The sun and the moon are approaching, and before the beginning of the eighth day of winter, the weather is gradually getting colder, and even the pots of chrysanthemums that are placed along the corridor of the upper courtyard of the Prime Minister's House are slightly wilted. There was a big event in the house, and the servants had no time to take care of it, so Qiuju stood proudly alone.
Mother Qin rubbed her hands and breathed quickly into the Cixiao Garden. She walked across the hall, and walked on the corridor paved with bluestone and square bricks. She hurried all the way to the main house. It forms a fan shape behind it.
Under the porch, there was a little girl who had not left her head attentive and held a brass hand warmer with moderate temperature in her hands, "Mother Qin is back."
"Well." Qin mama lifted her eyelids and glanced at the little girl, who immediately retreated.
Outside the door of the main house, the warm curtain of dark green blessings and longevity with continuous patterns was lifted up, and it was the big maid who greeted her with auspicious sound.
Seeing Mother Qin, Jixiang hurriedly pulled her aside and whispered, "Old lady is better now, the girls are talking with you."
Mother Qin rubbed her cold hand on the stove and asked in a low voice, "Is the eldest lady here now?"
Ji Jixiang shook his head, pointed his sallow finger in the direction of Xingning Garden, and made a tearful gesture, "The second and third ladies are persuading in Xingning Garden." "
Mother Qin nodded solemnly.
This time, even the auspicious face became subtle.
The two lifted the curtain and entered the house, placing the hand warmer on the round mahogany table with bulging legs and waists in the outer corner.
Mother Qin patted her cold and stiff face, squeezed out a moderate smile, and then quickly walked around the black lacquer carving "Happy Mei Shao" to the side hall.
Compared with the outdoors, the side hall where the old lady used to feast on weekdays is as warm as spring at this time.
The sun shines through the latticed windows covered with Gaoli Ming paper, coating the delicate mahogany carvings in the house with a layer of soft light. The seats are covered with light green clouds and flower chairs, and the floor is covered with Persian flowers. The splendid flowers that come bloom on the soft carpet. There was a charcoal basin in the middle of the ground, and the fine silver wire charcoal was lit early in it. Two young women with jewels were sitting next to the charcoal basin to keep warm, and five pretty girls were sitting around the window. Mahogany Ruyi Carved Arhat or standing or sitting beside the bed.
The old lady was wearing a tea-gold, cloud-brocade, cross-collar collar, with a splendid embroidered embroidered forehead inlaid with emeralds on her head, and a large hairpin inlaid with emeralds inlaid diagonally. She was sitting cross-legged on the Arhat bed, leaning on her back. The light green sticky ink pulls the pillow, and pulls a beautiful girl in a light blue robe to speak, with a very loving expression, no different from the past.
Qin mama's heart is awe-inspiring, the four girls are really the most favored, and when such a big thing happened, the weight in the old lady's heart has not decreased at all!
"Old lady." Qin mama saluted.
The people in the room kept silent and looked at her with different expressions.
The old lady grimaced and said solemnly, "Are you back?"
Mother Qin bowed her head and bowed carefully, "Yes, the slaves heard someone from the second door, saying that the eldest master, the second master, the uncle, and the second master brought the new girl into the ceremonial door, and the slaves were busy. Back and forth with your words."
The old lady frowned a little tighter, "But what kind of person do you see?" Without waiting for Mother Qin to answer, she said coldly, "Why do you say that she is the girl from our house! We Hui My sister has been raising her for fourteen years, and I hold it in my palm, like a jewel in pain, how can I change from a granddaughter to a fake granddaughter!"
As soon as the voice fell, the blue-clothed girl sitting next to the old lady began to sob again.
The old lady sighed, took the blue-clothed girl's hand and coaxed, "Sister Hui, don't cry, your crying grandmother's heart will be broken."
Qin Huining choked up and approached the old lady, with tears on her cheeks, her bright almond eyes were already swollen into walnuts from crying: "Grandmother, my granddaughter has been cherished by you for so many years, and my granddaughter is ashamed of you, ashamed of the Qin family... How could the granddaughter be fake, how could it be fake..."
As soon as she cried, the needle fell silently in the house, and the girls looked at the old lady in unison.
The old lady couldn't see the tears of the only granddaughter in the long room, and she hugged Qin Huining and cried heartily, "Don't be sad, no one dares to tell you to go out, you grew up under my eyes, how could you not be your father? Mother gave birth to her? There is no certainty about this, and it is a wild breed who is deliberately trying to get rich! No matter what, my grandmother wants you and likes you."
"Grandma!" Qin Huining knelt down in front of the old lady with a moving expression, hugged her legs, and put her tear-drenched face on the old lady's knees.
In any case, as long as the old lady is willing to take care of her, she will still be the eldest daughter of the eldest house!
The wrinkled hand of the old lady wearing the emerald ring stroked Qin Huining's head.
This scene is so warm, how can others not understand it? The girls in the second room and the third room were moved to tears.
"Old lady, the eldest master, the second master, the uncle, and the second master are back." Outside the door, the little girl's voice was very clear.
As the warm curtain was lifted, a cold wind rushed in.
Everyone craned their necks to look out, and saw the eldest master, the second master, the uncle, and the second master came in successively around the screen, followed by a tall girl with beautiful eyes and beautiful eyes.
Seeing her, everyone couldn't help but light up.
The young girl was thirteen or four years old, wearing a new goose yellow plain face makeup robe, walking with a light gait, although she was thin, she had a kind of bearing in her bones. A goose-yellow satin ribbon is fixed, the powder is not applied, the cherry lips are slightly pale, the willow eyebrows are in the temples, and the almond eyes are shining, very bright.
Her appearance was completely similar to that of Qin Huaiyuan, the eldest master of the Qin family, when he was young!
Obviously, girls do not often see such big battles as the Qin family. At this moment, she bows her head slightly. Although she is quiet and quiet, she is also a little timid and embarrassed, which makes her look even more pitiful.
The Qin family produced beautiful women, and Qin Huaiyuan was the leader of his peers. When he was young, he was listed as the first of the "Four Gentlemen in the Capital". Many ladies were flocking to him. If he went around the city by car, the carriage would be full of flowers and fruits.
He was knowledgeable and unparalleled in strategy. At the age of 23, he used a stratagem to eliminate the enemy's protector general Pang Zhongzheng, and finally caused the chaos in the northern Ji country to gradually perish. Since then, his career has grown steadily, and he has been serving as the prime minister of Dayan.
Although the Northern Ji Kingdom has now changed its dynasty to Dazhou, and the posthumous son of the protector general Pang Zhongzheng has all the way to Dayan, almost entering the capital, Qin Huaiyuan is still well-known for his talent and appearance. Pan An's clever plan to exterminate traitors".
The appearance and character of the girl in front of her was exactly like the "Zhi Pan'an" she looked like when she was young. You don't need to investigate to confirm that this is definitely Qin Huaiyuan's biological daughter.
However, if she is Qin Huaiyuan's direct daughter, then who is Qin Huining who has been raised in the long house for 14 years
Everyone's eyes couldn't help but go back and forth between Qin Huining and the girl. Qin Huining's face turned purple.
The old lady pouted, patting the back of Qin Huining's hand soothingly, and critically sizing up the girl in front of her.
Although she was dressed appropriately, she didn't dare to raise her eyebrows and eyes, and she looked like a countryman who had never seen the world before... Except for her eldest son who looked like her, the others really didn't see the demeanor that a daughter of a noble family should have.
It would be better for Sister Hui who was raised in front of her!
The old lady held Qin Huining's hand tightly again, bringing her infinite comfort.
"Mother (the old lady) is well." Qin Huaiyuan, the second master Qin Xiuyuan, the second master Qin Yu, and the second master Qin Han saluted the old lady.
The old lady waved her hand lightly: "Get up." His eyes were still fixed on the girl.
"Sister Yi, why don't you kowtow to your grandmother?" Qin Huaiyuan said coldly.
"Sister Yi?" The old lady raised her eyebrows.
"Yes, mother, she has only had a small name outside these years, and her son has given her a big name, Yi Ning." After saying that, she stared at the girl who was still poking stupidly.
After all, he grew up in a rural village, with no knowledge and no rules, and a lump of elm.
The girl pursed her cherry lips, recalling the etiquette taught to her by her second cousin Qin Han in the inn, and knelt down obediently to salute: "The granddaughter has seen her grandmother." The voice was like a new warbler coming out of the valley, very pleasant.
The old lady squinted at her movements, barely passing the test, and snorted softly, "Your name is Yi Ning now? What was your name before?"
"Back to grandmother, it used to be called Xiaoxi."
"Why is it called such a name?"
"Because my adoptive mother picked me up from Xiaoxi, she called Xiaoxi."
The people who listened to the words had different thoughts, some mocked, some sighed.
Qin Huining clenched her fists tightly, but there was an expression of indifference on her face.
Qin Han sighed with pity. He felt pity for this cousin who had been rough since childhood.
The old lady smiled mockingly: "If you pick it up by the stream, it's called Xiaoxi? If you pick it up in the kennel, it won't be called a dog? Ignorance and stupid people can't even take a name. I think you don't call it either. What is Yi Ning, you are not worthy of being called Yi Ning, so you can still be called Xiaoxi."
Everyone was silent.
Qin Yining looked up at the old lady in surprise.
It seemed that the family did not welcome her, especially the grandmother.
Also, I heard that the concubines of the big families in the city can secretly fight for a long time because of a little hole in the winter. Now that she was found by her own father, she hastily returned to the house. …
In fact, she thought it was better to be called Xiaoxi.
But she is the daughter of the Qin family, it should belong to her, why should she hand it over to others? Could it be that it was her fault that she was replaced by her father's political enemies? Could it be that she survived so hard that she shouldn't go home
Looking at her clear and bright almond eyes, the old lady felt a little uncomfortable for some reason, and said coldly: "I heard that you have been hiding in the mountains all by yourself all these years?"
"Yes." Qin Yining lowered his eyes again.
"Why do you remember going up the mountain?"
"Because of the war, the people in the city were struggling to make a living. There were many people who wanted to make money and abducted people to sell them. After the death of my adoptive mother, I was afraid of being abducted and sold, so I went to the mountain alone."
Liangcheng is located on the border between the two countries. The war has not stopped for more than ten years. It is already a situation of ten rooms and nine empty spaces.
The old lady snorted coldly, "You are clever, and you know how to hide in the mountains."