Zhou Dutou made a silent gesture and said softly: "There is no Aunt Song. When I wrote the letter, I didn't know about Master Chen's taking a concubine. Mrs. Chen also begged Captain Tiqi to let her go. "
"How can this be?"
"How is this impossible?" Zhou Du glared at him and lowered his voice: "With a hundred taels of silver, anything is possible!
She was a civilian, neither prostituted nor a slave. Even Fan Taizun helped cover it up. The captains were happy to collect money, so why did they talk so much? "
"One hundred taels?" Li Dan felt incredible.
"Well, one hundred taels... two people!" Zhou Du held out two fingers.
"You mean...?"
"I didn't say anything!" Zhou Dutou immediately retracted his fingers, put his hands in his hands and smiled and stopped talking.
Li Dan was about to continue asking when he suddenly saw a servant running and looking around. He happened to recognize this person, so he called out: "Brother Yu Qi, who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for..." Na Yu Qiluo glanced at him and said, "Hey, Zhou Dutou and Li Sanlang, it just so happens that you are both here!"
The two were stunned and looked at each other. Na Yu Qi had already run into the tea shop and stretched out his hand to ask Li Dan for a reward with a smile.
"Making trouble! I'm just sitting here eating tea, why do you reward me?" Li Dan was confused.
"As you know, Sanlang, a good teacher, a courier has just arrived at the post house to bring you the great news. The prince of your family entered high school in the spring, and now he is a master of education! Shouldn't this news be rewarded?"
After Yu Qicai finished speaking, Li Dan had already jumped up: "What did you say, my eldest brother won the exam? Is it true?"
"The good news is at the county government office. I guess Grand Master Chen Guang has already gone to announce the good news with someone beating the gong to clear the way. I came here specifically to inform everyone, but I didn't expect to be lucky enough to meet you two here...!"
Li Dan couldn't sit still anymore and hurriedly ran out. Then he turned back and pulled out a cowhide-sheathed dagger from his boot and threw it to Yu Qi, saying: "It's for you!"
He slapped a handful of silver coins on the counter and said he was paying for all the customers in the store, and then ran home happily.
Na Yuqi was not happy when he saw him giving her a dagger at first, but suddenly she saw what seemed to be several gems shining on the handle, so she quickly put it into her sleeve with a smile on her face.
"Good news, Titang official reports that your brother-in-law, "Li", has a golden name, "Zhu", high school, Jiazike Jiangxi Provincial Examination, and the 18th place in the Chinese style examination!"
When Li Dan ran to the door of his house, there were already crowds of people from three floors inside and three floors outside.
Someone chanted loudly, and after reciting, several hands handed the good news up, and soon it was posted on the top of the door.
Then the drumming started, and firecrackers (firecrackers) were set off.
The butler Li Pu stood at the gate with a smile on his face and directed the two servants to throw the wedding money, which caused a commotion and cheers from the crowd.
Li Dan was happy when he saw it. He turned around and ran to the money shop on the street. He took out two regular banknotes and exchanged them for a bunch of copper coins. He scattered them as he walked, attracting a large group of children to follow him. in front of the door.
Li Dan threw out all the remaining money in the basket and took advantage of the crowd to jump into the door.
He asked Li Pu with a smile: "Has Third Uncle come back? I rushed back to report the news as soon as I heard the news, but I didn't expect it to be a step too late."
"The third master hasn't returned yet, but he has already heard about it on the road. He sent Lu Ning'er to ride a donkey back first, saying that he would get home tonight. The third grandma couldn't stop crying in the back hall after hearing this, and the eldest grandma and the second grandma Grandma is trying to persuade me."
Li Pu's elders were brothers of the common branch with Li Dan's grandfather, so they were also considered elders. When they saw that there was another civil servant among the younger generation, they were filled with tears of joy.
After Li Dan heard this, he hurried to the back hall. As soon as he walked around the door, he saw girls and women gathered outside the hall chattering. He didn't care about it, so he went around the east corridor and went straight in.
"Hey, are you all here? Second brother and fourth brother, congratulations to the eldest brother for high school!" He first congratulated brothers Li Jin and Li Qin when he entered the door, because they and the eldest brother Li Zhu are both sons of the third uncle Li Yan.
Li Zhu was the biological child of his third grandmother, Shu, and Li Jin and Li Qin were the children of Li Yan's concubine, Cui.
Li Jin won the prize, and Li Jin looked like Yourong, but he acted reserved, nodded and smiled with his hands behind his back, "Brother's success is just as I expected. With his talent, it is possible to take another step forward."
"Oh? The fourth brother could actually guess that the eldest brother won the exam? So, fourth brother, who is more powerful, you or the eldest brother?"
Honest people kill people. Li Qin's serious question made Li Dan and Li Shuo suppress their laughter and turn their heads.
Li Jin didn't know how to answer, and he couldn't answer his brother's expectant gaze, so he could only say: "Wen Wu is the first, who is more powerful?
My eldest brother, who is several years older than me, naturally has a profound understanding of the words of saints. If you look at me, when I was as old as my elder brother, I would have been on the top list of high school and wanted to be interrogated by the Golden Palace. "
"Fourth brother, I heard that the emperor is nine feet tall and is very majestic. In the past, there were new scholars who were trembling in the hall and could not answer." Li Shuo touched Li Qin's shoulder and said.
"Amitabha, fortunately my father asked me to practice martial arts, so I can avoid such sins!" Li Qin shook his head.
Li Yan believed that the family should be civilized and martial. The youngest son Li Qin was honest and strong, so he was trained in martial arts from an early age and learned riding and shooting skills from two masters.
It is precisely for this reason that he is the closest to Li Dan among the three brothers of Sanfang.
"Hey, look at your courage!" Li Jin looked down upon this "vulgar warrior" brother: "It's natural for the emperor to be majestic, but there's no need to be scared like this!
Ministers must fulfill their duties loyally, boldly advise, and speak out. If you are like you, how can you deal with state affairs and share your worries for the king? "
Li Dan didn't want to mess around with his brothers, so he went into the back room to pay his respects.
When I walked in, I saw that the room was full of people. The eldest grandmother, Mrs. Dou, made an exception today and asked the third grandma, Mrs. Shu, to sit in the middle and was wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
Behind her stood the elder's three daughters, Fu, Lu and Shou, followed by the elder's two aunts, Su and Wen.
Li Dan first greeted his mother and then his two aunts.
Mother Gao smiled brightly and asked someone to move Zhang Xiudun to sit on her. She said with a smile: "Look, today the eldest son was elected, and even the sanlang has behaved better!" This made everyone cover their mouths and chuckle.
Li Dan blushed and said, "Mom, I don't know how lively it is outside. People grabbing lucky money are standing all over the alley, and my son is throwing a dustpan in front of the door himself!"
"Oh, Dalang is such a good boy! It's a pity that the eldest brother is not so blessed!" Mrs. Dou pouted in envy as she spoke, while the two concubines behind her, Mrs. Su and Mrs. Wen, hurriedly lowered their heads.
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, both sisters are young, maybe..."
Mrs. Gao suddenly realized that it was inappropriate for Li Dan to speak like this in the presence of others, so she quickly changed her words and said to him: "By the way, your third uncle came back with a message, saying that he planned to treat guests to Hongyan Tower tonight.
When you first came in, we were talking about this, which seemed inappropriate. My eldest aunt just wanted to set up a few tables at home. Saburo, what do you think? "
"Uh, what do you think, second brother?"
"He? He has the style of a celebrity and will be a prime minister in the future. He is not willing to ask about such trivial matters!"
Shu curled his lips, looking down on him, and whispered: "It's not bragging, he only wants to be better than his elder brother, and I don't think he can do it in this life.
Really, look at his style and magnanimity, how can he compare to him? "
Seeing everyone's embarrassment, Mr. Gao hurriedly waved his hands: "Sanlang, what do you want me to ask you? What about Hongyan Tower...?"
"Mom, I think what the eldest aunt said is really wise. Nowadays, it is not appropriate to make public the national mourning. The case of the Chen family is right in front of us, and Tiqi is still in the county.
At this time, even though my eldest brother is in high school, the most we can do is set off a couple of firecrackers and throw some money to celebrate, which is understandable.
But if I want to further book a restaurant and hold a big banquet, I'm afraid it will be over. The child thought that the third uncle was temporarily happy and might have forgotten about this problem.
If you really want to celebrate or have a banquet, why don't I go to Hongyan Tower and invite his chef to my house.
Let's just set up a few tables in the front hall, serve some fresh wine, and do it quietly without hanging any red or lighting lights. What do you think? "
The three people above exchanged glances with each other, and Mrs. Dou nodded: "I think it's okay. Now is a special period. If good things turn into bad things, it would be boring."
"Okay, then please ask Sanlang to go and I will explain it clearly to your third uncle." Mrs. Shu then agreed: "Just make an agreement with Hongyan Tower and invite them to come to my place to settle the matter later."
"Hey, how can I ask you to spend money? This is a big event for the whole family, and my second wife and I will each contribute a share!" Mrs. Dou said quickly.
"It's getting late, so we have to let Hongyan Tower seize the time to purchase and prepare things. I won't bother you anymore, and I'll go out to do things."
The house was full of women. Li Dan asked about the number of people, the number of tables in the front and back halls, the time of day, etc., so he didn't want to stay any longer and got up to leave to his mother and two aunts.
He went out and closed the door. Behind him, Mrs. Wen smiled and said, "You see, Sanlang is actually very good at doing things."
“He’s pretty good when he’s not making trouble or fussing over him, and he can’t stop him even if his temper comes up.
Or why does the uncle always say that he is a monkey, just like Sun Xingzhe, who is seeking Buddhist scriptures from the West? "Gao's words caused the whole room to laugh.
I heard that a banquet was going to be held at home in the evening, and the three brothers in the outer room were also very happy. Li Jin, holding his identity as a scholar, was still shaking his fan and being reserved, while his two younger brothers clamored to go to Hongyan Tower with Li Dan.
But Li Shuo couldn't go, because the Gao family's ban on him had not been lifted yet, so he could only watch helplessly as Li Qin went to his mother to beg for mercy, then happily came out and took Li Dan outside like a little bird. .
"Fourth brother, you go to the gate and wait for me. I'll go say hello to my aunt." Li Dan said to Li Qin and turned around to go home first.
In front of the door, I saw Daniel and Zhen'er gesticulating and describing the lively scene in front of the door, including which family had sent a duck, and which family had handed over a congratulatory gift of two hundred dollars.
Zhen'er saw Li Dan first and rushed to greet him. "Daniu, there is a banquet at home tonight. After you eat, go back and say hello to your uncle!"
Daniel agreed and went to find Ma Jiu happily. Then Li Dan asked her aunt what she was doing. Zhen'er told him: "Looking through the cabinet in the east room, what are you looking for?"
Li Dan entered the house and Xiao Qian was walking out. Mother and son almost bumped into each other.
"Sanlang is back? Just in time, you can run over for me and give this to the third grandma, saying it is a gift from me." Xiao Qian said, handing over a small bag wrapped in a satin handkerchief.
Li Dan took it in his hand and felt it was a little heavy, so he opened it and took a look. But inside were five shiny pieces of rich money and two strings of red silk bracelets, with three small golden bells hanging on each bracelet.
"Isn't this something I wore when I was a kid? What's the origin of this money? It looks very heavy." He picked up the money and weighed it.
"This is not ordinary money." Xiao Qian pursed his lips and smiled: "This item was made by the former imperial master Totuo Timur, and a total of six thousand coins were cast.
It is made of Nanyang purple gold copper and is covered with gold. It is specially used to reward meritorious service. After a hundred years, there are probably less than a hundred pieces left in the world today, so they are extremely precious. One piece is worth one or two gold!
If you give it to the third grandma, just say it is my heart and ask her to take more care of her in the future. After that, he smiled and said, "Do you still remember that bracelet?"
After your father died, I took it off for you and put it away. Now my brother is too old to wear it.
The day before yesterday, I heard my third grandma quietly tell me that your sister-in-law is not feeling well. I wonder if she is expecting another baby?
I just wanted to find this little thing. Regardless of whether she is a boy or a girl, wearing it means auspiciousness. "
"Oh, I understand!" Li Dan asked softly: "Auntie, do you want to capture the third grandma and become a foreign aid in the future?"
"Smart." Xiao Qian put her finger on his forehead: "Third grandmother has two generations of Jinshi in her family, and she is the only one who understands the value of money for meritorious service.
She is also a vain, greedy and careless person. Although this golden bell is small, it is valuable, exquisite and auspicious, so she must be satisfied.
Although it was to congratulate Dalang, I guess the eldest brother and the front office were reluctant to spend more money.
How much money we are going to give away will only attract gossip, so it is better to hand over this little thing quietly. Others don't know the goods or don't care, but it's fine if the third grandma understands!
The most important thing is that the third grandma comes from a wealthy family and doesn't care about watching our house.
With her helping out, the two of them don't dare to cause too much trouble. Maybe we can get through this disaster safely. "
She explained it to Li Dan in detail, letting him understand her intention of finding antiques and ornaments to give as gifts, and at the same time warned him that they must send them quietly so as not to disturb too many people. "
If so, it would be better to let the needle go. Li Dan thought about it and said, "My aunt guessed it right. Third aunt is going to hold a banquet at home tonight and asked me to invite the chef from Hongyan Tower."
The eldest aunt told me that tonight's expenses would be shared among the three families, but she said nothing about the gifts. She thought it would be cheaper to pay for the third.
I'm going to Hongyan Tower right now. I'm afraid I'll have to be busy tonight. If you deliberately go to the back to find the third aunt, everyone will notice.
It's better to let Needle go. She's a girl and it's more convenient for her than me. "
"That's right. Uncle is not here, so you are the only one who can help third uncle. Then I will arrange for Zhen'er to go."
Xiao Qian took the things back and asked, "Are you going to Hongyan Tower? Are you going to eat in front tonight and then come back?"
"Yes!" Li Dan nodded, turned around and said, "Fourth brother is still waiting at the door, I have to go. Auntie, don't wait for me, I'll ask Daniel to bring you delicious food!"
Although Hongyan Building is called a building, in fact, most of the business is downstairs. There are only two private rooms upstairs, and then there is the residence of the shopkeeper Gu and his family.
Li Dan has been here many times, and the waiter who was splashing water and sweeping at the door recognized him and came to greet him early: "Hey, third brother and fourth brother Li, congratulations on the election of another master in your house! What do you two want to use?"
"Have you heard all about it?" Li Qin asked proudly.
"Silang, the whole city is in a state of shock, do you know? The whole Yugan family has become famous this year. First he was a scholar, and now he is a scholar.
Tsk tsk, in the golden autumn, I would like to congratulate your family for being a Jinshi! "The waiter was obviously very sharp-tongued and kept flattering.
"Okay, okay, let me lend you some good words!" Li Qin grinned.
Li Dan had already walked into the store, took out a few coins and gave them to the waiter and the smiling cashier behind the counter. He clasped his fists and said, "Congratulations, congratulations!"
Brother, my family wants to set up a few tables to celebrate tonight. Is shopkeeper Gu here? "
