Taohuaxi

Chapter 32 Cheng Huaishi’s sincerity
The eunuch who announced the decree left.

The eldest mistress turned around and said condescendingly to everyone: "Today is a good day for the Cheng family. Miss Sun Shuyao, Xi Tianen, Zhao Zude, is blessed with this holy auspiciousness. Our family has a good celebration , hold a big banquet in the mansion, let three friends, four old relatives from the capital come and liven it up. The best opera troupe in the capital will be invited to come and sing for a whole day. "

The servants looked at each other and looked at the old lady.

The old lady leaned against the third lady and said nothing.

The servants finally answered in unison: "Yes."

So those who sent posts sent posts, those who invited the troupe invited the troupe, those who prepared the dishes prepared the dishes, those who tidied up the tables and chairs, and got busy in twos and threes.

The eldest mistress smiled happily and said: "Mom, our family can be regarded as relatives of the emperor now."

The old lady ignored her and said to the third young lady: "Qing'er, there is something wrong with my mother. Please help her go back to the house to rest."

"Ai."

The third young lady agreed and helped the old lady back to the main courtyard.

I was walking to the east courtyard with Xiaoyin when the eldest mistress called out to me: "Sister Zhu, please wait!"

I stopped and she walked up to me.

"Ms. Sun is very happy. As an aunt, shouldn't you be helping to make things happen? In the future, you can beg Shu Yao to talk to me."

I smiled and said, "My sister-in-law is a virtuous person and can handle everything in the house. I am a stupid person, so it will be a disservice to me."

These words made her happy. She waved her hand and said, "That's right. People should be self-aware. Go ahead."

I returned to the east courtyard.

I could hear the noise and excitement outside.The guests came one after another.

I picked up a copy of "The Book of Changes" from Huaishi's bookshelf and started reading it.

Turn to page: If virtue is not matched, there will be disaster.The virtue is weak but the position is high, the wisdom is small but the plan is big, the strength is small but the responsibility is heavy, it is rare to be inferior to it.

Can't help but sigh.

The viburnum in front of the court has not yet passed its flowering period, lingering around.

Xiaoyin tried to pull out these flowers several times, but I refused.Cheng Huaishi was very fond of these beautiful flowers. He always said that when he saw these flowers, he felt like he was in his hometown.

I was sitting on a bamboo chair by the window drinking a cup of Lingxian tea.

Suddenly a person flew in from the window sill.

I know it's Feng Gao.He is so good at Qinggong that he comes and goes without a trace.

"sister--"

His bamboo-like hand took over my half-drinked tea and drank the rest in one gulp. There was a little tea stain on his thin lips, which became more and more wet.

"Sister, I came here today because I have something to tell you." He leaned on my knees.

"What's the matter?"

"Liu Shou saw what Long Live Master was thinking and wanted to claim credit from Long Live Master. He found out the secret of Qin Mingxu's life experience, rushed to Yangzhou Mansion, and found the midwife who delivered Mrs. Qin's baby in the past. He wanted to sacrifice Qin Mingxu's life , threatening Zhang Taiyue and abolishing the New Deal."

I thought of the sincere smiles on the faces of the men in short shirts at the ferry that day, and stood up: "Master Zhang will definitely not agree. He has worked hard for the New Deal. The New Deal benefits the poor and cannot be abolished!"

Feng Gaodao: "My sister, don't you understand? The one who really wants to abolish the New Deal is Lord Long Live. But Lord Long Live will never say it openly. With Zhang Taiyue's prestige, if Lord Long Live proposes to abolish the New Deal, the court will Isn't there chaos in the hall? The Lord Long Live is asking for the word 'stability'. Liu Shou just said what the Lord Long Live wanted to say and did what he wanted to do."

I said anxiously: "Long live the Lord, won't you harm Mr. Zhang?"

Feng Gao muttered: "In the past two days, because of Liu Shou, Lord Long Live has become a little stranger to me than before. Today, Lord Long Live ordered a Hu doctor to go to the Zhang Mansion to treat Zhang Taiyue. He did not send me. To convey the order, Liu Shou was sent."

"Barbarian doctor?"

"Yes. The Hu doctor's name is Altai. He once cured the chronic illness of Empress Dowager Li, the merciful saint. He is quite capable."

I walked back and forth in the room: "Tell me, if Mr. Zhang refuses, will Liu Shou really kill Qin Mingxu?"

Feng Gao thought: "I don't think so. Liu Shou wouldn't dare without Long Live Lord speaking. If Liu Shou goes to threaten Zhang Taiyue, Long Live Lord will pretend not to know. Long live Lord will not get into a stalemate with Zhang Taiyue. Zhang Taiyue will live forever. Long live the Lord and he will not touch his family for a day."

He raised his face and looked at me: "Sister, I have a bad feeling."

"What hunch?"

"I can't explain clearly. I just hope that I can live well in this turmoil. It's not that I'm afraid of death, I'm afraid of being separated from my sister again. Sister, please promise me one thing -"

He held my hand: "No matter what happens in the future, sister, don't doubt me, okay?"

I nodded.

I always felt that he didn't say enough.

"Sister, if it really comes to a point where it is difficult to recover, I will take you back to Dongchang Mansion. We will still depend on each other as before. Let me protect my sister from the wind and rain."

He said it so sincerely and so sadly.

I leaned over.

He pursed his lips and smiled: "Anyway, sister, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of anything."

"I'm not afraid." I said softly.

"Call me Douya." He asked me with a bit of shyness and a bit of arrogance.

"Because I was so skinny, my sister always called me Douya."

I couldn’t remember what he said, but seeing the hope in his eyes, I slowly shouted: “Bean sprouts——”

He smiled happily and replied with satisfaction: "Yeah!"

There was the sound of footsteps, and he dodged, flew out, and climbed onto the courtyard wall.

He turned back frequently and glanced at me several times.

I smelled something ominous in his endless attachment.

The person who came in was He Ming.

He has always followed Cheng Huaishi closely.

He leaned over and said to me: "Second Young Madam, after the Second Master came out of the Hubu Yamen, he went to the Zhang Mansion. He said that there was something wrong with a tax payment, and he went to report it to Mr. Zhang. After the report was completed, the Second Master came back. He heard from his colleagues in the Ministry of Household Affairs that a new Shandong restaurant has opened in Jingnan. He will take you to eat your hometown food tonight. The second master asked me to come back and tell you first." "I know." I answered.

Heming bowed and went out.

Cheng Huai was still busy thinking about these little things, which shows that he still has me as his wife and this family in his heart.

I put on an indigo brocade shirt, applied a thin layer of makeup, and waited for him to come back.

However, by the third quarter of Xu Zheng period, it was completely dark and he had not returned yet.

No cranes were seen either.

Cheng Huaishi is not a person who talks without keeping his word.

Could something be wrong?
Thinking about this, I became restless.

Outside, the eldest mistress's banquet has not yet ended, and "Wutong Rain" is being sung on the stage.

"Master, don't you want to destroy the Khitan? How can you kill the strong man! Let him come back. I also cherish your bravery, but the state has laws, and I dare not sell the law to get favors. I will send you to Beijing to get the Holy Judgment..."

The commotion continued all day long.

I thought for a long time, got up and walked out. I ordered the butler to harness the horse: "Go to Zhang Mansion."

Tonight, the atmosphere in Zhang Mansion was very different.

I reported my name to the concierge, who asked me to wait while he went in to inform me.

The old woman in black who took me to paint Master Zhang last time is here.She recognized me and took me into the house.

It still has the same carved beams and painted buildings, still the same green tiles and red buildings, but now it is heavily guarded and there are many soldiers.

I walked into the backyard where peonies were planted, and heard a heartbreaking cry: "Yitang!"

It was Cheng Huaishi.

He hugged the pale-faced girl Xun and felt unbearable pain.

On the side, a group of government soldiers tied up a foreigner-looking man.

Master Zhang approached the foreigner step by step, his eyes full of sinister fervor: "Tell me, who ordered you?"

The foreigner stared at Mr. Zhang resentfully and said nothing.

Master Zhang said: "Send him to Dali Temple! Tell him what I say and beat him to death. I don't believe he won't do it."

On the one hand, he ordered his servants to dress him before he entered the palace to meet the emperor.

A group of doctors came over to diagnose Miss Xun.

Miss Xun opened her eyes with difficulty and stretched out her hand: "Second Master, just be nice, Yitang can't bear it... can't bear to see the world without a clear breeze..."

Cheng Huaishi held her outstretched hand with tears streaming down his face: "You'll be fine, you'll be fine."

"When Yitang reaches heaven, he will also pray for the second master. May the second master have a full house of descendants, a virtuous wife and a filial son, and may he always have peace and happiness..."

I walked over blankly and called out: "Huaishi, what happened?"

He did not hear my words and sank into grief.

A doctor said: "The snake venom has penetrated into my lungs, and I'm afraid I won't be able to recover."

Cheng Huaishi's eyes turned red and he said: "Cure her, you must cure her!"

I asked the soldiers on the side in a low voice, and finally found out the whole story.

Today, Cheng Huaishi wanted to leave the house after reporting to Master Zhang.But behind the big tree in the garden, I accidentally saw the Hu doctor tampering with the medicine soup.Cheng Huaishi stepped forward quickly.He was very skilled and was able to restrain the foreign doctor.People get stolen goods together.He wanted to send this person to Mr. Zhang to find out what happened.

Seeing that the Hu doctor couldn't avoid it, a small green snake suddenly flew out of his sleeve.The snake had a pointed head and was highly venomous.He wanted to let the snake bite Cheng Huai to death so that he could escape.

Miss Xun, who was approaching, rushed forward and pushed Cheng Huaishi away.The little snake bit her.

So, there was the scene I saw when I came in.

The foreign doctor has been tied up and cannot escape.But the injuries that Miss Xun suffered while fighting for Cheng Huai were irreversible.

Zhang Mansion is brightly lit.

Miss Xun was moved to a room on the west side of the backyard, surrounded by a group of doctors.

She passed out.

A silver needle inserted into her wrist.

What she shouted in her sleep was a joke.

It was "Jade Dragonfly" that I heard in a pub not long ago.

"I'm laughing at you and my twenty-eighth beauty who happen to be the same age. I'm laughing at you and my close friend who doesn't know my close friend..."

Cheng Huaishi walked out of the door in despair.

I stepped forward and wanted to say something.

"Huai Shi, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Let's go back."

"Huaishi, Miss Xun will be fine."

The words in my heart kept turning over and over again, but what came out of my mouth was: "Second Master, let's make peace with each other. Take good care of Miss Xun."

It looked like something was crawling on his face.I reached out and touched it, and it turned out that I was crying.

The tears came so thickly.

Can't finish it.

Can’t be wiped clean.

He raised his head tiredly and glanced at me: "I'm very tired, please stop making trouble, okay?"

(End of this chapter)