Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

When Zili said goodbye, he received a lot of gifts from Mrs. Lin, and when he returned home, Jia Zheng still had a worried look on his face.Seeing the gift that Zili brought back, he also snorted to show that he knew, and just sat there alone, lost in thought.

"We originally gave something to my sister, but we ended up taking so much from her. This favor is owed. Why are you so stupid, don't drink too much." Zili deliberately teased Jia Zheng.Unexpectedly, she was talking to herself, but Jia Zheng stared blankly, not knowing what he was thinking.

Looking up at Shang Zili's angry face, and seeing Zili standing in front of him with his hips crossed, Jia Zheng came back to his senses: "What's the matter? If you think the gift is too heavy, just wait for the next opportunity to double it and return it back." Yes. My brother-in-law’s family deserves to be a scholarly family. I used to be a frog in a well, thinking that our family was good. Who knows that I’m really ashamed when I see you today. My brother-in-law’s family will definitely not be so fussy. They are sincere friends with us , you don’t have to calculate the thickness of human feelings, but you look down on yourself.”

How is this going?Why did Jia Zheng feel ashamed after eating a meal?Zili glanced at Jia Zheng in surprise. "After talking with my brother-in-law today, I realized that I'm such a useless fool. It's refreshing to say a few words about the things that have been confusing for a long time. He is about the same age as me, but he has far-sighted eyes. Very accurate, I look like a fool in front of people." Jia Zheng talked about his conversation with Lin Ruhai.The second uncle came to Lin Ruhai, of course, to entertain him warmly. When the two of them came out, Lin Ruhai invited Jia Zheng to go to his study.

As soon as he entered Lin Ruhai's study, Jia Zheng was a little dumbfounded.Lin Ruhai's study is said to be called a study, but it is actually a very clean and large courtyard.Inside, the vegetation is lush, cicadas and birds sing, and a stream of clear springs converges into a pool of clear water in the courtyard.A gust of wind blows over, and the sound of pines rises and falls one after another, and the freshness of vegetation is refreshing.Jia Zheng couldn't help but took a deep breath and sighed: "It seems to have a delicate fragrance. It's worth living in this place to read books and play chess." Lin Ruhai disagreed: "I think it's the vanilla under the back window of my study that bears fruit. It's gone." Said Lin Ruhai let Jia Zheng in.The two sat down as guests and hosts, and a handsome servant brought tea.

Jia Zheng looked around at the furnishings of the study room, all the red sandalwood furniture, the most eye-catching thing is the large bookcase around the wall, which is full of books, a few guqin are hung on the wall, and there is a piano table under the south window, on which there is a He was holding an inconspicuous guqin, with some scorched black marks at the end of the tail.Jia Zheng thought to himself, this is the legendary Jiao Weiqin.Lin Ruhai's study room is full of exquisite taste of literati. When thinking about his study room, the most conspicuous things are never the books that should be the protagonists, but the precious playthings Jia Mu gave him and the exquisite framed paintings on the walls and windows. Lingluo.Since Jia Zheng was admitted to Juren and studied with several famous Confucianists in the south of the Yangtze River, he gradually accepted the aesthetics of literati, and had some objections to the grandeur of the Jia family.Seeing Lin Ruhai's study today, Jia Zheng was like a primary school student who just started seeing a master's work. Although he didn't show anything on his face, he was already kneeling in his heart.

Waiting for the two of them to talk, Jia Zheng burst into tears even more. Although Lin Ruhai was in the Imperial Academy, he knew everything about the development of the court.Speaking of the various advantages and disadvantages of local government affairs, the temperament and resume of the officials in those places are almost as easy as an encyclopedia of officialdom.What Jia Zheng admired the most was that Lin Ruhai's words were so comfortable to listen to, and the quotations from the scriptures hit the point.Even when it comes to those gray and black unspoken rules of officialdom, Lin Ruhai can be reasonable and beneficial, legal and reasonable, with both human and worldly sophistication, and speak clearly and logically.

Jia Zheng's admiration for his brother-in-law was like the water of the Yangtze River, and his knees were completely kneeling. "Based on my brother-in-law's tone, the Holy Will is about the same as what we guessed. It's just that he hinted that the Holy Dragon is not in good health, so he might—" Jia Zheng lowered his voice and whispered to Zili: "Although the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty are still kept in the dark, But the emperor has already started to prepare for the aftermath. The emperor is worried that after he controls the sky, the king of Wei will be instigated to make trouble on the side of the Qing emperor, and then there will be another chaos in the world."

This concern is also justified, but the position of Taisun is very stable now, even if King Wei is not convinced, he is not a fool, so he should weigh his weight carefully before making a move. "The grandson's status is stable and King Wei is unpopular. The emperor asked you to keep Qingzhou as a precautionary measure. As long as King Wei is fine, everyone will be happy." Zili doesn't think it takes a lot of IQ to see clearly.

"But you don't know that the empress has disposed of several low-level concubines, and those people are all from Concubine Dong's palace. Concubine Dong went to the emperor to beg, but the empress really insisted on disposing of them. There is no other reason, they They all received gifts from Prince Zhongyi’s mansion, and were seized by the empress to give and receive them privately. Actually, what is that matter in the palace? It can be seen that things are not as simple as we thought. If Ruhai reminded me today, I would still be wishful thinking I want to appease you." Jia Zheng gossiped with Zili about the secrets of the palace with a mysterious face.

"Of course it's nothing. Don't our two families also give gifts to the empress and concubines on holidays and birthdays? It's just that the gifts from Prince Loyalty's family can't bear it? His family has always been unknown, what do you think?" Proposed him?" Zili searched in her mind, and in her and many people's impressions, Prince Loyalty was a shadowy existence.

This prince is not of royal blood, but because he and Emperor Taizu swore blood to form an alliance when they were poor and humble, and they fought the world together before they were granted the title of prince.It stands to reason that since Han Gaozu, kings with different surnames have not ended well.But this is Prince Zhongyi, Nan'an and Beijing and other four families who are all kings with different surnames.Both Emperor Taizu and the current Holy Majesty treated them with courtesy.These four families are still quite sensible, they only care about enjoying the glory and wealth brought by the king, and they don't care about government affairs.It is basically a mascot in the imperial court, it has no practical significance, it is just an ornament to embellish the peace.

"I can't figure out the mystery here. Looking at my brother-in-law, it means to tell me to be careful not to let the King of Wei collude with those who have a heart in the capital. Although I don't understand, it is always right to be cautious." Jia Zheng said to Lin Ruhai, who was well-informed. Envy and admiration.If they are all the same, how can others be able to hear the meaning behind it, but it takes me a long time to figure it out.IQ is indeed a problem!

Looking at where Jia Zheng was, he felt that there was such a big gap between the officials and the second generation, but Zili understood.At best, the Jia family is the second generation of officials, but in fact the Wang family is not much better.It's just that Wang Changchun and Wang Dingqian have more foresight and courage than Jia Daishan, and they won't be more dazzling if they seize a good opportunity.But the connotation of the two families is not as good as that of the Lin family. The Lin family was a central official in the previous dynasty, and the genealogy can be traced back 1000 years.There are hundreds of champions and scholars in their family, and being a scholar is just a pediatrician in the eyes of others.As long as the IQ of their family is not beyond the level of hopeless men can reach.

The family background is different first, and coupled with the background of the old lady of the Lin family, Lin Ruhai is naturally closer to the emperor and the center of power than Jia Zheng.At best, the Jia family and the Wang family are just new political stars, with no foundation behind them. They look vigorous, but everything is in the emperor's mind. It's like a tofu slag project to prevent floods, and their ability to resist blows is too poor.The Lin family looked like an old house with an old exterior. It didn't look very glamorous on the outside, but it had a deep foundation, and ordinary wind and rain couldn't do anything to him.

"How can we compare with such a scholarly family? Since my brother-in-law has made friends with you sincerely, we can't let him down. I met the old lady and wife of their family. Needless to say, their wife is a The most uncontested person. But their old lady has a real temper.” Zili told what happened, “Our third sister was a little spoiled since she was a child, and when she went to their house, many rules were different from ours. Naturally, she felt aggrieved when she didn't apply. I was also anxious when I saw the third sister's appearance, and my words were inevitably a bit rushed. But their old lady didn't care at all, but treated each other with courtesy. Thinking about it now, I'm still ashamed Very good. But now that she has made it clear, Sanmei can also understand her own shortcomings, and she will get better in the future." Zili's words of instructing Jia Min to teach the girl a lesson were naturally heard by the old lady of the Lin family. The old lady was not annoyed, but looked at Zili differently.It can be seen that Mrs. Lin is a fair and unbiased person. She shaped her daughter-in-law according to the Lin family's standards. Jia Min just married in. The two families have different backgrounds and habits. There are many places to adjust.

Jia Min will inevitably be wronged, but the old lady of the Lin family thinks that Jia Min is a spoiled child, and he must be strict with his bad habits in order to take up the responsibility of the Lin family's mistress in the future.The two went on a fork in the road, both thinking that the other was deliberately fighting against each other.After some persuasion from Zili, and listening to Jia Min and the maids complaining, Mrs. Lin knew that it was just a misunderstanding caused by writing a small section.She is a wise person. Since it is a conflict among the people, the old lady of the Lin family doesn't need to treat her granddaughter-in-law like an autumn wind.During the dinner, she hinted that Zili would take care of his daughter-in-law's previous living habits and be a little more tolerant to her.Give Jia Min enough time to adapt to the life of the Lin family.Just because of her kindness, it is reasonable for the Lin family to have such a family style to educate such talents as Lin Ruhai.

"In this case, I can feel at ease. Before we went to the capital, my wife told me that she was worried that my sister would be angry at her husband's family. Back then, when my father agreed to the Lin family's marriage, my mother was worried that our family was different from theirs. In the past, it was inevitable that I would be wronged. In fact, according to me Said, our family is indeed a little extravagant and dissipated. It’s just that these are the rules passed down from the ancestors. My parents didn’t say anything, so what can I say.” Since Jia Zheng left the small world of Jia’s family, his horizons have broadened a lot. Started to think about things that were normal.

This is an opportunity. Mother Jia sent everyone Lai and two nannies to say that she was worried that the people around Jia Zhu would not be careful on the way. In fact, it was not a plan to take Jia Zhu back to Jinling.The hateful thing is that Jia Zheng avoids talking about Jia's mother's intentions, and when Zili asks, he evasively talks about him.Today is an opportunity, Zili hit the nail on the head: "Tomorrow we will start our journey, and what Zhuer will do in the future is all up to you. When you are envious of your brother-in-law's family background, why don't you spend some time on cultivating your son?" .”

Jia Zheng was not prepared for Zili's sudden mention of Jia Zhu, his face froze immediately, Jia Zheng showed a toothache expression on his face, and faltered: "But filial piety can't be ignored, our parents are not far away, we can't serve them day and night. It's unfilial. You still have to go against your parents' wishes like this!"

Zili suddenly lost the worries and troubles she had just now, and now she has no disappointment or sadness, only infinite indifference.I thought that Jia Zheng would grow up after a few years of experience outside, but he was still a cowardly person inside. "Since we're talking about this, let's do what the second master wants." Zili stood up as he spoke, and left with a flick of his sleeves.

That night, Mrs. Tang organized a banquet and invited her daughter and son-in-law over for dinner, which was a practice.During the banquet, the female family members were naturally inside, and Wang Ziteng accompanied Jia Zheng outside. Seeing the difference in her daughter's expression, Mrs. Tang guessed that it was because of the child, and the husband and wife quarreled.After dinner, Mrs. Tang and Wang Ziteng's daughter-in-law accompanied Zili to talk and drink tea.Mrs. Tang persuaded her daughter: "You run around all day, and Zhu'er will suffer if you are still young. Since your son-in-law has arranged this way, you don't have to be stubborn. Zhu'er is the grandson of their Jia family, so you can't be wronged. go."

Zili listened to Mrs. Tang's words, but said calmly: "Mother is right, the child is from their Jia family, so it has nothing to do with me whether it is good or bad in the future."

Seeing Zili's indifferent face, Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Zhang had nothing to say.After all, Jia Zhu's surname is Jia, what can a grandmother say?

Zhang has a pair of sons and daughters who can understand Zili's feelings best. She reached out and patted Zili's shoulder silently, but couldn't say a word of comfort: "It's your brother's incompetence! Seeing my sister being bullied but not being able to stand up To be fair."

In the flower hall outside, Wang Ziteng covered his mouth with a handkerchief and sneezed: "Ah, who is scolding me! My brother-in-law is leaving tomorrow, but I can't see you off." Wang Ziteng apologized to Jia Zhengju Raise your glass.Jia Zheng couldn't help but wonder why Wang Ziteng said he would send him there in person a few days ago, why he suddenly changed his mind today.Without waiting for Jia Zheng to ask the reason, Wang Ziteng sighed first and said, "Let me tell you, I'm going to hunt for people tomorrow. Do you remember the son of the Jinxiang Hou family when you went to Beijing to catch the exam last time? He He was plotted against and locked in by the old bustard of Lichunyuan. I'm going to get him out tomorrow, but I dare not let his family know. He hasn't come home these days, although he can find an excuse to cover it up. But There can be no further delay."

Jia Zheng couldn't help being surprised when he heard Wang Ziteng's words: "What's going on, there can still be such unlawful things under the feet of the emperor. There is something about clamping people in broad daylight!"

"You man, how can you be so pedantic after being an official. That kid didn't write a bill, and was caught for his shortcomings. He can be honest and dare not say a word. In fact, there is nothing to cover up, but he was hit by a brothel. The trick of the old bustard, where to spend money like flowing water to support the sister, comb the groomsman to gamble, spend a lot of money." Wang Ziteng shook his head helplessly, and poured himself a glass of wine: "I am If you don't want to get involved, but you can't be sympathetic when you meet normally. He is also spoiled by the old lady of their family. Think about it, he is the precious son that Mrs. Jinxiang Hou has been looking forward to for ten years. Really Put it in your mouth for fear of melting, and put it on your head for fear of scaring you. Now that you haven’t finished reading, practicing martial arts is also a fool. You’re even afraid of killing a chicken. It’s just eating, drinking and having fun.” Wang Ziteng faced The friend expressed helplessness.

Jia Zheng suddenly remembered that that winter Wang Ziteng saw Jia Zheng's hard work in studying, so he took him out to ride a horse to relax.Once in the city, he met the son of Jinxiang Hou's family, who was a little younger than them, and was surrounded by a group of powerful slaves in a fine attire. "I think he behaves and talks well, he is still shy in his words and actions, and his speech is not vulgar. How could he go to that kind of place? And he fell into a trap?" I heard that Jinxiang Hou's family education is also very strict, How can there be such ineffective descendants.

"It's just an embroidered pillow. People like us can handle the worst etiquette. His father wanted to teach him well. However, the grandmother and mother in the family are too spoiled. They study as long as they study, and they prefer not to be punished by the husband. Said What kind of timid will scare you. A man hangs around in the inner curtain all day, and his father wants to take him to meet people and learn how to do things. But the old lady stopped him and said that the child is young, and he will be exhausted from running around. He It was abandoned, and I met a few incompetent children who were seduced and made it worse. I can help him for a while, but I can't help him forever, so I can only help him so far." Wang Ziteng leaned on the chair and said with emotion: "We all Now that I am a father, I understand what it means for a son not to teach his father."

Jia Zheng didn't speak, but drank a few glasses of wine silently.A banquet became dull and soon ended.On the pier the next day, the car stopped, and Mrs. Dong hugged Jia Zhu and looked at Zili eagerly: "Grandma, I can't bear to part with my brother. Although I am a countryman and have little knowledge, the child can't leave his mother. I know this truth." You and the second master are thousands of miles away, brother, a child who doesn't even speak clearly, those servants-I have nothing to do with them, and there is no need to say good things or bad things for anyone. Few can Serve Zhu'er sincerely. Grandma should tell Erye to keep the child by her side. The biological ones need to be raised by themselves to kiss." Sister-in-law Dong earnestly begged Zili to keep Jia Zhu.Zili also didn't look at Jia Zhu's immature face, she remained silent.

A burst of crying broke the terrible silence, followed by Jia Zheng's angry reprimand, "Second Mistress, Second Master has punished everyone, and drove her away!" Mingqian's pleasantly surprised voice came: "Zhu Er doesn't need to be sent away!" Already!"

Zili stared at Mingqian in disbelief, and it took him a long time to realize: "What did you say, say it again!"

"Second Master scolded everyone Lai just now, saying that she was a gossip and did not keep her duty, and drove her away!" Ming Qian vividly talked about the scene just now, when everyone got off the car, Lai went to the Second Master to show courtesy to him. She first said According to his wife's instructions, she was told to take Zhu'er back to Jinling, and said that her mother-in-law had personally selected the nurses, not only because they had enough milk, but also because they knew the rules and so on.The second master listened patiently and ignored her.Unexpectedly, Lai everyone didn't know which muscle was wrong, and suddenly said: "What do you mean, the old man wants to have a grandson, and he came to the capital, but he didn't see each other. There, he looks like he loves the younger generation. If it is our wife who loves the children, especially Zhu Er Filling in two nannies, the number of wives and maids to serve is fully double that of the big brother over there." Before she could finish speaking, the second master kicked her hard and scolded her: "You say that here? , What is the plan. The Jia family and the Wang family are relatives and family friends, and their old man is the center and the first assistant, and you, an idiot, can talk about it!" The second master was angry, but he whipped her a few times with a whip .Fortunately, the people on the side stopped him, and the second master asked people to send Lai and everyone to the boat to Jinling immediately. "

Zili's eyes lit up and he stared at Mingqian: "What about now? Is she leaving?"

"Let's go, everyone Lai saw that the second master was really angry and didn't dare to mention taking Zhu'er away, so he left crying." Mingqian was joyful and worried: "Master Lai is the old lady's face after all. People. I'm afraid it won't end well in the future if you make such a fuss."

"What's not going to end, what's wrong? I'll go to my wife and get it! Why are you still in the car in a daze, take Zhu'er down and get on the boat." Jia Zheng stood in front of the car and interrupted Ming Qian's words, urging Zhuo Zili come down quickly.