The maid of the red house

When Du Lian heard Mrs. Du's retort, she was immediately angry and pointed at her, almost speechless.

Mrs. Du said: "Master doesn't want to be ashamed of the old man. If the master used the money to marry Zhong'er as a wife and dowry for Rong'er, how could I embezzle the Lin family's money?" After saying this, I couldn't help but burst into tears. .

People say that the husband is the god, and she doesn't want to say such words to Du Lian, but if she is a bit soft-tempered, not only will the two children have no one to protect them, but this crime will also be placed on her head, how will her children stand in the future.

Outsiders all know how decent she is as a second-rank bachelor's wife, but they don't know that she has nowhere to express her grievances.

Although the Du family is not from aristocratic family, it is not from a poor family. It can be regarded as a well-to-do farming and studying family. At first, there were tens of thousands of family assets and thousands of acres of fertile land. Du Lian studied and progressed and was very famous. When she married, she thought she had fallen into a nest of blessings. Who would have thought that Du Lian was actually a romantic and talented scholar. Before she became a Jinshi, she devoted herself to studying and lived a comfortable life. She had a son and a daughter soon after entering the school.

Later, Du Lian became a Jinshi and went to Beijing to be an imperial scholar. Her parents-in-law didn't want to go to Beijing, so they left her to serve at home, but gave Du Lian two stunning maidservants as concubines. Unexpectedly, year after year, there are newcomers every year. When I came to Beijing a few years later, apart from two concubines, there were more than a dozen girls in the mansion, a group of concubines and concubines, and Du Lian had two sleeves for fame. , in addition to the salary, three festivals and two lifespans are not accepted, and no matter how big the family business is, they can't afford such expenses. Although they have a good reputation in the Qingliu, they have offended many literati and officials who are moderate.

That year, Lin Ruhai sent 5000 taels of gold, and there was another generous gift. It was at a time when she was struggling to get married for her eldest son. She held on to the fertile land at home and refused to change it. .However, the princes in the mansion didn't have much money to give, so Du Lian didn't care about it. Although she had a family, she wanted to leave it to her son after a hundred years.So she embezzled the money from Lin Ruhai, [-] to marry a daughter-in-law and [-] to marry a daughter.

She had always known that Du Lian had a fortune left by her in-laws after the death of her parents-in-law. A sum of money, why is Du Lian still unwilling to take out her ladder in the future?Unexpectedly, when she embezzled, Du Lian didn't say a word, and he didn't take any action when Daiyu got married. Now he blames himself.

Seeing Du Lian leave with her sleeves shaken, Mrs. Du wiped her tears, and told the servant girl, "Go and call the uncle."

Mrs. Du has only one son, Du Zhong, who is married to the Zhao family. He is twenty-three years old. He just won the Juren last year and is currently studying. Because Mrs. Du has suffered from Du Lian, she has raised her son very rigorously. Concubine Ji also learned the rules of Zhou's family, so she was very satisfied with Zhao's daughter-in-law, but their family was not as clean as Zhou's family after all, and there were many right and wrong after all.

Mrs. Du was also secretly glad that when she married Du Lian, he hadn't been selected yet, and she gave birth to a pair of children. Otherwise, with her ordinary appearance, she would not be favored no matter what.

Seeing his mother's eyes were red and swollen, Du Zhong hurriedly approached and asked, "What's wrong with mother? But father made mother cry again?"

Mrs. Du pulled her son to sit by her side, explained the matter to him softly, and finally said: "Zhong'er, I have never done anything wicked in my life, I am afraid that the retribution will be on you children and grandchildren, only this , I feel very guilty in my heart, I don't dare to go wherever Miss Lin goes, I really feel ashamed to face people."

Du Zhong was stunned, although he was studying at home, he often went out with his friends, lest he would become an idiot. He also heard about the Rongguo Mansion's embezzlement of his niece's family property, but he never thought that his father was one of the entrusted people, and he failed. Entrusted by Lin Ruhai.

Du Zhong hesitated for a moment, then said softly: "Mother, could it be that Mr. Lin entrusted the expenses of my son's marriage to his father?" My mother will always feel guilty for doing such a thing, and dare not meet Miss Lin's family.

Mrs. Du couldn't help crying and said, "I don't want to either. When you got married, you only had 800 taels and 76 taels of silver left in your family, and you had to prepare a gift for the Longevity Festival. How can I do it? I have begged your father several times, and your father will give you some money." Even if he refused to take it out, I knew that he thought that [-]% of the family property would belong to you, and those concubine sons and concubine daughters would not get much, so he wanted to leave his private house to them. I have nothing to say. I didn’t want to tell you, so as not to miss your study, but you must have a conscience, so as not to be unable to sleep day and night. You must know this matter, and you must learn from it. You must not learn from it. your father."

Du Zhong always knew that his mother suffered a lot of grievances because of his father's concubines, but he didn't expect that his mother would spend so much time when he and his younger sister got married. How to repay?"

Mrs. Du said: "You are my son, my flesh and blood, why don't I plan for you?"

Du Zhong said: "Mother, don't worry, since this money is used by my sister and I, I will pay it back in the future. Even after decades, I will definitely return it to Miss Lin's family. Of the 5000 taels of gold, there are still 2000 taels of gold left." No? Another 3 taels will be enough."

Madam Du shook her head and said, "The 2000 taels of gold have long since disappeared."

Du Zhong was startled and asked, "Didn't mother say that only 3 taels were embezzled? Why didn't the remaining 2000 taels disappear?"

Mrs. Du sneered, and said: "Your father used it, but I'm useless anyway. It was all spent on his beautiful concubines and well-behaved sons and daughters. You didn't get a penny. If it wasn't for his fame I'm afraid I will be guilty of pampering my concubine and destroying my wife, I'm afraid I won't be able to talk to you here long ago."

Hearing Mrs. Du's words, Du Zhong felt very distressed, and said: "My son is still thinking, first return the remaining 2000 taels to Miss Lin's family, and the remaining 3 taels will be repaid slowly by my son. I think Miss Lin will not blame you. , I didn’t expect it to fail now.”

Madam Du stroked her son's head with her hand, and said softly, "My good boy, even if there are 2000 taels left, your father will not pay it back."

After hearing this, Du Zhong asked why.

Mrs. Du sighed: "When Miss Lin got married, Mrs. Ji once said that our family didn't send Miss Lin before she got married. Outsiders don't know how many words they said. If we send it over now, it will be 3000 taels short. You How can father lose face like this? Besides, no one else knows about it except my father and me. It would be okay if we kept it a secret. However, I feel sorry for it, so I told you that I have an idea in your heart, and I have an idea too. gone."

Hearing her mention of her father, Du Zhong was speechless for a moment. As a son of man, he could not blame his father no matter what, so he hurriedly asked: "Mother said she has an idea, what is it?"

Mrs. Du smiled lightly, and said: "I may not wait for it, but I believe you will. In the future, even if your father wants to leave his father's body to those concubines who come out of the stomach, you must first give these 5 Ten thousand taels will be deducted and the rest will be distributed to them. You must return the 5 taels to Ms. Lin, and make an apology to her on my behalf. If the ladder left by the father is not enough, then it will become a seller. Anyway, you can’t get it, and they can’t get a cent and a half. And you still have my dowry of 20 to 30, which is enough for you and your wife and son to live on. "

Speaking of this, Mrs. Du sighed, and said: "This is because Miss Lin is doing well, so I have such an idea. If Miss Lin's family is short of money, even if I sell my dowry, I have to pay it back first. Saying these things is just whitewashing the peace, things have already been done, what's the use of regretting?"

When Du Zhong left his mother's room, his footsteps were heavy and his expression was solemn, but he became more resolute. No matter what, he must follow what his mother said and return the money to Miss Lin. Now he should study better and become an official sooner. official.

Mrs. Du's idea was useless after all. After Du Zhong became an official, although the money was not as clean as his father's, it was not corrupt and bribery. , It took him 13 years to pay it off. At that time, Mrs. Du was still alive and went to apologize to Daiyu in person, which will not be mentioned later.

The mother and son communicated and had an idea. Du Lian didn't know anything, but rested at Qi Yiniang's place full of worries.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Du Lian went to court in a sedan chair in official uniform.

He came a little early, and only three or four out of ten officials arrived. Seeing this, Zhang Xuan said with concern: "Zhilian, why are you so absent-minded today? But what's wrong with you?"

Du Lian's nickname is Zhilian. Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, how dare he say that what Mrs. Du said yesterday hit his mind, and he didn't know what to do. I didn’t sleep soundly at night, so I’m feeling a little out of sorts today.”

Zhang Xuan said with a smile: "Since this is the case, you should take good care of it."

Du Lian was a little embarrassed when he heard the words. He had a great reputation outside, and his house was full of concubines and maids, but he couldn't hide it from Zhang Xuan.

Although Zhang Xuan had some absurd times when he was young, he has changed a lot since he got married and started a business. Now the husband and wife are harmonious, and there are only two aunts in the family who are already over 40 years old. They each live in a side room. After holding a grandson in his arms, he naturally only cared about his future and made plans for his children and grandchildren, and stopped paying attention to women's sex, so he didn't like Du Lian's temperament very much.

He looked at Du Lian, smiled faintly, and couldn't persuade him anymore. Seeing another friend coming, he hurried over to greet her. Gradually, all civil and military officials gathered, and when the saint came, it would be a grand court meeting.

Zhang Xuan looked at Zhou Hong standing at the foot of Emperor Changqian, with a sword, solemn and dignified. He stroked his beard and nodded. This child is really suitable for Daiyu. He is young and has an unlimited future. Lin Ruhai is under Jiuquan You should also feel relieved.

After discussing several court affairs, Emperor Changgan said, "What else is there to do?"

The officials were stunned, and Ji Hao, the censor of Zuodu, came out immediately and said: "I have an instruction to listen to the heavens, and now there is an imperial envoy, the Zhen family, the president of the Jinling Provincial Institute of Physical Education, relying on power, monopolizing lawsuits, forcing people to die, and exploiting people with huge profits." , forming a party for personal gain, misappropriating the funds of the Jinling Weaving Mansion, the shortfall has not been paid off, but the family is full of brocade clothes, silk, mountains and seas, and extravagant abilities. There must be a reason, and I implore the Holy Order."

As soon as he said a word, it was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, which shocked everyone.

All the officials looked at Ji Hao, but they saw his angry brows and sharp eyes, and there was no trace of anxiety on his face.

The Zhen family is an old minister, who took over four times in those years and was greatly favored. He Rongguo Mansion is an old relative. It is deeply ingrained and majestic, whenever officials from the Jiangnan area go to Jiangnan, they will all visit their homes. Unexpectedly, Ji Hao dared to impeach their family.

A smile flickered across the corner of Emperor Changgan's mouth, and he said, "In that case, can the booklet be presented?"

Hearing this sentence, the hearts of the officials trembled. It seems that they are going to deal with the Zhen family now?Helpless, although the Zhen family is rich and powerful, everyone knows about the crimes once they are caught.

Although there are old friends of the Zhen family among them, it is said that breaking the bones connects the tendons, but the Zhen family is notorious for their crimes, and they dare not speak up, lest they cause trouble to their upper body, and they will be angered by Emperor Changqian immediately.

Only Rong Kui frowned. He and the Zhen family were old relatives, and a nephew married the daughter of the Zhen family.

Ji Hao said: "It has been presented to the imperial court, please review it."

Someone who was in charge of the memorial opened the box and took it out and presented it. Emperor Changqian glanced at the ten lines. After reading it, Long Yan was furious and said: "Immediately draw up an order to order Fan Ke, the Governor of Jiangnan, to seal up the Zhen family's property, and call all the members of the Zhen family. Waiting to go to Beijing to punish the crime."

Changqian Emperor Long's prestige was growing day by day, and all the officials dared not object, so they had to keep silent.

Rong Kui frowned, could it be that Emperor Changgan wanted to punish the Zhen family while the Supreme Emperor was still alive?Thinking of this, Rong Kui immediately became unsteady, and hurriedly came out and said: "My minister has a slight objection. Although the Zhen family is short-lived, it is because the four times that year, it was not intentional to be short-lived. After that, I also have the intention to repay it. I also ask the sage to learn from you. Go back to Rao Zhen's house."

As soon as Rong Kui spoke, the officials breathed a sigh of relief.

Ji Hao couldn't help glaring at Rong Kui angrily. If it wasn't for the fact that the sage didn't intend to touch him at this time, and he impeached him in the morning, he dared to intercede for the notorious Zhen family. He said it was an intercession, but in fact he didn't want to lose the Zhen family in the south of the Yangtze River. power!

At that time, the Taishang Emperor's holy body was a little uneasy, and he hadn't been to the court recently, only recuperating in the Shangyang Palace. Emperor Changqian endured it for so many years, and became more and more moody. , some of them are actually descending, and some are actually ascending. In short, more than half of the power is already in the hands of Emperor Changgan. Those confidantes are unknown to outsiders, especially the imperial guards, who are in charge of their confidants. Only Rong Kui's family and a few veteran officials still had a great reputation, giving the Supreme Emperor a sense of power.

Emperor Changqian spent several years subtly controlling the court hall, but few people saw it, even Zhang Xuan didn't see it, only Daiyu often heard Zhou Hong talk about the officials going up and down in the court hall, and she could see some of them from it. After a few minutes, a few words occasionally awakened Zhou Hong, and then told Zhou Yuan that Zhou Yuan stayed out of the matter and watched with cold eyes, and he saw it clearly.

Looking across the group of officials, Emperor Changqian said calmly: "If I heard correctly, Ji Aiqing's impeachment of the Zhen family is not only a crime of deficiencies, but also various serious crimes that cannot be tolerated by the national law."

Rong Kui wanted to say more, and Emperor Changqian raised his hand and said: "After the Zhen family and others are escorted to Beijing, they will be severely interrogated by the Ministry of Criminal Justice. If they are innocent, they will be released without charge and their property will be returned. If they are guilty of all crimes, you must also blame me. No."

Ji Hao, Zhang Xuan, Du Lian and others hurriedly bowed and said, "The sage is wise."

Zhang Xuan also said with a smile to Rong Kui: "Scholar Rong, the sage does not insist on going his own way, but waits for the crimes to be confirmed. You can rest assured that the scholar Rong still has objections? Although the scholar Rong is the elder of the Zhen family. Dear, but there must always be some taboos, so as not to make people misunderstand that Bachelor Rong is disregarding the laws of the country to save his old relatives."

Rong Kui immediately shut up and glared at Zhang Xuan. Although he still has power, he is still very afraid of Zhang Xuan.

Emperor Changqian acted as if he hadn't heard of it, and said: "I think the Supreme Emperor had a lot of trust in the Zhen family, but I didn't want the Zhen family to ignore the emperor's kindness and do such a thing that both people and gods are angry with. My intention is not to disturb the purity of the Supreme Emperor."

When the officials heard this, they were stunned for a moment, and then shuddered. The meaning of Emperor Changgan could not be more clear.

After retreating from the imperial court, Emperor Changqian called Zhou Hong to him and said, "Since you got married, you haven't paid homage to your parents-in-law yet?"

Zhou Hong was very surprised, bowed and said: "Returning to the sage, I haven't been there yet."

Emperor Changgan said: "Tomorrow you will set off for the south, and bring your family back to your hometown to worship your parents-in-law. On the way, you will stop at Jinling. At the same time, I will order three thousand imperial guards to follow. Junhuihe, monitor Fan Ke to seal off the Zhen family, and pay attention to whether there are signs of secret transfer of the Zhen family's property, if so, remember to check to see who's house it is sent to, don't startle the snake for the time being."

Zhou Hong changed his mind, and understood the meaning of Emperor Changqian. Since ancient times, confiscating the property of the courtiers has been a huge fat job. Because the officials are greedy for money, the fewer the number, and the confiscated house would rather have a smaller number. Some of the crimes were less serious, so everyone was very happy. Obviously, these were not what Emperor Changqian wanted, so he hurriedly said: "I obey the decree, and I will definitely live up to the holy will." What's more, he also intends to take Daiyu back to Gusu. This time, it is a good opportunity to cover people's eyes and ears, and worshiping Lin Ruhai and his wife couldn't be more wonderful.

Emperor Changqian nodded in satisfaction, and looked at Zhou Hong. Sure enough, he was right. Now the world is uncertain about drought and flood, natural disasters are everywhere, and the national treasury is empty. Emperor Changgan will never allow others to steal the property of the Zhen family. As we all know, the Zhen family is short of several million taels, but their family business is not less than tens of millions, which can be used for disaster relief.

Zhou Hongdao: "I have something to report."

Emperor Changqian thought about the imminent destruction of the Zhen family, he was happy, and asked, "What's the matter?"

Zhou Hongdao: "I implore the sage to allow me to go to the south of the Yangtze River, to handle all the things that the sage has explained, and to take the family back to the old house of the father-in-law, and get back the things left by the father-in-law and his wife."

There was some surprise in Emperor Changgan's eyes, and he asked, "Is Lin Ruhai still left something?"

All of Lin Ruhai's several arrangements were known to Emperor Changqian, but he never found out who had the last sum of 5000 taels of gold. It can be seen that Lin Ruhai's actions were meticulous and interlocking. , It was not used by him, but Lin Ruhai still had a fortune, and there were so many arrangements, how could it not surprise Emperor Changqian.

Zhou Hong had no intention of deceiving, and when he retrieved his property in the future, it would definitely be known to others, and he would not be able to hide it from Emperor Changqian. The property was originally a dowry for my beloved daughter, and it was also a way out, because my wife did not want to make it known to everyone and ruin the dignity of the Rongguo Mansion, so I never took it out. Now is the right time, and I am afraid that I will not have time to go south in the future I implore the sage to allow." At the beginning, Daiyu did not tell him that only Xueyan knew where it was hidden.

Emperor Changgan said with a smile: "Your father-in-law's methods really impress me."

Zhou Hong remained silent, thinking that if his father-in-law had no means, how could he have served as the censor of the Jiangnan salt class for many years? The censor of the salt class three times.

Emperor Changgan asked casually: "Do you know how many things your father-in-law left behind?"

Zhou Hong's heart trembled, and he said respectfully: "Returning to the saint, I only heard from my wife. There are about a million of them, but only two or three out of ten in the whole family. At the beginning, I told the Lin clan and my cousin Jia Lian that the people in his house A large part of the family property has to be handed over to the imperial court, and why it was not handed over in the end, and the Lin family did not get it, is not known by the wife and a woman in the boudoir."

A pensive look flashed across Emperor Changqian's face, and he said, "I said that Lin Ruhai would never disregard the laws of the country in any case. After Lin Ruhai's death, I never expected that someone would be so bold as to swallow up all the things turned over to the state treasury. In other words, the Rongguo Mansion has a total wealth of about 200 million yuan."

Zhou Hong said in a deep voice, "I don't know."

Emperor Changgan said: "In this case, you can leave the palace and go back, I agree. But you have to promise me that you must not return to Beijing quietly." He also wanted to see when the Rongguo Mansion knew that Lin Ruhai had other arrangements. How is the response.

Zhou Hong was startled for a moment, and immediately responded.

Emperor Changqian personally wrote an imperial decree, ordering him to take it southward, so that Fan Ke would not allow him to monitor it.

After Zhou Hong retreated, Emperor Changqian called Dai Quan, and said coldly: "Lin Ruhai still has millions of property in his ancestral house, and you haven't heard anything about it?"

Dai Quan was taken aback and said, "How is it possible?"

Yu Liansheng, who followed Dai Quan, was also secretly surprised. He has been loyal and dedicated since entering the palace. Compared with others, he dared to speak out whenever Emperor Changqian asked about affairs outside the palace. Of course, he dared not speak in front of everyone. , so as not to arouse public anger, so only Emperor Changqian knew many people's livelihood customs and prices from him, such as an egg for a penny, and secretly hated the countless moths in the palace.

It was also from that day that Emperor Changgan asked Dai Quan to take Yu Liansheng to do confidential and important matters for him. Emperor Changgan was a good eunuch in front of him, but he did not have such a confidant as Yu Liansheng who dared to speak out.

Emperor Changqian didn't want to be deceived by his ministers, so there must be someone who can always pay attention to various news outside.

Yu Liansheng is like this now, he often uses excuses to go out of the palace to visit Xueyan, and then takes the opportunity to inquire about news, such as the news that some courtiers will deceive together and tell Emperor Changqian that if the courtiers colluded with each other, Emperor Changgan could really be concealed live.

Looking at Dai Quan, Emperor Changqian said: "It's from Zhou Hong's mouth, how can it be true? I asked you to investigate in the south of the Yangtze River, but even you couldn't find out. It can be seen that Lin Ruhai is really capable, but it's a pity that I didn't use it."

Dai Quan's head was covered with cold sweat, and he didn't dare to speak out. He really couldn't figure out how Lin Ruhai hid millions of money from his family.

Emperor Changgan also knew that Dai Quan could not be blamed for this matter, and his anger gradually subsided, and he asked, "I ask you, who owns the 5000 taels of gold entrusted by Lin Ruhai at the beginning, and the last [-] taels of gold? Don't tell me you haven't heard the news yet?"

Dai Quan hurriedly said: "The villain has already sent someone to investigate, looking for the servant who sent Lin Ruhai the letter and money that day, but he didn't find it at this time."

Emperor Changqian nodded and said: "After you get the news, tell me, I also want to know who Lin Ruhai saw wrong." At this time, he didn't return the property to Daiyu, so it can be seen that Lin Ruhai was wronged .

After hearing this, Dai Quan bowed and said yes.

For a while, Emperor Qian was in charge of government affairs, and Dai Quan took Julien to retreat.

Walking out of the Daming Palace, Dai Quan wiped his cold sweat with a handkerchief, and said to Lian Sheng: "Your master who is a girl is really a character. I don't know what methods he used to hide it from us."

Yu Liansheng said with a smile: "After all, it happened a few years ago. My father-in-law didn't inquire about it back then, so it is inevitable that he was negligent."

Dai Quan sighed, and said, "Let's go, continue to press on."

But when Zhou Hong came back to the mansion suddenly today, the entire family felt surprised and asked why.

Zhou Hong comforted his parents and wife with a smile, glanced at Daiyu, and then said to Zhou Yuan and his wife: "Grace of the saint, allow me to take a few months of vacation and bring my family south to pay respects to my parents-in-law. I will leave immediately tomorrow."

Zhou Yuan and his wife are not fools, they have heard the decree sent to the south of the Yangtze River today, calling Zhen's family and others to go to Beijing to punish the crime, it can be seen that Zhou Hong's going south must not be a private matter, but it is to accompany Daiyu to go south, and there are other official business, Zhou Yuan thought Once, he opened his mouth and said, "Hong'er, follow me to the study and ask your wife to pack her bags and leave tomorrow, don't delay."

Zhou Hong hurriedly followed Zhou Yuan to the study, and Mrs. Zhou ordered Daiyu to pack her bags.

Daiyu was ecstatic, and hurriedly told Xueyan when she came back.

Xueyan also felt pleasantly surprised, and said: "Very well, although my uncle must have important things to do, but the girl can take this opportunity to pay homage to the master and take back what the master left, so that I can leave with peace of mind. .”

After hearing this, Daiyu was overwhelmed with joy and said, "I still think I can keep you for two years, but it seems that I can't."

Xueyan hurriedly laughed and said: "Could it be that I won't come to see the girl anymore after I leave? The house my sister left me is not far from here. I will come to bother the girl tomorrow and eat the girl's tea. Could it be that the girl won't let me go?" no"

But Daiyu said, "I'm only worried about you living alone. How can I make it?"

Xueyan was startled, then fell silent.Yes, in this era, a girl like her can't live alone at all, there are too many right and wrong, but she herself has a kind of superior thinking, she has no intention of getting married, and because she knows the fate of the Rongguo Mansion, she doesn't want to take refuge in the Lai family. , There was a dilemma for a while.

Daiyu looked at her expression, took her hand, and said softly: "I know you want to get rid of your citizenship, why don't you follow my will, this time I'm going south, and I'll get you a household registration document, and move to the capital. Stay by my side for the time being, and leave when you have a good place to go? I can't rest assured that you are alone. Don't forget the world affairs you told me in the past. "

Xueyan smiled and said: "Girl loves me, I am very grateful, let's talk about it after I leave my citizenship, the world is changing, so there is no rush right now."

Daiyu thought for a while, nodded and said: "That's right, you have thought of me thoroughly, and I can't leave you alone."

Xueyan said: "Then I'm going to pack my things, we have to leave tomorrow!"

Saying that, he called Zijuan and others to pack their bags, turned around and said to Daiyu: "Since I want to go south, I have to go and tell my godmother and the others that it's time to take back the house anyway. When I come back, I'll see it again." Live or not."

Daiyu thought for a while and said, "Go and tell grandma first, and then go to Lai's house to tell."

The busy man prepared several kinds of melon and fruit snacks, not to let her go there empty-handed.

Xueyan changed her clothes again, sent the word outside, and went to Rongguo Mansion by car.

Looking at her disappearing figure, Daiyu sighed deeply, and decided to discuss with Zhou Hong when she came back. She couldn't let Xueyan be alone like this, she was three years older than herself, It's time to have a family, and I hope to find someone that Xueyan likes, so that she can let Xueyan leave with confidence.

However, Zhou Hong was standing in Zhou Yuan's room with his hands down, not saying a word.

What Emperor Changqian issued was a secret decree, so naturally he couldn't tell others, but Zhou Yuan was so smart that he already figured it out a bit, and said: "The sage has intended to clean up the Jiangnan area, you must be careful when you go."

Zhou Hong bowed in response, and said: "Father, don't worry, I know."

Zhou Yuan sighed, and said: "The emperor is weak, and the saint's power is rising, and there must be another change in the court."

Zhou Hongdao: "If we want a prosperous and clear world, we must rectify the administration of officials. Although there are intentions to do something today, everyone who is moved deserves what they deserve. The name of the Zhen family has been heard since childhood. If it is not for the heinous crimes, how can they be punished so easily?"

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "That's right. If the Zhen family falls, there will be countless entanglements. Presumably, within three to five years, the sage will get his wish."

Zhou Hongdao: "The sage sent his son south, presumably to give his father a chance to recover. The Zhen family was defeated and there must be countless vacancies. At that time, how can we not arrange for the confidantes he promoted to take up the post? Father has been idle at home for several years. The sage will not forget."

Zhou Yuan laughed loudly, with a gleam in his eyes, and said, "Otherwise, I don't think it's time for me to recover."

Zhou Hong frowned, and then he felt blessed, and said: "Could it be the time when the emperor will deal with the Rong family?"

Zhou Yuan nodded, and said with a smile: "Our Zhou family and the Rong family are incompatible. The Rong family almost caused my Zhou family to be defeated. Both father and son are gone. How can I forget? Since the sage gave this opportunity to my father, I will wait for the opportunity for my father. The move is, two years earlier and two years later, it doesn't matter. The emperor is the emperor after all, but Rong Kui couldn't see the situation clearly, so he fell to the emperor, trying to take the surname Rong for half the dynasty, and the eldest son even married the county of Nan'an County Prince's Mansion The lord is his wife, and Nan'an County's palace has military power. How can the saint allow him to continue to sit in the throne? Before he was killed, he was just afraid that Rongkui would fall, and most of the officials would be implicated. The throne is unstable. Now the officials promoted by the saint are all shrewd and capable. It seems inconspicuous, but they are all important positions, and they can almost be replaced, even if all those people are killed, it will not affect the situation in the court."

Zhou Hongdao: "Father still understands clearly, son feels ashamed."

Zhou Yuan waved his hand, and said: "It's not so much that I can see clearly, it's better to say that your daughter-in-law is exquisite. This time you take your daughter-in-law to the south, you must bring more and more guards, and your family members should also bring more."

Zhou Hongzheng had this intention, left the study, and immediately ordered someone to invite Zhao Yun.

The place where Zhao Yun lived was not far from Zhou's house, when he was invited to come, Xue Yan had already left Zhou's house and arrived at Rongguo Mansion, someone had already notified him to go in.

No one in the Jia family was in court, but there were many old friends. Jia's mother heard that the Zhen family had been impeached and someone had gone to search the family property. She was depressed when she heard the snow geese coming. What are you doing here?"

Xueyan smiled and sent some snacks and melons and fruits, and said: "Our girl said it tastes good, please try it as a filial old lady."

Jia Mu laughed and said, "Only my Yu'er always remembers me." After finishing speaking, she asked Daiyu how she was, what she ate and wore in the hot weather, whether she was wronged and so on.

Xueyan replied one by one, and then smiled: "Our uncle has just asked the saint for a few months' leave, and he wants to accompany the girl to the south to pay homage to our master and wife. The girl can't go out, so she sent me to deliver things to the old lady. Let me tell you, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in the capital for the next few months, and when Ming'er comes back from the south, I'll come over to pay my respects to the old lady."

Jia Mu was taken aback immediately, and said, "You said, your uncle accompanied your girl back to the south?"

Xueyan nodded and said: "That's right, the girl is always thinking about offering a stick of incense to the master and wife, but she hates that the world is thousands of miles away, and she can't go out. Unexpectedly, my uncle remembered it in my heart. Today I invited a few people from the saint. month's leave."

Jia Mu sighed, "I'm relieved that your uncle treats Yu'er like this."

Xueyan hurriedly laughed and said: "Young master has always treated girls very well, so don't worry about it, old lady."

Mother Jia was overwhelmed with emotion, and asked a few more words, let her go, turned to Mrs. Wang and said: "No one in our family is in the court hall, and I wanted to ask Mrs. Yu'er a little bit, but who would have thought they would go south. Forget it, tell your master to be more careful and find out what's going on with the Zhen family, we are old relatives, how can we sit idly by."

Mrs. Wang stood up and said with lowered hands: "Don't worry, old lady, I have already sent someone to inquire. I heard that Master Rong is very protective of Zhen's family. The saint said that if he is innocent, he will be released immediately and the family property will be returned. There is a Bachelor of Rong University in the middle, and if you use some tricks, you are afraid that the Zhen family will be charged with some crimes!"

When Jia's mother heard that there was a scholar of honor, she was relieved.

Xueyan didn't know what Mother Jia was thinking, and if she knew it, she would just laugh. Now that she is determined to rectify the government in the Jiangnan area, how can she spare the Zhen family lightly? False entry.

When she arrived at Lai's house, she explained to Nanny Lai the reason for her visit, saying that the house would not be rented until August, but coincidentally, the next year's rent was not available yet, so it was not too late to say it now, and they had time to move.The rent for this house is 360 taels a year, and she earned a total of 720 taels in two years, plus the 120 taels of rent in Xiaohuazhi Alley behind, and a total of 840 taels in two years. Knowing that she was inconvenient, Lai Jia paid 84 taels according to her wishes Two gold.

After hearing this, Nanny Lai smiled and said, "It's a coincidence that the family has just found a vacancy and is about to take office. They only plan to live until August. I was just about to send someone to tell you, but you are at the Zhou family. It's not easy."

He asked someone to call Mrs. Lai, and Mrs. Lai listened, and hurriedly took three months' rent to Xueyan, a total of nine taels of gold.

Xueyan thanked her for accepting it, and when she mentioned that she accompanied Daiyu to the south, Nanny Lai was very surprised, then nodded and said: "It's time to go to worship, your girl has been in Beijing for so many years, it's hard for her."

Xueyan sighed: "That's not true, thanks to our uncle loving the girl, it was so difficult to ask for leave."

After hearing this, Nanny Lai couldn't help laughing and said: "It's true that some children have grown in love. But your uncle is young and promising, and his behavior is also affectionate and righteous. After all, he has worshiped his father-in-law and his mother-in-law before he can be regarded as a serious couple. You also Are you going to follow?"

Xueyan nodded, she had to follow, and returned all the belongings in the mustard seeds to Daiyu.

Seeing Jiamu, don't pass Lai's house. When Xueyan returned to Zhou's house, it was almost evening, just stepped into the corner gate, might as well face two young men leading a young man over, they actually saw each other, in the hazy dusk Next, Xue Yan only saw a very obvious scar on the young man's face. Although he looked handsome, the scar looked particularly ferocious.

Xueyan was stunned, thinking that this might be Zhao Yun, the aide that Zhou Hong was talking about, about 23 or [-] years old, dressed as a scribe, but looked a bit heroic, she didn't dare to look more, and hurriedly lowered her head Stand aside and get out of the way.

Zhao Yungang and Zhou Hong made plans for going south, and they also planned to accompany Zhou Hong to go south to advise him on what to do in the south of the Yangtze River. Unexpectedly, when he went out, he would meet a beautiful girl, who described her well-dressed clothes, and knew in his heart that it must be The big maid in the backyard was a little surprised to see that there was no panic on her face, and quickly raised her sleeves to half-cover her face, and repeatedly confessed.

Xueyan returned a salute, then hurried in, and never told anyone about it.

The next day, Zhou Hong took Daiyu and his personal guards and servants to the south by boat, some people knew about it, some people didn't, and they didn't take it seriously at all.

Three days after Zhou Hong left, Emperor Changqian ordered an imperial guard to go south to assist Fan Ke.