The Red Mansion is so charming

Chapter 251
"Yesterday we had a good discussion. This morning, while Mrs. Lin is offering tea, we will tell the matter together, so that Mrs. Lin won't gain a foothold in this house in the future. We just want to hand over the power of housekeeper to Mr. Seventh daughter-in-law, those servants below will also obey and obey."

It's no wonder that the step-wife was in a hurry to complete this matter, it was because she suffered a great loss when she married into the Gan family.The stepwife's family background is ordinary, but there is a distant uncle who is the prefect of Jining. In order to get along with the Gan family, the prefect of Jining chose his stepwife from the nieces in the family to marry the Gan family when he saw the widow of the old man.

Before getting married, the wife of the magistrate Qian reminded her that the housekeeper is now the eldest wife of the Gan family, and the step-wife is the new daughter-in-law. Although she is the eldest, she is filling the house after all.It's better to wait for a year or so, first to win the favor of the old lady, and then slowly plan the matter.

The step-wife is a small family, so how could she know this, she was already terrified of marrying into a high-ranking family, so naturally she took the prefect's wife's words as an imperial decree and strictly obeyed them.Who would have thought that in another two or three years, the stepwife would just want to be a housekeeper, but the servants below would not obey the teaching at all, and the influence of the eldest house had already reached a scale that could not be shaken at all.It was only then that the step-wife regretted the past, and always felt that she should take advantage of the freshness of the old master towards her and seize the power of the housekeeper in one fell swoop.

Therefore, today she will actively spend all her time on behalf of her first daughter-in-law, the seventh daughter-in-law, even going so far as to turn against the second wife's only daughter-in-law.

The old lady was tortured by her, so she said: "I can't blame you for always being helpless with the eldest daughter-in-law when you are at home. Why don't you take a closer look at the current situation. Although this house only said that the house was spent by the Gan family to marry Lin Ruhai's daughter It was purchased with a huge sum of money, but how many women and children in the house don't know its origin? It was the Xing family who took out of their own pockets to avoid grievances from the Lin family. I watched coldly. The servant girl only knows how to flatter and flatter her, but she treats the girls in our family neither cold nor cold."

The stepwife's face was gloomy: "These dog slaves with high eyesight and low hands, see if I don't sell a few, they don't know my methods."

The old lady Gan sneered: "For sale? Do you have their deed of sale? I might as well guess this way, maybe the Xing family just wanted to keep a hand, and the deed is not in Lin's hands."

As soon as the stepwife heard this, she panicked: "Master, what can I do, I promised Xiaoqi long ago. Besides, you also understand that I am not the kind of brazen person. There is really no way out. This house is in In Fengwei Hutong, there are high-ranking officials and dignitaries, Yu Xiaoqi does not know how many benefits in his official career."

The old man is always helpless with this young son.

When he had a son in his later years, he naturally doted on him in every possible way, and the Seventh Master who became more and more used to him was lawless.It's easy to talk about in Jining Prefecture, but when it comes to the capital, the Gan family can't even be ranked in the bottom of the aristocratic family.The step-wife coveted Lin's generous dowry, and even coveted the mansion where the whole family lived.

The old man was hesitant, but a few words from his wife dispelled the old man's hesitation.

"Master wanted to bring brother Mi in person, but I didn't agree to it. You advocated taking back the property of the second room. Although brother Mi is young, he has always been close to the eldest son. Are the couple in the eldest room not Fuel-efficient lamps must be criticized behind their backs. They dare not accuse the master of being partial, but they will think that it is my stepmother who blows the pillow and told the master to make that decision. Moreover, the bride Lin is born with a charming and enchanting personality. Charming, I'm afraid Brother Mi will be addicted to women's sex all day long, so it's better to ask the seventh daughter-in-law to watch here. The master knows that the seventh daughter-in-law is the safest person. Let's just tell Brother Mi, It's just a borrowing, and when Mrs. Lin has the ability to take care of the housework, it won't be too late for the couple to move out."

The wife said in her heart: It is easy to ask God to send God away, as long as Gan Mi and Lin are willing to agree, they will not be allowed to make decisions about whether they will move out in the future.

The old lady did not say a word for a long time, and the step-wife wanted to add more fire, when suddenly a servant from outside came in to report, saying that Mrs. Cao's family members had sent someone to bring a basket of juicy peaches.

The old lady Gan was overjoyed: "Cao Yu and I are both mentor disciples. Although I am much older, when my mentor passed away, Cao Yu and I went to worship together. He treated me very politely. Looking for my brother to work in the Hanlin Academy, Cao Yu Yu also exerted a lot of strength."

The step-wife thought about it: "It's better to ask the seventh daughter-in-law to come forward to say hello, and then ask Mrs. Lin to practice on the sidelines."

The little servant hurriedly said: "Reporting to the old lady, the mother-in-law of the Cao family has gone to the Fourth Young Mistress. I know that the Fourth Young Mistress sent someone to report the news."

The wife's face changed drastically: "The fourth young mistress doesn't understand the rules, so you don't understand either. She is a bride, how dare she entertain the guests as soon as she enters the door? This, isn't this just to shame the Gan family and accuse the Gan family No one in the house?"

The boy trembled and dared not answer.

The old lady Gan said displeased: "Okay, I said earlier that the house is probably full of Lin's eyes and ears. If you don't believe me, just ask a woman or girl to see if they listen to you more or to Lin. There are many of them."

The old man waved his hand to dismiss the servant, and said to his stepwife in a low voice: "We are going back to Jining in two days, so don't cause trouble. Ask Lao Qi's wife to help the housekeeper, and I will discuss it with Brother Mi, you don't want to Intervene again."

The step-wife saw that all the talk was in vain, and she almost threw herself down in anger.

Here, Xiuyan personally sent the aunt of the Gan family to the gate, and the latter pulled Xiuyan with a smile on her face: "Don't worry, brother Mi is my nephew, and I personally helped match Lin's. Would I stand by and watch their young couple being bullied? Don't talk to Mrs. Xing about it, and it's okay to let Mrs. Xing know after I have freed up to take care of the old witch."

Xiuyan smiled and said: "I beg my aunt to take good care of our girl Lin, Xiuyan dare not forget it in her heart." In front of the attendants in front of the door, Xiuyan personally helped the eldest aunt of the Gan family into the green sedan chair , watching the bearers walk away, then turned and went back to the inner house.

The housekeeper who had been waiting for the news hurriedly said: "According to the girl's order, I took the people from the Cao family to the opposite door to deliver fresh fruit. It was indeed Miss Lin who was entertaining me. The slaves have been following around all the time, and no one from the family has made trouble. Miss Lin knew that it was the Cao family, a scholar from the Hanying Temple, who came to visit, so she asked Zijuan to reward them according to the highest rank. I sent four altars to the Cao family as a gift, and two other small bottles that looked as delicate as rose dew. The servants were far away, so they didn't see clearly."

Xiuyan smiled and nodded: "It's important to send roses for both, and Yan'er will not understand what's going on here. It's probably wine, both of which are bright red, so it's no wonder you misunderstood it for a while."

The mother-in-law hurriedly apologized and smiled: "I heard the girl said so, isn't it true?"

The Xing family likes to grow flowers and plants because of Xiuyan, so roses are the most common. Anyone who has been to the back garden of the Xing family is full of praise and envy. There are always flowers blooming all year round.In summer, when the flowers are at their most delicate and beautiful, Xiuyan leads the handy maids and women to pick those good-looking preserved preserves.Xing's pickled recipes were purchased at a high price. Those preserved fruits are not only bright in color, but also sweet and sour in taste, easy to appetize, and are most favored by pregnant women.

Although the Xing family doesn't expect this to make money, they can store it in the shop opened by Xiuyan, and it will make a net profit of 5000 taels a year.

Last year, the Lu family bought two small villages in the suburbs of Beijing, which were specially used for planting fruit trees. Grapes alone accounted for one-third of the total.After ripening and picking, the brewing masters invited from the Western Regions personally supervise the production and seal up the best wines.

During the festival this year, Xing's wine has become a hot topic.If a family does not use this wine in hospitality, it will feel like contemptuous of the guests.

Xiuyan heard that Lin Daiyu gave them these two things, so she smiled and said: "Before the hairpin got married, I asked the housekeeper to buy a batch of Western glass bottles, all of which are the most exquisite. house, I collected twenty bottles and gave them to Shao'er."

The housekeeper's wife was taken aback. Others didn't know, but she knew.The batch of wine that the girl brewed many years ago was very successful, and the taste became more mellow after two or three years.It is a pity that the conditions did not allow it at that time, and only two wooden barrels were obtained in total.When I was in Suzhou, the old Shangshu of the former Ministry of Punishment often went to Xing's house to fight the autumn breeze for this.

From the south to the north over the years, there is only a little more than one barrel left.The master is like a treasure, and he only makes people take out something to enjoy himself during the New Year and holidays.

The girl gave away twenty bottles, no matter how small the bottle was, it was too expensive.

Seeing that the housekeeper's wife was silent, Xiuyan thought about it, from now on when she gets married, Fu Geer is still too young, only Daiyu can come back often to take care of her, if the people in the house have pissed off her, it will be difficult for the whole family No benefit.Might as well speak up.

Xiuyan smiled and said: "Master Cao is a clear stream in the imperial court. Sending him with gold and silk, instead of being ineffective, made the Cao family look down on Sister Lin. The Cao family has no shortage of casual things, and Sister Lin is in a hurry. It's rare to think of this. Besides, many people like the wine we make, so we can build relationships and help my father."

"What did sister say to help father?" Zhengde entered the door with a happy smile, and several maids hurriedly bowed to salute.

Seeing his thick clothes, Xiuyan couldn't help frowning: "Why do you think of wearing this on such a hot day? Last time I made you a robe from Liangshu brocade, and it's the most comfortable time to wear it."

Zhengde took the round fan from his sister, the dead fan, and Xiuyan snatched it away in a hurry, and said angrily: "You use this method to relieve the heat, and you will definitely catch a cold tomorrow. Bai Fu, put the fan you got up early in the well. Bring the summer melon soaked in it to His Highness."

Bai Fu glanced at Zhengde, and walked out of the room with a smile.After a while, he brought a plate of sliced ​​summer melon. The flesh of the melon was ruddy, sweet and juicy. Zhengde felt that it was not enough after eating three pieces in a row.

Xiuyan gently fanned him with a fan to enjoy the coolness, and said: "Slow down, I can always make you eat enough."

The eunuch Xiao Anzi who was accompanying him quickly apologized and said with a smile: "It turns out that His Highness likes to eat this, and this servant will ask the imperial dining room to send some to our palace tomorrow, and put them in the well water. Your Highness can enjoy it after school."

Xiuyan said slowly: "Although summer melon can relieve the heat, it is not suitable to eat too much. After you go back, ask the imperial dining room to remove all the flesh of the melon, leaving only the layer of white meat with the skin. The master who is good at the knife is careful and careful. It’s good to cut it into shreds, make soup, or make dumplings.”

Zhengde remembered the dish his sister was best at, and hurriedly said: "I want to eat dumplings stuffed with watermelon made by my sister."

Xiao Anzi was dumbfounded when he heard it earlier, and pointed to many watermelon rinds thrown aside by the fifth prince: "What do you mean, the melon rinds can also be eaten?"

I can also make dumplings!Xiao Anzi seemed to have heard some fairy tales. In the palace, every summer, even the ladies in the palace could get a piece of summer melon to relieve the heat from time to time.It can be seen that this kind of thing is very common, not a rare thing.

However, even the humblest servants in the Huanyi Bureau have never heard of anyone who eats summer melon and wants to keep the skin.

Seeing Xiao Anzi's puzzled and even skeptical eyes, Xiuyan smiled and said: "It is recorded in ancient books that this summer melon is also called natural white tiger soup, which means it is an excellent tonic. It's a pity that people only knew to eat the flesh in the past, but they didn't know the most nourishing food. It's on the skin and flesh. Your Highness did not miss the shredded watermelon dumplings I made when you were young!"

Zhengde has been salivating for a long time. He clearly remembers that when he was a child, his mother was busy with business, and his sister was probably taking care of him.My sister often makes dumplings with various fillings in the small kitchen, or boils them in water, steams them in a pan, or frys them in oil. Zhengde sits on the threshold with his chin on and watches without blinking. Get up, and compare with Lao Qi in the palace who looks like his own tail, I don't know how happy I was when I was a child.

Seeing Zhengde's gluttonous appearance, Xiuyan sent Meilian and others to the kitchen to prepare stuffing and noodles, and ordered Xiao Anzi to guard the gate outside.

"After you went back yesterday, what did the emperor say?"

"I didn't ask anything. I was doing my homework in the study this morning. Master Wen praised me for my clever answer. I don't know who told my father. When I accompanied the driver just now, my father gave me a piece of beautiful jade." Zhengde wiped it with a wet handkerchief. She raised her hand and handed the beautiful jade in her arms to Xiuyan: "Sister, keep it for fun."

Xiuyan caught Meiyu with a lotus root pink handkerchief, and after looking at it carefully, she thought deeply: "This is a good thing, I will tie you a net at night. You usually wear it around your waist, it's also considered a It’s not humiliating. Put it here, and it’s not necessary to ask it to come out all year round.”

Xiuyan wrapped up the beautiful jade, and said again: "You came from the study room? Why are you wearing such a suit? It looks like you are out hunting."

Zhengde pulled his neckband and smashed the tight neckline, and sighed helplessly: "I just went to the Ministry of Rites and met Mr. Qiao, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The emperor said this morning that he would go to Iron Net Mountain to escape the summer heat. He asked me to send a message to the Ministry of Rites. At the end of the month, get ready to go up and down the palace."

The emperor Chunwei just came back from the hot spring palace, and within a few months, he is going to the iron net mountain palace again to escape the summer heat?
Xiuyan vaguely sensed the problem, and asked: "I remember that when the emperor first came to the throne, he didn't travel frequently between the courtyard and the palace. Why did he come down this year, and the frequency is particularly frequent. Could it be that the censors in the court don't say anything?"

Zhengde looked around, and whispered in his sister's ear: "Grandpa Huang is dissatisfied with Father Fu recently because of the distribution of titles by King Fu. Father refuses to compromise, and he has no way to disobey him. He just needs to hide away. Those censors We all understand what's going on, so we don't dare to take care of it, lest the father is in a rage, and they bump into the knife, and the result is thankless."

Xiuyan had heard a little bit about this matter.

Although King Fu's son had been entrusted for a long time, King Fu wholeheartedly wanted to confer a title on the eldest son of a concubine.King Fu knew that Xiaozong's way would not work, so he wanted to ask the Supreme Emperor to come forward.But it was too late for Xiaozong to cut off King Fu's rights, and he would definitely not reward his family with the title.

The emperor refused the Supreme Emperor on the pretext that he did not conform to the rules of his ancestors.The father-son relationship that the two talents could make up for suddenly broke out again.The two had a big fight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and finally broke up unhappy.

Xiuyan said softly: "You have to figure out the emperor's intentions more, don't be rash and do what he tells you to do." Zhengde smiled and took Xiuyan's arm: "Sister, don't worry about me, I will Take good care of yourself. By the way, I am not here today to eat watermelon. Brother Song asked me to tell you a few words. Last time you told him to find out about the King of Beijing. He recently discovered that the Palace of Beijing often There is a group of people coming in and out, although they are dressed as people from the Central Plains, but they are not in the style of the Central Plains. They look like Fusang people."

"Fusang." Xiuyan secretly paid attention.I didn't hear Fangguan say that Fusang people went to the palace, but Song Chen had been to the southeast and dealt with water bandits from Fusang.If Song Chen had doubts like this, it was probably true.

"But those people can't hear the slightest accent. They only reveal unusual things in small details such as eating and drinking, so Brother Song doesn't dare to make a call. What he means is that my sister has an inside line in the Beijing Palace, so I won't let you listen Find out where this group of people came from."

Zhengde's big eyes brightened: "Actually, according to my opinion, there is no need to find out at all. The King of Beijing Jing is like a dog. Who would have thought that his mind would be so bad. Let's kill that group of people. The Fusang people who came here asked Father to give him some bitterness."

Xiuyan slapped him on the forehead, Zhengde immediately died down, and looked at her with aggrieved eyes.

"Since you have made up your mind to sit in that position, you should follow the gentleman in the study to learn the way of the king. Preserving the unity of the Xia, the harmony of the nations, and the expulsion of the Tartars, this is what you want. I really want to win Down with King Beijing, but I don’t want you to get involved.” Xiuyan felt a sense of powerlessness in her heart, if Zhengde was ruined because of the conspiracy between her and King Beijing, Xiuyan would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

Zhengde said with a solemn face: "I know, the sage Zeng said: 'Without partiality and no party, the kingly way is swaying'. I committed a taboo, and when I went back to the palace, I punished myself to rewrite "The Analects of Confucius" silently. But what did my sister tell me to do? It's all good, I just ask my sister not to hide any important things from me in the future."

When Zhengde first heard that the king of Beijing was playing tricks, he was so angry that he wanted to go to the mansion of the king of Beijing to argue with him.The original king of Beijing Jing actively drew closer to him, but now Zhengde sees it as a conspiracy by the authorities.

Brother Song was running around for his sister, making open and secret visits. Zhengde was very afraid that he would be rejected by his sister because he became a member of the palace. He would not say anything in the future, and he would not tell him anything. The relationship between siblings is like that. It's faded, so Zhengde always rushes to the front when it comes to family affairs, just like this time when Lin Daiyu got married.
(End of this chapter)