cloud temple phoenix hairpin

Chapter 25

Chapter 22

The first year of Ming Yu's rebirth came in a peaceful state.

On New Year's Eve, all kinds of things have been prepared, and the annual gifts to the clans and families have also been distributed early.From the gate to the inner courtyard of Rongyin Hall, couplets and signs were changed, new nectarines were placed, and lights and festoons were decorated everywhere.The ancestral hall was also cleaned inside and out early, packed up the offerings, and invited the gods.At night, the incense candles in the ancestral hall are shining brightly and surrounded by green smoke.A total of dozens of people including the Ruan Jialian clan of Rongyin Hall gathered here.Arranged by seniority, Mrs. Ruan is in the middle, uncle Ruan Zhongjin is the first in the east, family head Ruan Hongtian, then Ruan Honghai and many other cousins, and finally Ruan Anjun and other children who are the same generation as Mingyu.In the west, headed by the Li family and the Jiang family, a group of female relatives were arranged in order.When the time comes, follow the old lady to burn incense and bow down to the ancestors.The juniors of the Hefu saluted Old Madam Ruan again, distributed the New Year's money purses, and held a New Year's banquet in the lobby. There was laughter everywhere, and the sound of firecrackers was set off all night long.

After this year, Mingyu is 11 years old.

In the first few days of the first lunar month, relatives and friends still flocked to Rongyin Hall, and there was a constant stream of theater and drinking in the hall and courtyard.Ming Yu has been busy helping the Jiang family to meet and greet, and the year will not be over until after the Lantern Festival.Just as Ming Yu took a breather, she received another invitation card from Xie Mingrou, saying that the Lingzhou Poetry Club hadn't met for a long time, and just in time for the New Year, she was the host and organized a "narcissus" party. The ladies all went to get together, and invited the two sisters, Mingyu, to definitely go there.

This Lingzhou Poetry Club was established privately by ladies from wealthy families in Jiangzhou City, and it can be regarded as a boudoir's pleasure.In the past year, it was agreed that there would be four meetings of peach blossoms, fuchsias, golden chrysanthemums, and wintersweet. If there is a young lady's birthday and she is interested, there will be an impromptu one.Ming Yu used to be a top figure in this poetry club, but now things are different. The last two Jinju and Wintersweet meetings last year were excused. Xie Mingrou has already complained. This time she is the host. It's not good to refuse again.When the day came, I went to the Jiang family to report and went out with Ming Pei.

A few years ago, Mrs. Xie returned Jiang's previous interrogation, saying that Nanny Ding recognized a teacher nun who had retired from the palace in the early years and was familiar with the rules and etiquette in the palace.This dynasty stipulates that the draft is held once every three years, and this nanny is now teaching in Jinjing.The Ruan family is a businessman, and they are not eligible to participate in the election, but if the monthly payment is high, the nanny will also come if they want to come, and ask Jiang's intentions.Jiang Shi naturally liked it, so he hurriedly asked to come over.It has been agreed that after teaching the current lady, she will come over next year.Ming Pei has seen Nanny Ding's demeanor before, and knows that someone similar to her will come to beat her soon, and her heart becomes hairy.These days, I was too bored at home to panic, and finally got a chance to go out, so I was naturally happy, dressed up, and went happily with Ming Yu.

Ming Yu went to Xie's house at the south gate, met Mrs. Xie, and was led to the Nuan Pavilion in the backyard. There were already about a dozen ladies gathered there, including Pei Wenying and Xie Jingzhu, and it was very lively.Because of the name of the "Narcissus" club, there are really narcissus in the four corners of the room, and they are blooming. The whole room is full of golden bells and jade pendants hanging around, swaying slightly with the movements of the girls.

Seeing Ming Yu approaching, Xie Mingrou greeted him with a smile.After she met with many acquaintances, she pulled her aside and said a few words, then complained: "Sister Ruan is not very enthusiastic about our poetry club now? The boudoir is boring, it's so easy I have something to entertain you. You didn't come to the Wintersweet Festival a year ago, not only me, but Jingzhu Wenying was also very disappointed."

Ming Yu hurriedly apologized, Xie Mingrou smiled and said: "Forget it, I know that you are helping my aunt to manage things now, so I will forgive you for going back. Just come here today, and I will let you go only if you make a few more songs."

Mingyu smiled, and when she was dragged away by other ladies to talk, she remembered the Yufu ointment years ago, and thanked Xie Jingzhu: "Sister Jingzhu, thank you for the Yufu ointment years ago, it is very useful .”

"Jade blessing ointment?"

Xie Jingzhu didn't seem to remember, Pei Wenying said to Xie Jingzhu, "Come here and get the jade hairpin, as my cousin ordered. You were not in the room at that time, so I asked your girl to take it for her." Stopped Next, he said again, "The prescription of Yufu ointment was handed out in the palace, not outside. I thought my cousin used it for himself, but it turned out that it was given to my sister?"

Mingyu saw the expression of Xie Zuiqiao that day when he was leaving but stopped, and turned his head to mention the jade blessing ointment to himself. He was slightly startled, and suddenly saw the two girls still looking up at him, and hurriedly said with a smile: "Young Master Xie went to Mengcheng to visit my grandfather, and sent me wound medicine and jade blessing ointment the next day. My grandfather's Taoism is very useful. I just remembered it, so I express my thanks."

It was only then that the two of them came to a sudden realization, and they all cried out in unison.Pei Wenying smiled again: "That ointment is really useful. If Sister Ruan wants to use it, I have it here too."

Ming Yu hastily declined.

Xie Zuiqiao noticed that his feet were frostbitten, so he brought the Yufu Ointment along with his grandfather's wound medicine, but why did he pretend to be Xie Jingzhu?

"Sister Ruan, I heard from my cousin a few days ago that the eight auspicious lions at the gate of your house were actually struck out of silver by the ancestors at that time? However, the gray moss has grown on the ground, and I still think it is an ordinary stone lion. Is it really made of silver?"

Ming Yu suddenly heard Xie Jingzhu asking herself this question again, her heart skipped a beat, and seeing Pei Wenying looking over, both of them looked curious, she smiled and said: "Where are there any silver lions, they are just chasing after the wind , It’s just rumors, it’s just a few stones. If it’s really silver, where can it be found? Ming Rou doesn’t know which storyteller he heard it from, so he just told you about it as something new.”

After Ming Yu finished speaking, seeing Ming Pei beside her with a puzzled expression, hesitant to speak, she lightly kicked her foot, and then gave her a silent look.Ming Pei had no choice but to endure it, looking like it was hard work.

"I'll just say it. No matter how rich and noble the family is in Beijing, I have never heard of any family who would use silver to beat the gate of Shizi Town's house. This rumor is really interesting."

Xie Jingzhu smiled without doubting him.

Ming Yu nodded in agreement, but her mood suddenly darkened.

The eight lions inside the gate of Rongyin Hall and outside the Yi Gate are not stones as she just explained, but real lumps of silver.Ming Yu only knew that it was the time of her great-grandfather, and it was said that the Ruan family had many troubles, so she followed the advice of a Feng Shui master and ordered the house to be feng shui.I don't know if it's true or just a coincidence, but since then it's been going smoothly, and it's just been untouched.Although the Ruan family didn't say anything about it at the time, but there is no impenetrable wall in the world, it was gradually spread.Until now, few people have mentioned this story, and some younger generations have heard of it, and it is only an exaggeration.

Ming Yu clearly remembered that a few years later, when Emperor Zhengde visited Xingyi Garden for the last time, he thought he had heard someone mention this matter, so he specifically asked his father for confirmation.My father didn't dare to hide it, so he told the truth, saying that it was the silver block of Feng Shui handed down by the ancestors of the Ruan family.After Zhengde heard about it, when he passed the gate of Rongyin Hall the next day, he deliberately patted the lion's head with his hand, with an unpredictable expression.Later, after the new emperor ascended the throne, just a year before the Rongyin Hall was confiscated, an imperial decree came down, saying that the war in the frontier was tight and there was a lack of military pay, and ordered that these eight lumps of silver be melted into silver ingots and used as military silver. This is the perfect merit of the ancestors of the Ruan family.After receiving the order, his father dared not disobey even though he was unwilling in every possible way. The governor of Jiangnan at that time dragged the silver lion to smelt immediately, and got a total of 40 taels of silver ingots.Later, a plaque of "loyalty to the emperor and the country" in red and colorful was given and hung at the gate of Yiyuan.Everyone said that even the royal family borrowed the ancestral silver from Rongyintang, and the clansmen were all proud of it.

Mingyu's hands in the sleeves unconsciously clenched tightly, her nails dug deep into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain at all, her heart just felt blocked, and she didn't even pay much attention to what the people around her were saying , It wasn't until someone patted my shoulder that I came back to my senses. I saw Xie Mingrou looking at me with big eyes under her thick eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Sister Ruan, what are you thinking? She is absent-minded. Today is both a poetry meeting and It is named Narcissus, and according to the rules, you must use Narcissus in conjunction. If you are in a daze again, if you don’t come out, you will be fined to drink!" He coughed and said: "Today I am the master, let me start. Let's go on in turn. Take Shangping Sheng Shishihan. The first sentence is Lingbo Qi Yupan."

"Calendula is full of cold in the courtyard."

Ming Pei next to her immediately answered.

Going down, all the girls picked it up one after another, fearing that they might not get it right or be laughed at if they didn't get it right. It was Ming Yu's turn, and she answered a sentence casually, which was nothing special.When it was two rounds, Su Qingnan from Tongjuan Mansion picked up the wrong rhyme, and was dragged by all the girls to drink, laughing.After finishing the sentence, he wrote a poem with a narcissus proposition.I made it anonymous and asked Mr. Xie's family to judge.In the final result, Pei Wenying came first, Leng Youyun from the Dujian Mansion came second, and Ming Yu came third.

In the past, at such poetry gatherings, Ming Yu had always been able to overwhelm Qunfang to win the first prize, but today she was overwhelmed.Leng Youyun was quite complacent, Xie Mingrou was surprised, and everyone looked at her.Ming Yu's expression was calm, but she just smiled.

The ladies joked for a while, and finally dispersed.

"Sister, those lions in our family are obviously silver lumps, why did you insist on calling them stones just now?"

On the way back, Ming Pei remembered that Mingyu not only blocked her, but also opened her eyes and spoke plain words, and missed an opportunity to show off in front of Miss Jingzhong. She was very puzzled, endured it a few times, and finally asked out.

Ming Yu glanced at her and sighed slightly.

If she hadn't experienced that terrible nightmare herself, how would she have known that the eight pieces of ancestral silver that she hoped would last the Ruan family's blessings to future generations would eventually be exchanged for an ironic "loyalty" Country" plaque?Then, under this high-hanging plaque, the century-old Ruan family building suddenly collapsed.

In April of the year she was 11 years old, Emperor Zhengde visited Rongyin Hall for the first time and stayed in Yiyuan.His father was so proud that he spent a huge sum of money to pick him up, and his reputation as a rich man went as far as Gyeonggi.

His father was naturally bold and generous, so he made friends all over the world, but he was used to extravagance since he was a child, and he was admired by the people around him for decades, and even the Emperor Zhengde praised him many times.Perhaps it is because of this that the father has never been on guard against the royal family, even innocently like a child.When he realized it, it was already too late.

The father in the previous life just lacked someone who could remind him of the unpredictable and ruthless royal family.Now she was going to be the one who reminded her father.She wanted him to realize that he was guilty of carrying a bi, and burn himself with ivory.

She might be able to stop her grandmother's birthday feast, keep her mother from taking concubines for her father, and even save her grandfather.But she understands that Rongyintang is a huge ship, and she is at most just a watchman at night.With her power alone, it is impossible to change the course of this giant ship.Only by letting my father, the captain at the helm, stand with me, can this huge ship avoid the bad luck of hitting the reef.

Ming Yu went back to the Yilu Building, put the latch on the door, ordered no one to disturb her, took out the half-painted picture page from the drawer, and continued to draw with fine brushwork.

This has been done since years ago.It's just been very busy, so the progress is slow.What Xie Jingzhu said today seemed to dump a burning oil lamp in her heart. At that moment, it made her feel heart-piercing and restless. At that time, she wished to leave everyone behind and come back to continue this matter immediately.

She draws stroke by stroke, concentrating on it.

(End of this chapter)