New Dream of Red Mansions

Mrs. Su took Xiyan's hand and said, "Last time you helped Tian'er, I haven't thanked you personally yet, I wanted to come and see you a long time ago, but it has been inconvenient, but it has been delayed until now."

Xiyan smiled and said: "Others don't know, don't the old lady still understand? The kindness of the Xia family is endless for our family."

"That's not what you said," Mrs. Su shook her head and said, "Those things were just a matter of little effort to us back then. My aunt didn't lie to you. If there was a price to pay, your uncle and I would not stretch our hands. But you It’s different, taking the risk of sending out so much food, you have taken a big risk, and we have also accepted it. If we don’t want to repay the kindness of the small things back then, it should be even more wrong.”

"Those things are naturally easy for the old lady, but our family lives for it, and it is a great kindness to us. The old lady also said that if we don't even want to repay the grace of life, then don't we Not to mention? Kindness does not depend on what the other party has paid, but how much we have received."

Mrs. Su said affectionately: "Then you don't call me old lady, these families have a family's kindness, how can you break it apart, you just call me aunt according to your mother, family affection is there, those people You don't have to worry about Zi Enqing anymore."

Xiyan called "Auntie".

Mrs. Su said happily: "After recognizing this relative, it will be easier for us to move around in the future. If you and Brother Yu have any business, you can send a letter to your family. If you find it troublesome, you can send it directly to your cousin. Now that he is idle at home, he has almost nothing to do except the Great Court Meeting on the [-]th of every month. You just order him around."

Xiyan felt a little emotional, "Hou...cousin is able to retreat bravely at this time, but it is the blessing of the Empress and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Madam Su nodded appreciatively.

After the banquet was over, Sister Feng came to look for Xiyan, walked around Xiyan twice, and said with a smile to everyone: "It turns out that our sister Yan has a family of noble relatives, good sister, you pity my poor sister, and let me poor Relatives get a share."

Daiyu smiled and said, "Sister Feng is used to making fun of people. If you are a poor relative, we will not even have clothes to wear."

"Oh, it's okay if others say this, but it's you, a rich woman, who doesn't know that Mrs. Lin has left you a fortune of thousands of dollars. Don't say that you are rich, you just sit on the floor and raise a wife, so that your children and grandchildren will eat." Ten lifetimes won’t be enough.”

Daiyu became annoyed, stomped her feet and said, "If you talk to you seriously, you will only arrange people, and I will ignore you in the future." Turning around, she was about to go back to the room.

Baochai hurriedly stepped forward to hold her back, and said with a smile, "It's just a joke, it wouldn't be interesting if I left."

Sister Feng quickly apologized and said: "My good sister, my sister has nothing to say, just don't say anything, but what I said is the truth. Naturally, no one in this mansion can compare with Baochai's family in terms of family wealth, but if In terms of private property, you are the best, and a little exposed from between your fingers is enough for us to eat for a lifetime."

Everyone laughed.

Baochai smiled and lowered her head. What Sister Feng said was true, even if her family was rich, they couldn't give her all as dowry.Not to mention other things, which girl's dowry is as much as one million taels?The elder brother is an heir, so even if half of it is left, Daiyu will have a dowry of about 50 taels.

For a noble family, no matter how much they love their daughter, it's only tens of thousands of taels of silver and it's settled.

Then Sister Feng pulled Xiyan and asked: "I don't know what the old lady told you. You stayed in the house for so long. If I didn't know that she is really your aunt, I would rush in and bring you out."

Xiyan laughed and said, "Where is there anything to say? It's just reminiscing about the old days. I talked a lot about my mother."

Sister Feng didn't believe it, "Then there's nothing else to do?"

Xi Yan shook her head.

Sister Feng thought that Xiyan was embarrassed to speak in front of so many people, so she took her back to her room and asked carefully: "Fifth sister, I won't hide it from you. The eldest daughter of the Xia family has become a queen, and his family The title is hereditary and irreplaceable. Don’t look at the plaque of Rongguo Duke’s Mansion hanging on the gate of our house, but it’s because the old lady is still there, so I didn’t take it off. These are false after all. Unlike the Xia family , the door hangs the Hou's Mansion, so it has always been the Hou's Mansion. His family has never been in contact with ours, why did he come here suddenly?"

"I said that I came to see you, but the third aunt also returned to the capital before, and I didn't see her coming to our Wang's house, let alone the third aunt going to Xia's house." He said worriedly and looked at Xiyan, "Our sisters have been together , so many sisters in the family are only close to you, if you want anything, just tell me, and if my sister can help, I will help you."

Xiyan pondered and said: "She didn't say anything, she only talked about my mother's affairs, and then the Xia family's affairs."

"What happened to the Xia family?"

Xiyan smiled and said, "What else could it be? It's just that Master Xia has been delayed by family affairs, and he hasn't talked about marriage until now." Speaking of this, Xiyan sighed, "Speaking of which, my aunt It's not easy, it was considered a lot of children, three sons, but now only one is left, and the original two sons have no children left, so now she is most worried about Lord Xia's marriage .”

Sister Feng was thoughtful, said a few more words with Xiyan, and then left.

Xiyan breathed a sigh of relief.Of course, she would not tell Sister Feng what Mrs. Su said to her, so she had to prevaricate her with what Mrs. Su and her gossip later, hoping to pass the test of Jiamu.

Because she was afraid that Mother Jia would find out, she didn't dare to make up anything, but just skipped the middle things.

Who knew that Sister Feng's mind became active, and said this to Mother Jia, guessing: "Old ancestor, is it possible that Mrs. Su has taken a fancy to Sister Yan?"

Mother Jia thought for a while, then slowly shook her head, "Probably not. Sister Yan grew up in our Jia family, and will naturally get close to our Jia family in the future. How could she choose Sister Yan?"

"But Sister Yan is also her niece, she is a relative after all..."

Thinking of Mrs. Wang's thoughts, Mother Jia became a little skeptical, "Probably not. Although they are relatives, there should be quite a few nieces from her natal family. Why did she get her idea on Sister Yan? Could it be..." Could it be that The Xia family wants to join forces with the Jia family?He shook his head after thinking about it, the Xia family is in its peak period now, and it is better to be still than to move.

Although she has never dealt with Su's, she has heard a lot about her and can guess what she is like. She is not such a person who is eager for quick success.So why?

However, the more Sister Feng thought about it, the more she felt that this idea was right, and said emotionally: "Old Ancestor, if Sister Yan is marrying that Lord Xia Hou, I am afraid that the eldest sister will be like a blue sky in the palace, with the support of the Empress, what is better than that?" It's much better to go it alone."

Jia's mother lowered her eyes, "Go and ask about that Lord Xia. Maybe Mrs. Su just wants to take care of your sister Yan because of her relatives."

Sister Feng took the order to go, and within a few days, she came to look for Jiamu with a face full of excitement.

"...It is said that Lord Hou's fate brought evil. All the brothers in the family are gone, and he is the only one who is safe and sound. He also said that his fate is hard, and only the old lady is lucky enough to suppress it a little bit."

Jia Mu frowned, and said displeasedly: "It can be seen that this is nonsense. Pingyang Marquis did not marry because of his filial piety. Both his father and brother died for the country. Where did the fate force them to say it? Don't say things like this in the future. Besides, those jealous people must have made it up to slander people. What's more, at the age of Marquis Pingyang, he is just a little older than others when he is out of filial piety. Several."

"It's just that what's said outside has a nose and eyes, and it doesn't seem to be fake. Even if it's not true, old ancestors, it's hard to guarantee that Mrs. Su will be worried when she hears it. That's why she wants to kiss her as a relative, but she is afraid that her family will not be willing to hear it. That's why I fell in love with Sister Yan. And Sister Yan is not bad, she has good looks and family background, and now that Brother You can study again, it's hard to guarantee that she won't be another second place in the list."

Mother Jia also hesitated, but she let it go and said: "That is to say, I should go to Anping Street to talk about it. Your sister Yan is from there, so you are not allowed to go out and talk nonsense. So as not to ruin your sister Yan's good deeds."

Sister Feng quickly agreed, but she had some calculations in her heart.

It is impossible to trace when the rumors in Beijing started, just like most rumors.The parties are often the last to know.

After Mrs. Su heard about it from her second daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhou, the rumors in Beijing had been circulating for more than two years.

Zhou's face was full of guilt, "It's because my daughter-in-law didn't pay attention. The rumors have been spread intermittently and haven't been spread much. It's just a few people talking about it in private. It's been rumored for two years. It should be related to the government of Zhen Guo. It started after my marriage fell through, if I hadn't heard it occasionally when I went back to my mother's house..."

Mrs. Su's face was ugly, "They saw that our family was going to have a filial piety, so they started it again, but they didn't expect this situation to start two years ago." Mrs. Su pondered for a moment, and said: " Don't care about them, we just mind our own."

Mrs. Zhou was a little worried, "Mother, it will be more than a year before the Marquis will say goodbye. If the rumors are allowed to develop, I'm afraid...it will be difficult in the future."

Although Mrs. Su was interested in Xiyan, she didn't mention it to the Wang family, and she didn't dare to guarantee it, so she didn't tell her second daughter-in-law, but said: "If those people can't even see through this, then there is no need to get married. .”

Zhou suddenly stopped talking.

Xia Yuntian didn't know about these things, and now he was teaching the crown prince how to practice martial arts.

As soon as he handed over the military power, and he was at home with leisure, the emperor named him the second-rank prince Shaofu.

To replace the Grand Marshal of the first rank with the crown prince Shao Fu of the second rank is regarded as a fool's behavior by others, but some people think that Marquis of Pingyang is commendable.Dare to make up your mind next time at such an age, the future is limitless.It would be better if he is not a relative.Those old guys have many granddaughters, even the eldest granddaughters are willing to be willing.It's just a pity that Xia Yuntian is the uncle of His Highness the Crown Prince.

Prince Shaofu is just a false name to him as a warrior, he just goes to the palace every few days to teach the prince horsemanship and martial arts, other than that, he has no rights.

However, the emperor and several veteran ministers knew that even though he had handed over his military power, he still had a profound influence in the Northern Army. Therefore, no one in Beijing dared to underestimate him.Not because he is the queen's younger brother and the prince's uncle, but because he is the Marquis of Pingyang.

The crown prince is only nine years old this year, and he already looks like a little adult. He saluted Pingyanghou respectfully, and Pingyanghou returned half the salute before he started teaching.

Xia Yuntian's teaching time is also regulated. When the prince saw that the time was up, he came over sweating profusely. At this time, he did not call him sir, but uncle, "Uncle, when I came out this morning, my mother told you to stay The palace had lunch before leaving."

Xia Yuntian's eyes were slightly warm, he patted the prince's head, and said with a smile: "Okay, are you going to the Queen's Palace too?"

The prince nodded solemnly, "Yesterday the third brother and the fifth brother smashed mother's favorite set of glazed porcelain. I have to intercede with them."

Xia Yuntian remembered that when he was a child, he always caused troubles, the second brother wanted to take the blame for him, and the eldest brother tried to erase the evidence so that his parents would not find out.For this reason, my father always scolded my elder brother for his insincerity, and he would do this two or three times a month.

"Uncle, what's the matter with you?" The prince shook Xia Yuntian curiously.

Xia Yuntian came back to his senses, and said with a smile: "I think the crown prince has grown up, your husband taught you very well, and you will know Brother Youai from now on."

The prince raised his chest proudly, "This is what my mother taught me, and she also said that several uncles have been like this since childhood." Speaking of this, he asked curiously: "The third uncle is the youngest, don't you often talk to the second uncle? If you cause trouble, let uncle clean it up for you?"

Xia Yuntian nodded with a smile, "That's right, Third Uncle was indeed the cause of trouble in the capital."

The prince opened his mouth wide and looked at the third uncle who had always existed like a mountain in his memory.

Xia Yuntian looked at the prince who was looking at him with his mouth slightly open, and then felt that he looked like a child, and immediately laughed heartily, and took the prince's hand to the queen's palace.

The prince blushed, and Ren Xia Yuntian pulled him a little twisted.

Seeing the younger brother and son coming in, the queen quickly waved her hands and said, "Come here quickly, I let the small kitchen make your favorite food today."

Xia Yuntian knelt down to salute, the queen scolded: "Why are you so cautious in your own palace?"

Xia Yuntian smiled and said, "Courtesy is irresistible." He glanced at the third prince and fifth prince who were sitting obediently on the stool.

The third prince looked at the third uncle eagerly, while the fifth prince was purely excited.At this time, he had completely forgotten about his mother's punishment, he stumbled down the stool, staggered a few times and fell into Xia Yuntian's arms.

As soon as Xia Yuntian hugged him, the fifth prince hugged Xia Yuntian's neck, and said in a childish voice: "Uncle, it's delicious."

Xia Yuntian laughed and said: "Does uncle have delicious food, or does uncle eat delicious food? Or does uncle have delicious food when he comes?"

The fifth prince is only three years old, and he still doesn't know how to distinguish between such similar sentences, so he just hugged Xia Yuntian's neck and shouted: "It's delicious."

The queen was a little bit dumbfounded, and waved her hands: "Okay, the third child should not sit still, but next time, I will punish you to stand in the corner."

The third prince stuck out his tongue, and ran back to Prince Dao, obediently waiting for the meal.

After the five of them finished eating, they waited for the prince to take the two younger brothers out for a casual meal, and then took a lunch break.Xia Yuntian asked the queen, "Sister, how is the emperor treating you?"

There is only one of her personal servants in the palace, which she brought from home and served her since she was a child. Now there are only two left, and she is one of the queen's most trusted people.Hearing the words, he did not hide anything, and said, "Okay."

Seeing that the younger brother was thinking deeply, he smiled and said: "He and I came here as a couple in need. Although I blamed him for what he did before, but now that you are fine, I will let go of my worries." After all, he is in this position, if I blame him and hate him, it’s nothing but my own troubles.”

Xia Yuntian: "It's good that sister can understand this, the emperor's love is not so easy to get."

The queen laughed and said, "Hearing you say that, it seems like you have a sweetheart. Who is it?"

Xia Yuntian was embarrassed, his face was reddish, unfortunately, he was too tanned, the empress couldn't see it, so in his opinion, his younger brother didn't change his face and said: "Sister, what nonsense are you talking about, I'm afraid you are in the palace Wronged."

The queen knew what he was talking about, and smiled indifferently: "Isn't it the same outside as the palace? When he was in the palace, he had several side concubines and concubines. They entered the palace, but the name changed. Man How can there be someone who does not have three wives and four concubines? As long as he recognizes me as his wife and Ruier as the crown prince, no one in this palace can pass us."

"Don't look at the fact that Ou's jumping is so good now, what will happen in the future? I don't envy her, who is not old yet? But I have a good father and three good brothers, but this It's what she doesn't have."

Xia Yuntian didn't expect her sister to think so transparently. Hearing the words, he smiled slightly and felt relieved, "It's just that the Ou family's jumping like this is an eyesore. If my sister doesn't like to watch, I'll find a way to get rid of it, right?"

The queen shook her head, "Without Concubine Ou, there are Concubine Jia and Concubine Zhen. In short, there is always such a person around, so why bother? The Ou family's flamboyant behavior may not be beneficial to us. We just need to pay close attention to the three. Just have a child. Oh, yes, there is also your marriage. There is more than a year to go to the filial piety, so you have to hurry up and spread the branches and leaves for our family."

Xia Yuntian nodded solemnly, "Sister, don't worry, I will kiss you when I am filial piety."

The queen was taken aback. She didn't expect her younger brother to agree. In the past, when he talked about it, his younger brother always shied away. What's wrong this time?Only then did the queen take a closer look at Xia Yuntian.

Xia Yuntian sat at the side calmly, but the queen's eyes became more intense, Xia Yuntian slightly tilted his head unnaturally.

The queen was stunned, and planned to deliver a letter to her mother after a while, so she wanted her to come to the palace anyway.My brother seems to have a sweetheart.