Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

Here, Wang Ziteng chatted nonsense with Jia Daishan in an old-fashioned way, but Jia Zheng followed behind his father in a look of bewilderment, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.Wang Ziteng looked behind Jia Daishan with a smile, and said warmly, "I haven't seen you since we left Hangzhou. Brother Shi is still as handsome as ever. I've also heard about the exam. I have always admired him very much. Don’t be discouraged, wait until the next year to talk about it. With your ability, you must be a high school student.” As he spoke, Wang Ziteng took Jia Zheng’s hand, asked him how he was, and asked someone to bring out a gift for him. Jia Zheng: "They're all gadgets. I know you like to read, especially the rare books you bought from the capital."

Speaking of which, Wang Ziteng pointed to the things in front of him and said to Jia Zheng: "This is a collar of Song paper, this is imperial Hui ink, this inkstone may not look like much, but it is a treasure treasured by the Song scholars in the Imperial College..." Facing the prince With Teng's enthusiasm and sophistication, Jia Zheng only nodded in gratitude.Jia Daishan saw that his son was about the same age as Wang Ziteng, one was still a child who didn't know much about the world, but the other was already mature and stable.I couldn't help feeling a little regretful in my heart, I was too concerned about being an official back then, I put all my energy on the errands, and left all the big and small things in the family to my wife with confidence.As a result, the child was raised in such a good way, it's a bit late to regret now, I only hope that Zheng'er will be more mature after getting married.

After playing with Jia Zheng for a while like a monkey, Wang Ziteng was quite satisfied with Jia Zheng's honest and almost useless performance.Although Jia Zheng's honest and dull temperament is not attractive, it is much better to have an honest husband than a cunning husband, and Zili can handle it well when she marries.As for being a little dull, it is also a special problem, and it may be better after a slow education in the future.Wang Ziteng pulled Jia Zheng to sit down, and talked to Jia Daishan about the details of the marriage with Jia Daishan on the air that I am now representing my family's adults.

Jia Zheng grew up surrounded by maids and women, how did he know these "common things"? Just when he was feeling bored, but couldn't leave, suddenly there was a sound of footsteps, and a tall and handsome young man came in after the curtain was lifted. Jia Daishan and Jia Zheng felt their eyes light up when they saw it. Jia Daishan couldn't help applauding in his heart: "I've met quite a few people. I didn't expect there to be such a handsome and free-spirited young man in the world."

"This is my cousin, Wang Zisheng. He is a warm-hearted person. He heard that I came to Jinling to send my sister off to get married. He thought that he needed someone to accompany him on the way. He was able to get there smoothly thanks to Zisheng's help. Jinling. He grew up with his husband in his home school, since he was a child, and he grew up with his husband at home. The last time he went to war with his grandfather, he was a little credited, and now he has been promoted to be a bodyguard." Wang Ziteng introduced Tang to Jia Daishan and Jia Zheng. Brother, Jia Daishan heard that Wang Zisheng had already become a bodyguard at a young age, and his vision changed immediately.They are all the same family of heroes who came out with Emperor Taizu. How can their children earn a good future? Compared with their children, the two sons in their own family are really inferior.

Wang Zisheng looks outstanding among the descendants of the Wang family, with narrow and long phoenix eyes, a pair of sparse eyebrows, a face like powder, lips like vermilion, and black hair, he is definitely a rare handsome man.Although he lost his parents since childhood, he grew up with the tribe.But no one in the whole family has treated him badly, Wang Changchun's branch still thinks that Zisheng lost his father when he was young, and cares more about other children of the same clan.Since he was a child, he was well-clothed with Wang Ziteng and the others, so he didn't have the air of a noble son. Later, he followed Wang Dingqian to serve in the army. He was not afraid of death on the battlefield and was resourceful. He made several contributions on the battlefield in Liaodong. Now It is the time when the spring breeze is proud, and it can be called the spring breeze.That arrogance can be felt from far away.

Jia Daishan looked at Wang Zisheng and Wang Ziteng of the Wang family, and then at Jia Zheng sitting on the side, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Wang Ziteng noticed the slight change in the expression on Jia Daishan's face, but he didn't guess why. .Wang Ziteng thought it was due to the arrangement of the marriage and he felt that he lost face, so Wang Ziteng winked at his cousin and said some things even though they wanted to offend others.It is also beneficial to come out on your own. It is not good for father and grandfather to make bad faces with Jia Daishan. Anyway, he is a junior. If he has a bad attitude and speaks too aggressively, it is just a child's family.If the Jia family cares about it, they will lose their measure.

Brother Zheng, I heard your name when I was in the capital.Although I grew up with my husband at home, it is a pity that I was not born with the material for reading. So far I have not even been selected as a scholar, so I have to inherit the mantle of my ancestors and have a military background. Later, I will be ridiculed as an illiterate Qiu Ba also Helpless thing.Today I met someone who can read. Since my cousin is talking about things with the Duke on behalf of the elders in the family, let's not get in the way here. I have a lot of things to ask you.As he said that, Wang Zisheng stepped forward and patted Jia Zheng on the shoulder enthusiastically, and dragged him to sit and talk in the flower hall.

Jia Zheng saw that Wang Zisheng was outstanding, but who knew that his mouth was full of plain words, and he had a bad temper, so he immediately looked down on him.However, Jia Daishan really hoped that his son would learn more about the world from the children of the Wang family. Although Wang Zisheng was not a direct descendant of Wang Changchun, he was already working as an errand at a young age, so there were naturally many opportunities for promotion by the emperor's side.If Jia Zheng has a good relationship with Wang Zisheng, it will be great for his future.

"Since he sincerely invited you, you can go there!" Facing his son's condescending attitude, Jia Daishan glared at Jia Zheng with dissatisfaction, and told his son to follow Prince Sheng out quickly.

Zili and the two maids, who were peeking out from behind the screen, saw the expressions of the four people in front of them. The impression of Jia Zheng was not good after the rain. She pouted and said in distaste: "You guys Seeing that the second master of their family clearly dislikes our family, it is just because he heard that the third master lost his parents since he was a child, and it's not that people in our family don't take him seriously. Although the third master is not the master's own son, but the third master's grandfather He and our old man are still brothers. Our old man is doing his best to the third master. Why should he treat the third master with a cold face! "

Of course Zili knew that Jia Zheng wasn't so snobbish to such an unbearable degree, that idiot Jia Zheng was full of literary and artistic youth, the kind of person who was trying to push him all day long.Although Wang Zisheng has an extraordinary appearance, it's a pity that his words and deeds are like a hero in the water.Although Wang Zisheng's words just now had an element of self-effacement in it, but it is true that Wang Zisheng has seldom read and his words are rough. If he is as literary as Jia Zheng, he will definitely not look down on a standard military general like Wang Zisheng.

However, Wang Zisheng is definitely a delicate person. He has Zhou Gongjin's appearance and Zhang Fei's conversation, but he is more narrow-minded than Zhou Yu's. How could he not notice Jia Zheng's disgusted look? Looking at Wang Zisheng The posture is to teach Jia Zheng a lesson.This is part of what Wang Ziteng said yesterday about helping Zili establish his prestige in Jia's house.The two brothers were going to get rid of Jia Zheng's arrogance first, so that Jia Zheng's horse could be tamed and put on a bridle and saddle for Zili to ride.

"You don't know what Shaohun said. Their family is also the Duke's mansion anyway. I heard that they have a very good reputation in Jinling. How could they do such a thing under influence? Let's not stay here. Let's go for a walk." Li reminded Yu Hou not to be open-minded, after all, they will be on the Jia family's platform in the future, and there is no harm in being cautious in words and deeds.

Wang Zisheng dragged Jia Zheng to the flower hall. Although it was called a flower hall, there were no flowers and grass in the open ground in front of the court. It was all a flat and hard space made of bluestone strips. Jia Zheng naturally understood this scene. What do they do? Both the Wang family and the Jia family came from military backgrounds. When this house was built, it was a special place to stay to practice martial arts.Targets of different distances can also be set up near the wall as a place to practice archery.Wang Zisheng and Jia Zheng were shoulder to shoulder, and he flattered Jia Zheng to study all the way, and at the same time regretted that he didn't study carefully at the beginning with a disappointed tone.Although Jia Zheng always showed people with a square and simple face, he was actually a lively and active person who liked the unfettered pastoral life.

When he first met Wang Zisheng, although he felt that Wang Zisheng was a bit vulgar, but after a few words, Jia Zheng found that although Wang Zisheng was rough, he was not vulgar at all.He said many things that he had never heard before, especially the charge on the battlefield, and the devious fight behind the enemy's back, which made Jia Zheng respect Wang Zisheng in awe.As a son of an aristocratic family, it would be a lie to say that Jia Zheng had no intention of getting ahead. The story of his grandfather winning a surprise attack on the battlefield and single-handedly defeating the enemy in front of the battle was something he grew up listening to his nanny tell.

Jia Zheng was also naughty when he was a child, but the pampering held by his mother and grandmother stifled all of Jia Zheng's freedom, as long as he ran a little faster, or climbed trees with his boys, played in water, and other outrageous things. They will be stopped immediately by the nanny and girls.If the old lady and his wife found out, Jia Zheng's ears would suffer, and his grandmother and mother would definitely punish those around him.After coming down for several times, those boys didn't dare to play with Jia Zheng anymore, so he could only stay with the girls and watch them embroider, tinkering with the flowers that girls like, pink ones.

For more than ten years, Jia Zheng's life is like a rose-colored soft veil, and the people and everything around him are soft and delicate.Suddenly Jia Zheng saw Wang Zisheng and his cousin. Jia Zheng was unfamiliar with the aura of the Wang family brothers. Wang Zisheng exuded wildness and aggressiveness, which was completely different from his daily rose-colored gentle life.This kind of life is beyond Jia Zheng's imagination, but it is very attractive to him.What does it feel like to ride a horse galloping on the battlefield, what does it feel like when the sword in your hand cuts into someone else's body, and what does it feel like when the enemy's blood splashes on your face and hands.Listening to Wang Zisheng's words, Jia Zheng felt something strange and familiar inside his body began to move.

"My elder brother won the award, and he is a scholar who is useless. In fact, both of us started our careers with military merits. I also wanted to join the army. It's just that my grandmother and mother were reluctant, so I had to be born in the imperial examination. Outsiders Looking at people from a family like us, they all think that we only need to rely on the grace of our ancestors to spend the whole day, make troubles for officials and do things casually. In fact, how do they know that we bear more responsibilities and expectations than they do. I Studying hard, I thought I could always fool around with fame this year. Who knows—I don’t think I’m good enough for Lingmei.” Jia Zheng sighed helplessly, he didn’t want to think about that untimely illness.

Wang Zisheng was very good at observing words and expressions, and he had already noticed the changes in Jia Zheng's expression along the way.His impression of Jia Zheng has changed a lot: "It turns out that he is not the idle young man as he imagined, but just full of makeup and pampered into a girl. How can such a person stand up for the family? I have to rely on him for the rest of my life. After a while, I will beat Jia Zheng, and let him know his own shortcomings, and slowly correct himself."

So a sly look flashed in Wang Zisheng's eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly curled up: "We are just sitting around and bored anyway, so we might as well relax our muscles and bones. The last time we shot an arrow, we were lucky enough to win His Highness the Grandson. His Highness took his The bow and arrow were rewarded to me. You see, the craftsmanship in the palace is completely different from that outside." Wang Zisheng pulled Jia Zheng to compete in archery.

When Zili came back from the front, she sat under the window and was lost in thought. She had met all the members of the Jia family except Jia She, and Zili and the Jia family were quite affectionate when they were in Hangzhou.But now Zili is full of anxiety about the future. When she was in Hangzhou, Zili told Jia Mu that she was just a girl from someone else's family, and whether it was good or bad had nothing to do with her.But when Zili married into Jia's family, Zili became Jia's mother's daughter-in-law.This mother-in-law is not easy to serve. Thinking of Mrs. Wang eating fast and chanting Buddha all day long, her clothes are ashamed. Although she is the second wife of the Rongguo Mansion and the mother-in-law of the imperial concubine, she is like a soy sauce in front of Jiamu.The one who was defined by Jia's mother as unable to speak and not pleasing to her mother-in-law, how much suffering did she suffer in the Jia's family, from the straightforward Miss Wang to the second wife like a Bodhisattva?Could it be that in the next few decades, she will live a life where not a widow is better than a widow?Seeing the death of his own children, the ineffective ones are ineffective.

When Zili was in a state of confusion, Mingqian came in, covering her mouth and suppressing a smile, her face flushed. As soon as she came in, she was so angry that she covered her belly and laughed, she just lay down on the table and shouted: "Ouch!" , you go and see, where our third master is playing tricks on the new son-in-law. It's so ridiculous!"

After the rain angrily pushed Mingqian lying on the table: "You are still laughing, so you forgot the girl's order. People from their Jia's family came today, so don't let us run away. If their family sees it, what should we do?" Said that our family has no rules. I was you and disappeared in a blink of an eye, so I ran over there!"

Mingqian pushed Yuhou's hand away, she calmed down for a little breath, gestured to Zili and said, "I sent a message to the girl to go to the kitchen, and I didn't really want to peek. The second master of the Jia family is really a The useless pewter tip looked good, but it turned out to be an idiot. He couldn't draw the bow and arrow at all. He changed three bows in a row, but one was lighter than the other and still couldn't be drawn. In the end, the third master had to ask someone to find a bow and arrow. Zhang made a small short bow for the children to practice. He blushed and struggled to pull it away, but the arrow still didn't shoot out, and somehow it fell in front of his eyes. The third master was dumbfounded Yes, at the beginning the third master was still comforting, but who knows that he is so big, his strength is not as good as a child, the third master is completely stunned and doesn't know what to say. Which of our new uncles is blushing like a crab !” Thinking of Wang Zisheng's astonished eyes at that time, Jia Zheng wished he could find a crack in the ground and couldn't help giggling again.

After the rain was also amused by Ming Qian's words, all the men in the Wang family are skilled in bowing and horses, and there are quite a few servants in the family practicing martial arts, even the maids are used to the scenes of drawing bows, archery and hunting on horseback.Greenhouse strawberries like Jia Zheng's are also new to the girls of the Wang family. "The third master is good at kung fu, and no one else can beat him. I just didn't expect the new uncle to be so useless. His strength is not as good as the girl. When she was outside the pass, the girl could hold a hard bow of ten stones and shoot it. Rabbit and pheasant. Unexpectedly, this new uncle is really good, even more delicate than the girl!"

After listening to Ming Qian's words, Zili felt better for a while. "However, I can't say that he is not good. Didn't the new uncle know how to read? If it weren't for the illness in this exam, he would be a candidate now." Mingqian felt that she and Yuhou were a bit too much just now, and was busy rounding up the words. return.

"I think this idea must be the idea of ​​the elder brother. He wants to impress them. Since Ming Qian said that Zi Sheng was there with the second master of Jia's family in the flower hall to make a difference. Although the third brother is good at martial arts, he can read well. Not much, we can't let the third brother suffer. Why don't you go and help the third brother!" Zili had an idea in his mind, and smiled at the girls with a good show.

"Haha, Brother Zheng, is your arm okay? If it's really hurt somewhere, it's my fault!" Wang Zisheng looked at Jia Zheng with a concerned face, holding his arm and sucking in the cool air, holding back his smile and wanting to reach out to check Is Jia Zheng's arm injured?

"It's nothing serious, it's just that I don't feel comfortable with such an effort." Jia Zheng's face was so hot that he could fry an egg, and his little heart was already full of cracks, and it was about to shatter to pieces.

Wang Zisheng wanted to ask again, when suddenly he saw a girl come in and face them: "Third Master, this servant is here to get the Book of Changes."