The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 23

The second wife lingered in the main room until dinner time before leaving.

After getting into the clear oil trolley and walking for a while, he entered the Hanlin Mansion again.

Although there are two mansions on Eryang Street, the Hanlin Mansion is several circles smaller than the Governor's Mansion.

There are very few people living here, and the people who live here all the year round are only the second wife and the eighth lady, and a few concubines who have fallen out of favor.

Compared with the liveliness of the big house, the Hanlin Mansion in the evening is a bit more lonely.

"Has Ba Niangzi taken the medicine?" The second wife entered the main room and asked Mother Lu who came forward to greet her.

"I've already eaten, and I'm drinking soup." Mother Lu laughed along.

Ba Niangzi's health is not good, and she grew up roasting medicine since she was a child. She finally grew up to ten years old, and she couldn't stop her soup and medicine every day.

The second wife responded with a heavy heart, and asked again, "Where are the young masters, remember to pack some autumn clothes and send them, and then ask the servants around you to take care of them carefully, so that you don't catch a cold!"

Only then did I enter the small garden of Hanlin Mansion to visit Ba Niangzi.

Although the garden of Hanlin Mansion is also exquisite, but there are few people in the family, it is unavoidable to be suspected of desolation.

Walking on the bluestone path in the setting sun, looking at the moss on the rockery, a sense of desolation and loneliness slowly floated up.

Several pavilions in the garden are heavily locked... Those concubines who fell out of favor were all sent to Zhuangzi by the second wife.

"I used to feel that there are many people in the family." The second wife couldn't help muttering to herself, "Now I feel lonely. It's really hard to be satisfied."

Mother Lu smiled and comforted the second wife, "It's lively, but it's not good to be lively. You envy the excitement next door, and maybe the next door also envies your quietness!"

The second wife couldn't help looking at the high wall on the west side of the garden.

Through a wall, murmurs could still be heard coming from the small warehouse.

This is the medicine mother is taking stock again...

Throughout the year, the small warehouse can't stop for a while. Mother Yao has countless things to be moved out to dry and organize. After drying this, she has to scrub that.

This is just my sister-in-law's own small warehouse...

The dots of lights have also been lit up in Baifang Garden.

The second wife stepped up her pace and sighed.

After visiting Ba Niangzi, I went back to the hall of the main courtyard.

It was cold and clear again, and the pillow was cold and the quilt was cold.

I had to do some needlework with Mother Lu to kill time.

The second wife compared the lines carefully while gossiping with Mother Lu.

"Si Yiniang asked my sister-in-law to be kind to me today and let her go to Huiqing Temple to offer incense."

Mama Lu frowned and stopped breathing.

"What did the eldest lady say..."

The two of them met head to shoulder and shoulder to shoulder, and when they talked, there was no obvious distinction between master and servant, but rather a pair of close friends.

The second wife let out a long breath, "It's not like you don't know about this fourth cousin, her mind is smaller than a needle, and there is that little vixen named Seventh Lady at her side... I was about to let go, what did Seventh Lady say?" In other words, she is not allowed to go out."

After all, the eldest wife is the mistress of the eldest house. She is not in Suzhou, and the fourth aunt can quietly go out a few times.Now she is sitting in Suzhou, she does not allow Si Yiniang to go out, Si Yiniang has nothing to do.

"That's right." Mother Lu sighed, "The aunt of this rich family has no reason to go out often."

The eyebrows and eyes of the second wife dimmed, "What's more worrying is that this marriage is coming and going, as if it is about to be settled..."

What I can exchange with Fourth Aunt is the marriage of Third Aunt.

With Si Niangzi's appearance, even if she came forward by herself, I'm afraid it means that she is an average person.

Fourth Aunt doesn't need to rely on herself - the Eldest Master will never let Fourth Aunt marry worse than the average family...

Once the fourth aunt had no more thoughts, her last thread in the big room would be broken.

Mother Lu asked cautiously, "Then look, this Huiqing Temple, shall we go or not..."

The second wife let out a long breath, and leaned tiredly on the satin-embroidered gold chair.

Thoughtfully, he rubbed the clean and cool celadon tea bowl.

The big wife's house is all black porcelain rabbit hair bowls and dishes from a kiln of thousands of gold...

"The one who has been in contact with Huiqing Temple has always been Fourth Aunt, not us." Her eyes were full of confusion, "The abbot, whoever is wary, may not reveal his truth to us... Fourth Aunt has the guts It's small, and it's vague..."

"Then let's forget about it?" Lu's mother looked worried and frightened, "This matter is not safe!"

The second wife sighed again.

"Forget it, the second elder brother of my family should be halfway there. If you don't make a move, once the genealogy is up, there will be no room for maneuver!"

When the time comes to decide on the marriage, Fourth Aunt will definitely not have any contact with her again...

Brother Jiu's position as the heir is as stable as Mount Tai, and cannot be shaken anymore.

"What did Fourth Aunt say?" She asked Mother Lu again.

Mother Lu had no choice but to repeat to the second wife, "It is said that the abbot of Huiqing Temple is proficient in the art of disgusting victory. The reason why the eldest wife cut off contact with Huiqing Temple is because of the death of the third aunt and the abbot of Huiqing Temple. Can't get rid of the relationship."

It was Third Aunt's death again!
These three aunts really have a trick to die.

The second wife could not help but sneer slightly.

"Yes, I just asked for the horoscope of the third aunt. It didn't take long for the third aunt to go crazy and wanted to make trouble with the old man... It is said that the abbot of Huiqing Temple made offerings to the little ghost." Mother Lu couldn't help clasping her hands together and chanting Buddha , "That's why it was so effective. At that time, the fourth aunt and the eldest wife each paid thousands of taels to ask him to help..."

The second wife thought about it, but it was difficult to make a decision.

"If we rashly go over and ask others to help, they may not agree." She was full of thoughts.

After a while, he changed his mind, "Passing this village, Dafang's Wanguan family wealth has nothing to do with our three young masters!"

Mother Lu couldn't tell why, so she could only look at the second wife and let her hesitate.

The second wife found the account book again and came out to read it.

The more I look at it, the more uncomfortable I feel.

"The family is separated as soon as we pass through the door, and all we are given are hillsides! There is not a few taels produced in a year." He sighed as he said, "The master is not good at management, and he is so poor that he can hardly afford to marry a daughter-in-law! Said to ask my brother and sister-in-law to help me."

And carefully sorted out the whole thing from beginning to end.

Seventh Lady, that little coquettish vixen, took the opportunity of the three sisters in Huanshawu to have a miscarriage, and used the black blood in Brother Nine's house as an excuse to pretend to be a ghost, and perfunctory the matter.Fourth Cousin actually believed that Brother Ninth had been suppressed by Nightmare, so she didn't know the severity and caused a catastrophe.

Bah, it's clear that she has harbored evil intentions since she was a child!He is so bold, just wait for him to deceive his master and exterminate his ancestors in the future!

However, the temperament of the fourth cousin is suspicious and soft-hearted. Although she begged and brought her sons back to Suzhou, the uncle took the children back to Shantang Academy after a big change.

One was raised by him until he was ten years old, and the other was not seen for many years in the capital. The fourth cousin never let go, and said that she would first look at the character of her nephews for a few years before promoting them.At this time, the statement of Nightmare Town came out, and he believed it so deeply that he couldn't explain it clearly.

It should be that the pair of Sao Fox siblings were lucky, and at that moment, the fourth cousin had chickenpox again, and the seventh lady made a fool of herself, made a big fuss, pretended to serve wholeheartedly, and deceived the fourth cousin's favor.He simply promoted them to the next generation... Wanting to send someone to the clan to secretly spoil things, the fourth cousin got someone's advice, so the housekeeper left after only a few stops.

It seems that they are determined to win over this pair of siblings and talk about the relationship between mother and child!

"Mother-child affection? Mother-child affection, is it so easy to talk about?" She couldn't help sneering, and muttered to herself, "Back then, I coveted the Feng family's convex embroidery method, and hired me to be an aunt. , and almost let her grow up to be a serious second-bedroom aunt. She tried her best to cooperate with the fourth aunt to push her to the northwest... and even asked her to take her daughter away. Do you really think that no one knows about these things?"

I want to join forces with Si Yiniang again, but the other party is neither hot nor cold. If it wasn't for the opportunity of Fourth Cousin betrotting Third Lady to the Zhang family recently, and Si Yiniang's resentment, Si Yiniang wouldn't be able to match this line!

But he refused to take the path of poisoning again.

Said it was a lot of hard work, but he won a summer heat, and spent thousands of taels of silver just to wipe his butt...

It's about the disgusting thing.

It is said that Huiqing Temple can help to set up the line, but for San Niangzi's husband's family that is not inferior to the Wang family.

What a lion!If you don't fight for three days, you dare to bargain with yourself for the things that are exposed to tiles?

In the future, when Brother Hong comes into charge of the Yang family, she will be the first one to get rid of!

The second wife suddenly raised her eyebrows and made up her mind.

"Tomorrow, I will go to Huiqing Temple in person!" She told Mother Lu calmly. "You send someone to talk to Fourth Aunt and ask her to greet the temple in advance."

Mother Lu couldn't hide her worry, "If someone catches this..."

The second wife snorted, "Fourth aunt doesn't have the guts yet!"

Mother Lu thought about it carefully, and felt relieved: Yes, after all, Fourth Aunt had a history of cooperating with the second wife and making trouble around Ninth Brother.

She didn't dare to plot against the second wife, just as the second wife didn't dare to persecute her too much.

"It's better for the old slave to go." She discussed with the second wife, "The fourth aunt just talked about the Huiqing Temple, so you can go to Huiqing Temple to offer incense, and if you publish it in the future, it will inevitably give Seventh Lady something to talk about. .”

Speaking of Seventh Lady, the second wife's face darkened.

"Such a scheming and evil star fell from the sky!" She spat bitterly, "It's even more annoying than a first-time lady. She's scheming, just like that damned biological mother!"

Mother Lu had no choice but to accompany the second wife to scold the seventh lady.

"I still have to go." The second wife calmed down a little, and made another nod. "After all, you are separated by a floor, and it is not convenient to negotiate the price with the abbot..."

No matter how caring Mother Lu is, she is still a slave.

There are no rules for this kind of thing, and how much you say depends on the abbot's mouth.

After all, the second wife still has to negotiate the price in person to be at ease.

Mother Lu had no choice but to agree.

Bringing up the matter in Beijing again, "Master has written again."

The second wife opened the letter, read a few words casually, and put it aside.

"It's not the third article, ask my son, ask my daughter, and then ask me for money." Some grudges appeared in her eyes, "The big house subsidizes him with thousands of taels every year, and it will be used up before the end of the year!"

The relationship between the second wife and the second master is cold, and it is not a matter of a day or two.

Mother Lu just laughed, "Money? We don't have enough for ourselves. The young masters have returned to Suzhou, and that's where the money is spent. How much money can the capital spend? It's nothing more than a few concubines and a maiden."

The second wife also laughed, "Yes, I know what you mean, Aunt Xiang will not even want to see a cent of this money!"

She remembered Madam Xu's words.

"Living at home, sometimes you have to look shameless!" At that time, Mrs. Xu was still a heroic daughter. "What's the face? Can it be eaten and worn as clothes? Don't make those fakes, the benefits you get are the most important thing!"

How could she compete with her stepmother if it wasn't for the shamelessness of going all out?

If it wasn't for the shamelessness of going all out, how could she have forced the dowry of her biological mother who died young from her father and brought it to the second room of the Yang family?

When a person is forced into a corner, the most important thing to care about is face, and the benefit that is obtained is the most important thing!
#
After three or four days, the second wife came to ask the eldest wife to go with her to offer incense.

"This time several nephews have entered the arena. Although there is little hope of winning the exam, I still want to ask for it." She invited the eldest wife, "Since the Taoist priest Jiushou of Plum Blossom Temple passed away, I feel that Plum Blossom Temple is not effective. Now, I want to go to some new temples to worship. Is my sister-in-law interested in joining me? I want to go to several famous Buddhist temples."

The eldest wife said lazily, "You just go."

The brows are full of indifference.

I used to pay so much attention to Brother Da and Hong's studies...

Seventh Lady smiled beside the eldest wife, "Don't worry, Second Aunt, the elder brothers are all young and promising, even if they fail this subject, they will definitely pass in the next year!"

The second wife looked at Qin Niangzi's smiling face, and felt bored in her heart.

In the past six months, as soon as I entered the Governor's Mansion, Seventh Lady would arrive within half an hour.

As if I would eat my sister-in-law...

"Yes." I could only squeeze out a dry laugh, "Ms. Cheng Qi's auspicious words!"

After foreshadowing in front of the eldest wife, she took Mother Lu to pray to God and Buddha.

I went to Hanshan Temple on the first day and Huiqing Temple on the second day.

Tong Guang, the abbot of Huiqing Temple, never neglected, and went out to accompany the second wife to browse the scenery of Huiqing Temple.

Suzhou is a rich and prosperous place, and the Buddhist tradition is also strong, so there are not many temples. The incense money of dignitaries and dignitaries may not necessarily be given to any temple. Therefore, these abbots have practiced a good kung fu of observing words and demeanor. It doesn't look like an abbot, but like a businessman.

The second wife just showed a little intention of doing things, and Master Tongguang talked eloquently, boasting about his Huiqing Temple.

"It's not that the old monk is bragging," Master Tongguang asked the second wife to serve tea in the Zen room, "The Buddhist team in the temple is all top-notch, and the fees are not too high..."

There is a lot of meaning to continue.

The second wife got a headache from what he said, and seeing no one around, she simply cut to the chase.

"Speaking of which, the fourth concubine of my eldest family in the Yang family has always come to offer incense at your place." She reminisced with Master Tongguang, "I heard that even my natal Ge's family often come to your place to perform rituals."

Master Tongguang stroked his white beard, "That's not bad, your fourth aunt has always been doing things in the temple..."

He has to boast about it with eloquence.

The second wife felt that Master Tongguang really didn't win.The fourth aunt has come to say hello, but she can't know the elegance by listening to the string song.

Xuan was relieved: After all, this kind of thing cannot be brought to the fore, and Master Tong Guang didn't want to reveal the truth rashly, lest he didn't mean it and everyone would be embarrassed.

She asked again, "I heard that in addition to the ordinary rituals in the temple, there are... and some..."

Master Tongguang's eyes flashed, he stroked his beard and remained silent.

The second wife took a piece of paper from her sleeve and gently placed it on the mat.

"After the matter is completed, 2 taels of silver." She offered the price calmly. "Master, let's see if it's worth it."

Master Tong Guang lowered his eyes and stared at the thin note.

The paper was not folded, and the line of small characters on October 23, Shen Shi three quarters in the tenth year of Zhaoming was clearly exposed to the eyes of Master Tongguang.

The atmosphere became tense for a moment.

The second wife coughed dryly before she was about to speak, Master Tong Guang raised his head and coughed softly again.

"This... If you don't leave some evidence..."

The second wife couldn't help being overjoyed.

Not every temple is willing to dabble in this kind of shady matter.

Master Tong Guang is willing to make a move, that is the best.

But he also kept an eye out, "I'd better wait until the matter is settled and see you later!"

He also promised, "I have always kept my promises, master can rest assured, I will never tear down bridges!"

I wrote an IOU of 2 taels of silver, in duplicate, and pressed my fingerprint.

"Just wait for the good news from Master." She said mysteriously.

Master Tong Guang accepted the IOU and wrote a short note with eight characters, and stood up with a smile, "I will send my wife a few steps!"

(End of this chapter)