swear not to be concubine

Chapter 51

Jian Yan knew this little maid, she was a sweeping maid in the Qin family's courtyard, her name was Lianhua.

Jian Yan is very good at being a person on weekdays, even when she is facing the lowly little maid, she is kind and pleasant, and she has never raised her voice.And because there is no shortage of money on hand, I often give some rewards.This little maid, Jian Yan, seems to have asked Bai Wei to give her a handful of copper coins.

The little maid looks about eleven or twelve years old, although she is born ordinary, but her eyes are rolling around, she looks very bright.

Jian Yan asked Siyue to grab a handful of amber candies for her to eat—this was given to her by Xu Miaojin a few days ago, saying that Xu Zhongxuan brought a lot from the capital, so she gave some to her.Then with a smile on his face, he asked the little maid very gently: "You came to see me, do you have something important to say to me?"

The little servant girl put all the amber candies into her purse, and then said first: "The servant girl is from the eldest wife's courtyard."

Jian Yan nodded, and said kindly: "I remember your name is Lotus, isn't it?"

The maids and maids serving everyone in the Xu residence, Jian Yan, knew their names, and Bai Wei secretly inquired about the backgrounds and origins of these people, even the humble maids and servants did not miss them.So this Lianhua, Jian Yan knew that she was the son of the Xu family, and the mother and her two elder brothers were also on errands in the Xu family.

As soon as Jian Yan said her name, a very happy look appeared on Lianhua's face.She didn't expect that Jian Yan had only seen her once, and she still remembered the name of her insignificant little maid.

She was just a lowly sweeping maid, she was always teased around and looked down upon.But once I met Jian Yan by accident, she just stepped aside to make way for her according to the usual practice, but Jian Yan stopped, with a smile on her face, and asked her kindly what her name was, and finally gave it back to her. A handful of copper coins, said to let her buy fruit to eat.Lian Hua'er felt at that time that this cousin girl really had no airs at all, she was as gentle as a fairy girl in the sky.

"Cousin girl," Lianhua approached, her voice lowered, "I came here to tell you something. After cleaning my wife's yard today, I want to go for a walk in the garden. I met Liu'er in Miss Xuan's courtyard. She stopped the servant girl and said mysteriously that she wanted to tell the servant girl something. The servant girl asked what was going on, and she said that she saw you and the third young master a few days ago Talking together, there is something wrong between the expressions of the two of them, and they are still talking, maybe there is something shameful."

Jian Yan thought about it carefully, ever since Xu Zhongze pestered her in the garden that time, she accidentally met Xu Zhongze again.At that time Xu Zhongze repeated his old tricks and pestered her endlessly, but it was only the frivolity in his words, and he didn't dare to do anything in his actions.But fortunately, Wu Jingxuan came over with her maid Xueliu, which just relieved her siege.

Jian Yan was thinking in her heart, she remembered that at that time Wu Jingxuan only brought Xueliu a maid beside her, but she didn't bring any other maids, how did this Liu'er know about this?
But when she thought about it again, she only thought that it was Xueliu who had seen this and gossiped with the other maids when she went back, so the maids just talked nonsense, so she didn't think of anything else go up.

"That's nothing," she said with a smile, "I ran into the third young master by accident in the garden that day, and we saluted and exchanged a few words, that's all. Is it because the expressions between each other are not right, and they are still arguing? Besides, Liu Er's girl, Miss Xuan, was there at that time, so I can tell when I ask her. I don't know where Liu Er said this of it."

Lianhua got closer for a while, and her voice became lower and lower, saying: "Biao girl, you never thought of it, it was Miss Xuan who ordered Liu'er to go around and talk about it."

Jian Yan couldn't help being taken aback, and asked, "How could this happen?"

"Your maidservant won't talk nonsense." Lianhua continued, "There is a maid named Xiaoyu in Miss Xuan's courtyard, she is very close to the maidservant, why don't you say anything to the maidservant? And she said that she has also received favors from the lady— ——At that time, her mother was seriously ill, and she had no money to treat her, so she was anxious to hide in a secluded place in the garden and cry. You saw her, my cousin. You asked her why she was crying, and she told you the reason. Immediately, she gave her all the silver around her. Xiaoyu said that the bag of broken silver was worth fourteen or five taels. She took the silver to invite the doctor, and took the medicine. The illness was cured. Xiaoyu said, she is very grateful for your great kindness, and she has always kept it in her heart, and only wanted to repay you. She said that last night, Xueliu next to Miss Xuan called their group The little girl went over and said something like this to them in detail, telling them to go and tell the maids in other rooms when they are free. It is best that as many people know the better. Then they divided them One piece of silver per person. Xiaoyu originally wanted to come and tell you about this in person, but she just said that she was afraid that Xueliu and the others would see it and object to you, so she came to find a slave and asked her to tell you. Xiaoyu said, these Miss Xuan must have ordered Xueliu behind the words, and then asked Xueliu to give them instructions, and let them go around talking about it, in order to discredit your reputation. Xiaoyu said, let you think of a way to clarify this matter earlier. Otherwise, it won't be two days, I'm afraid these rumors will spread throughout the house."

When Jian Yan heard it, she felt speechless for a moment.In fact, there is no deep hatred between her and Wu Jingxuan.If there is really any suspicion, it is the meeting when Chunri went to Taoyuan to enjoy the peach blossoms. She said a few words to Wu Jingxuan because of Xu Miaoning's matter, and then Wu Jingxuan stabbed her twice in the back in Zhuixia Pavilion, and then came back When Xu Miaoning deliberately said those words to anger her, she didn't stop it.But what is this?And when we met in the garden last time, didn't she greet me politely?There is no longer any trouble to be seen on the face.

Even if Wu Jingxuan is really a lotus lady, the key point is that I have no conflict of interest with her at all. Could it be that because of those two words, she wants to spread rumors to ruin her reputation?

Jian Yan felt wronged to death.Damn Wu Jingxuan stabbed her in the back twice and she didn't care about it, but Wu Jingxuan actually gave her such a trick.

It should be known that in this era, the reputation of a woman, especially a girl who has not left the court, is extremely important.Wu Jingxuan smeared her reputation like this, and it also involved Xu Zhongze. If everyone in Xu's house in Zhang Yang knew about it, she might have only two options. The rope neatly hanged himself.Moreover, after death, no one would say that she was innocent. Instead, they would say that she committed suicide out of shame and embarrassment, and she still had to be scolded.As for the second way out, I am afraid that he can only follow Xu Zhongze.And with such a bad reputation, a wife will definitely not be able to do it, she can only be a concubine, or a concubine who will be looked down upon by maids and servants in the future, and will spit on her.

So Jian Yan became a little angry for a while.

Wu Jingxuan What is this?Isn't it equivalent to forcing her to die?What did he do to her that he deserved such a cruel hand from her?
Knowing yesterday that the shop was smashed, Zhou Lin was still furious from being beaten, and this time added such a heavy anger, Jian Yan thought for a moment, why should she be bullied like this by others?Why can't she resist?
She thought about it, and then asked Lianhua: "Lianhua, tell me what Liu'er said to you in detail."

Lian Hua hurriedly said it again: "Liu'er said this to the servant girl, Lian Hua'er, let me tell you a very big thing, that cousin girl in our family is a person who doesn't know shame..."

"Are you sure she only said the word 'cousin girl' and didn't mention me by name?" Jian Yan interrupted and asked.

Lianhua thought for a while, and then nodded with certainty: "Yes. When Liu'er told the servant girl, she didn't name her by name, she just said she was a cousin girl. But she was pointing at the Xikua Courtyard where you live. The direction, the designated one is you."

Jian Yan sneered, thinking in her heart, since you are going to die yourself, you can't blame me.

"Lotus," Jian Yan stood up from the kang, stretched out her hands to hold hers, looked at her sincerely, and asked softly, "Can you do me a favor?"

As a lowly maidservant, Lianhua had never held her hands like this before, Lianhua felt a little dizzy for a moment, and asked quickly: "What does Miss Biao want this servant to do? Just ask her to do so."

"I would like to ask you to do two things for me. The first thing is, what Liu'er said to you earlier, after you go back to Mrs. Qin's yard, please say it to the other maids in the yard. This is the most important thing. As for the maids in the other rooms, you can also talk about them. Naturally, as Liu Er said, you can only say they are cousins, and you don't need to name them. But I want to add one more thing, it is said that the Japanese lady also held a bamboo handle made in Hangzhou, Xiangfei, and the fan was embroidered with a bunch of white peony and two red sunflower-shaped round fans. The second thing I want The thing I ask for your help is to bother you to say the same thing to Xiaoyu, just say that the cousin girl has a bunch of round fans like this in her hand, and then let her follow Xueliu's instructions to say the same thing everywhere Go talk about it."

Lianhua was still a little puzzled at first, just wondering if this cousin girl is a fool.When other people encounter someone who smears their reputation like this, they will probably be so angry that they don't know what to do, and then they must try to clarify it.But instead of clarifying, the cousin made her spread the words that smeared her everywhere. What is this for?Could it be that he was confused?
But after thinking about it again, she suddenly vaguely understood what Jian Yan meant.

"Oh, oh, Cousin," she only said happily, "This servant understands what you mean. From the beginning to the end, you don't let the servant name who it is, only that it is Cousin, this Miss Xuan Isn't she also our cousin?"

Jian Yan smiled and nodded, thinking in her heart, this Lianhua is also smart, so she doesn't need to point it out by herself.

She asked again: "If someone asks you where you heard this, you just tell the truth that Liu Er told you, understand? Also tell Xiaoyu, if someone asks you Where did I hear it, only Xueliu said it, understand? Also, don’t forget to mention the fan in the cousin’s hand.”

She remembered that when Xu Zhongze spoke lightly of her that day, when Wu Jingxuan brought Xueliu over, she was holding such a silk fan in her hand.Because the shape of this fan is a bit strange, it is not like the round fan that is commonly seen in ordinary times, so Jian Yan carefully looked at it.It is rare to see such a round fan in Xu's family, only Wu Jingxuan has it, right?With such a characteristic, even if they just say the word "cousin girl" and don't name anyone, everyone will know who this cousin girl is.

Lianhua understood Jian Yan's meaning, so she bowed to her, turned around and was about to leave, but Jian Yan stopped her again.

Jian Yan originally thought that she would give Lianhua a red gold lilac hairpin, but she thought that if Lianhua wore this hairpin on her head in the future and was seen by others, she would definitely be suspicious.After all, it's just a little maid, but where did the golden hairpin come from?In the end, he followed the clues and found himself, but it was not good, and it was not good for Lianhua, maybe others thought she stole it.So in the end, Jian Yan grabbed a handful of broken silver from the drawer under the makeup box, about twelve taels, stuffed it into a purse, and gave it to Lianhua.

Lianhua's monthly salary is only two hundred Wen, and these ten taels of silver are enough for her monthly salary for four or five years.She was a little afraid to accept it for a while.

But Jian Yan smiled and stuffed the purse into her hand, and told her: "Put it away. Don't let others see it. Also, tell Xiaoyu that I will reward her in a few days. Now This is on the cusp of the storm, if she is rewarded now, it would be bad for her to let her master know about it."

On the one hand, he ordered Siyue to bring over the remaining amber candies, and stuffed them into Lianhua's hands, and said with a smile: "It's also my heart to take it back and eat it with your little sisters."

Lianhua blankly held the silver and amber candy in her hands, and finally left with a thousand thanks.April went to see her out of the hospital.

And when April came back, he ran back with a happy face.

"Girl, girl," she yelled loudly, "Sister Bai Wei is back."

When Jian Yan heard this, she took two quick steps and rushed out the door. As expected, she saw Bai Wei holding a package in her arms and turning around from the screen door.

Bai Wei was still yelling at Si Yue in a low voice: "You want to die? Why are you shouting so loudly? If you alarm your wife, be careful with your skin."

When Si Yue heard it, she quickly stretched out her hands and tightly covered her mouth, but her eyes were full of smiles, and they just rolled around.

Jian Yan had already stepped forward to meet her, she was so excited for a moment that she didn't know what to say.

Bai Wei bowed to her, and said with a smile: "Miss, the servant is back."

Jian Yan just nodded non-stop, and kept saying: "It's good to be back, it's good to be back."

For a moment, I felt that my eye sockets were a little hot.

Bai Wei has been by her side for so many years, and she has taken care of everything, Jian Yan has long regarded her as her family in her heart.Today she went out alone, Jian Yan was actually very worried in her heart, fearing that something might happen to her, seeing that she finally came back safely, she finally let go of what she had been holding on for half a day.

Bai Wei had seen her eyes turn red a long time ago, and was moved in her heart, but she still comforted her with a smile, and said, "What are you doing, Miss? Didn't the servant come back with a full beard?"

Jian Yan nodded, tried her best to calm down her emotions, and then said with a smile: "Yes. I should be happy."

Yin asked again: "How is brother Zhou? Is the injury on his body serious? What does the doctor say?"

Bai Wei turned her head and told Siyue: "The girl and I have something important to say, just stand here by the screen door and watch the wind."

April agreed.But Jian Yan said: "Forget it, I just closed the screen door, so I don't need to stand here watching the wind in April. It's noon now, just after lunch, someone asked me, and said that we are all resting No one will doubt it if you take a nap."

Bai Wei thought about it for the same reason, so she asked Si Yue to close the screen door, and everyone entered the East room together.

As soon as she entered the Dongci Room, Bai Wei opened the package in her hand.

It is full of pastries and food.

Bai Weiyin smiled: "It's hard to go out, how can I come back empty-handed? I entrusted the little guy who took care of Brother Zhou to buy these. Now we can all eat well for a few days .”

Jian Yan took a look, and saw that there were pastries such as soft fragrant cake, chrysanthemum shortbread, and fruit filling shortbread, sugars such as willow leaf sugar and snowflake sugar, and candied fruits such as preserved apricots, preserved peaches, golden tangerines, etc. , There are still two bunches of candied haws.

Recently, thanks to Xu Miaojin's blessing, Jian Yan ate many kinds of pastries and candied fruit, but she still hadn't eaten candied haws.

She reached out to take a bunch and handed it to Siyue, and took a bunch herself, and couldn't wait to bite down on a hawthorn.

The sugar coating is sweet and crisp, and the hawthorn is sour. I haven't eaten this for many years.

Jian Yan was very emotional, and then said to Bai Wei: "I told you to go out to see Brother Zhou, and you brought back these things when you came back. It doesn't seem like you were asked to go out to see people, but to buy food. "

Bai Wei smiled and said, "It's just a matter of incident."

Jian Yan also smiled and said: "Look at your smiling face, I think Brother Zhou should be fine?"

Bai Wei nodded: "It shouldn't be a serious problem. The doctor said that although Big Brother Zhou had several fractures all over his body, he is still young, so it doesn't matter if he will take care of him for a while. The broken part on his head is more troublesome, but The bleeding is also stopped and bandaged, as long as you don't move around, it will be fine in a few days."

Only then did Jian Yan feel relieved, because she asked again: "Did Brother Zhou tell you anything?"

"Brother Zhou asked the servant to tell you that he was incompetent and caused the shop to be smashed. Please forgive me."

"How can Big Brother Zhou say that?" Jian Yan hurriedly said, "He has helped me so much over the years. And if he said it seriously, I would only pay for this shop, and other things like running errands Isn't it all managed by Big Brother Zhou? And he was tired and troubled day and night. I can't feel sorry for him enough. Now that this will cause him to suffer this beating for no reason, I feel even more sorry I was thinking about going out and apologizing to Big Brother Zhou myself, but I couldn’t get out. Big Brother Zhou really made me feel ashamed when he said that.”

Yin asked again: "Did you tell Brother Zhou my apology?"

She had already told Bai Wei yesterday that she had to see Zhou Lin today, and she wanted to apologize to Zhou Lin for her anyway.

Bai Wei smiled and said, "The maidservant naturally said that. Brother Zhou means that we are all brothers and sisters, what are you talking about?"

"Since we are all brothers and sisters, Brother Zhou shouldn't have said such things." Jian Yan sighed, "Brother Zhou is still too polite to me."

Bai Wei smiled and comforted her, because she told Jian Yan in detail about the shop being smashed that day that Zhou Lin said.

What Zhou Lin said was naturally much more detailed than what the little guy said in a hurry.While listening, Jian Yan slowly ate candied haws.When Bai Wei mentioned Shen Chuo, Jian Yan raised her head and asked, "Shen Chuo was also there that day?"

She remembered Shen Chuo.When she was comforting Xu Miaoning in Taoyuan that day, she was lying behind the hibiscus tree, wasn't it Shen Chuo who listened to all her words?

Bai Wei nodded: "Yes. Brother Zhou said that at the beginning he didn't know that person was Shen Chuo, he just thought that he was a young man who came to the store and wanted to buy something. He exchanged a few words of greeting. Later that group of rogues came, smashed up the shop, and beat him, but Shen Chuo didn't come out to say a word. It was later that group of rogues were about to leave, and Shen Chuo came out. Because It was the words of that group of rogues who offended him, so he asked his family members to teach them a lesson. I heard that the bones of the thighs were crushed, and the hands were cut. It was extremely bloody."

Si Yue listened on the sidelines, and leaned against Bai Wei, stretched out her hand to touch her arm, and said in a low voice: "Sister Bai Wei, stop talking, this sounds too intrusive. What about this Shen Chuo?" How cruel? When we saw Shen Chuo in Taoyuan that day, we saw that he was a handsome and handsome young man, but he didn't seem like such a person anymore. "

"It's just that you know people, you know your face, you don't know your heart." Bai Weiyin continued to Jian Yan, "According to what Brother Zhou said, when Shen Chuo gave his name, those hooligans were very afraid of him. And Zhou Eldest brother heard what Shen Chuo said, what kind of grandfathers are these rascals, they want to curry favor with Shen Chuo, and Shen Chuo doesn't bother to let him curry favor."

Jian Yan hummed, and then bit the hawthorn slowly while thinking about things quickly in her mind.

She didn't think that Shen Chuo just wanted to buy a lucky cat on a sudden whim, so that he could go back and display it.It was clear that Shen Chuo had some idea in mind at that time, otherwise he wouldn't have called Brother Zhou over and said that he wanted to say a few words to Brother Zhou.It's just that this group of hooligans came and interrupted him.Then what did Shen Chuo want to say to Brother Zhou at that time?Find out?Or is it really just out of curiosity that I want to chat with Brother Zhou?
That's all.It's just that Shen Chuo didn't show up when those rogues smashed the shop and beat Brother Zhou, he just watched the show from the sidelines, and when the rogues were about to leave, he came out to fight for justice.Although it is said that those rogues annoyed him because of their cheap words, and he finally took the initiative to teach them a lesson, Jian Yan also believes that even if those rogues did not speak disrespect to him, they might end up with him in the end. He will still take action to teach those rascals a lesson.

Why on earth did he do this?
Jian Yan frowned tightly, and couldn't help thinking about Shen Chuo's motive for doing this.

At this time, Bai Wei was asking Si Yue: "Who was that little maid just now? What's the matter with our girl?"

Siyue told Lianhua what she had said in detail, and Yin said angrily: "This Miss Xuan is really hateful. Our girl has no enmity with her in the past, and she has no grievances in recent days. What will she do?" This is how to tarnish our girl's reputation."

Bai Wei was also taken aback, her face changed color.

She is older than Si Yue, and she understands better what the consequences will be if the reputation of a girl who has not left the pavilion is smeared in this way, so she hurriedly asked Jian Yan: "Girl, you have to think about this matter quickly. Otherwise, if If you really teach everyone in Xu’s family to hear such words, you will be considered ruined.”

Jian Yan was thinking about Shen Chuo's motivation for doing that.She vaguely seemed to have noticed something, but unfortunately, the truth always felt like it was separated by a layer of fog, so she couldn't see clearly.

So facing Bai Wei's words, she just hummed lightly, and then told Siyue: "Tell me what I said to Lianhua to your sister Bai Wei."

Si Yue agreed, and then told Jian Yan to Lianhua in detail, and told her what she had to do, and Bai Wei immediately understood what Jian Yan meant.

She thought in her heart, the girl's move is really high.It's just adding a fan in those words, but when everyone heard it, they would only think that this cousin girl was Wu Jingxuan, and they couldn't think of Jian Yan's head.And if it is investigated at that time, such words were originally from the mouth of the closest girl in Wu Jingxuan's courtyard. Since the evidence is solid, and no one else can be found, Wu Jingxuan can only end up with a bitter fruit in the end. There is also an unspeakable end.

It is harming others and ultimately harming oneself, and there is nothing to pity her.

There was just one thing that she didn't think was very clear, so she asked Jian Yan: "Girl, what are you doing to tell Lianhua? The most important thing is to ask her to spread the words to the maids in the big room. Why is that? Woolen cloth?"

Jian Yan settled down, pulled her thoughts out of Shen Chuo's incident, and said: "Because what Wu Jingxuan wants most is to marry Xu Zhongxuan, and because the Qin family hates the Wu family, the most important thing is to marry Xu Zhongxuan." Those who object to this marriage. I asked Lianhua to speak to the servant girl in the big room, and it will definitely reach the ears of Mrs. Qin. Mrs. Qin took such an excuse, Wouldn't she go to Wu Shi right away and tell her? At that time, Wu Jingxuan will never even think about marrying Xu Zhongxuan in her life, even if she wants to be his concubine. Since she wants to find a dead end for me, then So I can't help but be cruel and cut off her way of marrying Xu Zhongxuan forever."

Bai Wei nodded.She didn't think there was anything cruel about Jian Yan's actions. It was because Wu Jingxuan was cruel to Jian Yan first, and Jian Yan was just fighting back.

At this time, Si Yue finished eating a bunch of candied haws, and took another piece of willow leaf candy to eat. When she turned her head, she suddenly saw Bai Wei wearing a silver hairpin with a lotus pod, which was very novel in style.

She had never seen Bai Wei with such a silver hairpin, so she wondered: "Sister Bai Wei, how come I have never seen you wear this Pixia lotus pod silver hairpin on your head before? Where did it come from? But it looks pretty tight."

No matter how calm Bai Wei is usually, she couldn't help but turn red this time, squinting at Si Yue and said, "You can't stop your mouth with all this food? Just ask something?"

Feeling confused in April.She just casually asked where the silver hairpin from the Pixia lotus pod came from, but why did Sister Baiwei blushed again and rushed to talk about her?

Seeing Jian Yan at the side, she just smiled and said nothing.

Needless to say, this Pixia lotus pod silver hairpin was naturally given to Bai Wei by Zhou Lin.It's rare for two people to be happy with each other, and she was very happy for the two of them.

She was smiling, and suddenly she felt that her mind was clear, the fog had completely dissipated, and the truth was clearly in front of her eyes.

She finally figured out what Shen Chuo's intention was.

(End of this chapter)