Houmen Yixiang

Chapter 104 The man behind the scenes, is he?is her?

"Who else but you? Ask yourself, besides you, Jie'er and I have offended whom?" Gu Shi gritted his teeth and asked.

"Second sister-in-law! Although you are my second sister-in-law, I am not your and Jie'er's follower. Who do you meet, who you know, and who you accidentally offend, how can I know?" Lian snorted coldly, " Second sister-in-law, I know what you are thinking. You want to slander me on purpose because you want to regain the power of the family, don’t you? Don’t dream, Auntie’s eyes are sharp, and you won’t let your dirty thoughts succeed!”

"It's obvious that you killed me, Jie'er, for the sake of being in charge of the family, but you actually have the guts to bite me back?" Gu Shi was so angry that she rushed towards Lian Shi, "To avenge my Jie'er, I want to die with you today." Life!"

The fierce look in the blood-red eyes, like a demon who wants to kill him, actually looks like he wants to die together.

Lian Shi was startled, and quickly dodged to the side.

"Enough! Stop making trouble!" Feng stopped with a headache, "Second nephew, please stop first, I will ask you clearly and give you an explanation! If someone really intends to retaliate, I will definitely not forgive you lightly!"

"Auntie, this is really a great injustice!" Lian quickly said: "The second sister-in-law said that she offended me because of the power of the house, so I will take revenge on Jieer, but this process of competition for the power of the house Among them, the second sister-in-law offended the most seriously, and it wasn't me!"

"Who is it?" Feng and Gu asked together.

"Da Fang." Lian did not dare to say Gong Xuan's name directly, "Second sister-in-law leaked the secret, and the one who offended the most was not Da Fang? I was able to manage the family purely because of benefits for no reason, and I have already managed the family." , why bother with the second sister-in-law again, to make people suspicious?"

Big room?Gu Shi was stunned, Lian Shi seemed quite reasonable when he said this!
After all, the head of the family is only in temporary control, as long as Jiang is released, or Lu Xinyan and Miyata Yu reconcile, the head of the house will definitely be one of the two, how could it really fall to the second and third families?That being the case, why does Lian need to deal with her?
"Speaking of which, the young master of my sister-in-law's family also passed away after the secret was exposed." Lian added for fear that the two of them might not believe it.

Gu Shi looked at Feng Shi in a daze, his whole body trembled, and there was obvious fear in his eyes.

At this time, Feng's face was as dark as water, and no one knew the turbulent waves in her heart.

How Gong Xuan got the disease, Feng's and Lian's know the result but don't know the reason, but Feng's is clear.

The Jiang family poisoned Gong Xuan, and after the secret was exposed, Jiang Huai died.

Gu's and Lian's fight for the right to be in charge of the family. In order to win Lian's, Gu reveals Gong Xuan's secret. Gong Jie is seriously injured in a blink of an eye and almost dies!
The combination of these two directly pointed the black finger behind the scenes to one person: Gong Xuan.

Feng Shi suddenly lost the reason to continue asking.

But what Feng didn't know was that in her mind, the biggest suspect was Gong Xuan, while in the hearts of Gu and Lian, the biggest suspects were her and Gong Xuan.

Gu Shi and Lian Shi looked at each other, they both saw panic in each other's eyes, they moved closer unconsciously, and tried to stay as far away from Feng Shi as possible.

"Grandmother, second cousin, third cousin." A soft female voice broke the silence, and Gu and Lian breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling like they were alive after a catastrophe, "Auntie, since Zhuzhu is here, niece and daughter-in-law Say goodbye first."

Before Feng Shi could react, Gu Shi and Lian Shi had already left in a hurry.

Seeing how the two of them were running away, Lu Xinyan knew that they had spread their suspicions to Feng Shi and Gong Xuan.

"Zhuzhu, do you think it's Xuan'er?" Feng's heart was shaken, he didn't care about Lu Xinyan's arrival, and asked such a question without thinking.

"Grandmother, Zhuzhu is not clear, but with Lord Hou's temperament, it seems that he can't do such a vicious thing!" Lu Xinyan took a deep look at Feng Shi.

It's not that she didn't doubt Gong Xuan, but after thinking about it, if she were Gong Xuan, the first person to be hurt should be the Jiang family, not Jiang Huai.

Feng Shi didn't expect Lu Xinyan to answer her nonsensical words, she was startled, and suddenly came to her senses, "They suspect grandma?"

"Judging from the current situation, grandma is indeed the biggest suspect!" Lu Xinyan said objectively.

"Why?" Feng Shi actually understood in her heart, but she hoped to hear other voices.

"Hou Ye was poisoned by his wife. The evidence is conclusive. If Hou Ye wanted revenge, the first thing to do was to kill his wife to vent his anger. If Madam is fine, it means that the person behind the scenes is not Hou Ye. And if it is grandma, you want to take revenge. From your point of view, you will think more far-reaching for the Quang Binh Hou Mansion!

The madam made such a big mistake, but you only locked her in the Buddhist hall because you proceeded from the overall situation. If the madam is divorced or dies, Lord Hou will definitely marry another wife. In order to gain a firm foothold in the Hou Mansion , in order to pave the way for my future child, I will definitely attack the son. Once something happens to the son, the old Hou Ye will cut off the incense. You will definitely not want to see this kind of situation!
Even if the new wife does not attack the son, it is still not her own. There is no wife who is so dedicated to the future of the son. The future of the son is the future of the Guangping Marquis, so you will not kill the wife, grandma!But Madam committed a capital crime after all, and you cannot easily forgive her in your heart. Since she killed your most beloved son, you will kill her most beloved brother to let Madam experience the pain of losing a loved one!From this point of view, you are more suspicious than Master Hou! "

Feng Shi was thoughtful, "It does sound somewhat reasonable!"

Lu Xinyan continued: "As for the second cousin, in order to fight for the right to be in charge of the family, she leaked the secret of Lord Hou, and made the Guangping Hou Mansion and Lord Hou lose face in Beijing! You are so angry in your heart, so you spread your anger to six people. Someone cut more than 20 knives on his body, but he missed the vital parts, and threw him into the rain, causing him to slowly bleed to death! The sixth brother’s life was discovered, and you are unwilling to threaten the people in his yard. The little servant Ah Li gave him poison..."

"Poison? Is Jie'er alright?" Feng exclaimed.

"Uncle Tian found out that something was wrong and stopped the tragedy in time, but A Li has already committed suicide by taking poison!" Lu Xinyan said.

Feng breathed out, closed his eyes and said softly, "Amitabha! Thank you Bodhisattva for your protection!"

"One more thing." Lu Xinyan said slowly: "The fifth younger sister went out to the Confucius Temple today to pray for the sixth brother, and met a 30-year-old widower who was attracted to her, and blocked her in the Confucius Temple Zen room for frivolity... "

Feng's anger just got out of the way, and he immediately blocked his throat again, his complexion turned ashen, "Mei'er...Mei'er..."

Lu Xinyan hurriedly stepped forward to cheer her up, "Fortunately, Qingtong and I got there in time, Fifth Sister was just frightened, nothing serious happened!"

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Feng said quietly: "You also suspect me in this matter?"

Her heart was full of sadness, Lu Xinyan's analysis was all reasonable, if she wasn't the person involved, she might have doubted it!
Lu Xinyan shook her head, "No, I didn't suspect grandma?"

"Why?" Feng's eyes lit up.

"If the sixth brother does not have an accident, I may not be sure, but if the sixth brother has an accident, I know it must not be the grandmother." Lu Xinyan said: "Because the biggest regret of the grandmother is that the Guangping Marquis Mansion is under your control. It's getting more and more disappointing. Master Hou is your treasure. Although the sixth younger brother is not as important as Master Hou, why is it not a treasure? If you are the person behind the murder of Jianghuai, you will choose to attack the second cousin, not the second cousin. Fifth sister and sixth brother."

Tears welled up in Feng's eyes, and he said gratifiedly: "Zhuzhu, thank you for trusting grandma, grandma swears, grandma has never done anything harmful to nature!"

You didn't kill Boren, but Boren almost died because of you!
After Lu Xinyan lowered her eyes for a moment, she raised her eyes again and said, "It's not the grandmother, it's not the Hou Ye. The person behind the scenes must have a grudge with the Hou Mansion, and deliberately put the blame on the grandmother and the Hou Ye! Grandma, that person treats the Hou Mansion so well." Familiarity means that there must be a lot of eyeliner in this Hou's mansion, so Zhuzhu suggested, don't say anything about it in advance, so as not to startle the snake! It's just to wrong Grandma and Master Hou for this unwarranted crime for a while!"

Lu Xinyan deliberately didn't say anything about Gong Rou harming Gong Mei, because there was no real evidence.

And the most important thing is that Lu Xinyan already has the scope of someone behind the scenes in her heart, but she can't tell Feng Shi now, so Gong Rou, who is a chess piece, she can't tell Feng Shi either!

"Grandmother knows! This little grievance is nothing. Grandmother will explain the situation to Lord Hou and ask him to go out for a while to avoid the limelight." Feng said: "Just take a break and wait until the rumors in Beijing subside. return."

That night, Gong Xuan packed his things and went out overnight, claiming that he was going back to his hometown to worship his ancestors!

Gong Jie recovered quickly after waking up, but she was able to get out of bed and walk around in two or three days, Gu was both happy and worried.

What happened in Fushoutang that day, what she said, she and Lian's tacit understanding did not tell anyone, including her husband-in-law.

The two of them knew that if the matter was true, they would not be able to hide it, but with a little luck in their hearts, they planned to live their lives covered up like before.

Because once things spread out, it will be the day of separation.

Without the big tree of Guangping Marquis Mansion, how could the second and third bedrooms survive in the capital?
They are used to the prosperity, and they can't bear to live in the backcountry.

But if they continue to live in Guangping Hou's Mansion, Feng Shi and Hou Ye will be like them, pretending that nothing happened, let them go?

Mrs. Gu lived in fear for a few days, until she heard that Lord Hou had returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors, and he was relieved.

After checking Gong Jie's injury, Bai Zhi said, "Master Six's wound heals quickly, as long as he continues to drink the medicine I prescribed for a few more days, he will be cured."

This means that there is nothing for her here, she should go back to the pomegranate courtyard.

Mrs. Gu was very reluctant, "Miss Bai Zhi, thanks to you these days, I am so grateful! If Jie'er feels uncomfortable in the future, can I still go to you?"

"Of course." Bai Zhi smiled.

Gu's heart was half relieved, "Thank you, and Zhuzhu, thank you."

Lu Xinyan said: "Second Cousin, you're welcome, this is what Zhuzhu should do."

Xiao He on the side looked around and whispered, "Hey, why hasn't Miss Seven come today?"

After teasing the rabbit together a few days ago, Xiao He and Gong Qian developed a friendship, and they agreed to play together after watching Gong Jie every morning.

For the past few days, she had been keeping the agreement, but Gong Qian suddenly didn't come today.

Gu Shi said: "I ran into the third sibling this morning. She said that Qian'er suffered from a cold yesterday afternoon and caught a cold. The third sibling detained her in the house to recuperate."

Lu Xinyan asked with concern: "Seventh sister is sick? Have you seen a doctor?"

"The third younger brother and sister said that they have invited them early in the morning." Gu Shi said: "At first, I suggested that she invite Miss Baizhi to take a look, but she said that Miss Baizhi is Zhuzhu's maid, not a doctor in the mansion. Looking for Miss Baizhi, how can Miss Baizhi have time to serve Zhuzhu?"

It made sense to say this, and Gong Qian thought that there was nothing wrong with her so she said that.

Lu Xinyan said: "Second Cousin, take good care of Sixth Brother, let's go first."

Today, it was raining again in autumn, and the whole Hou Mansion was shrouded in smoke, which added a bit of sadness.

The autumn wind blows on the body with drizzle, bringing bursts of coolness.

Lu Xinyan and the others held oil-paper umbrellas and walked towards the pomegranate yard with their heads down.

When passing a certain corner, I almost ran into someone.

"Walk and watch..." Lian Shi was about to get angry, but when she saw Lu Xinyan, she quickly put on a smile, "It's Zhuzhu, Jieer is going back after watching it just now?"

"Yes, third cousin, where are you going in such a hurry?" Lu Xinyan asked casually.

"I heard that Qian'er is not feeling well, so her uncle sent someone to bring some supplements and medicine." After finishing speaking, Lian added a few words, "Her uncle, aunt, and a few cousins ​​love Qian'er the most, even more than Jian'er. pain."

"The third cousin, you go first." Lu Xinyan stepped aside.

"Then I won't be polite to you." Lian said and left quickly.

In the pomegranate courtyard, Shu Yunxueyue was practicing catwalks in high heels. After a few days of practice, the two of them were already looking good.

Qingtong's eyes twitched, "Miss, you don't plan to let us wear this during the Huayi Festival, do you?"

Since Gong Jie's incident, Qingtong spent most of her time in Shilin Courtyard with Bai Zhi, and basically never went back to Pomegranate Courtyard, so she has never seen this high-heeled shoe or its magic.

"That's right." Lu Xinyan blinked.

"Sister Qingtong, come and try it." Shu Yunxueyue has now completely fallen in love with high heels, and when he saw Qingtong, he couldn't wait to share it.

Qingtong quickly waved her hands and stepped back.

She agreed to go on stage because of the portraits of Han Bing and Pei Ziyu, but she never thought about posing on stage like this.

It would be better to kill her with one knife!

Qingtong, who is a daughter but thinks she has a strong man's heart, can't accept the delicate and artificial posture no matter what.

Lu Xinyan said: "Everyone walks on this catwalk, everyone has their own taste, and you can also walk out of your own flavor, such as heroic, handsome, free and easy."

"Really?" Qingtong asked, but she doubted it in her heart.

Lu Xinyan pointed her finger, "You can see that even though Combing Clouds and Liaoyue follow the elegant route, it is obvious that Combing Clouds is more enthusiastic and open."

Qingtong took a closer look, and it was true.

"Try it." Lu Xinyan urged.

"Yes, sister Qingtong, try it." Shu Yun said.

Ever since she got high heels, Lu Xinyan's greatest hobby is to watch people wrestle when they wear them for the first time.

I don't know what will happen to Qingtong, who has kung fu, wearing it?Lu Xinyan was looking forward to it.

After hesitating for a few breaths, Qingtong quickly changed into it.

Lueyue exhorted: "Sister Qingtong, you first..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Qingtong walked away boldly, shaking her long legs.

The first step was very steady, but in the second step the whole person fell to the right, Qingtong quickly stopped and took the third step, and then the whole person fell to the left again, and she quickly became lucky again.

Then step by step, like a crab, turning left and right, extremely stiff, laughing so hard that Lu Xinyan and the others almost died.

Qingtong was so angry with the laughter, he kicked his foot, threw a pair of high heels far away, and said angrily, "I'm not leaving!"

The few people stopped laughing, Lueyue hurriedly stepped forward to appease, "Sister Qingtong, there is a secret here, I will teach you..."

It has been raining for the past few days, so Lu Xinyan stayed in the pomegranate yard cutting clothes and guiding Qing Tong and Gong Jin to walk on catwalks.

After two or three days, the two mastered the trick and began to practice alone.

On this day at the end of August, the weather finally opened up.

Lu Xinyan decided to go out to patrol the shop, basking in the sun by the way, to get rid of the mold on her body.

"Luoyue, go find Uncle Tian and ask him to do something for me first."

Yue Yue blushed and responded.

After tidying up earlier, Lu Xinyan and Qingtong Xiaohe went out.

Although the sky was clear, it rained continuously for several days, and there was a lot of water and silt on the ground, so the few people sat down to the destination, Chen Jiliang Shop.

The location of this store is good, the storefront is large, and there is no mistake in the accounting, but it is not profitable. When the harvest is not good, it will lose money instead.

Lu Xinyan was very curious about the reason.

After arriving at the destination, Lu Xinyan did not go directly to the grain shop, but went to the second floor of the small teahouse opposite, and ordered a pot of tea and a plate of snacks.

"Miss, are you hungry? Didn't you say you want to get to know Chen Ji? Why don't you go there and sit in the teahouse instead?" Xiao He asked.

"You don't need to go to the store to understand." Lu Xinyan said: "Sit here and watch carefully."

After a while, a few teenage beggars came not far away, their clothes were torn, their bodies were dirty, their hair was congealed into strands, and they hadn't washed their heads for an unknown number of days.

A few people walked and begged all the way, "Master, do me a favor, give us some copper coins, we haven't eaten for a few days!"

The beggars covered their noses and walked away, "Go away, go away, it stinks to death!"

Soon a few people begged to Chenji grain shop, "Shopkeeper, please do me a favor and send us some rice? Good intentions will be rewarded, and God will bless you with great wealth in the future!"

The man frowned and waved, "Go away, don't block us from doing business!"

"Shopkeeper, please, please, just a little is enough to cook porridge, please show kindness!" One of the beggars stretched out a pair of black hands, and roughly gestured for the quantity , Later, it seemed to feel too much, and the hands slowly shrunk into a small ball.

"They said go away, if you don't leave, I'll chase them away with a broom!" The man glared at them angrily, "It's really unlucky, there are no guests in the early morning, and a group of beggars are here! You stand here, and the guests are all beaten by you!" Run away!"

The buddy was right. Some people who came to buy rice early in the morning, saw a few beggars emitting a strange smell, and immediately avoided going to another grain shop.

"I beg you..." Several beggars thumped and knelt on the ground, refusing to leave.

The guy was annoyed by their rascals, went in and took the usually clean bamboo broom, and was about to wave it at several people.

"Stop!" A man in his 40s came out in a hurry, with a thin figure and a gentle appearance, "Awen, don't hit them, they are a bunch of poor kids!"

Then he said to those who were kneeling on the ground: "Oh, get up quickly."

"My lord, you are a great kind person, please take pity on us~" The few people not only couldn't stand it, but kowtowed their heads.

"I'm sorry, Agui, give each of them a small bag of rice." The man said pitifully, "Get up quickly, lest you have to spend money to see a doctor if you knock your head off."

"Thank you, Lord Bodhisattva, thank you, Lord Bodhisattva." Several people were so happy that they kowtowed several more times.

The guy Agui seemed very unwilling, but he had to pack a few small bags of rice according to the man's instructions, and gave them to a few beggars.

On the second floor of the opposite teahouse, Qingtong praised: "That person is really kind, he has a chivalrous heart."

Xiao He agreed: "What a nice man! Miss, is that man Chen the shopkeeper of Chen Jiliang Shop?"

"You think he's good? What's so good about him?" Lu Xinyan asked back.

"He didn't dislike those little beggars, and even gave them food." Xiao He said.

Lu Xinyan asked again: "Where did the food come from?"

Xiao He was puzzled and said, "Miss's question is so strange, the food is naturally from Chen Ji's food shop."

"Then who owns the Chenji Grain Shop?"

"It's...yours, Miss." Xiao He scratched her head, "Does Miss think that he shouldn't send the food on his own initiative? But if you have to ask Miss for instructions on such a trivial matter, wouldn't Miss be too busy every day?"

Qing Tong also expressed puzzlement, "Miss, you are not such a stingy person, if you were in the store, you would definitely give food."

Lu Xinyan smiled slightly, and instead of answering the words of the two, she stood up, "Let's go to Liu's Restaurant."

When they went to Liu's Restaurant, they also didn't go in first, and sat down at a snack shop opposite.

The three of them ordered a bowl of wontons to share, which attracted the attention of the shopkeeper.

Soon, the familiar sound of begging reappeared, but it was not the previous group, but two old beggars, and three thin, yellow-faced children who were crying from hunger.

Also dressed in sloppy and dirty clothes, also said similar begging words, "Gentlemen, please do me a favor, my grandson hasn't eaten for two days, please be kind enough to eat."

"Go away, uncle!" The man who was stopped kicked one of the old beggars violently, and the old beggar fell to the ground immediately.

Xiao He was furious, "It's too much! What kind of man is bullying the elderly in the street! Sister Qingtong, go and teach that scoundrel a lesson!"

Lu Xinyan said in a deep voice, "Xiao He, sit down first."

Xiao He sat down angrily, "Miss, I want to invite those people to eat, and I will pay the copper coins myself!"

"Wait a minute." Lu Xinyan was noncommittal.

"Miss! How long do we have to wait?" Xiao He felt very sad when she heard the cries of the three children.

"soon."

After a while, several people begged to Liu's Restaurant, looking at the magnificent Liu's Restaurant, several people wanted to go forward but dared not, and were hesitating when a waiter at the door saw it and came out to chase them away, "Smelly beggar , get away, don’t stand at the door and block our business! If our store’s flow of tens of taels of silver a day is affected by you, can you afford it? Get out, get out!”

"Brother, are there any leftovers left by the guests, can you give us some as alms? Look, my grandsons are almost starving to death."

"Go away! We are doing business here, not a temple. If we don't give alms, we want to give alms to the temple!"

"Brother, do me a favor, saving someone's life is better than building a seven-level pagoda! Do you have the heart to watch someone starve to death in front of you?"

The man said angrily: "Your grandson is starving to death, what does it have to do with me? It's not me who starved your grandson, it's you who can't feed them yourself, why should I give you alms! I also have old age, I have children, the whole family is waiting for me to support! If I get fired because of you guys, I will fight with you! I will count to one, two, three, and I will do it if I don’t leave!"

"One, two..."

"Ah Hu, what are you talking about outside? If you don't go in to work, be careful and I will deduct your salary!" At this moment, a middle-aged man in dark purple silk and satin came out from the inside, with a round body and a round face. , who should have kind eyebrows and kind eyes, but now because of the fierce look on his brows, he showed a bit of a skinny feeling.

"Shopkeeper Liu!" Ah Chun said in fright, "These beggars are here to beg, and I'm going to drive them away!"

Then he turned around and waved his fists, showing a fierce expression, "Get out!"

"Shopkeeper Liu, you are a great benevolent person, please take pity on us, and give some of the leftovers from the guests to my grandsons. My old man wishes to be a cow and a horse in the next life to repay your great kindness!"

Shopkeeper Liu chuckled, "You guys, are you new here? Everyone in the capital knows that I, Liu Dawang, am notoriously stingy and stingy. I'd rather throw away the leftovers from customers every day than to throw them away. Give it to anyone!"

Old beggar: ...

"You are really starving to death, I can show you a bright way." Shopkeeper Liu smiled maliciously, stretched out his hand and pointed to a small alley on the left, "There is the daily slop of the restaurant, the current weather It’s getting colder, it shouldn’t be too bad, before it’s cleaned up, you can try your luck, maybe you can get some good meat.”

Xiao He was furious when she heard this, "Miss, this storekeeper Liu is really deceiving people! They only want leftovers from customers, so why don't you want to give them? If you don't want to give them, let them go to the swill to fish things! It's too much It's time! Miss, you must catch him and fire him!"

Qing Tong was also filled with righteous indignation, but when she saw Lu Xin smiling, she couldn't help asking: "Miss, do you think the shopkeeper Liu and the guy did the right thing?"

"Where did they go wrong?" Lu Xinyan asked back.

Xiao He was puzzled and said: "Those people are so pitiful, they just begged for things that the store didn't want, and instead of giving them, they wanted to beat them, isn't that right?"

Lu Xinyan said: "First, things are leftovers from the guests. If the guests don't want them, they will naturally belong to the restaurant. The restaurant has the right to dispose of its own things. It is the restaurant's right to throw them away or bury them. Why do they have to give Others? Just because those people are pitiful? The buddy is right, what does it have to do with him? Second, the rest of the food belongs to the restaurant, not the shopkeeper Liu and the buddies. They must be disposed of according to the regulations of the restaurant. Just throw it away, you have no right to decide what to do!"

Qingtong Xiaohe was stunned, "Miss is right, but isn't this too impersonal?"

"The buddy said that he has old and young, and his whole family relies on him to support him. If he doesn't have this job, maybe the next beggar will be his whole family. He can't even take care of himself, forcing him to take risks and go to the Being humane to others is called moral kidnapping.”

Xiao He asked: "What about Shopkeeper Liu? He looks like a rich man with his clothes, why is he so ruthless?"

Lu Xinyan said: "His money was earned by himself, so why should he be condemned if he doesn't give it away? This is another kind of moral kidnapping! And didn't shopkeeper Liu say a way in the end? Let them go to the swill Take out something to eat! It shows that although he is not generous, he is definitely not a truly ruthless person!"

"Miss is right, but... I always feel that I shouldn't be like this..." Selfish, Xiao He didn't say the last few words, "Sister Qingtong, what do you think?"

Qingtong nodded, agreeing.

Lu Xinyan said leisurely: "The shopping mall is like a battlefield. How can a soft-hearted general lead his soldiers to fight the enemy bravely? The shopping mall is like a jungle. How can a little white rabbit lead everyone to survive in the jungle? Survival of the fittest, The strong is king! The Liangpu restaurant is for profit, not a charity! There are no rules and no rules! Once the shopkeeper privatizes the items in the store and gives them away if he wants, will the people below follow suit? Go on, can business be good?"

"But you can't ignore your conscience and morality just to make money, right?" Qingtong said.

Lu Xinyan said: "These are two different things! Business belongs to business, charity belongs to charity! Chen Ji Liang Shop has no profit every month, and it looks like it keeps giving to others, making it look like a good person, but how many people actually help? And Liu’s Restaurant’s monthly profit of nearly one hundred taels, if one-tenth of it is used to find a place to donate porridge for relief, it will not affect the business and do a good deed, isn’t it the best of both worlds?”

Qingtong Xiaohe thought for a long time, Xiaohe said thoughtfully: "Miss, I seem to understand. It's like I have a hen that lays an egg every day. If I kill the chicken and eat the eggs, I would have nothing, or if I ate the eggs every day, then I would have only one chicken forever, but if I save the eggs and hatch the chicks, and when the chicks grow up, I have many chickens and A lot of eggs, when the time comes, I can give the extra eggs to those who need them!"

Lu Xinyan pursed her lips and smiled lightly, "Xiao He is so smart!...Although it is a bit biased, the general direction is the same."

Qingtong sighed, "It turns out that it is not easy to want to do good deeds! I used to rob the rich and help the poor together with my senior brother, and I always ended up with the money. I feel that I am very chivalrous! Now after hearing what the lady said, I realize that I am really Stupid as hell!"

"It's the first time I've heard of this lady's remarks. After thinking about it, it's reasonable, really reasonable!" A strange and clear male voice, with obvious smile and appreciation, came from not far away.

Several people looked back.

It was a young man in a light brown Chinese dress and a jade crown on his head. His facial features were very beautiful, with the elegance of a scholar, and his overall demeanor was natural.

Beside him was a familiar girl who looked exactly like him, looking at Lu Xinyan with hostile eyes.

She was wearing a light orange skirt, and around her neck was a long silk scarf with dark orange flowers on a white background. It was exactly the style of silk scarf that Lu Xinyan wore when she went to the plain dyeing workshop a few days ago.

Lu Xinyan is no stranger to the fact that every time she wears a dress of her own design, the replicas appear quickly.

The other party's expression was obviously not good, and Lu Xinyan was not the kind of person who put a hot face on someone's cold ass, so she put five paulownia boards on the table, signaling Qingtong Xiaohe to leave.

"Mrs. Gong Shao, my eldest brother is talking to you, out of the most basic etiquette, shouldn't you say hello before leaving?" The girl said disdainfully behind her: "This Madam of the Marquis Mansion is too poorly educated. "

Lu Xinyan turned around and snorted softly, "Miss Shen, you casually accused me of being uneducated, which shows that your education is even worse!"

It was Shen Yuyan and her elder brother Shen Qingzhu who came.

When Shen Yuyan heard this, she said angrily: "Mrs. Gong, am I not clear? My elder brother greeted you and you ignored him. Is it because you are uneducated?"

"Your elder brother greeted me? Which ear did you hear?" Lu Xinyan asked with a faint smile.

Shen Yuyan's pretty face was stained reddish, and her chest heaved with anger, "So many people have heard my elder brother say that this young lady's remarks..."

Before she finished speaking, Shen Yuyan tightly shut her mouth, her face that was slightly red from anger just now immediately turned red with shame.

Lu Xinyan smiled slightly, "It seems that Ms. Shen finally understands. Since you know that I am Mrs. Gong Shao, the lady your elder brother is talking about is obviously someone else, but Ms. Shen wants to have something to do with me, so she just opened her mouth and said I am uneducated, so am I wrong when I say you are uneducated?"

The passers-by watching the show covered their mouths and laughed lightly, making Shen Yuyan so angry that tears filled his eyes, wishing he could jump his feet.

She was born in a famous family, talented, well-loved, and her words and deeds are all models of young girls in Beijing, but she was planted twice by Lu Xinyan, the wife of an unfavored son of the Marquis of Guangping, how could she not be annoyed?
"Mrs. Gong, just now I couldn't help calling miss at the next moment. My sister didn't notice for a while, and there was a misunderstanding with the young husband. I will apologize to you next generation." Shen Qingzhu said politely.

As the eldest son of the Shen family of a scholarly family, he is not to mention romantic and talented, and his appearance is as good as his name, like a green bamboo in the forest, noble and clear.

The ancestors of the Shen family accumulated a lot of wealth, and after several generations, the children of the Shen family were not only clean but also expensive.

Therefore, the Shen family not only has the character of being born in the world, but also the chicness of being in the world.

Although Shen Qingzhu has two sons, one daughter, wives and concubines, she is still sought after by many married and unmarried women.

Lu Xinyan nodded slightly, "I accept it, and leave."

Shen Qingzhu was stunned. Given his family background and appearance, he had never met any woman. As long as he talked to her aloud and showed appreciation, the other party would leave so easily.

He knew that Shen Yuyan hated Lu Xinyan, but he deliberately pulled her closer, just to use his family background and charm to confuse Lu Xinyan, make her look bad, and avenge Shen Yuyan.

Who knows that other people don't like him, so he just wants to leave!

"Mrs. Gong Shao, please wait." Shen Qingzhu said from behind: "Here is a small gift, which should be regarded as an apology for my slip of the tongue!"

Want to impress her with money?Hehe, interesting!Lu Xinyan's eyes flashed, the corners of her lips curled up, and she turned around.

She wanted to see what the other party wanted to impress her with!
Seeing Lu Xinyan stop, Shen Qingzhu smiled slightly, full of ambition, so he just said, there is no woman in this world that Shen Qingzhu can't handle?
Whether it's face, power, money, or talent, he, Shen Qingzhu, is not bad. As long as he has the heart, which woman can easily escape?

Shen Qingzhu took out an exquisite carved plum and jade brocade box from his sleeve, and solemnly presented it to Lu Xinyan, smiling sincerely and coquettishly, "Mrs. Gong Shao, this was worn by Empress Yucheng in the previous dynasty." Plum-blossom glazed hairpins, a set of five pieces, it took me two years to finally collect the whole set, if Mrs. Young doesn't dislike it, please accept it, and take it as a token of gratitude for my sister's slip of the tongue just now."

"Brother!" Shen Yuyan exclaimed, looking at the carved plum and jade brocade box with heartache.

She didn't expect Shen Qingzhu to pay such a heavy book!

Empress Yucheng of the previous dynasty was the most respected queen of the previous dynasty. After her death, the prices of the utensils she used, the pearl hairpins she wore, and the treasures she collected all increased wildly. The clothes are all frantically collected!
This set of plum-blossom glass hairpins was originally only worth a hundred taels of silver, but because it was worn by Empress Yucheng, the value of a single piece rose to 100 taels, and if the whole set of five pieces was purchased, it would double to 1000 taels.

It took Shen Qingzhu two years to put together the whole set. It was originally prepared for Mrs. Shen's [-]th birthday, but now she gave it to a woman she just met without blinking. It's no wonder Shen Yuyan didn't exclaim!
Lu Xinyan raised her eyebrows in surprise, she didn't expect Shen Qingzhu to be willing to pay a heavy price.

She lowered her eyes and smiled slightly, and when she looked up again, the smile on her lips slowly bloomed, as gorgeous and affectionate as an autumn flower, "It really is a good thing, then I will not be polite, thank you, Mr. Shen, for your generous gift."

Shen Qingzhu was shocked by that smile.

On the surface, he is noble and pure, but in fact he is a romantic man. He has seen countless women, and it has long been difficult for ordinary women to fall into his eyes.

Earlier, he felt that this woman's appearance and style were all superior, and he had already planned to seduce her in his heart, but now seeing the other party's smile, she was captivating and gorgeous, and it scratched his heart like a cat's scratch, and he was determined to seduce her. Its own determination.

"Mrs. Gong Shao is beautiful and beautiful, and this hairpin is the best match. Swords are given to heroes, and treasured hairpins are given to beauties. I am lucky in my next three lives. It is my blessing to find a master who matches this hairpin."

As expected of a son who has read the book, he speaks beautifully.

Lu Xinyan said with a smile: "I see the same thing as Mr. Shen! There are five maidservants around me, all of whom are good-looking, and it happens to be one for each of them. There is no need to favor one over the other. It will create a rift among them, and also make me guilty of favoritism." ! Qingtong, Xiaohe, please thank Mr. Shen!"

"Thank you, Mr. Shen!" Both of them thanked in unison.

Qingtong knew it in her heart, so she endured the pain with a smile, but she looked happy.

Xiao He was a bit confused, she didn't know that Lu Xinyan was burying Shen Qingzhu, but she only knew that the young lady was going to give her something good again, so she smiled sincerely and happily.

Shen Qingzhu froze.

Shen Yuyan was so angry that he said, "Mrs. Gong, do you know how much this set of plum blossom glazed hairpins for Empress Yucheng is worth?"

She didn't even agree to want Shen Qingzhu, and now Lu Xinyan actually gave it to the maid?It's too much, doesn't this clearly despise their Shen family?
Lu Xinyan was surprised and said: "I thought it was Mr. Shen's intention to apologize for you, so I accepted it with trepidation, but I didn't expect how valuable it is! If Miss Shen thinks it's too expensive and doesn't want to give it away, then please take it back!"

She turned to Qingtong and said: "Qingtong, send it back..."

How could the dignified Shen family have any reason to take back what they gave away?Isn't this slapping them in the face?
Shen Yuyan said angrily: "The gift sent by my Shen family is given away, and it will never be taken back! But it was given to you by my elder brother, Mrs. Gong Shao, and you gave it to your maid after changing hands. Is this justified? "

Lu Xinyan said with a half smile but not a smile: "Miss Shen's words are wrong! Firstly, if Mr. Shen gave it to me, it is mine. Isn't it my right to do what I do with it? Second, I met Mr. Shen by accident, because Mr. Shen Miss said something wrong, Mr. Shen gave you a gift to make amends for you! It’s just that men and women are different, if I treasure it, it will definitely cause gossip. Others will think that Mr. Shen is secretly giving and receiving, and Miss Shen will He is the matchmaker! This is not a good thing for Mr. Shen, Mrs. Shen, or me! Now I give this hairpin to five of my beautiful maids, and wear it openly to show the world Mr. Shen’s gentle and humble character , to show the excellent family education of the Shen family, how can it be unreasonable?"

"You...you..." Shen Yuyan blushed from choking and couldn't say another word.

When Lu Xinyan announced in public that she would give the hairpin to the five maids, Shen Qingzhu also felt like being slapped in the face in public, and the humble smile on her face almost couldn't hold back.

However, he was always used to the situation, and soon returned to normal, with a clear smile, "Madam Gong's words are absolutely true! It is yours to give it to you, and it is your right to deal with it! Madam Gong is very thoughtful and considerate, sister , you should learn from Mrs. Gong Shao about this."

Shen Yuyan snorted disdainfully, and turned her head to the side angrily.

Shen Qingzhu cupped her hands and said with a smile: "Mrs. Gong, it's getting late. I have an appointment with my sister, so let's go."

"Eldest Master Shen, Miss Shen, go slowly." Lu Xinyan nodded slightly, and turned sideways to signal for the two to go first.

After the two left, Lu Xinyan said, "Go to Lin's Tea House."

"Miss, you're here, don't you want to go to Liu's Restaurant?" Qingtong asked, she remembered that Mr. Li said that there was a problem with the account book of this restaurant.

"Liu's restaurant has shopkeeper Liu, so there is no need to worry about the basic operation. As for the account book issue, Mr. Li is following up." Lu Xinyan said: "Let's look at the situation of other restaurants first."

A few people traveled around for a day, and went to a total of six main stores. Coincidentally, they would encounter beggars every now and then.

When going back, Qingtong suddenly said: "Miss, you arranged those beggars, right?"

Lu Xinyan thumped her tired legs, "That's right, I asked Uncle Tian to arrange it."

Qingtong was puzzled and said: "Why?"

Lu Xinyan said: "Because they represent poverty, filth and desperation, it is easy to arouse some people's sympathy and compassion, but it can also arouse other people's hatred and hatred. As the head of the shop, whether it is pity or disgust, in Within a certain range, they must not lose their heart and principles, and what I want to test is whether they are firm enough to stick to their principles!"

Qingtong said: "Money and beauties like to buy people's hearts the most in the world. If Miss wants to try, why not use these two things to test?"

Lu Xinyan smiled slightly, "I don't use money and beauties to test human nature, because human nature is the most vulnerable to the test! For example, I believe that Qingtong, you will not betray me, but if I let someone arrest your master and brother Come to test you and threaten that if you don't hurt me, you will crush your master and senior brother to ashes, can you still be determined not to hurt me?"

Qingtong was stunned.

Lu Xinyan said: "The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit! For a man, what he pursues in this life is nothing but fame, fortune, and beauty. If you use these three things to test, it is tantamount to challenging human nature." ! And the result will definitely disappoint you!"

"Then is there really no one in this world who can resist fame, wealth and beauties?" Qingtong was a little disappointed now.

Lu Xinyan said: "There are exceptions to everything! Even if someone can resist the temptation of fame, wealth, and beauty, everyone has weaknesses, either this or something else. It is even more stupid to seize people's weaknesses and test them. ! It’s like the example I just gave.”

Seeing that Qingtong and Xiaohe seemed a little depressed, Lu Xinyan smiled and said, "What do you think about so much in life? You should eat and drink, and do whatever you want, wouldn't it be fun?"

Xiao He slowed down first, and smiled, "Miss is right, anyway, I will follow Miss from now on, I will eat whatever Miss eats, and drink whatever Miss drinks! But Miss, when can we eat that hot pot again? "

The more she thought about it, the more greedy she became, and she couldn't help but swallow her saliva. She had already left behind her humanity, fame and fortune.

Lu Xinyan thought for a while, "Tomorrow is the first day of junior high school, the day after tomorrow, just eat something spicy, to get rid of the humidity."

Xiao He said happily: "Then I'll go tell Mother Cheng later!"

When it came to eating, the few people put the depression behind them, Lu Xinyan said: "The day after tomorrow, I will ask Madam Cheng to make boiled fish."

Xiao He's eyes lit up, "Boiled fish? Is it delicious? How do you make it?"

Lu Xinyan blinked, "You'll want to eat it even once! Boiled fish is just..."

By the window on the second floor of Zhu's Restaurant, Shen Yuyan looked bitterly at the departing carriage, and complained: "Brother, why did you give her such a precious plum blossom glazed hairpin just now? Are you helping her scold me?"

Shen Yuyan is a dignified and decent lady to the outside world, but she is the youngest daughter-in-law in the Shen family. Because of her high talents, she has won the love of her elders and several brothers and sisters, and she has a somewhat willful temper in private.

"Sister, you are too impatient in front of her, that's why she caught you and counterattacked!" Shen Qingzhu said: "Is it because the Wuyang Houfu lost the poetry competition last time?"

This matter was the biggest setback Shen Yuyan encountered in her life. She kept silent and avoided talking about it. Now that Shen Qingzhu mentioned it to her face, Shen Yuyan seemed to be stepped on her tail and shouted regardless of her image: "Brother, why did you mention that matter? "

Shen Qingzhu's face remained unchanged, "Sister, if you are injured, if you don't open it, it will only make the wound rot worse! The more you want to escape, the more you will become your demon, following you and influencing you."

Shen Yuyan froze immediately, as if realizing something.

Shen Qingzhu took a sip of tea lightly, and a look of certainty flashed in his eyes, "Sister, don't worry, brother will avenge you for you!"

-

On the morning of the first day of September, after Feng's family had finished offering incense in the Buddhist hall, Lu Xinyan asked Lu Xinyan to accompany her to the small ancestral hall.

"There have been too many unsatisfactory things in the mansion recently," Feng sighed, "Grandmother has to complain to the ancestors, and ask their spirits in heaven to bless the Marquis' mansion with a smooth future!"

Lu Xinyan comforted: "The sky will be clear when the dark clouds clear. Grandma, don't worry too much. After a few days, the Hou Mansion will be smooth."

"I hope it's as you said." Feng said, "Zhuzhu, help grandma light a few sticks of incense. Grandma will offer incense to all the ancestors one by one."

There is a large incense case in the small ancestral hall. Usually, three sticks of incense are lit during festivals or important events, and usually the incense sticks are about one meter long.

There is another small incense burner in front of each tablet, but it is generally seldom used, unless like Feng Shi, when he wants to confess to his ancestors one by one, he will light three small incense burners.

After Lu Xinyan lit the incense, she handed it to Feng Shi. After putting the incense into the small incense burner, Feng Shi closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, and began to murmur about her "crime" and express her wish by the way.

When there was the last tablet left, Lu Xinyan was about to light incense, but Feng said: "No need."

Ok?Lu Xinyan glanced at Feng Shi, then looked at the tablet curiously, wanting to see who the owner of this tablet is, and why Feng Shi said that there is no need to offer incense.

Only after looking at it did Lu Xinyan realize that it was actually a tablet without a letter, and it was much smaller than the tablet next to it.

"This is..." she asked curiously.

Feng Shi said: "This is a child who passed away just after birth, Lord Hou. Because he didn't have time to name him, he put up this sign without a name."

In this era, medical technology is underdeveloped, and the mortality rate of infants and young children is extremely high. This situation is not uncommon even in the royal family, let alone ordinary officials and officials?

Lu Xinyan hummed and didn't intend to ask further, afraid of poking Feng Shi's sad things, but she heard Feng Shi say in her ear: "This is Aunt Feng's first child."

Not Feng's, but Aunt Feng's?Lu Xinyan froze.

(End of this chapter)