Old things in the Red Chamber

Lin Daiyu was still some time away from being a filial piety, and Jia Xuan just said casually, said a few words to her mother, and then went back to her yard.

Mrs. Tong took this matter to heart.I thought about tossing and turning at night, and Jia Gu was sleeping soundly next to me, and it wasn't because Madam Tong tossed and turned that I couldn't sleep well.

When Jia Xuan went back, he still looked at Xiao Niuniu first. Furong was already asleep. He talked to Qi Jingan, who was in confinement, through the curtain. After a few words about Qi Jing'an's health, she felt that Er Niuniu's crying at night was too much trouble, so she wanted to move to the study in the front yard to sleep.

Qi Jing'an was not happy in her heart, but she couldn't object, and she was suspicious. She was most afraid that someone would climb into her man's bed, because she had become more plump after confinement, so she grabbed the flesh on her belly and touched it again. His greasy hair made him feel anxious.

But early the next morning, the mother-in-law came to her yard in the name of visiting Xiao Niu Niu. First, she hugged Xiao Niu Niu and praised her, kissed and swayed, and waited until Xiao Niu Niu yawned for a long time, which made the mother-in-law feel strange. Go down and let Niuniu sleep.

Qi Jing'an had a bad premonition in her heart. Unexpectedly, the mother-in-law dismissed the people who followed and served, and sat on the edge of her bed mysteriously, "Daughter-in-law, I'll ask someone, listen to Xier He said he was a proper person, but I was not at ease, so I came to ask you to feel at ease."

Qi Jingan wondered if Jia Huan, who was paid a thousand dollars, went to her mother-in-law to beg for help yesterday. He was still an upright gentleman in the past, bah, my old lady went to her mother's house after confinement, and see how my brother dealt with you.I couldn't help feeling uncomfortable, throbbing with pain, thinking about the girls in the yard, I was on guard day and night, it should not be from my own yard, could it be the girls from my mother-in-law's yard.

But there was still a smile on her face, "Say, let's see who is so lucky, so we can give her a compliment." The last few words were gritted.

Mrs. Tong didn't pay attention to her. She didn't make up her mind at the moment. She wanted to discuss it with Jia Gu, but yesterday she had something on her mind and couldn't sleep because of Jia Gu's sleep. Asleep, Jia Gu went to work again, and the two of them didn't say a word in the morning.Now Madam Tong can only consult with her daughter-in-law.

"What's uplifting or not, people don't need us to uplift, that uncle Guo, named Gu Yun, have you heard of it?"

Qi Jing'an immediately realized that she had misunderstood, she quickly sat up straight on the bed, and the smile on her face became sincere, "Mother, are you looking for a husband's house for my cousin?" Thinking that my uncle is a military general, if it really comes true --- the gods of all parties forgive me, the little girl just thinks about it in her heart, and doesn't really expect our uncle to suffer a thousand swords.

Mrs. Tong nodded, "Your sister is still in the filial piety period. Logically speaking, we shouldn't mention this, but I think it's okay to inquire first. Last month or last month, Xi'er came back and told me that Rongguo Mansion The old lady here is thinking about your sister, and wants to tell their Second Lord Bao. Let Xun'er block it, and I'm worried that they will bring it up again when they take off their filial piety."

"You have found the right person for this matter. The Gu family and my mother's family really have contacts. Their family's affairs, especially the grievances between Gu Siye, his father and stepmother, are really unclear. Before His Majesty ascended the throne, Fourth Master Gu was a subordinate official in His Majesty's hidden residence. His aunt told him about a marriage. He was the daughter of a sixth-rank official in Beijing. The daughter-in-law was pregnant, but his stepmother insisted that the daughter-in-law set the rules. Every day, he heard that she was fanning and lifting the curtain to clean up the dishes. Because of this, he was a little unhappy, so he mentioned something to Cheng Engong, because his grandmother It was the later step-grandmother, who never cared about the affairs of their house, and could not count on the old man. He usually watched her, and his step-mother didn't dare to go too far. When his wife's belly grew, he was sent by His Majesty to other places. , sent his daughter-in-law to her natal family, and he left, but his stepmother brought her back, and said to the outside world that he must not let his grandson be born in another family's family, and he must be born in his own family. But after returning home, he heard that his stepmother was ill. After a scene, his wife insisted on filial piety, so she made a bunk on the floor and slept in his stepmother's room, fed medicine and water at night, beat her legs and rubbed her shoulders, anyway, she heard that she must be filial to his stepmother, but after more than ten days of tossing, life and death Lost a well-formed male fetus, I heard that the small ears and small nails are all grown, and his wife is also bedridden. When he came back, his wife was gone. At first he said that he was sick, but at the same time he was too sad No."

When Madam Tong heard it, "It's clearly the old godmother's torment."

"Yeah, when he came home, his wife and child were gone. After hearing her stepmother crying and explaining, she turned around and beat his younger brothers to death. This offended Cheng Engong's father, who was not in the past. If His Majesty hadn't suppressed it back then, he would have gone to the yamen to sue Gu Siye for disobedience. Anyway, father and son have been enemies for a few years. His elder brother has been released since he became an official, and he wrote letters to persuade his brother and father. , I heard that when I returned to Beijing to report on my work last year, the three father and son sat together for a meal. In the end, both brothers slammed the door and went out. I don’t know why. By the way, when I gave birth to my concubine last month, they had another quarrel stand up."

Qi Jingan sat up, stuffed a few more pillows behind her, and motioned Mrs. Tong to come closer and listen, "Isn't Mr. Gu's wife gone? I don't know what his Yue family thinks, but now he has a very good relationship with his stepmother. The stepmother said, from ancient times to the present, it is always brothers who end up with younger brothers, sisters who die and sisters who succeed, and you can't just watch the fourth master go on as a bachelor like this. The wife in front has a younger sister who just married in, which made a good story come true. Uncle Guo certainly didn't Yes. But he didn't want to and couldn't stop his stepmother, so his stepmother took someone to his in-law's house to make a decision, because this is the fourth master Gu going back to quarrel with his father and stepmother. It is said that this matter was known by the censor Now, to impeach Fourth Master Gu for being unfilial. Our uncle came back and said that Gu Yunming has been in a state of distress these days, but the matter has not yet been settled. The first son of his stepmother, the sixth master of their family, has come to talk about marriage. The stepmother wants to find him a home as soon as possible, lest someone will say that my brother is not married yet, and my brother will be busy marrying a wife."

"What's the point of this?" Mrs. Tong couldn't stand it any longer. "His brother's wife is dead, and it's not that he can't marry a wife. It can't stop the marriage of younger brothers and sisters because of this, and it can't be because his brother is now a widower. , let my brother get married indiscriminately."

"Who says no? If you want me to say no, the pillar of their family is now Gu Siye. If Cheng Engong is a bit successful, he should know that this will give up the position of the head of the family and transfer a few young sons to this worthy man. Sons who are capable, the prosperity of the family will be pointed at them in the future. Regardless of whether the Gu family is now a duke family, it is actually a gift, and the family is weak. When it comes to family background, I will tell you something. Not many people in the capital know. The mansion was bought by His Majesty back then in order to look good when he got married. It was my father who did this. If it weren't for their family being too poor, the whole family would be squeezed into a second courtyard, which would be a waste for the prince. His Majesty would not have done that in the past. A few years ago, the expenses of the mansion depended on the money sent back every month by the second master who was released from their house. Now there are more people who are fawning on them, and when His Majesty ascended the throne, yes My uncle, old father-in-law, graced me and rewarded a few Zhuangzi, otherwise their family’s life would not be as good as those rich businessmen.”

Qi Jing'an became more and more enthusiastic as she talked, and pulled Mrs. Tong's sleeve, "This time he moved out because of this. Everyone knows that Fourth Master Gu was rewarded with a mansion by the emperor. The thing is, he usually lives in In the government office of Shuntian Mansion, the sixth master of their family got married. I don't know whether his stepmother took a fancy to his elder brother's yard, or the woman's mother's family fell in love with their second master's yard. In short, his stepmother wanted the second master's things Move it out, move it to the side courtyard, saying that the second master is not at home, there is no reason to occupy such a large courtyard, and now let the younger brother live first."

Mrs. Tong frowned and said, "That's not what I said. If I have two sons, I should let them know that the elder and younger are orderly. The older brother lives better than the younger brother. That's because he is the eldest son and inherits the family. What's more, this second master has also raised the family for several years. When he arrives, he will return to Kyoto to be an official, and he will bring his wife and children back. The younger brothers and sisters-in-law live well. They will definitely not want to move the yard. Their second master returns home It is even more uncomfortable for the whole family to squeeze into a small courtyard."

"Who says it's not? The second master of their family is the eldest son. It's just that he was released to become an official. It's not that he is gone. Even if he is gone, there is still the fourth master Gu. Because of this, the two fathers quarreled again. A fight. Those imperial historians are nothing. The situation in their family is messy enough. They are biting fourth master Gu. They have one mouth and two rows of teeth. The curse is really ugly. His Majesty summoned them in the imperial study. I heard that Cheng Engong said that Fourth Master Gu promised to persuade his brother to let him out of the yard, but now he has backtracked. Fourth Master Gu said that even if the knife was on my neck, I would not agree to persuade my brother for you. It was bullying, and then Cheng Engong cried and made noises, and almost bumped into a pillar in the imperial study. His Majesty had a terrible headache, so he made a mess in the middle, and asked Fourth Master Gu to separate the family first, move out, and stay away if there is nothing to do. My daughter-in-law is in confinement for a few days, I don't know what will happen next, it must be another big drama..."

Qi Jing'an looked at Mrs. Tong, and suddenly remembered that her mother-in-law was looking for her cousin's husband's house. She was surprised that she had been holding back too much for the past few days, and no one talked to her, and she was a little carried away. How about Fourth Master Gu?"

Mrs. Tong checked that there was no outsider in the room, and then lowered her voice, "I think... I... don't think it's good, and I don't think it's bad. Looking at the empress's appearance, I thought that Fourth Master Gu should be handsome. It's just that their family Is it a bit...Look at the queen, I heard that because the prince who was born in the first line died, she turned herself into a nun. A good mother of the country, she puts others on her body to eat and drink spicy food all day long, so there is nothing wrong with it. She couldn't see it anymore. There is also Cheng Engong, who is also an old fool. The family is in trouble, and their second master is still a foreign official with peace of mind. His heart is really big enough. It is the turn of the fourth master. Call him unlucky. He is in a high position now. If you want to say his life is good, you see who you meet and what you encounter. I am worried that his life is too hard. You say your sister is lonely enough Come on, if you meet someone like him again, will the two of you have a harder life?"

Qi Jing'an looked at her mother-in-law, bit her lip, and decided not to tell the truth, and waited for her uncle to come back. Even though some things were true, letting her son say them would have different consequences than letting her daughter-in-law say them.If the son said it, the mother-in-law wouldn't annoy him, but if she said it herself, the mother-in-law would probably annoy herself.

After finally waiting until night, Qi Jingan asked someone to put a screen in front of her bed, and invited Jia Huan over, and the husband and wife talked through the screen.

"Mother came to see me and Erniuniu today, and talked about Uncle Gu, I watched, and my mother was a little bit moved."

Jia Huan was sitting in a chair, hugging Furong, and was teasing her. After hearing this, she stood up and shook her daughter, and asked, "I think it's a good match. To be honest, compared with those students who are still studying in the Imperial College , Yun Ming is really a rare character."

"Don't I know what you said is true, the emperor is my cousin, Gu Siye is his cousin, the Gu family and my natal family usually walk around as relatives, my father and brothers have praised him for more than ten years, but Think about it, uncle, we are not picking him now, but he is going to pick us."

Upon hearing this, Jia Huan gave her daughter to the nanny who was waiting at the door, and hurried back to the screen, "How do you say that?"

"My lord, think about it, if my cousin is the daughter of Lord Hou and his mother, let alone Gu Siye is a widower, even if he is looking for a wife, our family may not be able to take a fancy to him. Tell me, Hou Mansion The first daughter, father and brother are all people with real power, and the lowest in the palace is a figure on the concubine position. Marrying him is considered high-ranking, absolutely not. But the cousin is our cousin, and there is no one in the Lin family. She is not serious. Brother, lonely and helpless, living under the fence. Don't care if their Lin family is after the Liehou, what kind of person her father was before he was alive, but now, she is the only one left. Don't talk about a real powerful second-rank official who fills the house, Even the identity of the Second Master Jia of the Rongguo Mansion is too high for her. The old matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion can only force the Jia family to agree to this marriage, but Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang are absolutely unwilling from the bottom of their hearts. "

Jia Huan thought for a while, and found a reason to refute her, "The family background is not enough, but the character of the cousin is nothing to say, good-looking, literary talent, if Gu Yunming really married the cousin, then it is really the ancestor of the Gu family. Good luck."

Qi Jing'an was dumbfounded by his boasting, "My good man, that's not what you said. When people talk about getting married, it's not just this person who married. If they have children in the future, life will be a waste of time." Confused, who will sing with you in poetry. Besides, wives talk about virtuousness, and concubines only care about appearance. There is a good wife who can take care of his housework, socialize for him, and even detect undercurrents in officialdom , and the other is to make decisions for the men, and to support the family when encountering disasters. This is not something that can be married with talent and good looks. After all, it is the same sentence, a good wife and husband rarely cause trouble."

"You mean, this marriage can't be done."

"I thought that was it."

Jia Huan also heard what his wife said, and felt a little inappropriate. He suddenly remembered it. Now, except for his own family, no one knows, so let's stop here.

He thought about it for a while in the room, "Don't talk about it in the future, I'll tell my mother, don't worry about it in our family, if you ask Yun Ming to raise it rashly, it will be embarrassing for your cousin if you get rejected. Take a good rest, when you are confinement, it will probably snow, I heard that the plum blossoms in the Baita Temple outside the city are blooming well, I will take you to see it then."

Qi Jing'an listened with joy in her heart, and obediently agreed, and heard him stand up and go out. He opened the curtain here and saw her husband's broad back leaving the yard, and she was relieved.

Mrs. Tong felt uncomfortable for the past two days. She thought it was because of her niece's marriage that she could see a leader, but now her son said it was inappropriate, let alone leaking this matter to Lin Daiyu, so she lay down on the couch in disgust.

She didn't give her a few days of sad time. The palace was going to give a full moon ceremony to the Ninth Prince, and Mrs. Tong got the Queen Mother's order and went into the palace dressed neatly.

In front of the old lady, concubines are not as honorable as princes and princesses.Before the Ninth Prince was born, the Empress Dowager had no idea that there was a Concubine Jia in the palace. After the Ninth Prince was born, and talking about the concubine, the Empress Dowager said, "Is that the concubine who gave birth to Xiao Jiu?"

She doesn't even remember what the concubine He looked like. Even the fourth concubine who is in charge of palace affairs is not very honorable in front of the old lady.Therefore, the Ninth Prince's full moon ceremony is placed in the Queen Mother's palace, and the fourth concubine dare not neglect it, for fear of offending the old queen, whoever you are, she can let people drag you down to reward dozens of boards.

However, the old queen gave Mrs. Tong face and called her up to speak.

"Your family has a new girl recently, right?" The old queen carefully looked at Mrs. Tong's face, seeing that there was no sign of dissatisfaction on Mrs. Tong's face, and then she really smiled.

"It's a little girl, oh, it's a fat girl, holding her hands, and now she opened her hands, she looks the same every day, the two faces are tender and tender, the court lady has to look at her two or three times a day to feel relieved, and she just thinks about it if she can't see it." Panic."

The queen mother has only one child left, Princess Anyang, and she is even closer to the children of Anyang. Now seeing that Mrs. Tong doesn't seem to be complaining about her daughter-in-law, she is also happy, so she shows her kindness, "Hold Xiaojiu up, Show it to his grandma."

Mrs. Tong quickly stood up, and respectfully took over the baby of the Ninth Prince. The little kid, the Ninth Prince, was awake, with his eyes open, and yawned. After patting his swaddle, the Ninth Prince closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The queen mother was quite satisfied, "He is a clever child, he knows who to kiss, and if someone hugs him, he can cry loudly."

Mrs. Tong didn't think too much about it, she just cried a few times when she was hungry or peed when someone hugged the Ninth Prince.When I hugged myself, it was the time when I was sleepy, and I didn't have the energy to make trouble.But other people don't think so. All the female members of the clan squinted at the positions of the people in the Rongguo Mansion, and the meaning was self-evident.

The Ninth Prince's full moon ceremony is not considered a grand event, and the people who come are all the family members and the prince's natal family, as well as the princesses and princesses.Rongguo Mansion came early, and Mrs. Tong had already sat for a while before she arrived.The honor of being able to hug the prince was given to Shi Taijun. The Ninth Prince didn't cry when Shi Taijun hugged him, but when Mrs. Xing carried it to Concubine He, the Ninth Prince cried.

Mrs. Tong carried the Ninth Prince to Concubine He, and Concubine He quickly stood up to pick him up. Seeing that her son had fallen asleep, she handed it to the nursing mother.Next came the flattery from all sides, first they praised the Ninth Prince's good birth, and then praised the Queen Mother for her kindness and empress' kindness.

The Queen didn't make an appearance at all.

But the moods of everyone on the court were different. The queen mother was a little angry, hating the queen for being unvirtuous and making the emperor trouble her, and the fourth concubine was in a complicated mood. I'm envious, I envy a lot, I envy the queen no matter how hard she is, she is a noble queen, the emperor treats her consistently, I envy my cousin who can raise a prince, and I can rely on her in the future...

When leaving the palace, Mrs. Tong and Shi Taijun were separated by a short distance, because the eldest princess Anyang was there, and people from the Rongguo Mansion frequently turned their heads, but they didn't find a chance to post and chat.

Naturally, Princess Anyang gave up her carriage for the sake of her daughter, and accompanied Mrs. Tong from the harem to the gate of the palace.What the two can talk about is naturally Qi Jing'an and the newborn Fu Rong.

Mrs. Tong talked a lot, so Princess Anyang just listened to it. When it came to the full moon gift for Furong, Princess Anyang thought about replacing a few things in her heart, so that her son could buy some good wine and leather The material is given to Zhongwuhou's mansion.Having said this all the way, we parted at the gate of the palace, and it was Prince Consort Qi who picked up Princess Anyang. This son-in-law does not usually go to court, and his hobby is poetry and poetry. Because he married the princess, he moved to the princess mansion to live with his brothers. The distance is also far away, and they don't interfere in family affairs. They are free and talented. Whenever the princess goes out, she must be by her side. Therefore, the son-in-law of the eldest princess of Anyang is the most considerate person among all the son-in-laws.

Madam Tong was picked up by a servant of the family, who helped Madam Tong into the carriage, and reported that Lord Hou was out of town and would probably not be back until evening.

Jia Lian picked up the female relatives of the Rongguo Mansion. Seeing Mrs. Tong also came here to pay her respects, she said a few words through the curtain, and Mrs. Tong's carriage drove away.

Wang Xifeng accompanied Shi Taijun in a car, watching Mrs. Tong's carriage go away, Wang Xifeng asked Shi Taijun, "Why don't you pick up Sister Lin tomorrow, and I'll pay a visit to Zhongwuhou's mansion."

Shi Taijun was very upset, what he saw today was that Hefei and Guifei were at odds, the two sisters didn't say a word, they didn't even look at each other.And the queen mother praised Zhongwuhou's mansion, saying that Jia Gu's family belonged to grandma, and the decent grandma was the queen's mother. Even if Cheng'engong's mansion is not as good as it is now, it should be Rongguo mansion that accepts the word "grandmother".

Whether the two empresses had a fight in the palace or broke up, she didn't know anything about what happened in the company a few months ago.

Shi Taijun's joy of participating in the Ninth Prince's Full Moon was gone. "I'll go back and ask Yuanyang to pack a few things. After a few days, the second sister of Xi'er's family will be full moon. You will come to the door with a gift."

Wang Xifeng thought about it for a while, obediently agreed, and after thinking for a while, "Why don't we bring our eldest sister along, although Xuan'er from the brother's family is a little younger than the eldest sister, but the younger sisters can also play together .”

Shi Taijun patted Wang Xifeng's hand in satisfaction.