swear not to be concubine

Chapter 60

Jian Yan has not rested yet.Although she was not a night owl in her previous life, she never tried to go to bed around 8 o'clock in the evening.

When Bai Wei came in to report that Qingzhu had arrived, Jian Yan was very surprised, she hurriedly put down the book she was holding, and ordered her to come in quickly.

But I was thinking in my heart, after all this, Xu Miaojin must be sleeping too, why would Qingzhu come to look for her?
In April, the plum-blossom and bamboo curtain of Concubine Xiang hanging on the green gauze cupboard was opened, Qing Zhu walked in with her head bowed, bowed her knees and bowed to Jian Yan, saying: "My servant has seen Miss Jian."

Jian Yan nodded to her, and then asked with a smile: "Why did you come back so late? But something happened?"

Qingzhu picked up the two boxes of pagoda cakes in his hands, and said respectfully: "Our girl asked the servant to bring you these two boxes of pagoda cakes."

When Jian Yan heard this, she was even more surprised.

Since the last time I said that it was hot and everyone would not eat together for the time being, although Xu Miaojin would occasionally send her some pastries and candied fruit, but it was never so late that she sent Qingzhu to send pastries to her .

Jian Yan then raised her eyes to look at the green bamboo, and asked: "Is it the same as delivering the cakes tomorrow and during the day? Why are you girls sending you to me at such a late hour?"

When Qing Zhu heard this, a hesitant look immediately appeared on his face.

As soon as Jian Yan saw it, she immediately knew that there was something hidden in it.Yin asked again: "What is it for? Qing Zhu, you might tell me the truth?"

Qing Zhu suddenly knelt down, startling Jian Yan, and asked Bai Wei to help her up.

Qing Zhu didn't get up, but just said: "Originally, the eldest son ordered the servant to tell you not to tell you, but now that Miss Jian has asked, the servant does not dare to lie."

"Eldest Young Master?" Jian Yan was shocked, and hurriedly asked, "What does this Sophora japonica cake have to do with Eldest Young Master? He won't let you say anything to me?"

Qingzhu then said in a straightforward manner: "Actually, our girl did not give you this pagoda flower cake, but the eldest son gave it to you. Just now our girl was about to take a rest, but Xing'er suddenly came to inform, saying yes The eldest son is back. When our girl heard this, she was shocked, thinking that something great had happened, so the eldest son rushed back. You must know that in the past, the eldest son sometimes took a rest day and night There are times when you don’t come back. How can you have to go to the Yamen tomorrow to meet the Mao, but you rushed back this evening? It’s not the bride getting on the sedan chair—it’s the first time. Our girl hurriedly went out to meet the eldest son. The young master's complexion was very bad. When he asked, he found out that the eldest son had gone out to dinner with his colleagues. He was drunk and a little drunk. The eldest son said that he felt good when he ate this pagoda flower cake during the banquet. Thinking that Miss Jian must also like to eat, she ordered two boxes, and came back when she couldn't wait to hurry, and asked her servant to bring them to you immediately, saying that she was afraid that you would be hungry and that you might not have a good dinner. Suspicious, so I immediately forced the servant to not tell you that he sent it here specially, and only said that our girl sent it to you. One more sentence, the servant simply told you the truth tonight Right. In the past, the pastries and candied fruit that our girl gave you were bought by the eldest son, and then sent to you under the name of our girl, just in case you were hungry and couldn’t eat well.”

After hearing what Qing Zhu said, Jian Yan only pressed her lips tightly, and remained silent for a long time.

Qingzhu looked at her complexion carefully, and then asked cautiously: "Miss Jian, are you going to see our eldest son?"

Jian Yan didn't answer, but asked in a low voice: "My lord, how drunk is he?"

"It's not that he's so drunk." Qingzhu said hurriedly, "When the servant girl came, I saw him sitting there with his eyes closed, frowning, and his forehead propped on his hands. I think it's because he has a severe headache."

After hearing this, Jian Yan called Bai Wei and asked her to bring over the bottle of honey that she had obtained earlier.

Bai Wei took it as she said, but it was a sky blue porcelain bottle with a camphor wood lid on it.

Jian Yan signaled Bai Wei to hand over the porcelain vase to Qingzhu, and Yin said again: "I thought it was so late, there was no one in the small kitchen, and I'm afraid I can't make hangover soup. In this porcelain vase It is Sophora japonica honey, you take it back, scoop up a few spoonfuls, wash it with water, and feed it to the eldest son, it can sober up the most. Drinking it can also relieve the headache caused by drunkenness."

Qingzhu didn't pick it up, but asked: "Miss Jian, won't you go and see our eldest son?"

Jian Yan slowly shook her head: "It's so late now, it's not good for me to go there, but it will disturb the eldest son's rest, so I won't go there."

Qing Zhu let out a cry, and then reached out to take the bottle from Bai Wei's hand, and after bowing to her again, she was about to say goodbye and go back.

Jian Yan stopped her again.Qing Zhu quickly turned around and asked, "Miss Jian, what else do you want to say?"

Jian Yan just looked down at the two boxes of Sophora japonica cakes on the Kang table, and didn't say anything.Qingzhu wasn't in a hurry, she just stood there and waited patiently.

After a while, Jian Yan's voice was heard in a low voice: "After you go back, please tell the eldest son for me, just say, thank you."

Qingzhu agreed to go.Here, Jian Yan's turmoil in her heart still hasn't calmed down, she just stared at the two boxes of Sophora japonica cakes on the Kang table.

Although she guessed that Xu Zhongxuan asked Xu Miaojin to send the pastries and preserves to her early in the morning, she also knew that the idea of ​​eating together a few days ago must have been Xu Zhongxuan's idea. She was worried that she would not eat well and would suffer. I was hungry, so I thought of a way to feed her.It's just that when Qingzhu said this, she was still shocked in her heart.

What's more, Xu Zhongxuan did such a thing today, sending her Sophora japonica cake at night.And the reason was just because he ate this pagoda tree cake during the banquet and thought it was delicious, she would definitely like it, but he was worried that she would starve, so he rushed this long journey to give her these two boxes come over.

It's not that she doesn't know that tomorrow he has to get up early to go to work at the official office of the Ministry of Rites.As far as she knows, in this era, civil servants like Xu Zhongxuan and others should go to work at the first hour of the day in spring and winter, that is, 6 am, and in summer and autumn, they should go to work at the first hour of the day, that is, 5:4 in the morning.But it takes about an hour to ride a horse from Tongzhou to the capital, so it means that Xu Zhongxuan will get up before [-] o'clock on the day and rush to the capital to go to work in Yingmao.

Jian Yan covered her face with her hands, and only thought in her heart, how would she repay his kindness?It's just that she really doesn't want to marry someone from this dynasty.Of course she didn't want to be a concubine, but she also didn't want to be a wife.

She still clearly remembered the words she heard when she went to Taoyuan to enjoy the flowers that day.The ancestor of the Shen family doted on his wife so much, he bought such a large piece of land, planted it with his wife's favorite peach blossoms, and when the flowers bloomed, he brought his wife to enjoy the peach blossoms, wandering around the peach garden For several months, how envious of others?But even so, this ancestor of the Shen family had concubines, and there were quite a few of them, as many as four or five.

As a wife, watching your husband sleep with other women every day and have children with these women, what kind of mood should this be?Jian Yan didn't know, but she didn't want to know, and she didn't want to be such a woman.But the men of this dynasty probably think that taking concubines is a very normal thing, right?Do they think that wives are equal, need to be respected, and have affection, and the concubine's room is just a tool for raising children, and there is no need to invest any affection on her, so this is not a betrayal of the wife?So no matter how many concubines there are, as long as the husband still treats his wife well, others will only think that they are a loving couple.

But Jian Yan still felt that she couldn't accept this.She is loyal to her husband physically and mentally, so her husband should also be loyal to her physically and mentally, otherwise she would rather not have it.As for Xu Zhongxuan, Jian Yan thought with a headache, after all, he is a person of this era. He has been influenced by his ears and eyes since he was a child, so he probably thinks it is normal to take a concubine, right?So even if he has such affection for her, so what?That ancestor of the Shen family built a peach garden for his beloved wife, but didn't he also have several concubines?Moreover, what Xu Zhongxuan said when he made a confession to Xueliu was being circulated in Xu's house these days. Jian Yan admitted that she was still a little afraid of Xu Zhongxuan from the bottom of her heart.

He can be delicate and considerate in front of her, and do such affectionate things like riding the world of mortals and giving acacia cake at night, but he can also be so hard-hearted in front of others, with an indifferent face, and slowly Slowly say those frightening words.

She couldn't understand Xu Zhongxuan, she was afraid of him, she never knew what kind of person Xu Zhongxuan would be in the next moment.Therefore, she has no choice but to live up to Xu Zhongxuan's affection.

As for Ning Cui Xuan, Xu Miaojin turned around and went back to the house after the green bamboo came out of the courtyard.

Xu Zhongxuan still sat there with his hands on his forehead, his eyes closed, as if he had fallen asleep.

Xu Miaojin sighed, stepped forward to push him, and called him softly: "Brother."

After calling several times, Xu Zhongxuan finally opened his eyes and looked at Xu Miaojin.It's just that the clear eyes in the past are now somewhat hazy and drunk.

Xu Miaojin said softly: "Brother, how can you sleep sitting here? Forget it, if you go back to your front yard room or your study, I'm afraid you won't be able to walk, and the house will be full Everyone will know the foolish things you did tonight, and gossip will be everywhere tomorrow. In that case, you can simply sleep on the kang in my study tonight. I will let the maid give you Take the quilt."

Turning her head, she hurriedly ordered the little maid to open the cupboard, spread the quilt on the wooden kang facing the window in her study, and ordered the little maid to quickly make a cup of strong tea to sober up the eldest son.

Turning around, he said to Xu Zhongxuan: "There will be no one in the kitchen, or I will make you a bowl of hangover soup to pour it over. Now I have to drink more tea to sober up."

Xu Zhongxuan smiled slightly, but felt dizzy and dizzy, his brows and eyes were stern, and he only thought in his heart that this rouge drunk has such great stamina.But he still smiled and comforted Xu Miaojin: "I'm fine, I'll be fine after a night of sleep. Mingri Yinzheng remember to ask the servant girl to call me."

Xu Miaojin agreed.Just seeing him like this, I couldn't help but asked, "Brother, since you have worked so hard to send these two boxes of locust flower cakes to Sister Yan, why didn't you let her know? If she knows, at least I will I also know that you are thinking about her all the time in your heart. If you do this by yourself, but you don't let her know, even 100 years, she won't know your affection for her."

Xu Zhongxuan had already closed his eyes, as if he was going to sleep or not.Hearing the words, she whispered: "I'm afraid of scaring her, that would be bad. Let's take my time, one day she will accept my affection, I'm not in a hurry."

Xu Miaojin was angry and anxious after hearing this.

The emperor is not in a hurry, the eunuch is in a hurry.You are not in a hurry, but I, the younger sister, am in a hurry to follow you.Otherwise, you will always do such a thing like riding the red dust, sending some pastries out at night, and then you have to get up early the next day to go to the Yamen to meet your needs. As time goes on, it doesn’t matter if your body is made of iron ?She doesn't care about herself anymore, and now she's so drunk, and there's no one in the kitchen, so she can't make sober soup, so she can't wait to see him like this, like an ant on a boiling plate , but only watching from the sidelines and doing anxious work.

Xu Miaojin was annoyed here, while Qingzhu hurried in with a porcelain bottle in his hand.

"Girl," she said quickly as soon as she entered the door, "Miss Jian said that using this pagoda flower honey to drink water for the eldest son can sober up the hangover, and it can also cure headaches."

As soon as Xu Miaojin heard it, she immediately urged: "Then hurry up and flush it with water."

Qingzhu hurriedly agreed, then turned around and asked the maid to get the bowls and spoons and fetch water.

Although Xu Zhongxuan was in a daze and was about to fall asleep, when he heard Miss Jian's words, he immediately opened his eyes, got up and stood up, and asked, "Miss Jian? Qingzhu, did you tell Miss Jian? What?"

His expression was rather stern, and Qingzhu was so frightened that his knees softened immediately and he knelt down.There was even more fear on his face, and he didn't dare to look at him, but just lowered his head and looked at the water-polished blue brick ground, hesitating and speechless.

Xu Zhongxuan said again: "I told you like that before, telling you not to tell Miss Jian that I brought this pagoda flower cake, but you told her?"

Qingzhu lowered her head even lower for a moment, and became even more hesitant and speechless.

Seeing Xu Miaojin at the side, she rushed forward and said, "Brother, don't blame Qingzhu for this matter, I asked her to say it. If you want to blame, just blame me."

After all, he stood beside him with his mouth pouting, his cheeks puffed up, and he looked angry.

Xu Zhongxuan sighed, supported the armrest of the chair behind him, and sat down slowly, but his tone was much more relaxed than before.

"What are you going to tell her? She was avoiding me, and now you told her again, won't she avoid me even more in the future?"

When Xu Miaojin heard this, she immediately burst into tears.

She choked up and said, "How do I know so much? I knew that you ran back because of her like this, and you were so drunk from drinking. I saw you by the side, and I was really sad. Brother, you Although I said that I have a aunt, but I also know that she doesn't want to see the two of us. After all, are we still orphans without father and mother? I only have a big brother like you. I feel uncomfortable seeing you. I must also feel uncomfortable. Sister Yan, why is she avoiding you? It’s the first time I’ve seen you care so much about someone in all these years. Your affection can be seen even by an outsider like me. I can figure it out, how could sister Yan not know? She is so smart, I don't believe she really doesn't know. "

Xu Zhongxuan sighed again, and said slowly: "She must have her troubles in her heart. Her mother, I'm afraid she is not really good to her. Otherwise, which mother would be willing to let her daughter be widowed every meal?" We are not her, so naturally we don’t understand the pain in her heart. You must not annoy her in your heart from now on. She treats you very well and treats you like Ning’er , I sincerely treat you well, and you know it in your heart." "

After a pause, he asked Qing Zhu who was kneeling on the ground again: "Just now you told Miss Jian that I gave you the two boxes of Sophora Cakes, what did she say?"

In fact, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.I hope that Jian Yan can understand her heart, and never avoid him again.

Qingzhu hesitated for a while, Xu Zhongxuan squinted his eyes, and his voice became a little lower: "Say."

Qing Zhu was only frightened by his yelling and shivered all over her body, and hurriedly reported the truth: "After hearing what the servant said, Miss Jian just lowered her head and didn't speak for a long time. Later, because she asked the servant The eldest son is very drunk, and the servant said that he was very drunk, so Miss Jian asked Bai Wei to find this bottle of Sophora japonica honey and give it to the servant, and asked the servant to bring it back, and give you water to drink, saying that it is the most sober. And it also treats the headache caused by drunkenness. Miss Jian also said that it is too late now, and she will not come to visit the eldest son, for fear of disturbing the eldest son's rest. She also asked the servant to tell you, thank you you."

When Xu Zhongxuan heard this, his heart was filled with joy, and for a moment he felt no dizziness and pain in his head, and his eyes were no longer prickly.

He thought that she still cared about him.Knowing that he was drunk, he specially asked Qing Zhu to bring back acacia honey to flush him with water to sober him up.And the thank you she said at the end, she must have clearly understood his intentions.

Xu Miaojin was still a little dissatisfied, because she asked Qingzhu: "Didn't I tell you, it's best to invite sister Yan to come and see elder brother, why didn't you tell her that?"

Qingzhu hurriedly said: "The maidservant said this, and said it twice, but Miss Jian said that it is so late now, if she came to visit the eldest son, she might disturb the eldest son's rest, so I won't come over."

Xu Miaojin wanted to say something more, but Xu Zhongxuan reached out his hand to stop her, and said with a smile on his face: "It's right for her not to come. It's already so late. If she comes, won't it disturb her Rest? And if someone sees it, it will not be good for her reputation."

Xu Miaojin really didn't know what to say for a moment.In vain, her elder brother is calm and introverted on weekdays, everything is clear in his heart, and every word he utters must have someone who will be recruited later. This is because Jian Yan is just smiling foolishly there just by saying a word , all my heart and lungs are only thinking about Jian Yan, why don't I think about myself?

But in the end, there was only a long sigh, and he turned to Qingzhu and asked: "Is the honey water ready? Get it for the eldest son soon."

Qingzhu hurriedly agreed, and didn't have any other little maids. She took the bowl and spoon, poured honey water, and brought it over on a small tea tray.

Xu Miaojin reached out to take it, took a spoon and stirred the honey water in the white-bottomed celadon brocade bowl, intending to feed it to her brother with the spoon.But in the end she still put down the spoon in her hand, but handed over the porcelain bowl in her hand rather angrily, and said, "You are not drunk enough to be fed, are you? Drink this bowl of honey water by yourself. Bar."

Xu Zhongxuan accepted her words, but the smile on his face still did not fade.

Jian Yan's concern is enough for him to be in a good mood for several days.

He reached out and took the bowl from Xu Miaojin's hand, without using a spoon, he picked it up directly, and drank the honey water in the bowl in a few gulps.

When Xu Miaojin saw this, she turned her head and ordered Qingzhu: "Pour two more bowls of honey water for the eldest son to drink."

"Two more bowls?" Qingzhu was startled, "Can the young master drink so much?"

Xu Miaojin also glanced at her angrily, then glanced at Xu Zhongxuan, and then said: "Why can't I drink it? This is the honey that Sister Yan brought over, let alone three bowls, he can drink even three jars And the more you drink, the faster you will wake up. Tomorrow he has to get up early and go back to Beijing to go to the yamen to answer his job, so he can't miss the hour, or he will be beaten."

The imperial court has a rule that if the time of the appointment is missed, it will be beaten with twenty small boards.Xu Miaojin thought, if her brother missed the time of Ying Mao tomorrow and was beaten twenty times, if someone asked later, Xu Shilang, why did you miss the time of Ying Mao?The answer is that Yiqi Hongchen gave the Sophora japonica cake to the person he likes at night, wouldn't he be laughed at?But she changed her mind and thought again, they were all a group of civil servants, all of them were suave and suave, maybe they would not laugh at them, but she would also praise her brother for being a man of life, and saying that he was not a man of life would be a waste of a young man.

Xu Miaojin sighed again, seeing that Xu Zhongxuan had finished drinking three bowls of honey water, his eyelids could hardly be opened, so she hurriedly called Qi Sang in, and helped him to rest on the kang in her study.But in the end, she was still worried, and she repeatedly told Qing Zhu to remind her to wake up the Eldest Young Master when Yinzheng tomorrow.Qingzhu promised several times, but at the end she only said that the servant girl would not sleep tonight, and would watch the time, and would definitely wake up the eldest son when Yinzheng came, so Xu Miaojin also went to bed to rest.

And when Xu Zhongxuan fell asleep hazily, he was still thinking in his mind that he hadn't seen Jian Yan for several days.He must find a way to meet her when he comes back next time he takes a rest.

(End of this chapter)