Xishuntangli
Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Fu sat under Mrs. Liu in turn, and Li Shu also sat with the sisters. She was in the best mood, because her mother was coming back, and Li Rou was also vaguely looking forward to it.
The only person who is most unhappy is Mrs. Xu. She and Liu Chengzong have still had nothing to do in the past few years, which means that they still have to adopt a son. Most of the people in the same family are not willing to adopt a legitimate son, but only a concubine.
Aunt Su's two sons Shujing and Shuyi were not very fond of Mrs. Xu. Lishu sat opposite and observed Mrs. Xu's expression and knew what she was thinking. But Li Shu thought that ordinary people accounted for the majority in this world, and there were very few wonderful people. Mrs. Xu wanted to adopt a stunning person, not to mention that others would not adopt such a person, and even her second wife might not have such a person.
Liusu stood behind Mrs. Fu and served her. She actually thought of many ways. She was originally planning to let Li Zhen slander Aunt Su's two sons in front of Mrs. Xu, but then she thought about it, but she got herself involved instead. As a maid, she just uses her beauty to frame Mr. Su, and the most she can do is make him receive some verbal lessons, unless...
She is really weak now, but she doesn't want to implicate Fu, after all, Fu is so good to her.
There is still a huge gap in status between her and Aunt Su. She is just a maid next to Mrs. Fu. Aunt Su has two sons and a daughter. She once worked as an embroiderer in the mansion. She knows people everywhere, so she is afraid that she will not die. He was injured by a tiger instead.
"Old lady, the master and his wife are back." The little maid outside said through the curtain.
Everyone's attention was focused on the door, and a man and a woman came in one after another. Lishu clearly saw that Mrs. Fu immediately pinned a strand of hair behind her ear again.
After three years, time has not left any trace on little Mrs. Fu. Of course, she was very young to begin with, and she is only thirteen or fourteen years old this year. When walking, he has the posture of supporting the wind and weak willows, his skin is still as white as snow, and his figure is slim and graceful.
After Liu Chengxu said his greetings, he went out first. Little Fu stood up with a smile, and everyone saluted again. Young Mrs. Fu finally saw the daughter she had longed for, and saw that Lishu had hair like ink satin, eyes like paint, and a graceful and contented manner. Her eyes were filled with brilliance when she looked at people. She looked like a fairy or a goddess. She was even more beautiful than It was even more beautiful than I imagined.
Although she was very restrained, she still hugged her daughter: "Shu'er."
Li Shu's tears still fell: "Mother, I miss you so much."
Mother and daughter had been dependent on each other for many years, and they were suddenly separated for three years. Mrs. Fu was always afraid that her daughter would not remember her. But when she saw her daughter crying, she was very relieved and wiped her tears: "Good child, I see you are doing well. If you are so good, it must have been taught well by your grandmother."
Little Mrs. Fu looked at Mrs. Liu gratefully: "If it weren't for the old lady, how could our Lishu teach so well? Thank you so much for these years."
Mrs. Liu said displeasedly: "Why are you so polite? Isn't this what you should do?"
Little Fu said repeatedly and asked people to bring Shurui and Shulin over. Shurui is four years old this year. He looks exactly like his father. He bows in a decent manner. There is also a little Shulin who is just over one year old. The baby boy walked over with a figure-footed step and immediately threw himself into Mrs. Liu's arms. Mrs. Liu was so happy that she couldn't even open her eyes with laughter.
Lishu had no biological brothers in her previous life. She and her other siblings had different mothers, and their relationship was estranged, not even very good, and they were on their own guard.
So when she saw Shu Rui and Shu Lin, she was still a little shy about being close to home.
Seeing that her daughter was too reserved and didn't care to exchange greetings, Mrs. Fu waved her over, hugged her and said, "Mom made you a set of little butterfly clothes, with butterfly wings. I'll try them on later." "
"Butterfly?" Lishu's clothes were also embroidered with butterflies, but they had no wings. Girls are naturally immune to these.
Little Fu kissed her daughter: "That's natural."
Although Li Shu has a good relationship with little Fu, she is already so old and her mother still kisses her and treats her as a baby. Li Shu is a little embarrassed: "Mother, please don't treat me as a baby anymore."
Little Mrs. Fu was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "My girl also knows how to be shy."
On such an occasion, the aunts didn't even have the status to come here. Li Rou looked a little lonely as Li Shu and her daughter got close, but she didn't show it.
Because Lirou knew that according to common sense, Mrs. Fu was the legitimate mother and she should treat them equally, but obviously, she only had her own child in her heart. In this regard, Mrs. Fu is not as good as Mrs. Fu. Mrs. Fu treats them all the same and treats them as her own children. After all, Mrs. Fu is a commoner, so she is not as grand as Mrs. Fu.
Mrs. Liu was old and couldn't really hold Shulin, but after a while, she let the wet nurses hold him.
But it was like drinking fine wine. She saw that Shurui and Shulin were both well raised, and she looked kindly towards little Fu. It doesn't matter whether Aunt Ding is favored or not, as a wife and concubine, the most important thing is to give birth to children and then manage the household. It's not that housekeepers can't do things like running a house. It's better if there are more people in the house.
After paying their respects, everyone dispersed first and came to the Madam's place for dinner in the evening. Of course, the people in the first room were meeting Liu Chengxu privately. At this time, the wives and concubines of the first room gathered together.
Liu Chengxu first said to Mrs. Fu gently: "Thank you for the hard work at home."
After receiving these words, Mrs. Fu felt sweeter than anything else she heard, and immediately said: "What did you say? I didn't do anything, so I really can't take it as a thank you."
Little Fu smiled again and said to the children in the same room: "This time I brought a kite from Shandong for each of you. It is made by an old shop and is very skilled."
Li Shu thought to herself that she had heard that the kites in Weifang, Shandong were very famous, and her mother was really interested. She also saw that little Fu gave Mrs. Fu Dong'e gelatin and Aunt Su's feet. As for the Shujing and Shuyi brothers, the gift was the famous Qingzhou red silk stone inkstone from Shandong. The girls each received two pieces of cloth, and everyone was very happy.
Lirou looked at the kite in her hand. It was indeed very beautiful. Not to mention its exquisite workmanship, it was also a famous soft-winged kite. I heard that its wings could move when it was flown. But these things have no effect. They are like wearing flowers to play with. When the color fades, there is nothing left. They are not as valuable as gold and silver jewelry.
It may be cheesy to think this way, but it's true.
After the gifts were distributed, Liu Chengxu first took a test against the two older sons. Aunt Su was very worried, especially because Shujing was a little smart when he was a child. Usually Fu would just ask him to come over and talk. He himself believed that he was the eldest son of Liu, and Seeing that his eldest uncle was taking care of his family, he even asked Liu Chengxu a few casual questions and stammered in his answers.
Liu Chengxu was very angry: "You were hired by a famous teacher when you were a child, and he sent you to an academy to study. You are now a teenager, and your father was already a student at your age. You are so unimproved. Your knowledge is not to say that you are a scholar, you are not even close to the county examination."
Compared with Shujing, Shuyi was much better. Mr. Liu Chengxu was a little satisfied, but as if he could see through his son, he said: "You don't like Shiwen, but it's difficult to make progress. You must know that today's society attaches great importance to articles."
Li Shu thought that her third brother Shu Yi was more fond of poetry and prose, which was fine. But the bad thing was that nowadays, the world is judged by articles, and poetry did not account for a large proportion in the imperial examination.
If the test for sons was quite strict, the test for daughters was much more lenient. Lishu discovered that Lijia was really secretive. She often asked herself and her sisters not to study and to focus on needlework. However, She has read many and deep books in private, and she has allusions at her fingertips.
Liwan was much worse, even when Liu Chengxu asked: "Do you know Li Bai's famous name?"
Liwan was confused, and Lishu couldn't help but think that Liwan had gone to school for so long in vain. Liu Chengxu suppressed his displeasure and continued to ask Lishu, "What are you reading now?"
"My daughter just finished reading Zhaoming's Selected Works." Li Shu smiled.
Liu Chengxu was a little surprised: "Oh, I have already read "Selected Works of Zhaoming", do you know "Guitian Fu"?"
"Returning to Dad, this is a poem written by Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty. The prose is plain and elegant, the language is natural and fresh, and it is concise and beautiful. It is a rare and excellent piece of poetry. My daughter likes it most. "The moon is full in the middle of spring, and the air is peaceful and clear; the grass is lush and the grass is growing. Rong. Wang Ju flutters his wings, Cang Geng whines; he crosses his neck and chats, and the gates chatter. Yu Yan is at ease, chatting for entertainment. 'These are the words." Li Shu said.
Liu Chengxu looked at his daughter, a little puzzled: "Don't you think you should like to play the five strings with your wonderful fingers, chant the books of Zhou and Confucius, use the calligraphy and ink to stir up the algae, and show the patterns of the three emperors. If you indulge in things, Do you know what honor and disgrace are like?"
Li Shu knew that her father was testing herself, so she said: "This "Ode to the Fields" is like Tao Yuanming's poem "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the Nanshan Mountains." But although scholars should be indifferent to fame and wealth, since studying requires a career, Only those who are worthy of the emperor will live up to what they have learned since ancient times. If they excel in their studies, they will become officials. Just like their father, they will live up to what they have learned."
If they all go into seclusion, who will take care of the common people in the world? When politics is unclear, we should bring order to things, instead of shrinking back, covering our ears, and thinking that if we can't hear, we will be gone. Can we really live our own lives as a matter of course?
Liu Chengxu was filled with admiration in his heart, but it didn't show at all on the surface. Young Mrs. Fu herself has not read Zhaoming's Selected Works, but after listening to her daughter's example of Tao Yuanming, she knew that her daughter's temperament was not the kind to live in seclusion.
He continued to ask Lirou. Lirou was the youngest, so Liu Chengxu asked her where she had read first. Lirou had missed a lot of classes and just said: "I don't read much on weekdays. I barely finished four books. I am very interested in "The Analects of Confucius" Learn a little bit about it.”
Liu Chengxu saw that Li Rou was very nervous and knew that she was probably not good at studying. He could tell just by looking at her face that Li Shu was clearly full of energy. Therefore, I just asked with a smile: "Since the fourth girl has read the Analects of Confucius, Confucius said: 'What a gentleman values is benevolence." But if someone says that a capable man should not have the benevolence of a woman, if you want to do things for the emperor, Dealing with a minister. This minister made an unforgivable mistake, but he is also a person who has made great contributions. The emperor wants to protect him, what do you think?"
Li Shu glanced at Li Rou and thought to herself that what she said meant that the truth is that a true gentleman can only be praised for his benevolence and righteousness, but those who truly achieve great things must not be benevolent as a woman.
In fact, it is very simple to solve the problem. A true gentleman must have lofty ambitions and always have the original ideal in his heart. Although there are compromises in the process, it cannot be dragged down. Women's benevolence generally does not completely refer to women's kindness, but also refers to people who are indecisive in dealing with things, giving small favors and not understanding the big picture. In fact, benevolence does not mean lack of decision-making.
Who knew Li Ju said: "My daughter thinks that since this minister has done many good things, it means that he has also been kind, but if he did something wrong, he should be punished with the law. My daughter thinks that no matter what choice, it is a dilemma, but since If the emperor wants to protect him, this is not the decision of the minister, because the minister also has to listen to the emperor."
Liu Chengxu was not very satisfied. He had always supported the Qing Dynasty and used orthodoxy to restrain the emperor. He would listen to whatever the emperor said, just for his own official position?
But he couldn't show it, so he asked Li Shu: "What do you think? Are you a person who supports learning and excellence leads to officialdom?"
Li Shu smiled and said: "Since there is a law, if I am the minister who handles this matter, I will definitely adhere to the law. If this person cannot be forgiven, he is a pest of the country and must be used as a warning. As the saying goes, the three armies can seize the commander. An ordinary man cannot seize his will. If he uses power to defeat the law and obeys so easily, what is the difference between him and a flatterer? My daughter thinks that even if I am dismissed from office because of this matter, if the court needs such strong orders in the future, I will still be used. . Otherwise, as long as he is in his position, he will definitely seek his own government."
When she was the Queen Mother in her previous life, she knew one thing: a real man cannot lose his power for a day.
People without power are like puppets, so it is better not to be an official.
Liu Chengxu praised Li Shu very much, and it almost showed on his face: "Of all my children, Li Shu is the most like me. She dares to think and speak out."
Little Mrs. Fu listened and was extremely happy. Others were confused, but Lirou felt in a dilemma. Did her father want to confront the emperor? Doesn’t that involve the family?
It's no wonder that dad has been in the sixth or seventh rank. He just doesn't understand the way of being an official. As a minister, can't it be enough to just listen to the emperor?
Seeing Liu Chengxu praising her, Li Shu quickly said: "Dad, if you dare to think and speak out, you are doing it for the country and the people. Your daughter is offending others by doing this."
Liu Chengxu laughed loudly when he saw his daughter stamping her feet: "Then what should you do?"
"That daughter can only follow the straight path and has nothing to fear. Those who know me say that I am worried, but those who don't know me say that what do I want!" Li Shu stepped forward and said.
Liu Chengxu was in awe: "That's true."
At this time, little Mrs. Fu came out to smooth things over: "Ms. sir, the children are all very frightened by you asking them, are you tired? Let the children relax. In the future, when you come back to be an official, it will be time to talk."
Liu Chengxu laughed: "Okay, okay, you all go down first."
The two brothers ran away the fastest. Aunt Su held the handkerchief and turned away. Lirou had already stepped forward to support Aunt Ding. Mother and daughter had not seen each other for a long time, and they had many things to say.
As for Mrs. Fu's eyes, she felt complicated because she felt that Liu Chengxu seemed to have no love for her at all. He didn't even look at her just now. Little Mrs. Fu seemed like a hostess.
As for Liusu, a young lady in the audience was being tested by a master. It was indeed the third girl who stood out the most. She was not afraid of what others said. Others said at first that she was not as filial as the fourth and fifth girls and only cared about studying. She ignored them at all and continued to do her own thing. . This person is young, determined, and very good at understanding people's hearts. He is a character.
After everyone had left, little Mrs. Fu waved to Lishu: "Silly boy, come here quickly, you've already said so."
Li Shu quickly sat down next to her mother. Seeing how close Li Shu and her daughter were, Liu Chengxu was speechless and said: "Your mother dotes on you so much, but you are getting better and better. Is it really rare? However, she only dotes on you and treats you." My brother is very strict."
"Mother, what do you think?" Li Shu didn't understand either.
How did Little Fu know that Liu Chengxu had mentioned this topic? She was stunned for a long time before saying: "Because I don't want Lishu to be like me. If I am stricter with her brothers, it is also good for them. I hope they can become talents. And Lishu, I dote on her and hope she can live happily."
Li Shu felt at ease with her mother by her side. She felt relieved when she saw that little Fu's face looked rosy. Suddenly, she saw her two younger brothers again. Shurui was older and felt a little embarrassed to see her sister, while Shulin was held in her arms by her sister and giggled. Lishu thought that this was probably a blood relationship.
They didn't call him third sister, they called him elder sister.
Mrs. Fu urged Lishu to change clothes, but they reluctantly separated. Little did they know that Aunt Ding and her daughter were also talking over there.
When Aunt Ding saw that Lirou was no longer as thin and sickly as before, and had grown much taller and had a good appearance, she couldn't help but said: "Lirou, Auntie has always been thinking about you, but because of her status, she can't write to you often. "
"Auntie, I know, you told me to hide my clumsiness, and I have always done so." Lirou said with a smile.
Aunt Ding nodded: "Yes." She looked at the kite that Lirou had just hung up, and scolded: "Such a kite can neither be eaten nor drunk, what can it do? Why did Mrs. Fu do so much when she was in office? Ordinary people, we have spent all the rice and food in our house just to achieve her good reputation."
Lirou looked at Aunt Ding. She had always known her aunt's ability as a housekeeper. Her aunt was the legitimate daughter of an official family. She grew up learning to be a housekeeper at home. Now her uncle was also the county magistrate. She was no more a concubine than the little Fu family. She had no one at all. Teach her about housekeeping, so just show your kindness.
"Auntie, how do the third wives take care of the family business on weekdays?" Lirou asked.
Aunt Ding said: "Her abilities are limited, so she asked me to be a painter and calligrapher. I am willing to do this. I don't know anything else. I am in the backyard and I am not allowed to go out."
She was not very favored, and it seemed that the master did not like her when she was in the same room. In fact, Aunt Ding thought that if things continued like this, the master would definitely lose his career and the family business would be ruined.
It's a pity that the master will never listen to her.
Lishu wore a new dress with butterflies for the first time. She walked like a butterfly fairy, and her head was covered with a set of small butterfly ornaments that her mother had brought back and customized.
"Mom, you look good." Li Shu even made a special circle.
Little Fu smiled and said, "You haven't even combed your hair yet, and you're already so pretty."
Li Shu laughed and felt happy. She also told her mother about how she played the guqin to attract birds: "At first, I planned to feed them with bird food first, so that I could find a pattern. Later, I practiced more frequently. , every time knowledge and action are united, it actually attracts little birds, and then my grandfather invited me to be a guqin master and personally accepted me as his disciple."
Mrs. Fu did not expect that her daughter had actually become a disciple of the master of Guqin. She said happily: "You are very good like this. You can't just rely on your cleverness to live your whole life. Your grandmother must have hired you because you are smart and hard-working." "
Li Shu took it as a matter of course: "Mom, since I am going to study, I must learn well. As for other things, I don't want to."
"Well, that's right. I think this girl can't even understand the poems. She's just dawdling around. What's the point of doing this? I forgot to tell you that I painted a few paintings and sold them. Most of them were landscapes. Painting, I think I am not good at painting, but I can still make a living. Your father is afraid that I will paint too hard, so he asked me not to work too hard." Little Fu thinks that there is no harm in the girl's family learning more things, at least it can solve the problem. Check your own mood.
Lishu was very happy for her mother, and she asked little Fu: "What does it mean when daddy sighs before he leaves?"
Little Fu said: "What your father means is that if you are a man, there is no need to worry about a prosperous family business."
"That's not necessarily the case. The officialdom is not so easy to get around. It looks good for my daughter to study in a girl's home. It's not that I am really smart, but that many women think that knowing a few words is good. For them, The more important thing is to find a husband, so she will definitely be distracted. If her daughter really compares with other people who took the imperial examination, she may not be able to compare." Lishu is still very self-aware.
After not seeing each other for several years, Mrs. Fu feels that her daughter has grown a lot. She knows that there are people outside the world, and there is a heaven outside the world. This is much better than many people who think highly of themselves.
When mother and daughter met alone, they naturally talked affectionately and talked a lot, and then went to have dinner with the old lady.
When Mrs. Fu saw that Mrs. Fu asked Li Shu to sleep at her place today, she felt relieved, so that Liu Chengxu would always go to her place. They were a serious couple, but Liu Chengxu blamed Rao's mother and others for doing something wrong along the way.
After so many years, this matter has long since passed and has nothing to do with her.
She was walking back to her room with Liusu, looking at the moonlight in the sky, and was inspired by Liusu: "In a few years, I will release your registration and choose a family for you, but it will never happen again." Don’t do this to me, my husband has to share it with another person.”
Liusu's throat was choked with sobs.
She knew how miserable Fu was, but she had already received the news that Aunt Su's brother had rushed back overnight because of Liu Chengxu's arrival. Today was her best chance to expose that guy's secret.
Master Yi is indeed an upright official. After listening to him speak today, she knows that he will definitely not be partial in her own affairs. She didn't know Master Yi as a person before, so she didn't dare to act rashly. But it's different now.
That night, Liu Chengxu went to the study to sleep. Fu realized that she had deceived herself and fell asleep sadly, while Liusu crept out. She had already bribed her mother-in-law, and she had Fu's waist card. She quickly went out quietly under the starry night, because she knew that the man was a pervert.
…
Lishu slept very hard because she was by her mother's side that night, but Mrs. Fu called Danhong over and said, "What's up, is she gone?"
"Go, she is also a ruthless person, she actually brought Na Su Daquan into our inner house."
"Humph, this is the eldest sister's housekeeper. She is often indulged in her own affairs and doesn't care about anything. She dares to use her servants no matter they are loyal or traitorous. Yulan's little hooves can betray her. She doesn't want to inform me here. I know what she did. Magnolia has been serving her for a long time. Over the years, she has treated Magnolia as well as she has, but she pays special attention to this tassel." Little Fu was also speechless.
Sure enough, not long after, Liu Chengxu heard that Liusu ran to the study room where Liu Chengxu was sleeping, saying that Su Daquan wanted to rape him. Liu Chengxu did not expect that the foreign man actually entered the garden, and dared to molest the maid next to Fu, and was handed over to him without saying a word. Shuntian Mansion.
In Daqi, a married woman will die; a husbandless woman will receive a rod of one hundred and seven.
Su Daquan was punished for the 170th battle. When others saw that he was handed over by the Liu family, they were beaten even more severely. Su Daquan who had been beaten in the 170th battle had been beaten to a bloody pulp and was almost disabled.
Aunt Su knew that her brother was indeed a womanizer, but she didn't want to enter the garden. Besides, how could he, a foreigner, just enter the garden unless there was someone inside?
…
In the past few days, Lishu heard that Aunt Su's brother was sent to Shuntian Mansion and was crippled. She turned over. Her mother probably thought she was asleep, so she and Danqing ordered: "You can quietly find someone to tell Aunt Su. Said Liusu was Zeng Putao's sister and she came to take revenge."
"Yes." Danqing smiled.
Dan Hong also said from the side: "Master, this is a really clever move. But it also relieves the hatred. That Su Daquan raped Putao, and Aunt Su was afraid that she would cause trouble and let Putao die inexplicably, so it would be good to scare her." "
Little Fu smiled and said, "I have been kind enough. Liusu took revenge and let Aunt Su know that good and evil will be rewarded in the end. What's wrong with that?"
Lishu closed her eyes and thought, now, Aunt Su will probably get rid of the root cause, otherwise her brother's matter will be implicated in her, and she will kill Liusu, so that her mother will get the handle smoothly.
Sure enough, after the male owner returned home, the dispute in the back house started. :,,
