[Red Mansions] The Road to Empress Dowager

In the early morning of the second day of the first lunar month, Tu Yuanyi left Qifeng Palace, and when he returned to Taiji Palace, Xing Xiuyan, who was still lazy in the winter, hadn't woken up yet.

However, Tu Yuanyi entered the Hall of Liangyi, summoned Zhao Gui, and ordered: "Go and investigate what happened yesterday. There is no need to go out to the inner palace. Anyone under the queen can ask questions. I don't care what method you use. I want to be clear."

"Yes."

"Also, no matter who you find out, don't tell the imperial concubine first. Go down."

Zhao Gui was ordered to go down, and when he arrived at the Yamen of Dongchang, he summoned two confidantes, Li Chang and Liu Tian, ​​to analyze the incident.On New Year's Eve, there was no ice in that place, and Concubine Chen's return to Ganlu Hall went smoothly, but there was ice on the morning of New Year's Eve, indicating that the perpetrator was active during this period.

Li Chang is also an outstanding person in the investigation of thousands of eunuchs, and he grasped the key point at once: "Actually, the case is very simple. During the period from New Year's Eve to the first morning of the first month, all divisions and eunuchs will also have the grace to celebrate the New Year, and the masters will not There are other orders to go there, and the road sweeping work will be done during the day of New Year's Eve. Therefore, it is very cold in winter and few people come out to suffer from the cold at this time. If they come out for no reason, it will be suspicious .”

Liu Tian is familiar with the court, and said: "Each palace has its own palace gates, each palace must be locked after the twelfth day, and it will not be opened until the time of Mao. In fact, the eunuchs and maids who are not on duty on New Year's Eve also have to watch the New Year's Eve. Ask who is on New Year's Eve. Just stay out of the house at the end of the day, or go out early in the morning on New Year's Day."

Zhao Gui felt that it made sense, so he asked them to choose and arrange the interrogation process, and then select the operatives, first targeting the people around Concubine Wen and Concubine Jing who were the most suspected, because they might not be so convenient to come out alone.

However, the Tiren were interrogated separately for a day, and their people were in their respective palaces that day, and there was evidence of their alibi.

Zhao Gui can only gradually expand the number of people to be referred for secret interrogation, not to mention first.

……

However, it will soon be the third day of the first lunar month, and every family has been visiting relatives for the past two days.

Mrs. Xing and Li started to show her pregnancy, and she didn't dare to run around anymore.She was also a little distressed at this time. Every day, she heard a few matchmakers introduce some good people, but just looking around, she felt that Miaoyu or Su Fuer were not good enough.

People from the Lin family, Jia family, and Shi family all came to pay New Year's greetings today.Mrs. Xing and Li's body was getting heavier, and she had to be very careful with this baby. Su Fu'er, Mother Zhao, Mother Yun, Mother Jiang, and Mother Feng were all in charge of the banquet.Xing Li's family housekeeper still has some skills. Xing Xiuyan's father in his previous life was an old accountant, and he was the most skilled in these things. Although Xing Xiuyan has a problem of being courteous to others, he can guide Xing Li's improvement on the technical level.

Although Su Fu'er's temperament is so lofty that she looked down upon ordinary people before, but now that she has returned to the common people, she often has Jiang, Feng and other mothers to persuade her when she decides to change her destiny, and she has changed a lot.That kind of psychological paranoia caused by involuntary fate and ambivalence between monks and vulgarity, or awkwardness and high-spirited hypocrisy have been greatly reduced.

Mother Jiang and Mother Feng were born as maidservants, and they had been to the East Palace when they were young.They also helped Su Fu'er arrange everything in Xing's family's banquet very decently, and Su Fu'er also brought out the good tea that Su Fu'er bought or made herself last year.

She personally served tea to the female relatives, Shi Hui looked amazed and said with a smile: "Sister Fu'er is indeed the half-teacher of the eldest sister, you can see it from the way of tea ceremony."

Mrs. Li Xing smiled at Mrs. Shi, Mrs. Sun, and Madam Xing and said, "Fu'er is really outstanding in everything. Your Majesty loved following Fu'er when she was young."

Mrs. Xing asked: "Sister Fu, did you choose a good family?"

Mrs. Xing Li said: "I'm just picking one. You have to pick the one you like. You can't be careless with Fu'er's appearance."

Su Fu'er couldn't help but blushed with embarrassment, she also served tea to Shi Shi just now, and got up first to say goodbye in the name of changing clothes.

Mo Mei and Xue Mei snickered behind Su Fuer, she couldn't help but get more annoyed, and walked to the corridor.

He wanted to go back to his yard, but he didn't want to run into cousins ​​Jia Lian, Shi Rui, Shi Cong and Shi Li who were also guests at the house.

Shi Li and Shi Cong were originally at home preparing for the Spring Festival, but it was because the Xing family had a good relationship with the Shi family, and Shi Bai, a fine person, also figured out that the sage was happy to see their family have a close relationship with the imperial concubine.Although the Shi family took the scientific examination and did not need to rely on favor and nepotism to enter the officialdom, after entering the officialdom, there is still a long way to go.

If the sage remembers the Shi family because of this, the chances will be more, just like Jia Lian has a talent for general affairs, Shi Bai does not believe that if it is not for the imperial concubine Chen, the emperor will give Jia Lian a chance.

Su Fu'er was startled when she saw three foreign men, she quickly lowered her head, Xuemei and Momei stood in front of her.

Jia Lian was clever, he knew that the people who came to the mansion today were all his relatives, he knew all the girls, this one was obviously not a maid, he also guessed such a stunning demeanor.

Although Jia Lian is promiscuous, he used to love to hook up with young daughter-in-laws who are promiscuous, and he has never been involved with Miss Da.

Jia Lian asked, "But Cousin Su?"

Su Fu'er had no choice but to salute and said, "I've seen Lian's second cousin and three elder brothers."

Shi Rui said: "The four of us were wandering around in this garden, we thought there was no one there, and we didn't want to alarm Shimei, I'm really sorry."

Su Fu'er has never had such close contact with young men. In the original novel, she has affection for Baoyu with a round face. Although it is because of Baoyu's outstanding talent and gentle temperament, it is also because she has a daughter's heart.

The looks of the few young men are all very good, even though Jia Lian looks a bit like a "pirate/version", but now that he has become a real official, he has less sloppy heart, and his peach eyes are much more shrewd and upright.

Shi Li is more mature. Although his daughter Shi Wan'er is not very good, he himself grew up in the capital until he was 12 years old, and Shi Taifu didn't pass away. His father was the eldest son of a famous family, and his mother was also from an official family. He was more important than ordinary people. There are many products.

Su Fuer was exquisitely thoughtful, of course she knew who they were.

Su Fu'er said: "It's just a coincidence that we met, and there is nothing disturbing. Please go ahead, three senior brothers, I will take my leave first."

Su Fu'er said goodbye, her back was graceful, Shi Rui and Shi Cong did not look sideways, Jia Lian only looked at her twice because she was a decent girl and could be regarded as her "cousin".Shi Li was originally a decent person, but he had never seen the demeanor of the "Twelve Beauties of Jinling", but now he was stunned to see the gods.It wasn't until Shi Rui called him that he realized that he was a big man and let his cousin see the joke.

Su Fuer avoided talking about her marriage at the banquet, which is the correct and reasonable way for an unmarried woman, but after a while, she still returned to the banquet scene.

But at this time, Shi Zhang's face showed a slight displeasure, Su Fu'er was surprised but didn't want to ask.

It turned out that Shi Wan'er was playing with Shi Hui, Daiyu, Yingchun, etc., and saw Daiyu's gorgeous clothes, and Daiyu's pair of shrimp beard bracelets inlaid with pearls was very exquisite. The same meaningful accessories.

So Shi Wan'er kept saying that Daiyu's bracelet was beautiful, although Daiyu was not mean, if she was Shi Hui's niece at other times, she might have given it to her.But she secretly got Shi Hui to remind her again and again, she just pretended she didn't understand at this time, she never thought that Shi Wan'er would ask her to lend her to wear it if she didn't give up.

At this time, how could Shi Hui not reprimand education as a little aunt?

Unexpectedly, Shi Wan'er's eyes were red, and she cried loudly: "I knew it, you all look down on me as a motherless child! You are the sisters of noble concubines, I'm just a grass in the mountains, no one cares when I die!"

All the female relatives present were surprised when they heard her cry.It was Xing Li who had seen the unbearableness of the second sister Xing and the third sister Xing when she was young, and she was more able to bear it, but she had sympathy for Shi Zhang, a famous official and family member who she always felt needed to learn from her.

Shi Zhang couldn't help feeling cold in her heart. How much effort she had spent on Shi Wan'er in the past two months, she told her the truth tactfully and patiently. On the one hand, the good things also gave her a lot of comfort, and the proportion would not be less than Shi Hui's. .Shi Wan'er made a big fuss and got a bad reputation because of both prosperity and loss. Didn't it implicate Hui'er?

Besides, elder brother and sister-in-law are not unbearable people, and she has always respected her, so why did Shi Wan'er grow up like this?

But how many layers have been separated from her as an uncle and grandmother, she can't be too light, she just feels a stale breath in her chest.

Shi Zhang's face darkened for a while, others didn't want to interfere in this matter, Shi Zhang said: "Wan'er, come here."

Shi Wan'er looked at Shi Zhang with tears in her eyes, and said, "Granduncle..."

Shi Zhang said, "Who taught you those words?"

Shi Wan'er said: "No one taught me, but I have no mother, so everyone looks down on me. My aunts and sisters look down on me since I was a child. When I came to the capital, my little aunt and Aunt Daiyu also looked down on me. They stole Don't give me anything alone."

Shi Zhang let out a long sigh, and finally decided to bear with it, and secretly checked on her nanny, no matter what, wait until after Shi Li's scientific examination.Otherwise, Shi Li won't do well in the exam due to this interference, and the eldest brother and sister-in-law don't know if they will feel relieved.If Shi Wan'er is hopeless, we still have to send her back to Qiongzhou so that my sister-in-law can raise her by herself.

So Shi Zhang said: "Aren't the new clothes on your body and the hairpin on your head things?"

Shi Wan'er Nuonuo hesitated for a while, and said, "I don't have many things, my little aunt has a lot of things that I don't have."

Shi Zhang also felt that she was ashamed enough, so she stopped questioning her at other people's homes, and only said: "Let's talk about it when I go home this afternoon."

Shi Hui also felt ashamed in front of Daiyu and Yingchun, and really hated this niece in her heart.

After Shi Zhang went back, how did she secretly ask Shi Wan'er about the two maids from Fujian, because they were young, and they were given to Shi Wan'er by Shi Song's wife Xu.After questioning, I learned that after the death of Shi Waner's mother, Mrs. Chen, she has been taken care of by the nanny, and sometimes Mrs. Shisong can't take care of her too much.

After arriving in the capital, Shi Wan'er has somewhat restrained herself. After all, the third brother of the Shi family, now Shi Bai's first family sees a bright career, and the nanny is snobbish, so she would teach Shi Wan'er to be courteous on weekdays.

But the nanny couldn't help sighing three times every day: Shi Wan'er and Shi Hui are both daughters of the Shi family, and their fortunes and treatment are very different.

Afterwards, Shi Zhang could not help writing a letter to go to Qiongzhou, and then forced herself to send Shi Wan'er's nanny to Zhuangzi.If the sister-in-law has other ideas, she will make another plan.

These are not mentioned in detail.

……

Time flies, and it's the 22nd of the first month.

Mrs. Xing and Li sat in a soft sedan chair with a four-month-old belly, and brought Su Fu'er into the palace to visit Noble Concubine Chen, and also brought New Year's greetings gifts from the first month.

When Mrs. Xing and Li talked about the family etiquette during the New Year and the recent situation of being close to others, and about the troublesome Shi Wan'er of the Shi family, Xing Xiuyan couldn't help sighing, and said: "It's true that every family has a few top-quality products. My sister's family background can produce a strange thing. Now that I think about my uncle, second aunt, and third aunt, they are also normal people, and I am not so wronged."

Xing Xiuyan could not escape Ah Q's spirit.She also couldn't help sighing that the ancient clan society prospered and all were prosperous, while the modern individual society was free and indifferent, and each had its own advantages and disadvantages.

Xing Li said: "I don't want to get involved with your uncle and your two little aunts anymore, and my mother also don't want to get involved, that kind of person is really justified and has nowhere to say."

Xing Xiuyan said: "Even if they come to the capital, they are still looking for the eldest aunt, there is no reason to look for us."

Mrs. Xing Li said: "Your eldest aunt should be more at ease. She is greedy for money but has never had trouble with us. She only wants to make trouble in the Rong Mansion and never goes outside. She just wronged her daughter and took it from the palace. Things to supplement the family."

Xing Xiuyan smiled and said: "Why should mother say such foreign words? As long as everyone lives together for a long time, otherwise I will have no interest in being a lonely family? Mother should take good care of her fetus and have a younger brother and sister now."

Xing Li's face couldn't help turning red, the old clam Huaizhu was really embarrassed.

Xing Xiuyan asked about daily life and diet, and Su Fuer answered them one by one. It is obvious that she is a very competent adopted daughter, and she keeps everything in mind.

Mrs. Xingli was ashamed for a while and recovered, and said: "I am heavy now, thanks to having Fu'er by my side, from the etiquettes in the mansion, to my diet and daily life, Fu'er is responsible for everything. If Sister Fu goes out, I won't be able to be so meticulous."

"Mother..." Su Fu'er was so ashamed that she didn't know what to do when she heard the news.

But Xing Xiuyan asked: "Mother, can I take care of my elder sister?"

Xing Xiuyan still cared about who Miaoyu would marry, because she was always more reliable than Jia Baoyu, and it was related to her happiness.Secondly, she is already domineering in the palace now, so she naturally needs to expand her contacts in the previous court, and marriage is the best choice.

At least, in this way, if there are opponents in the previous dynasty who say she is a demon/concubine, and there is a community of interests in the previous dynasty to protect her, with Tu Yuanyi's eccentricity and the foundation of the previous dynasty, she can be as stable as Mount Tai when she was born.When Xing Xiuyan got serious, he had such a business strategy.

Xing Li said: "There are three young masters who are good, but we have to see if they are suitable for Fu'er. Now that I am heavy, it will be settled in one or two months, and I have to wait until the child is full moon. What a coincidence. Delayed Fu'er."

Xing Xiuyan wondered: "It's okay, mother can take care of her health, and then ask Mrs. Lin and foster mother to help, then the marriage can be arranged in March and April this year."

Mrs. Xingli nodded and said, "It's possible, but it's too troublesome."

Xing Xiuyan smiled and said, "It's better to trouble someone than to delay eldest sister."

Su Fu'er blushed, and said: "Mother, you are just bullying me, as if I'm in a hurry..." But she couldn't say the last word.

Xing Xiuyan looked at her and smiled, but only asked Xing Li: "Which three families?"

Xing Lishi said: "One is Zhang Tingen, the nephew of Master Zhang, the other is Feng Zijie, the second son of Marquis Shenwu, and the other is Qian Zhiyuan, the second son of Qian Shilang from the Ministry of Rites."

Both Feng Zijie and Qian Zhiyuan were concubines, while Zhang Tingen was the eldest son, but his father was a junior official with the same rank of Jinshi, and one uncle was a bachelor.

Xing Xiuyan knew that because of Su Fuer's "not very upright background", these few people were really carefully selected by Mrs. Xing and Li.But thinking about Su Fuer who was once the daughter of the Hou family but being wronged for her, and Xing Xiuyan's temperament of protecting the calf is also hard to change, so she doesn't think that Su Fuer actually has no foundation other than her family.These people match her Xing Xiuyan's family background, according to ancient standards, Su Fu'er is still on top.

Xing Xiuyan said: "If there are any other candidates, my mother will tell me together. I will ask the saint and ask him to help with the details."

Mrs. Xing Li was taken aback, and said: "How can you trouble the saint with this matter? The empress must not be petted and spoiled. The saint has a lot of work every day, so how can he have time to do this?"

However, Xing Xiuyan knew that Tu Yuanyi was reborn, and he could see more clearly the family traditions of these men or their own character in "later generations".Moreover, the sage has Jinyiwei and the East and West factories in his hands, so the information is more well-informed.

Su Fu'er blushed even more, the righteous sister wanted the sage to help her choose a husband, so what to say about this matter.

Xing Xiuyan said: "A sage still has some time. This matter is related to my sister's life. Naturally, I should be more cautious. However, my mother and my sister must also understand that there is no gold in this world, and no one is perfect. Even a saint is not perfect. ..."

Mrs. Xing and Li didn't care about being rude, and hurriedly covered her daughter's mouth, saying: "My mother, my ancestor, don't be scared, can you be my mother?"

It was only then that Xing Xiuyan came to her senses, she said "gold is never pure, no man is perfect" she was only talking about Su Fu'er, because she knew that there was a lofty and hypocritical element in her temperament, she was afraid that she would be dissatisfied with the man, so she wanted to remind her.Xing Xiuyan wanted to increase her persuasive power, so she just presented facts and reasoned, and gave classic cases—and seeing that her husband is already an emperor, he is not perfect.

For example: 12 years older, wives and concubines in groups, and children;

Another example: Temperament also needs to be coaxed. It’s okay to make troubles on weekdays, but it certainly cannot be said that the world is better without an emperor;

Another example: Between Mensao and Mingsao.

Xing Xiuyan said: "I'm just giving this example. I just saw my sister's age. I have experience in marriage between men and women, and I know more than my sister. No matter which in-law's family, my sister must always nod, and the family will arrange it. My sister is not satisfied with living at home first, and no one dares to force you. However, women’s youth is short, and their own opportunities must be fought for. There is a saying that is true, "Arrogance makes it impossible to love me, and prejudice makes me unable to love me." Lover.’ I know that my sister is good, but if I can’t let go of my arrogance and prejudice, others will not know that my sister is good.”