Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 537 Everyone is terrified

In Rongqing Hall,

It can be considered as gathering together,

Aunt Xue walked into the inner hall with a smile, holding one hand and pulling the other two into the house. She looked at the lively people in the house and said to the old lady and Mrs. Wang,

"Look, who I brought here."

Then he pulled the two of them forward. Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai walked forward slowly, bowed slightly, and greeted Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang. One of them was dressed in green, and the other was in an elegant skirt. They complemented each other like stars. , everyone’s eyes lit up when they saw it, the beauty between brothers was an unforgettable impression.

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Jia watched the happy concubine come in, as well as the two girls behind them, their mouths never closed.

"My aunt is here, hurry up, sit down here,"

Jia Mu patted the Kang on the other side of her and asked her to sit down. Aunt Xue walked over quickly to greet the old lady.

"Say hello to the old lady. These days, I have lost my etiquette. I didn't say hello to the old lady. I feel bad."

She leaned over and sat down. Lin Daiyu was grabbed by Mrs. Wang and sat between herself and Jia Mu. Xue Baochai wanted to sit beside her mother, but Qin Keqing pulled her and sat on the other side of Jia Mu. .

"Auntie, you're welcome. We don't have such big rules here. Whether you want to say hello or not, just come over and talk to me, an old woman, when you have time. I don't know what my aunt is busy with these days. She didn't even see Baochai. .”

"Back to the old lady, you also know that the Xue family's property in Jinling has almost changed hands. The Ministry of Internal Affairs still has a lot of goods that need to be settled, but you also know that it needs to be sorted out. No, just have some time. I’ve been busy with this, and it’s hard to finish it in just these few days, but I have to make some progress, otherwise I’ll be left in vain, and I won’t be able to get through it in a few days.”

Mother Jia turned to look at the concubine. Her charm was still there, she was elegant, and she behaved like a lady. She was a powerful person who could maintain the family business to this day. But after all, there was a male member of the Xue family, so it was difficult to interfere. If the concubine let her Taking a share from the Duke's Mansion can also ease the money of the Duke's Mansion, but I don't know what business the concubine has changed now.

Speaking of business, after thinking about the caravan in the Duke's Mansion, Xu Chang led his people out to buy again. Didn't they say they were traveling outside the customs? How is it now?

Feng Yatou has been busy, and the people in the clan have also made many arrangements, but why is there no movement at all in the caravan? Where are those people working? Although the old lady has not asked about this matter, it is not Deaf and blind, as soon as the news about the affairs in the house spread, many people who had not found a clerk came to complain, so I made a note of this in advance.

Mother Jia turned to look at the two girls beside her. The more she looked at them, the more she liked them. The trace of sadness in her heart made her feel more and more. It would be great if Baoyu had them. Not to mention kissing and kissing, the women of the Xue family are no better than Wang Xifeng. With that difference, she was also Baoyu's virtuous wife, but now, it's too late, what will Baoyu do in the future?

I have thought about the second son's family, and see if I can talk to the Xue family and Lin Daiyu. After all, the gate of the Duke's mansion is no worse than the gate of the Marquis' mansion. Let one of them run the house and the other has a title. As long as there is a man, this one is a noble queen after all, but now they are all from other families. I don’t know what Baoyu will look like in the future. By the way, what has Baoyu been busy with these days.

I haven’t seen him for a few days, and I always feel uneasy and worried. I couldn’t help but ask,

"Girl Feng, how come you haven't seen Baoyu in the past few days, but you are still studying in the school? What did you do?"

Wang Xifeng sat quietly in the hall, eating snacks. She thought she had nothing to do and wanted to take a rest. Later, she wanted to talk about Ning's house. After all, Sister-in-law You looked really pitiful. Ning If the government continues to behave like this, I'm afraid something will happen. Just as I was thinking about this, I saw the old lady asking Baoyu about it. Then I remembered that Baoyu had really not seen anyone these days. He had been busy with the business of the Chamber of Commerce and did not send anyone to check. It's not his own fault.

However, the second wife is now keeping an eye on Baoyu every day. After all, the second wife goes there three times a day, urging her to study in her own courtyard, so she agreed.

"Back to the old lady, Baoyu probably didn't go to school. The two gentlemen who were teaching were temporarily gone these days. I heard they were preparing for the scientific examination, so they stopped their classes. Baoyu should still be reading in his room. 2 My wife will supervise him every day. Enke should be fine this year, at least he can pass the provincial examination."

Although Wang Xifeng had not read any books, she heard what the Marquis said that night and thought that the provincial examination should be very simple. If Jia Lan could pass the examination, why couldn't Baoyu? Could it be that the uncle was not as good as the nephew? Besides, in the Rongguo Mansion, the examiner No need to take care of it. Wang Xifeng tried to use the tricks between nobles and nobles in the imperial examination. He thought that these were all based on the reputation of the relationship. It was impossible to say that this time, Uncle Bao passed the provincial examination directly and entered the national examination, and he could also pass the high school examination. .

The old lady Jia Mu had a smile on her face. When she talked about Baoyu, her heart warmed up. After hearing this, she agreed greatly. She couldn't help but smile. She looked at Mrs. Wang and the concubine and said,

"Who says it's not the case? Baoyu really didn't study that hard before. Now he studies from morning to night. He is much more sensible. Although he doesn't know about his studies, as the saying goes, the more he reads the book, the brighter he becomes. As long as he studies hard, , definitely no worse than others, the provincial examination should not be difficult, after all, it is a rare opportunity for Enke, Baoyu will definitely be able to pass it."

The words are a bit full,

Li Wan in the hall remained silent. The imperial examination was decided by the nobles, but he was careful. The Marquis must have warned himself that he should read the Analects of Confucius well. These days, he told Lan'er to put aside other worries. , I only took out the meaning of the Analects of Confucius and asked him to recite it. I didn’t know whether it was right or wrong, but I had already given it to the Marquis, so how could I lie to myself.

Aunt Xue reacted quickly, naturally flattering, and said,

"What the old lady said makes sense. Baoyu was born with great wealth. Now that he has put his heart into studying and studied hard, he will surely succeed in the provincial examination."

Mrs. Wang just smiled and took advantage of the situation and said,

"Old lady, that child Baoyu looks smart and happy. He must be able to go to high school. Just wait for the good news to come to the house."

"Oh, Mrs. Wang is so polite, you know how to praise him, and of course no one else!"

Qin Keqing's face moved slightly, but he didn't say anything. He also had some vague memories of what Jia Baoyu looked like. It seemed like he must be a naughty boy. He changed his temper in such a short time. If he really got into the school, it would be a good result. The imperial examination But it was not easy for my father to pass the exam after going through a lot of hardships.

But Lin Daiyu on the side looked at the people in the hall with some disbelief. They made the scientific examination so easy in just a few words. Then there wouldn't be so many students who failed the exam every year, as well as those scholars who participated in the exam. , who is not studying hard, but there are still many who fail to pass the exam. I wanted to give a reminder to avoid losing my mind in the end, but when I wanted to speak, I was grabbed by the sharp-eyed Mrs. Wang next to me, and she spoke first, And he said,

"Old lady, from what you said, although I haven't seen Baoyu a few times, he looks like a rare young hero. Not to mention that Enke relaxed the restrictions, even the imperial examination is not a problem. Reading is also a good thing. Throughout the dynasties, we have relied on them to govern the world. When the Rongguo Mansion returns the good news, that will be the icing on the cake. The rare literary talent will definitely come to the mansion to bother the old lady and take advantage of the literary spirit."

It turned out that Mrs. Wang had been paying attention to Lin Daiyu. When she saw that the little girl wanted to talk, it must be because of what a few people had just said about the provincial examination. She was afraid that she was ignorant, so she stopped her. Lin Daiyu was stunned, knowing that Mrs. Wang was not allowed to talk, so she also He didn't speak again, but Baoyu looked like that, how could he pass the exam, so naughty and without a wink.

Jia Mu's face was glowing red at this time, and she thought Baoyu was already the number one scholar.

"Okay, as expected, they are my in-laws. My concubine is here too, and Mrs. Wang is also a rare guest. Girl Feng, when we come back, we will have a banquet in this room, and my old lady will accompany you to have a drink."

"Yes, old lady,"

Seeing that Jia Mu was so happy, Wang Xifeng wanted to tell her about Ningguo Mansion, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to speak, so she stood there impatiently.

Although Jia Mu was happy, when she saw Feng Yatou acting abnormally, she knew in her heart that she had something to say. However, the concubine was here, and the old lady of the Hou Mansion was also there, so she was afraid that it would be difficult to say anything.

"Girl Feng, there is still something else to do. If there are no outsiders, just tell me."

Wang Xifeng looked into the old lady's eyes and knew what Jia Mu meant. If it was too much, don't say anything. But whether Ning Mansion was passing or not,

"Oh, judging from what you said, what can happen to me? It's just from Mrs. You of Dongfu. I guess there is something wrong. I wanted to tell you in detail today, but I didn't expect Aunt Wang to be there. Aunt Xue is here, so I can't open my mouth." Jia Mu felt relieved, as long as it's not a matter of the Rongguo Mansion, how big a deal can be the matter of the Dong Mansion, if you don't leave the front door and don't take the second step, the matter of the imperial court That's it, the Taoist temple at Jia Jing's side is still the same as before, so what's the emergency?

"Okay, since it's Dongfu's business, let's talk about it."

However, Wang Xifeng opened her mouth several times without thinking of what to say, which made everyone in the hall look over in confusion. Mrs. Wang thought for a moment. When she came in the morning, there seemed to be many Taoist priests in the east casting spells. Could it be related to this? Regarding this, I opened my mouth for Feng Yatou and told me what happened in the morning.

"Old lady, when I came to your mansion today, I saw a group of Taoist priests worshiping something outside the gate of Ning Mansion in the East Mansion. Many people were watching. Is this related to this?"

The people in the room looked over to Mrs. Wang again. Even Jia Mu was shocked. What Taoist priest? Master Jing came back and didn't hear the letter.

"Mrs. Wang, you said a group of Taoist priests were worshiping outside the gate of Ningguo Mansion, and there were so many people surrounding them?"

"Yes, it should still be there now, even when I came here,"

Wang Xifeng was also shocked. Why did he start again instead of telling them not to leave the house?

"Old lady, grandson's daughter-in-law also wants to say this. The immortal master invited by the Ningguo Mansion is a bit lawless. In order to practice Taoism and make elixirs, Brother Zhen made all the slaves and maids of the Duke's Mansion put on Taoist uniforms, and asked them to wear Taoist uniforms every day. I went to Tianxiang Pavilion to worship for something, and said it was about the luck required when refining elixirs. It was so smoky, I told them not to leave the house when I got there, but they still went out."

Mother Jia's face changed greatly. How could this happen? Although the imperial dynasty cannot prohibit worship, nobles and civil servants must not worship in large numbers. Unless they become a monk and go to a temple or Taoist temple, those who want to worship are also in the house. Even if you build a Buddhist hall or a viewing room, no one will care about it, but if you show off like this, the officials and civil servants will never give up the opportunity to criticize you.

"Nonsense, just nonsense."

Jia Mu was really angry. Such a joke was made in the dignified Duke's mansion.

What else do you want to say?

suddenly,

The sky suddenly darkened, and then it was like a dark night. No one could be seen around her. Mrs. Wang's expression changed. She grabbed the hands of Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing beside her and held them tightly. Daiyu and Qin Keqing were also a little frightened. What was going on? What's going on, isn't it daytime? I couldn't help but get closer to Mrs. Wang. Yueshu, the two girls, took out their daggers from their sleeves. They remembered where Mrs. Wang was and came closer. It was just dark for a while, and their eyes hadn't adapted yet. Location.

The moment it turned dark, Sanchun Zao screamed in fright and huddled into a ball with a look of fear on his face. Feng Lazi, who had a fiery personality, did not dare to move around while sitting there, with a somewhat frightened look in his eyes.

The surrounding maids and women were all shouting in fright, and some women immediately fell to their knees and begged.

Even the well-informed Mother Jia looked around in surprise and in the direction outside the window, which was dark.

of course,

It gets dark quickly and gets bright quickly. After a while, the sky becomes bright again. Just before everyone has recovered, the personal guards brought by Mrs. Wang rushed in with swords like wolves and tigers. Wei Yong, the leader, saw that Mrs. Wang and the county master were fine, and immediately performed a military salute.

"Old madam, are you okay?"

"Nothing, what happened outside?"

Wei Yong has never seen such a strange thing. When he was standing guard, the sun suddenly disappeared. All the brothers were afraid.

"Back to Madam, when the brothers were on duty outside, the sun suddenly disappeared in the sky, and then reappeared a moment later. I don't know why."

Hearing the guard's answer, Mrs. Wang thought that there was a record in the ancient books in her father's study, which seemed to be a heavenly dog ​​eating the sun. She didn't know if it was true or not. Looking at Jia Mu, the old lady also looked back.

"Mrs. Wang, do you know the reason?"

Mrs. Wang was still not sure whether it was true or not. At this time, the ground suddenly shook, followed by a loud noise.

The people in the room needed to hold on to something to stabilize themselves, and it took them a while to calm down.

Mrs. Wang shouted urgently,

"Quick, get out of the house, it's the earth dragon turning over,"

Others have heard of the earth dragon turning over, and Jia Mu also urged it.

"What are you still doing? Get out."

After hearing this, the people in the room ran out in panic. When they arrived at the courtyard, they looked up at the sky with some fear. The sun was still hanging there. What happened just now?

Surrounded by frightened and panicked girls and women, only the personal soldiers brought by Mrs. Wang were guarding the surroundings with knives, which reassured everyone.

When Wang Xifeng encountered such a situation, she was at a loss for words and unconsciously moved towards Mrs. Wang.

"Aunt, what should I do? My niece doesn't know what's going on in other places."

Jia Mu's face was also pale, but although she looked at the soldiers of the Hou Mansion with a look of fear, they did not move. They were wearing armor and holding knives. They looked like elites at first glance. This was the key to saving their lives. I didn't know what the end of this chaos was. The two concubines of the Marquis are not simple people at all. Each of them has a short sword and is guarding Mrs. Wang. They are worthy of being outside the customs.

"Mrs. Wang, we still need some help from Mrs. Wang. I don't know what kind of chaos it is outside."

Mrs. Wang's hands were still holding Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing tightly. What the old lady said was reasonable. It seemed that she didn't know what was going on outside, so it was better to stay at Duke Rongguo's mansion for safety.

"Don't worry, old lady, I won't stand idly by. Someone, bring a team of people to guard the gate. Outsiders must not enter,"

"Yes, old lady!"

After saying that, his captain led several armored men to the gate of the Duke's Mansion, and everyone felt at ease.

(End of this chapter)