Yutai Bi

Chapter 38
"Beauty is beautiful, but there is nothing special about it." The man changed the subject: "But now I believe it."

Kong Qing was puzzled: "Why did you say that? Could it be that Cen Sanniang is really extraordinary?"

"From the time she saw me to the time she left, she never asked me about my identity. She has already seen it." The man sighed.

Kong Qing was surprised: "How did she see it?"

The man picked up the tea bowl in his hand, lifted the tea cover, and the fragrance of the tea was overflowing: "It's really smart. A bowl of tea made her see my origin. She originally wanted to use my power to knock down the whole of Xia Cen's house. After my identity, I resolutely gave up. If a 13-year-old girl has this insight, I will wait for her for two more years."

After Kong Qing understood what the master meant, he hesitated and said: "Isn't Mrs. Fan proposing marriage to the Cen Mansion? Are you young..."

"Don't reveal your identity, find a reason to send a generous gift to the governor of Longzhou, and ask his wife to go and protect the matchmaker for Young Master Fan."

Kong Qing reacted quickly, and she couldn't help but be surprised: "Master wants to test her? The Cen family is tempted by the bride price promised by Mrs. Fan, and their reputation may not be willing to agree to the marriage. But Mrs. Assassin is a matchmaker, and the Cen family cannot guarantee that they will go smoothly."

The man smiled softly, a trace of cruelty flickered in the depths of his blue-black pupils, "If she is unable to resolve it, how can she help me out of danger? An orphan girl can let Mrs. Governor serve as a matchmaker for her. It also gave her enough face."

She is only 13 years old.Cen Sanniang's weak and demure face appeared in Kong Qing's mind, thinking of Fan Yushu she had seen, she felt sad for Cen Sanniang

Cen Sanniang sat in front of the desk, writing letters earnestly.After three years of practice, she still couldn't write well, and she was a little frustrated.After reading it carefully, I feel that the words are still neat, the meaning is well expressed, and it is very affectionate.Thinking of Mrs. Li's tears and tears, she couldn't help but feel complacent - she finally found some advantage of time-traveling women.

"Third lady, Mrs. Fan promised a bride price of 4 taels. Don't care about the dowry. This is not an obvious intention to ask the Cen family to keep the gift. Chang'an...is there enough time?" Xu looked at the package on the round table, His eyes were full of despair.

"Then I have to happily nod and agree, don't I? Am I writing a letter to ask my grandfather for advice? It will take a few months to go back and forth, and my cousin won't get engaged to me so soon."

Cen Sanniang's smiling face made Xu Shi heave a sigh of relief: "That's right. No matter how heartless your grandfather is, if he misses his wife, he will take care of you."

After sealing the envelope, Cen Sanniang asked Mrs. Xu to open the suitcase, and took out the gold and silver cluster flower moth to distract her.She told Xu Shi: "Give the shoes to the eldest lady, and she will ask the stewards of the outer court to send them out. Here is a letter and this distraction. Mom will bring it to Uncle Liu and ask him to go to Chang'an in person. You must hand it over to me in person. Grandfather."

Xu was surprised again: "Can Miss San not trust Da Furen?"

"It's not that I can't believe it, but... we're careful, just in case it's wrong? If the shoes are delivered to my grandfather's house smoothly, it's inconvenient for others to pass on this distraction, and my grandfather won't doubt why the previous one Send it later."

There is no harm in thinking ahead.

When the two of them finished discussing, Mrs. Xu was about to go downstairs with her burden, when she heard Mama Tian's hearty laughter from the gate of the courtyard: "Third lady, the old lady told me to come get the shoes."

Cen Sanniang stood on the corridor on the second floor and took a look outside. Mother Tian brought several thick women and girls to the screen wall.Her heart sank, and she said in a low voice: "Mom, you put away the letter and the hairpin, and tell Baicao to steal time to find Master Ninth, and let him find an excuse to come see me no matter what. Don't let anyone see you."

Mrs. Xu hummed, and went downstairs with her bag.

"I heard that the new wheat is out, and the house is busy sending it to the second master and the third master. I happened to take these shoelaces to Mrs. Li on the way. I didn't expect the old sister to bring someone to pick them up." Xu greeted with a smile. Go up and hand the burden to the little girl next to Mama Tian.

Cen Sanniang went downstairs slowly, a little surprised: "Why did Mother Tian bring so many wives here?"

Mother Tian smiled kindly: "It's getting hotter and hotter, the old lady loves the third lady. Thinking that the water pavilion in the back garden is cool, she cleaned it up and let the third lady move in. No, I sent my slaves to help the third lady move."

Cen Sanniang twisted herself hard through her skirt, gasped in pain, and a layer of water vapor appeared in her eyes. She took off her handkerchief and wiped her tears: "This yard is very nice, and it doesn't feel hot in summer. Grandma Treating Sanniang so well, how can Sanniang have the heart to scratch her old man. Mom went back to her cousin first, and Sanniang changed her clothes to kowtow to her old man."

She said and walked upstairs.Mama Tian stepped forward to stop her: "Third lady, the water pavilion has been tidied up. You think about the old lady's kindness to you, so you should move there earlier so that she can rest assured."

This is to put her under house arrest.It must be moved.Cen Sanniang turned around and said, "If that's the case, let's move. Mom will take someone to rest downstairs, and I'll let the nanny and Baicao clean up."

Seeing that Cen Sanniang didn't insist, Mother Tian agreed.

"It's hot, so the nanny boiled some mung bean soup and put it in the well water to freeze. Let all the mothers have a bowl." Cen Sanniang said softly.

Mrs. Xu took Baicao to serve mung bean soup.

"You also go to help." Tian's mother pointed to a girl.

"There's a cool breeze upstairs, so Mom will sit upstairs with me. We'll leave after packing up." Cen Sanniang waved a round fan and pulled Tian's mother upstairs.

There are two rooms on the upper floor, and the upper floor is directly opposite the banquet room and Cen Sanniang's study.In the middle there is a small round table with a waist and a few round stools.Cen Sanniang sat down at the table with Tian's mother, then went back to the inner room and opened the box to bring out ten taels of silver.

"Third lady, this can't be allowed..." Mother Tian saw the whole silver ingot, her smile became more friendly, but her voice couldn't help but lowered.

Cen Sanniang stuffed the silver into her hand with a smile, and said softly: "It's so hot, it's hard for my mother to lead people to clean up the water pavilion, and come to help Sanniang's house again. Mom, don't be too polite."

"The third lady can really talk." Tian's mother smiled and took the silver sleeves, sat down and took the tea poured by Cen Sanniang, and said with a smile, "The third lady is a blessed person."

Cen Sanniang sat down and said softly, "Where does this start? I'm just an orphan girl."

Tian's mother approached her mysteriously and said, "The governor's wife visited the old lady in the morning and personally secured the match for you. How many girls in Longzhou city can have such a blessing."

Cen Sanniang lowered her head shyly: "Mom, stop joking."

Having won Cen Sanniang's money, it's nothing to disclose this information to her. Mother Tian laughed softly and said, "It's true! It's for Mr. Fan's family to protect the matchmaker. Third lady, think about it, Mrs. Governor will protect the matchmaker in the future. If you marry into the Fan family, who would dare to bully you? The old lady thought that the young master of the Fan family was not in good health, but Mrs. Governor said that Mrs. Fan invited the imperial doctor in the capital to keep him in care for a few years, and then he recovered. The old lady Only then did I feel relieved. But thinking of you, the old lady still said that she would not book this marriage until she asked you personally."

Cen Sanniang felt cold in her heart.Chang'an is thousands of miles away, even if the letter and the gold and silver bouquet of flowers and moths are distracted and sent out, the distant water can't quench the near thirst.

Having said all that can be said, Mother Tian felt that she was worthy of Cen Sanniang's filial piety and the respect she had for her in the past.She didn't urge her, and after drinking the mung bean soup, An sat aside to watch Xu Shi and Baicao pack their luggage.

Except for the camphor wood box when he first entered the mansion, there were only two more pieces of baggage.It was probably the clothes that the mansion bought for Cen Sanniang's master and servant in the past three years.The burly woman who brought him lifted the box, and Xu and Baicao couldn't help but follow the box with their gazes.

Shrewd Rutian's mother was told by the old lady, so she made a look.When the two women carrying the box stepped out of the courtyard door, one of them stepped on his skirt, and as soon as he let go, the box fell down.

The lid of the box was knocked over, and the clothes were scattered on the floor.Mama Tian slapped her thigh and shouted, "Oh, what's wrong with this!"

She stepped forward in two steps at a time, scolded the old woman who lost her hand, and picked it up without any hassle.

Cen Sanniang glanced at Mrs. Xu and Baicao, and they took back their steps unwillingly, their nervous hands clenched into fists.

Only Cen Sanniang's clothes and a bag of silver were in the cage.Mother Tian weighed it, and it was less than a hundred taels, she curled her lips secretly, thinking that Cen Sanniang was really poor, so she conveniently put the bag of silver in it.She turned around with shame on her face: "Third lady, the slaves brought them with bad hands and feet, you can punish them however you want."

Cen Sanniang shook her round fan and laughed, "It's just a few pieces of clothes. This box is my mother's dowry. It's a hundred-year-old prison with copper-covered corners. It's not easy to break it. The two mothers didn't sprain their feet, did they?"

"Those with rough hands and feet, don't care what they do! Take care of your errands, you won't be able to accompany San Niangzi's suitcase if you sell it!" Tian's mother scolded the girl who was carrying things, turned around and went back With a smile all over his face, "They walk slowly, the old lady is still waiting for the third lady."

"Then Baicao will follow me to the hall grandmother first." Cen Sanniang waved her round fan and led Baicao to the backyard along the narrow alley.

Mrs. Xu took Cen Sanniang's makeup box, and Mother Hetian led a group of girls and women to Shuixie to tidy up.

Turning around the corner, and seeing Mama Tian and her party no longer, Baicao said anxiously: "Third lady, mother gave me the letter and the distraction. But the third lady wants to entrust Young Master Ninth to deliver things to Uncle Liu? This servant will go to find Master Ninth."

"No need. Chang'an is too far away, it's too late." Cen Sanniang looked up at the sky cut into a line by the alley, feeling that the road left for her was too narrow.

(End of this chapter)