Bastards

At the end of summer and autumn, the sky is high and far away, blue and pleasant.The sun has not yet risen, and the bright sky has already heralded good weather.

Cui Yu was woken up early by the little tiger, and hugged it to wash up together.

This little thing obviously slept in Yang Xuan's room last night, but at some point it appeared in his bed, probably sneaking back.That brat was having a fight with him, so it was impossible to send it here so kindly.

It's just... "Ah Chou, when did you learn to open the door?"

The little tiger acted like a "meow, meow, meow" at its owner, with its small head against the owner's palm, its big eyes moist and moist, innocent and innocent, and it was so cute that the liver trembled.

It was the first time in Cui Yu's life that he kept a pet. He was attacked by the cute mode, his body was completely shattered, and the corners of his mouth raised more than eight teeth, and he completely forgot any doubts. He rubbed the tiger's fur for a long time before he was satisfied.

The guest courtyard he lived in was not small, with secluded verandahs, long and winding corridors, bluestone paths paved in front of the courtyard, and flowers and plants bonsai, and so on.The sycamore tree in the courtyard is tall and strong, with luxuriant branches and leaves, and the whole wall is covered with bignonias. It is in the flowering season, the crown is bright red inside, and the outside is orange, swaying in the wind, very cute.

Green trees and gray walls, shaded by blue tiles, the style of the small courtyard is very quiet and elegant.

Among the green trees and red flowers, there is a slim figure that shuttles quietly, walking in unison, her skirt is in the wind, she is the maid of the Xie family.

Xie's hospitality is very good.

The guest house is equipped with servants, but until they know the habits of the guests, the servants will not come forward to disturb at will, but wait on duty on both sides.The check-in room is not too close to the guest room, enough for the servants to hear the call of the guests, but not too close to affect the privacy of the guests.If the guests are used to it, they can be called to serve them personally. If they don't like it, they can call it when they don't exist at the moment.

The servants were also very well-behaved. Seeing that Cui Yu and Yang Xuan didn't like strangers to be close to him, they didn't winkly go forward, and only showed up when necessary.For example, wash up in the morning, add tea and offer some food every half day, deliver meals and so on.If it is morning, it is the time when they are collectively busy.

The serving master has a different personality, and the servants will of course follow the master's habits and make certain changes.

For example, if the master is introverted and likes to be quiet, the surroundings must be very quiet, and the servants hold their breath and dare not speak loudly; if the master is lively and lively, the servants will also be lively and funny, trying to make the atmosphere lively and gratifying.

Cui Yu and Yang Xuan... didn't show a particular preference, so the servants had to explore spontaneously.

Keeping quiet, Cui Mata and Yang Xuan didn't say anything.

If it's more lively, Cui Yu and Yang Xuan don't stop it.

A few days passed, and the servants were a little worried, not knowing how to please the guests.Later, when I saw that the guests really didn't have any demands, and their personality was also very good, they would not take their anger out on them, so they simply let themselves go and calmed down a lot.

In any case, the guests will not punish them, nor will they sue the owner.

So... Cui Yu hugged the little tiger and leaned against the window, as always, listening to gossip.

"Last night, the young master came back late again. I don't know where he went. His body smelled very heavy. The young mistress didn't mind at all, and even helped him scrub himself!"

"Young Mistress is so gentle."

"No, such a gentle and generous wife, who is neither jealous nor jealous, is really rare. How can it be that there is no concubine in the fifth young lady's room?"

"Keep your voice down! What is the noise in the guest's courtyard like?"

A clear and upright female voice stopped him, and the voice of the room attendant suddenly became quieter.

Cui Mata sighed secretly.

The duty room is not far from here, and it is quiet in the morning, even if the maidservants whisper, he can hear a little bit, once they suppress their voices, he can't hear them at all.

But luck was good today, after a while, the voice in the duty room became louder again.

"You are the person who came out of the fifth young lady's room, so you naturally look towards the fifth young lady, but the eldest young lady is really kind, you can't say no with your conscience! Our guest house is only someone's bastard, and the eldest young lady takes the honored guests. Wait, the high-quality ingredients and medicinal materials will be delivered like flowing water, and the fifth young lady will only take care of them according to the rules, and everyone understands who is better and who is better!"

The voice was very high-pitched, very protective of the young mistress.

The upright female voice was not in a hurry: "In our aristocratic family, the most important thing is to be dignified. What kind of guests and how to entertain them, the head of the family has his own rules. This is the way of the eldest and young wives."

"Hey, who is this satirizing? Calling the guests unqualified or calling the young lady for helping the guests blindly!"

"I won't quarrel with you, just remember, be calm and steady, don't disturb me, don't lose Xie's face."

……

Cui Yu lowered his eyes, stroked the little tiger's fur, watched the sun rise slowly, and the first rays of brilliant light slipped into the window, dyeing half of the room golden.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are inner houses, there are house fights.

The first young lady mentioned by the shrill servant girl is the wife of the eldest son of the Xie family, but Xie Wen, the fifth young lady's husband, is the eldest son of the first wife.

The Fifth Young Master Xie Wen is Xie Cong's eldest son, and their father is the eldest son of the previous generation. Due to some reasons, the eldest son married his wife a few years later. Naturally, the eldest son Xie Wen is of the eldest son's blood , the decent eldest son is not the eldest son in the clan, the eldest son is Xie Wen, the eldest son of Xie Cong's second uncle's family.

In ancient times, the succession system only looked at bloodlines, not age, and the aristocratic family was especially unwilling to mess up. Therefore, although Xie Wen was a five-year-old, he was also the real head of the future clan.But others are not convinced, no matter how old you are, don't you still have to call me brother?If you are older, you will be able to suppress your momentum. Besides, rules are dead, but people are alive. There are other examples. Of course, the Xie family also has thoughts...

Even though the time was short, Cui Yu could still see clearly that the Xie family's young master and mistress were probably fighting fiercely with the fifth young master and the fifth young mistress.

Look, even the maids have disputes about giving something, let alone the master above.

It's just...he saved Xie Cong, and he was invited by Xie Cong to live in Xie's house, so he should be closer to Xie Wen Xie Cong.And the maidservant who defended the eldest young mistress, was picking on the thorns in the open and in the dark, did she want him to hear it, or didn't she want him to hear it?

"Du Du..." After a long while, a servant girl knocked on the door, "Young Master Cui, the servant girl is here to deliver the court food."

Cui Yu sat at the table with the little tiger in his arms: "Come in."

A beautiful maidservant in Tsing Yi came in with a food box, her eyebrows were pretty, and her expression was lively and agile: "The servant girl heard from the doctor's young apprentice that Mr. Cui's condition has improved a lot, and the food he can eat in the past two days is not so light, so I specially took it from the kitchen. Here are some good things!" With a flick of her wrist, she took out the dishes one after another, quite deftly with her hands and feet.

Cui Yu felt that the voice was too familiar...it was the high-pitched voice that had just been arguing with someone in the duty room and defending the young mistress.

"Thank you." He turned his eyes around the maidservant's face, smiling very brightly.

Seeing Cui Mata looking at her, the servant girl blushed slowly.

"This is goat's milk for the little white cat." She graciously brought out a bowl of warm milk, "It's fresh, the servant girl just squeezed it from the kitchen helper in the backyard!"

The little tiger had already smelled it, and stared at the lunch box with two big eyes, staring at the maid who took out the bowl and put it on the table...but didn't move.Even though the saliva was about to flow out, it still moved its ears, pretending that the tiger king didn't care at all, and didn't drink at all.

The maid was a little anxious, and reached out to touch the little tiger: "Meow meow, come drink, this is for you... ah!"

The little tiger refused to let her be touched, turned his head and opened his mouth, almost biting her hand.

"Sorry," Cui Yu stroked the little tiger to comfort him, and at the same time put the bowl in front of the little tiger, "Eat it."

Only then did the little tiger make a "meow", and couldn't wait to "pattapatta" lick the milk and drink it.

Cui Yu smiled at the maid again: "It only eats what I give it, and it doesn't like others to touch it."

"Oh..." The maid retracted her words, and complimented in embarrassment, "What a nice cat."

Cui Yu nodded: "It's really good."

While talking, he picked up chopsticks and ate quietly.

The maidservant stood by, looking at him with a blushing face, it just... looks better the more you look at it.

When Cui Yan finished his meal and put down his chopsticks, the maid had to pack up her things and leave, and then she took out a small bottle of exquisite pink glaze painting from the bottom of the food box just now, and put it on the table: "This is the gift that the eldest young lady gave me. The Junshan Silver Leaf that came here is of high quality, and there are not many grandma and grandma here, thinking that the honored guests are coming... I can't bear you to be wronged."

The maid blushed while speaking, and looked at Cui Yu earnestly.

This is probably waiting for him to thank him personally. It would be best to propose to go over to thank him and meet the patriarch... But if I do, will it be okay?

"I will personally thank the eldest lady."

Cui Yu smiled and said that he was unwilling to be used as a gunman.The eldest wife of the family is Xie Wen Xie Cong's mother, and the eldest grandma is her niece and daughter-in-law. She is under her control, and she is just a helper across the room, so she surpasses the master's work... Everyone can have an intimate interaction and tear each other upright. Tear it.

The maidservant turned pale, bit her lip, and said nothing.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Cui Yu asked curiously and considerately, like a teenager who doesn't understand house fighting at all.

"Where, how can you say the wrong thing, sir?" Cui Yu was too good-looking, and his eyes were dizzy with a dazzling smile. The maid didn't want to tell him these twists and turns, she hurriedly put away her things, and left with a blushing face.

As the maid walked away, Cui Mata couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

bastard...

The little tiger was full, lying on the table lazily basking in the sun, Yang Xuan next door was not there, so he didn't know where he went.Cui Yu took the book casually, and sat by the window to read it.

Today is probably a good day, and after a while, there are visitors.

It was the center of the topic of the house fight before, the husband of the Fifth Young Mistress, Xie Cong's eldest son Xie Wen, the eldest son of Xie Cong.

Xie Wen looks very similar to Xie Cong, they both have handsome features and outstanding demeanor, but Xie Wen's body has more years of stability, he doesn't like to smile very much, and his brows and eyes are somewhat sharp and round, which is very similar to Xie Cong's youthful spirit is different.

And...he looks like a smart guy.

The wise man Xie Wen's salute posture is very beautiful. After all, he was cultivated by a family.

Cui Mata returned the salute solemnly.

He hasn't systematically studied ancient etiquette, but he has learned a lot in modern times. Maybe his posture is not as perfect as these young masters who have been trained since childhood, but there is nothing to say about his demeanor.

Seeing this, Xie Wen's vision deepened a little.

Cui Yu's heart turned to think, and he bowed with scrutiny, Xie Wen came to the door this time, why is it?

After the host and guest are seated, Xie Wenqi's words are very casual: "Recently, the family is busy and the hospitality is not good enough. Is Mr. Cui living well?" Well, it seems very casual.

Cui Yu glanced at Xie Wen, with a very sincere smile: "Please ask me, I live very well, and I will not be boring at all."

There seems to be a pun in this remark, Xie Wenyin has noticed it, but he can't find out what's inside.His eyes fell on the little tiger on Cui Yu's lap, and he casually picked up the topic: "It's called A Chou? My younger brother talked about it from time to time, and I like it very much."

"Well," Cui Yan patted the little tiger's head, "Although Ah Chou is not good-looking, he is very loyal."

loyalty……

Xie Wen's eyes drooped slightly, and his gaze unexpectedly fell on the pink glazed flower vase on the table, which changed suddenly, but his expression and voice were as relaxed as before, pointing at the vial, he seemed to see it by accident: "This is..."

"Oh, it was sent by the young mistress of the auxiliary assistant of your mansion. She said that she didn't have many, but she was reluctant to be wronged by the honored guests. Cui was just a concubine of a small family, so he could never be called a "honored guest". Feeling apprehensive, I said on the spot that I would meet the eldest wife in person to thank her. Now that the fifth young master is here, I will save myself the trouble of walking. When I wake up in the morning and evening, I would like to ask the fifth young master to tell your mother to thank her for caring so much. "

Cui Yu's voice was slow, his eyes were clear, and when he told the facts, he actually revealed a lot of things.

Xie Wen lowered his eyes for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"Brother Cui is really smart. You can see through my family at a glance. It's really..." Xie Wen stood up and saluted Cui Yu again, "I'm laughing."

He became more solemn, and Cui Yu returned the gift with seriousness: "Every family has a scripture that is difficult to recite, and no family is completely peaceful. This is in your house, if it is mine..." He clicked his tongue lightly, unable to hide his self-deprecation Well, with this gesture, it's a compliment to the aristocratic family's demeanor that doesn't hit the table.

Xie Wen was indeed more gentle: "Brother Cui, why do you want to belittle yourself? The ambition of a man is not in the inner house."

"Brother Xie said yes."

The two looked at each other and smiled, and the distance seemed to have shortened a lot in an instant.

"Sitting is boring, but my skill in making tea is not bad. Brother Cui, would you like to try it?"

"my pleasure."

Finally got to the point.

Not long after Xie Wen entered the door, with a few words, Cui Yu understood his purpose.

Xie Wen came from a family, he was the eldest son, he was brought up by normative etiquette, all kinds of rules were deeply rooted in his blood, when he looked at him as a concubine, there was no contempt in his eyes, but scrutiny, prudence, no rush, no slow probing...

This person is very smart, has a big heart, and knows what he wants.He loves his younger brother and treats his younger brother's friends. His first thought is to look at his behavior and habits. He hopes that his younger brother will make good enough friends, but he is also worried that bad friends will lead his younger brother badly.

That being the case... Cui Yu's eyes were full of emotions, he had already had an idea in his heart, and now he will not hold it down anymore.

A pot of tea was brewed quickly, the water vapor was thick, the tea fragrance was lingering, covered by the hazy mist, and the expression of the person seemed to be covered with a layer of fog, which was extraordinarily mysterious.

Xie Wen personally presented the teacup and placed it in front of Cui Yu, and he was the first to bring up the topic: "My brother once said, Brother Cui likes to figure out the residence newspaper?"

"I can't talk about speculating, but I just like to watch." Cui Yu's voice was light and his smile was modest.

"Speaking of which, I may not have anything else in my house, but there are quite a few newspapers in the mansion at various times, and there are also private copies collected by people from Luoyang. Brother Cui, if you want to see it, just let me know."

"Brother Cui is too modest, thank you very much."

……

"Recently... I have a problem. I wonder if I can ask brother Cui?" Finally, Xie Wen held the teacup in his hand and smiled kindly.

Of course, this kindness carries a deeper level of temptation.

Cui Yu waved his sleeves coolly: "Brother Xie, but it's okay to say."

"Brother Cui knows that August is here, and it's time for my Xie family to hold an autumn banquet. Others say that my family's autumn banquet is noisy and expensive, but in fact there are many troubles inside."

Cui Yu understood very well that for a large-scale banquet, every preparation is thoughtful, and there are so many guests, even if everything is well-prepared, there is no guarantee that everything will go well, and everyone will be happy until the end without any problems.

"For example, this time—" Xie Wen's voice was slightly drawn out, and he looked at Cui Yu seriously, "The court officials have asked the king of Yue to welcome the auspicious omen on his behalf. If there is no accident, the king of Yue will come to Chang'an in the near future, and the autumn banquet is coming soon. response?"

Do you need to prepare more things, in case the king of Yue comes?If it is prepared, what will happen if the King of Yue does not come, will it be very embarrassing?If King Yue came, would his Xie family be suspected of standing in line?The king of Yue is here, how to manage the guests at the autumn banquet?The guests want to see the King of Yue, should they stop or not?How to deal with accidents?

Xie Wen only asked a few words, but the hidden meaning was endless.

The king of Yue is honorable, and every move he makes is probably a trouble, and maybe an opportunity.

"It seems..." Cui Yan stroked the little tiger, his eyes slid across the table, his eyes drooped slightly, and he seemed to be smiling, "The Xie family doesn't want to be the King of Yue."

Xie Wen was slightly startled: "I didn't say that."

Cui Mata just smiled and said nothing.

Not saying that is the default.If the Xie family wants to be the King of Yue, it is impossible for Xie Wen to ask such a question at this time. Instead, he should devote all his family's efforts to shovel away all troubles for the King of Yue, create a feeling of being at home to the maximum extent possible, and entertain the King of Yue comfortably. Treat him as a worthy subordinate.

There will be coping troubles, but I am afraid of any troublesome consequences.

Those who are not Yue Wang's people are friends.

Cui Yu smiled even bigger: "Brother Xie, don't worry, King Yue will definitely not come."

Xie Wen was a little surprised: "Are you so sure?"

"Brother Cui and his elders also have the same judgment?" Cui Mata asked back.

Xie Wen's expression finally changed drastically: "You can also guess this?"

Cui Yu thought to himself, I also know that you are deliberately testing me with this question to see how capable I am!

"To be honest, Brother Cui, my grandfather also said that the possibility of Prince Yue's coming to Chang'an is very small, but the courtiers are all presenting invitations, and I am fully responsible for this year's autumn banquet, so it is inevitable..."

Cui Yu sat with his back straight and calm, smiling calmly: "Now the court only knows that the king of Yue does not know the prince. Underneath, above ten thousand people, with great power, when this is the right time, you should keep a low profile and bide your time. If you don’t fight, you will fight. If you can’t wait to do all the things for the saints, you will definitely attract suspicion. The auspicious omens in Chang’an are small. If you make a special trip, you will get very little. , but the risks are obvious, if you don’t insist on resigning and put your attitude right, you will get more.”

The implication is that as long as you are not stupid, you will not want to trade at a loss. If the King of Yue hadn't fainted, he would definitely not come.

It's in line with what the elders said, this Cui Yu...has the same vision and heart.

Xie Wen paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "What my brother said is right, you have a heart full of misfortune, you know what you are doing, and you have a clear character, you should be a close friend and confidant. Just now, it is my villainous heart. Brother Cui, please forgive me."

"Where, brother Xie is just a child at heart." Cui Yu also smiled: "The Xie family is worthy of a family, it has been passed down for a hundred years, it has its own ambition, and its children are all talented, open-minded and open-minded."

This time, the atmosphere was harmonious, and the distance between the two became closer.

For this autumn banquet, Xie Wen was indeed a little troubled. Before seeing Cui Yu, he just wanted to confirm for his younger brother whether this friend should be made or not. After the conversation, for some reason, he actually wanted to communicate more.

Unfortunately someone interrupted him.

A young man came over and knocked on the door to send a message that he needed to deal with something outside.

"It's not a coincidence." He had to stand up and say goodbye: "Thank you for extending your hand to save my younger brother from the fire and water. Please live here with peace of mind, but if you have a request, you can tell me at any time. I, the Xie clan, will always treat you like a distinguished guest .”

"Thank you brother for your serious words."

"What I have not said today, I will talk about it later."

Cui Yu sent Xie Wen to the door: "I'm waiting anytime." Under the bright sun, his complexion was fair, his son was like jade, and he had a magnificent bearing.

Xie Wen looked at him, seeming to be thinking about it, and sighed: "Originally, my grandfather had something to say, and ordered my younger brother to help hold the autumn feast, but I disagreed. Now it seems... Xu is his opportunity."

After Xie Wen left, Cui Yu turned over all his words, broke them up and thought about them, and understood something.

The Xie family's autumn banquet is a big event, and whoever hosts it is a great opportunity to show their faces, show their talents, and manage various contacts.For such a big event, the younger generations of the clan naturally want to step in to show their share of the profits. The fragrance of the elder and younger masters, the virtuousness of the elder and younger wives, the private confrontation between the elder and younger wives and the five younger wives... probably all have something to do with it.

Maybe the young lady didn't dislike her status as a concubine and took care of her specially, and she also had a plan.

And this autumn banquet was originally an important opportunity for me to seek...

Xie Wen looks like the eldest son, he values ​​personal ability and good conduct more than his status.Farther away, what he will see will be the general trend of the court, his own ups and downs.How to consolidate the foundation and build on this foundation should be the vision that a family should have.

The power of the court is not something that can be played alone. It is a delusion to rule the world with one's own strength. The greater the ambition, the more you need the help of others.Others are waiting and choosing in the trend, so I should seize this opportunity!The Xie family needs to see the situation clearly and find the best resources and connections. He Cui Yu has nothing, so he just takes a ladder to climb to the top!

Isn't it good for everyone to hold a group?

The temptation just now was just to get acquainted. If you want to get in touch with others, you have to show greater value.What kind of value should be valued by a family like the Xie family, and even favored by his elders?

After thinking about it, Cui Mata let out a long sigh.

He needs information!information!Without enough information, how to design a strategy!If only he had money, even if he didn't have anything, he could still buy it if he had money, but unfortunately...he was dying of poverty!

Xu Shi is really happy today, and someone will deliver whatever he wants.

Cui Yu met a silly X who was very clichéd.