Zhuang Xun came to this world and tried to integrate into it, but the neighbors basically regarded him as a stranger. After all, his sometimes behavior was really hard to understand.
However, because he is polite, speaks kindly, and acts benevolently, he can still look familiar to everyone. After coming to the world and before meeting Siqin Mi, Zhuang Xun, apart from some friends from Chengguo, the ones he was most familiar with were Mrs. Chen and her family. .
I was lucky to be able to rent her house. Nancheng District is a civilian area, but there are differences between the neighbors. This area is relatively safe. The neighbor's house is Mrs. Chen's second son Xu Lingjiang, a generous man. If you pay enough for the security fee, nothing will happen to you, and the rent is relatively reasonable. When they first rented the place, Mrs. Chen and her family invited him to dinner a few times, but he couldn't resist eating once or twice.
"Are you sending salted fish?" Zhuang Xun checked the gift prepared by Si Qinmi, and he didn't know what to say.
"With your current status, it is most appropriate to send this kind of gift letter. It is expensive and not suitable for this kind of neighbor's visit. If the gift is cheap, people will feel humiliated." Si Qinmi helped Zhuang Xun put on the new clothes. Gray pleated dark coat.
There are many styles of clothing in this world, but rich people still wear dark clothes. Why don’t you come here if it’s not convenient for you? Zhuang Xun is not used to being taken care of by Si Qinmi in all kinds of ways, but it’s not good to see the smile on her lips. Rejecting, Zhuang Xun arranged Zhuang Xun's clothes with his jade hands. Zhuang Xun looked down at her cheek. The classical beauty was gentle and virtuous, with a plump profile and splendid phoenix eyes. His heart was shaken.
"He has a dignified appearance, he is a scholar-official." Si Qinmi dressed up Zhuang Xun, straightened his clothes, and said with satisfaction, maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and she regards Zhuang Xun as her husband, so that's all. No matter how pleasing to the eye.
"Doesn't this look high-profile? It cost a lot of money." Zhuang Xun touched the silk fabric and said with some distress.
"It's not expensive, only a tael or more, and the color is a little lighter." Si Qinmi said casually, and straightened Zhuang Xun's collar and stripes with a smile on his face. It was already very smooth, but he still kept tinkering with it.
"..." Silence, you can't tell the rich woman. She already has one hundred thousand silver ready to spend for you. Now it's too expensive and she might be hurt invisibly.
"You should also buy you some good ones. How can you be so pretentious about Mai? I married you, a rich man, and you will show your secrets by dressing like this." She would definitely not be willing to give her beautiful clothes directly, so she could only use other clothes. reasons.
"I don't need to go out. When I go out, a few people will know that I am your husband's wife. When the husband has an official status, he needs face, but I don't need face. Besides, I don't have enough money. Naturally, I will give priority to my husband's belongings. Oh, Mr. Lang. …”
Being hugged by Zhuang Xun, the beauty let out an exclamation.
"Let me hug you." Zhuang Xun whispered.
"Yeah." Seeing that Zhuang Xun didn't make any extra moves, Si Qinmi responded, and she stroked Zhuang Xun's crown.
"I hate promising women things I can't do, and I don't want to talk big. I can't guarantee you good food and clothing. I'm sorry, but I will try my best." Zhuang Xun hugged Siqin Mi tightly, feeling guilty filling his chest. .
"The clothes are not enough to protect the body, and the food is not enough to fill the stomach. You don't need to care so much. I am a person who died once and has no interest in these things." Si Qinmi could sense Zhuang Xun's guilt and caressed Zhuang Xun gently. Ask the back.
"But I want my wife to wear fine clothes, I want my wife to eat delicacies, I want my wife to not have to work." Zhuang Xun said excitedly. There is a difference between closeness and distance. Naturally, his wife hopes that everything good can be given to her. What do you mean to me? OK, I'll give you back double the amount.
"Yes, yes, I will do what I planned." Faced with Zhuang Xun's turbulent emotions, Si Qinmi was extremely calm and comforted the guilty Zhuang Xun softly.
"I'm sorry, I lost my temper..." The sour anguish spread from the bottom of my heart, which was much better than the guilt that just surged up.
"No, I understand your husband's intentions, I really understand..." I want to be a good wife, so why doesn't the other party not want to be a good husband?
That's what a good person is.
"Mr. Lang, it's time to visit the Chen family." He patted Zhuang Xun on the back.
"I understand, madam, I lost my composure in front of you." Zhuang Xun apologized and rearranged his clothes.
"It's okay to lose your composure in front of me, but it's not good if you lose your composure in front of outsiders. It doesn't matter what you do in front of me. I am your wife, and you don't need to hide in front of me." He took Zhuang Xun's hand and put it down. In the palm of your hand, the love is sincere.
"Thank you, madam." The more I read, the more I like it. It's so lovable. Such a tolerant big sister is going to drown in her tenderness, so I can't watch it anymore.
"Let's go, we're late and we have to have lunch at someone else's house." Si Qinmi chuckled.
When the inquiry arrived at the door, Si Qinmi warned: "You can't agree to anything. You can only express your response to their daily love. Don't be afraid of offending others, otherwise you will become passive and you won't be able to answer questions clearly. No. Understand and never express opinions, even if it’s just a visit between friends.”
"I understand." Taking note of Si Qinmi's words, Zhuang Xun picked up the packed salted fish and walked towards Mrs. Chen's house.
This place is called Xufang, and most of the people are from the Xu family. Mrs. Chen's family is the head of Xufang, and the house Zhuang Xun rented was taken back after the family was separated and no one was left.
Mrs. Chen's husband has passed away. Her eldest son Xu Yan is the south gate guard of the sixth rank, her second son Xu Lingjiang is the lizheng of the square, and her youngest son Xu Houde has just passed the scholar examination.
"Zhuang Xiaolian is here? Please come in quickly. What gifts can you bring?" Xu Lingjiang, also known as Uncle Xu, is a straightforward man. When he saw Zhuang Xun arriving at the door of his house, he immediately greeted him.
"Thank you Uncle Xu for taking care of your family. Just call me by my name." In fact, before visiting someone, you need to have a name card to tell them that you are here. However, Zhuang Xun is just a filial piety now, and the other person is not a high-ranking person. So troublesome.
"Zhuang Xiaolian, sit down for a moment. I'll invite mother to come, Xiaohuan, to serve tea." Second Uncle Xu cordially greeted Zhuang Xun to sit in the living room, and went to invite Mrs. Chen himself.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhuang Xun looked at the decoration of the Xu family. It was ordinary, but the objects were neatly arranged and not cluttered. There were some vases, calligraphy and paintings as decorations. Zhuang Xun could not tell the quality of the paintings, he could only tell that they were Draw bamboo.
After a while, Mrs. Chen scolded Uncle Xu and walked out.
"Zhuang Xiaolian has been waiting for you. Ling Jiang is careless. It is rude to our family to leave you here alone." Mrs. Chen apologized and said that Uncle Xu was obedient under her scolding.
"Mrs. Chen, don't talk about Second Uncle Xu. Doesn't this mean you treat Xun as a stranger? Second Uncle Xu doesn't think of Xun as an outsider until he thinks so much. This shows his sincerity." Zhuang Xun said to help Second Uncle Xu solve the problem.
"That's right. He is a straight-tempered person. It's fine if he is filial and honest and doesn't take offense." Mrs. Chen saw that Zhuang Xun was not angry, so she let Uncle Xu off lightly.
"Go ahead and call Houde and get to know Xiaolian. Maybe they will both have the opportunity to serve as officials in the same palace in the future." Mrs. Chen ordered. Uncle Xu was like a mouse being stared at by a cat, and he didn't say a word. Dare to say more, Rumeng Amnesty hurriedly went to the inner house to call Xu Houde.
"Uncle, is he going to participate in next year's Spring Festival?" Zhuang Xun opened the topic and asked.
"Yes, there is too much money to donate directly to the official position. Our family is not a wealthy family. We can't afford the money to donate to the county magistrate. We can only work hard to participate in the Spring Festival." Mrs. Chen affirmed.
"Don't worry, my brother-in-law is so talented that he will definitely be able to pass the exam in spring." Zhuang Xun said with his blessing.
"That's really a glorious achievement for the ancestors. It's just that spring is too difficult. How many talented people are stuck at this level." Mrs. Chen said with emotion.
"Indeed, the number one scholar in high school, Yin Du, rides a horse." Zhuang Xun nodded, this kind of honor is indeed fascinating.
"He is still riding a horse in Yindu, and he has already burned high incense if he can reach the first place, and the number one scholar has already been determined. These are just flowers in the water and the moon in the mirror." Mrs. Chen sneered, her dissatisfaction in her words was obvious.
"How come? The scholar examination should be relatively fair." This is what Zhuang Xun heard. It is equivalent to giving the lower class a channel to rise, so it is relatively fair.
"That was in the past, and fairness is relative. High-ranking families won the top three, while poor families competed for the third place. This has always been the case." Mrs. Chen put the naked reality in front of Zhuang Xun.
"Well, it's just that Xun is shallow." Zhuang Xun shook his head and said, but he didn't have any special thoughts. Maybe he had seen too much of this injustice.
"Xiaolian of Yindu Mansion is ranked among the top three, but I didn't expect that he could earn such a reputation by braving the world's disapproval." Mrs. Chen said with envy.
If you knew that collecting the corpse of a guilty woman would be considered a filial and honest act, then all the corpses at the execution ground would have been collected long ago. Going back now would just be an imitation and make people laugh.
"I don't know if Xun is doing it. When I did it, I just wanted to let people be buried in peace without exposing their bodies to the market. I didn't expect to be praised by everyone. I was shocked when I was recommended to Xun. Even who recommended Xun, Xun still doesn't know." It's clear." Zhuang Xun said frankly that he really didn't know how he was suddenly recommended and had such a good reputation. It stands to reason that he should be scolded for such a thing. After all, black pianists are now politically correct.
"It's because Xiaolian has a pure heart. If he had a purpose, why would he bury the daughter of the Siqin family?" Mrs. Chen praised. Unlike the old world where people publicly scolded people with kindness and stupidity, in this world, those who are virtuous are praised. It's politically correct.
"The old lady has over-praised her." Zhuang Xun said humbly. Someone must have guided public opinion.
"Xiao Lian is also a kind person. I know that Xiao Lian has helped many people before. Maybe they are grateful for Xiao Lian's kindness, so they speak for Xiao Lian." Old Mrs. Chen felt that Zhuang Xun was more and more pleasing to her, and she had not done so before. I feel that what Zhuang Xun did now is particularly benevolent and righteous.
"I'm not sure..." He did help a few friends, those who had sudden accidents, suffered man-made disasters, and were temporarily trapped in difficulties, but they basically all had ambitions. He didn't bother to deal with those who had no ambitions, but they all He went to Chengguo to start a career, and he didn't help everyone. He wasn't the Holy Mother, so it was impossible for the whole city to benefit from him, and he didn't have the ability.
But since the other party thought so, he had no other good way to explain it, so he just followed her words.
At least I had a few friends here so I wouldn't run into trouble everywhere, and my brothers were able to carry the coffin out of the city.
"The Wang family in the west of the city has a daughter, Lan Xinhuizhi..."
"Old madam, Xun is married." Zhuang Xun couldn't listen anymore and interrupted directly.
"Sorry, I'm rude." After saying this, the atmosphere became tense and Zhuang Xun said with his hand.
"Xiao Lian, please listen to me carefully. Wang Yuanwai wants to make her your concubine." Mrs. Chen's words far exceeded Zhuang Xun's expectations.
"A wife of wretched men should never be abandoned. How could I let you, Xiaolian, do such a thing? Doesn't this ruin your reputation, Xiaolian?" Mrs. Chen was not angry and said with a smile.
"Xun doesn't have the extra money to hire a concubine." Zhuang Xun refused directly, his wife's advice still ringing in his ears.
"Wang Yuanwai said that as long as you are willing to marry the Wang family's daughter, and you will receive a dowry of ten thousand taels, Xiaolian can do whatever he wants." Mrs. Chen said calmly.
Zhuang Xun was a little surprised when he heard ten thousand taels, but then thinking about the rich woman in his family who had one hundred thousand taels, he suddenly felt that it was not a lot.
"I'm sorry, old lady, please politely decline. I received money from others and was manipulated by others. Although Xun is poor, he also knows the principle of repaying kindness. If he accepts a generous gift now, he will have some purpose in the future. Xun does not want to be fettered by this." Zhuang Xunyi That's right.
The main reason is that there is a wife with a secret in his family. The most important thing is that this wife is too good to him, so good that he feels that he is not worthy of her, so he is unwilling to betray her, even if it is not to divorce his wife but to take a concubine.
People are emotional creatures. Zhuang Xun always treats whoever treats him well. Si Qinmi truly regards him as his husband, and he also regards Siqinmi as his wife.
He hates people who don't know themselves. He agreed not to agree to others casually even though he has clearly told them not to agree to others casually. That is simply stupid. Now that he is in the position of Fan Jin, he must protect his true intention.
"I understand your thoughts and will tell Yuan Wang. Yuan Wang has no bad intentions..." Mrs. Chen still had a smile on her lips and looked lifeless.
Although in her opinion it was good to be able to enjoy the gold and silver concubine immediately, but when she thought about Zhuang Xun's words and deeds, she couldn't say it was wrong, at least on the surface.
"Thank you, madam, for your understanding. There is no need to persuade me. I don't have such thoughts." Zhuang Xun breathed a sigh of relief. He actually didn't want to fall out with the Xu family and was still living in someone else's house.
"Mother." With the arrival of the two brothers from the Xu family, Mrs. Chen did not talk about taking concubines.
Compared with the approachable and heroic Xu Ershu, Xu Houde was around thirty and had the arrogance of a literary man. He was also the kind of stoic person he met on weekdays, with the unique discrimination of literati towards non-literati.
But this time they met, he actually had a smile on his face.
"The reputation of Xiaolian has spread throughout the capital. It is true that we have to bury our benefactor at the risk of being attacked by the mob." As soon as he came to compliment Zhuang Xun, Xu Houde spoke in a friendly tone, without his usual arrogance.
"It's a ridiculous compliment, but it's just the right time." Everyone praised them like this. Zhuang Xun didn't feel anything at first, but now he felt a little embarrassed. Although this matter was really difficult, he felt a little embarrassed to be praised so much. pass.
"How are Xiaolian preparing for the Wanshou Banquet? I specially asked Xiaolian today. I think I will have a question at the Wanshou Banquet." Fortunately, Xu Houde didn't brag too much and quickly got to the point.
"The emperor ordered me?" Zhuang Xun looked puzzled, why did he have anything to do with the emperor.
"Yes, the rumor is that His Majesty heard about your righteous deeds and praised you for your kindness and righteousness, so he asked you to be filial and honest." Xu Houde said earnestly.
"Are the rumors reliable? Xun has no idea at all." Zhuang Xun confirmed that it was the first time he had touched a corner of the mastermind behind the scenes. Could it be all a misunderstanding?
There's no flattery, it's just that I'm overthinking it, and I just happened to follow the emperor's wishes?
"It's very reliable. It was reported by Master Tai Xia last night. If it hadn't been like this, Xiaolian of Yin Du Mansion had already been appointed by someone. Zhuang Xiaolian can be said to be Jane in the emperor's heart." Xu Houde said enviously, as if he saw Zhuang Xiaolian. Xun put on official robes.
"Uncle Xu, when you ask this question, Xun is at a loss. Xun has never thought about this problem." Zhuang Xun was indeed confused.
"That's why I said that except for Yuan Wang, he has no bad intentions. How can someone who is Xiaolian and wants to rise to prominence be constrained by that thing?"
