The Marginal People of Jia's Family in the Red Chamber

Lingxu Mountain, Lingxu Temple, in the house.

A seven or eight-year-old kid in brocade clothes, with his horns combed, trotted in and said, "Mom, I came first again in this quiz."

The beautiful woman he called "mother" was dressed as a Taoist girl, she spoke softly, raised her head with a smile, and said, "Lan'er, good job, today a villager sent you a pot of wild mountain delicacies, stewing a pot of mountain delicacies soup for you , with pheasant, the most delicious, good."

"Okay, I've been wanting to eat it for a long time." The boy in brocade clothes replied.

The beautiful women and children dressed as Taoist nuns are Li Wan and Jia Lan.

Seven or eight years passed in a flash. When Li Wan moved out of the Rongguo Mansion, Li Wan was determined not to have anything to do with the Rongguo Mansion. Their mother and son sent their confidantes to take care of Mother Jia, Jia Zheng, Mrs. Wang waited to kowtow, and for the rest of the time, she never entered the mansion on the grounds that the horoscope was restrained.Even if it was the New Year's Eve, the things they brought were only Zhuangzi's game, and the quantity was very small. The gifts for the masters were also Li Wan's needlework and Jia Lan's homework.They were all worthless things. Of course, it didn't matter if the needlework was done by Li Wan or not.

Living at the foot of Huguo Temple for two years, Li Wan cultivated rare green chrysanthemums, which happened to be the most beloved chrysanthemums by the chief minister of the current dynasty. Li Wan sold the flowers anonymously through Biyun, who married a merchant as his wife.What Li Wan was looking for was money, and she didn't need to use chrysanthemums to make her famous, so she never participated in the Flower Fighting Fair in Beijing.Only deliver the finished products to the merchants who need them. Those merchants use exotic flowers and plants to make a name for themselves, and each of them takes what they need with Li Wan.

The peonies, chrysanthemums, camellias, and begonias with stalks in Li Wan's hands are suitable for bonsai. There are flowers in the market, and Li Wan sells a lot of them and earns a lot of money.

But in Li Wan's hand, plum blossoms, bergamot, bamboo and other plants that symbolize such nobleness, Li Wan never sells. She has long planned to use these flowers to seek a clear name, so naturally she can't be tainted with copper.Even to sell flowers through Biyun, it took a few turns. Only Li Wan and Biyun and his wife knew about it, not even Jialan's nanny.

At the beginning, Nanny made great contributions, but when Jia Lan was three years old, Li Wan set up a house for Nanny in the name of rewarding her meritorious service, and asked her to go out and adopt a few children for the elderly. A few acres of land were given back, which was completely in the model of the old lady of the little country gentry.The nanny had stayed in a rich family, and knew in her heart that Widow Li Wan was unemployed, and her son was her lifeblood, and she would never let Jia Lan let anyone get closer than her, so she obediently accepted the reward and left.Besides, the reward Li Wan gave was quite a lot, which was enough for her to live in peace, and the nanny was happy to make decisions on her own, without having to look at her master's face.

Selling flowers is mainly a boutique route. Although the money you get is a lot, it cannot be compared with medicinal materials.

Space is indeed a magical thing. The ginseng seeds planted are only two years old, but it seems to be 200 years old. At first, Li Wan didn't know how to process medicinal materials, so he directly picked fresh medicinal materials, and went to the famous ginseng in disguise. The century-old pharmacy sells medicines.

The shopkeeper of the pharmacy said that it was rare to get ginseng. If it was processed well, it would definitely be the treasure of the shop. Li Wan risked his identity and got a lot of money.On the return trip, I made a few detours and changed a few sets of clothes before I escaped smoothly.Back at Zhuangzi in the suburbs of Beijing, I haven't dared to sell medicinal materials for more than a year.

Li Wan didn't dare to continue until he was sure that the pharmacy hadn't found any clues.Two years was enough for Li Wan to plant precious Chinese herbal medicines in the space.Li Wan personally went to learn the technique of concocting medicinal materials. In order to find an excuse to raise funds to learn the way of medicine, Li Wan directly became a monk and became a female crown.

These days, it's normal for a female crown to be medically skilled. Li Wan lamented to his servants again. If she had medically skilled at that time, Jia Zhu wouldn't have gone there so early. At least when taking care of him, it would make him feel comfortable. Some.Those who heard it all admired the deep love between Li Wan and Jia Zhu.Li Wan found an excuse, so he directly found an old doctor, and began to learn medical skills, focusing on concocting medicinal materials.

Li Wan had nothing to do for a long time, he only learned one trick, so he quickly mastered it.At this time, the medicinal materials in her space are already 300 to 400 years old. She picked them, processed them, and then sold them through the hands of foreign merchants, which is simply huge profits.

In just three years, Li Wan had accumulated a large sum of money.With such a large amount of money, Li Wan is a girl who has no business acumen, so she can only buy land and a house.Li Wan didn't think that an elementary school teacher who simply lived and worked within the system, or a woman whose greatest skill was an official's family, could make any big business.There are so many smart people in the world, Li Wan can't expose the existence of space.

With this wealth, Li Wan bought Lingxu Mountain, which was some distance away from Huguo Temple, met the official Lingxu Temple on the mountain, and bought good land in the suburbs of Beijing, Zhili, Shandong and other places one after another.She has an edict on her body. In this case, in our dynasty, it is equivalent to a man with an official position. He does not need to pay land tax, and other taxes are also low. Therefore, many fertile lands are recorded in Li Wan's name.

Since Li Wan became a nun and became a female crown, there is no reason to lock herself in a deep boudoir. She often uses the identity of a Taoist nun to give medicine and medicine to the people around Lingxu Mountain and donate rice to help the poor, so she has a very good reputation here.The common people all know that around Huguo Temple and Lingxu Temple, Buddhism and Taoism coexist, and the principals are all philanthropists, so they often prefer to settle here.

At the beginning, Li Wan wanted to buy the back mountain and surrounding area of ​​Huguo Temple.After inquiring, I found out that the word "protecting the country" was not just hung casually. The surrounding mountains, forests and fields were all rewarded by the royal family to the Huguo Temple.Li Wan knew that he had a special status now, and he was afraid of causing trouble for the Li family and Jia Lan, so he bought Lingxu Mountain, which was not far away. Inside.

After Li Wan moved his family to Lingxu Temple, he would often bring his bergamot, lotus, epiphyllum and other flowers and plants that were related to Buddha to visit the elders of the Sutra Pavilion in Huguo Temple in the name of studying.Although Li Wan is young and beautiful, he has a noble temperament. The elders of the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion are also in their 80s, so there is no taboo to meet.Every time Li Wan went out, he brought little Taoist boys and nuns under the age of ten, and there would be no ethical problems.

Li Wan had a good idea, he didn't ask to see the abbot, but in the name of being eager to learn, he started with the Tibetan scriptures.The elder of the Cangjing Pavilion is the most senior person in the entire Huguo Temple, but the person with the least sense of existence, Li Wan went straight to the point and explained why he came.It is true that he is eager to learn, but he also wants to seek the protection of Huguo Temple.Seeing her sincerity and sincerity, the elder liked the flowers she brought over, so he also acquiesced.

Later, Li Wan rescued the bodhi tree introduced from Tiantai Mountain, and only then did he come into the eyes of the abbot and a group of eminent monks.

In the past seven or eight years, Li Wan's reputation for being proficient in Taoism and Buddhism, and his compassion has gradually spread, and he has gained a good reputation in the Qingliu circle, the circle of practice, and the hermit circle.

Jia Lan started to read at the age of three. As a former elementary school teacher and with the memory of Li Wan, it didn't take much effort to enlighten Jia Lan.When Jia Lan was six years old, Li Wan made careful inquiries through various contacts, and finally got Jia Lan to worship under Su Yizhen, a great contemporary scholar.

At that time, Li Wan sent two Taoist boys to see Su Yizhen with the pot of orchid she had raised the best, and attached a short note, "I have an orchid plant, I poured my heart into it, and sent it to the master. Can you treat me kindly?" With orchids referring to Jia Lan, Su Yizhen's well-known Ai Lan, goodbye to the aura-filled Jia Lan readily agrees.

The allusion of "sending Lan to seek a teacher" is also circulated in literati circles. Now Jia Lan is studying under Su Yizhen's school, and there are three or four brothers of the same age in the same school.

Li Wan sat in an armchair and chatted casually with Jia Lan.Li Wan was wearing a silver silk feather coat, and from another angle, he could still see the dark embroidery on it, which was full of brilliance.Wearing cloud shoes, the fabric is the most comfortable and suitable for making shoes. The hair is simply tied into a bun, and a white jade lotus crown is covered on the bun.The lotus petals on the crown were as thin as cicada's wings, tied with silk sash, and hanging down were two jade pendant horns carved into cloud heads, which were both rich and elegant, which fit her status as a widow's crown.

Although it was just a daily attire at home, Li Wan also dressed herself in an elegant and refined way.The reason why Li Wan was able to become a nun with the heart to become a Taoist nun at the beginning had a lot to do with the fact that Taoism was not as strict in dressing as Buddhism.

Li Wan was talking to Jia Lan about interesting things in school, when the little Taoist girl Xia Bing came to report that a guest had come, and it was attracted by Master Kongming, one of the elders of Huguo Temple.

Li Wan looked at his attire and found that it was not rude to treat guests, so he asked Jia Lan to rest and went out to meet the guests by himself.

When I arrived at the Taoist temple, I took a look at the living room, and there were six people, Kongming from Huguo Temple, Cangshan Bei, a hermit, and three well-dressed people, who looked like a father with two sons, and one who was a general. , with a strong battlefield murderous look on his body, he looked the same as the special officers and soldiers he met when he visited the barracks back then.Usually it looks inconspicuous, but when encountering unexpected situations, its temperament changes drastically, like a tiger coming out of the valley.The six people were all sitting, and when they heard Li Wan speak, they all stood up to show their respect for their master.

"Infinite Life Buddha. What day is it today, Master Kongming and Cangshanbei, why are you two here? Didn't you think my place was too rich in the past?" Li Wan and the two masters discussed friendship and talked random.

"When did I dislike it? It's clear that you look down on me. The good Lan'er gave it to that old ghost Su Yizhen. I want potted flowers like my life." Cang Shanbei teased with a smile.

"It's not fatal. I have a good epiphyllum. Everyone praises it for its fragrance and elegance. In your eyes, you can cook a good dish. It really makes me feel bad." Li Wan greeted Cangshanbei and Kongming with a smile, and then He turned his head and asked, "Hurry up and introduce me, who are these four?"

"Amitabha, this is..." Master Kongming whispered the Buddha's name, and was about to introduce it. Cangshan Peking University planned to say: "Could it be that you don't use flowers for cooking? Just because they are rare, you feel distressed. The world is not benevolent, and all things are humble Dog, aren’t common flowers flowers? Hmph, let me make it difficult for you, don’t you claim to know astronomy at the top and geography at the bottom, so you can do the math yourself, so why don’t we introduce it to you?”

Cangshanbei is over 40 years old, and still has such a wild personality, Li Wan is used to it.Li Wan, dumbfounded, stepped forward and raised one hand to the four of them, nodded, and said: "The four gentlemen are able to intersect with Cangshan North, and they are also of the same kind. Would you like to let Pindao make a guess?"

"Please." The oldest of the four, Mr. Fugui, said.

"The poor man will be blunt. Please take this gentleman." Li Wan signaled the man who should be a soldier to take his seat, and said with a smile: "Cangshan North, please make room for this gentleman."

The wild and unruly people in the north of Cangshan Mountain are very familiar with Li Wan. When Li Wan just spoke, he had already sat down to get some tea and fruit.

Cang Shanbei put down the tea fruit in his hand, and said unconvinced: "Why, let this guy take the top position, I will sit here, and I have eaten all the tea fruit."

"Give up your seat with your tea fruit, I am the master, so naturally I will listen to you." Li Wan said bluntly.

"Hey, if you don't say one, two, three today, I really won't let it go." Cangshan Bei put away his laziness and did a good job.

"Why have you ever cared about a position? You've been lying on the grass outside. You really came to challenge me today." Li Wan said angrily.

The man with the appearance of a soldier waved his hands honestly and said: "No need, no need, no matter where you sit, you don't have to give up." As he said that, he was going to do the right thing.

Li Wan hurriedly stopped him and said, "I think Mr. is a general."

"Oh, why do you know that?" The general immediately became more vigilant.

"Just look at the gentleman's overall demeanor. Even if you hide it deliberately, there is still a trace or two of murderousness on the battlefield." Li Wan explained: "Soldiers protect our homes and the country, so we can live and work in peace and contentment. The poor Taoist admired most in his life." You are a soldier, so please take your seat, sir."

The soldier smiled and said: "Thank you, Xiangu, there is no need."

As soon as Li Wan thought about it, he knew that he was taboo against the three people who came with him. Li Wan turned to the remaining three people, who looked like his father, and said: "Sir, please sit down." He led him to the one on the right. The first place, and the next two people, An Jiujiu, are seated on the right.I respect the left side, and the soldier led Li Wan to the first place on the left, and Li Wan and Kong Ming sat in the master's seat.

"What about me, what about me!" Cang Shanbei jumped.

"My kirsch is just right, do you need a seat?"

"No need, no need." Cang Shanbei rushed out immediately and went directly to the wine cellar. He knew this place very well, and Li Wan didn't even bother to bother him.

"Amitabha, my little friend, why don't you explain why you are seated like this." Kong Ming opened his mouth to make a relief.

"Master, you and I have known each other for a long time. You can be regarded as a half-master. It is safe to be in the main position. As for these three gentlemen, they can know that they are dragons and phoenixes just by looking at their elegant demeanor. Privately guess, they should be from the clan or Mr. Ge. Look at the mutton fat jade hanging on this little gentleman's waist. I made a pair for Mrs. Yang Ge. I heard that the third son of Yang Ge's hometown has just returned from Chudi, so it must be this seat."

The one sitting on the right touched the jade pendant on his waist, and said with a smile: "Xiangu Huiyan." It was an admission of identity.

"I'm not sure about the identities of these two gentlemen, but it's conceivable. In the court, sir, he must have a higher official position than this general and a higher title than him, but in my heart, civil servants are not as good as military generals. seat." Li Wan explained to the three people on the right.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, Xiangu's insightful eyes have made me more knowledgeable." The wealthy man who looked like his father said: "My servant Wu Tong, this is the dog Wu Long, and this is indeed the third son of the Yang family."

"Hello Master Wu, Young Master Wu, Young Master Yang." Li Wan got up again and greeted them one by one. That Young Master Wu was in his early thirties, and it was not appropriate to call him Young Master, so Li Wan had to call him that.

"My God, you haven't finished the ceremony yet! I brought all the wine." At this moment, Cangshan Bei's voice sounded outside the door.

"It's the most active." Li Wan smiled angrily, "For those of you who are destined to come to my Spiritual Void Temple, let's try this delicious bar. Xia Bing, go get the white jade cup."

Li Wan led a few people to the wisteria flower gallery in the atrium. On the way, they looked at the Lingxu Temple in summer, where flowers and plants were everywhere, but there was a natural charm and vitality, and they all admired it very much.

Several people talked a lot on the road, Master Wu Tong said: "Just now Aunt Xiangu didn't say why she arranged the seats like this."

"Why do you need to be called a fairy, you don't have to be alienated. The poor Taoist name is Lingxu, and the master just calls me Lingxu. I used to only see people with one thought, but now I have a few words with Master Wu, and I find that you are not the one I hate the most. Civil servants." Li Wan smiled, looked at Wu Tong's puzzled eyes, and then explained: "I love soldiers with iron bones the most in my life. If they hadn't thrown their heads and sprinkled their blood, how could I have such a peaceful life today. There are still some people in the court who stand up and talk without back pain, and judge others by themselves, and they are the most slanderous. If you lead too many soldiers, you have a heart of disobedience. If you treat soldiers well, you are a kindness. If you do nothing to the people, you are invited. , It’s shameless! The army is moving out, and the food and grass are given on a monthly basis. The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly. Isn’t it a joke with the lives of the soldiers!”

"Soldiers bleed on the battlefield and shed tears when they return to the court. Those who play tricks are no match for hot-blooded men." Li Wan said, "Of course, civil servants also have their own character, but I just generalize." gone."

Everyone was silent, and after a while, Master Wu Tong said: "Daoist Lingxu is talking about General Wang and Master Liu." Death in battle is a pity that is shared by all people.

"Since ancient times, a famous general is like a beautiful woman, and the world is not allowed to see gray hair. There is nothing wrong with the old saying." Li Wan also apologized for talking about these topics. It is still inappropriate for a person like her who uses the brand of "hermit" and "celebrity" to talk too much about political affairs.

"Master Liu has been exiled to Lingnan..."

"General Wang has one life, [-] men who died in vain, and the spirit of the army in the northwest, but exile..." Li Wan interrupted.

"I am honored as a literati, so there is nothing I can do about it." Third Young Master Yang interjected.

"People, who is more honorable than whom." Li Wan said, wanting to say something more, moved his lips, but didn't say it, just smiled: "I wait for people in the countryside, it's better not to say that the temple is lofty, it's just What's the use of guessing. The three of you have never been to Lingxu Temple before, so you don't know the wisteria flower gallery in my temple, just let me go and have a look. The flowers are complex and brilliant, like a purple waterfall, beautiful Amazing."

Li Wan led them through the atrium, walked through the flower corridor in admiration, and walked into the pavilion made of wisteria flowers.At this time, Xia Bing had already brought over a set of white jade cups, and the cherry wine had also been brought over by Taoist.

Speaking of the jade products that can be seen everywhere in Li Wan's hands, they are inseparable from her space.Li Wan lost the jade bracelet in the space again, and went to find it a few days later, and found that the quality of the jade had improved.Li Wan slowly experimented and discovered that this space also has the function of raising jade.Ordinary jade is put in, and the quality has been improved a year after it is taken out, so Li Wan's Taoism made Master Kong Ming say that he is too rich.

"Please sit down, everyone. This cherry wine is as red as blood, and it's no worse than wine. Grape wine should be paired with a luminous cup. This cherry wine, a white jade cup is very suitable." Li Wan asked everyone to do it, and poured it for everyone For wine, in front of Kong Ming was a white porcelain cup produced by an official kiln, that was the real valuable thing, Li Wan only had one, and it was only for Kong Ming, the cup was filled with watermelon juice.In this way, everyone's hands are filled with white vessels and red drinks.

The six of them sat and drank freely. Li Wan had also practiced some drinking in the past few years, but he only drank three cups.Several other people are restrained, only Cangshanbei, who is known as the "wine fairy", rounds up the rest by himself.

After drinking, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Li Wan talked about less sensitive topics for a long time, and stayed with a few people to have a flower feast with lotus porridge as the main course, wisteria cake, rose cake, and stewed pork with day lily. , Fried pumpkin blossoms... It's elegant.

After finally sending these people away, Li Wan breathed a sigh of relief. At first, she thought she was an old man with a first-class clan, but now that she thinks about it, she always feels something is wrong, and she is afraid of encountering the law of time travel.The precipitation of the past few years has made her understand that the few words she said are in danger of death.

Fortunately, Cangshanbei got drunk and stayed in Zhuangzi, so Li Wan hurried over to ask him.Cangshanbei muttered: "The phoenix is ​​not a phoenix tree, so who in the world can be worthy of the golden phoenix?"

"Your Majesty!" Li Wan exclaimed, oh my god, she really encountered the law of time travel, Li Wan patted her drunken head and thought, what did she say at that time, wasn't it too out of line?Fortunately, Jia Lan was not called out to accompany the guests!If she offends the emperor, how should she make amends!

God, God!

At this time, the five people outside the gate of Lingxu Temple walked in silence, and behind them silently appeared many guards in inconspicuous clothes.

The soldier had no choice but to break the silence and said: "The last general has offended His Majesty."

"It's okay, it's just to cover up." The emperor is not a fussy person, "Master Kongming, you said that Taoist Lingxu has wisdom roots, a compassionate heart, and good flowers and plants. I haven't seen the rest, but I have seen good flowers and plants."

Kong Ming breathed a sigh of relief, His Majesty did not know where he heard the name of Taoist Lingxu, it was rare to come to Huguo Temple to offer incense, so he came to visit privately, Kong Ming was unable to mention Li Wan due to the emperor's order , I am already very sorry.If Li Wan was convicted because he brought the emperor here, that would not work.Listening to His Majesty's tone now, it does not mean to blame.

"Amitabha, monks don't tell lies." Kong Ming whispered.

"Father, this Taoist priest Lingxu also has some skills." This is the sixteenth prince who incarnates as the third son of Yang.

"If you are interested, you can come here often." The emperor nodded and ordered: "Master Kongming, don't reveal your identity."

"Yes." Kong Ming agreed, but he was still a little confused, Cangshan North is not a fuel-efficient lamp, I don't know if he can see it.

Only Kong Ming knew the identities of the group of them, and they also met on the way to Cangshanbei. The emperor thought that Kong Ming would be fine after ordering them.

After the emperor returned to the palace, he ordered people to check Li Wan carefully.

Li Wan got the news from Cangshanbei, and was so frightened that he didn't dare to use the space anymore, trying to think about whether he had any excuses before.There were some taboo books in the study. Li Wan wanted to burn them, but he was afraid that he would try to cover them up and attract others' attention, so he felt uneasy.