Chapter One
It's early spring, and the willow branches have sprouted buds, and the tall sycamore trees in the yard have tender green leaves moving in the wind.
The delicate flowers in the garden are like babies' faces, just waiting to bloom.
Everything is at its best, full of vitality, and the future is bright.
Uncle Zhongqin's residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and he was full of joy. Bright red satin was hung all over the eaves and treetops like splashes of ink, and even the servants serving at Sashu put on new clothes.
Uncle Zhongqin's house is very happy today, and the whole house is celebrating.
As dusk approached, the bride came in, a table was opened in the front hall to entertain guests, and the backyard was also busy.
Today, Su Heng, the eldest son of the second concubine, is getting married. She has little to do with Su Yining. She is the eldest daughter, and she has been raised by the old lady of Zhongqin's house since she was a child. In the past, she had a close relationship with several of her brothers. My sister doesn’t have much contact with her.
Su Heng from the second room was getting married. She gave gifts and went to the front hall to watch the ceremony. She had also helped make some red needlework for the wedding. She was summoned there just now, saying she was taking this opportunity. Meet some elders in the second room.
Su Yining was forced to listen to the elders' admonitions for a long time, and her scalp went numb.
Now everything is finally ready. There are noisy gongs and drums and firecrackers are blasting outside. Su Yining is alone in the room, lights a lamp, and sits in front of the window to practice calligraphy.
Now that she has passed her prime years, she doesn’t have to go to the study room every day to listen to her husband’s teachings, and no one will question her anymore about her handwriting that looks like crawling chicken claws.
But Su Yining has a character that refuses to admit defeat and always pursues perfection in everything. But she couldn't write this character well. She was anxious, so she found many calligraphy books by famous writers and practiced every day.
"Miss, you haven't had dinner today, why don't you eat some fruit first and practice later." Wen Yuan brought a plate of snacks from the kitchen, opened the door curtain and walked in.
Su Yining happened to have finished writing a page and was holding the handwriting under the lamp to look at it.
"Okay, you can leave it there for now. Come over and take a look at my handwriting today. Have you made any progress?"
Before Wen Yuan could get closer and take a closer look, Su Yining frowned, folded the paper, and closed it.
"Forget it, forget it, stop watching it. It's too ugly. Why is it still crawling like a chicken's claws?"
As she spoke, Su Yining walked to the table, poured herself a cup of hot tea, took a piece of cake and took a sip.
Wen Yuan stood aside and quickly comforted her: "Miss, they say no one is perfect, how can anyone be able to do everything well? Let me tell you, it doesn't matter whether the word looks good or not."
After saying that, she changed the subject and asked: "It's so lively outside today, why don't you go play? I saw the eldest girl and the third girl playing pot with others outside!"
Su Yi stared at her, blinked, and was surprised that the eldest sister was back, but she didn't ask any more questions: "They are making fun of them, let's just take care of what's in our yard. If we don't go out less, there will be less trouble."
After a day of hard work, she was indeed a little hungry. After a while, Su Yining ate a piece of cake and drank a cup of hot tea.
She turned her head, glanced at the copybook she had just thrown aside, sighed, and couldn't help but chant.
"At the foot of the southern mountain where beans are planted, the grass is thick with bean sprouts and the bean sprouts are sparse. I wake up in the morning to sort out the wasteland and filth, and return home with a hoe in the moonlight."
"Hey, some things do require a bit of talent."
Wenxiu went to the front hall to help. She had just finished her work at this moment. After receiving a lot of reward money, she happily entered the room holding the wedding candies. As soon as she entered, she heard Su Yining's words.
"Girl, what kind of talent do you need to farm? If you ask me, this poet is just lazy and blames the abundance of grass."
"You are different. You are working hard. When I look at your handwriting, it looks like dragons and phoenixes dancing. It is very beautiful. Others can't imitate it!"
Su Yining was amused by her, propped her head and looked at her: "I must have eaten a lot of honey in the front hall today."
Wen Yuan also joked: "It must be, otherwise why would Wen Xiu be so good at talking today?"
Wenxiu jumped up and down, making noises about going to fight Wen Yuan, and the room suddenly became lively.
"Second girl, the old lady sent someone here, saying that the bride's cousin from her mother's side is in the old lady's courtyard and wants to see the girl." There was a lot of commotion in the house, and the voice of a boy came from the door.
Just after he calmed down, Su Yining was about to meet another elder, and Su Yining's interest suddenly dropped.
In the past few days, with the help of Brother Heng's marriage, these distant relatives came one after another, wanting to see her like water. After talking, they kept talking in turns. They just wanted her to go and meet her family. The men looked at each other.
Su Yining didn't respond to any of them. Firstly, she didn't have the intention, and secondly, it was difficult for anyone to sincerely ask for marriage in her current predicament. Most of them came for the power of the Earl's Mansion.
But her grandmother summoned her, so she had to go and see him.
Su Yining freshened up a little and then went to Chaohui Courtyard where the old lady of the Su family lived.
*
In the backyard of Uncle Zhongqin's Mansion, Chaohui Courtyard.
"Oh, I'm not afraid of your jokes, old lady. I think my nephew is the most suitable for the second girl of your family. I just took a quick look in the outer courtyard. This second girl is gentle and demure, and she looks like the head mother of the house."
Before Su Yining stepped through the door of Chaohui Courtyard, she heard a sharp sound. She was about to step in, but she took another step back. The master and servant stood with their hands down, waiting outside the door.
"Old lady, look, our sister Ying is marrying into your Earl's Mansion today, which is a great joy. I see that the two juniors are talented and handsome, and they are a perfect match. I just like to watch this kind of excitement. I can't tell you. Ah, I’ll be able to drink the second girl’s wedding wine soon.”
The old lady of the Su family didn't say anything. She leaned on the Arhat couch and glanced displeased at Mrs. Zheng, the step-mother of the eldest wife of the Earl's Mansion.
Although she didn't say much, her face showed some displeasure. Zheng saw it and her body trembled slightly, almost perceptibly. He quickly smiled and said: "Cousin, please stop joking, the children haven't met yet? Where can we talk about the wedding wine?"
Madam Zheng is Su Yining's stepmother, and has been the eldest lady in this Earl's Mansion for more than ten years. However, when she saw the old lady's gloomy face, Mrs. Zheng still couldn't help but tremble in her chest.
In the past, the old lady was not in good health and did not care much about things. Zheng took care of everything this time.
Today, the legitimate daughter of the third wife of the Zheng family got married, and she was the one who got her involved. The cousin came to the old lady's room to say hello, and said that she was the one who initiated Su Yining's marriage.
If the old lady blames him, she will be the first to be unlucky. Today, Zhongqin Bo Su Che was drunk, and now he doesn't even know where he went to sleep in a gentle country. Even if she pretends to be obedient and pleases her again, no one else can come.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Zheng tried her best to wink at her cousin.
Who knew the other party was blind.
"Why can't we talk? We didn't talk to each other at that time. Aren't they just the words of the matchmaker ordered by our parents?" My cousin took a sip of tea and said with a dry mouth, "If you want me to say, We shouldn’t spoil these juniors. Today’s husband is short, tomorrow’s husband is fat. We don’t want those who don’t know poetry, don’t understand romance, don’t want those who are too loyal, and don’t want those who are too smooth. If this continues, it won’t work, will you be an old girl?”
"Clang!"
The old lady knocked the tea cup in her hand heavily on the kang table, which startled her and interrupted her words.
Mother Tian who was serving the old lady stretched out her hand, took down the cup, and while helping the old lady off the Arhat couch, she said to Madam Zheng: "Madam, the night is already deep, and the old lady is a little tired after a long day." . Why don't you take your cousin and aunt to hang out in the outer hall, it's lively there."
They were catching up with guests, so Mrs. Zheng didn't understand why. She immediately stood up, saluted the old lady, and pulled her cousin Wang.
Su Yining and the maids stood outside the courtyard and listened clearly to what was said inside. She stood on tiptoes and lay beside the courtyard door. She looked inside and saw Mrs. Zheng and Mrs. Wang heading towards the house. Walking outside, I was about to meet her.
If they meet, another round of reasoning is inevitable.
With quick eyesight and quick hands, she immediately pulled Wen Yuan and Wen Xiu and the three of them to hide behind a big tree nearby.
"Sister, I'm not talking about you. You really have no status in this family!" Wang was pulled by Zheng. She originally had many things to say to the old lady, but she couldn't say them and could only hold them in her stomach. Out of fire.
After all, Mrs. Zheng is the eldest lady of the Earl's Palace. Everyone treats her respectfully when she goes out. Unexpectedly, he was scolded in his own yard, and his expression suddenly changed a bit.
"Sister said it lightly. How do you understand the troubles of people like us? Who is that second girl?"
"How dare I decide on her marriage?"
The two of them were standing on the path outside Zhaohui Courtyard. The silver-gray moonlight shone on them, making their attire shine brightly. They looked like they were not ordinary people, but their words and deeds were vulgar.
Mrs. Wang hit Mrs. Zheng with her elbow and said angrily: "You are so weak! Let the old lady ride on your head for more than ten years."
"And the second girl in your family, either she was born in the Earl's Palace, or she was a child of my nephew, she is considered unlucky! We broke off the engagement with the Marquis of Yong'an, and we have seen each other many times in the capital. So far, We haven’t found anything yet, there must be something going on here..."
"My nephew is also a talented person. He is a good person and a good person. He just met her in the front hall and told me that he wanted to marry her. You see..."
She did not continue to say this, but just winked at Mrs. Zheng in a meaningful way, then reached out and patted Mrs. Zheng's hand: "Sister is also kindly reminding you that the second girl in your family looks cute. You are not a peaceful person. For the sake of the third girl you gave birth to, you have to marry her off early to avoid doing anything scandalous in the future and implicating the third girl in your family."
Su Yining hid in the dark and clenched her hands. The joints of her fingers turned white due to excessive exertion, and the veins on her wrists bulged. Wenxiu couldn't bear it anymore. If Su Yining hadn't pulled her, she would have rushed out to argue with Wang.
Mrs. Zheng looked troubled, forced a smile, and said, "Sister, you are overthinking it. The girls in our house are all very polite."
Cousin Aunt Wang snorted coldly, raised her eyelids slightly, and said nothing more.
The corner of Zheng's mouth twitched, but she still had a smile on her face. She pulled Wang in a gentle voice and explained: "Hey, the eldest sister and the second sister died early because their biological mother died early. As a stepmother, I didn't teach them well. Don't blame me." they."
As he spoke, Mrs. Zheng seemed to be about to cry and choked up.
"Pity my virtuous and virtuous sister, she left too early, otherwise the eldest sister and the second sister would not be like this."
In just a few words, Mrs. Zheng brushed aside her third daughter, and confirmed that the eldest daughter and the second daughter were not in good ways.
But in appearance, he looks like a living Bodhisattva.
Seeing her look like this, Mrs. Wang was too embarrassed to say anything else, and hurriedly pulled her to comfort her: "Hey, what are you doing to bring up the dead on this big day? It's not your fault. Your stepmother has already done so much for Jinling City. You can't go wrong. Look, the third girl of yours is very good. If you ask me, you can only be successful if you have a good foundation. You can't blame others for what happened."
The two of them walked away as they talked.
When the two of them drifted away, Su Yining walked out of the darkness and patted the cold ashes on her body. She looked towards the direction where the two disappeared, feeling a little angry in her heart with nowhere to vent.
"Girl!" Wenxiu stomped her feet angrily, "Why did you pull me just now? If you ask me, you should go out and have a good argument with that cousin Aunt Laoshi."
Su Yining shook her head and suppressed the anger in her heart: "She is an elder and a guest. There is a great joy in the house today. If I quarrel with her, no matter what the reason is, it will look bad to outsiders. It’s my fault, it’s all our Uncle Zhongqin’s face that will be disgraced.”
"Why are you so anxious? You have to hit a snake seven inches. There is no need to get angry with irrelevant people. The eldest lady is the one who is more powerful. We have a long time ahead."
Su Yining has a temperament that refuses to admit defeat, and she can't tolerate sand in her eyes, so she has seen a lot of people over the years, but she really didn't like any of them. There is indeed a reason for this.
But being arranged in such a random way, and her biological mother, who had been dead for many years, had to be brought out to talk about it, Su Yining could not pretend not to care.
Wen Yuan was much calmer than Wen Xiu. She sighed, held Su Yining's arm, and sighed: "Hey, if my uncle hadn't forced Yong'an Houfu to break off the engagement, the girl would have been married for almost two years now."
She sighed and felt sorry for Su Yining: "The girl has a good temperament, good looks, and a good background, but now she even dares to say that she wants to marry you. If the eldest girl hadn't ruined her reputation and hurt you, my uncle would have done it again. You forced Yong'an Houfu to break off the engagement, why do you have to suffer such injustice?"
Su Yining said nothing, acquiescing to these words.
It is true that she is now in a difficult situation and struggling, and it is indispensable for her vain father and arrogant and domineering eldest sister to contribute.
She didn't really care at first. Jinling City itself was a place of right and wrong. There were a lot of things going on in the backyards of wealthy families, and she was not one of them.
But things are different now, that person is back.
The two had already met once at the flower viewing banquet held in the palace. At that time, Su Yining was seeing each other under the arrangement of her grandmother. In the flower-filled garden, many boys and girls gathered together in twos and threes to chat.
But unexpectedly, Su Yining took a glance and bumped into that cold figure.
The green shirt was unkempt, and he had a long body. The eyes that looked towards her were dry and cold, with boundless desolation. The warm spring sun shone on him along the tall acacia trees, and the gentle spring breeze stirred up the hair on his forehead. With his hair stranded, he stood in the mottled time, with a sharp and cold air about him that did not belong to a scholar.
Suddenly, Su Yining seemed to see him curling the corners of his lips and giving her a playful smile.
Her heart beat wildly.
Now that she thought of that look again, Su Yining's body still shook involuntarily and shuddered.
There was a lot of unpleasantness at the spring banquet that day because of the Huns. Emperor Longshun got angry and left early in the morning.
The guests also left early. Although Su Yining looked at each other, after she accidentally glanced at Xie Yu, she became upset and lost her mind frequently, so she left early.
As luck would have it, she accidentally bumped into him again at the intersection when she was returning to the car from the yard.
On the long and narrow corridor, the two people looked at each other, feeling a little embarrassed and embarrassed.
Su Yining lowered her head, turned her body, made way for him, and saluted him politely: "Your Majesty, please go first."
She did a very good job, was polite and modest, and never exceeded the rules.
But what did Xie Yu do?
When he passed by her, he suddenly stopped and stared at her with a pair of dark eyes, with a somewhat incomprehensible emotion. He stood there for a long time without moving.
Su Yining was stared at by him, and a chill ran down her back.
Voices came from the other side of the corridor.
He spoke calmly.
"Li Jiasanlang, I just killed a Le Ji from Mingyuefang who is no more than a nutmeg old man a few days ago."
"When you forced me to break off our engagement, it turned out that I wanted to pick up trash?"
