The daily life of the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, thick black

Chapter 227 Touchstone

Nian Xialing has been begging for a rest for a long time, and the reason is actually similar to that of Zhang Ying, to make way for the younger generations.

His son Nian Gengyao is also very capable in doing things in Sichuan, but the eldest son Nian Xiyao is not as good. It is said that it is the family that Kangxi valued the most in the court.Moreover, Kangxi also granted him a mansion in Beijing, allowing him to retire in Beijing. I don’t know if Zhang Ying had this kind of favor back then. Anyway, Zhang Ying has already returned to his hometown. Ordinary people live in their hometown for the elderly, and their age is not ordinary.

Now that he is celebrating his birthday, and because he has already begged for a rest, old friends from the imperial court and friends from the capital who have already begged come to see him, and it is very lively.

Gu Huaixiu came here with Zhang Tingyu, but he was not surprised at all when he saw the lively scene of Xia Ling's birthday.

The servants in front of the door came down immediately when they saw Zhang's carriage: "I have seen Mr. Zhang, our second master knew you were coming, and told me to lead you in."

Zhang Tingyu helped Gu Huaixiu, and said with a casual smile: "Your second master is thoughtful, he just invited me in, and I know the way, there is a courtesy behind, let someone carry it."

The invitation was handed back by Zhang Tingyu, and then a servant girl led the way at the door, after a while, Gu Huaishou and Zhang Tingyu went to meet Nian Xialing.

The old birthday star Nian Yaling is now a gray-haired old man. When he saw Zhang Tingyu, he said, "Li Guangdi is also inside. How can you be polite here? Go in quickly."

Mrs. Nian was also outside, she was a kind-hearted old lady, she also took Gu Huaishu's hand and said: "I will take Second Mrs. Zhang inside."

On this side, after only a few words, Gu Huaishu was dragged away.

"I've heard about the matter between you and Chen Yu. When she came back crying, her face was stained. At that time, I wondered who could make our family Chen Yu beautiful?" The old lady pulled Gu Huaixiu She walked in with her hand, but there was no trace of blame in her tone. She had already passed the age of being unconvinced and discordant, and she smiled again, "I didn't see each other very much in the past. Only when I saw it today, did I know what Chen Yu was like." The girl deserves to cry."

"Ci Fujin is so beautiful now, I'm afraid I should cry when I see her."

Gu Huaishu also flattered with a smile, but felt that the old lady spoke very softly.

"I heard that Prince Yong is also coming today, but it has given our family enough face. Sigh... I just thought, it would be great if I could meet Chen Yu..."

Although it wasn't impossible to see them in the past, they were all secret after all. The family members could pass things in through the back door, even those who were aboveboard would not dare. Now it is a good time to hold a birthday banquet.

The old lady sighed softly, and she could see that she should be a beauty when she was young, and she was also gentle and virtuous.

It's just that Gu Huaixiu's scalp is numb when he listens here.

Although it is said that the Nian family is a servant of Yinzhen's sect, Yinzhen is now the owner of the white banner after all. It would be a bit too face-saving to come to celebrate the birthday of a minister of the court who is already in retirement.Was he really not afraid that Kangxi would doubt him again?

Gu Huaishu's doubts had not been resolved until Yinzhen appeared.

The old lady let her sit in front of a table with acquaintances, but it was not arranged according to any rank like other banquets.

But when the old lady led her to the table, Gu Huaishu also realized at the same time that the Nian family was really not simple.

Sitting at this table were almost all familiar faces, Sun Lianqiao, Li Zhen'er, and Nalan Qinhua who was half the master, Mingzhu's granddaughter, and Nalan Xingde's daughter.

Nalan Qinhua Xu was given to the second son of the Nian family, Nian Gengyao, who is now the second young lady of the Nian family. She first saluted the old lady, and after she left, she shyly asked Gu Huaishu to sit down. Down.

"Second Madam Zhang, please take a seat. Everyone at this table knows each other, but we have something to talk about."

The most feared thing about participating in a birthday banquet is boredom. If you are bored, you can only go to the theater. Although it is an essential activity, how come the people here have attended many birthday banquets?

No matter how many repertoires there are, after listening to them for so many years, they should be tired.

Therefore, if everyone at the table knows each other, wouldn't it be boring at all?
Here, Gu Huaixiu greeted everyone as soon as he sat down. Sun Lianqiao glanced at her. He only knew that Gu Huaixiu used too much force when Fourth Master was grounded a while ago.As for Sun Lianqiao herself, no matter how capable she is, she is nothing more than a doctor, and it is because of Kangxi's existence that she has such a little use value left.

Fourth Master also did a good job of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge.

A bridge like Gu Huaishu probably won't need to be demolished for the rest of his life, right?

"I knew earlier that you and your grandfather were coming. Not long after we came in, we heard singing outside. They can tell you that you are the latest to come back, and you will be punished with a glass of wine first!"

"Every time I come late, it's not like you don't know that, every time you want me to have a drink first."

Gu Huaishu didn't care, took the wine and drank it, lit the bottom of the glass and said: "It's your turn to drink."

They are all brewed fruit wine, which is slightly sweet, and after drinking it, it won't go down for a while. Gu Huaishu also glanced at Sun Lianqiao, but Sun Lianqiao didn't respond.

Nalan Qinhua saw that the atmosphere of the crowd was still good, so he smiled and asked the servant girl to serve the dishes, "The dishes prepared today are all light, and the well-known cooks in the capital are invited, although they are not the same as the cook under Mrs. Zhang's hands." It's definitely not as good as it is, but it's still considered a master."

Hearing these words, Gu Huaixiu felt subtle, why did he suddenly say something about Xiao Shifang?
Even Sun Lianqiao looked up at Nalan Qinhua in surprise.

Nalan Qinhua seemed to be aware of the inappropriateness in his words immediately, and hurriedly said: "Mrs. Zhang Er, don't misunderstand me, I have no malicious intentions."

"You don't have to be so polite, the second young lady. Everyone knows about the cook in my family. I want to find an opportunity to invite you to our house to talk about it. It happens that the two masters are from the same department, so we should take care of them."

Gu Huaishu smiled and smoothed things over for Nalan Qinhua.

At this moment, Nalan Qinhua also understood, and said with a smile: "You know I'm hungry."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone took Nalan Qinhua's mention of the cook as normal, but there were only two people who were different.

Sun Lianqiao and Gu Huaishu coincidentally recalled the scene they met outside the kitchen that day.

What Nalan Qinhua said, it's okay to deceive ordinary people, but Gu Huaishu and Sun Lianqiao are delicate people, and they will not fail to notice the incoherence and unnaturalness of the front and back.These words came out too abruptly. If the words "greedy" were in the front, it would be much better, but if they were in the back, it would inevitably be suspected of making up after the fact.

But at this time, naturally no one will expose this matter.

They sat here talking, and after a while, there was a few chuckles in front of them, which seemed to be frivolous, Gu Huaishu vaguely felt a little familiar, so he laughed: This person is not Li Si'er, who is it?
Now Long Kedo likes Li Si'er, whose status has long been no different from that of the wife of the wife, who is like a married woman, and she goes in and out of the mansions of various houses, and the scenery is infinite.

Originally, Li Si'er came in with a smile, but when he saw Gu Huaishu who was talking to Li Zhen'er in front of him, his expression changed with hatred.

If there are any banquets on weekdays, Longkodo will take her to take the initiative, but I didn't expect that when I left today, Longkodo actually told her not to go.

How could Li Si'er bear it?

She immediately questioned Longkodo, asking herself why she couldn't go.

At that time, Long Kedo didn't know whether Gu Huaixiu would go or not. He didn't want Li Si'er to go to be on the safe side, but he couldn't bear Li Si'er's torture.

Therefore, before departure, Long Kedo said: "Zhang Tingyu is now a celebrity in front of the emperor. Do you remember the leader given by Mrs. Zhang Er? Although I don't know if she will go now, you must remember to keep it for the Lord. If You were hated by Gu San this time, so I can only send you to Zhuangzi."

This way, Li Si'er can follow.

She has already experienced the difficulty of Gu Huaixiu many times. Now when you see Gu Huaixiu, Li Si'er will think of the thrilling Wanjing Tower.

All the scenes of that day flashed into Li Si'er's mind in an instant, she quickly stopped talking, and was led to sit there silently.

Gu Huaishu here just smiled slightly. The grievances between her and Li Si'er can be said to be known to almost the whole capital, but the relationship between Longkodo and Zhang Tingyu among colleagues is not deep.

Now that Li Si'er is very honest, Gu Huaixiu will not go to trouble Li Si'er when he is full and has nothing to do.

It was not until the end of the banquet that news came from the front hall that Prince Yong had arrived.

Sure enough, the more important the person is, the more he has to appear later, Gu Huaishu sneered in his heart, Xin Dao Yinzhen probably did it on purpose, right?

Soon, there was excitement in front, and someone led side Fujinian Chen Yu towards the back.

Everyone saluted Nian Chenyu immediately, with Gu Huaixiu on the far side. Nian Chenyu knew that she had something to do with Fourth Master, so instead of helping her up at this time, she just waved her hand to get everyone up.

She has a noble status and does not sit with ordinary people, but only sits facing the room.

As soon as the people from Prince Yong's Mansion arrived, the banquet just started.

In the afternoon, the troupe invited by the Nian Mansion happened to be singing in the garden, so Gu Huaishu and Sun Lianqiao walked aside.

Sun Lianqiao only said: "Why do I feel that the second young lady today..."

If she didn't say it, Gu Huaishu wanted to say it too, but maybe she could hold it back better.

"Now why does she suddenly mention my cook..."

Gu Huaishu also didn't understand, the only thing he could remember was that day when "the flowers faded and the red and green apricots" and "the cherries turned red and the plantains turned green" are still fresh in his memory.

For some reason, I suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

Gu Huaishu couldn't tell what this feeling was, maybe it was... ominous?
Her recent premonitions are always correct beyond compare.

"Maybe we are thinking too much?"

It's just an accidental sentence, a word that hurts the spring and the autumn, and it's a lady and a cook. Nalan Qinhua has been married for many years, so he shouldn't be thinking about Xiao Shifang, right?But when I think about it carefully, I feel terrified again.The scenes back then were also scenes, and I always felt a little subtle.

But Sun Lianqiao said: "What's wrong with it? Now we can't ask Mrs. Nian Er, we can only take a step and see."

The two of them finished talking slowly, and went to the corridor, then changed the topic, Nian Chenyu was sitting in the hall, probably because he was dizzy from listening to the opera, so why did you come here?
When Nian Chenyu saw them, he said: "You two are here too, you must have been dizzy from listening to the opera again."

Gu Huaishu said: "The singing is really good, but I seem to be a little dizzy today."

She sat down, and Sun Lianqiao said, "Shall I take your pulse?"

"I'm afraid it's not a big deal. Let's get your pulse later." In other people's homes, it's better to avoid such things. Taboo, "Why is the fourth master here today? Shouldn't I avoid it at a time like this?"

"This matter has been reported to Lord Long Live, so don't worry."

Nian Chenyu smiled, seeing the servant girl bringing tea, she asked Gu Huaixiu to use it.

She continued: "The most important thing today is to bring that Shen Tie Suan from the south of the Yangtze River to meet people. After all, there are quite a few here who are under the fourth master's family..."

Tell Kangxi directly first, and then come here blatantly, it doesn't look like a clique at all...

Yinzhen's move is also interesting.

He believed that others would not be able to catch him, or maybe there was nothing serious about coming today.

It's just that Shen Yang also came, so Gu Huaishu couldn't even imagine it.

Zhang Tingyu is still ahead, so there is no guarantee that it will not be a good show.

Thinking about it, Gu Huaixiu slightly bent his lips, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

Raising his hand to pinch a piece of dragon beard crisp, Gu Huaixiu took a small bite: "Fourth Master seems to be getting more and more courageous now."

Nian Chenyu's gaze flickered for a moment, and he landed on the small plate of dragon beard crisps, and said: "Maybe it's not because he's brave, but because he has confidence..."

"how do I say this?"

Gu Huaixiu couldn't understand at first, she didn't like to eat anything that wasn't made by Shi Fang, and now she just ate a few casually so as not to have anything to say.

Nian Chen Yuzhi said: "Second Madam Zhang, you are a touchstone."

This made her even more confused. She felt sleepy and felt something was wrong, "You..."

In Gu Huaixiu's eyes, Nian Chenyu's shadow seemed to be a little shaky, her heart was cold, she never thought that at the birthday banquet, Zhang Tingyu was still in front, and someone would attack her...

"Second Madam Zhang? Second Madam Zhang?"

(End of this chapter)