[Red Mansions] The big maid struggles daily

The virtuous and noble concubine in the palace was very upbeat. The princess took her last breath after three baptisms.It is said inside and outside the palace that this is the noble concubine's loving mother's heart for the little princess, and she has been holding on until she saw that the little princess passed the three rites of baptism to eliminate disasters and pray for good fortune before she passed away.

When the eunuch rushed to report to Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Wang was kneeling in front of the Buddha with her new daughter-in-law. Because there was no bad news from the palace in the past two days, everyone thought it was a blessing.Jia's mother also said that she had wronged her granddaughter-in-law Yunyun, and she had sent a letter to Shi Hou, who was a foreigner, to stay at home and have a big banquet for guests.

A row of eunuchs came on fast horses and announced, "Mrs. Jia has passed away."

It was the first day of March in the Xin Chou year, and the third month was the time when the peach blossoms were full of shame. Shi Xiangyun, who had just married as a bride, had faded peach cheeks and a panicked face.Mrs. Wang wailed like a cuckoo crying blood, unable to stand still, Xiangyun hurriedly stepped forward to support her mother-in-law, but Mrs. Wang pushed her away fiercely.

Shi Xiangyun's teary eyes were dim, and when he looked over, he saw Mrs. Wang clutching her chest and crying loudly, pointing at her and wanting to say something.Caixia was afraid that his wife would suffer sudden bad news, so she uttered bad words to the second mistress, hurriedly supported Mrs. Wang, and cried to Shi Xiangyun: "Your Majesty is the wife's best friend. Once she goes, the wife will be like picking her heart. Second Mistress, go to find the treasure." Master, please ask him to persuade his wife."

Xiangyun responded with tears and hurried out.

Just as he went out, Jia Zheng came in with tears all over his face, and said to Mrs. Wang, who was clutching her chest, "Go and tell the old lady quickly, and speak gently, don't break the old man from crying."

Where is Mrs. Wang still able to take care of others, she cried and walked to report to the upper court.When Jia's mother heard this, her eyes were about to turn white, and Yuanyang hurriedly put smelling salts in a small enamel porcelain bottle under her nose. Jia's mother just woke up, crying, "Your Majesty is still so young. I am willing to exchange my life for my mother's life!"

Jia Zhen and You Shi in the East Mansion, Jia She and Mrs. Xing who live in the next courtyard, together with Jia Lian, his wife and Li Wan, have all been believed and have come all the way sadly.The men were discussing in the outer hall, and the women were crying with Jia's mother in the upper courtyard.Only Jia Baoyu, who heard about this, was stunned and remained silent. The bluffing Sheyue tried to comfort and explain, but it was useless. Sheyue didn't dare to disturb others, so she had to go to find Xiangyun.

Xiangyun burst into tears and was very anxious. She thought: the old lady and the wife are willing to let go and marry her, an orphan girl with no parents, no family, and no support. Big sister went.This one can be forgiven, after all, the empress is not long in the world, everyone knows that Chongxi has prolonged her life for a few days, and it is expected that others will not be able to depend on her.But at this moment, no matter how confused and sick Baoyu is, it will be fatal.I'm afraid the old lady will also be puzzled, is this a joy, or a rush.

Xiangyun said: "The imperial concubine has passed away, and the family is sad. The old lady and the wife will enter the palace tomorrow to pray for peace and cry. If you tell me at this time, saying that the second master is also lost, it will be more troublesome. In my opinion When the second master was young, his mother took care of him personally. The sister and brother have a deep friendship. When the mother went away, the second master lost his mind for a while because of his grief. The son has to go ahead, and when the fourth sister comes back, I will tell her behind my back that I will come back to persuade him at night, and I'm afraid it will be more comforting."

The wedding room of Shi Xiangyun and Jia Baoyu was in Jia Mu's upper courtyard. Originally, Jia Baoyu's residence when he was not living in the Grand View Garden was the east courtyard of Rongqingtang.The courtyard was renovated two years ago, a partition wall was removed, and a row of houses behind it were brought in. There are about ten houses, which are considered spacious.

Sister Feng originally saw Sheyue's anxious look, and was afraid of accidents, so she followed her. Before entering the door, she heard Xiangyun's words, knowing that she had already made a fuss, and this was another family matter of the other house brothers, so she didn't go in.Holding Ping'er's hand, he still came out.

Just after passing through the gate of the Moon Cave, Lai's daughter-in-law came over with two young maids holding several trays of plain clothes and silver ornaments. Seeing Sister Feng, she hurriedly greeted her: "Second Mistress Lian, please take care."

Sister Feng asked, "Where is this going?"

Lai's daughter-in-law pouted at the clothes on the tray, and said: "My mother passed away, and the family has to change into plain clothes. Grandma sent us to bring them to Bao Erye's house."

Sister Feng waved her hand and told them to go quickly. Ping'er glanced at Lai's daughter-in-law's back and asked softly, "Grandma Zhu, is this a gesture of affection?"

Sister Feng raised the corner of her mouth and said sarcastically, "No one is blind, so what's the point of selling?" But she thought in her heart that if Li Wan had never been a housekeeper, she might be able to put down her gentle Buddha image, but She touched her hand and tasted the taste of power. The calculating and cold-hearted side that she had hidden in the past leaked out like the water of a flood.

Ping'er shook his head: "Grandma Zhu is really not a slick character." In the past, my grandma used to have a smile on her face and a knife in her back.Offending the person has already offended the other person's face, and now he uses the official practice to please others, expecting others to be magnanimous and not care about it?

Sister Feng shook her head and said: "Originally Brother Zhu passed away early, and she guarded him. The old lady wanted to praise her, and everyone at home and abroad treated her [-]% higher because she was a chaste woman, and she was used to others giving her three points." In the previous dynasty of the dead widow, the imperial court has long stopped using the chastity archway, especially last year during the Ping An Southern Kingdom War, there were many more widows in the places where the troops were stationed, and the imperial court gave a subsidy of one tael of silver to the widows who were willing to remarry Woolen cloth.

Ping'er thought about it, and Qi Qi said: "Grandma Zhu is also pitiful, not to mention that the family does not want her to remarry, even the Li family will definitely not tolerate her not guarding. I heard that Li Jijiu is the most pedantic character. With him as the head of the clan, no matter whether it is a married daughter-in-law or a daughter-in-law who married out, she must be stern and chaste. Even if the fiancé died before entering the house, the daughter-in-law of the clan should be sent to others, called guards. Widowed. After Li Jijiu passed away, the Li family became more and more like this. He heard that the chief of the local prefecture and county personally came to persuade him, but he scolded him. The in-laws of the joint family wanted to set up a memorial archway for this girl, but the book was beaten back by the superiors. Marriage in the Li family is difficult. Except for our grandma, many girls in the Li family are also widowed, and it is even rare for men to marry wives... "

Sister Feng sneered: "That old man is just without talent and virtue, and he is eager to gain some fame from this. If he can do something, a person who is only in his fifties will be old. The seizures are on the rise. I'm afraid that the Li family would like him to die soon! Why should you marry the daughter of his family? , so I begged for a daughter from the Li family, and wasted my good daughter's life to guard her. You will get retribution sooner or later!"

Having said that, I arrived at the flower hall.

Jiamu and the others have been persuaded to cry, besides, they will enter the palace for mourning starting tomorrow, and all female family members of high rank must enter.Li Wan is a virtuous but talented person. In the past, Mrs. Wang had to make decisions on major matters of the housekeeper, and follow the old rules on small matters. She was not as flexible as Sister Feng was when she was the housekeeper. The daughter-in-law of a deacon who has dignity is not afraid.

Mrs. Wang is depressed. How much energy can one person have?I only hate that Zhu'er's daughter-in-law is useless, but Feng girl has come back, but she has divorced her. The power of the head of the family must never be given to her. In this way, only Baoyu's daughter-in-law can entrust her.

Mrs. Wang saw that the congratulations could not be achieved, and the empress went anyway, and she was very dissatisfied with Xiangyun, but when things came to an end, Xiangyun was the second wife's daughter-in-law, and she was more trustworthy than others.So he ordered someone to call Xiangyun quickly.

When Xiangyun came in, Mrs. Wang said: "Your sister-in-law is kinder and gentler, and the servants are not afraid. If she is the only one to take care of it, maybe the old women will break the rules again, sleeping during the day and playing around with wine and cards at night. Feng girl is still taking medicine for recuperation, but it is useless. We will go out tomorrow, and you help your sister-in-law take care of the house, so don't make any big troubles."

This was said in front of everyone, Sister Feng didn't move a muscle, she didn't fight or grab it, she just pretended she didn't hear it.Li Wan had already held Xiangyun's hand, and said with a sigh of relief: "Such a major incident happened at home. I don't have the backbone. I need you to help me for a few days. At least I will take care of it properly, so that the old lady and the wife can rest assured."

Before the words finished, someone scolded the white post to report the funeral: "My in-laws, Mr. Li, have gone."

When Li Wan heard this, he fainted immediately.

Mrs. Wang was upset, because she said: "Help your grandma back quickly, tell her to rest and recuperate, and persuade her, don't make Tui sad."

Sister Feng and Ping'er looked at each other, Sister Feng touched her mouth, and then cursed a few words, then old man Li will get the retribution and die?

Ping'er hurriedly said quietly: "I'm afraid she's been dead for half a month. Grandma Zhu's hometown is also in Jinling. The funeral has been reported and the other side has already left. Grandma, don't think too much about it." The master and servant looked at Li Wan's disheveled face. , I sighed in my heart, this is not the right time to be dizzy.The eldest sister who is the pillar of the family, you don't faint when someone who is your mother dies, but now you faint to death.Although everyone knows that it is your own father, from the perspective of the old lady and the wife, I am afraid that you are still Jia's wife and outsiders.

Jia Zheng had known it beforehand, and he said that his family was in bad luck, which added another weight. Suddenly, some omens arose in his heart. Can't help but feel sad and sad.

Lian Lin's family sent someone to ask An Daoan for him, saying: "The four girls in the family are young and weak, and they can't stand the wind and frost. When they heard about this, they started to have a fever under panic and sadness. My eldest girl asked the imperial doctor to treat her and said It's not suitable to move, it's best to rest. Eldest lady, please ask my uncle, Miss Yunjia to rest at our house for a while, and send it back when she's done."

Jia Zheng's heart was filled with grief, such things as children were trivial matters, so he sighed: "Forget it, her elder sister has gone, and she used to have nine months of meritorious service. It's just that she is a daughter of the Eastern Mansion, and after a year At the same level, there is no need to be too strict about the meritorious service. As long as your family doesn't think she has meritorious service and is willing to let her recuperate, it's up to you."

Inside, Mrs. Wang didn't want Sister Feng to intervene in the feedback, and was just mentioning that the fourth girl was a few years older and could help Xiangyun housekeeper.Unexpectedly, Jia Zheng sent Aunt Bai in to report the matter, because Jia Zheng had accepted the Lin family, Mrs. Wang was so angry that her chest was tight and she could do nothing.

When Sister Feng heard this, her heart skipped a beat. She didn't care to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and hurriedly said: "I feel tired when I stand, and I can't see the road clearly. My sister-in-law is also sick. The whole family has to rely on Lai Yuner." Ping'er kowtows to your Second Grandma Bao for me, and asks her to work harder, I can't help you much." As he spoke, he was on the verge of falling.

Xiangyun was recommended by the whole family, and became the head grandmother after only two days.Even Sister Feng and Li Wan were overwhelmed by her when they were shining brightly for a while.

Xiangyun was very grateful, and from this moment on she was always in a hurry. She was ten times more anxious than Mrs. Wang to look forward to the satisfaction of the whole family, and she was more thoughtful than the deacon's wife in terms of diligence and care.It's just that Jia Baoyu was left out in the end, and Sheyue and Cuilu were ordered to take care of her.Jia Baoyu was in a daze for a long time, not knowing how the girls persuaded him, but it was better in the evening.From then on, Xiangyun was outside every day, and Baoyu was in the house fighting with the maids to relieve boredom. He was lawless with these maids, and the Dongkua courtyard was almost demolished.

However, according to the regulations for the funeral ceremony in the palace, the Qiluan Hall where the virtuous and noble concubine was born is temporarily a place to rest her soul.The imperial concubine's golden coffin is parked in the side hall, the coffin can't always be in the palace, at least three days after the coffin, it has to go to the Royal Funeral Palace for a small funeral.

During the rest period, high-ranking men and women in Jia's mansion had to enter the palace every day, thinking that they would be very busy.Unexpectedly, I was told that the imperial concubine's golden coffin will only be in mourning for three days, and she will be sent to the funeral palace for a small funeral.

In the Daqing Dynasty, if there were empresses and imperial concubines who passed away, the emperor would stop court for three or five days, and there were precedents.Today, he has no intention of quitting the court, but instead goes to the Fengxian Temple to worship the ancestors in person, and pray for the protection of the ancestors for the newborn little princess.Firstly, the specifications of the funeral ceremony for the imperial concubine are almost the same as those for the imperial concubine, and then she attaches great importance to the princess she gave birth to, so that people can't understand His Majesty's thoughts.

Zhu Xiu is an out-of-rank woman, and she should also go to the court to cry and mourn.

This was the first time she had seen Jia Mu since the unhappily parted company last year. Jia Mu's face was ashen, seven points of her energy had dissipated, and she was supported by the two wives of King Xing.The crown of super-grade court clothes was worn on her body, empty, and the solemn and luxurious clothes couldn't hide the state of the waning sun that day.

Nowadays, if you don't make faces for the noble concubine, the married woman only needs to go to the palace to cry on the first day, and there is no need to go back after the first sacrifice.Only when the funeral is going from the funeral palace to the mausoleum, both inside and outside are gathered together, do they need these women who are born outside to send the spirit off.

After leaving the inner palace and walking on the corridor, several befriended wives whispered quietly: "Your Majesty likes little princesses very much, why don't you make a fool of your concubine?"

Some said: "You don't know yet. Your Majesty Jin named Jia Guiren as a concubine and gave the little princess to the concubine to be raised. In addition, he personally married the princess and named him 'Fuyou'. I have heard that this virtuous and noble concubine is very ignorant of the importance. She dislikes giving birth to a princess, and hates giving birth to a princess for causing her to break her health. She is not willing to look at the little princess as a mother. Oh, you Say that His Majesty will not be angry!"

"What, she is too arrogant. As long as it is a dragon fetus, no matter whether it is a prince or a princess, it is a great blessing. Your Majesty likes it. She is hypocritical and has no compassion at all. No wonder there is no mourning after death!"

"Who says it's not? This is the timely death of Concubine Jia. If she is alive, I'm afraid she won't even have this honor in a few years!"

"Your Majesty is still Princess Gu Nian. If not, Baba would point out a nobleman from Concubine Jia's palace as the princess' adoptive mother. High-ranking concubines would have plenty of space under their knees."

"But this is true! This concubine was able to be named a nobleman because of her loyalty and diligence. Besides, I heard that she was seriously ill in her early years and could not bear children. She finally got a princess. How could she not be kind to the princess?"

Zhu Xiu walked with a few wives who were familiar with her, bowed her head and said nothing, but she could hear the small talk of the wives more than ten steps away.

Take a deep breath, these ears are most useful only in this palace where countless secrets are buried.Today alone, she heard countless secrets and words, she wondered how grandpa has been standing all these years, like a fish in water in the deep palace.It can be seen that Shunfeng ear is really a sharp weapon for Gongdou.

After thinking about it wildly, I also thought about "Ping Concubine", the word "Ping": Hui Nei has no virtue and is called Ping, and if you don't ask for more, you call Ping.Judging from the title, one can tell the current attitude, if the concubine Ping keeps her own place and tries her best to educate and raise Princess Fuyou, I am afraid that she will be a concubine who has no favor and no competition in this deep palace, and it is not certain that she will be taken care of until she grows old.

Zhu Xiu sighed in her heart: Concubine Jia has spent her whole life in the camp, but this blessing is shared by her close servant girl.Things in the world are really difficult for gods to decide.

After walking away for a while, I heard the commanding woman in Shi Qinghang's python satin dress in front of me say: "If you say you are blessed, you will not enjoy it, but this lady Jia is the first one. She doesn't even have a posthumous title. How can she have the dignity of a noble concubine? "

The older woman next to her said: "She was originally named a virtuous and noble concubine. In this dynasty, she has a four-character posthumous title except for the rank. These noble concubines are not all two-character posthumous titles. I am afraid that it is because of her title. It's a posthumous title."

Some hurriedly said: "Don't dare to say that. This posthumous title can be said without purpose. But I don't understand. The concubines of the previous dynasty couldn't reach the posthumous title. The title is written on the tablet, but this The concubine Jia was born with the first two-character title, so it is difficult for the officials of the Ministry of Rites."

Suddenly there was a woman who served as a servant of the first grade. She was surrounded in the middle and didn't speak for a while. Then she said: "No way. When the palace went to give orders to the Jia family, it was Jia Niangniang. That's all. When the empress summoned her earlier, she was also talking about Concubine Jia. Look at the word "Xiande" mentioned by palace officials or officials today? They are all Concubine Jia..."

Everyone, including Zhu Xiu, took a deep breath.This means that the virtuous and noble concubine bore this awkward title during her lifetime, but she was slapped after her death, so who should she argue with?

Someone cautiously inquired: "Is this because His Majesty is dissatisfied with the Jia family?" If not, even if Concubine Jia Guifei was confused before her death, for the sake of her deceased and the princess, she would not treat the funeral so coldly.

These words involved the state affairs of the previous dynasty, all the wives and wives were a little worried, and they were silent for a while, and the little calculation of asking Zhu Xiu to listen to the gossip to pass the long palace road could not be realized.

In the Rongguo Mansion, Sister Feng was sitting on the couch covered with half-worn mattresses, her heart skipped a beat, she pulled Ping'er and asked, "When we came, did we have all the instructions?"

Ping'er laughed and said, "I've said it thousands of times, so I guarantee they won't forget a single word. It's just grandma, why don't you ask the second master to ask the imperial court to give you an imperial order?" Here's the chance.Although the grade of imperial order is lower, it can fulfill grandma's wish all these years.

Sister Feng waved her hand and said, "What are you doing with those nonsense? If you really ask me, I'm still crying over the root of the prodigal family right now. With this heat, it's not good for me to keep warm, so I'll cry for her instead." go."

He asked Ping'er again: "I don't know if the person arranged by the second master is appropriate or not. If there is something on our side, we must immediately tell the villager to know!"

Ping'er comforted: "Second Master's arrangements are not those friends who used to drink and eat, they are all loyal. My sister and brother are the second master's own flesh and blood, how can Second Master be careless, grandma will believe it once."

After thinking about it, Ping'er still asked: "Why did you send my sister to my aunt and grandma, but my brother to Zhan's house? My sister is older and can take care of my younger brother. If my sister and younger brother are together, how can I not?" Isn't it better?"

Sister Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Eldest sister can't take care of herself, but she is obedient and docile. She was sent to my aunt's house. My aunt kept her niece and looked good. But my brother is so young and is still breastfeeding. My aunt and grandma didn't even care about her." Giving birth, how to take care of a baby. Zhu Xiu has a good heart, her son is two months older than her brother, and the nurse at home has everything, so she will send it to Zhan's house. Seeing how pitiful her brother is, she will definitely not refuse. Nanny Zhu and She knows how to take care of people, Sister Lin was so weak at first, but since their mother and daughter left, she gradually became healthy. I thought to myself that it would be good for my brother to entrust her family."