad things.
The tears that had just stopped falling down again. She wiped her tears, her nose was red from crying, and said sadly: "Uncle Shen, my mother... my mother is getting married!"
Shen Yungui's smile condensed on his face.
"What did you say?!"
