Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

The yard where the old man rested was still the same. Wang Changchun took his little granddaughter to sit under the tree, and the family members who served him went out immediately.It was quiet in the yard, only the grandparents and grandchildren were left.Zili thought that the old man must have something to say.Unexpectedly, Wang Changchun just looked at his granddaughter without saying a word.Zili immediately understood what the old man meant, a pot of water had just boiled on the tea stove on the porch.She didn't need to call people around, she washed her hands first and came over with a teacup to make tea for the old man.

Zili picked up a celadon jar and brought it up to the tip of his nose to smell it, randomly picking up this year's new Biluochun.Watching her granddaughter washing pots and warming cups in an orderly manner.Wang Changchun sighed: "When I was your age, I didn't have the interest to drink tea." Zili looked back at her grandfather in surprise. In her opinion, his grandfather was a carefree person like a loose fairy.

Regardless of the turmoil of the outside world, the old man always faces ups and downs calmly.Sipping tea quietly in a yard full of pines and cypresses is his most daily way of life.What kind of tea did grandfather like to drink back then?Zili asked suspiciously.

"Back then, I was a soldier who drank blood from a knife edge, and my favorite thing was to drink alcohol! And it was not very good shochu. After drinking the hottest liquor, I felt warm again, and I knew I was still alive." The old man Looking far away, they were still called grass bandits or traitors at that time. "My grandfather was a small squire in his hometown. In fact, the fields in his hometown are fertile and as long as he works hard, he can live well. I have been studying for several years. It is a pity that the famine came before I finished reading the Four Books with my master." It seems that the old man is going to talk about the history of the revolutionary family.Zili was very curious about the past of the Wang family.The Wang family, the Jia family, and the historian Xue's family all came from the same place.It's just that she doesn't know about other families that are strange to her. The Wang family and the Jia family don't seem to be very interested in returning home, especially the Wang family's imprint on the hometown is slowly fading.

Sometimes Zili would like to ask about the family history of the Wang family.It's just that the old lady, Mrs. Tang, and her father all seemed to be avoiding Zili's question.Today the old man wants to talk about the past in person, Zili suddenly became interested.She poured Wang Changchun a cup of tea, and watched anxiously as the old man waited for him to dictate the history.

If it were in modern times, she could still help Comrade Wang Changchun, a veteran cadre, publish a memoir.Wang Changchun took a sip of the clear Biluochun, and squinted his eyes slightly in satisfaction: "Girl, you have caught up with the good times. Since you were born, you have been held by countless girls and mothers, and the money you spend can make a golden man just like you." You don’t know what it’s like to be hungry. I’ll tell you today. In fact, the most frightening thing in the countryside is not hunger and no food. Do you know what it is? It’s bandits and mobs, yes, those hungry people who are incited. Actually Although life in the countryside is hard, it is not easy for people to starve to death. They can still eat wild vegetables when they run out of food. As long as people are still waiting for the spring to sow seeds, they will have food in the coming year. But those refugees who came from other places, They are simply more hateful than the most vicious barbarians!" The old man's eyes became serious, his face showed a look of pain, and his voice dropped: "Those people don't have any humanity at all. They kill people when they see them, and they kill things when they see them Just robbed, the livestock were robbed and killed, and the house was about to be demolished... What's even more hateful is that some people are actually bewitched. Or they have a beast hidden in their hearts just like those people, but they can't see it through the human skin That's all. He actually colluded with those robbers and betrayed his Zhuangzi."

Zili listened to Mr. Wang Changchun's voice full of vicissitudes, telling about the famine that changed the whole history when he was young.When the famine started, because the land in my hometown was rich, everyone didn't feel the famine was terrible.But when robbers and refugees appeared, people who worked all day in the countryside realized that they were not facing hungry people, but people who had lost their humanity and became like beasts.They were like locusts sweeping through villages and towns.Wherever he went, there were only ruins and corpses all over the place.The Wang family was very prestigious in the village, so they used the money to organize a small armed team.The males of the whole village were organized.But I didn't expect that someone from the ancestral Wang clan would collude with the refugees outside.

The village of Liyingwaihe was breached, Wang Changchun's grandfather was arrested, and they forced the old man to hand over the money.The members of the Wang family were busy collecting money to redeem the old man.It's a pity that those people can't think with normal people's thinking at all.They couldn't wait to kill Wang Changchun's grandfather, and cooked him into a pot of broth.Wang Changchun killed the person who sold out the village and his whole family that night.That person was none other than the old man's cousin who hadn't given the third service.Wang Changchun killed all the relatives who participated in the plan to kill with a knife and then embezzled their property.

Zili couldn't help but feel chills when she heard her grandfather's words, she is not an ignorant girl, she knows the sinister nature of human beings!But she didn't expect that people's hearts could be so sinister.Zili couldn't help shivering: "But why didn't those people expect that bandits and refugees are all desperadoes, and cooperating with them can only be seeking skins from tigers, not to mention the property they covet, I'm afraid that after the village is really captured , their own lives and money cannot be saved.”

"Girl, remember, there is a beast living in people's hearts. Although they are short-sighted, in fact, their nature is even more vicious. There are people like this before and now. You are leaving home. That place looks really rich Forced, is the most prominent source. It’s just that the people there are the easiest to let out that side. I’m telling you today, so that you can be vigilant at all times, and you can’t be careless for a moment. Those people in your hometown are for a few Mu Susukida can do things that annihilate human relations. Your mother should tell you why the queen mother asked you to enter the palace. The grandson Liangdi is the future crown princess, queen and queen mother. That is the wealth of the sky. I heard that the children of the Zhen family also entered the palace together. Do you know that the princess and the Zhen family are cousins. She naturally hopes that the girl from her family will be the grandson Liangdi. Grandpa knows what you think, my granddaughter is a Ambitious people are blinded by wealth and honor without hearing anything about entering the palace. You must be careful when you go, I don’t ask you to be liked by the queen mother and queen, fly to the branches, you just need to be careful, and you will be safe .” The old man looked at Zili, his eyes became shrewd.

Zili was thinking how to keep a low profile in the palace, keep a low profile, and then keep a low profile so that she can get out, but now she really has to worry about her own life.Zili said depressingly: "I don't want to argue with them, how can they come to bully me?"

"You child, as long as you step into that door, you will be a thorn in their eyes. It's the same whether you don't fight or fight. And this matter is beyond your control." Wang Changchun glanced at it with piercing eyes. The granddaughter went on to say: "It has been more than 40 years since I started the uprising with the emperor. Waiting for the world to be peaceful, I think I can always live in peace for a few days. Who knows that being an official is more tiring than going to war. So It has been many years. Yesterday His Majesty summoned me and suddenly talked about the past. I went home and thought about it carefully, and suddenly realized that there are not many people left who led the horses and soldiers together. After careful calculation, more than half of those people He died at the hands of his own people. It turns out that being an official is not an easy task." Wang Changchun put down his teacup and stood up. He walked back and forth in the yard twice, stretched his waist and looked at Zili: "If you Entering the palace, the empress dowager and the empress dowager like you very much, how should you deal with yourself? How should you treat the empress dowager, the palace people around you, and the girls who entered the palace with you?"

"If I am lucky enough to be valued by the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, I will naturally serve the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager with all my heart as a reward. I will be more humble to the people around me. As for those who entered the palace together, if they treat me with sincerity, I will naturally I will treat her with sincerity. If she stays away from me, I won't argue with villains." Zili thought about it and made the answer he thought was most appropriate.

"Well, it's not bad for you to be able to answer this at such a young age. It's just that you made a mistake in one sentence. Since they regard you as an enemy, you can't just dodge and escape. I know those people very well, and they won't stop for a while. Even if you hurt yourself by [-], you still have to depend on the restlessness of others. Don't run away, don't be too aggressive, always be vigilant and don't have illusions! Repaying grievances with virtue, how can you repay virtue?" Wang Changchun looked at Zili meaningfully.

The old man's look shocked Zili's heart. She even felt that the old man must be able to see through her thoughts. Zili immediately restrained his relaxed expression, put on a serious expression, and nodded seriously: "Grandfather's lesson, The granddaughter has it in mind, I will not have any intention of harming others, and I will not let others bully me in vain."

"But be careful, you don't want to lose your heart because of them. When His Majesty started an incident in the fief, although I hated someone around him, I put aside my personal grievances and immediately led my troops to respond. You She is the granddaughter of the Wang family, so she should have the wisdom to understand the general situation..." The old man and Zili talked until noon.

Waiting for Zili to return to her house with the old man's official wisdom, Mrs. Tang was waiting for her in her room.Seeing her daughter's serious face, she was startled: "But the old man said you?" Zili never left her side, and Mrs. Tang couldn't bear the thought of her pampered daughter going to the palace.

"No, my grandfather taught me how to behave in the world, and I have benefited a lot. Why doesn't mother go to rest?" Mrs. Tang is determined to take an hour's lunch break every day.It was already time for lunch break, but she was still waiting for her to come back.Mrs. Tang hugged her daughter and sighed deeply: "I don't trust you. This is something prepared for you..." Mrs. Tang pointed to a table of things and explained to her daughter.

"Because of what the old man said, I didn't prepare much for those conspicuous clothes. I only chose a few bright-colored ones and waited for something important to wear. The rest are your homely clothes. There are 5000 taels of silver bills in the drawer under the jewelry box. It is for you to use when you encounter difficulties. Scattered silver and small bank notes are in the purse. You alone should pay attention to your health and don’t be naughty, and be polite to the eunuchs and maids in the palace..." Mrs. Tang Pulling Zili and chattering all afternoon.When it was night, Zili already felt that his ears were calloused, and his head was buzzing like a honeycomb.

Zili lost all strength after dinner, threw himself on the bed and soon fell asleep.The next morning, a car was sent by the palace to pick him up. Zili took Mother Qin into the car tomorrow, and arrived at the emperor's palace in Hangzhou in a short while.

At the gate of the palace, Nanny Qin and Mingqian watched Zili enter the palace gate eagerly. Zili carried a small bundle and walked step by step towards the imperial forbidden garden with carved railings and jade, gradually leaving behind Nanny Qin and Mingqian. .

The Empress Dowager's palace servants had already taken Zili to the Empress Dowager's bedroom, so her belongings would naturally be sent to Zili's temporary residence in the palace.Zili followed the guide to meet the Empress Dowager first, the Empress Dowager's bedroom was very lively, colorful girls stood all over the room.

As soon as Zili entered the door, she felt a few gazes on her, sizing her up vigorously. As soon as Zili raised his head, he saw a very beautiful girl standing beside the queen mother.The girl noticed that Zili's eyes were on her, and nodded to her with a slight smile.Zili greeted the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother was very excited, pointing to a few girls and introducing: "You have never met each other, and now you know each other in front of Ai's house, Ajia likes you the most at your age is to be with you." The little sister was joking. We must get along well in the future."

Without waiting for Zili to speak, the most exquisitely dressed girl first smiled at the Queen Mother and said, "Yes, I would like to follow the Queen Mother's orders. We are bored at home. But it is the Queen Mother's blessing to enter the palace to serve the Queen Mother, and I still see such a thing." There are many sisters." The little girl came forward and took Zili's hand and said warmly: "My sister is a girl from Wang Zhizao's family. I am the daughter of Liangdao Zhen Mingshi's family. From now on, my sister will call me Sister Ning."

A girl in light blue clothes next to her pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Among the four of us, only the girl from the Zhen family is the most enthusiastic. I don't know what to call her. I am the family of Fang Xinyuan, the judge of Jinling. She is a girl from the Yuan family, the former prefect of Hangzhou." The girl from the Fang family pulled the girl from the Yuan family and Zili to get to know each other warmly.They really started fighting before they could stand firm in the palace.Zili had a headache for a while, but she still smiled and helped the three girls to get to know each other.

In terms of age carefully, the girl from the Zhen family is the oldest, her boudoir name is Shan Ning, and everyone calls her Sister Ning, followed by two girls from the Fang family and the Yuan family, who were born in the same year and the same month Yes, only half a month away.Because they still had the words Fang and Yuan in their two names, the queen mother said that they were only called Fangfang and Yuanyuan, and the two girls laughed and said, "My daughter's baby names were Fangfang and Yuanyuan when I was young." The Empress Dowager listened and pulled a couple of girls to look up and down, and said to the crowd: "Look at the two of them, apart from being the same age, they suddenly look like sisters." Miss Shanning of the Zhen family immediately echoed what the Empress Dowager said. : "Looking at it this way, it's still the same as twins. With two younger sisters serving by her side like the Dragon Girl, the Empress Dowager will be the Queen Mother of the West." Shan Ning said a lot of compliments to the Empress Dowager.

Zili stood on the side silently, with a just right smile on her face, thinking to herself that Miss Zhen's family is really not a simple person.She also just entered the palace, all she knew was that besides herself, the daughters of the Zhen family and the Yuan family of the Fang family also came in.Who would have thought that Miss Ning Shan knew them all well, and she was the first to catch everyone's attention when they first met in front of the Empress Dowager.It looks like the empress dowager is in front of the proud person.The girl from the Fang family hinted at her with sarcasm, but Ning Shan didn't show any dissatisfaction!

The queen mother liked Ning Shan's cleverness very much, and said with a smile: "As expected of how old you are, they are young, so you have to take care of them." Over there Zhen Ningshan was busy conforming to the queen mother, but Zili saw clearly There was a disdainful smile on girl Yuanyuan's face.

Zili looked at Yuanyuan's sarcastic expression, and a thought flashed in her mind, she is still too simple, Zhen Ningshan likes to stand out, probably because she and the princess are relatives, and she is also her favorite candidate for grandson Liangdi.No matter what the queen mother is thinking, she must always give the princess some face, because Zhen Ningshan dares to talk and laugh casually in front of the queen mother, as if she is the eldest among the four girls.It's just that her appearance left a bad impression on Zili and the other three girls.Especially as soon as Zili entered the Fang family, she pointed out calmly that the girl of the Zhen family knew them well, implying that Zili was also telling the queen mother that the Zhen family had a lot of ambitions, and the girls of their family were very concerned about the position of the grandson Liangdi. Determined to win, she had already investigated potential competitors in advance when she first entered the palace.On the one hand, it is to tell Zili that the girl from the Yuan family should always be careful about Zhen Ningshan. She immediately put the girl from the Zhen family on the opposite side of everyone. Zili really doesn't know whether the girl from the Zhen family is more cunning or Fang Is classmate Fang's city even deeper?

Zili took a peek at Zhen Ningshan who was talking and laughing in front of the Queen Mother, but Ning Shan caught her stare. "What are the sisters of the Wang family looking at? I heard that the old lady and wife of the Rongguo family brought their brother and third girl to live in your house temporarily. Is their family going to become a family with you?"

Fang Fang didn't wait for Zili's answer, but she interjected first, "By the way, I remember that the sister of the Wang family has an older sister. When it comes to age, I'm afraid that sister Ning is a few months older than the young lady of the Wang family. Yes. Well, I heard that the third girl of their family is a rare person in heaven and earth, little sister of the Wang family, have you seen the third girl of their family, is it really as good as the legend?"

Zhen Ningshan sneered: "Why hasn't Sister Fangfang seen the three girls in the Rong Mansion?"

Fangfang blushed and immediately found a topic to talk about and ignored Zili.Zili was surprised, she saw that although the Queen Mother was concentrating on peeling walnuts with a small walnut with a hairpin, in fact, everything they said was heard by the Queen Mother.Zili looked at Zhen Ningshan, and met her autumn-like eyes: "I have met the third girl in their family, she is a very intelligent and easy-going sister. I don't know the rest. I don't know what sister Ning said Where did the two families come from?" Ziqian and Jia Zheng's marriage has not been officially announced, and even if it is a marriage between the Wang family and the Jia family, Zili shouldn't have revealed this news in front of the Queen Mother.She pretended to be confused, anyway, she was a girl and shouldn't say anything about marriage.

Zhen Ningshan didn't expect Zili to say that, her face flushed slightly, and she felt that she was getting carried away.The Empress Dowager looked tired, and she waved her hands to the four girls and said, "You were all tired when you first entered the palace, you all should go down and rest."

The four girls stood up together and followed the queen mother to leave. They retreated from the queen mother's bedroom. Fangfang and Yuanyuan got together, but Ning Shan was deliberately waiting for Zili to go with her.