clothing incense

Chapter 220 The Outer Room
This New Year, we can no longer pay New Year's greetings with great fanfare.

In the early morning of the second day of junior high school, Xue Jiangwan wore a brand-new tapestry cloak. Inside was a silver-red butterfly double-breasted long jacket with flowers, and a moonlight pleated skirt under it, which set off her slender and graceful waist.She was born petite, and the cloak looked very wide on her body, but it concealed her aura somewhat.

Although this cloak is made of expensive materials and exquisite workmanship, it is not suitable for Xue Jiangwan.

Dong Yuan didn't say anything, just asked Xun Fang: "Is the carriage ready for Aunt Xue's return today?"

Xunfang hurried back and got ready.

Dong Yuan nodded slightly, then called Yaotao to him, and whispered a few words to her, asking her to take good care of Aunt Xue along the way, and to learn proper manners when she arrived at Zhenxianhou's Mansion.

Yaotao responded respectfully one by one.

Xue Jiangwan kowtowed to Dong Yuan, and took Yaotao out of Jingsheyuan.

Dong Yuan got up and was about to ask Mrs. Sheng what to do today, when Bi Qiu came in and said, "Grandma, Chen Xiang's wife is here to pay grandma a new year..."

Chen Xiang is Dong Yuan's companion. He and Chen Xi are in charge of Dong Yuan's shop on Dongdajie, and they are regarded as big shopkeepers.Every year, the five shops under Chen Xiang's management have to honor Dong Yuan with more than 2000 taels of silver, which is the richest of Dong Yuan's growing dowry.

His daughter-in-law came to pay New Year's greetings, so she was naturally different from other servants, so Dong Yuan ordered Bi Qiu to invite her in.

Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law is plump and fair, with a round face that is very pleasing.She greeted Dong Yuan with a smile, with a bit of shrewdness in her eyes.

"The person in charge of my family said that this year is different from previous years, so it is not good to bother grandma. Several daughter-in-laws who accompanied the house asked me if I would like to come to greet grandma. I thought, I still lick my old face and come to grandma Kowtow. Great grandma, Wanfu." Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law kowtowed to Dong Yuan three times as she knelt down with a smile.

Dong Yuan hurriedly asked the maids to help her up, and called Xun Fang to give her a purse with silver locks in it.

Looking at Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law, she can talk.

This year is different from previous years, probably because they heard about an accident in the palace and knew that Dong Yuan's place was inconvenient.

"Go kowtow to Madam later, go back after dinner." Dong Yuan said with a smile, "I'm also busy here, so I don't want to keep you here. If there is any embarrassment at home, just tell me."

Chen Xiang's wife smiled and said yes.

Dong Yuan called Bi Qiu to come in, and asked her to accompany Chen Xiang's wife to Yuanyang Pavilion to pay New Year's greetings to Mrs. Sheng.

After about a stick of incense, Bi Qiu came back with her, and Mrs. Sheng also rewarded Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law with a purse.Dong Yuan asked her to eat, but she only said that it was still early and the family was busy, so she would not stay any longer.

"Grandma..." When she was about to leave, Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law suddenly stopped, looked at the maids and women who were serving the room, and hesitated to speak.

Dong Yuan understood and let everyone go out.

When only Dong Yuan and Chen Xiang's wife were left in Dongci, Chen Xiang's wife took a few steps closer to Dong Yuan and said in a low voice, "Grandma, my head of the house asked me to send a message to Grandma: Someone said outside, the son of the world In Nanmen Hutong, there is an exquisite house..."

With such a cautious tone, and being so cautious, how could Dong Yuan fail to hear the meaning behind his words?

There is an exquisite house in Nanmen Hutong, doesn't it mean that Sheng Xiuyi has an outside house?

Dong Yuan only felt his head buzzing.

She met Chen Xiang.Chen Xiang was carefully selected by her grandfather and grandmother as a dowry, and she is a very capable person.If he hadn't been very sure about this matter, he wouldn't have let his wife come in to report to Dong Yuan.

Moreover, this matter should be very secret, only a few people know.

If everyone knew about it, Dong Yuan might know about it too.Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law said again that Dong Yuan's face was not calm, and she would not be grateful to Chen Xiang for tipping off the news, but instead blamed him for being troublesome.

Who likes family scandals to be known by others?

Chen Xiang's daughter-in-law said "someone said it outside", just to make Dong Yuan look better.

Dong Yuan's heart trembled slightly.She quickly regained her composure, looked at Chen Xiang's wife calmly, and asked, "My son has a house? Did Chen Xiang tell my grandfather about this?"

Chen Xiang's wife was surprised by Dong Yuan's attitude.

How can you be so calm?

Did you not understand?

She looked at Dong Yuan in doubt, but saw her eyes flickering slightly, still not emotional, so she could only follow her words and replied: "Back to grandma, the old Hou Ye didn't know about it. My head of the family said that only someone knew about it." Let the grandma persuade the son. If there is a quarrel, the old master and the grandma will not look good."

This matter is still very secretive.

But Sheng Xiuyi is now the prince's young teacher.I heard that the crown prince thinks highly of him, the tree attracts the wind, so many eyes stare at him.

Chen Xiang was doing business outside, so there might be gossip, but no one else?After a long time, there is no impenetrable wall in the world. When things escalate, not only Sheng Xiuyi will be impeached, but Dong Yuan and her family will lose face because of it.

In this day and age, no matter how many concubines a rich family has, no one will say anything about it.Even if it is a singer or a dancer, as long as it is raised in the mansion, others will think that it is a symbol of wealth and honor.

But keeping it outside is a licentious beauty, which will ruin a person's reputation.

For the scholar-bureaucrat class, reputation is more important than life.

Although Dong Yuan's face was pale, his fingers were tightly clenched together.She didn't answer for a while, and there was no trace of a smile on her face.

After a long time, she finally said: "Talk to Chen Xiang, bring in all the account books from the shop last year, and let me have a look. I have to serve my wife in the afternoon, so let him come before noon."

What this means is: she wants to see Chen Xiang in person, and the sooner the better.

Chen Xiang's willingness to let his wife handle this matter shows his trust in his wife, so Chen Xiang's family should be a smart and capable person.

Sure enough, after hearing Dong Yuan's words, Chen Xiang's wife hurriedly said: "Yes, grandma, I will ask Chen Xiang to bring it to grandma."

Dong Yuan nodded.

After about an hour, Chen Xiang ran in with sweat on his forehead and panting.

Dong Yuan asked him where the news came from.

"I met a friend in the early years. Later, he committed some crimes and went to Shaanxi. Because I knew him at the beginning, and no one else knew. Now he returned to Beijing suddenly, and once met on the street, he saw that it was me. , came to see me in the middle of the night. He said he was in Nanmen Hutong, and his wife was in charge." Chen Xiang's voice was a little low.

Is that person Sheng Xiuyi?
Invite someone from Shaanxi to come back to be in charge?

"That friend of yours, has he ever been on the road?" Dong Yuan remembered that when Sheng Xiuyi talked about Qiangwei's husband Laifu, he said such words.He seemed to know a lot of people on the path.

People on the Tao have many advantages: they often remain anonymous and untraceable.

Chen Xiang listened to Dong Yuan's words, and nodded slightly: "Yes. I knew him at the beginning, but it was just some shady contacts, and no one else knew about it. If the Shizi knew that he had friendship in Beijing, he probably wouldn't invite him. So he asked me to promise not to tell anyone. Because he knew that I was a companion in Shengfu, he told me..."

Then, he sighed: "Miss Nine, the old Hou Ye has the grace to reinvent me. Even if I lose my loyalty, I can't hide it from you! It's too coincidental, I dare not tell the old Hou Ye. You have something in your heart." Count, after all, you and the eldest son are a married couple, and any quarrel between the two of you can be resolved. Hurry up and bring him to the mansion. If there is a quarrel, the eldest son will be impeached, and you and the old Hou Grandpa will also lose his reputation..."

He called Dong Yuan Miss Jiu instead of grandma, and he used the position of the Xue family to persuade Dong Yuan.

If the husband has a concubine, his reputation will be damaged if it spreads out. As a wife, Dong Yuan, shouldn't she be called a shrew?

If she wasn't virtuous, why would her husband support others outside?
If that's the case, just generously bring people in!Dong Yuan is the main wife. Although she is a stepmother, she has the title of princess, so if a woman comes in, shouldn't she let her take care of her?
It would be in Dong Yuan's best interest to bring that woman in without anyone noticing.

This thing is real!

Dong Yuan felt a ladle of cold water poured down from the top of his head, cooling down to the soles of his feet.Her hands trembled slightly a few times.

A woman from Shaanxi...

When Sheng Xiuyi went to the northwest, did he also have Shaanxi?

Could it be the woman from that time?

But how did you find Kyoto?

He had been in the Northwest for almost a year, and Sheng Xiuyi kept silent about what happened.Dong Yuan never thought that there would be a woman by his side.

After all, she felt that Sheng Xiuyi was going to do something very dangerous.

But he went to the Northwest as the Northwest Inspector.It is impossible for him to show that he wants to seize other people's military power as soon as he goes.

He could only pretend to be an imperial envoy on inspection.

For the imperial envoy from Kyoto, the local officials would naturally fawn on him.It is also possible to bribe him with beauties or even officials' daughters.

These thoughts quickly turned in her mind, as if a fire was burning, and her heart was always aching.

"Don't tell the old Hou Ye yet." Dong Yuan said to Chen Xiang.Her voice was very soft, as if she had no strength.

Chen Xiang wanted to say something more, but his lips turned pale when he saw her, and he quickly agreed: "Miss Nine, I understand! Don't worry, I won't mention it to anyone again. It's just that this matter is not too late, you have to hurry up Tell Shi Ziye. If..."

"I know!" Dong Yuan suddenly interrupted him, "Go and do your work."

What she showed at this moment was extremely agitated.

Chen Xiang suddenly regretted it.

He felt that telling the grandma, the grandma would cry and make a fuss, break up with the son, and bring that woman closer to the mansion would neither make the old master angry, nor embarrass the grandma and the son.

But when he saw the grandma holding back so much, he immediately regretted it a bit: Grandma wouldn't hold back and say something else, right?
He also wanted to persuade, Dong Yuan had recovered his calm expression, there was still a faint smile on his brow, no different from usual.

Chen Xiang suddenly felt a chill down his back.

After he retreated, Dong Yuan didn't call the maidservants to come in.

She sat alone in the east room until lunch time, when Xun Fang and Bi Qiu came in, they saw her like a sculpture, expressionless and motionless.

The two servant girls were startled, and they stepped forward and called her softly: "Grandma..."

Dong Yuan came back to his senses, smiled, and asked what's wrong?
"It's lunch time..." Xunfang said.

Dong Yuan nodded.

Then, she remembered something, and suddenly said to Xunfang: "Who is the person who went out with the son recently?"

(End of this chapter)