Old things in the Red Chamber

In the past few days, the families of the nobles in Kyoto have been huddled in their mansions. A few days ago, the sacrifice to heaven in the suburbs of Beijing was undoubtedly an unforgettable nightmare for them.

The emperor began to sort out the nobles, and wrote the phrase "no military merits can not be knighted" into the code.

Mrs. Tong handed the list to her daughter-in-law, rubbed her temples and said, "Look, you have won the titles of 23 families at once, and you should also sort out our accounts. For some families, if the gifts are still the same as in previous years, It's not appropriate."

It's not that the dog looks down on people, but that the other party is no longer qualified to hang out in this circle. The ordinary relationship before will inevitably become alienated gradually, and the friendship between life and death will help them re-plan. The honorable friends at the close of life and death are almost rare.But these people are not on the list this time.Because of this, Mrs. Tong and Qi Jing'an didn't have that kind of pain.They just think that life must be difficult after losing their titles, but they don't know that the family who loses their titles is like the sky falling. The title of title has lost the dignity of the past, and it has also lost the future of the descendants.

Even, the yards where some of them lived belonged to granted mansions, and some mansions did not belong to private individuals. After living for several generations, if they wanted to move away from here, the pain would be magnified many times, which is undoubtedly the same as ransacking their homes.

"We have the rules of generals. Those nobles, who were also generals at the beginning, gradually sought to become civil servants. Although the family has been preserved, it is difficult to keep the title." Qi Jing'an is clearer than Madam Tong, Madam Tong His eyesight is far inferior to that of his daughter-in-law, plus he is getting older and has grandchildren, so he is out of tune with the rich and powerful circles in Kyoto, and he has long been reluctant to go out to socialize.

"Oh, I don't understand either. You two can figure it out. Leave Nan'er behind. You can go back and serve Xun'er. Poor guy, he walked 150 miles in three days. That's all. He's young, so it's okay to be tired." Now, go and take care of it." Mrs. Tong waved her hand and said so, but she meant that she disliked her son, thinking that he would start to have pustules when he entered the capital. Back then, he rode around on horseback for five days and five nights in the Northland. It's all right.

Qi Jing'an kept the list in her sleeve, and led the servants back to the yard.

Jia Xun was lying on the couch thinking about the problem. He took off his shirt and put plaster on his shoulders. He was staring out of the window in a daze. Turning around, I asked, "What's the matter, sir? Why are you in a daze."

Jia Xun looked into the room, "I want to sacrifice to heaven."

Qi Jing'an said with a smile, "My lord is too timid. This matter is over long ago. Our family's title is firmly established. What are you worried about?"

"What I'm worried about is the future, among other things. When my father gets old, I will squeeze into the military office. If I can't go to war, Nan'er will definitely go into battle in the future. Don't think about being a civil servant in our family. Just look at the time of offering sacrifices to heaven, and you will know that this way will not work in the future."

"How do you say that? There are too many military officers who have been transferred to civil servants. Many people are not doing well, and the uncle is too careful."

Jia Huan didn't want to talk to her about this. The family's future cannot be discussed with the women in the inner courtyard. It's not that he looks down on women, but that they don't know the situation in the court. The intrigue between men is beyond their imagination, and it is bloodier and more thorough. , Pay attention to one blow to kill, it's not fighting for favor in the backyard, I framed you for a hairpin, and you spoke ill of me behind my back, from a height point of view, house fights and official fights are different.Changed the subject, "This is a small matter, which is related to the descendants, so it must be considered slowly. People who have no foresight must have near-term worries. There is one thing that I can't figure out right now. This time, only His Majesty has a chariot frame. , even the two princes had to follow them on foot. They were young, and they carried soil in flower baskets. After walking for hours, their feet were covered with blisters, and His Majesty didn't care. Later, several elders came to advise, and His Majesty said, let I walk with the Ninth Prince on my back."

Qi Jing'an thought for a moment, "You are too careful, the Ninth Prince is just a child."

"It's his own uncle who is carrying the Seventh Prince. He is an attendant, and he is just a driver, so just carry it. I carry the Ninth Prince. Firstly, it is not a good name, and secondly, it is also a burden... Besides, I He also participated in offering sacrifices to heaven, fundamentally speaking, His Majesty shouldn't be doing this."

"Then did you carry him?"

"No back, put him in a basket, let him sit on the soil, and carry him around. What I am worried about is that after His Majesty's troubles, our family will not be able to get rid of the faction. It used to be able to hide It was hidden, but now it is completely revealed."

Qi Jing'an can't intervene in this matter, in her opinion, these are important matters, and women and children in the family cannot interfere.Moreover, the head of the family is the father-in-law, because there is only the husband and one son, so the husband will worry too much.But Jia Huan was a little hesitant, he felt that the emperor had started raising dragon Gu.If this is the case, then what the emperor means is that the Zhongwuhou Mansion is qualified to assist the prince in winning the heir apparent. As for what to do, the family should think about it carefully.

"Fortunately, it is the blessing of the ancestors," Jia Zhen said in front of Shi Taijun. "It's really gratifying that our family is not included in the list of conquests this time, so we prepared a family banquet in our mansion, and invited the ancestors and uncles." Let's come to our house for a relaxing day."

Because they were all relatives, Jia Tanchun and Jia Xichun stood behind Shi Taijun, listening to other people talking, and when they dispersed, the two of them also returned to the garden together.

Not long after the noble concubine passed away, the Jia family didn't dare to keep their filial piety openly. The servants in the garden were all dressed in red and green. Mrs. Wang had been suppressing a ball of anger in her heart for a long time, and she almost found a chance to burst out.Jia Tanchun has been working under her for more than ten years, and he has seen it early on. These days, he finds plain clothes, jewelry is replaced by jade and silver ornaments, and the food is also plain.Such a cautious life, let her say it herself, and she doesn't know when it will be the end.

Her older girl waited for her to watch her come back, and waited for her to change her daily clothes. A little girl was standing at the door, and the waiter let her in and asked her, "What's the matter?"

"Miss Bao went to play with Second Master Bao today. Second Master Bao took Miss Bao, two Miss Li, and Miss Xing to Qinfang Pavilion. If our girls go now, we can still catch up."

The waiter grabbed a handful of copper coins and gave her, "Go and play, don't talk nonsense."

The little girl ran away happily.

"Girl, shall we go find Second Master Bao?"

Jia Tanchun thought for a while, then shook his head, "Forget it, I won't go. Why should I go, I don't have to be disgusted."

What she said was full of resentment, and the servant knew the reason, and advised her, "Girl, I have endured it for so many years, and it's not too bad." Looking around, there was no one in the room, and there was no one in the yard. Well, the little girl in the garden is always lawless, and she doesn't know where she has gone now.The waiter advised her, "Girl, although it is not in line with the etiquette, my wife is determined to ration Miss Bao to Master Bao. Wait a few more years, five years is the best, and by then, you will be married too." .”

Tanchun put the hairpin ring in the box, "According to what you said, I still have to wait a few years before I can get out of the sea of ​​suffering. I don't know that when I leave this garden, I enter another garden and enter the pit of fire. Did you hear that today?" The whole family is happy in front of the old lady, saying that our family is not listed in the list of nobles, which is ridiculous. Didn’t our family get the title of duke early? Don’t even look at it, this time we lost the title, It's either a duke or a marquis, or even a viscount. Our family, a general's vassal, is also something to be thankful for. In my opinion, the emperor must think that our family is a small shrimp, so there's no need to show it to disgusting people when offering sacrifices to heaven."

"Girl." The waiter disagreed a little.

"If I were a boy, I would have made meritorious deeds early and left here like Big Brother Xun." After speaking, he began to cry, and Shi Shunong was at a loss for what to do.

Someone outside the door asked, "Is Miss San at home?"

Tanchun quickly wiped his eyes, glanced at the mirror, and motioned for the servant to go out and ask.

The waiter went out and saw Xue Baochai's maid Ying'er standing in the yard. Ying'er brought a few maids with her. Four or five of them stood in the yard and hurried up, "It turns out that Ying'er is here, come with me quickly." I'll go sit in the wing room, where can I find good Yunpian cake..."

Ying'er held a post, "No, no, I'm here to see Miss San. Is Miss San there? I'll kowtow to her."

Jia Tanchun wiped away his tears a long time ago, and said in the room, "I'm here, come in."

Ying'er took an invitation card, kowtowed to Tanchun first, and then handed the invitation card up, "The sixteenth day of this month is a good day, I recognize Lao Ye Ma as my godmother, our wife is kind, let me set up a few tables On the sixteenth day, invite the girl to go and let us serve for a day."

Jia Tanchun looked at the invitation, "Oh, Lao Ye's mother is Mingyan's mother."

Ying'er replied, "Yes, Lao Ye's mother and my mother hit it off, so they recognized a relative."

After saying a few words, Ying'er refused to stay for tea because she had to send invitations to other places, so she declined several times.The servant sent them away in person, and when he came back, he saw Jia Tanchun throwing the invitation on the table aside and writing on the desk by himself.

"Girl, do you want to go?"

"Of course I want to go. There is no time for me to say no to this family." Jia Tanchun put down his pen and sat on the teacher's chair. The situation is so strong that the second sister bullied her so much that she dare not say a word. The second sister has not mentioned the old things now. They thought that the world would be peaceful after disposing of the old woman. Didn't they realize that they missed the opportunity to rectify housework? Although it is not too late now, the wife always She looks like a Bodhisattva. She's going to go down and down."

The secretary didn't know what she meant, and he didn't dare to intervene rashly. Jia Tanchun stood up and picked up his pen to continue writing, "I just envy the second sister's luck. If nothing else, she got married early and doesn't have to be angry at home. You said, I am shameless, who can I find to marry me?"

"Girl" the waiter covered her face, her face was flushed, "Young lady can't be so shameless in front of the old lady." Seeing that Jia Tanchun didn't seem to be joking, she asked cautiously, "Would you like to find Miss Lin? She knows a lot of people, and there is no mother-in-law at home, and no one asked her to set the rules, so it is convenient for you to pay attention." Seeing Jia Tanchun put the brush in the brush wash, he boldly encouraged her, "How about Go ask the old lady, the old lady knows a lot of people."

"You don't understand," Jia Tanchun hung his pen on the shelf, looked at the four big characters on the table "extraordinary goods can live" and said to the waiter, "whether you are looking for an old lady or a wife, you will sell me on the basis of weight. Go, the difference is that the old lady sells it at a lower price, and the wife sells it at a higher price. Don’t talk about it, let’s go and play with the sisters. It’s cool next to Qinfang Pavilion. Take my Zhaojun’s round fan from the fortress. Come on, let's go now, Yinger is here, it's inappropriate not to go."