Mrs. Li was sitting at the door of the courtyard. When she saw Mrs. Guan walking away, she called a boy to help guard the door for a while, while she and Mrs. Zhao went into the courtyard to report today's events to Bai Zhi.
Wei Shuyi was physically handicapped, Banxia served her closely, Xiaodie took care of Minglan's daily life, and now Bai Zhi was the housekeeper of Qinyun Court, taking charge of about ten people.
When Bai Zhi came to Yangzhou Shengfu, the first thing he did was to inquire around and understand the intricate relationship between the various courtyards in the mansion.
This was not the first time that Lin Sushuang secretly sent people to spy on the servants of Qinyun Court. Bai Zhi also felt that the people in Qinyun Court were floating, and he felt quite uneasy.
This time he heard that Lin Sushuang had failed to send people to win people's hearts. Bai Zhi thought it was a good opportunity. After asking Wei Shu for permission, he summoned everyone in the courtyard and asked Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhao to speak out in front of everyone.
Everyone in the Qinyun Academy stayed in the Sheng family for a while. After listening to the various legends about Lin Qige, they all felt a little in awe of Lin Qige.
This time, after comparing the price offered by Lady Guan for poaching people with their own treatment, everyone discovered that Lin Qige was nothing more than that.
Bai Zhi struck while the iron was hot and asked Xiaodie and Xiaotao to come out and tell them about their tragic experiences of being bullied by Lin Qige.
Both of them were old men from Qinyun Court. They burst into tears when they talked about the emotional part. When everyone heard that even a girl as young as Xiaotao had been bullied by Lin Qige, they were all filled with indignation and became more and more disdainful of Lin Qige's behavior.
After this, all the servants felt that Wei Shu was kind-hearted and generous, and it was better to stay in Qinyun Courtyard and work peacefully. From then on, the people in Qinyun Courtyard became more and more stable.
As for Lin Qige, there has been no movement since Lady Guan hit a wall with Granny Li and Granny Zhao. However, Wei Shuyi is well aware of Lin Sushuang's difficulty and is always on guard.
Mid-November.
The Yuan family of Earl Zhongqin's Mansion sent news that the Yuan family's hired ship also set off from Bianjing, headed south along the Grand Canal, and would arrive in Yangzhou in the near future.
The Sheng family made preparations intensively, posting widely, inviting relatives and friends, and decorating the house with flowers and red to make it look joyful.
Hualan also officially entered into preparations to get married, and was locked in the house by Wang Ruofu, unable to leave the house or take a step forward all day long.
They said they were embroidering the dowry in the house, but in fact Wang Ruofu had already prepared those things for his daughter, so there was no need for Hua Lan to do it herself.
Most of the time, Hua Lan just stayed in the house and got moldy. Occasionally, he could go to the old lady to listen to her teachings and get some fresh air.
November 20th.
The Yuan family's hiring ship arrived as scheduled.
After hearing the news, Sheng Hong sent his eldest son Sheng Changbai to lead people to greet him at the pier. Wei Chen and Sheng Changfeng also went along to join in the fun.
On the pier, many people stopped to watch.
The Yuan family is worthy of being a family of counts, and the betrothal gift alone is enough to load three large ships. For a time, the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, Sheng Hualan, became the envy of all the girls in Yangzhou city.
However, behind all this joy and bustle, there was something dirty that only the Sheng and Yuan families knew about.
On the bow of the boat, a middle-aged man stood leaning on the railing. It was Yuan Wenchun, the eldest son of the Yuan family.
Yuan Wenchun looked at Sheng Changbai and his party standing on the pier like statues in the distance. He frowned slightly and turned around and asked, "The auspicious time is approaching, why don't you give up the betrothal gift?"
The steward hurriedly bowed and replied: "I sent someone to ask, and the second son of the Sheng family said that he can only give up the betrothal gift if his eldest wife speaks."
"Husband." Yuan Wenchun's wife came over and tightened Yuan Wenchun's cloak: "It's still early for the auspicious moment, so there's no harm in waiting a little longer."
"Then, as Madam said, wait for half a stick of incense." Yuan Wenchun's expression softened a bit, but he still said solemnly: "However, if the Sheng family still doesn't move after half a stick of incense has passed, then it is deliberate. Leave my uncle Zhongqin's house to dry, I must give the Sheng family some color."
Yuan Wenchun didn't know that Sheng Changbai on the dock looked calm and composed, but in fact he was just as anxious as him.
"You haven't sent a message from the palace to let go of the betrothal gift?"
Wei Chen saw Sheng Changbai's clenched fists from behind and quietly asked Sheng Changfeng beside him.
"No." Sheng Changfeng spread his hands and said, "Second brother has sent people to ask several times, but mother just said to wait."
"Still waiting?"
Wei Chen was speechless for a moment.
Of course he knew the cause and effect of today's situation. It was simply the Yuan family's breach of trust. Wang Ruofu was angry with the Yuan family and delayed the withdrawal of the betrothal gift.
It was originally the fault of the Yuan family. They had agreed that the earl and his wife would come to Yangzhou in person to hire him, but in the end, only the eldest man Yuan Wenchun came. It was understandable that Wang Ruofu was angry.
But the marriage between the two families has been known to everyone in Yangzhou for a long time. If something goes wrong on the day of the appointment, it will not only lose the face of the Yuan family, but also the Sheng family.
Wei Chen glanced at the crowd surrounding the pier. At this time, some people in the crowd seemed to have noticed something was wrong with the atmosphere between the Sheng and Yuan families, and started pointing towards the pier.
Can't wait any longer!
Wei Chen felt the subtle change in the mood in the scene, walked quickly to Sheng Changbai, and whispered: "Ze Cheng, please order people to unload the ship quickly, it will not look good on both of you if we drag it on any longer!"
Sheng Changbai stood on the dock for a long time and felt the cold wind. Of course he understood what the situation was like, but he still hesitated: "But mother's side..."
"My uncle will convince my aunt. Maybe the messenger is already on the way." Wei Chen said in a deep voice, "Ze Cheng, you are the eldest son in the family, you should make a decision!"
Sheng Changbai pondered for a moment, and finally made up his mind, boarded the Yuan family's boat and paid tribute to Yuan Wenchun and his wife.
Although he was left out for a while, the time was not lost after all. In addition, Sheng Changbai's courtesy was thorough, and Yuan Wenchun's anger was mostly gone, and he bowed his hands in return to Sheng Changbai.
After both parties finished the ceremony, Sheng Changbai turned around and shouted loudly: "Unload the ship!"
With an order, a group of servants of the Sheng family and hired laborers and porters immediately agreed and began to board the ship to unload the betrothal gifts.
After the betrothal gifts were unloaded, Yuan Wenchun and the other male guests who came with the ship from Bianjing rode on the tall horse with Sheng Changbai, while Mrs. Yuan and the women got into the carriage that had been prepared.
A large group of people entered Yangzhou City from the pier and arrived at the gate of Sheng Mansion.
Wei Chen rode beside Sheng Changbai on horseback. He glanced at the guests brought by the Yuan family and suddenly caught a glimpse of a young man in the crowd. His eyes couldn't help but stay on him for a while longer.
This young man is tall and strong, and he holds the reins carelessly, but he commands the horse like an arm. At first glance, he is different from Wei Chen. He is a horse rider all year round.
Combined with his young age and his luxurious brocade clothes, it is not difficult to deduce that he should have been born in a martial arts family in Bianjing.
Perhaps Wei Chen's eyes rested on the young man for too long. If the young man felt something, he raised his eyes and looked over, with an awe-inspiring look on his face.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Wei Chen showed no sign of timidity at all, and took the initiative to show a kind smile and nodded slightly to the young man.
Gu Tingye, who went south with the Yuan family's fleet under the pseudonym Bai Ye, smiled politely at Wei Chen and then withdrew his gaze.
He touched his cheek unconsciously, feeling a little confused in his heart: Who is this person, and what has he been watching me do?
