Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 347 Beggar

I really saw it wrong.

After the group had been wandering around for a while, Daiyu ran into the woman again. This time she saw her face from the front. The woman had a sallow complexion, a flat head and a straight face. Apart from her figure and back, she didn't look like Li Mengqing at all.

Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that although the princess was used to being spoiled, she would not bring a little girl to this mixed night market to hang out.

But the girl looked at Daiyu for a long time and was about to approach her, but was stopped by the maid who whispered, "Sister... Sister, please don't come forward. She is with the master."

The woman blinked, then smiled and said proudly, "This disguise method is really mysterious. Sister Lin didn't even recognize me. I will take you to Shichahai for a stroll tomorrow."

The little maidservant immediately pursed her lips and was filled with worry. The little princess was good in every way, except that she had been running out whenever she had time. The prince and the second concubine were reluctant to criticize the princess, so the maidservants were unlucky. If they calculated the monthly salary, they would have been fined until after the New Year. It was also thanks to the princess's private subsidies, otherwise they would have no money for cosmetics.

Without mentioning the master and servant, Daiyu no longer missed Li Mengqing, and then she pulled Li Weijian's clothes and slowly wandered around. When her parents were still alive, she could still go out for a walk, but after her mother passed away, she came to Rongguo Mansion and was confined there from then on, only occasionally wandering around Huifang Garden.

When they grow up, they have to stay married, and from then on they are not allowed to go out of the house, and dare not meet men outside. When they are married, they are naturally less cautious, but because of their daily habits, they are sometimes stared at by strangers, and they can't help feeling a little shy.

Li Weijian was considerate and whispered, "Next time you go out, can you wear a veil to cover your face?"

Daiyu did not know whether to laugh or cry. She and Li Weijian were in the middle, and outside them were maids and old women, and outside them were twenty Beishan guards. There were three layers here and three layers outside, and ordinary people would avoid them when they walked around. It was already eye-catching enough, so why should they cover their faces?

Daiyu then said angrily, "I think it's really too much trouble. It involves a lot of people and a lot of fuss. Not only does it disturb the stall owner's business, but I'm afraid other customers will also complain about it."

Li Weijian said, "Then we can just wander around for once. It's just this once."

Daiyu nodded in agreement. This night market was originally for ordinary people to stroll around, and most of the items inside were ordinary, not as exquisite and rare as those in the Bo Mansion. However, Daiyu felt guilty and felt that she was disturbing the business of the stall owners. So every time she passed by a stall, she felt reluctant and would always spend some money to buy some items.

She bought a few pieces of silver-covered copper jewelry and kept them to reward the maids when she got back; the fresh flowers were nice, which suited Daiyu's taste, so she bought all of them and distributed them to the people accompanying her; turning around, she saw the donkey rolling, and seeing Xiuying drooling with greed, she bought a big bag of them.

In this way, they wandered from the west to the east of Huguo Temple, which took them a full hour. By then, it was already dark, and not only Daiyu, but also Xiangling and Qingwen were a little tired.

Li Weijian ordered Ding Rufeng: "Go and drive the carriage over here, and remember to leave some money for tea and water for those clerks."

Ding Rufeng agreed, turned around and walked away quickly. Soon, a dozen carriages came from the street behind Taiping Warehouse, and the young ladies got on the carriages, and Li Weijian and Daiyu were still riding together.

It was a warm early summer evening, but Daiyu's face was flushed from walking. She leaned on Li Weijian's shoulder with a smile on her face. After a long while, she said, "Marrying Fourth Brother doesn't seem to be what I thought."

"What's different?"

Daiyu just smiled and shook her head. She had thought that after they got married, they would still be like before, with mutual understanding and occasional romance. Now, although they still have mutual understanding, their lives are filled with the daily necessities of life.

But the atmosphere of the world made Daiyu feel more at ease, and she felt that this was the best. At this moment, she recalled the situation of her parents in the past. Didn't they usually eat and drink, and sometimes tell some jokes? But the poems and songs were rarely mentioned.

Seeing her shaking her head without saying anything, Li Weijian pulled her hand and played with it. Her palm was small, and her fingers were like green onions, slightly cool to the touch, but a little thin.

Li Weijian said, "Sister, you are still too thin. Let's have someone make the dendrobium into tea. It is very good for the stomach. If you drink more every day, you may not be so thin in two years."

Daiyu agreed obediently.

Li Weijian thought of Jia Lan and his two cousins, and said, "I will take Jia Lan to become a disciple in two days."

Daiyu asked: "Do you want to prepare a gift for your apprenticeship?"

Li Weijian shook his head and smiled, "Jingben and I are close friends. There's no need to be so polite. I'll ask my elder sister to prepare a normal gift later."

Daiyu nodded, and then said, "Now that the palace examination is over and the new scholars have been announced, shouldn't I pay more attention to my two sisters?"

Li Weijian said hurriedly, "I was just about to tell my sister that while the emperor has not yet moved to the Imperial Spring Garden, I will choose a day off and ask Jingwen to bring those new scholars. They have already been awarded titles, and we will discuss practical studies. Now is the time of national mourning, so we only need to prepare ordinary meals for the reception, and no need to prepare a banquet."

Daiyu agreed and thought, "Then the 20th of this month will be fine. I must tell my two sisters about it later."

The young couple was chatting, and soon they returned to the uncle's house. A group of young girls came down with their small bags, chattering non-stop, obviously very satisfied.

Li Weijian followed Daiyu all the way to the main house in the east courtyard, but was stopped by Daiyu just after passing the second ceremonial gate: "Fourth brother, it's not convenient today... Otherwise, you should go look for sister Qin first."

Is this the day of peace?
Li Weijian immediately said with a serious expression: "I just hugged my sister and went to sleep. I didn't intend to do anything else."

Daiyu's pretty face immediately turned red, and she gently pushed him twice: "How can this be? Fourth brother, go quickly, or I will kick you out if you come again."

Li Weijian looked helpless, and he left with a sigh. At this time, women who were menstruating often used plant ash to sew menstrual belts, which made it difficult to move, and there was always a faint smell of blood on their bodies. If they were having a normal life, it would be fine for ordinary couples, but those who had the means would mostly separate and avoid each other.

He personally escorted Daiyu to the main room and talked to her for a long time before Li Weijian leisurely went to Fu Qiufang's courtyard.

As soon as he left, Xueyan came to help Daiyu remove her makeup. She couldn't help but smile and said, "The master is so obsessed with the lady, and the lady can rest assured from now on."

Daiyu hummed twice, smiled and said nothing. She was smart, and after spending a long time with Li Weijian, she could naturally tell which of his sincerity was real and which was fake. He really cared about her, but he was lingering just now just to please her.

Although Daiyu knew this, she was not annoyed. She just thought that it was not her fault and Li Weijian would not coax her like this.

When Li Weijian entered Fu Qiufang's room, he felt extremely hot and stuffy.

Fu Qiufang looked a little plumper than before, and was now playing with her one-month-old baby. She was extremely happy to see Li Weijian.

Li Weijian asked a few questions and then said, "It's not good for this room to be too hot and stuffy."

Fu Qiufang smiled bitterly and said, "What can I do? This is what confinement is like. Seeing that the weather is getting hotter, I originally wanted to stay in confinement for two months, but now I am afraid of it. I will just leave after the forty-second day."

Li Weijian looked around and said, "It's not easy to open the windows in the east room, but it's OK in the west room. As long as there's no draft, it's fine. It'll be cooler this way."

Fu Qiufang nodded in agreement. Just then, little Lian'er woke up and started crying. The maidservant said, "Auntie, the eldest sister is hungry. Should we ask the wet nurse to come, or should we come by ourselves?"

Fu Qiufang said: "I'll do it myself."

She didn't shy away from it, undressed, held the child and fed him. Li Weijian scratched his head and said, "Breast milk is only effective for the first month. After that, it's better to use a wet nurse."

Fu Qiufang said angrily, "Master, what you said sounds good. My eldest sister recognizes people now. She cries and makes a fuss when the wet nurse holds her. She only feels comfortable when I nurse her. The wet nurse said that if she let go at the beginning, she would let go now. But she has been nursing for a month, and I am afraid it will be difficult to let go in the future."

Li Weijian couldn't help but smile apologetically. What else could he say about this matter?
After a while, Xiao Lian'er ate and drank enough, smacked her lips and fell asleep again. Fu Qiufang tied her clothes, hesitated for a while, and finally said: "Master, can you ask for mercy for my eldest sister in the future?"

Li Weijian took a moment to react, then asked, "Vaccine?"

Fu Qiufang said, "I heard that the mature seedlings from the Imperial Hospital are very low in toxicity. When my eldest sister turns one year old, we might as well ask for mercy and plant the mature seedlings."

The so-called smallpox vaccine is the smallpox vaccine. However, the vaccines used at that time were human smallpox vaccines. The cooked vaccines were still 30% to 40% dangerous, so the raw vaccines were even worse.

Li Weijian thought for a moment, looked at Fu Qiufang and said, "Why did you think of this?"

Fu Qiufang looked at Lian'er and said, "It's not that I'm cruel, but the wet nurse has been saying these days that a child's birth doesn't count as a success, and that only after the seedlings are planted can it be considered half successful. And I think the eldest sister is strong, so she should be able to make it through."

Li Weijian thought to himself that Fu Qiufang was afraid that she would be reluctant to let the child go as he grew older, so she might as well ask for permission now to avoid being reluctant to let the child plant seedlings in the future.

Human smallpox vaccine is highly toxic, while cowpox vaccine is less toxic. However, Li Weijian knew the fact but not the reason. However, now that his position is different, he can let his subordinates try the effectiveness of cowpox vaccine.

So Li Weijian smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will find a perfect way to plant seedlings for my eldest sister tomorrow."

Fu Qiufang was skeptical, and felt more and more reluctant to leave Lian'er beside her.

............................................................

Zhongshun Wangfu.

The prince knelt before the table, and the King Chungsun in front of him was like an old monk in meditation, not even looking at him. There were hurried footsteps outside, and the princess walked in with a frown on her face.

"Mother concubine!"

The princess glanced at the prince, stepped forward and begged, "Your Majesty, Yu'er was just trying to vent your anger, but who would have thought that she would inexplicably offend the Li guy? In my opinion, this is also the saint's partiality. Yu'er kindly sent someone to express her grievances, but who would have thought that before the person left, the Li guy smashed the bookstore."

Prince Zhongshun looked thinner than before. Hearing this, he opened his eyes, snorted coldly, and said, "Things are different now."

His biological mother, the old concubine, passed away, and the emperor went into seclusion, and he no longer saw the outside ministers. In addition, the saint had a grudge against him for the throne, and it was also because the saint cherished his reputation that he kept his half-brother. But the saint was a grudge holder, and if the prince Zhongshun closed the door and refused to see guests and acted cautiously from then on, it would be fine. But if he caused any disaster, the prince's palace would definitely be wrathful!
The princess frowned and said, "No matter what, you can't be unreasonable."

"Reasonable?" King Zhongshun smiled and said, "Do you think Li Caishen is more useful to the saint, or is I, your brother who almost lost the throne, more useful?" "This..."

Prince Zhongshun became more and more annoyed the more he thought about it. He picked up the book on the table and threw it at the prince: "Idiot! Don't go out and embarrass yourself in the future!"

The prince did not dare to dodge, and let the book hit his face, and said in a muffled voice: "Father, I will never dare to do that again."

Prince Zhongshun said sternly: "The Zhen family should stop communicating with us as soon as possible!"

After these words came out, not only the prince, but even the princess looked over in confusion. The latter asked, "Your Majesty, the Zhen family is your maternal family. We can't just cut off our relationship like that, right?"

"You have long hair but little knowledge. What do you know?" King Zhongshun said, "When my father was in power, the Zhen family owed a lot of debts. In recent years, not only did they not know how to reduce the deficits, but the deficits have become larger and larger. When my mother was alive, the saint would not touch the Zhen family for the sake of my mother's face. Now that my mother is gone, do you think the Zhen family will be spared when checking the debts? If you don't cut off contact with them as soon as possible, do you think I will have to make up for the Zhen family's deficits in the future?"

The prince frowned and said nothing. The princess was stunned for a long time before she said, "How... did it come to this?"

Prince Zhongshun said with a bitter face: "As I said before, now is different from the past. From now on, you should restrain your servants and be more restrained. Especially in cases involving murder, you must not get involved."

After saying this, he stood up and said to the prince, "Go and reflect on yourself behind closed doors. From now on, you are not allowed to go out without my permission." After leaving these words, King Zhongshun walked out of the hall and went to the back to hang out with his newly married woman.

............................................................

Two days later, Li Wan prepared her gift and sent a servant to escort Jia Lan to the Bo's residence. Li Weijian had just finished his breakfast, and Jia Lan entered the room and respectfully bowed to Li Weijian and Daiyu, calling them "Uncle, Aunt."

Jia Lan showed no strange expression, but Daiyu felt quite strange. She was only three years older than Jia Lan, but now they were a generation apart.

Li Weijian glanced at Jia Lan and said, "The Prime Minister proposed today to hold an examination for the Practical Academy. Brother Jingwen is my best friend. His Practical Studies attainments were praised by the Grand Councillor himself. With his teachings, Brother Lan can study hard for two years and take the exam tomorrow."

Jia Lan nodded in agreement, but his face showed a little worry.

Li Weijian asked, "Do you have any doubts?"

Jia Lan said, "Uncle, this practical knowledge...will it be repeated in the future?"

"Hmm? Who told you what?"

Jia Lan shook his head and said, "I just figured it out myself...Every dynasty has changed its policy, and there have always been changes. If the old party strikes back in the future, I'm afraid that the practical science examination will also be abolished."

Li Weijian immediately looked up to Jia Lan. It was not easy for him to think of this at the age of only ten. If it were any other dynasty, it would be normal to have such worries, but Dashun had Li Weijian.

Apart from other things, the steam engine factory alone sold more than 300 large and small steam engines last year. The fire of the industrial revolution is everywhere, and it will sooner or later become a prairie fire. Want to reverse history? Not to mention that the gentry and others will benefit from it, those landless craftsmen alone can drown those who propose this with their spit!

Because it was Li Weijian, he smiled and said, "A practical scholar studies practical knowledge. No matter how the world changes, surveying fields, measuring hydrology, building houses, which one can't do without practical learning? Don't worry, Brother Lan, your uncle will not cheat you."

Jia Lan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bowed and replied, "I am sorry for not thinking it through and causing trouble for my uncle."

Without saying much, Li Weijian drove Jia Lan to Yan's house. Jia Lan presented the gift of money, bowed to Yan Fengzhen, and was offered tea. Yan Fengzhen drank the tea with a stern face, and then gave him the four treasures of the study room, and then made a list of books, and asked Jia Lan to go to Yan's house every day to listen to his teachings.

Afterwards, Jia Lan went to the back to be settled first. Yan Fengzhen immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I never thought that one day I would also be a teacher... It's very stressful."

Li Weijian smiled and said nothing.

Yan Fengzhen couldn't help but complain, "Father has been giving me advice every now and then these days, fearing that I might mislead the students. Tsk, what do you think of this?"

Li Weijian smiled and said, "I am grateful for your kindness. After the national mourning is over, I will invite Brother Jingwen to come to my house for a gathering."

Yan Fengzhen shook his head and said, "I have carefully examined the two of them. They have excellent personalities and are a good match. I will take them to your home the day after tomorrow when they are back on vacation."

Li Weijian agreed, lingered for a while, and then hurried to the inner government office.

But the situation in Rongguo Mansion was quite different that day.

Because Baoyu was going to Jiangnan, Fengjie sent Ping'er to look after Qixianzhai. When the noon hour was over, Ping'er returned to Yihong Courtyard with a lot on her mind.

Sister Feng asked, "Is Baoyu making trouble again?"

Ping Er shook her head. Li Gui and other servants were beaten with sticks for instigating Baoyu to drink. Not only were they fined their monthly salary, but Mingyan, who was the most dancing, was also driven out of Rongguo Mansion.

The eight maids in Qixianzhai were also fined. With the precedent of the servant, the eight maids were all worried. Baoyu had made a scene twice in the past few days, and each time he was persuaded by Meiren, Xiren and others.

Others were just trying to give them conventional advice, but Xiren was scheming. She thought that if Baoyu got into trouble again, she would drive them all out of the Rongguo Mansion.

Baoyu had always acted recklessly, and his mind was not really bad, but he often got into trouble without thinking about the consequences. Now Xiren had laid out the consequences first, and Baoyu was worried, and although he broke many teacups, he stayed in the Qixianzhai and did not go out to make trouble.

"Baoyu didn't do anything naughty, why are you so upset?"

Ping Er replied, "Master Bao looks much more haggard. He was favored by everyone before, but now that he has fallen out of favor, I'm afraid he must be feeling bad."

Sister Feng laughed and said, "No matter how disfavored he is, has his allowance ever been shortchanged? There are only four maids around Lan'er, but he has sixteen servants inside and outside his house. In the past, when other boys made mistakes, they would be scolded and maybe even beaten with a stick. Now we are just treating them all equally, so how can he be wronged?"

Ping Er thought about it and said, "Madam, you are right. I was wrong."

Feng Jieer smiled and said, "I know you are soft-hearted, but it depends on the time and the person. Otherwise, it would be the case that the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is."

Ping Er immediately said angrily, "I am a eunuch, do you think Madam wants to be the emperor?"

"How can you say such nonsense? Shut up now."

Ping'er stuck out her tongue and smiled, "Children speak without restraint. The saint will not take it to heart." After a pause, she continued, "Just now, someone from the Marquis's Mansion came to tell me that Brother Lang will return in the carriage of the Grand Chamberlain's Mansion in the afternoon."

Feng Jieer's face lit up immediately, and she couldn't help but stroke her bulging belly and said, "Lang Ge'er is a promising boy. The old ancestor didn't make a mistake this time. Now that he has become a disciple of a famous teacher, he may have a bright future."

Feng Jieer didn't care about Jia Lan, she was thinking about the baby in her belly. According to the date, the baby should be born in mid-May, but if it is full-term, it will be early June.

The family's title would be passed down to the next generation, and they might have to find another way forward. Feng Jieer felt that she was not stupid, and the child's father was one of the smartest people in the world, so she thought the child would be smart from birth.

If I ask for your consent at that time, will Brother Jian still be able to watch his child have no future?
Maybe in a few years I will become Master Ge's disciple, or even Brother Jian's disciple.

While Feng Jieer was thinking, a maid suddenly came back and said, "Grandma, the master is here."

It took Wang Xifeng a while to realize that this was talking about her own brother Wang Ren.

Feng Jieer frowned immediately: "Why is he here again? Is his injury healed?"

The old woman said, "I think he is lame." After a pause, she continued, "It seems that the master is here to say goodbye."

Feng Jieer said with a frosty face, "You are so reckless. If you stay in the capital, you might even lose your life!" After all, he is her brother. Feng Jieer sighed and ordered, "Take him to the meeting room in front."

The old woman agreed, and Feng Jieer, supported by Ping'er, slowly walked out of the Yihong Courtyard. It took a long time before they arrived at the Fu Jen Yude meeting hall.

Wang Ren had already been sitting upright. When he saw Feng Jieer, he stood up with a gloomy face to greet her.

Sister Feng was concerned about Wang Ren's injury and could not help but look at his injured leg. Wang Ren glanced at Sister Feng's gaze and his face suddenly turned red, and he felt more and more ashamed and angry.

When Sister Feng sat down, she saw that Wang Ren looked unhappy and immediately got angry. She said unhappily, "Brother, are you here to say goodbye?"

Wang Ren said, "My aunt sent me to Jiangnan to do some chores."

Wang Xifeng sneered and did not expose the truth. Last time, Wang Ren and Wang were sent to the prison of the Ministry of Justice and beaten with a stick. Aunt Wang must have hated Wang Ren to death. How could she give him a serious job?

Feng Jieer said, "Well, my father is old, and you can serve him for a few more years when you return to the south." After a pause, she said, "Do you have enough money for the trip?"

Wang Ren said vaguely: "We have booked a government ship and are going by sea. My aunt also sent some gifts..."

I know, I just don't have much money on me. Feng Jieer looked down on Wang Ren more and more, but she also told Ping Er: "Go and get 500 taels of silver for the master. As the saying goes, a poor family is rich on the road, so you should always bring more money on the road."

Hearing this, Wang Ren's expression improved a little. He wanted to persuade Feng Jieer a few more words, after all, he couldn't write two Wang characters with one stroke, and he had to maintain the relationship between his aunt and uncle, but Feng Jieer didn't give him any chance at all, and just said, "I'm not feeling well now, and I'm tired now, so I won't send my brother off tomorrow."

At this time, Ping'er brought a banknote of 500 taels. Wang Ren watched Ping'er supporting Feng Jie'er and slowly leaving. He felt extremely humiliated holding the banknote in his hand. He gritted his teeth and roared in his heart, "These are brothers and sisters! Is my sister treating me like a beggar?"
(End of this chapter)