Old things in the Red Chamber

In the middle of the night, Jia Gu was dragged in by two women. Mrs. Tong saw that he was really drunk, so she quickly took the maids to twist the handkerchief and take off the clothes.

After everyone went down, Jia Gu sat up all of a sudden, which startled Mrs. Tong.

"You... lie down well, I'm scared to death."

Jia Gu got out of bed, grabbed the teapot and drank up the water, "I feel bad in my heart, I drink too much, and my heart burns."

Mrs. Tong rubbed him hurriedly, "I went to Wangjiang Tower again. Who did I drink with? Jia Gui didn't make it clear. You didn't even come back to the backyard, so you ran away without a trace."

"Drink with Jia Laoer."

"Isn't Jia Er Er you? You are the second."

"Who said that, I'm the boss Jia, I'm in my own family, I have nothing to do with the old Jia family in Jinling, we are the Jia family in the north, we are from the north."

"Okay, okay, what did Jia Laoer say to provoke you, I heard that he can't even catch a chicken, he must be taking advantage of you."

"Hey, the century-old Zanying clan was ruined by Jia Lao Er. Today the emperor said that the Rong family owed money to the treasury. I was thinking that he wanted me to tell them that when the provincial imperial decree came to ask for it, they would be ashamed not to say it, and hurriedly asked for it. How can we get it all together? I owed 30 taels of debt, saying that each of them would get 20 taels of taels and send it to the household department. Complain. I just said, you don’t care what people say, should you pay back the money? He also said that this matter is up to the old lady, and I said that women are ignorant. If he didn't pay back, he would cry to me, oh, he cried to me, and he cried and didn't speak. , crying and carrying him away, I see, he doesn't plan to pay back the money."

"Then let's pay back the money...?"

"Of course I have to pay it back."

Tong slumped next to Jia Gu's ear, "You go to the Barbarian Longting, and captured..."

"Ok?"

"I was wrong, it was the two taels of silver we picked up, should we also fill it in? So much money was taken out suddenly, people asked where did we get the money from, what should I say, and besides, the money is not there In the city, let you two be buried outside the city." Mrs. Tong whispered in the northern dialect, lying next to Jia Gu's ear, and looked at him uneasily.

"I'll forget about it in the future. Don't we have decorations in our study? We sell them all. Tell the outside world that it's your dowry."

"My natal family is a wealthy landowner in the countryside. How can there be such a valuable thing as my dowry? Besides, all the treasures are left to my brothers. It's better to say that it is the old man's private house."

"The old man's private house is the armor that I'm wearing now. Even the weapons were purchased by the old man himself. By the way, there is also the dowry gift for you, which is also the old man's private house. "

"I don't dare to spend the money... By the way, let's take out calligraphy and painting books and find someone to pretend to be a dealer to buy them. Whether calligraphy and painting are expensive or not is all on one mouth."

"No, even if I turn my left hand to my right hand, once the good things get out, they will always be coveted. What's more, the things in our hands are all family heirlooms. Take the good wood and The gold and silver wares were sold, and we sold our new Zhuangzi, and after a while, we will buy new ones."

On Jia Gu’s side, he sold everything that could be sold in the family on the surface, and collected 40 taels of silver. Over there, Jia Amnesty also got 16 taels of silver. The ones were sent to the household department.

When Jia Amnesty was at home, he was stared at by his mother again. Even the servants in the mansion also said that the old man was stupid.

The Ministry of Household Affairs gave Jia amnesty a receipt of 50 taels, and waited anxiously for Jia Zheng, but Jia Zheng pretended not to see him. He has a skill that no one can learn, that is, ignoring or being thick-skinned.This matter made Jia Zheng vague, and he would say that the family was in a difficult situation when he saw people, for fear that someone would ask him to collect debts.

Fortunately, the emperor did not move any more, and Man Chao was relieved.Even Jia Zheng himself felt a sense of escape.

After a while, the weather gradually cooled down, and the plum blossoms in Ningguo Mansion were in full bloom. Shi Taijun asked someone to pick Jia Yingchun and Lin Daiyu back, and they went to Ningguo Mansion to enjoy the flowers together.After playing for half a day, I returned to the Rongguo Mansion, but was detained by Shi Taijun, who refused to let me go back to the Zhongwuhou Mansion, and said, "The Chinese New Year will be in half a month, so I was born in the mansion, and I will go out to play after the New Year. stop you."

However, Jia Gu was annoyed by Jia Zheng's father and daughter.

When I got home, there was no master in the mansion. Jia Xuan was still on duty in the palace. Mrs. Tong went to other people’s houses to enjoy flowers. They are all blooming very well, and some families have raised narcissus, and they will also post a post to invite others to come and enjoy it together.The two little girls, Lin Daiyu and Jia Yingchun, were also taken back to Rongguo Mansion --- mentioning Rongguo Mansion, Jia Gu felt a pain in his liver at the moment.

"Go ask my elder brother."

Jia Amnesty came very quickly. He was also drinking in Ningguo Mansion. When he heard that his younger brother was here to invite him, he didn’t even change his clothes. , but drinking with Jia Gu depends on the day.

"Is my old brother free?" Jia She grabbed his robe and looked at him with a bad expression.

"Well, elder brother, sit down, younger brother has something to tell you, I got online with an old eunuch in the palace a while ago, and today he told me something important,"

Jia Amnesty leaned closer, "Tell me, is it related to the mansion?"

"Jia Rong's daughter-in-law has something to do with the palace—it is said that she is the orphan of the abandoned prince."

"He lied to you," Jia Amnesty sat up straight, "I used to go in and out of the Eastern Palace, and I still know how many sons and daughters the Crown Prince had. Which prince and daughter did you give birth to? Then Qin, how could He De have a relationship with the prince? You want to say that the prince was born with a folk woman, it is even more impossible. Since the deposed prince was named prince, he has never been alone at all However, if you go out of the palace, you will be surrounded by crowds of people, you should know that the prince guard is not a display, this is not a script, and no one will send a woman of unknown origin to the East Palace."

Seeing Jia Amnesty's disbelief, Jia Gu delivered the final blow, "Your Majesty believes it. The one who informed is your niece, Jia Yuanchun."

Jia She immediately slid down from the teacher's chair, "She is trying to kill me."

Regardless of whether the Qin family is the daughter of the abolished prince or not, once the news spreads from the palace, many people will think that she is the daughter of the abolished prince. Even if she is not, she must be.Of course Jia Amnesty knew this truth.

Jia Gu quickly helped him up and listened to Jia She's babbling, "I used to be the prince's accompanying student, but now there is a prince's orphan hidden in Ningguo Mansion. I don't know who the Qin family is or who gave birth to her."

"I'm still wondering, how did an adopted girl become the daughter-in-law of the Jia family?"

"That's because she looks good, and an old nun said that she is the fate of Wang Fu Wang Zi Wang's family."

"Don't think too much about it. The Qin family is a woman, not a man. Look at how scared you are. If the queen mother really thinks that she is her granddaughter, that is, the queen mother will secretly subsidize her. Besides, The prince's sons are gone, but the concubine and concubine are still alive, they are more noble than the Qin family..."

Jia Gu noticed that Jia She's teeth were chattering up and down, and asked him, "Why is elder brother shaking? Could it be that he was blown by the cold wind just after drinking?"

"Old brother, old brother, no one can save us now, then the Qin family..." He looked around like a thief, "He Zhen'er..." He lay in Jia Gu's ear and whispered tremblingly long time.

Jia Gu stood up suddenly, "He..."

"so……"

"This matter has nothing to do with the Rongguo Mansion, so you just pretend it didn't happen. The matter was handled by the Ningguo Mansion. When the time comes, the Holy Majesty will blame it, and it should be the people of the Ningguo Mansion."

Jia Amnesty was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, he took the following few words as life-saving straw, and kept nodding his head.

Three or two days later, Mrs. Tong got a post and was invited to go to the mansion of Princess Anyang to appreciate plum blossoms, which stated that she would bring the girl from the family to participate.

There are three ways to choose a concubine in this dynasty. First, the princesses hold a banquet to select the concubine in advance, and then select a day to send the selected girls to the palace. Personally finalize the list of concubines entering the palace.This method is used to select high-ranking concubines. Generally, the government issues official documents first, selects ladies from various counties, and then sends them to higher-level places by the counties, and finally gathers in the capital.Girls from Xungui's family in the capital, those who have invitations can directly attend the banquet hosted by the Princess Mansion.

The second type is to select low-ranking concubines, who are selected from among the court ladies, and the palace selects the maids, all of whom are near the capital, and choose good families to enter the palace. Those with unclear backgrounds are not allowed. The birth mother of the current emperor is a maid of birth.

The third type is tribute. In order to curry favor with the emperor, high-ranking officials and relatives usually present some beauties, most of them are singers and dancers, and of course some are girls from the families of small officials. It is difficult for these girls to be promoted in the palace. Most of them are short-lived and die silently in the end, even if they are alive, they will be unknown in the end.Rumors in the market all said that this kind of woman lived in the palace, compiled some eclectic scripts, and fabricated some eclectic unofficial histories, which made many people lament and sigh.

The emperor's ascension to the throne is naturally to expand the harem. The audition papers have been issued long ago, and beautiful women from all over the country have also arrived in the capital. The emperor has a close relationship with Princess Anyang. Naturally, he entrusted this matter to Princess Anyang. For a post by a girl, Princess Anyang naturally has the final say.

Although a post is just an admission ticket, it's hard to say whether they will be able to be proud until the end, but many dignitaries and nobles are willing to go to the banquet, this post is also a gold-plated ticket, and most people can't get it yet.

Mrs. Tong sent someone to invite Jia Yingchun and Lin Daiyu. Lin Daiyu was too young and Jia Yingchun was just right. Even if she couldn't be selected, Jia Yingchun could still find a good husband's family when it came time to talk about marriage.

The mother-in-law of Zhongwuhou's mansion sent news, because the big banquet was still a few days away, she said to let the girl pack up the things first, and Madam Tong will send someone to pick them up tomorrow afternoon.

This incident immediately changed the mood of the girls in Rongguo Mansion.

Lin Daiyu and Jia Xichun were too young to think so much, and Jia Tanchun was just envious because she was not very old and was not very eager to participate in the banquet, but was just thinking about how to build a good relationship with the people in Zhongwuhou's mansion.

Except for Jia Xun, Zhongwuhou and his wife did not come to Rongfu, so Jia Tanchun thought about how to work hard on Jia Xun, so that Big Brother Xun had a good impression of him.

And Xue Baochai's mood became even hotter. There was an opportunity in front of her. She was eager to find a way to reach the sky. She was only one or two years younger than Wang Xifeng, and she was about the same age as Jia Yingchun.Now, if he has a post, he will definitely suppress the girls in various mansions at the banquet.What's more, audition girls are not available every year, because it consumes countless manpower and material resources, and every audition will toss the folks. This kind of thing can't be caught up once every ten or eight years. It was such a hassle to choose a concubine.

Shi Taijun is an old man, and he can tell what everyone thinks with just a glance. He glanced at Jia Yingchun, who was stunned, and said, "It's also the second girl's fate. In those years, no princess came forward to arrange a big banquet. Now let the second girl The girl has caught up, Yuanyang, bring the set of red pomegranate noodles in the storeroom to Second Miss, and the set of pearls to Miss Lin. When the time comes, go decently and don't fall for our house. title."