Qinglian in the Red Chamber

At the end of July in the 37th year of Kangxi, this summer was hotter than any previous summer.

There was not a single cloud in the sky, only a scorching sun was hanging there arrogantly.

The bustling Jinling City is like a big smoke cage, so hot that even the air is slightly distorted.The willow trees on both sides of the Qinhuai River are like a lazy girl standing lazily on both sides, and the willow branches are like the long hair of a girl hanging down on the river surface, bringing out little ripples.

The cicada lying on the tree screamed endlessly, which made people feel a little bit of lingering irritability in this hot day.

On the Suzaku Main Street, which is full of rich and powerful families in fresh clothes and angry horses, there is a desolate silence at this time.Occasionally, one or two passersby appeared, and they also hurried past with their heads lowered and solemn expressions.

Located on Zhuque Street, Zhen's Mansion used to be a grand and dignified house, but now there are two big seals affixed to the vermilion gate.

Two days ago, the Zhen family was ransacked by the order of the current Long Live Lord.

The current head of the Zhen family, Zhen Yingjia, was dragged to Caishikou in Kyoto half a month ago and beheaded by the guards of the Ministry of Punishment for embezzlement of salt tax and assassination of court officials.Those who were executed along with Zhen Yingjia were several of Zhen Yingjia's confidantes and the chief steward of Zhen's residence.

Hundreds of members of the Zhen family were implicated by Zhen Yingjia, and all were deported—all the males were exiled to Ninggu Pagoda, where they were sent as slaves to armored men; all the females were confiscated into Xinzheku as slaves; All the family property is filled into the treasury.

There is only one old lady of the Zhen family, because of her advanced age and having served the late Empress Dowager Xiaokangzhang, she was pardoned by the current Long Live Lord.What's more, today, he ordered people to return a small village located in the outskirts of Jinling City to the old lady of the Zhen family, which has been used for her to settle down in the future.

It's a pity that the old lady of the Zhen family is old after all, and as soon as the news of Zhen Yingjia's execution came out, the old lady immediately fell ill.Immediately afterwards, the Zhen family was raided, and the Zhen family, regardless of men, women, or children, were sent into slavery.These two incidents made the old man both startled and frightened.It was painful and frightening, but in the end I couldn't hold on.On the second night after Zhen's house was ransacked, the old lady went alone in Xiaozhuangzi.Pity this old lady who has enjoyed the glory and wealth all her life, but there is no half of the juniors to serve her filial piety, only a mother Chun guarding her.

The fact that Zhen's family was raided caused many powerful families in Jinling City to tremble with fear, fearing that they would be bitten out by Zhen Yingjiapan and become the next family to be liquidated.

These families are all mixed with hundreds of people, and they can be as clean as spring and snow.Zhen Yingjia did those things.It's not as strict as he thinks it is.The sperm of these people who have been in Vanity Fair for a long time have already noticed it.But it was because the Zhen family knew how to behave.This is not a big gift during the New Year and holidays, and secondly, Zhen Yingjia's work is still very thorough, so that people can't get any evidence for a while.So even if someone found out, the big guys more or less turned a blind eye to let it go because they were both in-laws.

Yes.There is also a relationship between these powerful families and the Zhen family.

There are quite a few in-laws in the Zhen family, because most of the women in the Zhen family are beautiful.Moreover, the Zhen family always had more girls, but very few boys.

Zhen Yingjia himself is an only son, and he has only one son under his knees, named Zhen Baoyu.However, there are as many as seven or eight of his prostitutes and prostitutes.Before the Zhen family was ransacked, most of them were already married.Only the youngest daughter, not engaged yet.This girl is Zhen Yingjia's legitimate daughter.Born extremely beautiful, she has been favored by Mrs. Zhen and Zhen Yingjia since she was a child, and she wholeheartedly wants her to enter the palace to fight for it when she grows up.It's a pity that this person has entered the palace now, but he can only be reduced to Xin Zheku's slave and a lowly status.People can't help but sigh "good fortune tricks people".

In the main room of the Xue family.Mrs. Xue discussed with her daughter Xue Baochai anxiously, "The Zhen family has been raided, and that lord has lost his head. I wonder if our family will be implicated in this matter?"

It stands to reason that this kind of major event involving the rise and fall of the family should have been troubled by Xue Pan, the head of the family.It's a pity that Xue Pan has been raised for a long time, and he is so ignorant that he has no idea about these serious matters, so it is up to Xue Wangshi and Xue Baochai, two housewives, to worry about them.

Although Xue Baochai is a girl who is not as good as Ji, she doesn't necessarily have any insight. After all, she is still somewhat better than Xue Pan.She frowned and pondered for a moment, before she said: "Our family has no friendship with the Zhen family. It was just that when my father was alive, we had some contacts with the Zhen family. Let's call the lord Shibo, it seems that he is also a father. It’s just a matter of sympathy in life. My mother knows that my brother has always been impatient with these personal affections. As far as my daughter knows, my brother has never visited the uncle since he became the head of the family. Before, my daughter felt that It's inappropriate for my brother to do things. Now it seems that it's just right for my brother to do so. These things are seen by others, doesn't it mean that our family and the Zhen family are getting farther and farther, and the relationship is very shallow. Since our family has no relationship with the Zhen family, if something happened to the Zhen family, it should not be involved in our family. Mom, think about it, is it so reasonable?"

Xue Wang felt that what her daughter said was very reasonable, so she slowly let go of her heart, patted the back of her hand, and praised her.

"Chai'er has some knowledge after all, she is three mountains better than your brother."

Xue Baochai smiled gently.She was already beautiful, but with such a smile, her eyebrows and eyes were actually a bit more charming.

"My son, there must be great fortune in the future." Xue Wangshi stretched out his hand to caress Xue Baochai's white and round face, and murmured.

"Just like what the two immortal elders said back then, there must be a great fortune."

"The immortal elder that mother said, but the two who gave daughter Haishang and this golden lock?" Xue Baochai asked curiously as she covered the golden lock on her chest with one hand.When the monk came to Xue's house together, she didn't see the real person.All along, she only thought it was a rumor made by Mrs. Xue, just to raise her own status.But I didn't expect it to be true...

"Exactly." Xue Wang said with some emotion, "You were ill at that time, and your father invited several famous doctors in Jinling City and surrounding towns, but they were helpless. Suddenly one day, the monk One appeared out of nowhere, and I don't know how they got into the house, but I was taken aback. It was your father. At that time, I almost asked the guard to kill the two elders. "

The sudden appearance of the monks together made Xue Wang's heart pounding when he recalled it now.But she still couldn't help sighing, these two immortal elders are really amazing.

"Those two fairy elders didn't even see you for the last time, they only left the sea above the sea and the golden lock, and said something like 'this lock needs that jade to match' By saying this, isn't it implying that my son must have a great fortune in the future?"

Xue Baochai lowered her eyes and thought to herself, what kind of jade can this lock match?Is this jade alluding to the Ninth Five-Year Lord?In this world, is there any jade that can compare to the dignity of Fang Yuxi?His own golden lock is the property of the fairy family.Isn't it true that only the most noble jade seal in the world can match...

Xue Baochai's heart.Excitement.Can't help but spontaneously.

Just when the mother and daughter were talking about the golden lock and jade, they heard a maid outside the door to report: The uncle is back.

Xue Pan didn't come back alone either, behind him was a very pretty girl.

"A batch of servants of the Zhen family are being sold at the market today. My son saw that this girl looked good, so he bought it for his mother. Didn't my mother say it a few days ago? The big maids around me They are all sent out to serve people, are you short of people to serve them now?" After Xue Pan finished speaking, he tilted his neck and poured down two cups of tea.It's so hot that you can't live.

Wang Xue thought that the girl was brought back by his son from that kind of place and was about to get angry, but he didn't want to hear Xue Pan's words, and the anger immediately died down.She pulled the girl to her side and took a closer look.

"It looks good." Especially the little rouge mark between the eyebrows made the girl look a little softer.Xue Wang nodded and asked the girl again: "What's your name? How old are you this year? What did you do at Zhen's house?"

I don't want the girl to just shake her head.He replied softly: "I don't even remember."

Upon hearing the girl's words, Xue Wang immediately felt that something was wrong, and Xue Baochai, who was sitting beside her, frowned slightly.

Xue Wang turned to Xue Pan and said, "Tell me the truth, where did you buy this child?"

Xue Pan became anxious, and said in a rough voice, "I really bought it from the market."

finished.He grabbed the girl's wrist and asked sharply, "Aren't you a servant of the Zhen family?"

The girl was startled and frightened, and her wrist was even more painful from being clenched.She didn't dare to resist, she just cried and replied: "Daddy never mentioned my name, nor my age, and I don't even remember..."

"The person who betrayed you is your father?" Xue Pan suddenly calmed down.It is common for those who can't survive to sell their sons and daughters.Since the person who sold her was her father, it can be regarded as an innocent person.Xue Pan was not in a hurry now, he loosened his hand, and the girl quickly withdrew her hand, standing aside anxiously, trembling uncontrollably.

What Wang Xue thought was similar to what Xue Pan thought.Since this girl came from an innocent background, she has nothing to worry about.

On the contrary, Xue Baochai, who had been sitting there silently, only waved the round fan in his hand, glanced suspiciously at the girl.

"What does your father do for a living? Where did you settle down?" Xue Baochai asked warmly.

The girl still shook her head, and replied like a mosquito humming: "I don't know what daddy does. We've been to many places before, but we just arrived here recently..."

The more Xue Baochai listened, the more she frowned, and decided in her heart that the person who sold this girl must not be her biological father, perhaps...

"My sister asked these questions for what? Anyway, the money and goods have already been settled, and I also asked someone to go to the yamen to file for the record." Xue Pan sat on the round stool with a golden sword, still reminiscing about the girl just now. The touch of the wrist left in the hand, the flesh is very delicate, smoother than those girls in the Lichun Courtyard.

Xue Baochai didn't ask any more questions.He thought in his heart that it had already been filed in the yamen anyway, even if this girl was really abducted and sold by a kidnapper, it had nothing to do with my family.

"I'll leave this child to my mother first." Xue Pan had a good idea.This girl is still young, so she must not be old enough.No matter how greedy Xue Pan is, he won't be entangled with a child.He just wanted to ask Mrs. Xue to take care of him for a few years first, and wait for the child to grow up before receiving him into his house and making him a housekeeper.

What Xue Pan was thinking in his heart, there was nothing that Wang Xue didn't know.However, she had always doted on this son, so she took advantage of the situation and agreed.

"Then put it by my side first, it's just this name..."

"It's Xiangling, how about it?" Xue Baochai said after taking up Xue Wang's words.

Xue Baochai has always liked to read poems and so on, and she has some talents.Although Xue Wangshi and Xue Pan didn't understand the meaning of her name, they thought it was good.

"Yeah. Your child will be called Xiangling from now on." Wang Xue said with satisfaction.

Xue Pan laughed so hard that he couldn't see his teeth, Xiangling?Well, yes, it's a good name.