A Thousand Hills

Chapter 111

There are many changes in the world, and life has gone through many vicissitudes.

As soon as Xie Moru advanced and retreated, he lost the face of the Mercy Palace and was not held accountable.She can also have tea with the fourth imperial concubine when she is free. Although the fourth imperial concubine is surnamed Hu, she is a gentle and reasonable person.She didn't live in the imperial capital for a long time. She lived with her parents in Nan'an Prefecture since she was a child. The experience of the fourth prince and concubine is actually somewhat similar to that of Jiang Xingyun.But the personalities of the two are completely different, the fourth prince and concubine is as gentle as water, and Jiang Xingyun is free and easy.The fourth concubine's tone of voice also had a slight accent from the Nan'an state. The fourth concubine said, "When I was young, my mother asked the mother to teach us the dialect of the imperial capital. Maybe it's because I lived in Nan'an state for too long. , I always have some accents, I’m used to it, and it’s hard to change, isn’t it very rustic?”

"Where you speak, there is no distinction between rustic and non-sophisticated. I think it has an exotic flavor, which is very pleasant to hear. If anyone thinks that your accent is rustic, let them tell you something that is not native."

Hu frowned and smiled, she didn't have the ability to thank Moru, but she still had the ability to turn a deaf ear to some unpleasant words.The Hu family didn't have many friends in the imperial capital, and she had not been back with her parents for a long time. The royal family gave her a marriage, and she became the fourth concubine.Now that they are dating among the royal concubine, Hu Shi was quite worried that Xie Moru would not be able to get along with her at first. She didn't necessarily want to have a good relationship with Xie Moru, but her husband was on good terms with the fifth prince. Naturally, Hu Shi would like to have a comparison with Xie Moru Good relationship.I don't want to think that although Xie Moru has a great reputation, it is much easier and more comfortable to communicate with than ordinary ladies and wives.

Xie Moru is very interested in Nan'an Prefecture, and the Hu family has lived there since childhood, and he is also happy to talk about the customs of Nan'an Prefecture.The Fourth Prince said, "In Nan'an Prefecture, I have never worn woolen clothes. The first time I wore big woolen clothes was when I returned to the imperial capital."

"I read in the book that Nan'an is very close to Nanyue Kingdom, and Nanyue is like spring all the year round. I think it's the same when I come to Nan'an."

"In fact, there are winters, but it's not very cold. It's enough to wear a jacket when it's the coldest. I'm used to living in Nan'an and feel comfortable, but many people who are new to Nan'an will not be used to it." After the two got acquainted, Hu Shi brought a lot of fungus native to Nan'an to Xie Moru, and introduced to her, "Don't look at the fungus, which is ugly, and it's troublesome to eat. You have to soak it in warm water to get the soil and sand, and you have to choose the grass stems mixed in it. The fungus is called Qiansu, and the name sounds nice. It’s just that it doesn’t look very good. When it grows, there are fine grasses mixed in it, and it can only be cleaned after soaking. This fungus is very fragrant. Nan’an produces all kinds of fungi. It’s the most delicious. It’s delicious when it’s soaked and fried directly, or it’s good to make mushroom oil.”

"This is the shallow mushroom." Xie Moru took a closer look, it looked crooked, it was really not very good-looking, Xie Moru said, "I heard that this fungus tastes good when it is fried with fat and thin pork, and there is more meat in it. Put some green peppers, the taste will be even better."

Hu was astonished, "Your brother and sister even know this?"

"Occasionally, I saw it in a notebook, saying that the taste of asparagus is extremely beautiful, but because of its ugly appearance, it is not well-known, but it must be said that there are few fungi in the world that can be compared with asparagus."

Hearing what Xie Moru said, Mrs. Hu was very happy, and smiled, "Yes. Although everything in the imperial capital is good, when it comes to bacteria, it is much worse than Nan'an Prefecture."

Talking about the customs of Nan'an Prefecture, Mrs. Hu asked Xie Moru about planting vegetables for greenhouses in winter, "It's too late this year, I think, next year we will get one in our house, for no other reason, to eat fresh vegetables in winter It’s also convenient. It doesn’t matter if I eat vegetables and fruits all day long, but if I eat meat every day, I always feel indigestible.”

Xie Moru laughed, "It's easy too. When my sister-in-law wants it, I'll send the slaves from my village who know how to grow vegetables. It's not too late to make preparations. I heard that it's best to get the winter vegetables in a warm place. Now let's find a place Where it is suitable, it will start to be used in the next spring, and it will be available in autumn and winter."

Hu said, "I don't have anything to do at home. My younger siblings can just send someone over. I've already arranged to take care of things."

Xie Moru responded immediately.

Xie Moru and Hu's family are both idle people, at noon the five princes had dinner at the Ministry of Rites, Xie Moru stayed with Hu's family for lunch, and after the meal, Hu's family left and went back to their own mansion.The Fourth Prince's Mansion and the Fifth Prince's Mansion are next to each other, and they are neighbors, so it is very convenient to visit.

Xie Moru thinks that Mrs. Hu is a smart person who can communicate with others.The hot spring Zhuangzi grows some fresh vegetables in winter. The Nan'an Hou Mansion should have such a Zhuangzi. Even if the Nan'an Hou Mansion doesn't have it, the Cheng'en Gong Mansion also has it. The Hu family asked her for advice, which shows that the Hu family has the intention to get close.Xie Moru naturally would not refuse.

The fifth prince went home at night and ate the asparagus sent by Mrs. Hu, and he also praised the delicious taste of this mushroom.

On the contrary, the fourth prince heard that his daughter-in-law had dinner with Xie Moru at noon, even though he was very close to the fifth prince, the fourth prince was still a little worried and asked his daughter-in-law, "How is the fifth daughter-in-law?"

"Your brother and sister are fine, what's the matter?"

The fourth prince glanced at his wife's belly and said, "Aren't you trying to have a baby? I'm worried about the fifth daughter-in-law's temper, and I will explode if I say it."

"It's all nonsense. The fifth sibling is knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and generous. I like to talk with the fifth sibling." Of course, Mrs. Hu would not say that she was a little worried at the beginning, but Xie Moru's temperament is Surprisingly good natured.As long as you are a reasonable person, Xie Moru will be easy to get along with.

In the evening, the fourth prince ate the green vegetables and radishes that Xie Moru gave to Hu Shi.

Apart from frequent visits with Mrs. Hu, Xie Moru also introduced Jiang Xingyun to Mrs. Hu. Jiang Xingyun likes singing and dancing, and his subordinates are good actors, so he simply brought him to the Fifth Prince's Mansion for everyone to appreciate.The fourth concubine thought that she would also have a group of singing and dancing, and it would be good to learn some Nan'an dances.

After the fourth prince heard about this, he said to the fifth prince, "These women are really happy."

The fifth prince said with a straight face, "Women, eating, drinking and having fun is a lifetime."

The fourth prince deeply agreed, but he didn't know that the remark was not original by the fifth prince, but Xie Moru said it.After Xie Moru said this, soon Princess Changtai was added to the party list at her house.This is easy to understand, Xie Moru and Li Xuan have long been friends, Li Xuan and Princess Changtai are husband and wife, the relationship between the husband and wife is not bad, it is easy to understand that Princess Changtai and Xie Moru have a relationship.What's more, Princess Changtai feels from the bottom of her heart that she quite agrees with Xie Moru's values.

The princes and princesses actually live quite close together. Princess Changtai brought some good tea from Li Xuan’s collection, and smiled, “My son-in-law has no other hobby, but Hey Tea. It’s from our own tea garden, and you can still drink it.”

Xie Moru immediately ordered the maid to cook, the set of utensils for making tea is in the corner of the warming room, the maid is obviously familiar with it, with graceful posture and outstanding skills.Everyone tasted the tea brought by Princess Changtai, and they all said it tasted good.

When Princess Changtai came, she brought in the third concubine Chu, who was her uncle's cousin.

To say that Emperor Mu Yuan married his son's official wife, regardless of her background and quality, was very good.Mrs. Chu is a dignified person. She gave birth to her eldest son last year. It happened that Mrs. Hu, the fourth concubine, had a big belly. Mrs. Chu told Mrs. Hu a lot of precautions for pregnant women.Chu and the emperor's eldest concubine, Cui, are two aunts and sisters. When it comes to Cui, "the eldest sister-in-law is about to give birth."

Cui's luck was not good, and the second child gave birth to a daughter. During the third baptism, Xie Moru and all the sisters-in-law went to give a congratulatory gift that was well-regulated and no one could fault it.During the full moon wine, Mrs. Cui was just out of confinement, and personally entertained all the sisters-in-law, Princess Wenkang, Princess Changtai, and Princess Yongfu. Xie Moru saw that Cui's complexion was very good against the makeup, but just His hands were obviously a little thin, Xie Moru looked at the little girl and praised, "This child is really good." The eldest son of the emperor and Cui's looks are not bad, so the child is naturally good-looking.

Regardless of the relationship between men, women are very harmonious, especially Princess Wenkang loves Cui's little girl very much, and even hugged her personally, giving her a very precious full moon gift.The main reason is that Princess Wenkang gave birth to three sons in a row, and Princess Changtai's first child was also a son. The princess personally prefers girls.She not only gave a very expensive full moon gift, but also gave Cui's eldest daughter a set of small jewelry, which was extremely delicate and lovely.Coupled with the harmony between the sisters-in-law, Cui's smile gradually increased.

Everyone praised the child, and the second concubine Wu asked, "Sister-in-law, did the second niece have a name?" Wu was born in the Duke of Wu's mansion, that's right, Princess Yongfu's in-law's family.In recent years, Emperor Mu Yuan attached great importance to the Duke of Wu's mansion. Not only did he marry the princess, but he also ordered the Duke of Wu's mansion to produce a prince and concubine.

Cui smiled, "I haven't chosen my first name yet, but my nickname is Axi."

The third concubine Chu said, "This name is good, Xi has the meaning of light, even if it is called, it is also catchy."

Listening to the words, Xie Moru could tell that the little girl's nickname should be given by Cui Shi, otherwise, Cui Shi would have said something like "His Royal Highness gave her a nickname".

Talking about the children and gossip about the imperial capital, the second imperial concubine Wu Shi smiled at Xie Moru and said, "I heard that the fifth younger siblings often hold banquets at home recently, and the elder sister-in-law gave birth earlier, you invited all the third and fourth younger siblings, why? I'm left alone? I'm waiting at home for a post from my fifth sibling, and I've been waiting desperately, but it hasn't arrived yet." He sighed jokingly.

Xie Moru smiled, "I was thinking, the second sister-in-law has a different status, so I dare not disturb you easily."

"What's the difference? There are men outside the court. We women don't need to pay attention to it. We can enjoy ourselves when we have time." Wu can actually guess Xie Moru's mind. Xie Moru has always been with Cheng Engong The house is not in harmony, thinking of Xie Moru's actions, his likes and dislikes are barely concealed, Wu actually finds it funny, it is rare to see people in the imperial capital like Xie Moru who confess their likes and dislikes.However, she doesn't care about what is going on with Cheng'en Gongfu. She is a woman, so she just needs to communicate with women.Wu said, "Fifth brother and sister, although you entered the door later, you are happier than us. In the past, we used to hold big banquets on festivals or birthdays. In fact, our sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law are just drinking tea and talking together. Yes." The Wu family is also an aristocratic daughter of the imperial capital. It would be a lie to say that they don't know how to play and enjoy themselves. They are just married into the royal family, and they are the first concubines. They have a short time to get started, so they are naturally careful everywhere, and they are not always cautious enough. , where there is a heart for fun.Xie Moru is different, Xie Moru is only the granddaughter of Shangshu in terms of her birth, her father is only a fifth grade, in terms of paternal lineage, she is not as good as the previous four princes and concubines.But Xie Moru's matriarchal line is strong, in terms of blood, she is still a distant royal relative, and her family's matrilineal lineage is considered to be the strongest of the strong.Xie Moru marrying into the royal family can directly cut the face of Empress Dowager Hu, but she was born in the Palace of Mercy and has not pursued her.Therefore, she can live her life however she likes.She is so laid back, and the other sisters-in-law are not fools, so Xie Moru could just start, and they should be more comfortable following suit.

Xie Moru just hates the Hu family, but he has a better impression of the second prince than the eldest son, not to mention Wu is a bright and smart person, he speaks well and is not annoying.Xie Moru smiled, "Then I will send a message to the second sister-in-law."

"If you leave me alone again, I will go without invitation." Wu Shi smiled to himself, and everyone laughed when he said it.Wu said again, "Sister-in-law is also confinement, let's have fun together."

Cui naturally laughed and said yes.

Just as she was talking happily, she saw a nanny come over in a panic, opened her mouth and said with a hint of crying, "Mother, brother Hao is not well."

Cui was startled, and quickly asked, "What's the matter? Take it easy, didn't you feel better yesterday?" After Cui gave birth to the eldest daughter, the eldest son of the emperor gave birth to the eldest son with the same concubine. The name is Brother Hao.Although he is a concubine, but now the emperor's eldest son's mansion only has this son, so he is naturally precious.Cui Shi is the aunt, and although the child was not born to her, it is her responsibility to have a child.

After careful questioning, it turned out that the child fell on the ground while playing, and when he fell, brother Hao's biological mother sent a nanny to report to Cui Shi, and wanted to invite an imperial doctor to come to the house to show the child.

Cui's face turned pale with anger. On the day of great joy, it was the child who bumped and bumped. As long as it is not serious, just quietly report to the imperial doctor, and then something serious will happen. The report is not so crying, it is still her daughter At the full moon wine, in front of many sisters-in-law, sisters-in-law and elders, it's not bad luck!You can't beat your face!Mrs. Cui quickly came back to her senses, and ordered the maid, "Take the post from our mansion and send someone to invite the imperial physician." Then she called a mother Li, "I said that Mrs. Zhang is young and doesn't know how to take care of children. Your Highness please forgive me." , let her take care of my brother, but she is so unstable, I can no longer rely on His Highness. Nanny is His Highness's wet nurse, and Ashu Aya is adjusted by her concubine herself. You are the most reliable, I will I have entrusted my brother to serve you. Mammy will go there now. It is not easy to ask my brother to move the house and move Mrs. Zhang to Meixueyuan. She is so unconscious, Mammy will teach her a few words. The nuns in charge, each with [-] boards, and the serving maids, each with [-] boards, all of them are gone, I don’t need these unconscious servants anymore.”

After dealing with this matter, Cui said apologetically, "I haven't been in charge for the past two or three months, and the rules in the house have been loosened. I made my aunt and younger siblings laugh at me."

Princess Wenkang said, "Such an ignorant person is indeed not worthy of raising the emperor's grandson."

Hearing the eldest princess's words, Cui was very grateful. Zhang's family background was not high, and she used to serve her husband as a maid. She took over the house before she entered the house. Needless to say, her husband treated Zhang, otherwise she would not have just given birth. The eldest daughter made Zhang pregnant and gave birth to the eldest son.But with the words of the eldest princess, it is impossible for Mrs. Zhang to think about it, and Mrs. Cui also confessed to her husband.

Princess Wenkang set the tone. The sisters-in-law are all regular wives, and they all said that Mrs. Zhang doesn't know how to flatter her. Everyone actually understands Mrs. Cui, but it's hard to say too much to comfort Mrs. Cui. Mrs. Cui is the eldest concubine of the emperor. Although Mrs. Zhang is confused about such things, there are also disadvantages for Mrs. Cui's housekeeper.

Therefore, everyone passed the conversation in passing, had a drink at noon and watched a few plays, and when the men left outside, the women got up and said goodbye.

Cui's mother stayed at the latest, Mrs. Yongding Hou also found out about this, and comforted her daughter, "Don't get angry with such a fool, you flattered her instead."

Cui sighed softly, "I've already made up my mind, let the mother and concubine in the palace choose the two side concubines for His Royal Highness."

"Two bedrooms?" Mrs. Yongdinghou still thought about her daughter giving birth to a grandson.

"Mother, don't worry, even if I enter another [-] rooms, I will be the only concubine in this mansion."

Mrs. Yongding Hou saw that her daughter couldn't hide her tired and haggard look, she was very sad, and she didn't dare to let her see it, so she had to persuade her once again, and went back home full of worries.

Cui Shi was complained by the eldest son of the emperor at night, "Ah Hao is hurt, Zhang Shi is sad enough to blame herself, if you don't talk to persuade her, you will attack her instead. She is timid, she is already terribly scared. "

Cui Shi said, "At the beginning, Your Highness said that Mrs. Zhang was safe. I thought, after all, she is brother Hao's biological mother. Although she came from a humble background and was not worthy of raising the emperor's grandson, but His Highness gave her best guarantee, so I agreed. Is that the case? ?”

"Does Your Highness think Brother Hao is Zhang's son? That's my son! I entrusted my son to her to serve, but she threw the child's head to me. I neither beat her nor punished her, but let Madam Li Mammy taught her a few words, does your Highness think that I did something wrong?" No matter how generous Cui Shi was, she couldn't bear it now, and said coldly, "Don't talk about her, it's those mammies who serve Huan, if you want them to take good care of my son, they can't do enough, my son fell and touched, can I still take care of it? If your highness is like this, I have nothing to say! Even if your highness complains again, I will still say a word In other words, they are slaves, and their duty is to serve my son well, if my son makes a mistake, I have to not spare them!"

Cui immediately called someone, "Call Zhang in the past!"

The eldest son of the emperor hurriedly stopped him, "I'm just saying a few words, there's nothing worth getting angry about, don't be angry!"

Cui opened the hand of the eldest son of the emperor, and ordered, "Send the message, and call me Mrs. Zhang! I want to see what kind of noble woman she is, and she hurt my son. I can't control it!" "Turning back to the eldest son of the emperor, "Your Highness, don't think I'm petty. Give Zhang's small shoes to wear, and I will enter the palace tomorrow, and ask my mother and concubine to choose a lady from a good family for His Highness, and accept her as a side concubine in a serious manner!"

The eldest son of the emperor had no choice but to persuade Mrs. Cui once again with kind words and gentle words. The maid brought Mrs. Zhang who was a small white flower. The corners are embroidered with plum orchid grass, which sets off the lovely tearful eyes, not to mention how pitiful it is.When Cui saw all the clothes, she was furious and shouted, "What day is it today, you are all in white! Are you dressing me like a filial piety!"

Mrs. Zhang immediately kowtowed like pounding garlic, and cried, "Your Majesty, forgive me, slave, I came out in a hurry, and didn't pay attention to the clothes on my body. I know my mistake, Your Majesty, forgive me." Feeling pity, he couldn't help saying, "It's cold on the ground, get up."

When Zhang Shi raised her head timidly, there was already a bruise on her forehead, her pale and beautiful face just looked at Cui Shi timidly, and did not dare to get up.Cui Shi looked at the eldest son of the emperor with cold eyes, without saying a word, the eldest son of the emperor finally calmed down full of pity, and said to Cui Shi, "Seeing that she knows her mistake, it's so late, let's forget it."

Cui Shi told the maid with a blank face, "Pass down the family law."

The eldest son of the emperor said, "Princess!"

"With her without me, with me without her, Your Highness chooses." Cui's eyes were calm, "Your Highness won't even let me take care of a concubine who has done something wrong. I will let Xian immediately, and tomorrow I will write a letter to give up the position of prince and concubine." Give it to Mrs. Zhang."

Cui was born noble, Yongding Marquis is Emperor Mu Yuan's confidant, and the eldest son of the emperor is not easy to turn against Cui, thinking that it is unreasonable for a woman to be jealous, helpless, "As a concubine, why bother to get angry."

The two rough envoys with bamboo boards have arrived, Cui said, "Send all the stewards, nuns, maids, and palace servants in the mansion." Everyone was waiting in the yard, and Cui Fang Said, "Twenty first."

Mrs. Zhang shouted, "His Royal Highness, save me!" On the one hand, she knew that this punishment would not be light;

Cui's side face was like a statue, the corners of the eldest son's lips moved slightly, and he did not intercede for Zhang after all.The mother-in-law wanted to beat her right away, and Cui was furious, "It's so unruly, such a lowly maid deserves to be beaten in my room, and dragged to the yard for beating."

Mrs. Zhang wanted to ask for help again, but someone stuffed a veil into her mouth, and she couldn't make a sound anymore. The board fell heavily on her body, and only a sharp moan escaped from her throat.

After hitting twenty, the maid came in to report, Cui said indifferently, "Twenty more."

The eldest son of the emperor turned pale, and said, "Aren't you going to kill Ah Luo?"

"The twenty boards just now were for her not being able to serve my son with all her heart, which caused Brother Hao to be injured. The twenty boards were for her to dress me in filial piety on the big day, and to be disrespectful to the mistress. If your highness thinks that I am wrong in any way, just don't worry about it. Let me tell you!" Cui Shi was chosen by Emperor Mu Yuan to be the eldest concubine of the emperor, she is indeed good-natured, but if a concubine is to bully her, she is not the daughter of the Yongding Marquis Mansion.Seeing that the eldest son of the emperor was speechless, Cui said, "Continue to fight."

Another [-] beatings, when the maid came in to report back, Mrs. Cui didn't say the number, so she beat her to death.Cui's status is just out of confinement, so it is not rare to go out to see Zhang's end, but said coldly to the maid who came in to report, "In this mansion, as long as I am not dead, I have the final say. Mansion You all have memorized the rules here. If you are ignorant, disobedient, tempting, and ignorant of praise, this is a lesson learned from the past!" Then he ordered people to carry Mrs. Zhang directly to Dongmei Yuan, and leave the city tomorrow to be buried, along with Mrs. Zhang's natal family Son, Mrs. Cui took all of them down and confessed to the housekeeper in the mansion, and they will all be dismissed tomorrow.

As for where the eldest son of the emperor went to sleep today, Cui didn't care anymore, he slept soundly and comfortably until dawn.

(End of this chapter)