Dressed as Su Peisheng

Kangxi 47 years

On the third day of the first lunar month, Prince Yong's Mansion

After listening to Su Wei's answer, Ling Xi raised the corners of his lips slightly, "I wonder if Eunuch Su's errand can be delayed for a while? Our little master has something to reward Eunuch. If Eunuch can spare some time, I will go and get some with my servant." Let's go."

Su Wei turned his head to look at the fourth elder brother and Nian Shi who had gone a little farther away, nodded after thinking for a while and said, "That's good, then I'm in trouble."

Ling Xi greeted Su Wei lightly, and led Su Wei to follow behind the team, without attracting the attention of the two masters, the group went to the west courtyard together.

When they arrived at Nianshi's small courtyard, the fourth prince and Nianshi entered the main room, Su Wei was led outside the wing room, a little girl saw Grandpa Su, blessed her body quickly, trotted into the room and took a cotton bag The vest and two knee pads came out.

"This is specially ordered by the young master." Ling Xi picked up the vest and compared it to Su Wei, "If it doesn't fit, I will ask the maids to change it."

"Master Lao side concubine is worried, and this slave is really terrified," Su Wei took a step back and took the wooden tray from the little girl.

Ling Xi curled his mouth and put the vest on the wooden tray, "Don't worry, father-in-law. It's the servants who cleaned up the warehouse recently and picked out a lot of old materials. The young master said that it's better to put it on, so it's better to add it." Making winter clothes from some cotton and distributing them to the slaves in the mansion is also regarded as a reward for everyone's hard work for a year. However, the one for Mr. Su is made of the best material specially ordered by the young master. The servants are afraid that it won't fit. I found something good, so I asked Mr. Su to come and try it in person.”

"Miss has a heart." Su Wei looked down at the cotton vest, which was really thick. "The little master is kind and forgiving, and benefits his subordinates. Su Peisheng is very grateful. I also ask the girl to pass it on for the servants to thank them face to face. "

Ling Xi lowered his body slightly, led Su Wei into the main hall, and reported to Nian Shi inside the room through the door, "My lord, Eunuch Su has come to thank you."

In the inner hall, the fourth elder brother was putting down the half bowl of mandarin fish soup that he had just used up, when he heard Su Wei coming, he frowned unexpectedly.

Nian secretly glanced at the expression of the fourth elder brother, and said in a soft voice, "It's my concubine who asked the maids to make a batch of winter clothes, and wanted to reward the slaves in the mansion as a festival gift. Eunuch Su may have just received the reward," said After finishing, he turned his head to the outside and said, "Let me in quickly."

Su Wei walked into the inner room with a bow, and after seeing the ceremony, he leaned over to Nian and said, "The servants thank the young master for the reward. It is very cold and frosty, and the servants will always remember the favor of the young master when they get winter clothes."

When Nian heard the words, he smiled lightly and said, "Grandpa Su, you are being polite, get up quickly."

Su Wei stood up, facing the fourth elder brother who was lying on the couch.The fourth elder brother coughed lightly, looked at Ling Xi who was standing at the door holding something, and said, "What kind of clothes, show it to me."

Ling Xi glanced at Nian, walked into the inner hall with his head down, and put the knee pads and cotton vest on the kang table.

The fourth elder brother picked up a knee pad and looked inside and out. It didn't look like an ordinary quilted sleeve, but was made of a whole piece of gray rabbit fur, which felt very warm and soft to the touch.

Ling Xi glanced at Nian, stepped forward and blessed the fourth elder brother and said, "Don't be offended, the prince, because the young master is very concerned about the prince's dignity, and specially ordered the servants to give the father-in-laws of the East Courtyard all the winter clothes." It should be extra delicate. The servants picked up the rabbit skin left over from last year to make knee pads for Mr. Su. Tying them on his legs not only keeps him warm, but also does not look bloated and does not affect his movements. The cotton vest is also filled with The fine cotton is much lighter than that worn by ordinary servants."

The fourth elder brother stretched out his hand and squeezed the cotton vest that was pressed underneath, and a smile of unknown meaning appeared on his plain face, "It's really troublesome for Mu Yun, but it's just a bunch of slaves, just ask the sewing master in the mansion to make it." , why bother to labor the people in your yard?"

"My lord is serious." Nian lowered his head slightly, "The maids in the concubine's courtyard are usually idle, and when the New Year is over, they make some winter clothes for the slaves in the mansion, which can be regarded as soothing. The slaves are warm Now, next year I will be more dedicated to serving my masters."

The fourth elder brother nodded with his mouth bent, turned to look at Su Wei and said, "Since you have won the reward, you can try it instead, don't waste the painstaking efforts of the side concubine."

Su Weizheng was stunned for a moment, and moved to the fourth elder brother one step at a time. Before he could speak, the fourth elder brother had already moved to the side of the couch. knee pads.

Because he was going to court with the fourth elder brother today, Su Wei specially picked a pair of thick boots and tied them on top of his boots, which can not only block the wind, but also save his knees from being hurt when kneeling down to salute.

The room was quite silent for a while, only Ling Xi's slightly heavy breathing caught my attention.

Su Wei froze on the spot, half bowed and half straight. Before he could sort out the messy hemp ropes in his mind, the fourth elder brother had already untied Su Wei's original knee pads and threw them on the kang table, and was about to bow his head to tie him a new one. Su Weicai reacted abruptly, pulled the knee pads from the fourth elder brother's hand, and stepped back two steps, "Your servant will do it yourself, you will come by yourself." Going to the corner, strapping on knee pads in a panic.

Nian Shi, who was sitting on the other side of the soft couch, had a slightly pale face. She turned her head to look at the fourth elder brother who had no eyes on her at this moment. The untied knee pads attracted the past.

This knee pad is pure black, and its appearance is made of woolen material that is almost the same as boot leather. It is hard to be found when it is tied on the boots. It is lined with a thick layer of down, and the fur color is as smooth as water under the light.

A chill suddenly flashed through Nian's heart, and he couldn't help reaching out to touch the lining of the knee pads. Sure enough, the cloth was sewn inside a whole piece of fine mink fur.

The number of mink furs that Dasang Ula pays tribute every year is extremely limited. Nian Shi was conferred the concubine of Prince Yong. When he received the regulations from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there were no more than five Ula mink furs a year. Sometimes he wanted to make a fine fur coat , You have to ask the prince for a reward.Even the leftovers that were cut out were all sewn on the hood of the cloak, and were never used to reward the servants.

But now, such a whole piece of leather was actually used as a knee pad for an eunuch.In comparison, the two rabbit skins that she gave as a special gift seemed like a joke.

Su Wei tied up the knee pads with great difficulty, and went to the fourth elder brother and Nian Shi to thank him.

The fourth elder brother glanced at Nian Shi, and Nian Shi barely coped with it, then lowered his head and stopped talking.

The fourth elder brother stood up from the soft couch, straightened his cuffs, and said to Nian, "I still have business to deal with today, so I'll go back first, and you should rest earlier."

Nian stood up to send him off respectfully, the fourth elder brother walked to the door, but stopped again, turned around and whispered in Nian's ear, "In the back house of the palace, apart from Fujin, the king values ​​Mu Yun the most. Just because Mu Yun has read history books, knows how to advance and retreat, and understands the overall situation, she is very different from those boudoir women who can only be jealous and intrigue. Fujin's health is not good, and the affairs of the palace have always been left to you by the king The most reassuring thing. Don’t be blinded by a small loss. In the end, you failed the trust of this king.”

Nian's body tightened, he raised his head slightly to look at the fourth elder brother, and then quickly leaned over and said, "I am flattered to be able to be valued by the prince. I will never let the prince down because of choking."

"That's good," the fourth elder brother curled his lips, "Recently, the king has just obtained two sables of excellent quality. Later, you and Fujin will each have one, and it will complement each other perfectly if you wear it on the cloak."

"Thank you, my lord," Nian leaned over to thank him.The fourth elder brother helped her up, turned around and led Su Wei out of the house.

Ling Xi watched the fourth elder brother walk away, and when he returned to the inner room, he saw Nian sitting on the side of the couch with a cold face in a daze.

"My lord," Ling Xi walked carefully to Nian's side with his hands clasped, "My lord, don't think too much, maybe the lord just doesn't like my lord's deliberate temptation. I really can't see anything from Su Gonggong's face." .Although the lord just now——you see, Eunuch Su is so flustered. Perhaps, it’s just that we are overthinking it. Maybe the lord himself is a clean and ascetic person.”

"You don't need to comfort me." Nian tilted his head slightly, his voice was particularly low, "Even if I can find a hundred reasons, I can easily convince the world, but I can't convince myself."

"But," Ling Xi rubbed her hands together, and said in a low voice, "all this is just the young master's guess. Even if the prince really has that kind of habit, what kind of beauty can't be found, why do you need a eunuch? ?”

Nian turned his head sharply, his eyes were sharp, Ling Xi hurriedly knelt down and pleaded guilty, "It's the servant who made a slip of the tongue, please forgive me, my lord."

Nian breathed a sigh of relief, and stopped looking at Ling Xi, "That's not a hobby. If it was just a hobby, the prince would not leave the Xipei courtyard empty and let people chew their tongues behind their backs. If it was just a hobby, then why would Su Peisheng never Do not follow to serve in the Western Academy."

"My lord," Ling Xi looked up, seeing the tears flashing in Nian's eyes, and felt distressed immediately, "Relax, my lord, no matter how favored that Su Peisheng is, he is just a eunuch, with no children, even the light I can't even see it, maybe one day the head will fall to the ground. The little master has more than him."

Nian smiled with tears in his eyes, his body trembling slightly, "But what he has is what all the women in this high-walled inner courtyard can't get if they try their best."

East courtyard

As soon as the two of them entered the room, Su Wei was furious and stopped in front of the fourth elder brother and asked, "You, you, what did you mean just now? You don't know how to avoid taboos in front of people. Are you afraid that I will live too long? "

The fourth elder brother glanced at him, walked around to the other side with a calm face, untied his belt and prepared to change clothes.

"Speak clearly to me." Su Wei turned to the front of the fourth elder brother and grabbed his undressed hand, "Did Nian notice something? You want me to go to the Xibeiyuan to receive the reward in front of your eyes." Xie En, is she trying to test me? Am I showing off? No, you're showing off!" Su Wei slapped the fourth elder brother on the chest, "Why did you untie my clothes in front of people just now!"

"I untie your knee pads, not your clothes." The fourth elder brother rolled his eyes embarrassingly, "Nian Shi is different from Li Shi, just intimidating is useless. Instead of letting her search around indiscriminately, It's better to tell her directly. She is smart, as long as the master is sincere enough, she knows how to deal with herself. At this moment, the master still needs to win over the Nian family. "

Su Wei pulled the clothes that the fourth elder brother had changed, and rolled up his belt, "But, what can you do with your sincerity? It's not like you don't know what the Nian family lacks. Now there are only young masters and young masters in the backyard. Shiyue hasn't..."

The more Su Wei spoke, the softer he was, and finally he was glared at by the fourth elder brother, and he swallowed it back completely.

"I already have an heir," the fourth elder brother sat on the soft couch, "Even if I don't, I don't plan to have a child with the blood of the Nian family."

"Why?" Su Wei's eyes widened, and he was in a daze for a moment, "Because Nian Gengyao..."

The fourth elder brother glanced at Su Wei, but didn't say yes or no. Su Wei didn't ask any more questions, but just walked up to the fourth elder brother and sat down, kicking off his boots.

"By the way," the fourth elder brother said as if thinking of something, "I just saw it today. Our grandpa Su's is so precious. We use mink fur as knee pads, and the fox fur that my master asked to make for you." where?"

"You still have the nerve to say," Su Wei poked his neck, "The one you gave me weighs half a catty each, and it's like carrying two buns on my legs. I haven't reached the Rijing Gate yet. , I have to be arrested by the respect office for the crime of disrespect. I bought this mink fur from Jishengtang, and it was eaten by moths when it was transported to Beijing. I can't sell it anyway, so I cut the good ones. It’s down and made into knee pads. By the way, there’s still one piece left, how about I get someone to make you a hand warmer?”

"No need," the fourth elder brother picked up the scroll and turned around, leaving the back of Grandpa Su's head.

Into the night

The lights were turned on in Nian's yard, and Ling Xi asked people to clean up the barely touched dinner.

"My lord," Ling Xi walked carefully behind Nian, "I will go to the waiter to make some sour cake for you later, and you can eat a few pieces with milk before going to bed, so that you won't feel sick to your stomach in the middle of the night."

"No need," Nian rested his jaw on one hand, looked at the dark night through the blurred window lattice, "I have no appetite, and I don't want to eat anything."

Ling Xi sighed silently, knelt down and tapped Nian's calf, "My lord, you said that Su Peisheng has been with the prince for so many years, and the other people in the house didn't notice?"

"Why didn't you notice it?" Nian's voice was full of vicissitudes, "It's just that you didn't notice it. In this palace, who can cover the sky with one hand than those two people?"

"My lord," Ling Xi pursed her lips, thought for a moment and made up her mind, "Didn't you say that the lord is very dependent on our second young master? No matter how powerful Su Peisheng is, he's still a slave. How about—"

"No," Nian interrupted Ling Xi, "didn't you hear clearly what the prince said to me today? Taboo, sooner or later, I will tear my face apart. At that time, I'm afraid I won't even have a place to live in."

"But," Ling Xi pursed her lips, "Is that Su Peisheng just going to be happy all the time? Even if we can't do it, someone in the house will be able to do it."

"I don't want to confront him right now. Su Peisheng must have his means and brains to be able to stay safely by the prince's side for more than [-] years." Nian turned around and leaned on the cushion, his gaze gradually became deep , "And, I don't believe, I don't believe that I will lose to a eunuch! I don't even believe that I will have no way to win back the heart of the prince!"

"My lord," the maid Caixi stepped into the threshold, leaning over to Nianshi and said, "Grandpa Su, please see me."

Nian Shi and Ling Xi looked at each other, raised their hands and said, "Let him in."

Su Wei carried a large tray and followed Caixi into the inner room, "My servant greets the young master, the sable that the prince rewarded you, and this servant brought it to you."

"It's Mrs. Lao Su," Nian took a sip from the tea bowl at the side, and Ling Xi took the tray and showed it to Nian.

Nian stroked the slippery fur, and there was a rare smile on his face, but he didn't want to see a delicate porcelain box after opening the sable.

"This is?" Nian picked up the box, and a sweet and pleasant fragrance came leisurely.

"This is a little thought from the servant," Su Wei lowered his head, "it is a honey powder from Nanyang, which is priceless. I heard that it is as light as paper when used, and the effect of beautifying the skin is very remarkable. It is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, You have to spend a lot of money to barely get a few boxes."

"Such a precious thing?" Nianshi opened the box, the sweet taste was indeed different from ordinary powder

"My lord, look at this color," Ling Xi leaned forward and said, "There is a bit of tender powder in the snow white, it must match your skin tone very well."

Nian bent his lips, and handed the porcelain box to Ling Xi, "Grandpa Su has put so much thought into it, I'm really a little scared. We Ming people don't talk dark words, and Mr. Su's visit must have nothing to do with the day's affairs." It has something to do with it. I just don’t know, what does Eunuch Su want to do?”

The corner of Su Wei's mouth curled up, and he leaned over and said, "The young master speaks quickly, and the servants dare not hide in front of the young master. In fact, the young master has a noble status and is valued by the prince, and what he asks is like Dengyun's request." The ladder. The servant is not someone who holds Yu Huaijin. After rolling in the dye vat for a long time, some things can be seen clearly. The little master will be promoted step by step in the future, and the servant can help step up. .As for the slave himself, he just wants to leave a way out, and I hope that the little master can help me a little bit."

Nian didn't speak immediately, but stared at Su Wei for a while. Su Wei kept his head down, with a calm expression showing a little nervousness.

After a while, Nian suddenly smiled and said, "Grandpa Su has worked so hard, if there is a day when he will retire, he should return to his hometown with honor and live up to his old age."

Su Wei let out a long breath, bowed to Nian and said, "Thank you, little master."

Su Wei bowed and retired, Ling Xi closed the door of the inner room, and said to Nian with a happy face, "My lord, you can rest assured this time. According to the servants, the East courtyard is not monolithic at all. As for the prince, After all, he is still the prince."

Nian slowly curled the corner of his mouth, picked up the box on the table and sniffed it gently.

Walking out of the Xibei Hospital, Xiaoyingzi followed Su Wei and yawned loudly, "I said, Master, when we come here at night, we just give you a piece of leather."

"Of course not," Su Wei walked unsteadily.

"Then what are we here for?" Xiaoyingzi raised the lantern and walked to Su Wei's side.

"Sell-stupid-," Su Wei answered in a drawn-out tone.

"What?" Xiao Yingzi Zheng blinked blankly.

Su Wei turned his head and took a look at the ineffective apprentice, then stretched out his hand and rubbed the back of his head, "Little Yingzi, remember, if one day you meet a selfish, arrogant, broken master, you must always be vigilant. Just in case he shows off his love without your consent, and shows off his wealth in public! The so-called shooting the top bird, at this time, for the sake of my own peaceful life, I can try my best to live a long-term life, and act stupid and pretend to be stupid appropriately. It is very necessary."

Xiaoyingzi pondered quietly for a while, then pondered for a while, finally nodded and said, "Although I hardly understood, I remember what you said that our prince is a selfish, arrogant, broken-hearted master! "