The next day, early in the morning.
Brother Rong planned to have a free day without having to get up early, so he could have a good sleep. No matter how hard Keqing and Xiangling pushed him, Uncle Rong just refused to get up.
Waiting for half a day.
The mother of brothers Shi En and Shi De, the daughter-in-law of Shi Guanjia of Ningguo Mansion came to the hospital.
"It's not about the garden at the back." Qin Keqing said to Uncle Rong, "It turns out that Uncle Chen from the fourth house of Ningrong Back Street took over the job of planting trees in the garden. It's almost completed now, and the people who are looking for the person in charge are watching. .”
"Aren't the affairs in the garden always under the control of the Second Master of Xifu?"
Brother Rong asked in surprise.
After Jia Zheng, a leisurely official, checked in at the Ministry of Works every day, he just stayed in the study to enjoy the elegance with the Qing guests. It was also an elegant thing for them to go to the Grand View Garden to see the scenery. It was their turn to go see it.
Qin Keqing smiled and said: "Since my mother-in-law returned to the province, the prince has been more diligent and cautious in his official duties in order to repay the emperor's favor. In the past few days, I have heard about the news in the Xifu and heard that many Confucian scholars and ministers have dispersed. In addition, Jia Yucun After taking office as the magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, some of them went to the magistrate's yamen. Now even the old lady of Xifu says that the second prince has an official status now and is not hanging around in the yamen."
"It's really a strange thing." Brother Rong said with a smile, "But it's also a good thing. Since Mr. Zheng is diligent and careful about his official duties, it is really not appropriate to let the worldly affairs at home disturb him. However, the garden belongs to the West Mansion after all, and Mr. Zheng does not Director, there is also Mr. Pardon and the young Uncle Cong in the West Mansion. It is just a matter of counting the trees and asking the stewards and housekeepers to lead them to check. If there are no tricks, just write down a note and put the cards."
"The uncle really doesn't know what's going on in the palace." Qin Keqing laughed angrily, "Although they call it the Xifu, the garden is privately owned by the empress in the palace. It was only the empress who couldn't bear the garden being left idle that she let the Prime Minister of the Xifu handle it. Then. There are two more houses in the Xifu, and it is calculated that they are under the control of Grandpa Zheng. In the past, it was better that Uncle Lian was in Beijing, and everything was done by Uncle Lian. Uncle Lian went to Ping'an Prefecture to handle affairs for Grandmaster She, and Grandpa Zheng also returned Can you go and command Mr. Pardon, who is the eldest master of the family?"
"There's so much calculation involved." Brother Rong said with a wry smile, "It's all a matter of effort."
Qin Keqing didn't think so, and made a rigorous calculation: "If something happens in Grandpa Shen's room, it will be easy for Grandpa Zheng to help. On the contrary, it breaks the rules. Uncle Lian is the junior of Grandpa Zheng, so he can naturally do what he wants, and so can the uncle." The juniors of the Xifu can also call. But Grandpa Shen cannot take care of this matter, and even Uncle Cong, who has not yet started a family, cannot help make decisions."
"There are so many different people." Uncle Rong sighed with emotion.
"When there are more people in a house, there is always an order of seniority, and the rules cannot be messed up." Keqing laughed, with a gleam in his eyes, and said with a smile: "In a few years, I will wait for the eldest brother in the courtyard. Now that you are the governor, the brother you raised in Xifu has also become sensible. In the future, we have to carefully calculate the generational hierarchy, whether he is the eldest brother or the eldest nephew. You can't let the brother in the second room take care of you."
Good guy, it turns out that with such a large circle of things, our Grandma Rong calculated the seniority and eldest order of the two brothers.
Brother Rong laughed dryly and said, "What do you think, wife?"
Qin Keqing said: "In a few years, I will have to bring my brother over there and raise him together with the eldest brother in the house. We should ignore seniority and get along with each other as brothers in private. Regardless of respecting elders, how old is the eldest brother? For a few months, you should also take care of and teach your brothers."
This damn problem is easily caused when there are too many women in the backyard. Nothing is perfect in the world, but those thoughts never dissipate.
Jia Rong could understand that Keqing was thinking about her children, but she just wanted Sister Feng to know about Keqing's plan and not come and tear her mouth apart?
His grandma's house will catch fire sooner or later if this continues.
Uncle Rong took Ke Qing's little hand, rubbed it gently for a while, and said: "Ke'er has thought deeply about things. Although he is planning for a rainy day, it is a bit unfounded. Things that will happen several years later can be calculated now. The eldest brother is Ning Guo. The eldest son who is an upright and upright son should be his, and no one else can take him away."
Qin Keqing hummed, a little embarrassed to be held by the uncle with both hands. The words he just said were too clear.
Brother Rong said again: "Our family has a great business, and we are all descendants of the family, so we cannot favor any one over the other. In my heart, it is best to treat everyone equally. Ke'er is the eldest grandma in the house, not to mention Sister Feng in the future. If you have a child, even if you have Rui Zhuozhu, you must be impartial."
Grandma Rong's face was mortified, she murmured for a while, and said softly: "Ke'er is wrong, please punish me."
Brother Rong shaved her tight nose and said dotingly: "Didn't you often learn from Princess Zhongshun's methods in the past? Why do you want to go astray now? I see you haven't been to Princess Zhongshun's mansion for a few days. Your Majesty, please give me your regards. It’s time for the Princess to teach you in person.”
"You know how to make fun of others," Qin Keqing said shyly, sighing inwardly. Then he said: "Master, please go to the garden at the back first. Don't keep Uncle Chen and the others waiting for too long. Girls live in the garden. Even relatives can't let them stay in the garden for a long time. The women who are doing things are all here." Waiting."
Uncle Rong also knows the rules in the mansion. Relatives like Jia Chen cannot enter the Grand View Garden without orders. Even when entering the garden to do errands, the mother-in-law still needs to pull up the curtain to block the way and circle the place where the errands are to be done. Not only that, but a maid and mother-in-law must be watching over to prevent anyone from disrupting the girls and grandmothers.
He kissed Qin Keqing's forehead, changed his clothes with Xiang Ling and Xiao Queer at his service, and left the yard alone.
Qin Keqing watched Uncle Rong leave and forced a smile. As the eldest grandmother of Dongfu, how could she not worry about future generations? There is a living example in the Xifu. The first house is not favored, and the second house is the most powerful. She also knew that she was not the kind of extremely strong person, and she could not guarantee what her child would be like when he or she became an adult.
So, Ke Qing asked the maid next to her to take a pen and paper and write a note, asking someone to go to Prince Zhongshun's Mansion. He said to himself: "It's time to go pay my respects to my godmother."
Jia Rong didn't know much about tree planting in Grand View Garden. When she entered the garden, she just listened to the steward's explanation and reported it. A mother-in-law in the Grand View Garden had already received the news and ordered the female relatives to retreat into each courtyard, leaving several main roads for Jia Rong, Jia Chen and several stewards of the West Mansion to count the trees.
The so-called inventory is nothing more than asking how many kinds of trees there are, how many kinds of flowers, and how many of each.
He followed the others around half of the garden, asked about the inventory and the planting situation, and after receiving correct answers, he nodded and asked the steward to reply to Jia Zheng. After Jia Chen and the stewards left, the women in the garden removed the long curtains blocking the way.
Jia Rong walked a few steps and came to the side of a mountain.
Looking at the foot of the mountain, there is a faint strip of yellow mud building a low wall, and the top of the wall is covered with rice stalks. There are hundreds of apricot blossoms, like erupting fire and steaming clouds. There are several thatched huts inside. Outside, there are young and new strips of mulberry, elm, hibiscus, zhe, and various kinds of trees. According to the twists and turns, two green fences are made. Under the hillside outside the fence, there is an earthen well with a tangerine pulley next to it. The fields below are divided into acres, and the beautiful vegetables and flowers are endless.
He asked the maid in the Grand View Garden next to him: "Where is that? The various parts of the garden should be completed. How can it look like a farmhouse?"
The maid laughed and replied: "That is the place where the Queen named Daoxiang Village, and now Grandma Zhu lives there. The person in charge just stopped here because she was afraid of disturbing Grandma Zhu's leisure time."
Brother Rong said, "It is indeed a quiet place." Surrounded by mountains and rivers, there is also a vegetable garden, which really looks like a country place. However, Brother Rong also felt that it was not appropriate to stay here any longer, so he quickly called his maid to lead the way around Daoxiang Village to Huifang Garden.
The maid said: "Across the bridge in the south is the Xiaoxiang Pavilion where Miss Lin lives. To the north is Huaxing, and beyond that is Hengwuyuan where Miss Bao lives."
Brother Rong had seen the layout of the Grand View Garden drawn by Shan Ziye, and knew that Hengwu Garden was right next to the main hall of the Grand View Garden. It's the most deserted place there, with no neighbors to keep you company.
Asked: "Can Aunt Bao be in the garden today?"
The maid replied: "Second Grandma Lian came to the garden early in the morning. Miss Bao and Second Grandma are now busy in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion. They should not be in the garden at this time." Gu
Wang Xifeng and Xue Baochai are both at Xiaoxiang Pavilion, so forget it. Xiaoxiang Pavilion is Lin Daiyu's territory, so she doesn't want to bother her at this time.
Brother Rong asked again: "Where does Uncle Bao live?"
"Second Master Bao lives in Yihong Courtyard on the east side. At the moment, Second Master Bao is still studying for free."
"He actually went to free school." Brother Rong said in surprise.
The maids didn't dare to go back. They were all the lowest maids. How dare they arrange their master's affairs.
Brother Rong lost interest at this moment and went home in confusion. Turn around and walk eastward from the Shanhuai area of Daoxiang Village, passing Xiaoxiang Pavilion and passing several scenic spots. When we walked outside Yihong Courtyard, we saw two little maids hurriedly coming out of the courtyard. When they saw Uncle Rong, they called out urgently and ran away.
"What's the fuss about again?" Uncle Rong frowned and asked to himself.
The little maid next to her was also alert and asked Uncle Xiao Rong to wait a moment, then she went into Yihong Courtyard to inquire.
"It turns out that Sister Hua, the eldest maid in Master Bao's room, was infected with the disease. People in the hospital informed the second master and asked the imperial doctor."
Sister Hua? Hua Xiren? It's her.
After hearing the situation, Brother Rong thought it would be fine if nothing serious happened in the garden, and he didn't pay much attention to the affairs of Yihongyuan. After all, he is the uncle of Ningguo Mansion, and the maids in Yihongyuan all belong to Baoyu in terms of status, so they cannot meddle in trivial matters. He wasn't in the mood to care.
But at night, Ping'er didn't know why he mentioned this matter again.
"It's not easy for us maids to follow a good master. Xiren is favored in Master Bao's room, and even his wife has accepted her identity as aunt. However, the situation has changed, and now she has become a troublemaker."
Brother Rong saw her sighing, grabbed Ping'er's toes, and said with a smile: "What on earth happened to make Ping'er sigh like this? It's as if the uncle has betrayed my Ping'er."
Ping'er sulked and called out "itchy" repeatedly, pulled out his feet, turned around and crawled into Uncle Rong's arms. Begging for mercy: "Master, please stop playing tricks on Ping'er."
"Tell me what happened that made you mourn for that maid."
"It's not singing about sadness." Ping'er said angrily, "We only found out today that Xiren was kicked by Baoyu a few months ago, which caused the root cause of the disease. Now she is full of worries and worries, which actually caused the disease. It’s getting heavier.”
Brother Rong stretched out his hand to look around and asked with a smile: "What worries and worries does Ping'er have? Tomorrow, let Ke'er serve wine and invite the girls and grandmothers from the two houses, and ask Ping'er to turn her head and face to officially become the aunt of our Ningguo Mansion?"
Ping'er felt happy, but thought that the matter between Sister Feng and Second Master Lian had not been made clear yet. She hesitated for a moment and then refused: "Second Master Lian hasn't taken any concubines yet. He doesn't even have a concubine around him, but I openly entered Ning Guo's house. It's time for the ladies to find grandma again. Let's wait a moment." .”
What's the matter with Jia Lian taking concubines? Could it be that if Jia Lian doesn't take concubines, Ping'er won't be able to enter the Ningguo Mansion? Uncle Rong raised his eyebrows in his heart but did not say it out loud. Because he also knew that everything had to be compared, and because Wang Xifeng was unwilling to move back to Rongguo Mansion after giving birth, Mrs. Wang was not the only one who guessed that he was related to Sister Feng.
You can't let Sister Feng take everything. That would make Jia Lian very pitiful. Brother Rong was thinking, how about waiting for Jia Lian to come back, hinting at the matter between Jia Lian and Qiu Tong to Jia She, and letting Jia Lian take a concubine first?
Uncle Rong shook his head and immediately gave up the idea. This was too unethical. Even if you go out and buy a poor person with an innocent life experience for Jia Lian, it is better than using this trick. Or ask Sister Feng to arrange a few more good-looking maids in Jia Lian's courtyard?
Although those girls cannot become the first wife's grandmother, but they can become Jia Lian's second wife or aunt, at least they will not have to worry about it for the rest of their lives. There should be many young maids willing.
Uncle Rong smiled and said: "This is not a big deal. When Uncle Lian comes back, I will persuade him to take a concubine. One is not enough, we have to start with two."
Ping'er snorted and said, "I was just talking about Yihongyuan, but now I'm turning it on Second Master Lian."
"It's pretty cool, I guess." Brother Rong twisted his index finger and thumb together carefully.
Ping'er turned and glanced sideways at Uncle Rong, and said angrily but without resisting: "Xi Ren was bought with a few taels of silver. He followed the old lady since he was a child, and served Miss Shi for several years before being assigned to Bao Er. In the master's room. Both the old lady and the madam were happy to see her, and even Baoyu treated her differently, and agreed that Xiren would be Baoyu's aunt in the future."
"Isn't it a good thing for the whole family to be happy?" Brother Rong rubbed the food between his fingers.
Ping'er sighed and said, "You should be happy. The Hua family sold Xi Ren with a death contract, but the magistrate's government was kind and generous. After begging for a while, the Hua family was willing to redeem Xi Ren, and even the money was halved and the government rewarded him. You can also take it out with her.”
Brother Rong said in surprise: "So Xiren's dream has been shattered?"
"It's so ugly to say that." Ping'er glared at the uncle, and continued: "The Hua family approached Xi Ren about ransom, but she made a fuss for a while and refused, so the Hua family gave up the idea. The thought of Baoyu became more and more intense. She is not as affectionate as she used to be. She was kicked again, which made her sick and worried. Now that Baoyu is like that, Xiren feels even more miserable. Even the maids in Yihong courtyard looked at her example. Everyone has their own thoughts."
Brother Rong said: "Maybe Baoyu will naturally change in a few years."
"Ah."
"Ah?"
"So what if it's changed? Among us maids, none of us live by looking at our master's face." Ping'er sighed indifferently. "If you are pampered for a moment, can you still pamper me for the rest of your life?"
"You girl, it turns out you're trying to trick your uncle by borrowing someone else." Uncle Rong gritted his teeth, turned Ping'er over with his hands, and hummed: "Today, I want you to taste what Rong is." Master’s rules.”
"What rules?" Ping'er turned around and smiled.
"You'll find out later."
"..."
A few days later.
It is the Dragon Boat Festival, with hairpins on the door and tiger talismans on the arms.
At noon, as Mrs. Wang held a banquet, she invited the Xue family's mother and daughter to wait for the festival. But Youshi from Dongfu was surprised. He called Keqing, Ruizhu, Baozhu, Xiangling and other wives and concubines in Uncle Rong's room, and invited Wang Xifeng and Li Wan to have a drink.
